RahXephon

-Details-
Genre: Action/Drama
Company: BONES
Format: 26 Episodes
Dates: 21 Jan 2002 – 10 Sep 2002

-Visuals- 8.5/10
Honestly a little bit of a hit and miss for me. The various backgrounds and scenery are all well done and the more ephemeral aspects are for the most part wonderfully done. I was not however, as in love with the mecha designs. Nothing necessarily stood out as horrible, and actually the Dolems were just creepy enough to be very intriguing, but t\I simply felt that many of the battle scenes were not as well designed as the rest of the visuals. Nothing bad enough that it turned me off but it is a noticeable difference.


-Sound- 9.5/10
Wow, wow, wow. Of course music being a somewhat central theme it truly would suck if the show had sub-par music. Thankfully it doesn't. From the opening song to all of the various vocals and various other songs played the soundtrack truly is a sweeping accomplishment. And to make matters even better not only is the music gorgeous but it sets the mood and tone of the story simply perfectly. I doubt you will find many anime shows done musically as well as this one.

-Characters- 9.5/10
Complex, convoluted, all too human, and yet all too inhuman. Mad, driven, egotistical and naive. These adjectives just begin to describe the absolute diverse and different characters which you are introduced to and get to know in this story. The character development is intense to say the least, unfortunately it is also so complex that there is simply no way every character could be fleshed out in 26 episodes. I would have been much happier, and probably less confused as well to be honest (but more on that later) if the show had lasted at lasted twice the length it did. It would have given me so much more time to understand the motivations and desires of the characters, having said that, for the most part the central figures in this drama you will get to know extremely well, and what a diverse group they are. I actually felt this was the strong point of the shows. While the story may seem to overwhelm all else to some I would disagree, I felt the character interactions and growth is what made this anime as good as it is. The story...well...keep reading, lol.



-Story- 8.0/10
OK...well...let's see...in the year 2012 two gigantic floating cities appear above Tokyo and Sendai. These cities are occupied by a multidimensional race known as the Mulians. This race is virtually identical to the human race (and I suspect, based on the obvious architecture and designs they were the original rulers/gods of the Mayas). War quickly follows and during the nuclear holocaust Tokyo is enveloped in an impenetrable sphere which both separates Tokyo from the rest of the world as well as slowing time down 1/5 the speed time progresses in the "real/regular" world. The real story is the interaction of the characters and their growth. I almost feel it's better to simply let the story go as it may and instead focus on the interactions between the main characters. Perhaps upon a second watch through I'll feel differently but for now I simply feel the story attempts too much and at times seems a bit too obscure and quasi-mystical.

-Overall- 8.5/10
I am fond of saying things strike me in two different ways. And this is certainly no exception. I loved the characters. I loved their growth and emotions and I loved their interactions. I liked the battles and the aspect of conflict was intriguing and entertaining. I did not, so much, enjoy the rather convoluted and complex story which simply, at least to me, didn't answer anywhere near as many questions as it asked. Still, over this is certainly a wonderful anime to watch and will certainly keep you emotionally invested.