RahXephon Orchestration 1: Threshold - Animation Insider
- Animation Insider
- Aaron H. Bynum
- 11/26/04
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Review
Warning: This Review Contains Spoilers for this DVD
Sure, it's taken me months upon months to actually get this anime, but it was worth it. What could have delayed me all of this time? That's not what's important, what is important though is the fact that I do have it now, and am about to review it, right? Anyways, RahXephon is oftentimes tossed into the genre of giant robot because of its massive center figure, The RahXephon; but in all truthfulness, this anime is much more than a simple giant robot title. Distributed by ADV Films, RahXephon is a convoluted drama about truth, the discovery of truth and what of to do once that truth arrives, as well as the complex web of information surrounding the usage of truth after its initial discovery. It's difficult to make an anime television series with so much story detail and so much character detail, yet still keep the viewer at a narrative perspective because it runs the high risk of confusion. It wouldn't surprise me if most people that picked up this title and watched the first DVD once through simply put it down for good, because RahXephon has that potentially frightening appeal; however, upon further analysis, fans will discover that this anime is so carefully crafted, that perhaps the audience's confusion plays into their own understanding of the title's amounting themes.
Ayato KaminaRahXephon is about a guy, his giant robot, and the various organizations that try to manipulate him into using his giant robot to fight for them in a futuristic environment of which he finds no reality. Living in a domed city of twenty-three million individuals, Ayato Kamina was raised to believe the rest of the world?with the exception of the remaining Tokyo?to have been utterly destroyed; however, upon a series of radical events, Ayato comes to find that the Earth is in fact populated by six billion people, and that his 'Tokyo' has for some time been bottled up in some mysterious atmosphere that transcends time and space. To put it simply, the teenager starts out living in a dome, soon finds his way out of the dome, and therefore becomes confused about where his place in the world lies now that the 'world' he thought he knew is suddenly unreal and unattainable.
Ayato, in the process of exiting this Tokyo he had once understood to be the only remaining piece of civilization, comes into contact with a massive god-like creature known as The RahXephon. The RahXephon is a giant robot (as to just how giant it is I'll get into later) that as of the first DVD volume 'Threshold' notes, only responds to one such as Ayato Kamina... which leads me to believe him to be a chosen person of some sort. Anyways, the two organizations fighting for the use of RahXephon and for Ayato (because he pilots it, regardless of whether or not he thinks he has the ability to); include the MU, a secretive organization working to apparently control/eradicate the human population and TERRA, which in some odd way stands for The Earth Federation's Anti-Mu Strategic Research Organization... an organization that tries to defend the Earth against attacks as brought on by the MU.
Does this all sound a bit confusing or puzzling in some way? Don't worry, it gets even more complex seeing as Ayato's mother is a key figurehead of the MU organization, while at the same time, Ayato is recruited by TERRA as an operative for them. This is the general story of RahXephon that I have gathered from the first DVD release of the anime television series, with an abundance of other subplots to boot, which makes this title a feast for those anime fans looking for something much more than a standard 'giant robot anime.' RahXephon is filled to the brim with brilliant storytelling and is bursting at the seems with intelligent plot devices.
Part II
The general flow of the television series is far from logical, with characters interacting with Ayato that are nameless for some time, and unfilled gaps of reasoning as Ayato himself tries to make sense of why it is that he must be the key to RahXephon. With these examples and others, the logical flow of the story to this anime is quite a mess. After closely studying the first DVD of RahXephon I have come to the conclusion that the climax of this television series might in fact be very predictable; however, such assumptions arise out of the fact that the integrity of this anime comes from how this anime fills in the gaps of confusion and mystery as the viewer tries to piece together various understandings of character motives. I do not think that it is any fault of the production company, Studio BONES, to have given the viewer such a vast amount of variables so early on in the series. I do think that the complexity of the story though, is necessary to convey such themes of aloneness, the revelation of truth, trust and ingenuity, and so on.
The rest of the television series of RahXephon just might take its time filling in the gaps of logic built up by the first few episodes as one will find on the first DVD volume, and yet, the anime would still be amazing because there are so many lines of reason that one can follow. Ayato is a lonely guy, whom over the course of a day learned a number of surprising truths and was exposed to a reality that he never knew existed...
and how he responds and interacts with this new reality can go into a hundred different directions for a number of different reasons (which for the most part may depend on which characters he interacts with).
