Gênero: Action, Award Winning, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Suspense
Estudio: Bones
Sinopse:
The ordinary life of high school student Ayato Kamina is turned upside down when Tokyo is suddenly invaded by futuristic fighter jets. Amidst the chaos, he encounters a woman called Haruka Shitow who claims to be from a government organization called TERRA. She reveals that he has been living in a time bubble named "Tokyo Jupiter" that was put in place by the Mulians—humanoids from another dimension—in an attempt to isolate and take over Tokyo. TERRA has been trying to break through the barrier surrounding the city ever since.
Unable to process the revelation, Ayato panics and flees. He runs into his classmate Reika Mishima who leads him to a place called "The Shrine of Xephon" where a large egg slumbers. She starts to sing and an unknown power awakens within Ayato, connecting him to a being called RahXephon that breaks out of the egg. Shortly after, Haruka finds him again and tries to make him join her cause of fighting against the Mulians.
Caught between the crosshairs of the Mulians and TERRA, Ayato begins to question his purpose, navigating altered memories and ultimately his very identity in this chaotic new world.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
jagabond
To start off, I'm going to say I am not a big mecha fan. All I knew when I started this series was that it was a mecha/sci-fi/action anime that some of my friends looked down upon due to its unfavorable comparisons to Neon Genesis Evangaleon (which I haven't seen). Other than that, I had no idea what I was in for, and that's how I like it. What I got, in short, was a surprisingly great show, well made, that really grew on me very quickly. STORY: The story can be the weakest part for some people, it isn't simple or linear, but, I think,it's not too, too complicated. You are in Ayato's shoes at the start, and it's very understandable to be confused as to what's going on. With a little faith and some brain power, keep going forward and it'll all be revealed if you keep your eyes open. The story is woven well and, without giving much away, I'll say that it's about Ayato's journey to learn about: the world he's in, the real world, who he is/was, who the giant flying robots are, and what his purpose is in relation to the people around him. Vague, right? I know, this area is pretty sketchy, and intentionally so. The story is deep, the story is more than slightly convoluted, and the story is good. Give it a chance. 8/10.
ART: One of the things I instantly liked about this show was the art. I knew this anime hadn't come out yesterday and, despite being a guy who just has to have what's new and now, I really liked the animation. The colors are great, everything is well drawn, with special detail to the mechas (which, surprisingly, some mecha animes overlook, go figure). I didn't find anything that really stood out as bland and there were few- if any- weak points in the animation. It didn't feel dated at all despite having come out 6 years ago. 9/10.
SOUND: The Opening/Ending to RahXephon really caught my ears, just like the art caught my eye. The ending theme is beautiful, and sent me to sleep (in a good way) more than once while watching the episodes back to back. The music always fits the mood, the sound effects are great, and a lot of the tracks are lovable. Indeed, one of the 'themes' of the show is about sound, and there's a bit about singing, which I won't get into unless I want to get into spoiler-land, but Sound is definitely one of RahXephon's strong points. The voice acting is top notch, if you're someone like me who always wonders whether to bother with the dub, well I loved it. Ayato's voice was great, the supporting character's were pretty good, and Vic Mignogna was... well, he's Vic Mignogna. 10/10.
CHARACTER: Second to Sound, here's where the series shines the most. And yet it gets an 8- why? Because of the unavoidable connections between Character and Story. The complexities of the Story mixed with the large cast of characters sometimes made it hard to keep track of who was who, something I found really disappointing. Also, aside from Ayato and the main, let's say other two, it was difficult to tell who the main characters really were. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, but the ambiguity, imo, could have been handled a little better. Nonetheless, the characters themselves, once you've gotten to know them, will blow you away. I really connected with Ayato and many of the supporting cast. A lot of them are deep and, over the course of the series go through so many intense emotional periods, the most passionate parts of their lives. You see them at their best and their worst, really getting to know them, and though it can get kind of tricky keeping track of them all, you'll definitely have an opinion of them if nothing else. 8/10.
ENJOYMENT: I really don't know what it was. Could it have been the 'artsy' undertones? The score, the production, the characterization? Or maybe I'm just a mecha fan underneath who hasn't come out of his shell, I don't know, but what I do know is: I really, really liked RahXephon, and I put it up there in my top 3 favorite animes ever. I forget how I stumbled across it, really, but I'm glad I did. What began as a way to kill time ended as really something of an experience. I understand this series has many parallels to NGE (see above), and after watching this I started to understand why NGE fans so vigorously shoved it into my face, for I was doing the same with RahXephon. You COULD say having to watch the series a second time to understand everything counts as replay value, maybe, but who knows? I know I didn't fully get everything on the first go around (which is really what keeps this thing from truly, truly being perfect). 9/10.
OVERALL (aka: tl;dr version):
STORY: Ayato's journey of self discovery takes him into his own mind and places far beyond. Well written, but very complex; worth giving your full attention. 8/10.
ART: Fluid, beautifully done, smooth and nicely drawn animations that keep your attention. 9/10.
SOUND: Amazing English dubbing, and the japanese voices are nothing short of what you'd expect either. Spectacular music, OP/ED, and overall great OST/sound effects. 10/10.
CHARACTER: A (perhaps too) large and real cast of characters, very real, very human, that may or may not make or break the series for you. 8/10.
ENJOYMENT: I'm not sure on this one. Watch the first, let's say 6 or 7 episodes, wait for things to really get rolling, and if you don't like it/are totally lost/absolutely hate it, don't watch it. I for one could not stop watching this anime. 9/10.
So how do two 8's, two 9's, and a 10 average out to an overall 10? I have no idea, but I cannot recommend this anime strongly enough. It truly is a work of art.
[This was my first review; if you did not find it helpful, please let me know. I'm always happy to talk about this series!]
Maur
Overall/Enjoyment: Where to begin. First the disclaimer: RahXephon is definitely not for everyone. It's usually best to have little to no expectations so as to not contaminate the experience. With RX there are some things you should, and a lot of things you should NOT, expect. I would be remiss if I didn't mention how significantly challenging of a show it is to get into. You certainly have to be in the right mood/mindset for it. It is easy to label this show as an action, drama, sci-fi mecha romance (or whatever), but what does any of that mean? If you've seen Neon Genesis Evangelion, expect thisshow to have a very familiar... setting. This is usually the first thing people notice (and usually complain about). Mecha is probably the least important aspect of this show however. The story is also very heavily character driven, so the pacing is very slow and the action is sparse. Coupled with this, the sci-fi aspects of the show are limited and more of a sub-plot if anything. At its heart however RX is ripe with drama and romance, but above all else, it is a very well written and a stunningly artistic show.
That being said, if you are the kind of person who likes to analyze things and gestate them and appreciate the fine art in works, then RX has a lot to offer. This is not to say that RX is an intellectual tour de force meant only for the highest of brows, but rather as a hint for people who like that kind of stuff. If this is not your style or what you are in the mood for, then there is a very good chance you will find this show simply boring, meaningless, and/or just an inferior version of NGE.
I initially tried to watch this show with my brother and we were both wondering "when does anything cool happen?" Some months later I tried watching the show again, by myself this time, late at night. Under these conditions I was able to just sit back and enjoy what was going on. So I definitely recommend watching this under similar settings where you have time to view at least a few episodes and focus on them.
Story:
There's not really much to say about the story that isn't covered in any synopsis. There are elements of mystery that can be confusing at times, but get more or less resolved/explained eventually (with minor exceptions). Some of the temporal ideas they play with are kind of interesting. The way information is revealed is pretty well done. You slowly get immersed into the world(s) and things become more intriguing and entertaining the more you get to know the characters. What's more, it actually has a conclusive and COHERENT ending, which is more than I can say for the majority of anime. There's nothing I hate more than getting really into a series only to have it end in some crazy, sudden, ambiguous, and/or arbitrary manner. I HATE THAT SO MUCH. *deep breath* Ok, so, stories with good endings get high marks from me. I can't really say what it was I liked so much about the ending without essentially spoiling it, but suffice to say I found it very.... emotionally satisfying.
Do not be fooled. Even though the Japanese love to throw robots into almost everything, RahXephon is scarcely a mech show except in the most token of ways. The fights involving mechs are brief and mostly forgettable. They really serve more of a symbolic and artistic purpose than any kind of technical combative entertainment. This is most prominently exemplified in episodes 19 and 26. The sci-fi part of the story is mostly nonsense, but it's very pretty looking and sounding nonsense. This is what really counts here. It doesn't matter if the plot is silly or has been done before, what matters most isn't what is said but HOW it is told. The real story lies beneath the surface of the sci-fi mecha mumbo jumbo, and if this isn't clear by the end then you've really missed something.
