RahXephon

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]

Kamina, Ayato Main

Shimono, Hiro Japanese

Shitow, Haruka Main

Hisakawa, Aya Japanese

Kisaragi, Quon Main

Kuwashima, Houko Japanese

Mishima, Reika Main

Sakamoto, Maaya Japanese

Shitow, Megumi Supporting

Kawasumi, Ayako Japanese

Hadhiyat, Elvy Supporting

Sugimoto, Yuu Japanese

Isshiki, Makoto Supporting

Seki, Toshihiko Japanese

Asahina, Hiroko Supporting

Kakazu, Yumi Japanese

Nanamori, Sayoko Supporting

Tanaka, Atsuko Japanese

Kisaragi, Itsuki Supporting

Miyamoto, Mitsuru Japanese

Minami, Masahiko Producer

Greenfield, Matt Producer, Script, ADR Director

Sasaki, Shirou Producer

Nagata, Katsuharu Producer

Reviews

Aug 18, 2008

jagabond

Recommended

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!]

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Dec 12, 2008

Elydan

Mixed Feelings

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, the ... downfall 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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Sep 10, 2016

CrimsnBullet

Not Recommended

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 seem ... to 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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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