Texhnolyze is brutal; brutal to watch.
Calling it brutal is no insult; rather an understatement. So why would you ever watch this anime? Or rather, how is it possible to enjoy such an anime? This anime is not out here to impress you, nor is it out here to make you hate it either. Texhnolyze, I’d argue, has a very rare and overlooked element that isn’t particularly present in a lot of media. It is pure in a sense of its stark portrayal of a violent, dystopian future where nothing is left and yet people still cling to life even if they have no other
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reason to. This anime isn’t by any means for everyone. It’s essentially a tone piece that can understandably be off-putting for people looking for something with a lot more going on at a faster pace. There is very sparse dialogue present in some instances throughout which, accompanied by its slow pacing, can bore some viewers. In fact, the first episode doesn’t have an ounce of dialogue for almost 10 whole minutes. This however is done with good intentions. Each shot is done to help connect and immerse the viewer into the agonising world that Texhnolyze takes place in—a broken down city by the name of Lux, which can be seen as an analogy for hell.
— Story —
In terms of a narrative, I would argue this isn’t one of Texhnolyze’s strengths, which in effect contributes to its many other strengths, particularly its atmosphere and presentation. If you’re here to look for a narrative driven anime, then this is probably not for you. A lot of what makes this anime special are the themes present throughout. Two prominent recurring themes throughout Texhnolyze are nihilism and purpose; trying to understand one’s purpose and reason for continuing to exist when everything has fallen apart. There’s very little exposition present in Texhnolyze, as such encouraging the viewer to reach their own conclusions and meaning. It has a lot to say about evolution, politics, morality and order, however isn’t feeding you the information directly. Texhnolyze is not a tale about hope or rebirth in the evolution of humanity, but rather its death. It’s one of the first times I’ve seen an anime go against the grain so much that it became visceral to watch knowing that despite its sci-fi setting, is a potential direction for mankind’s future.
— Art —
The art/animation is arguably one of Texhnolyze’s strengths in executing the tone it portrays. There’s a saturation of color present throughout almost the anime’s entirety, as well as an exposing glow emitting from the sky that resembles the sun’s glare. The design of Lux can be seen as or similar to a brutalist, an architectural term that describes structures being strictly made of concrete, which contributes to the lack of color present throughout. The presence of darker and more sombre hues accompanies it in painting a grim and bleak atmosphere. The only color to really stand out is red; the color of blood, as violence and death is a recurring theme throughout Texhnolyze. Every background character looks understandably miserable with lack of expression, body language and interaction as though they have given up hope but continue to live under no one's will. It captivates a portrait of despair and suffering better than any anime I’ve consumed. A major reason for catching my attention was due to its cover art, which is illustrated by Yoshitoshi ABe (Serial Experiments Lain, Haibane Renmei and NieA_7).
— Sound —
“If there’s anything you want, anything at all… come to me; your guardian angel”.
Hearing those words at the beginning of every episode sends shivers down my spine. For me, Texhnolyze’s use of sound is quite odd and unconventional. I was always intrigued by its opening and its style, though what I was more intrigued by was the choice of song used. The opening is done by Juno Reactor, which is rather unconventional for an anime opening due to its lack of vocals and its use of ambient, electronic beats, though is somewhat understandable for a cyberpunk setting. That, in contrast to its ending, is quite an eccentric choice. Going from a visually abstract opening with an electronic song choice to a visually barebones acoustic ending done by Gackt was questionable, though I’m quite certain that I enjoy it despite how out of place it is. Its soundtrack is also a different beast, being primarily grunge rock and some instances of soothing piano, acoustic or other various instruments composed by Hajime Mizoguchi (who also composed music for Escaflowne and Jin-Rou) and Keishi Urata. That being said, most of it is quite inconsistent and truly tries to shoehorn as much styles and sounds as much as possible, which I find to be an interesting choice as there are various different sounds for only one real present tone. This isn’t by any means a bad decision, however.
— Comparison(s) —
For the purpose of its existence, it’s hard to compare it to other anime that exist for the same reason. Texhnolyze is unique, though it can be said that it draws some resemblance to the Ghost in the Shell movie with the use of cybernetics and how that, in a philosophical perspective, can enhance or hurt a society. I wouldn’t call it a fair comparison, though it does carry a similar setting presented differently from different ends of the same spectrum. It is said to be part of the “Yoshitoshi ABe trilogy” which includes Serial Experiments Lain and Haibane Renmei. Texhnolyze is also written by Chiaki J. Konaka, who also did writing for Serial Experiments Lain, Digimon Tamers and The Big O. If you've seen any of Konaka's work, then this is a must watch.
— Enjoyment —
There were some instances in this anime where the pacing felt rather slow and made some questionable decisions, primarily towards the end. I can only handpick a few of things that I disliked about Texhnolyze that I’m unable to say due to the protection of spoilers. If you like post-apocalyptic, cyberpunk sci-fi anime, you will probably enjoy this. If you like sombre atmospheres and want to watch humanity fall apart, you will probably enjoy this. If you’re looking for fast paced action or a fixed meaning derived from its narrative, you may not enjoy this. I would say it’s worth giving a chance if you’re looking for something unique and different. Personally, it’s an esoteric anime, which can be quite a hit or miss. You’re either going to be lured by its presentation or you are going to become bored with it.
— Conclusion —
Texhnolyze was an experience that I had put off for quite a long time but glad to have felt. It was agonising and crushing, though I may just be masochistic to endure it. Its philosophy and psychology alone may be worth dabbling in if you’re interested in human behaviour or how a society operates and can quickly crumble into anarchy. It’s worth noting that nothing good comes from this anime. If you are looking for anything other than to see the world fall apart then you will be sorely disappointed.
I give this anime a light to decent 9. Its experimentation and presentation was something that I could personally find enjoyment in, even at times where I felt it was a little deficient and lacking in certain areas. Regardless, I would consider any word you’ve heard of this anime to be untrustworthy. This is something you can only truly experience for yourself to form an opinion on. I can only hope your experience will be as unique and griping as mine was.
Light to decent 9.
May 27, 2018
Texhnolyze
(Anime)
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Texhnolyze is brutal; brutal to watch.
Calling it brutal is no insult; rather an understatement. So why would you ever watch this anime? Or rather, how is it possible to enjoy such an anime? This anime is not out here to impress you, nor is it out here to make you hate it either. Texhnolyze, I’d argue, has a very rare and overlooked element that isn’t particularly present in a lot of media. It is pure in a sense of its stark portrayal of a violent, dystopian future where nothing is left and yet people still cling to life even if they have no other ... |