NGE vs. RX:
If you've already seen Neon Genesis Evangelion then you might be put off by how strikingly similar this show appears to be. It's true; the parallels between RahXephon and NGE are uncomfortably pervasive. They both have a young male lead thrust into piloting a mech for some organization to fight against abstract enemies. They both have an older female character who introduces and protects/shelters the main character. They both take place, obviously, in (post-destruction) Tokyo and of course are mankind's last hope against a prevailing alien threat. Coincidences like these will probably catch your eye throughout the show, however, RX is not the blatant ripoff one might think. These common threads are superficial and are no more egregious than two shows having the same "harem of girls fawning over an awkward guy" plot.
Here's where the shows stop being similar: NGE provided a more realistic mech story with deep psychological overtones and Christian themed undertones; RX centers around capturing a certain... aesthetic more than anything else. So if you are going to watch RX, it is important to bear in mind that the thing you'll take away most from it is not the "edge of your seat action" or the "mind blowing concepts" but one thing: aesthetics. Here RX triumphs over NGE most magnificently; it is simply and stunningly beautiful.
Art:
The character designs put me off a little bit in the beginning. There was something so simple and plain about them that didn't sit right with me. Their colors were too solid and too flat. The designs are definitely different, and after a while I either grew used to them or stopped caring, because everything else about the art in RX is just amazing. The time and effort they put into the backgrounds are absolutely breathtaking. The other thing I liked about RX is that even though the enemies are abstract looking, they're not just weird floating giant eyeballs or anything obnoxious like that. The abstraction in RX actually retains a certain "realistic" genuine design, they look like something someone might actually build.
Sound:
I'd say the sound in this series shares in the same spirit of aesthetics. I mean, how could it not? The plot revolves around the idea of a world suffused with sound. If you are spinning a story that is largely character driven and are trying to immerse the viewer in visuals then it is equally important that the music draws them in as well. Some of the melodies are really solid/memorable, but the most important part is that the mood and tones are always set just right. Since music/sound is supposed to be a big theme of the show, it would've been nice if there had been more distinguishable harmonic singing as opposed to the mostly tonal chanting that goes on. In this area I don't feel they really tapped into their full potential beauty and the incessant droning can get a little annoying...
The Op/En themes were alright, maybe a little too tranquil for my tastes. The dubbing was surprisingly good. I usually watch an episode or so dubbed and then watch a couple subbed before deciding how to watch the series, but the dub was so well done that the thought to switch over never even came to me. This is not to say it was flawless, Vic Mignogna's voice didn't seem to quite fit, but whatever. Comparing it to the subtitling, I might even go as far as saying that the dubbing was possibly better...
Characters:
The main character is a refreshing alternative to your typical amoral badass or whiny, obnoxious brat. No stupid sidekicks or comic relief here, no retarded antics and none of the usual cliche archetypes that make up your usual lineup. Most of the characters are really well done, a few of the minor characters could've been better developed, but they're all fairly believable and likable. With the exception of Makoto, who is just an unbelievable prick. It's never really explained why he's such an insufferable douche bag either. This ultimately doesn't matter, some people are just bastards for no good reason, but it would've been nice if at least A reason was given. In fact, it would've been better if some of the characters motives had been elaborated on more.
If you've seen and liked Eureka 7 (also by Bones) then you already have an idea about what a story driven by wonderful characters is like. Of course, having good characters alone is not what makes this show unique. More so than the visuals or the sound, where RahXephon really excels is how heart warmingly romantic it is. I don't mean this in some cheesy, lovey-dovey, soap opera kind of way. It's somewhat hard to explain. You can watch this show and not even pick up on it, but that's part of the magic. It's not overdone and it's sort of subtle about it but still effective.
Even the characters are beautiful in a way. I hate stories where characters act or react in ways that have no bearing to real life, so when they interact believably it just makes it that much more enjoyable for me. Let's take harem shows for instance where the main male lead is either painfully oblivious to (or shows no interest in) any of his would-be female suitors. Or, when there's some ridiculously breasted female character (and there's a lot of them in anime) and people just act as if it's the norm, when you know, YOU KNOW, every single male (and lesbian?) eye would be locked on to that woman all-the-time; everywhere she went. I HATE when shows do that.
So I was SO glad to see RahXephon took that extra step to make the characters feel more real rather than just inundate the viewer with more of the usual idealistic/innocent baloney -- and I'll always love it for that. The characters are so sincere and so genuine with one another that it made watching them gripping. In that same vein of realism, I absolutely loved how... amorous the characters were. You'll see scenes where cleavage might catch someone's eye, or where there will be an air of sexual tension, or proximity promiscuity, and all these other sensual elements that were deliciously but tastefully mature. This extra layer made the characters so much more... human. I really loved this about the show, and it is probably what I'll remember most: just how playful and fun and passionate and real they appeared to be. So by the time I got to the end, it was such a memorable and moving journey that I was sad when it was over. The characters were just so alluring and endearing.
Other:
There are a lot of mysteries in the show I never understood like who Kamina's parents were, or how Haruka found him at that gateway after the disappearance, or the whole clone craziness, or the whole elaborate setup at the end, or why the mu were on earth or where they came from... but none of that really matters. I can't really do justice to how much I liked this show, but there's a review of it on ANN that puts it into much better words than I have. This is a show anyone who values substance owes to themselves to watch.
Master10K
RahXephon is a Shounen, Sci-fi, Mecha, Romance, Drama about a high school boy Ayato Kamina, who believes in the reality that is present before him. However everything changes once he discovers the truth about the world, that humanity is at war. From the very beginning you will be thrown right into the thick of it, knowing very little about the plot, story and overall premise. However as the show goes on it slowly reveals, bit by bit, what it is all about, which is about humanity's struggle against some weird invaders. The story is told well because everything is straight forward and you won’t feel overwhelmedwith the back story and all the terms given. However this anime series may lack some originality because it is not too difficult to spot the numerous parallels between RahXphon and the ever-so-popular Neon Genesis Evangelion. Both series about boys being thrust into a war against unknown beings, plus having romantic interest on the side. Nonetheless, RahXephon does manage to become an anime of its own.
The characters are fairly well-defined and well developed but only Ayato Kamina stands out, as the protagonist. Yet every episode usually focuses on one of the supporting characters, developing them further. Nevertheless there are times when the characters’ actions and thoughts are confusing or just don’t make any sense.
The animation and music quality is the sort of thing to expect from BONES. Even though the animation style is somewhat dated, the way in which everything from the amazing fights to just simple talks is animated so well. Whereas the music adds to the impact of the action and drama, seeing that music is a major element in the show. Yet the music does get fairly repetitive.
Overall RahXephon has proven to be a Mecha anime worthy of being included in any mecha anime fan’s collection. The combat is pretty impressive and so is the musical score, which goes well with the artistic concept. This shouldn’t be a tough show to understand however at times things end up being explained poorly, which can confuse us viewers making the show less enjoyable to watch. I recommend this anime to anyone who doesn’t have anything against Mecha anime.
^_^
Elydan
After finishing this series and having read a few reviews of this Anime; I have a different view, a different perspective of this Anime. I just can't agree with the high numbers given to this Anime. I respect their opinions obviously; but here is my opinion: Quite bluntly said, it was very disappointing. After the first few episodes it is quite easy to agree on this Anime being one of those you enjoy watching. The animation is so-so, but the story is pretty like able since it's being told pretty nicely. Not literally told; but the process in general is well done. My compliments on that, RahXephon. However, thedownfall of this Anime came closer the more the plot came closer to me, the viewer. You see; an Anime can't expect to get a high rating while all they did was complicate a complicated story; thus confusing the viewer.
Many things are really badly explained; not to mention that besides this, many things that are part of the story start annoying you.
For instance, all these weird looking mechas sing. It's part of the story; I get that much. But after a while; after hearing them singing over and over, episode in and out with that weird noise. It annoys you, irritates you and pretty much 'forces' you to skip that part.
Yes, that's true. I've skipped parts. Why?
It's simple; the story wasn't convincing enough and became a nuisance.
The complicater the story isn't the better. Neither is complicating the images and scenes as well. Vague images appear; nothing much gets explained. Sure, one vague image gets explained. But what about the other ones. What was his motive?
