Neon Genesis Evangelion:
S^² Works
Publisher: King Records
Catalogue Number: KICA-421~6 (6 discs + 1 bonus)
Release Date: 98.4.12
Price: ¥ 10,000

Music by Shiro SAGISU (unless otherwise credited)

Goodies:
• Packaging
• Compiled Data Table of Contents (pages 2~4 in the booklet, and more)
• Appendix (from pages 5~11 in the booklet)
• Music Menu (from pages 12~14 in the booklet)
• Lyrics to "Amaki shi yo, kitare"/"Komm, s�sser Tod"
• Lyrics to "Everything you've ever dreamed" (& Anno's original verse)
• BONUS: Usage of NGE Music Not Included in S2 Works
• BONUS: Chronological Listing of All Music Used in NGE
• BONUS: "FLY ME TO THE MOON" Guide
• BONUS: Lyrics to M-4 & M-13

Check out my rambling exhaustive review (plus scans of the questionable CD booklet cover)
See contents of: DISC-01 / DISC-02 / DISC-03 / DISC-04 / DISC-05 / DISC-06 / BONUS DISC
Lyrics to "Komm, süsser Tod" (and the poem by Hideaki Anno it was based on)
Lyrics to MOTHER IS THE FIRST OTHER and BORDERLINE CASE (choral versions)
Lyrics to "Everything you've ever dreamed" and "THANATOS" [not yet!]
What's the deal with that alpha-numerical code?

The tracklist provided on pages 2~4 of the booklet is rather bland -- it just provides the menu designations for the pieces, while the full titles and episode usages (when applicable) are given on subsequent pages. I replicate the list here, but I do more than that: I've expanded it to convenienty summarize the data also included in the "Appendix" and "Music Menu" sections. When Anno has given the piece a title, that is listed; if not, a snippet from the music menu listed will be provided in { }s. Episode usages are ACTUAL, as confirmed by me, not taken directly from the booklet (which contains many typos in this regard).

DISC-01

-- TOP / REVIEW / DISC-01 / DISC-02 / DISC-03 / DISC-04 / DISC-05 / DISC-06 / BONUS DISC --

DISC-02

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DISC-03

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DISC-04

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DISC-05

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DISC-06

[it came in a little white sleeve, so there is no cover scan]
BONUS DISC

T.N.	Menu Code	Title or Menu Description	Release	Usage	Time
1.	Cello tuning	[Cello -- Fourth chord: Tuning]	DEATH	DEATH(TRUE)�	(0:26)
2.	Suiten für Violoncello solo Nr.1 G-dur, BWV. 1007.Vorspier	-	DEATH	DEATH(TRUE)�	(0:43)
3.	: Original Complete Version	-	DEATH	DEATH(TRUE)�	(0:33)
4.	Violin tuning	[Violin -- Second Chord: Tuning]	DEATH	DEATH(TRUE)�	(0:23)
5.	Partita III für Violino solo E-dur, BWV. 1006 3. Gavotte in Rondo		DEATH	DEATH(TRUE)�	(0:22)
6.	Viola tuning	[Viola -- Third Chord: Tuning]	DEATH	DEATH(TRUE)�	(1:10)
7.	Tuning panorama	[Miryou e no chouritsu (Tuning to incompletion)]	DEATH	DEATH(TRUE)�	(0:18)
8.	Kanon D-dur (normal)	[Kanon D-dur (Strings Orchestra)]	DEATH	DEATH(TRUE)�	(5:08)
9.	Kanon D-dur (W quintet)	-	-	-	(5:07)
10.	Kanon D-dur (quintet)	-	-	-	(5:01)
11.	Kanon D-dur (quintet, no harpsichord)	[Kanon D-dur (quartet)]	DEATH	DEATH(TRUE)�	(5:01)
12.	II Air [ORCHESTRAL SUITE No.3 in D Major, BWV.1068] (slow tempo)	-	-	-	(3:57)
13.	II Air [ORCHESTRAL SUITE No.3 in D Major, BWV.1068]	-	THE END	25'	(3:23)
14.	Jesus bleibet meine Freude [Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben BWV.147] (strings, fast tempo)	-	-	-	(3:10)
15.	Jesus bleibet meine Freude [Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben BWV.147] (strings)	-	-	26'	(3:47)
16.	M-10, no intro, A-type	[Komm, süsser Tod]	-	-	(7:05)
17.	M-10, no intro, B-type	[Komm, süsser Tod]	-	-	(7:04)
18.	M-13, take 1 (unfinished)	{A-4 (BORDERLINE CASE): heavy version}	-	-	(6:16)
19.	M-13, take 2 (unfinished)	-	-	-	(6:16)
20.	M-14 (unedited)	{Dignified battle music}	-	-	(2:16)
21.	M-14 second half (unedited)	-	-	-	(0:36)
22.	M-15 (incomplete)	{Love theme (piano, female chorus)}	-	-	(4:08)
23.	THANATOS -IF I CAN'T BE YOURS-	-	THE END	THE END	(4:49)
-	-	-	-	TOTAL TIME	(76:59)

