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 of the 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.
