"Beautiful World" is a song by

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian Americans, Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 United States census, 2000 census, they have declined in ...

musician

Hikaru Utada , also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan. She is best known by international audiences for w ...

. It served as the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for '' Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone'', the 2007 film reboot of the

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

Neon Genesis Evangelion , also known as ''Evangelion'' or ''Eva'', is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Gainax and Tatsunoko Production, and directed by Hideaki Anno. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo and its affiliates from October 1995 to March 1 ...

''. It was released as a double

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

single on August 29, 2007 along with her song " Kiss & Cry", which had been released digitally three months earlier. The song was written and co-produced by Utada, while Akira Miyake and the singer's father

Teruzane Utada is a Japanese music executive producer.Japanese star hopes to rock the U.S ...

served as producers. In 2009, a remix of the song, "Beautiful World (Planitb Acoustica Mix)" served as the theme song of the second film in the series, '' Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance''. Musically, "Beautiful World" is a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

song that incorporates elements of

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

and

trance Trance is a state of semi-consciousness in which a person is not self-aware and is either altogether unresponsive to external stimuli (but nevertheless capable of pursuing and realizing an aim) or is selectively responsive in following the dir ...

. Lyrically, it delves upon themes of love and desire, being inspired by the character

Shinji Ikari is a fictional character from the ''Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise), Neon Genesis Evangelion'' franchise created by Gainax. He is the franchise's poster boy and protagonist. In the Neon Genesis Evangelion, anime series of the same name, Sh ...

. Upon its release, "Beautiful World" received positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

, who commended Utada's lyrical abilities and production style; it won numerous accolades in Japan, and has subsequently been listed as one of her best releases. Commercially, "Beautiful World" and "Kiss & Cry" experienced success in Japan. The single reached number two on the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track down ...

and was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include pro ...

(RIAJ) for shipping over 250,000 physical copies. "Beautiful World" individually sold over one million legal downloads and 500,000

ringtones A ringtone is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming telephone call. Originally referring to the sound of electromechanical striking of bells or gongs, the term refers to any sound by any device alerting of an incoming call. On p ...

throughout Japan, earning it a million and double platinum certification from the RIAJ. Utada has since performed the song on her Wild Life

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often, concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific ...

and additionally placed the recording on

compilation albums A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from one artist, then generally the tracks we ...

such as ''

Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2 ''Utada Hikaru Single Collection Vol. 2'' is Japanese pop singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada's second compilation album, released on November 24, 2010, by EMI Music Japan, the same day as their Universal-released English language compilation album, ' ...

'' (2010) and ''

Science Fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

'' (2024).

Background and development

In 2006, Utada released her fifth studio album, ''

Ultra Blue ''Ultra Blue'' (stylized in all caps) is the sixth album by Japanese–American singer Hikaru Utada, released on June 14, 2006, by Eastworld. It is the first original Japanese language album under Hikaru Utada's name in four years since her third ...

'', led by the digital single " This Is Love". In February 2007, Utada released "

Flavor of Life "Flavor of Life" is Hikaru Utada's 18th Japanese single (25th single overall). The physical single was officially released on February 28, 2007. Compared to the preceding singles following "Colors (Hikaru Utada song), Colors", "Flavor of Life" g ...

", the theme song for the drama ''

Hana Yori Dango Returns is a Japanese television drama series broadcast on Tokyo Broadcasting System, TBS in 2007 Japanese television dramas, 2007. It is the sequel to the 2005 TV series ''Boys Over Flowers (2005 TV series), Boys Over Flowers'' based on Boys Over Fl ...

'', which became one of her most commercially successful singles, selling over eight million downloads and becoming the second most digitally successful song of 2007 globally. On April 20, Utada's song " Kiss & Cry" began to be used in commercials for

Nissin Foods is a Japanese food company. Founded in 1948 by Momofuku Ando in Izumiōtsu, Osaka, it owns Nissin Food Products, Nissin Chilled Foods, Nissin Frozen Foods, and Myojo Foods. It is known for development of the world's first marketed brand of i ...

' ''

Freedom Project ''Freedom Project'' is a Japanese promotional project by Nissin Cup Noodles for their 35th anniversary in 2006. As part of the project, the 7-part OVA series, titled ''Freedom'', was commissioned with and designed by Katsuhiro Otomo (of ...