• 08~11: J. PACHELBEL
• 02, 05, 12~13: J.S. BACH
• 14~15: JAN PANENKA

TOP / REVIEW / DISC-01 / DISC-02 / DISC-03 / DISC-04 / DISC-05 / DISC-06 / BONUS DISC

RANDOM COMMENTARY

1-02 - A-2 [BACKGROUND MUSIC]: One of the songs that Shinji listens to on his SDAT. Interestingly, this piece was originally intended as a theme for Asuka, but it somehow got "demoted" to SDAT BGM and B-17 became "ASUKA STRIKES!" instead.

3-06 - E-4 [EVA-02]: This is one of my favorite BGMs from NGE. A very cool song for a kick-arse EVA. The only time this was used was for Nigouki's debut in the Pacific Ocean -- but it fit the scene perfectly. The piece's lighthearted and glorious nature is hardly a reflection of the chaos inside EVA-02 (and Asuka, for that matter), but those weren't issues back in Episode 8.

5-10: Heavy, slow piano version of "Fly Me."

5-17: One of the more striking versions of this song, but still awfully short. Strings and piano, okay -- but what is "mellow unison"?

5-29: A very nice little piece, with a fine classical air. (This is due, perhaps, to the light orchestration in the background.)

6-12/3 [M-8]: The entry for this previously-unreleased piece in the music menu indicates it was originally intended for Asuka's death. The fact that it wasn't used doesn't mean that Asuka never died in THE END [she did, but she "got better"], it just means they didn't use it! [Dwelling upon individual deaths wasn't really part of the movie, anyway. A few seconds per character, then the movie moved on.] This is a mild piece which puts a choir to good use. Hints of the "Thanatos" theme occur throughout -- not the complete melody, but enough that I know it's "Thanatos."

B-12: What better music for demolishing the EVA series and popping Ritsuko one? (I'm being ironic.) NGE sure likes using music ironically. "Both of you, Dance Like You Want to Win!" for the synchronized slaughter of Israfel. "Hallelujah" for Asuka's "mind rape" scene. "Ode to Joy" for the climactic battle between EVA 01 and EVA 02. Then this. Oh, and don't forget "Komm, süsser Tod" ...

B-14: This is a nice piece no matter how it's played. (It always manages to remind me of Christmas, though.) I like it better with strings than piano (the version used in EoE was piano), but, then, I've always been a sucker for strings.

B-18: A real treat. It doesn't sound like much at first, but it eventually builds up into an intense choral-percussion trance extravaganza. (And, yes, the vocals are real now -- it even sounds like they're saying something.) "BORDERLINE CASE" never sounded this good. Even though the booklet listing suggests that it is "incomplete," it sounds fine to me. "Heavy," on the other hand, is right on -- it's much more intense than the original.

B-20: Can you imagine Core-cracking action to go along with this? Seems a bit too happy and dignified for an EVA battle (the fight against Israfel was different!). If this piece had made it into the show, it probably would've been "demoted" to SDAT or television BGM.

B-22: Doesn't really make me think of "love" exactly, but this would've gone along fine with Sagisu's other character-related themes. This is definitely "easy listening" -- it's pleasant, corny stuff. I don't mean "corny" as a pejorative, but that just seems to describe a lot of Sagisu's themes so well.

