Hikaru Utada to sing op for new Eva movie

[ZeroRyoko1974]

From ANN:
The producers of the Rebuild of Evangelion movie remake series have chosen singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada's "Beautiful World" single for the first movie's opening theme. Evangelion:1.0 You are (Not) Alone (Evangelion Shin Gekijōban: Jo or "New Evangelion Movie Edition: Introduction") opens in Japanese theaters on September 1. The movie's trailer uses a 2007 mix (preview (http://www.toshiba-emi.co.jp/app/scripts/access.php?cid=foozay&id=20070622_fz_hikki&dir=/foozay/pub/&url=/200706/toct40120_03.wma)) of her 2000 cover of Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)." "Fly Me to the Moon," as sung by other artists including Claire, was the ending theme of the original Neon Genesis Evangelion television series.

Utada is an internationally known, bestselling pop artist born in New York City and raised in Japan and the United States. Her rise to stardom in the mid-1990s roughly coincided with the rise of Evangelion's popularity. Nissin Cup Noodle and Bandai Visual have previously used Utada's "Kiss & Cry" (preview (http://www.toshiba-emi.co.jp/app/scripts/access.php?cid=foozay&id=20070622_fz_hikki&dir=/foozay/pub/&url=/200706/toct40120_03.wma)) for their Freedom promotional video project. Toshiba EMI will sell all three songs with karaoke reprises on one CD on August 29 for 1260 yen (about US$10.30) after initial offerings online in Japan. Utada also sang the theme songs for her former husband's Casshern live-action movie remake and the Hana Yori Dango 2 live-action television adaptation.

[Dr. Ezra]

Nice! I think she'd be perfect for the new movie.

[Tomoe]

Of course that's terrible! Why don't they use Yoko Takahashi again, a truly talented singer with powerful voice? Utada is a joke.

[Dr. Ezra]

Of course that's terrible! Why don't they use Yoko Takahashi again, a truly talented singer with powerful voice? Utada is a joke.

Hikaru Utada isn't a joke. I love her voice and I know tons of people that do as well. Yoko Takahashi is equally talented.

Have some decency.

[Tidusauron12]

Of course that's terrible! Why don't they use Yoko Takahashi again, a truly talented singer with powerful voice? Utada is a joke.

Have you heard Utada sing before? Doesn't sound like it.

[ArmedWolf001]

I know she made her own version of the song "Beautiful Day" by U2. Is it the same remake? If it is, I don't see why they can't use the original song.

[Gibb]

Of course that's terrible! Why don't they use Yoko Takahashi again, a truly talented singer with powerful voice? Utada is a joke.

Others have already responded to this comment, but I shall as well.

Everybody has their musical preferences. Utada Hikaru is a talented musician, whether you personally care for her voice or not. She writes her own songs, both lyrics and music, plays the guitar and is well liked internationally.

A lot of people dislike Rurutia's voice, but she's still my absolute favorite Japanese female vocalist. Her voice is fantastic to me.

[Tomoe]

I'll say what Hironobu Kageyama, the Prince of Anime songs, said in Brazil some years ago: "We have nothing against the J-pop singers. We have a lot against J-pop singers putting their songs in anime"

[VSh]

http://www.toshiba-emi.co.jp/app/scripts/access.php?cid=foozay&id=20070622_fz_hikki&dir=/foozay/pub/&url=/200706/toct40120_03.wma
http://www.toshiba-emi.co.jp/app/scripts/access.php?cid=foozay&id=20070622_fz_hikki&dir=/foozay/pub/&url=/200706/toct40120_03.wma
WOW, "Fly me to the Moon", asthmatic version. Certainly, they should use something better, not follow to the mainstream of mass pop culture.

[ryushe]

"We have nothing against the J-pop singers. We have a lot against J-pop singers putting their songs in anime"
I don't agree with Utada being a joke and all but I gotta say I agree and love this quote.

[tenshi_a]

It's not surprising they want a popular mainstream J-pop artist; everything Evangelion related for the last few years has been primarily about the continued commercial success of the franchise.

This is 2007:
Evangelion == Most Mainstream Thing Ever.

Seems odd, for such a show, but you have to admit, that's what it's become.

[Tomoe]

Yeah, it's the same with Gundam Z movies. They replaced Mami Ayukawa with Gackt!!! Horrible.......
I'm not surprised most people here like Utada. After all, she's 99% American in whatever she does, including her style of singing, music, etc. Anyway, as I said, I don't mind J-pop, I just want it to stay away from anime.

[Dr. Ezra]

Yeah, it's the same with Gundam Z movies. They replaced Mami Ayukawa with Gackt!!! Horrible.......


Metamorphoze was an awesome song. I didn't even know they used it in an anime series until much later.

How is that horrible, anyway?

[Tomoe]

Obviously you cannot understand. It's entirely a conceptual problem.
I'm writing a research in Japanese on this topic, when I finish it, maybe I'll translate it and post it somewhere.

[Tidusauron12]

This is 2007:
Evangelion == Most Mainstream Thing Ever.

Seems odd, for such a show, but you have to admit, that's what it's become.

That's what's giving me bad feelings about the decision to create more material for the series...