'' advertising campaign, and was released as a digital download on May 31. Utada's recording of the jazz standard "

Fly Me to the Moon "Fly Me to the Moon", originally titled "In Other Words", is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The first recording of the song was made in 1954 by Kaye Ballard. Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's 1964 version was closely associated with the Apo ...

", originally found on her "

Wait & See (Risk) "Wait & See (Risk)" (stylized as Wait & See ~リスク~) is a song recorded by Japanese–American singer Hikaru Utada for her third studio and second Japanese language album, ''Distance'' (2001). It was released on April 19, 2000 as the second sin ...

" (2000) single, was rearranged and released as a digital download on June 29. Renditions of this song had previously been used in the original ''

'' animation's soundtrack, and Utada's version was used in trailers for ''Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone''. Since Utada had not read the movie's script before writing the theme songs for any of the first three ''Rebuild'' movies, Utada took her inspirations from Shinji wanting to see his friends and the real world again at the end of '' End of Evangelion'', and Asuka's realization that she did desire love from other people. Utada's relationship with her mother, a musician herself, and her mental illness later in life influenced her ''Evangelion'' songs. For this reason, out of all Eva characters she identified the most with Asuka.

Composition and release

Musically, "Beautiful World" is a

love song A love song is a song about love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...

, inspired by mid-tempo

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

. According to Utada, she had already said everything she wanted to say in the song through the melody and arrangement, so she made the lyrics subdued so as not to get in the way. She also said that she created the song with a "wish" at its roots, with an elusive, fluffy feel like the wind or a smell in mind. "Beautiful World" debuted on the radio and was released as a

ringtone A ringtone is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming telephone call. Originally referring to the sound of electromechanical striking of bells or gongs, the term refers to any sound by any device alerting of an incoming call. On p ...

on July 23, 2007. "Beautiful World" was released as a double

with " Kiss & Cry," which premiered on August 29, 2007, through

Toshiba-EMI , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. Wh ...

as a

CD single A CD single is a single (music), music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the ''CD single'' standard (as defined in the Rainbow Books, Red Book) was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (''CD3''); later on the term referred to any si ...

and a digital download.

Planitb Acoustica Remix

In 2009, the song was rearranged for the second film of the ''Rebuild of Evangelion'' series, as "Beautiful World (Planitb Acoustica Mix)". It was released as a digital download on June 28, 2009. Utada worked with Russell McNamara, who had previously made remixes of her songs "

Distance Distance is a numerical or occasionally qualitative measurement of how far apart objects, points, people, or ideas are. In physics or everyday usage, distance may refer to a physical length or an estimation based on other criteria (e.g. "two co ...

", "

Traveling Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel ca ...

", "

Hikari may refer to: Places * Hikari Station, a station on Sanyō Main Line in Hikari, Yamaguchi * Hikari, Chiba, a former town in Sousa District, Chiba, Japan * Hikari, Yamaguchi, a city in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan People * Hikari (name), people a ...

" and " Simple and Clean" between 2001–2002. The song was commercially successful, reaching number 8 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and Hanshin Contents Link since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thursday ...

. It was added as the final track of Utada's second compilation album ''

'' in late 2010.

Da Capo Version

In 2021, Utada re-recorded the song (specified as a "self cover") for the last film of the ''Evangelion'' series, '' Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time'', entitled "Beautiful World (Da Capo Version)", which featured on her 2021 EP, '' One Last Kiss''. Musically, the Da Capo version immediately follows on from the preceding song, "One Last Kiss". Director

Hideaki Anno is a Anime, Japanese animator, filmmaker, Film producer, producer, and voice actor. His most celebrated creation, the Neon Genesis Evangelion (franchise), ''Evangelion'' franchise, has had a significant influence on the anime television industr ...

specifically requested the version be created as he believed "One Last Kiss" would not be long enough for the credit sequence.

Promotion

In early September, Utada performed the song at many music entertainment programs in Japan: at ''

Count Down TV (also known as CDTV) is a Japanese late-night music television program, broadcast on TBS since 1993. The program is shown weekly, and features a Japanese music video hit chart countdown, live performances from musicians and music information. ...