Why this, why that?
So many answers were unanswered; and for a series that has 26 episodes and a pretty good concept it just didn't quite make it. It's unacceptable.
You see, the characters were pretty good. But why complicate things more?
For instance, there were over 10 love interests for whoever and whatever in the serie. If I try to recall; I can mention at least 3 people one person had his eyes on, one after the other. Some of them don't even make sense and are quite hard to get. Why was this put in?.. and why so vaguely? Is this reality or isn't it?
If only they made the story clearer; this would've actually been good. Though some things get clearer after you watch the movie; it is still not a part of the original tv series. Thus doesn't count. As for this one; it's too confusing that only the first half of this series is actually fulfilling. Many things I was able to guess and foresee. Maybe that's because the story put the concept of one great dramatic scene, not once, but more than three times into the story. That's right, the same exact concept is used; opening my eyes was easy and I was able to see a pattern. And I'm supposed to be dense. Not to mention that the designs of the ending are quite bad. But hey, that's just taste. Too bad the story has nothing to do with taste.
The only thing I really liked of this Anime in a whole was the female lead character; though it is discussable if she really is the female lead. But well, she was my only reason of enjoying the last 8 episodes. And even she gets vagued out. So useless and random; I just can't see how making the story more vague this much is thought of to be interesting, good, developing, mysterious and great. Since it just doesn't makes any sense.
As for the series in general, and if you should watch it.
Well, if you are bored and really want to watch an anime reasonably enjoyable, go ahead. But don't expect much of the story or try to crack your brain; things get explained in the end (partially). It's easy to get; just doesn't makes any sense. So don't worry about thinking things through; the story really did turn crap near the end. At least the ending wasn't sucky right. And I did enjoy this anime for a bit; especially the first half.
So yeah, your choice, your time. Just make sure to not blame me if you didn't like it; many people do seem to like it here though, check the other reviews ratings.
Eastunder
You know, it's actually kind of hard to write a positive review. It's not that it's hard to point out positive aspects of something. But it's a bit harder to justify your praise for it, without coming off as a fanatic that choses to ignore it's flaws. By contrast, it's far easier to justify a negative review. My last review of School Days was one of the easiest things i've ever written. A show that i detested for so many reasons, and that others felt the same about, so it was easy to justify my negativity. But what about a review of my favorite show?One that i believe to be a masterpiece, yet many do not, either out of ignorance of the shows existence, or out of spite for it's similarities to the elephant in the room of anime. It's been a review that i've been a bit fearful of writing, but i simply cannot hold back any longer. This, ladies and gentlemen, is my review of my number one favorite anime, RahXephon.
Story (9/10)
In the year 2012, a human-like species called the Mu invade Japan. But that is not where our story begins. Our story begins in the year 2015 in Tokyo, where a young artist named Ayato Kamina is attacked by government officials, only to be saved by the mysterious woman, Haruka Shitow. When Ayato learns that those government officials have blue blood, Haruka promises him the truth that has been kept from him for so long, only for him to run from her to chase after a mysterious girl by the name of Reika Mishima with whom he stumbles on a giant egg that holds the RahXephon, an ancient mechanical titan than can only be piloted by Ayato. With this, he learns that there is a separate world, right outside the one he's lived in all his life, with a 12 year difference to that of Tokyo's time. With Haruka and the anti-Mu organization TERRA, Ayato will find the truth. About the RahXephon, about the Mu, and, most importantly, about himself.
As you can tell by that not-so-brief description, there is a lot going on in RahXephon. It's a series filled with lore, mystery, and symbolism that is just begging to be answered and analyzed, yet the series always chooses to hold close to it's chest. The show always gives you enough to work off of, and plenty to keep you interested, but the answers come quite slowly, and there are plenty of times where you're left in a state of confusion where you simply have to sit down for a minute or ten, and think about what you just saw. This makes it such a joy when you finally do get those answers and everything finally comes together, but so frustrating to actually continue on with. Many will find themselves fascinated with the show, and invested to find out it's secrets, but there are plenty that simply get fed up with being kept in the dark. This is understandable, but RahXephon is definitely a series worth sticking with, and and even greater joy to revisit, once you know all the secrets, and realize that the show gave you a lot more to work with than you gave it credit for.
RahXephon is a show doused with Mayan lore and Aztec culture, mixed in with the studies of the fictional continent of Mu, thought up by James Churchwood, plenty of classic literature influence, and plenty of reference to surrealist art. But above all, RahXephon plays with the concept of music. Each episode ends with the words, "The world, suffused with sound", and many music terms are often brought up in cryptic riddles, for example. All because one of the main themes of RahXephon, is the idea of music changing the world, though put in a much more cryptic and spoiler-ish manner, and as such, the show itself plays out like a symphony, playing until it reaches it's coda, and ends with a striking crescendo.
But, while you may further enjoy the show with proper knowledge of it's influence, you don't need to know them to like the show. RahXephon is a cerebral art piece indeed, but it's primarily a romance that centers around revelation and inner strength. It shows how easy it is to come face to face with reality, how hard to is to accept it, and how strong you have to be to move past it in order to find happiness in the bonds that you spend time creating and strengthening, and while it may come with occasional heavy-handedness, the show itself it so genuine, honest, and respectful to it's audience with how it's presented, that those moments never dampen the show, and the shining moments are ones that will linger on with you for quite a while.
Art (9/10)
RahXephon is brought to us by Studio BONES, a studio which few, if any, anime fans are unaware of. How could they be when BONES brought us some of the most noteworthy anime to come out, such as FMA and it's reboot FMA Brotherhood, Wolf's Rain, Eureka Seven, Soul Eater, and Ouran High School Host Club. What some people might be unaware of though, is that RahXephon was one of their first works, and their first big success. While RahXephon is somewhat of a small title these days, it's possible that without it, BONES wouldn't have the same illustrious future. It seems that BONES may have been aware of this at the time of RahXephon's conception, because the show is beautiful, even by todays standards.
The show is surprisingly bright and colorful, despite it's ominous tone, brought out through the simple yet effective design of the island of Nirai-kanai where most of the show takes place, making it all the more relevant when the tone changes and the backgrounds go dim and eery. As a cerebral show, it loves it's share of symbolism and imagery, such as the ever present contrast of red and blue, the reappearing dove portrait, modeled after Rene Magritte's "La Grand Famille", the use of common day items as representation of characters emotions, such as windshield wipers and a chime. But the most distinct aspects of the art in the show has to be the character designs, done by Akihiro Yamada. It's often said that body language speaks louder than words, and RahXephon has proven, possibly more than any other show, that animation is no exception. It's almost baffling just how expressive these characters are. The show says more in it's character expressions more than some shows say in entire series worth of dialogue, and some more subtle touches, like someone taking a few seconds to look someone in the eye, or just a look that the camera panders on for a second or two too long, can almost tell you everything you need to know about that character.
The show doesn't slack in the animation department either. In fact, i wouldn't say that it'd be too much of a long shot to say that some parts of the show rival that of modern theatrical releases. But there are two reasons why this section doesn't get a perfect score. The first being the actions scenes. The animation for the action scenes isn't bad, far from it in fact, and the designs for the dolems are actually quite eye-catching, but it doesn't really have the cool factor that you find in most mech fights, and can be a bit formulaic. The second reason is episode 20, which was outsourced to another studio, and looks positively dreadful. Mind you, it's the only episode that looks dreadful, but that simply makes it all the more noticeable. Still, what the show delivered in visuals is far exceeded expectations, and made for a defining point in the career of one of anime's most beloved studios.
Sound (10/10)
To match the show's outstanding visuals, the soundtrack provides a score of equal quality. RahXephon's OST was composed by Ichiko Hashimoto, providing a divisive score, mostly orchestral pieces, where every song stands out from the other and fits the visuals of the show perfectly, but because of this if actually hard to describe, and you'd be best listening to some tracks yourself and then judging it.
As for dub vs sub, you can't go wrong with either one, but they actually provide fairly different experiences. The Japanese track is very subtle and sedated, bringing in some real talent with names like Hiro Shimono, Aya Hisakawa, and, my personal favorite, Maaya Sakamoto, each presenting great performances. The dub on the other hand, is actually a little clunky at first, with some performances starting off rather rough, but eventually evolves into one of the better dubs you could possibly listen to, with Chris Patton and Monica Rial giving possibly their best performances to date with their respective roles as Ayato and Haruka. Unlike the Japanese dub, it's much more emotional, and more fitting to a drama. Both tracks cater ideally to the show, but in different ways, so it really all comes down to personal preference. RahXephon is a show that centers around sound, so it's only fitting that the sound for the show itself comes out with near perfection.
