Texhnolyze

Publisher
Geneon / MVM
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
22 episodes / 24 minutes
Year
2003

Texhnolyze Volume 1: Inhumane And Beautiful

By otaku_kei
2nd Jul 05

Yoshitoshi ABe has become one of the more recognisable names in anime production. His name has become synonymous with shows that do not conform to traditional story paths and actually make the viewer think about what they are seeing. His work has been well received from Serial Experiments Lain, to Haibane Renmei through to this his latest contribution to a show: Texhnolyze. This show has garnered a lot of attention for being completely different from everything else on the market. Of course we have had slow, thought-provoking series in the past but Texhnolyze takes that above and beyond anything attempted before.

The future holds no hope. It is a dark, dystopian failure of all that humanity dreams for now. Personal alienation has achieved new depths, government has atrophied and been swallowed by criminal organisations. This world is a living nightmare through which people are dragging themselves, but there are a few who appear to have a certain zest for life that has been drained from all others. But still this world is treacherous for the unwary and some of these characters are going to learn this the hard way. And always hanging in the background is the ever-present technology of texhnolyze - is this humanities savoir or yet another step along the wrong path.

This show really is something different. Relying on visuals and atmospherics rather than dialogue, it effective creates this dark future. Whilst dystopian, cyberpunk futures are ten a penny; the immersive visions are few and far between. Texhnolyze stands beside up there with Scott's 'Blade Runner', Gibson's 'Sprawl' series and Brunner's 'Stand On Zanzibar'. But everybody has had enough experiences of style over substance, and without a solid plot or solid characters no amount of atmospherics will compensate. This first volume only dishes out little bits of the plot, and by the end of these four episodes leaves us with more questions than answers. But this piecemeal divulging of plot snippits divulged by dialogue is offset fully by all that is left unsaid. The visual tricks and imagery are used to constantly lay subtexts to the plot as well as to character intricacies.

But whilst this direction of the show appealed to me on a thought-provoking level, on a visual level and as a fan of cyberpunk tales it is quite clear that this show is not for everyone. Anyone who is looking for the flashy extravagance and instant gratification that a GONZO Studios title would bring best look elsewhere. Even being a fan of ABe's other associated work would not at all guarantee appreciating this show. If you feel that an opening episode of a show should contain more than about 12 lines of dialogue then you best stay clear. Even in the following episodes this show does not become dialogue heavy. Much of what is going on is left up to the viewer to decide and if that is not what you are after then stay clear.

Well once again this title has helped to confirm my glowing opinion of MVM's title choices for 2005. My attention was rapt on the TV screen when this was on and I'm sure I ill have to come back to this volume a few times more to drink up all the detail that I will have missed. But for a show with so little said, there was a lot to take in. Pretty sure there is going to be a message to learn under all this futureshock despair, and I cannot wait to find out what it is.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English Language 2.0; Japanese Language 2.0; English Subtitles; Interview with Yoshitoshi ABe & Yasuyuki Ueda; Alternate Dialogue Outtakes; MVM Trailers

Release information: OUT NOW

Notes: As we have come to expect from MVM (& Madman their DVD authoring partners), we are once again delivered a high quality title. Both audio tracks are great, not that there is much dialogue in these first few episodes. Could find no problem with artefacting on the visual side. As extras go its a bit of a mixed bag. We get the standard MVM Trailers, but we also get an interview with Yoshitoshi ABe & Yasuyuki Ueno which is an interesting aside. But MVM have also given us some alternate dialogue outtakes - basically the voice actors just taking the mick out of what is happening on screen. Just a bit odd to see something like that.

-- otaku_kei 2nd Jul 05

Texhnolyze Images