'' on the night of September 1, ''

Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ ''Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ'' was a Japanese music variety show on Fuji Television hosted by the comedy duo Downtown, which consists of Hitoshi Matsumoto and Masatoshi Hamada. It is a very popular show with comical hosts who like to pick on t ...

'' on September 3, ''

Utaban was a Japanese music variety show, broadcast weekly from October 15, 1996 until March 23, 2010 on TBS. The name of the show is an abbreviation of , meaning "music program". A special version of the show, running for two hours, was occasionally a ...

'' on September 6, and both ''

Music Station , stylised in all caps, is a Japanese music television program. Broadcasting live weekly on TV Asahi since October 24, 1986, it currently airs from 9PM-10PM on Fridays. The program is also colloquially known as , , and . The show is currently sy ...

'' and ''Music Fighter'' on September 7. "Beautiful World" was performed during Utada's two date concert series '' Wild Life'' in December 2010. Articles about Utada appeared in music and fashion magazines in August and September 2007, to promote the single. This included R&R Newsmaker, What's In?, CD Data, Barfout!, Oricon Style, Pia, Pop Teen and Patipati. Two animated music videos were produced for the song, depicting scenes from ''Evangelion''. The first was released at the time of the single's release, and featured scenes of ''Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone'', directed by the film's chief director

. This music video won a Japanese MTV Video Music Award for the best video used for a film. In 2014 to promote Utada's 15th anniversary, as well as the tribute album ''Utada Hikaru no Uta'', a music video of Evangelion scenes was produced by

Kazuya Tsurumaki Kazuya Tsurumaki (鶴巻和哉 ''Tsurumaki Kazuya'') is a Japanese anime director. He was born on February 2, 1966, in the city of Gosen, located in Niigata Prefecture. He is the protégé of Hideaki Anno, and a longtime animator at Gainax. T ...

, one of the co-directors of the ''

Rebuild of Evangelion ''Rebuild of Evangelion'', known in Japan and on Amazon Prime Video as , is a Japanese animated film series and a reboot of the original ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'' anime television series, produced by Studio Khara. Hideaki Anno serves as the ...

'' film series.

Critical reception

''CDJournal'' reviewers described Utada as singing about "earnest love and deep prayers in a rhythmic tempo", and noted "a painful beauty where transience and passion live together" in the song. They praised the "melancholy" way that Utada sings the lyric "it's only love", as well as the lyrics' sense of ironic while coming from an everyday perspective. Tetsuo Hiraga of ''Hot Express'' gave an extremely positive review of the song, feeling in awe of the emotional sensitivity of Utada's lyrics and how well they resonated with Evangelion.

Accolades

Commercial performance

Commercially, the single proved to be a success. "Beautiful World/Kiss & Cry" debuted at number three on the

with 95,299 copies sold. The single jumped to number two on the chart the following week, selling approximately 51,637 copies. "Beautiful World/Kiss & Cry" sold 228,716 copies by the end of 2007, making it the 20th best-selling single of the year. The physical single for "Beautiful World/Kiss & Cry" was certified platinum by the

(RIAJ) for physical sales of 250,000 units, and is Utada's 18th highest-selling single. However, "Beautiful World" performed better digitally, with the song individually selling over one million

downloads In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar systems. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote s ...

and 500,000

nationwide. The song's Planitb Acoustica Mix was certified gold for selling over 100,000 legal downloads in August 2009.

Track listings

Personnel

Personnel details were sourced from "Beautiful World" / "Kiss & Cry"'s liner notes booklet. * Goetz B. for 365 Artists – mixing * Atsushi Matsui – recording * Akira Miyake – production * Alexis Smith – additional programming * Yuzuru Tomita – additional programming * Hikaru Utada – arrangement, keyboards, programming, production, songwriting, vocals *

Teruzane Utada is a Japanese music executive producer.Japanese star hopes to rock the U.S ...

– production

Chart rankings

Weekly charts

Yearly charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beautiful World (Utada, Hikaru song) 2007 singles 2007 songs 2009 singles Hikaru Utada songs Songs in Japanese Songs written by Hikaru Utada Songs written for Japanese films Neon Genesis Evangelion songs Songs written for animated films EMI Music Japan singles