Character (10/10)
RahXephon is a story of love, determination, realization, and acceptance. These are themes that can only get across with a great sense of humanity in it's cast. Luckily, RahXephon delivers fully in that category. The characters follow archetypal designs for it's cast, with Ayato being the calm competent protagonist, Haruka being the protective older woman, Quon being the mysterious doll like girl, so on so forth. But there's one thing that evolve them far past these tropes and labels into something so much more. Their interactions. No line of this show is unimportant, and often, when one character says one thing, they're actually saying 10 different things. It may sound simple, but to achieve it to the level that RahXephon has done is far from an easy task.
By the end of it, these characters seem lot less like works of fiction, and more like actual people, complex with genuine desires, motivations, attitudes, and feelings. It's this that makes a simple fanservice character like Sayako into a tragic case of solitude and unrequited feelings, or a despicable character like Isshiki into a pitiful being of inadequacy and unfilled hopes. While there are some standout characters, like Maya Kamina, who is one of the best maternal characters period, or Johji Futagami, whose basic role in the series is to just keep being awesome, you'll be hard-pressed to find just one favorite character, as there's something to love and adore in nearly all of them. Similar to how i liked the School Days ending because it gave the characters exactly what it deserved, i love RahXephon's ending because it does the same. Only in this case, it takes an incredible cast of characters, shows them true suffering, but eventually gives them the fate that they had deserved right from the beginning.
Evangelion Comparison
In reviews, it's rarely a good thing to compare the work you're reviewing to another work. To be honest, i didn't really want to have to address the RahXephon/Evangelion comparison, but the show has become so associated with Evangelion, that it's almost impossible to avoid. RahXephon came out years after Evangelion, giving the world of mech anime the boost that they needed, and one that would've be given again until the release of Gurren Lagann years afterwards. Since it's release, RahXephon has often been compared to Evangelion by fans and critics alike, some saying that it's an improved version of Evangelion, while others label it as a blatant rip off. Both of these, i highly disagree with.
What makes something a rip off, is when a work tries to ride the coattails of another popular work because the writers simply lack the talent to make something of their own. RahXephon, is an original work with superficial similarities to Evangelion, but is practically it's opposite in themes, tone, and execution. But even if they weren't, would it really matter? Does it matter that the show in front of your face got it's idea from something else, when it provides you a smart, well-written, and emotional story? To some people, it does, and you can spend your time moaning and groaning about it on forums and message boards. But, i will be spending that time watching a fantastic show.
Enjoyment and Overall (10/10)
RahXephon is an anime that has been all but forgotten, in the West and in Japan. But even so, it has it's own loyal fan base that continues to support the show even to this day, and i am proud to call myself one of them. RahXephon has it's flaws and could be considered a bit esoteric to some, but it's imperfections only make it more beautiful in my eyes. RahXephon is my favorite anime, and i doubt that any other show will be taking it's place anytime soon. Anyways, that's all for now. Til next time.
nategator
Finally! A Bones animation I didn't like. A oddly well-received anime, it must translate poorly to Western viewers. STORY: One of the hardest things in anime is setting up an explanation on (1) why giant robots run around battling each other and (2) why teenagers would be allowed to pilot them. RahXephon fails badly. It forms an alternative alien society that has singing giant robots with an Egyptian/Mayan motif, throws in various conspiratorial entities and characters, adds a dash of military, and blends in a gaggle of harem romances. All of this mixes together to form an unfortunate scramble that was a tad overcooked.The protagonist is boring, most of the female romantic interests (I think that there were like 10 or so) are uninteresting, and the other supporting characters undeveloped. The military unit acts like they are all in high school. I won't spoil the plot but it doesn't make any sense.
ART: This is Bones, so it is good. Not as good as DTB or E7, but pretty good. I hated the design of the mecha, but since the mecha don't really matter that much anyways it's not a biggie.
SOUND: For an anime based on singing and music, the sound in this anime is pretty boring.
CHARACTER: See my story section, it says it all.
ENJOYMENT: I wish I would have skipped this anime so I could have spent my time watching or re-watching something else.
OVERALL: 5. The art is good, the rest lags.
Final assessment: those who said that if you hated Evan, you would probably like this were wrong. While not as terrible as Evan it's not that great. If I hadn't enjoyed Code Geass and to a lesser extent Gurren, I would have given up on the genre. But while I won't avoid future mecha anime I sure won't seek them out either after seeing this "classic"!
PoeticJustice
"There are no original ideas. There are only original people."- Barbara Grizzuti Harrison Originality doesn't exist nowadays. If there is an idea out there that someone is contemplating, chances are, someone already beat them to the punch. I remember, during my freshman year of high school my teacher told me that even Shakespeare had taken ideas from even older writers for his plays. In writing, it is common that your ideas share similarities with other works. However, it is the writer’s responsibility to distinguish his/her works from others by adding their own unique style to it. The same applies to anime. RahXephon borrows a lotof elements from its predecessors: Evangelion, Brave Raideen and still manages to maintain its originality.
Story(9/10)- Simply put, the story is about a young boy, Ayato Kamina, who lives a normal life in Tokyo, until one day, mysterious creatures attack. He encounters a strange but beautiful girl, and tries to find his way out of this carnage. Unbeknownst to him, Ayato has the special ability to pilot a mysterious Dolem/mecha called, "RahXephon." Now, this is probably a cliché found a litany of other shows, but do not be fooled, this show is anything but a cliché. Ayato soon finds himself in an alternate reality which he feels misplaced. Separated from both his family and friends, Ayato pilots the RahXephon in hopes it will give his life a purpose. RahXephon weaves in its existential themes without preaching them to you; it gives the viewer a chance to absorb it. The ending is usually the part that makes or breaks an anime like this. Let me tell you, this ending is probably one of the best endings to an anime ever. I am not just saying, I mean it 100%. After all the drama and pain, the payoff is well worth it.
Sound(10/10)- Music is an integral part to Rahxephon. The show effortlessly incorporates the theme of music into every part of the show. In the title, the root word, Ephon, means the -phone in an instrument. It is the force, besides art, that drives to show to new heights. If you listen closely to the music in RahXephon, it pitches to the many thematic highs and lows of the story. I can tell you, any lover of music will truly appreciate RahXephon.
Art(9/10)- The art still remains breathtaking till this day. Studio BONES is best known for the beautiful animation in Wolf's Rain, Darker than Black Etc. The show has a very soft color palette; it is very easy on the eyes. It gives off a calming atmosphere, one that will soothe you. There is a lot of symbolism in this show, not Penguindrum or Evangelion levels, but it is present.
Now the part everyone has been waiting for, the Evangelion comparison. The show’s number one criticism is that it is exactly like EVA. I scoff at the notion, as the similarities between RahXephon and Evangelion are merely superficial at best. When you get the core of both shows, you recognize they are both fundamentally, and philosophically different from each other. Yes, they are both shows about teenaged boys trying to find meaning in their lives but while EVA is more cynical in its approach, RahXephon is much more optimistic. Evangelion tries to weave a more realistic story with its cynical and flawed characters while RahXephon is a much more, surrealist experience, every episode feels like you are waking up from a long, long dream.
Characters(9/10)- The cast of RahXephon is very contradistinctive when compared to cast of most modern day mecha anime. They stray away from the usual archetypes: tsundere, psychopath, generic emotionally repressed villain among other common character tropes. All of the center characters are really fleshed out and very…..human. Everyone has their own faults but they battle with them, and move past them rather than wasting several episodes brooding over events in an, “O woe is me,” attitude like most angsty teenaged protagonists. Briefly touching on the romance aspect, I must say it is very tastefully done. Every romance comes off organic and real. Instead of the over the top teary confessions you find in most romance anime, RahXephon relies on subtlety and nuance to present romance. From two characters simply holding eye contact with each other, or them flirtatiously wrestling around, you know the characters like each other without them saying it outright. So many heartwarming moments like this lace the show and makes it much sadder when the journey ends.
RahXephon is a show that can stand tall on its own merits. It borrows from several sources but keeps the anime from turning into a pastiche by melding all these ideas into a cohesive, poignant and emotionally evocative experience. By seamlessly blending mysticism, philosophy and romance, RahXephon is able to stand apart from its counterparts. It has a soul of its very own, and that is what makes it shine so incandescently.