One problem with this type of storytelling is that the word 'filler' comes up amongst fans as a means of unrest. I doubt there will be much filler in RahXephon because of how complex the story has yet to evolve as, so I do not expect much problems in that area. Another problem with this type of storytelling is the opportunity for the viewership to become disinterested in a series of events because it may not be directly related to a series of recently explored events. Stream of consciousness is extremely important in an anime that gives its audience a beginning and a hypothetical ending and takes its time filling in the middle... A good example would be Shoji Kawamori's Macross Plus, which although one of my favorite anime, suffers from this issue, the issue of event relationships, and the converse, of including/excluding events of like relevance. I can only hope that RahXephon manages itself well as the story develops in future episodes.
Another key story feature of RahXephon is music. Everything is guided, directed, and maintained by music within this anime. Well, maybe not everything, but a good deal of things are. The RahXephon works best when Ayato (the pilot) is guided by his muse, which happens to be a supposed schoolmate by the name of Reika Mishima; and interestingly enough, the beasts that RahXephon and Ayato face are giant oddly designed robot/beast/zombie looking things called Dolems, which are guided by muses of sorts as well. RahXephon is directed by the ridiculously good mecha designer Yutaka Izubuchi, so it wouldn't surprise me if he had a say in the designs of the 'things' that are featured in this animated television series. In any case, the music serves as a sort of external source of adrenaline and motivation at times (I could make some crack about Lin Minmay, but I won't go there.),
and the result is an anime with a lot of songs... many harmonic, some operatic, all of them beautiful. The fact that music is a source of control and management is very intelligent, and although sounding a bit awkward at first, is actually very genius once executed accurately. The rhythms, tunes, forms, movements and structures of musical overtures manipulate like nothing else; and how and why it works in such a way can be taken one of two ways: 1) It is simply another inexplicable aspect of the anime's design, or 2) It is an aspect of design within the anime that has yet to be identified within the television series as are many other things.
Part III
Haruka ShitowThe main characters of RahXephon include Ayato Kamina, the guy synced with RahXephon and is its subsequent pilot, and many others. Ayato is in some way connected to almost every character, as I understand it, whether emotionally, intellectually, or by blood. Another lead character is Haruka Shitow, an agent of TERRA whom has taken a liking to Ayato. Haruka's pleased that she has managed to snag Ayato from the MU and placed him in the possession of TERRA for the moment; however, her human nature is slowly overriding her militaristic duties. I know that the movie version of this anime, RahXephon Tagen Hensoukyoku, known in the west as RahXephon the Motion Picture, was more of a romance tale than anything else, and it wouldn't surprise me if this television series sharpened up the relationship between Haruka and Ayato a little bit. The two are relatively the same age, and pretty much get along rather well (but it still bothers me how it is Haruka's duty to withhold information from Ayato...). Ayato's mother apparently works with the MU, and, as do all people that work with MU, she has blue blood as well. I do not think I've had a chance to see Ayato's blood yet, maybe I have and I've just forgotten at the moment, but if his blood is blue then that could spell a whole mess of trouble. In any case, with Ayato working with TERRA, that mean's that he's fighting against his mother... making for a revised Oedipal Complex that I'm sure will be fleshed out in later episodes of the anime. Megumi Shitow is the younger sister of Haruka; she's a rather lively and energetic young girl whom although happy on the outside, is actually severely depressed and withdrawn on the inside. Megumi's presence in the cast of characters of RahXephon further explores and explicates the importance of character relationships, and of how they make and break various themes of any given animated feature film or television series. Here, we have two complimentary characters when comparing Ayato and Megumi. Ayato wishes to go home, back to the ignorant life he knew within the dome, but he also wants to learn more about just why in the world he had lived in such an area in the first place. Megumi wishes almost to escape her life, living under her older sister's shadow and attempting to find her place in society as a tactical division officer in training with TERRA after dropping out of school, she's the definition of social unrest. Ayato can go where Megumi wants to go, while at the same time Megumi has the knowledge that Ayato wants to learn. The societal experience Ayato possesses is one thing that Megumi wants, while on the other hand, the societal relations that Megumi neglects is one thing that Ayato wishes to have.
