RahXephon: a beautiful fevered dream

[dangermousie]

On m_jade8's rec, I started watching RahXephon (as I mentioned earlier). I am four and a half episodes in.

It's part Matrix (the world of the protagonist is an illusion, controlled by alien entities and he has to free himself to see the truth), part Silmarillion (music as means of creation and power), and part Neon Genesis Evangelion (giant fighting robot machines). And it works perfectly.

Synopsis (from a webcite): Kamina Ayato lives an ordinary life. He goes to school. He lives with his mother. He has schoolmates. But all of that changes one day when massive machines, known as the Dolem, attack the city of Tokyo with their destructive vocal powers. Caught up in the chaos, Ayato meets a mysterious girl named Mishima Reika. She leads him to the sanctuary, resting place of the RahXephon, a giant humanoid being with powers to counter those of the Dolem. Upon its awakening, Ayato finds himself synchronising with the machine and it takes him to the world beyond Tokyo. It seems that Tokyo, more precisely called Tokyo Jupiter, has been cut off from the rest of the world. Those living within the boundaries of Tokyo Jupiter believe that the rest of the world has been decimated, when in fact they live in a world controlled by the Mu (alien, interdimentional invaders). Now, facing the truth, Ayato must come to terms with his new reality, for he is a central element in the fate of mankind.

It's trippy, it's beautiful, it's unusual. And I Love It.

Why?


First off, the opening credits/song has now displaced Fushigi Yuugi's credits and song as my favorite. Yeah, shallow, whatever.

Secondly, the animation is beautiful. While I can enjoy an anime despite bad animation if I like the story (I ended up liking HYD even though the animation in it made me want to poke my eyes out with a fork), but how much better when the style is so fluidly beautiful. And have I mentioned the conceptual design. Just look at RahXephon's chamber.

Also, I like the concept of music as creation. The whole plot and set-up of this, which is part dystopia, part tradtional scifi, part musing on nature of reality and part (of course) boys battling in giant robots. And it maintains this amazing balance between keeping me confused enough to want to understand more but not so much that I'd just go WTF?

But most important are the characters: I love Ayato, the protagonist, the quiet, composed 17 year old. He isn't too noble, he isn't screechy or hyper or immature or any of the other qualities that make me want to glomp protagonists. He is actually very cool and he is stuck in a world that is beyond anything he'd imagined, and his wonder and hurt and wounded steeliness just get me. And I love Haruka. In this story, she is his Morpheus, freeing him from the sphere and showing the reality beyond. She is also rather older than him (in her mid 20s?) but I am getting a shippy vibe and if that happens that would be truly interesting. I think this makes all the difference for me between this and something like Last Exile, which had an interesting concept and beautiful artwork but where the protagonists made me want to sleep.



Some gorgeous wallpaper:



Ayato:





Flashback:



More cool wallpaper:



My favorite image:



Haruka:



The otherwordly design:



So young!



Look on the backgrounds in those shots:





Reika:



Beautiful:



Ayato and Reika:



The chamber where RahXephon is:



I love this wallpaper:



One of the Dolems (mixture of 'DoReMi' and 'Golem'):



The cast:



One of the credit stills (Ayato and Haruka on a bicycle):



More Ayato:



In close up:



More Reika:



Pretty yellows:

Comments

[thelana.livejournal.com]

Wow, this really looks gorgeous.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It really is. I don't think the show itself is your thing, as you said you don't like anime series, but I know they made an anime movie out of this too. I have no idea if it's any good, but if they keep the beautiful artwork, it might be worth checking out.

Apparently this has a lot of Mayan influences in the story and the art which I find interesting in and of itself. It has this crazy vividness and loose coherency of a dream.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

RahXephon is probably the most lyrical of the mecha series. They're trying to get them more thought provoking and less fight oriented now days. Fafner and Melody of Oblivion both succeed at this. There's a whole "alienation" theme to a lot of anime, making the theme literal by either having a protagonist BE an alien (either with ability or power) or control an alien (mecha).

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

They're trying to get them more thought provoking and less fight oriented now days

Which is good, as there only so many ways you can make 'guys fight in giant robots' exciting if that's all there is.

I admit I am a sucker for animation this beautiful. I'd watch almost anything if it looks like this.

There's a whole "alienation" theme to a lot of anime, making the theme literal by either having a protagonist BE an alien (either with ability or power) or control an alien (mecha).

I noticed this. I find it interesting and I think it ties to the fact that a lot of protagonists are teenagers. Of course Ayato fits into this doubly, not only because he can control RahXephon, but also because he is an outsider in this 'real' Earth world and because he is (at least potentially) Mu himself, as he can control a Dolem (which is what Mu do) and his mother has blue blood (a Mu characteristic) herself.

Of course, even something like Rurouni Kenshin, which has no mechas, has its protagonist isolated by his past and his skills, and reconnecting with the world is one of the goals and issues of the story.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Of course Ayato fits into this doubly

As does Gram in Mars Daybreak as he has the innate talent to control an RB and is also homeless, which is why he finds a place for himself on the Aurora since he not only finds a home, but another person who can control an RB in Yagami.

Anime has a talent for getting across the whole terror and isolation of growing up thing in some of the most fantastic ways possible (in DN Angel Daisuke literally turns into two people, in Full Metal Panic Sousuke is a teenage covert operative bodyguard posing as a highschool to protect a girl, in Saiyuki none of the guys ever fit in anywhere because they're all part demon). It's the exact same disassociative complex that Buffy has to work with. Slayer= how any highschool student feels.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

After reading your write-ups on Mars Daybreak, it (together with GetBackers, Full Metal Panic and Grenadier) is on my short list of animes to watch. I find it interesting how the whole concept of alienation is made literal, and this difference is sometimes truly dangerous. It works in girls' series too: Ceres, Fushigi Yuugi and Escaflowne all have this theme of difference and not fitting in (with Ceres perhaps taking the darkest approach of the bunch I've seen).