Huntsman
A special anime. Another anime that's arguably is one of the top ten anime ever. RahXephon is compared by many to Neon Genesis Evangelion. Most say it's better just because it came out a little over a year first. I whole heartily disagree. Evangelion was a complete waste of time. Where Evangelion had a convoluted story, annoying charcters, and bad music. Where Evangelion fails RahXephon succeeds. Rahxephon follows the story of Ayato Kamina who lives in Tokyo, the last out post of the human race. At least that's what he believes until he meets Reika Mishima. She secretly has known him since they were children. Sheconvinces Ayato to leave Tokyo with her, and they escape aboard a giant robot called the RahXephon. When they leave Tokyo every thing changes for Ayato. He learns that there are people still alive on earth outside of Tokyo, and that the people inside Tokyo are called MU and aren't human. RahXephon blends all the elements of drama, action, romance and some comedy beautifully. There's nothing to complain about. The story is crafted perfectly and coherently so you can understand what they creators of the show are trying to say. The animation style is great, and the music is classic. I loved them adding classical music to anime. Ultimately though what made this a great anime were the characters. None of them were annoying, each growing and moving forward, showing emotion and making you believe they are alive and care about them. I first watched RahXephon back in 2003. I just recently finished watching it for the fourth time. I haven't seen to many anime that are better than RahXephon. I will keep recommending it over Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's a must see.
CrimsnBullet
Ah... RahXephon... Where do I even begin? First off, if you're walking into this with expectations, you'll be disappointed. If you have almost no expectations at all (Like I did), you'll still be disappointed. Story: I find it funny how people can praise this as being, “Well written,” or say it has a, “Complex story,” seriously... If you thought either of those things after watching this the whole way through, then you need to see a doctor. Yes, I know there's different ways of telling a story, but then there's just throwing a bunch of random bull!@#$ at the viewers with no context or meaning. Yet, people seemto have a big enough of an imagination that they force themselves (And others) to believe that, if it doesn't make sense you just have to, “Think harder,” because every little thing is symbolic somehow right? People LOVE using symbolism to convince people that the piece of crap they're trying to sell you is actually a diamond. “Well, if you look at it this way.” they say...
Don't listen to them, or that little voice in your head saying that you might have, “Missed something,” or that maybe, “It's just to complicated for you.” Because it's not. Some other shows? Maybe... but this one? No, just no.
You'd have to be delusional to say this is a, “Great anime.” After watching RahXephon, just reading through the reviews here will make you lose your faith in humanity (If you have any left). I can't help but think that everyone's being raised as idiots, or maybe it's genetic.
“Characters:”
Other people say that the story was fair, but the characters were, “Second to sound,” don't make me laugh. So, as for the characters...
Can they really even be called that?
When they come and go with almost non-existent back story and personalities?
(I mean, COME ON... just because they say to themselves, “I like person X, but they don't like me back. Life is hard :'( “ doesn't mean they actually have personalities, ok?)
Or when they die and then reappear again with absolutely no explanation like nothing ever happened?
Or how about when the main one is having an identity crisis every other episode, even after he's already come to the conclusion that he knows who he is TWICE already! And that's on top of the fact that he keeps forgetting who he likes every time there's a girl who throws herself at him.
This isn't even supposed to be a romance drama is it? Because if it is, it failed horribly at that too. It seems to me that the writer (If they should even be called one) were just making this up as they went along. Their thought process going something like:
“We need don't have enough story for 26 episodes, lets come up with something so we can keep airing... I GOT IT! Lets throw a girl at the MC in this episode, add a random mecha to fight here, make this girl disappear so we can throw another one, another random mecha to fight there... Oh wait! We don't have that many episodes left after all that, “Story,” time to make the MC remember who he really likes before it ends!”
...
You get the idea. (I hope)
I could go on and on explaining how bad it turned out to be by the end of it, but if you didn't get my point by now, then there's really nothing else I can do to persuade you out of wasting your time, so that's all I have to say about it. (It's 1 am crazy rant over)
Well, now that I'm finished writing this review, I'm going to try and erase this show from my memory. Maybe Ayato can hook me up with something, he's gotta be on some sort of drug to be forgetting everything as much as he is. (Plus, if hallucinations are a side effect, that would certainly explain a lot.)
Keep it real, peace.
Caraniel
A very impressive anime; wonderful animation and brilliant plot. PLOT: On the surface you do immediately get Neon Genesis Evangelion vibes, but RahXephon quickly establishes itself as unique with fantastic character development and a highly original convoluted plot. The show is also much more balanced than EVA – carefully crafted plot progression and with a satisfying ending, it makes for wonderful viewing as each episode adds something to the rich tapestry of plot threads. The characters are extremely well developed and likable – there is a notable lack of the angst that permeates EVA as RahXephon instead focuses on romance. Indeed the main thread ofthe plot is a touching love story more than anything else – I found this extremely refreshing in a mecha series. Of course the show has numerous points that had me highly confused and I can not claim to understand exactly what happened at the end, but I got most of it in this 1st viewing – I’ll definitely be watching this show again at some stage though as I’m positive I’ve missed some subtle plot points. Do not watch this show unless you are willing to commit some of your brain cells to it, as the complexity of the plot requires you to be awake when watching!
ANIMATION: Wonderful. Simply wonderful – it’s rare to get such consistently high quality animation in a 26-episode TV show, but BONES have delivered a stunning show. The backgrounds are detailed and vivid, the mecha designs highly original and organic, and the character designs are well thought out and pleasing to the eye. Lots and lots of symbolism is used throughout the series, a lot of it centred on the contrast between the red blood of the humans and the blue blood of the murians – the two opposing colours are the most dominant in the colour palate used. Overall a very well animated show – BONES have once again outdone themselves.
MUSIC: As much of the plot revolves around music and sound, the soundscape of RahXephon is nothing short of brilliant. Highly atmospheric and rich in tone, the score is like another character and supports the plot perfectly. Lots of operatic vocal work for the D1 Aria’s elevates the action scenes to another level as a cacophony of sound assails you. The background music is well composed and has a timeless classical air to it. I also loved the OP & ED and never skipped over them.
VOICE ACTING: A extremely talented group of seiyuu provide the voice work for this series, so many that’s its hard to pick out the best of them! However Hiro Shimono (Akihisa - BakaTest, Keima - KamiNomi ) as Ayato deserves praise as it would have been so easy to let Ayato become bogged down in Shinji-type angst, but he manages to hold back and keep Ayato’s character strong but sympathetic. It’s all the more remarkable, as this was Shimono’s debut role and I generally don't much like his voice! The rest of the cast is equally strong.
So yeah, I really liked RahXephon and really highly recommend it to everyone – especially anyone who enjoyed Evangelion.
otousan
I only gave a couple 9's for variety's sake there, this is one of the best. If Anno and the Evangelion crew hadn't scrambled for an ending, and if they had even a trace of sympathy for their fellow man, and if they'd used BONES to animate, they might have come out with RahXephon. It's about supernatural robots, it's about one young man shouldering the responsibility to save the world, but more importantly it's about things that Eva isn't — love, family, faith in each other, and it carries a message of hope rather than contempt for humanity. It does all that in an action-packed, surreal, packagethat's spiced up with a little romance and populated by realistic and likable characters.
Timordecai
I don’t really know what to say, seems I’m still digesting everything I saw, ultimately very good. I would like to “sing” this show praises (pun intended), as there are many moments that have stood out to me as the most shocking and interesting twists and revelations I’ve seen in any series. The score. Wow, I mean the soundtrack alone, such beautiful compositions as well as perfect tones and spot on creative sound design. The editing of this show, as well as the animation for being a 2002 animated tv series (done by Bones no less) has some stand out episodes. Though Iwill say there’s a few frames here and there where they were obviously just moving character models up and down instead of animating walking, but I’ll give it a pass because from the halfway point onward the whole show really picks up steam. The beginning is slightly messy and can be a little confusing (remember names) as it throws a lot of information at you all at once, and some of the details can get lost in the continuous establishing of a wide cast of characters and world-building. The characters all get enough time to shine with no one feeling too underdeveloped. I think my main gripe with the series is that it’s ‘artsy’ tone can sometimes come across a little too heavy handed, and the references they do use seem a little underbaked, that or I’m just too dumb to get it. When it does move into the more philosophical messages, especially in its dialogue, it doesn’t always hit home with me because I feel they seem to rush or it is too jarring a transition from the scene prior. They could have taken the story as just 100% character focused and left the waxing poetic out and you would have something even closer to a masterpiece. Especially if the symbols and references made to Melchizedek, the Egyptians, Lemuria and the rest, were all implied and hinted at purely in the background of the world itself.
