Neon Genesis
Evangelion is a Japanese
animated series produced by Gainax, and directed by Hideaki Anno. The original
TV series aired in 1995, and they later made a series of four rebuild series.
I'm going to introduce some soundtracks used in my favourite film of the
Rebuild series, Evangelion:
3.0 You Can (NOT) Redo (2012).
I will be focusing on the major/minor modes of soundtracks instead of analysing
individual soundtracks.
Most of the soundtracks in Evangelion: 3.0 are in minor key, emphasising the main
character Shinji Ikari's confusion, anxiety and sorrow throughout the film.
There are only four soundtracks that are in Major mode (excluding 'From
Beethoven 9' as it is used for irony). Only two of these are used to express
emotions related to happiness. 'Quatre Mains' is a lively piano duet performed
by Shinji Ikari and Kaworu Nagisa, and it is a piece that expresses the most
joyful emotions. Their first interactions are playing this duet together,
establishing a bond through music. The use of major key of this piece makes
audiences experience the happiness with them, especially because that is the
first time they had seen Shinji smile genuinely. The wide range of notes give
the audience a cheerful and alive feeling.
'Qui veut faire l'ange ait la bête' is a calming
piano piece that is played in the background when they stargaze together. They
discuss their views on life and the world, and Kaworu tells Shinji that ‘I
really was born to meet you’, making him feel important for the first time in
his life. The music gives the audiences a sense of calmness and contentedness,
as the melody is gentle and soothing. Moreover, these two soundtracks that are
played when Shinji is alone with Kaworu. This highlights the nature of their
relationship - Kaworu is Shinji's only source of comfort and happiness, which
is a point that will also have a great impact on the film later on. In
contrast, 'Dark Defender' and 'The Anthem' are in Major Key to
express the sense of victory in battle, but not happiness.
What do you think about the use of
soundtracks in Evangelion Q?
Do you like how the tracks mentioned above contrasts strongly with most of the
other tracks in the film?
For my next blog post, I will be
discussing about soundtracks from a horror game, either Slender: The Arrival or The
Last Door. See you! :)
By Janice
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