RahXephon Recommended

Publisher
ADV
Director
Yutaka Izubuchi
Production
BONES, Fuji TV, Project Rahxephon
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Year
2001

RahXephon Orchestration 7: Crescendo (eps 24-26)

By John Huxley
11th Oct 04

When you're watching a series as ambitious as RahXephon you increasingly get the feeling that 26 episodes just isn't enough to realise the lofty aspirations of its creators. By the time we reach the show's finale, RahXephon has evolved into an intricate, labyrinthine web of characters, relationships and events that would appear as daunting a prospect on paper as it does in reality. And the reality doesn't have the benefit of foresight, either; for every element of RahXephon that's carefully illustrated to the audience there's two or three that are barely touched upon. In the last couple of episodes alone there's a whole host of oddities that pass with out a word in the way of explanation.

As hair-rippingly frustrating as that might sound, it's actually one of the show's great strengths. By omitting these details RahXephon gains an aura of wonderment and mystery that keeps the audience guessing right up until the final credits and beyond. You're asked to consider the what, how and why to reach a conclusion under your own steam, although the clues are all there if you have the patience enough to piece the puzzle together by yourself. Some may suggest this is a cynical, lazy method of film making, but even if this were the case it would be impossible to deny the effectiveness of the final product. RahXephon's cryptic story can be frustrating, confusing and occasionally bizarre, yet it never fails to be entertaining.

Besides, RahXephon has more strings to its bow than a perplexingly intricate storyline. Even during the dizzying heights of its self-indulgent analysis RahXephon finds room for some good old reliable mech bashing action. Making good use of the unusual yet elegant designs of RahXephon's mecha and fluid computer-enhanced (no CGI models here) animation, the climatic battle scenes should live up to (if not surpass) your every expectation. And all this action isn't just there to appease the fans - it helps to make RahXephon a more balanced experience, preventing it from becoming overly analytical in its latter stages (something that should make Evangelion's critics happy).

This final volume brings the trepid romance between Ayato and his various female admires to the fore. I guess I never really thought of RahXephon as a romance, but when I begin to think back on the series as a whole I can better appreciate this particular element of the show. A million miles away from the cheery antics of Love Hina or Ranma 1/2, RahXephon's romance is underplayed (which is perhaps why I never really took notice of it before now) and for the most part thoroughly believable. Throughout all the political and theological ramblings this is one of the only things that I found myself able to relate with; it gives RahXephon a much needed human touch when its dealing with such otherworldly topics and themes. I won't spoil the surprise of who exactly Ayato ends up with, but you can rest assured that this is one aspect of the show that does reach a definite conclusion (even if it isn't as expected!).

As events in Ayato's life begin to reach their climax, so does the world around him. Almost everyone our hero has come in to contact with over the course of the series has a part to play in the final stages of RahXephon, although some are more actively involved than others. There's no stone left unturned as each of their own individual little stories and relationships are concluded to some degree (many with predictably tragic results), although you may or may not care about the outcome depending on the characters involved. Some - especially the older, authoritative characters - have only been afforded the bare minimum of character development which leaves you mostly indifferent to their particular predicament (or, in some cases, you struggle to even remember their name!). Others, however, are more complete individuals blessed with pleasingly authentic portrayals. A mixed bag, which is understandable given the sheer size of the cast.

One sidestory worth a mention, perhaps the most surreal of all, ends in such a ridiculously over the top fashion that you can only presume that the writers and directors were playing it for kicks. It's like a culmination of every unexpected plot twist, revelation and back stabbing all rolled up in to one gloriously outrageous scene. You just know the scriptwriters are hiding somewhere, giggling behind their cusped hands as they imagine some poor sap of a film student trying in vain to make sense of it all. It's tremendous fun for the casual viewer, however, and should be enjoyed for the ridiculous spectacle that it is.

Despite falling short of the mark in a few areas this is a satisfying conclusion to a good series. It might not have lived up to its early promise, but RahXephon is a show that deserves to be recognised outside of its comparisons to a certain Hideaki Anno animation.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English 5.1, Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, production sketches, clean open/close, interview with the Japanese staff & cast of RahXephon, ADV previews, 16-page A5 booklet

Release information: 16th August 2004, ADV

Notes: First, a word of warning. The A5 booklet packaged with this DVD contains some pretty hefty spoilers - read it at your peril! Anyway, the cover features a moody portrait of the RahXephon itself with a dull green pattern in the background. It's a rather striking design and a fine way to end the series. The lovely A5 booklet makes one last return with another selection of character artwork and profiles. However, all the usual staff interviews are missing, replaced with an equally fascinating list of terminology and a slightly less interesting credits list. I think I'll actually miss this gorgeous little booklet more than the series itself! The extras on the disc include a clean open/close, production sketches and, most notably, an interview with the Japanese cast & crew. Lasting around 15-20 minutes, this is a great extra that gives you a little insight in to the minds responsible for the lunacy that is RahXephon. All in all, an excellent series of discs from start to finish.

-- John Huxley 11th Oct 04

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