All in all this isn’t to paint this show in any bad light, it really is beautiful and very well done, I'm simply making the few points that I can because I did thoroughly enjoy it. 8.31/10
SchrodingersMatt
In the early 00's, a still-young anime studio whose most notable projects up to that point were tie-in movies to successful anime from their parent company hired a mechanical designer to serve as director for an anime-original project, hoping to create a series that would set a new standard for giant robot anime when many would argue that had already been done. This is how RahXephon came to be, and the end result is as difficult to describe and discuss now as it was to predict then. Knowing where to begin, though, has always been painfully easy. RahXephon is not trying to be Neon GenesisEvangelion. Whether you found Eva to be a spectacular failure or just plain spectacular, its goals are not Rah's goals, and to call RahXephon either a ripoff or an improvement of Evangelion would be unfair to both anime. RahXephon has its own story to tell and its own messages to convey, and while it may not have taken the world by storm the way Eva did, the strength of its core, beauty of its craftsmanship, and humanity of its characters still set it apart as an excellent work that can stand tall on its own.
Still, their similarities needn't be ignored completely for a discussion to be worthwhile; they do exist and people will inevitably notice them. RahXephon is an introspective giant robot anime about a uniquely qualified pubescent pilot who gets drafted by a shady organization to fight otherworldly monsters to protect a world that's already been shaken by a cataclysmic event that took place during an iconic year, while also struggling to deal with puberty, distant parents, his own sense of self-worth, romantic entanglements, the expectations of adults, and growing up in general. There's no question it would've been made very differently—or not made at all—in a world where Evangelion didn't exist, and RahXephon even pays its more famous forerunner direct, loving homage a few times. My personal favorite is a scene in episode 11 that is a backwards shot-for-shot remake of an iconic (and awkward) scene from Eva episode 5. Except that the context, meaning, and emotions conveyed are all completely different, which says a lot about RahXephon as a piece of art inspired by another piece of art. Evangelion was a very important influence to RahXephon, but their similarities are only skin-deep. True inspiration means borrowing concepts that you admire or find fascinating, and then casting them in a completely new light to create something new that reflects your unique view of the world rather than repeating someone else's, which director Yutaka Izubichi and his crew have done admirably.
Evangelion is also far from the only influence that colors this series. RahXephon draws from many older, perhaps forgotten mecha anime as well, notably Brave Raideen, which informed the design of the titular titan and some of the series' mythology. Outside of anime, the series blends influences from numerous cultures, time periods and media both obvious and obscure, from ancient Mesoamerican civilizations to Japanese folklore to Churchward's mythical continent of Mu to the paintings of Salvador Dali. Thankfully, most of these cultural references have some narrative or thematic connection to the story and never truly cross into "details for the sake of details". The series can be watched and thoroughly enjoyed without having read The Dandelion Girl or understanding the meanings of musical terms like Allegretto and Falsetto, but that extra knowledge is a nice bonus if you're willing to hunt for it. The world of RahXephon is saturated with subtle and not-so-subtle details and eye-catching visual concepts almost to the point of overload, but all the seemingly disparate pieces fit together in the end, at least in spirit, and everything in its world feels like it belongs there.
RahXephon was also blessed with the technical and artistic strengths to convey that world. This was one of Bones' first projects as an independent studio, and also made during the very early days of digital animation. But the results wildly exceed expectations and have stood the test of time very well. The character designs are sharp and distinctive, and their facial expressions are capable of communicating all manner of complex, subtle emotions with great finesse, which is especially important in a series where characters have a tendency to say a few words to convey volumes of meaning. These are further bolstered by excellent cinematography, beautifully rendered backgrounds and brilliant color choices, with particular emphasis on contrasts between red and blue. The animation itself can be limited compared to modern Bones and some of the effects are noticeably dated, but for the most part it knows its limitations and works well within them. The design work on display is more than enough to carry it even at its most restrained, and the staff at Bones knew how to manage their money, meaning the animation peaks at all the right moments. At worst the production work here is still a notch above merely competent (with one or two noticeable but ultimately forgivable dips in quality), and at best it's a visual treat over a decade later.
While the animation has aged quite well, time has not been so kind to the English dub, but it's not for lack of effort. Contrasting the more low-key and soothing Japanese language track, the dub is loud and raw to a fault. On the downside, this means that some characters sound awkward and over-acted, and at times unsure of the emotions they're supposed to be conveying. Some actors take several episodes to grow into their roles, and others never do at all, to say nothing of some of the stiff, overly direct translations they have to read. Still, a few good performances can do a lot to elevate an uneven product, and the standouts of this dub own their roles completely. Chris Patton, who plays the protagonist Ayato, captures the thoughtful and strong-willed but at times emotionally immature teenager remarkably well, and Monica Rial does a positively bang up job capturing both the tough and fragile sides of Haruka. Both actors have cited their roles (and this series) as personal favorites, and the passion behind their performances can be felt. While this isn't enough to recommend the overall very clunky English dub over the far more polished Japanese version, it may still be worth a listen.
But in a show that uses music prominently as a motif, it’s the soundtrack that really holds it all together. The composer, Ichiko Hashimoto, is a jazz pianist who’s never scored an anime series before nor since, and she gave RahXephon a sound unlike that of any other anime. An eclectic blend of rock, jazz, chamber music and several other styles integrate effortlessly and give the series a personality that's classy and dignified, yet also friendly and inviting. It's also an incredibly diverse score that can explode into blaring trumpets and war drums when a battle begins, descend into glorious experimental madness when Ayato enters a dream sequence, and envelop its audience in enigmatic, otherworldly chanting as we delve further into the mysteries of the Mu. The only songs not composed by Hashimoto are the opening theme, "Hemisphere", and "Garden of Everything", which is never used in the show but is nonetheless perhaps RahXephon's most iconic song and perfectly encapsulates what the story is really about. Both pieces are composed by Yoko Kanno and sung by Maaya Sakamoto (the latter is a duet with Steve Conte), and both are completely worthy additions to an already outstanding soundtrack, making it a must-listen for anime music enthusiasts.
If RahXephon were a conventional mech action series, it could be recommended on the strengths of its style and aesthetic alone, but delivering spectacular robot fights isn't its first concern. Like an Evangelion unit, the RahXephon moves quite organically, but unlike an Eva its movements always seem burdened by its own weight. Every motion it makes is slow and deliberate, and consequently from an action choreography standpoint it simply doesn't have the cool factor Evangelion did. That's not to say the fights lack tension or suspense or a sense of purpose, though. The monsters, enormous clay puppets called Dolems, are varied in both their designs and abilities, often genuinely threatening, and the battles against them are filled with unique imagery. It can be quite captivating to see an organic golem split in half while gushing blue blood. During one battle, there is a shot of the RahXephon's hand forcing its way out through a Dolem's face, fingers emerging around its still-screaming mouth, and it’s just as awesome as it sounds. But generally this series doesn't have the pulse-pounding blow-by-blow excitement of a true action series. While Eva is mostly remembered and revered as a heavily introspective character piece, part of the reason for its mass appeal was that it could initially hook audiences on pure, powerful spectacle. RahXephon has no such hook early on, and this can present a challenge to new viewers who don't know what kind of anime to expect.
And indeed, the question of what to expect going into RahXephon is not an easy one to answer. We see the world mostly through Ayato's eyes and learn as he learns, from the ground up. It takes a full three episodes to reveal the very basic premise you'd generally expect to see on the cover of the box, and another two or three to establish a solid dynamic that the rest of its episodes can build off of. From there it becomes somewhat easier to follow, but this is definitely not a series you can multitask while watching. RahXephon's mysteries are many, complex, and very slow to unravel, and if you're not paying careful attention you'll end up missing a lot. This is a mature, adult fantasy that speaks eloquent words in a soft voice, delivering key plot points and casual character interactions with equal importance. Like watching a painter at his craft, whether you can see beauty in each individual stroke or are just waiting for the finished product will come down to your own patience and proclivities.
