Yoko Takahashi Wields the Spear of Longinus at Evangelion 30th Anniversary Eva Fes, Performs “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” as Megumi Ogata Reflects on the Series

The Evangelion 30th Anniversary Eva Fes, held at Yokohama Arena, featured a powerful stage event on February 22 as part of EVANGELION:30+ 30th ANNIVERSARY OF EVANGELION, celebrating 30 years of the Evangelion series with a live performance by Yoko Takahashi and the premiere of a newly produced short anime.

At the stage area of the festival, the program “EVANGELION FLASHBACK” together with the short anime Evangelion 30th Anniversary Special Screening was presented. The venue was filled with excitement through Takahashi’s special live performance, the screening of a brand new anime created for the festival, and talk sessions featuring cast members and director Hideaki Anno.

Yoko Takahashi’s Special Live Featuring the Spear of Longinus

The live concert EVANGELION FLASHBACK opened with Pray to the Momentary Sky. With dancers accompanying her on stage, Takahashi energized the audience, and fans responded enthusiastically with penlights. During her MC segment between songs, she expressed her gratitude, saying, “The 30th anniversary of Evangelion, this festival, this live event all exist because of you. We are supported by your love and support. Thank you very, very much.”

During Soul’s Refrain, Takahashi performed while holding the Spear of Longinus, a key symbol that appears in the series. At the end of the song, the spear, suspended by wires, slowly ascended and came to a stop directly above the stage, drawing audible admiration from the audience.

In the following song what if?, as the performance approached its finale, the spear began to move and slowly traveled toward the back of the arena, flying above the audience in a dramatic production that felt unmistakably Evangelion in spirit.

For the encore, Takahashi grinned and joked, “If I do not sing this, you will probably write complaints later,” before passionately performing A Cruel Angel’s Thesis, which was met with thunderous cheers from the crowd.

EVANGELION FLASHBACK Setlist

1. Pray to the Momentary Sky
2. Happiness is the Smell of Sin
3. Crime and Punishment Those Who Are Unwilling to Pray
4. FLY ME TO THE MOON 2020
5. Return to Primitive Heart 2020
6. Eternal Embrace
7. Soul’s Refrain
8. what if?
9. Red Moon
10. Final Call

Encore
1. Teardrops of Hope
2. A Cruel Angel’s Thesis

Cast Talk Session and Emotional Reflections

Following the live performance, the newly produced short anime Evangelion 30th Anniversary Special Screening was shown. Nineteen guests took the stage for the talk session, including Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Yuko Miyamura, and director Hideaki Anno, along with other cast members and staff.

Koichi Yamadera humorously remarked, “If we hold a festival every ten years, it is physically tough at our age. Could we please do it every five years instead? What do you all think?” He then lit a red penlight featuring Fumihiko Tachiki merchandise and held it in front of his face, performing a playful imitation of Gendo Ikari.

Yuko Miyamura shared backstage anecdotes, saying she felt happy watching Akira Ishida and Megumi Ogata getting along affectionately behind the scenes. Megumi Hayashibara, speaking about listening to A Cruel Angel’s Thesis from the perspective of Rei Ayanami, commented, “Sorry to bring this up when everyone is having fun, but it was hard. We fought Angels. I even carried missiles, but they exploded.”

In response, Ogata said with a smile, “What do you think of these free spirited people? They are the best.”

Megumi Ogata on Her Memories as Shinji Ikari

Ogata also reflected on her memories from the original television series era, touching upon her role. “Normally, people forget painful things,” she said. “But my experiences with Evangelion are engraved in me, and they always come back. When I hear A Cruel Angel’s Thesis or watch Evangelion footage, even now, I return to the feelings I had within my other fourteen year old memories at that time.”

Her voice grew emotional as she spoke sincerely about how deeply she had confronted Shinji Ikari and the lasting impact the series continues to have on her.

New Short Anime Created for Eva Fes

A new short anime of approximately fifteen minutes was produced specifically for Eva Fes. Hideaki Anno handled the planning, script, and overall supervision. Naoyuki Asano, who served as animation director for Shin Evangelion Theatrical Edition, directed the short.

Although the venue had been lively during the talk session, silence fell just before the screening began, filled with quiet anticipation. As the screening neared its end, applause naturally rose from the audience. The applause continued for some time and did not cease even after the lights came back on.

While the excitement from the screening had yet to subside, Anno appeared alone on stage. “Did you enjoy it?” he asked the audience, prompting another wave of resounding applause. He then said, “Once again, could you please give a warm round of applause to director Asano and all the staff? Director Asano, thank you.” A third round of enthusiastic applause filled the arena.

Participants in the screening event also included Kotono Mitsuishi, Yuriko Yamaguchi, Tetsuya Iwanaga, Junko Iwao, Miki Nagasawa, HiroYuki, Akio Otsuka, Sayaka Ohara, Mariya Ise, Anri Katsu, as well as staff members Kazuya Tsurumaki and Mahiro Maeda.

Celebrating 30 Years of Evangelion

This event marks the culmination of anniversary projects continuing from 2025 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Evangelion series since the 1995 television broadcast of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The festival offers exhibitions, stage events, merchandise, the screening of the new short anime, and even the first Kabuki performance based on Evangelion, allowing fans who have supported the franchise to celebrate the milestone together.

Neon Genesis Evangelion, which aired from 1995 to 1996, is set in a world attacked by mysterious hostile beings known as Angels. The story depicts the fate of humanity and the young pilots chosen to operate the humanoid decisive weapons known as Evangelion in order to confront the Angels.

After the original television series, the franchise was relaunched in 2007 with the Rebuild of Evangelion film series. Evangelion 1.0 You Are Not Alone, Evangelion 2.0 You Can Not Advance, and Evangelion 3.0 You Can Not Redo were released to major box office success. The 2021 finale, Shin Evangelion Theatrical Edition, surpassed 10 billion yen in box office revenue, becoming the first film in the series to achieve that milestone and generating significant public attention.

Source : ORICON NEWS