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Anime Concert's AI Flyer Art Leads to Evangelion Singer Yoko Takahashi Bowing Out

The Ikebukuro Anime Philharmonic, an orchestra dedicated to performing anime music, announced on Wednesday that iconic anime singer Yoko Takahashi will no longer perform as a guest in the orchestra's July 10 performance due to the orchestra using generative AI for promotional art. The announcement noted that the orchestra was receiving negative comments regarding generative AI for art for its flyers and website, and that this led to Takahashi pulling out from the performance.

Below is the first version of the flyers:

The orchestra's website released the new version of the flyers (seen below) on Thursday:

As of Thursday, stores in Tokyo's Akihabara district still had the original version of the flyers on display and for free distribution.

The orchestra apologized for the matter, saying that it did not sufficiently take into account the issues and criticisms surrounding generative AI. The performance is still moving forward as planned.

Yo Matsushita, a musical artist who serves as the head of the orchestra, posted again on Friday to explain further and to personally apologize to the other musicians, Takahashi, the sponsoring companies, and the other executive committee members. He acknowledged that as a musician involved in the arts, he was unaware and uninformed regarding the issues facing creators due to generative AI.

Takahashi is perhaps best known for performing the opening theme song "Cruel Angel's Thesis" and one rendition of the "Fly to the Moon" ending theme song for the Neon Genesis Evangelion television anime series, as well as "Soul's Refrain," the theme song of Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. Takahashi has also performed theme songs for CROSS ANGE Rondo of Angel and Dragon, Pumpkin Scissors, Shakugan no Shana, Ah! My Goddess, This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, and Aquarian Age the Movie.

Sources: Ikebukuro Anime Philharmonic's website and X/Twitter account, Yoko Takahashi's X/Twitter account via 0takomu