The "strokes" with which RahXephon paints its picture are its characters, and at the center of its cast is the hero Ayato Kamina. Ayato is a seemingly ordinary teenager who lives in a version of Tokyo that has been displaced from the rest of time and space, and leaves his home to discover that he is destined to "tune the world". Over the course of the series, he slowly discovers the truth about the separation between the blue-blooded Mulians that now occupy the world known as Tokyo Jupiter and the red-blooded human beings they've isolated themselves from, unlocks the secrets of the powerful golem known as the RahXephon, and must find out what his own role is in this war between worlds with powerful figures and close friends and family pulling at him from both sides. But while the power he's been granted may be extraordinary, Ayato himself always feels like a fully realized, thoroughly grounded, and very real person, despite his reality being repeatedly turned on its head. He's not above the influence of others, often getting dragged along one way or another when he's lost and without direction, sometimes escaping one controlling environment only to fall into another one. He also has a dangerous habit of not asking important questions when he's afraid of what he'll find. But he still acts on his own agency, lashing out when he feels wronged, deceived or betrayed and drawing his own conclusions, for better or for worse, from every new discovery he makes.
Still, Ayato is just one in a cast of around twenty characters, and to the series' credit, they all very much take on a life of their own, many of them growing far outside of the archetypes it'd be easy to initially pin them as. Supporting Ayato, in every sense of the word, is Haruka, the woman who pulled him out of his world, known as Tokyo Jupiter, and into hers. It becomes immediately clear that while her intentions toward Ayato are benevolent, she's not being completely honest about her motivations, and her tough, confident exterior belies a very old, very deep emotional wound that she cannot bury no matter how hard she tries. She and Ayato—and the relationship between them—are the clear heart and soul of the story, but they are far from the only great characters worth mentioning. The other cast members have varying levels of depth and complexity, but the series still manages to breathe life and humanity into nearly all of them, ranging from the wonderfully complex characters like Ayato's estranged mother Maya and the outwardly cheerful but distant and secretive Doctor Itsuki, to simple, likable ordinary people like the idealistic but dependable TERRA officer Souichi and the reporter Futagami, a character whose sole purpose in the story seems to be spouting exposition, and yet every moment he spends onscreen is a delight. Together, they lend the series a warm, earthy charm that helps to keep it emotionally accessible even when it gets intellectually overwhelming.
Like any great painting, though, the true beauty of RahXephon lies not in its individual strokes, but in how they come together. This is a story of resonance between worlds and between people, and its true depths only surface when two characters are given the chance to talk and interact, and the bonds between them are forged, tested, broken and reformed. "Words can't change anything," Ayato says. "They can when people talk to each other," his friend Souichi replies. And talk they do. Whether it's casual banter between friends, key exposition to give the audience and characters another piece of the puzzle, or a thoughtful elaboration on the series' themes, nearly every exchange flows with stunning natural ease, and quite a few of them are surprisingly high-minded and poetic, shedding light on some fantastically nuanced relationships. There's Maya, for instance, and her relationship with Ayato, which is caught between her genuine desire to care for him as a son and her obligation to raise the perfect Instrumentalist. The compromise she reaches between the two is understandable and even sympathetic, but bears disastrous results. Rebound, unrequited and possessive love are given their due alongside the real thing because, after all, they're a part of life too, and seeing characters connect or fail to connect is a rich enough experience that it could have been its own reward.
But then there's the conflict between the Mu and the red-blooded humans, which gradually becomes world-ending in scope and scale as the deadline for "tuning the world" approaches. Attempting to balance and reconcile these two storytelling approaches could have resulted in the series becoming dichotomous and unbalanced. But RahXephon utilizes its larger conflicts to give weight, context and justification to the wide range of small personal issues its cast finds themselves contemplating and debating, often using parallel editing to highlight this, most notably during the iconic, incredibly cinematic climax of episode 19. This comes full circle in the finale, where Ayato finds himself empowered to tune the world and create something new, but he would not be able to accomplish this without a vision, and he derives his vision for a new world from the things he has seen and people he has met in the current one. Inspiration. This series may not be as trailblazing as Evangelion, but it is a passionate, elegantly crafted and thoughtfully woven story about all the timeless, unchanging things that make us human.
Ultimately, RahXephon is about something old as dirt, infinitely complex and incredibly simple. RahXephon is about love, in all its shades and hues. Connecting with others can bring pain and hardships, but a world without these bonds is sterile and joyless. The freedom to choose the life you want to live and the person you want to be with, even if that choice leads to suffering, is something everyone needs to live a fulfilling life, and if you find someone you want to be there for, even as the world is coming down around you, then your existence is a meaningful one. It’s an overwhelmingly positive and empowering message that feels completely earned, and that’s something to be celebrated. Simply put, RahXephon is fantastic. It successfully unites a grand, ambitious story, lofty artistry, and a beating human heart, and the end result resonates long after the final curtain has fallen. That’s more than enough to cement it as an enduring great that deserves to be remembered and rediscovered for many years to come.
young98
if you haven't watched this anime yet, and haven't because of some people saying it is a Neon Genesis Evangelion knock off, i just have to say...yeah, it is, but that doesn't change that it is a great anime, to tell you the truth, i would call this the simpler man's NGE, and it's totally understandable if they enjoy this more than NGE, the story is kind of complicated, but it doesn't leave too many questions left unanswered, and isn't too predictable, the music of the anime fits the mood well, and the ED is a deep, chilling song, the character designs are beautiful, andthe animation is always at a high level, character development progresses well, except for the occasional change in feelings or personality that happened too quickly, enjoyment wise, i really liked it, so much that i marathoned the series after the 2nd or 3rd episode
thepinkangel
Okay, let me get this out of the way first: Rahxephon is one of my favorite anime, ever. I can't say I've ever been much into the mecha genre of anime. I saw Gundam Wing in the early days of Toonami when I was a wee little weaboo, and held little interest for giant robots and political entanglements between fictional countries that I couldn't keep track of. I remember when Rahxephon was still airing in Japan, and there was a big fuss being made about it over there. In fact, it had caused enough buzz that it was quickly licensed and was already being dubbed by ADVin less than a month after its last episode aired. Not only that, but the art style was interesting, especially the color choices.
The first time I picked it up and watched the first volume, I hit the series' first snag - it can be pretty difficult to get into. It was too abstract, too confusing; I had no idea what the hell was going on. I dropped it for a year or so. I'm glad, however, that I picked it up again a few years ago just to see how it ended.
Yes, Rahxephon is very difficult to get into. It's very abstract and doesn't follow too many of the usual anime norms; not to mention all the negative press that it gets for being an Eva rip-off. I feel I need to remind the reader that Evangelion was written as a PARODY of the mecha genre. Yes, there are similarities between the two; but those similarities are exactly what Evangelion was making fun of. Please keep that in mind.
Despite this initial pitfall of being difficult to understand, I have to stress that the series becomes a lot more clear if you stick it out through the end. Unfortunately, unless you pay very close attention to every character and everything that goes on in every episode, the actual plot might still be muddy to you. The whole story is never clearly and succintly explained; I kind of like that, even if I have trouble sorting out the "bad guy"'s motivation and intentions.
I'm a sucker in general for main characters, but I love Ayato. He's not always strong, he doesn't always know what he's doing, he's a bit naive. But he's a good kid and always comes through in the end, and he's very realistic and flawed. Haruka is also a heavily flawed but still likeable character, and you really see why she is how she is by the end of the show.
As for the music and animation, the art style is striking and has a really impressive color palette. Rahxephon's distinctive art direction still sticks in my mind to this day and is a big inspiration in my artwork. The music is also very unusual and never overbearing.
So, bottom line: give it a try, and watch through the end. (Read my review of the Rahxephon movie for additional info) The show is very unusual, but ultimately beautiful. It's heavily abstract and symbolic, so you need to have the right openness of mind to be able to see the show for what it is, but if you do, it's amazing what you'll find in it.
sushiisawesome
Reality is a concept that has been used in various medium to explore many interesting concepts, not to mention how we as humans view reality. What isn't mentioned as frequently is how people try to run away from reality. This varies from seeing images of people that aren't real (focusing too much on positive or negative aspects of a person instead of seeing the whole picture), seeing the world either extremely positively or extremely negatively, or simply running away from interacting with people for fear they might hurt you. This is a fascinating concept that has been explored in many other anime series, from Neon GenesisEvangelion to Lain. What is different about RahXephon, however, is the way that it views that running away from reality may not necessarily be a bad thing, if it can help the people around you and accomplish something better for many people.