B-23: The original version of "Thanatos" was nice, but this vocal version isn't high on my list. I like fast-forwarding it on my tape of the EVA movies -- I get to see EVA 02's dismembered remains again that much sooner. :(

-- TOP / REVIEW / DISC-01 / DISC-02 / DISC-03 / DISC-04 / DISC-05 / DISC-06 / BONUS DISC --

Reichu's review

One word: definitive. Being the pitiful EVA freak that I am, I, naturally, just had to shell over the hundred or so bucks necessary to acquire this set. So, what could they possibly fill seven CDs up with? Virtually all of the background music used in both the TV series and the movie, including tracks that are missing from any previously released soundtracks. Pretty much all of the BGM released on the TV and movie soundtracks is here. (The only exceptions I can think of are shorter versions of "Preview of Next Time" and an instrumental "Fly Me to the Moon" -- which are no real loss, since this set has the full-length versions -- along with the piano version of "Jesus bleibet meine Freude" from THE END soundtrack.)

However, this set is a bit shabby on the vocal and classical pieces, but there is a reason: Only Sagisu-san's own work is included. (The set isn't called "S^² Works" for nothing.) So, even though he didn't himself compose "Fly Me to the Moon," "Zankoku na tenshi no TEEZE," "Kanon D-dur," "II Air," etc., the versions of them collected here are his own arrangements. (This explains the missing piano version of "Jesus bleibet"; the EoE CD booklet credits the arrangement to M. Hess.) What you see in my listing of the contents is what you get. There's no false advertising: This is every bit the definitive collection of music produced by Shiro Sagisu for the anime itself.

Naturally, something like this wouldn't be complete without newly-collected (NC, in my track listings) tracks! As I mentioned earlier, some of these are BGMs that were actually used in the show but not collected until now. (An example would be Track 1 on Disc 2, which was used at the beginning of Episode 22 for one of Asuka's flashback scenes; for whatever reason, it was never included on the OST CDs, which is why it was never "entitled" by Anno.) However, most of the NC tracks are BGMs that never made it past the recording studio -- they appear here, for the first time. Some of these really stand out, and I can't help but wonder why they were excluded from the anime. (For details on individual NC tracks, check out my comments section at the end of the track listing. If you're lucky, I'll have written something worthwhile.) If you already own the five OSTs (I'm including the two movies), though, these tracks alone probably aren't worth the $100 you'll have to pay to hear them, unless you're a total NGE freak.

Then again, $100 is a bloody good deal, when you think about it. The OSTs cost about $30 each, so you'd have to shell out over $150 to get all of them. If all you really care about are the Sagisu compositions -- and you can do without the Yoko Takahashi songs, the pathetically excessive number of vocal FMTTMs, and some classical pieces you might have on other CDs anyway -- then S2 Works is all the EVA music you need, and then some...

... But sometimes too much: Multiple versions of most BGM tracks are included. What exactly does that mean? Okay, take "MAGMADIVER", the BGM that accompanies EVA 02's battle with Sandalphon. Track 22 on Disc 4 is the normal version of it (identical to the one on the second TV OST). 23 is the rhythm-only version. 24 is the fast tempo version. 25 is the fast tempo, rhythm-only version. Get the idea? Sometimes they get really carried away: There are six versions (A-type to F-type) of the BGM "THREE OF ME, ONE OF SOMEONE ELSE," which is in itself a variation of "RITSUKO." All in all, there are about twelve instrumental variations of "FLY ME TO THE MOON", seven of which occur back-to-back on Disc 1. BGM A-4 ("A Honeymoon with Anxiety", "A Hole in the Dream", etc.) has 11 versions back-to-back on Disc 5. And, trust me, that's not where the trend stops.

While I commend the exhaustiveness of this CD set, the multiple-versions-of-the-same-song-in-a-row problem makes casual listening of the discs mostly impossible, unless you have a shuffle function on your player (and, optimistically, a multiple-disk changer, as well) or really have a thing for repetition. I can't really think of any way this problem could have been remedied, though, as that would mean elimination of the alpha-numeric system by which the tracks were arranged on the discs. [This is, in itself, a reflection of how Sagisu's notes on the individual compositions were organized. Most of these are published in the booklet, by the way.] At any rate, it should make completists very happy but give most everyone else an innane desire to kill things.