Lastly there's Reika Mishima. She's the only character thus far in the anime whose true role is relatively vague and unknown, and I have a feeling that it is going to stay that way for quite some time. I think she's going to remain an undefined variable because although she willingly helps Ayato pilot the RahXephon, she also seems to take pleasure in foiling the works of the MU. Then again, she doesn't really seem to be on the side of TERRA either. Ayato seems to have known her before he exited the domed world of Tokyo, but her presence is almost ghostly at times, disappearing and reappearing when needed. Her songs aid Ayato in battle; however, how much of her song is truly heartfelt? I'm willing to bet that there are a series of hidden motives within that one gal alone that will tip the scales of this anime more than expected. She's referred to as 'Ixtli' (while Ayato is referred to as 'Ollin') by MU, which brings me to wondering about the true existence and birth of Reika and Ayato. There's obviously some reason why the two are compatible while operating The RahXephon, but what is that reason?
Ayato Kamina :: Megumi Shitow
Moving on, the animation for RahXephon is a bit iffy. As much as I love the convoluted story and the complex character relationships, it's a bit of a bugger to have animation quality that is a tad faded and gritty like you have in RahXephon. The quality of detail for The RahXephon and for the Dolems that it battles are actually pretty good, but it is the quality of the character artwork and of other materials that is pretty low. The line-art is not very solid, and although it doesn't look sloppy, it looks unprofessional nonetheless. The lack of a solid dark line around objects (characters or otherwise) makes for a great lack of detail in the quality of animation for this title. The colors of RahXephon aren't too much better, generally speaking. Instead of having a hunter green you'll most likely have an apple green, and instead of having a warm red-orange color, you'll most likely have a dark pink... the same goes for blues and yellows. It's almost as if this anime went through the washing machine and came back out a bit unlike the way it was before. The artwork for this anime is great seeing as there are some good mecha designs, and considering that the moments of fire or explosions are very cool, but for some reason the general appearance can at times appear like a series of faded watercolors.
RahXephon is a good anime, it has a tough plot for fans to chew on and it has characters that viewers can really dig their teeth into as well. I wonder if there's some truth to the hypothetical complexity of the MU as some hidden public safety department supposedly protecting the world. It's a random thought that enters my mind as I watch this anime's first few episodes, and debate as to it such a thing is possible. For if it were it could mean that we have mass media manipulation and the falsifying of information in order to maintain control over what most certainly would be a mob. If it is true that what the masses define as a protective government turns out to be the enemy that they so vehemently despise, then I smell trouble.
(Perhaps I should put this entire paragraph as well as the following one, in parentheses, seeing as it is all very much of a parenthetical concern...)
On the other hand, we have TERRA, an organization with as many mysterious and unruly characters, from doctors to generals, as does the MU. I get the feeling that neither is to be trusted too much by Kamina, whom at the moment looks to be the only redeeming character (even if it is because of his ignorance). I know what he means when he says, 'I feel like I'm going to be confused again.'
Part IV
Since music is obviously an important aspect to this anime series, it would only make sense to get in touch with a production studio and composer well adapted to the anime industry correct? In the west, we know with our limited knowledge that Studio BONES often works with Victor Entertainment, which employs work of the mastermind Ms. Yoko Kanno, whom since around 1995 or 1996 has been working every once in a while with the gorgeous now twenty-four year old singing sensation Ms. Maaya Sakamoto. Don't you love how corporate relationships work? Anyways, Kanno does some composing for the RahXephon anime, and Sakamoto does some singing (and voice acting [Reika] too) for the RahXephon anime as well. The opening theme, as composed by Kanno and sung by Sakamoto, is called 'Hemisphere,' and although being very quickly paced is actually quite haunting and ominous. It really sets the tone and ambience for the anime series, by giving the audience a variety of moods to contemplate, and a variety of images to associate with such moods as well.