This is treated with a great deal of ambiguity and is left morally grey for the viewer, and it wouldn't work if it wasn't for this show being excellent in presenting its story. The story is very distinct from many mecha series, and while there are undeniably massive influences from more popular mecha shows, the show soon develops an identity on its own and doesn't attempt to clone elements that simply were fit for those particular shows.
The show is extremely rich in themes, from Mayan mythology to music to perception of reality and there is a lot of depth to sink your teeth into. The show is extremely skilled at making the viewer curious about the overall pieces of the plot, showing all of the clues and not holding the viewer's hand or lecturing them about plot details but instead using the absolutely stunning animation quality and various imagery to tell the story, and it works extremely well.
The characters are all developed and almost none of them fall into archetypes that plague the genre. They are all distinct and multi-layered, which is very refreshing. Their actions always make sense, and they never act inconsistently or out of character, although many character actions require a rewatch to fully understand.
The artwork looks gorgeous and the character designs are an absolute beauty to look at. The backgrounds and the scenery present throughout the show is beautiful to look at, which adds wonders to the show's tone and makes the show's presentation all the better.
I cannot praise the absolutely amazing soundtrack enough, which fits the mood of the show, has extremely high hearing value outside of the show, and the various tunes present in the show which fit the mood so well and never feel out of place. This show has one of my favorite soundtracks out of anime and I honestly adore it to pieces.
This show is underrated and under-appreciated, and while the show appears to be very unoriginal initially it quickly becomes very distinct and stands completely on its own. This show deserves more attention and I honestly recommend it a lot if you want a very different experience from your typical mecha anime.
Papajan
I think I stumbled upon RahXephon from a review of Neon Genesis Evangelon where someone said if you didn't really like NGE you'd probably like RahXephon. That advice was perfect for me. All in all, the characters and story really made it for me. The characters and their decisions were believable and you go through a good range of emotions while watching it.
HybridMedia
I have heard of this series being compared to Neon Genesis Evangelion as its counterpart or rival, although I also see it as being a starter or growing plan of other BONES’ series such as Eureka Seven & Xam’d Last Memories and also that RahXephon has its share of being close to the aforementioned series but it is far from that to what I watched. There is also the fact that the director of the series Yutaka Izubuchi has worked with Hideaki Anno on a few projects together and he helped with the design drafts of the EVA units. In a world where time passes ata crawl and the blood of your neighbor runs blue, 17 year old high school student Ayato Kamina goes about his daily life within Tokyo Jupiter oblivious to the world around him, having been educated with the fact that the all civilization but Tokyo has been destroyed. But all that changes when the mysterious civilization "MU" invades his home, raining destruction down from the sky in the form of strange monsters called Dolems. The events that occur next will lead Ayato to the mysterious woman named Reika Mishima, to the truth of their existence, the discovery of what and who he is, and to the powerful angelic robot RahXephon.
Like I said, the plot, premise, and even the characters is almost similar to EVA although it manages to not mess up or try to make it sound artsy or too pretentious whenever they run out of story ideas, albeit EVA was more of a parody/psychological breakdown of the genre. There is the plotline of being in a war using giant mechas piloted by teenagers to battle with and also the utopian/dystopian element where Kamina discovers that the world he’s been in for so long is not what it seems, with the “humans” in Tokyo Jupiter bleeding blue blood instead of red. Maybe the story isn’t as original and being like NGE, but it is a straight-up mecha anime story that is actually played off well and something that I saw myself liking, much like watching Eureka Seven for the first time.
The characters are ranges from being well-developed and semi-interesting, although I will say once again, the character traits have an EVA feel to this, but I’m proud to say that the main character Kamina Ayato is not a Shinji Ikari as you do feel for him when he discovers his whole world is a lie and how would you react, plus it helps that he isn’t a whiner most of the time. I will say that Haruka Shitow is exactly like Misato Katsuragi for being the older motherly figure to Kamina but has some problems of her own, too, and there’s her sister Megumi, which I would say have some similar features to Asuka, but thankfully, not that much as she gotten to be less annoying and more relatable throughout the series. I really can’t tell who the Rei Ayanami of this show is basically either Reika Mishima or Kuon “Quon” Kisaragi as both happened to be silent and stoic figures of the show. There are also Kamina’s friends at Tokyo Jupiter Hiroko Asahina and Mamoru Torigai, who are also more messed up than him ever since he left as one of them discovers the truth for them and that one of them is quite a prick (Try and guess who I am talking about).
The animation by BONES is now quite dated with its’ character and mecha designs, being made in the early 2000s, 5 years after EVA, and for what it was, it had great animation for the time being with the art style and colors being muted. Musically, it was rather good to an extent; the background music can get a bit repetitive but sometimes I don’t even notice it that much but I really do love the opening theme for show, “Hemisphere” which was produced by Yoko Kanno but sadly, that’s the only thing she handled in the music department and the ending theme was very silent-sounding and docile but I happened to think it somewhat fits well into the show.
The ADV Films dub was actually an okay dub with some overacting in some parts. I really did like Chris Patton’s performance as Kamina Ayato and I can see why the guy is a great voice actor as he played someone that would act realistic in a situation of crazy proportions. I’ll say Monica Rial was good in her role as Haruka but whenever it’s her cue to react or scream at something, it pierces into overacting a little and yes, I will mention that Vic Mignogna is also a part of the dub and he was an alright addition as capturing the prick nature in Mamoru.
FINAL VERDICT: All-in-all, Rahxephon is something that I would watch and actually recommend over Neon Genesis Evangelion as this actually goes into that territory without having to stoop into being overly pretentious although Rahxephon is guilty of being like that sometimes.
xavierxante
This is my first anime review, although I've watched many anime. So I apologize if spoilers might have crept in this review unknowingly.What are we waiting for? Lets get to the review! STORY: (8.2/10) Many say that this anime is rip off of Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is true that the latter served as an inspiration to Rahxephon and the theme of anime seem to be similar, that is "aliens invading earth and protagonist having a key role in retuning the world". There ends the similarities. Rahxephon, it is an exhilarating admixture of suspense,action,romance,science fiction and psychological elements. The way the plot is portrayed, its like the variousevents which have a very intimate connection, yet you wont feel any connection at all until the last part of the last episode.
I cannot comment about the story much without spoiling.Even a small slip up from me results in disastrous spoiler!
I don't know why many people say something like,
"For instance, all these weird looking mechas sing. It's part of the story; I get that much. But after a while; after hearing them singing over and over, episode in and out with that weird noise. It annoys you, irritates you and pretty much 'forces' you to skip that part."
If you don't like mecha genre don't watch that anime in the first place. Don't just say that anime is horrible/bad just because it does not suit your genre. Judge anime by its plot,the way the plot is portrayed. If you can't understand the anime then it is your problem.
And those mechas singing, it is the basic physics. Even in real world some singers can shatter glass by singing at high pitch and frequency. If a high pitch and high frequency sound can shatter a glass, then why not it can be used in war? With some modifications ,of course. That's the basic idea behind those mechas singing.
The way the story is portrayed, the way various elements like dolems (golem) were introduced, depict that the author had done a great deal of work in learning ancient history and myths, their literature, art and culture.
In a bottom line the concept behind the story is excellent.The story is good.It always keeps you on edge.Its mysterious too. But it is not some thing you can call a masterpiece. Still it is good.
MUSIC: (9.4/10)
Music in this anime is top class.It is alluring,captivating yet with slight melancholic taste.The opening theme.....lets just say....it is in a league of its own.The moment you hear that captivating music,those alluring yet deep lyrics,your heart will undergo various phases of emotions.
ART: (9.1/10)
Art is quite good. Its eye catching sceneries, mystical sculptures of Mu really captivates your attention.
CHARACTER: (6.2/10)
Portraying the feelings of characters,particularly in romance is one of the areas where this anime needs improvement.
How can a girl who has deep romantic feelings over one boy dates other? Also how can a girl who has feelings over one boy instantly switches to other?
I won't mention the names of those characters, as it might spoil the suspense, but those who have watched the anime might get what I mean.
I like the serious demeanor that prevails over TERRA members but don't you think it is too serious?
There are similar flaws like these in character development.Other that that the character development is fair.
ENJOYMENT (8.8/10)
This anime really kept me on edge. I really enjoyed the anime except at the last part in which ................let me be blunt here.....there is intercourse between two mechas .It is not shown but it is implied.....That peeved me a lot.
OVERALL (8.5)
Overall this anime is good but not in the level of masterpiece.
