Evangelion Songwriter Reveals How Her Royalties for “Cruel Angel’s Thesis” Were Lost

When it comes to anime openings, few are as iconic as the one Neon Genesis Evangelion showed fans decades ago. The show drummed up a hit with “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis”, and the song continues to rank atop the best theme songs for an anime to date. It was Neko Oikawa who penned the lyrics to the song years ago, and as it turns out, she has lost most of her royalties to her now-ex-husband.

The songwriter appeared on Geki-rare, a variety show in Japan, where she opened up about her life after Evangelion. Oikawa told the audience that she fell in love with her ex-husband 20 years ago when she visited Turkey for the first time. The pair entered a long-distance relationship before long, and Oikawa ended up footing the nearly $6,000 USD bill to have him move to Japan. The pair got married once the man arrived overseas, but bills began to rack up on his behalf.

Oikawa admitted she spent a ton of money funding her husband’s business pursuits and property deals. The songwriter spent at least $1 million USD on those prospects alone. One such expenditure was for a hotel in Turkey which was never built. In fact, Oikawa said the hotel project ended up costing nearly $3 million USD alone, and she had less than $1,000 USD to her name at this time.

Eventually, it was Oikawa’s husband who asked for a divorce, but the financial damage was done. He had bought luxury vehicles, a total of seven houses, and gifts for his female acquaintances by then. The songwriter said she hoped to smooth things out with her husband, but it didn’t work out. The pair ended up divorcing, but Oikawa says she looks back on the relationship with fondness.

“immediately after the divorce, I was mostly angry and upset. That turned to sadness, but once that passed, I only have remembered the fun times. He was a funny guy,” she shared.

The royalty rights seem to be secure in Oikawa’s name, so it is only a matter of time before her finances get straightened out. It’s certainly difficult to hear how the artist’s wealth was squandered in a doomed relationship, but maybe she’ll be able to get herself a Porsche of her own soon!

What do you make of this new report? Which song from Evangelion ranks as your favorite? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

HT – Crunchyroll