In summary? Take a look at what's on the CD set and get it if you want it. I've already warned you about the down-sides you might need to know. Well, I guess I should also warn you: The CD set booklet has a somewhat questionable selection of cover images. The front cover is Shinji's hand covered in dried blood (a reference to a shot flashed during Rei's e14 monologue? -- I'm not quite sure). The back cover is Shinji's hand covered in, um, his own secretions. I'll leave it at that. Check out my scans below if that sort of thing doesn't bother you -- or if you have any doubts about what Shinji did in the beginning of the movie (e25'). [Shinji, Shinji, Shinji, there's a time and a place for everything, and the bedside of a hospitalized and comatose young woman is certainly not one of them...]

TOP / REVIEW / DISC-01 / DISC-02 / DISC-03 / DISC-04 / DISC-05 / DISC-06 / BONUS DISC

What's the deal with that alpha-numerical code?

It's the "music menu" system, a method of organizing music created for a show or movie (I know Utena used it, but I don't know if it's a common practice or not). Basically, each letter (A, B, C) is a general category and each number (1, 2, 3) represents an individual composition. Every piece has a short descriptive entry detailing the original intention of the piece. It's basically a handy little guide for picking the right song for every occasion -- hence, "music menu".

Shiro Sagisu didn't actually title his own pieces -- Hideaki Anno did, but only the pieces that were previously released on the three TV and two movie soundtracks. [Anno's titles are in brackets.] However, you might notice that different versions of the same number composition may have different titles (A-4's base version is called "BORDERLINE CASE", while the synth voice only version is "Do you love me?") or only one version has an actual title. This is because Anno only gave titles to individual versions, unique tracks, as opposed to the number composition as a whole. Does that make any sense at all? Probably not.

At any rate, some of the previously unreleased pieces lack titles altogether, which I found quite bothersome. Thus, for whatever code numbers have no title whatsoever associated with them, I tried to provide an excerpt of that piece's menu listing in a set of { }s. I included the entire entry whenever it proved practical (some of them were very short). This is all pending my complete, definitive translation of the entire music menu, which definitely won't happen anytime soon.

So, the "S2 Works" CDs themselves are nigh unlistenable. What's a body to do? Burn custom mixes, of course! Just in case anyone's interested, here are the tracklists I used for the ones I made. Every song used in the anime (that I have on album or in MP3 form) is included, along with various unused tracks from "S2 Works" (although not all, since S2W has about a zillion different versions of some songs and I'm trying to make these CDs LISTENable, remember) and other NGE albums. The format essentially follows the chronological listing from my omake page (with some songs' first appearances pushed back for various reasons), with unused tracks inserted here and there (in italics to mark them clearly). All tracks not available on S2 Works have their album and track number designated in brackets.

DISC ONE [Episode #01~#06]

01. Zankoku na tenshi no TEEZE/TV. Size Version [TV-II/#02]
02. E-6 [ANGEL ATTACK]
03. C-2 [BAREFOOT IN THE PARK]
04. C-7 [TOKYO-3]
05. A-6 [I. SHINJI]
06. A-1 [Rei I]
07. E-3 [EVA-01]
08. E-9 [A STEP FORWARD INTO TERROR]
09. Jikai yokoku [TV-II/#23]
10. FLY ME TO THE MOON <TV. Size Version> [TV-II/#20]
11. E-5 rhythm only
12. B-16 rhythm only
13. B-17 rhythm only
14. A-2 [BACKGROUND MUSIC]
15. E-5 fast tempo [THE BEAST]
16. FLY ME TO THE MOON <TV.Size Version/Renewal #02> [Unreleased]
17. C-4 [Waking up in the morning]
18. B-1 [Hedghog's Dilemma]
19. E-1 rhythm only [Spending Time in Preparation]
20. E-7 [MARKING TIME, WAITING FOR DEATH]
21. FLY ME TO THE MOON <YOKO TAKAHASHI TV.Size Version> [TV-III/#23]
22. Aoi LEGEND [LILIA/#03]
23. E-8 [PLEASURE PRINCIPLE]
24. Bay side love story —from Tokyo— [GYUU/#14]
25. FACE [GYUU/#07]
26. FLY ME TO THE MOON <YOKO TAKAHASHI TV.Size Version/Renewal #04> [Unreleased]
27. D-9
28. A-5
29. A-8
30. E-5 [EVA-00]
31. FLY ME TO THE MOON <Rei(#5) TV.Size Remix Version> [TV-II/#22]
32. C-6 [A Crystalline Night Sky]
33. E-1 [DECISIVE BATTLE]
34. B-20 [Rei II]
35. FLY ME TO THE MOON <Rei(#6) TV.Size Remix Version> [TV-II/#23]