The music in general to RahXephon is handled by Ichiko Hashimoto, and ranges from soft jazz to some extremely intense themes during battle scenes. For example, you will hear either the loud and commanding angelic yet very operatic vocals of the muses, or the striking of the high-pitched keys of a piano when the atmosphere is tense and the emotions are running high, while conversely, if there is a moment of calmness there will no dialogue and some cool jazzy tunes in the background. Sometimes if you just sit there and listen to the music in the background, you'll almost fall asleep from how soothing it is.
The music is fantastic for RahXephon, not only for the simple reason that music is a driving element of the series' story, but also because it's just plain awesome to have a good soundtrack nowadays... which reminds me, Geneon Anime Music will be distributing the soundtracks (that's 'soundtracks,' plural) to RahXephon beginning early next year...).
The English language cast for RahXephon consists of a number of ADV veterans, those of Industrial Smoke & Mirrors that have been credited a good half-dozen times at least over the past months/years. With direction by Matt Greenfield, need I say more? I'm pretty sure that A.D. Vision, Inc. is the only company that has been consistent with high-quality dub work since their dub studio's inception several years ago. When your company has someone as dedicated and trustful to the industry as Mr. Greenfield, not even the sky is the limit, that's for sure. But onto the voice acting cast; you have Chris Patton as Ayato, Monica Rial as Haruko, Hilary Haag as Megumi, Mandy Clark as Reika, and John Swasey as Megumi's uncle, Shougo Rikudoh: talk about an awesome cast. Patton's voice is casual and seems to come to high quality with little to no effort, his voice matches his character's personality perfectly. It's odd though because Patton has voiced the roles of teenagers in the midst of socio-political puppetry before in Gasaraki and Spriggan as well, I'm starting to wonder if this guy is psychologically in tact after all of this work (Plus, he does a lot of great yells when his characters are on the brink of insanity... he seems to have a knack for that.). Rial has been known for her intelligent work, which with her unique voice is more or less playful yet sexy, and hits her mark here with the reassuring character Haruko. Haag has a very familiar voice, and although some fans might not recognize her name, they will undoubtedly recognize her voice, she has a great laugh. Clark as Reika is soft and gentle, while at the same time deceiving, which gives me the impression that Reika is hiding something... which is good, because it adds a new dimension to the character dynamics of this anime. Although I didn't mention his character prior to now, Swasey voices a somewhat minor character, Megumi's uncle, whom serves as Ayato's roommate at TERRA.
His work is notable because his character, at first glance serves no external purpose to the story with the exception of perhaps being a father figure to Ayato, but upon further analysis one will find that his personality is patient and cautious, and gives off a unique 'reliable uncle' feel... something that is quite alien to Ayato's previous experiences.
RahXephon does something wicked and complex regarding its storytelling nature, but hints at this massive ball of yarn being weaved together at some point in the future. At least, I hope that it is all sewn together in future episodes, otherwise, all of my previously random conjectures will seem rather psychotic. Even in saying such, RahXephon is a good anime to watch even if you want to draw these seemingly random and unrelated lines of reasoning. The story has a very long way to go to be considered comprehensible, but I'm hooked for sure. The battle scenes with the RahXephon and Ayato are amazing and are emotionally powerful. The fact that Ayato is psychologically and emotionally connected to the massive beast that is RahXephon is a revealing hint as to just how his battles might end up even before he fights them too. But with this on top of the nasty web of character relationships, RahXephon is going to be a puzzle definitely worth solving in future months.
I SPY:
10 'eyes', 2 fish, 2 crosses, 4 breasts, 4 faces, 4 legs, and 1 tearI've loved Izubuchi's work before now, and I love it even more having been given a small taste of just what goes on inside that labyrinth of a mind he has. There are reoccurring themes of: opening one's eyes to see the truth that there is to see, themes of communication as essential to survival, and ultimately themes of the Individual versus the State, and subsequently the State's corruption and their deception of the Individual as well. But one thing still bugs me... is RahXephon really 164 feet tall? I mean seriously, M.E.G.A.S. is supposed to be 80 feet, and the original Gundam averaged about 61 feet. I would mention Roger Smith's Megadeus but since no one really knows of its actual height, we can only theorize there... But still, how giant does RahXephon really have to be, to be a giant robot?
Posted on Friday, November 26, 2004 (Archive on Sunday, December 26, 2004)