by Chloe Catajan
For the first time ever,
Neon Genesis Evangelion is available to stream online in its entirety. Netflix rereleased the seminal 1995 anime series last Friday, 21 June 2019, bringing the rarity to screens of viewers old and new, worldwide. Beforehand, access most fans outside of Japan had to the show ranged from catching its brief stint on television networks like Adult Swim in the early 2000s to pirating episodes.
What is Neon Genesis Evangelion, aka Eva? To keep things short and spoiler-free, the show takes place in 2015 and follows protagonist Shinji Ikari in a post-cataclysm world. Shinji is recruited by his father to operate a giant mecha, an “Evangelion," in an attempt to prevent alien beings, “Angels," from causing another cataclysm. On top of epic mecha battles, the series also dives into deeper themes of psychology and religion through its characters.
Following Eva's long-awaited streaming debut, those familiar with the original series have brought attention to several unfavorable changes, including Netflix's omission of the iconic outro song due to licensing rights in certain regions.
All 26 episodes of Eva closed with a different rendition of Bart Howard's “Fly Me To The Moon." Sometimes sung by cast members, the covers often reflected the tone and plot of each episode. The whimsical end credits were a breath of fresh air after all the action was over, playing against an image of moonlit lakewater; it was one of the many nuances that made the show so memorable and endearing.
On the day the series hit Netflix, we noticed an increase of Last.fm users revisiting the original soundtrack.
Left to right: Scrobble stats of the Neon Genesis Evangelion Soundtrack, “Fly Me To The Moon" by Claire, and “Fly Me To The Moon" - the Yoko Takahashi Acid Bossa Nova Version.
Even though the main cover performed by Claire Littley is not available on most streaming platforms, all the recent buzz has evidently made an impression on our members—and we hear you!
For those who are curious or looking to reminisce, all 26 versions of the end credits are on YouTube.
The full version of Littley's cover is also there.
The original series soundtrack is available on Spotify, under composer Shiro Sagisu's profile. This OST includes two versions of the “Fly Me To The Moon": an instrumental and the Yoko Takahashi Acid Bossa Nova version.
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