DISC TWO [Episode #07~#13]

01. OP-1
02. A-3 [NERV]
03. B-7 [When I Find Peace of Mind]
04. FLY ME TO THE MOON —4 BEAT TV.Size VERSION— [TV-III/#24]
05. D-5
06. B-17 [ASUKA STRIKES!]
07. E-4 [EVA-02]
08. FLY ME TO THE MOON <Aya Bossa Techno TV.Size Version> [TV-III/#25]
09. A-7 [ANGEL ATTACK II]
10. C-5 [RITSUKO]
11. A-3 rhythm only
12. F-2 [Jikai yokoku]
13. Tooi sora no yakusoku [LILIA/#08]
14. B-12 [Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win!]
15. FLY ME TO THE MOON <YOKO TAKAHASHI Acid Bossa TV.Size Version> [TV-III/#26]
16. D-4
17. D-6
18. FLY ME TO THE MOON <Asuka Bossa Techno TV.Size Version/Renewal #09> [Unreleased]
19. C-1
20. FALL in STAR [LILIA/#04]
21. B-21 fast tempo
22. E-15 [MAGMADIVER]
23. FLY ME TO THE MOON <ASUKA Version/Renewal #10> [Unreleased]
24. E-2
25. B-14 [The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still]
26. A-9 [ANGEL ATTACK III]
27. A-3 no harp
28. FLY ME TO THE MOON <Main Version II/Renewal #11> [Unreleased]
29. B-15
30. C-3
31. B-16 [MISATO]
32. A-15 [She said, "Don't make others suffer for your personal hatred."]
33. FLY ME TO THE MOON <MISATO Version/Renewal #12> [Unreleased]
34. C-55 F-type
35. A-14 [Rei III]
36. E-5 fast tempo, rhythm only [HARBINGER OF TRAGEDY]
37. FLY ME TO THE MOON [TV-I/#02]

DISC THREE

01. Yokan [TV-II/#01]
02. Zankoku na tenshi no TEEZE [TV-I/#01]
03. A-4 [BORDERLINE CASE]
04. FLY ME TO THE MOON <Rei(#14) Version/Renewal #14>
05. B-3 [BACKGROUND MUSIC III]
06. Wedding March (5:07) [Any album you can find it on ::p]
07. Tentoumushi no SAMBA [ADDITION/#08]
08. F-3 TAKE 2 [CHILDHOOD MEMORIES, SHUT AWAY]
09. You are the only one [LILIA/#01]
10. B-4 strings & piano [Those women longed for the touch of others' lips, and thus invited their kisses.]
11. FLY ME TO THE MOON —4 BEAT OFF VOCAL TV.Size VERSION— [TV-III/#27]
12. D-1
13. F-2 light version
14. FLY ME TO THE MOON —MISATO 4 BEAT VERSION/Renewal #15— [Unreleased]
15. B-10
16. A-13 [SEPARATION ANXIETY]
17. A-10 [MOTHER IS THE FIRST OTHER]
18. E-16 [THE BEAST II]
19. FLY ME TO THE MOON <OFF VOCAL TV.Size Version> [TV-III/#28]
20. D-8
21. D-10
22. FLY ME TO THE MOON <Main Version II/Renewal #16> [RoE/#14]
23. A-16
23. E-12
24. B-19
25. B-4 [FLY ME TO THE MOON]
26. D-7
27. FLY ME TO THE MOON <Aki Jungle TV.Size Version> [TV-III/#29]
28. F-0 no speech
29. E-14
30. B-6
31. E-16 fast tempo [NORMAL BLOOD]
32. B-4 guitar & piano
33. C-55 A-type
34. B-13
35. E-13 [THANATOS]
36. FLY ME TO THE MOON <Main Version II/Renewal #19> [Unreleased]
37. F-1 no speech
38. A-15 slow tempo
39. B-18
40. A-14 fast tempo

DISC FOUR

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Created on December 10, 2000. Some revisions made March 2, 2001.