Somehow it doesn't come across as overblown or silly either, when done well. And you are right, I never thought about it, but Buffy really has more and more of an anime sensibility the more I think about it.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

I learned to love the FMP creator after I found out one of his favorite influences was Horatio Hornblower.

Mars Daybreak is one of the best pure adventure series I've watched in a long time. It's sort of a cross between Seaquest and Star Trek. Just a fun series to watch.

Anime does a lot of taking the figurative and making it literal (Vandread does this BRILLIANTLY with the battle of the sexes and Generator Gawl also does it with tampering with science). Somehow, that seems to work better and more directly than beating all around it in a series that would be considered "reality". That's why I've always loved fantasy. It has the ability to lay out all the issues without it seeming weird.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's sort of a cross between Seaquest and Star Trek.

Heee. For some reason I am imagining 80s haircuts now! :P

I found out one of his favorite influences was Horatio Hornblower

I think FMP has jumped the queue.

That's why I've always loved fantasy. It has the ability to lay out all the issues without it seeming weird.

I've always liked more realistic fantasy (as well as scifi). "High" fantasy often makes me think that's what the authors were: high.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Re Mars Daybreak: Well, there is a talking dolphin.

Re FMP: The HH influence is pretty evident in the whole military system. Sousuke is a total Horatio type, all military overachiever and terribly serious about his job. Of course he falls for the girl he's supposed to be protecting. Another good mix of adventure and humor.

Re high fantasy: The genre takes itself far too seriously a lot of the time. And while brilliant when well done, absolutely ludicrous when not.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Talking Dolphin? *backs away slowly, reconsiders getting MD* If there is one thing I can't stand is talking animals. Too much Disney in my earlier years.

Sousuke is a total Horatio type, all military overachiever and terribly serious about his job.

Awwww. Let's hope he has his stress medication then. I read the wikipedia aticle and it sounds interesting.

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

There's also a talking cat. They're both crew members. The logic is that we're advanced enough to communicate with animals. They aren't in it a whole lot though. Unless you can't bear the sight of them I wouldn't let them put you of the series (though I've been wrong before).

FMP also has Kurtz, a former model turned military sniper. He's sort of the anti-Sousuke, as he doesn't take his job very seriously.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The amount of former models running around anime is almost as large as the amount of former models running around Bollywood.

HYD, by itself, could fill an entire catwalk. I am rather amused by the tendecy.

Is this Kurtz? Not bad :)

http://animeboys.aucifer.com/profiles/kurtz.jpg

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

It's not an anime without a bishounen or 10.

Yeah, that's Kurtz, in one of his dorkier poses.

http://www.geocities.com/impact_blue29/kurz3.jpg

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

He looks like a bastard offspring of Allen Schezar and Ayato. Not that it's a bad thing!

FMP is definitely next on my list. Is the FMP Second Raid worth getting? And some weird one that has a random collection of "f"s in its title and is supposed to be set in between the two?

[crumpeteer.livejournal.com]

Second Raid and First are a bit more serious minded. FUMOFFU is pretty much humor. Depends what you want. I personally like humor a lot of the times (or I wouldn't be so fond of GetBackers), but don't expect a serious story line from FUMOFFU. Not that there isn't quite a bit of humor in the original series. Just depends on how into the series you get.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Will check out the first raid and then see how much I like that.

[aliterati.livejournal.com]

Pretty.

Wow, so wait, I was meaning to ask: Who's the openly gay couple in Peacemaker?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Hijikata Toshi/Okita Souji (the Vice Commander and a Squad Leader of the Shinsengumi respectively) (see icon). They are also my OTP for the show. I love them, especially the scene near the end where Toshi arrives too late for battle and runs to find Souji because he is so worried about him and then finds him covered with blood and just hugs him and... Anyway, it's my favorite scene in the whole show.

[aliterati.livejournal.com]

Aw, great, so they really made that explicit after all. ;P

(Who's the vague couple, then?)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't know about explicit, as that depends on your definition. There is no kissing (but then there is no kissing for Yamanami/Akesato who are a het OTP, and I can't remember if there is kissing for Tetsu/Saya who are the main OTP. I don't think so). That scene with Toshi finding Souji though, is the most romantic scene in the show, even better than Yamanami with his head on Akesato's lap.

Who's the vague couple, then?

I don't think there are any. There are three couples in the show: Toshi/Souji, Tetsu/Saya (they are both kids so it's puppy love and it's adorable) and Yamanami/Akesato (who I also love as he is a VC and she is a ninja spy for the opposite side who falls in love with him).

I guess if you are really really demented you can argue that Toshi/Souji are just insanely touchy-feely, hold each other and really really caring about each other friends, but I can't imagine doing that with a straight face. Not after seeing that scene in that house, not with Toshi going all Tamahome.

Unless you mean Suzu/Yoshida, where it's pretty clear Suzu has a thing for Yoshida but there is no indication Yoshida cares for Suzu other than his ward?

[wasabi-girl1.livejournal.com]

We (my sis, bro and I) were having this huge RahXephon nostalgia fest this past weekend. I'm so glad you like it! ^^

Also, if you are only four episodes in and you already like it, you have much greatness in store! :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am so excited about this show. I would be watching it faster but Husband likes it too and he gets home later than I do :(

[plazmah.livejournal.com]

Wowee, your picspam made my eyes fall out with joy! I don't think I've made that many RahXephon icons before... but this is great fodder :)

SO glad you like it :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, RahXephon icons? *beg beg beg*

Yes, I love it. It's not like anything else I've seen.