Story/Setting/Style:
- Do not watch if you dislike slower, cerebral anime (e.g., Ergo Proxy, Serial Experiments Lain, Casshern Sins). Texhnolyze moves slowly, but by the time you finish the series, you'll realize that a lot has happened. The writing is plot-driven, rather than character-driven.
- Do not watch if you have a strong preference for sappy, feel-good stories.
- Do not watch if you do not want to think. The dialogue can be sparse, and nothing is spelled out for the viewer.
- If you like sci-fi, this anime does a marvelous job depicting a foreign, futuristic, but dilapidated world (in the same vein as cyberpunk or tech noir) and, more importantly, making you feel immersed in it.
Characters:
- This is not a character-driven story, so do not expect the round, dynamic characters who helped make Cowboy Bebop, Steins;Gate, and Fullmetal Alchemist the masterpieces they are. This is not a negative. Rather, the lack of focus on any specific character is a good thing here.
- Notwithstanding the above, the main characters in Texhnolyze are extremely well-done and are deceptively deep once you analyze their actions and motivations. They are sufficiently fleshed-out to be believable and move the story along without receiving too much focus. The characters are pieces, and they fit perfectly.
Art & Sound:
- I'm generally not too particular about these aspects of anime titles. So long as the writing and direction are good, and the art and sound aren't distractingly bad, I'll enjoy the series.
- That said, the depictions of the various settings were excellent. Technically, the art and sound were sufficiently good.
Overall:
- Firstly, it is noteworthy that this anime has a lot of "10" reviews despite having a relatively low average rating. This should indicate to you that (1) for the right audience, this series is a 10/10 masterpiece, and (2) this series is specifically tailored to a narrow audience.
- If you made it past the first paragraph of this review, you are most likely within the target audience and should therefore watch this series. It really is a masterpiece.
10/10
