RahXephon 1 - Threshold

Big eyed beauty.

If there’s one anime production that nearly everyone has seen, it’s Hideaki Anno's hugely influential mecha epic, 1991’s Neon Genesis Evangelion; the story of giant battling robots, a reluctant, emotionally introverted teenager, and his mission to save the world. Just how influential was Evangelion? Witness RahXephon, the new series from the writer/director Yutaka Izubuchi that is, in many ways, a carbon copy of its predecessor. Well, at least on the surface. The story of a reluctant teenage boy chosen to pilot a biomechanical behemoth to save the post-apocalyptic Earth from invaders, RahXephon similarly exhibits an almost unintelligible main plot; subverting it in favour of character development and complex emotional subplots. Throw in some post-Matrix questioning of reality and chicks dealing out some whoop-arse on dark sunglassed agents, and you have yourselves an intriguing and entertaining anime series in the making.

It’s hard to describe the plot without giving away spoilers, but essentially RahXephon centres around young 17-year-old Ayato Kamina. The year is 2017 and like any other day Kamina and his friends are traveling to school when the city is attacked by laser wielding alien spacecraft! In the ensuing chaos, Kamina escapes his wrecked subway train only to be approached by dark suited agents who forcibly attempt to lead him away. His is saved at the last by a young woman - Shitou Haruka – who kicks three shades of shit out of the agents Trinity style. In doing so, the wounded agents are revealed to ooze blue blood! Haruka offers to avail Kamina of the ‘truth’ if he accompanies her but, frightened by this lithe but deadly minx, Kanina chooses to flee. Seeing one of his school friends, Reika Mishima, on an approaching train, he legs it and makes the carriage just as the doors close. Meanwhile, as the battle in the city rages on, the alien invaders are met with a new weapon – two giant robots whose main weapon seems to be singing (yes that’s what I said); generating deadly harmonic frequencies at their foes. As Kamina and Mishima reach the train’s terminus, they find themselves facing a giant egg – from which rises yet another giant robot, RahXephon…

What big, erm, ears you have.

OK, so it’s hardly a synopsis of the series - more a summary of the first episode. But to give away any more would ruin the many twists that these first five episodes have in store. A little more truthfully I may reveal that, even after repeated viewings, I’m still not 100% sure where the hell RahXephon is going. There’s a lot being established here in this first volume, and at present the what-the? factor is still very high. And yet I get the feeling that what might seem to be a whole lot of unrelated subplots will soon come together - and the series will be the more satisfying for it. But it’s only a hunch - only future volumes will tell.

Now if for you, like me, mecha-anime really isn’t your bag (baby), if you find the whole boy and his metal monster thing all a little too superficial, then I would still recommend you give RahXephon a try. For despite being steeped in mecha law, series’ like RahXephon and Evangelion are entertaining not for the action sequences (which are impressive here nonetheless) but for the internal struggles, the relationships and interactions between the various characters that, done properly, make the main plot largely superfluous. Already RahXephon displays evidence of this and despite the fact that I’m still in the dark as to where the series is headed, on the face of these first five episodes it looks likely to be as entertaining and satisfying as its predecessor.

Trinity style.

In terms of the quality of its animation RahXephon is typical of the higher-quality anime currently being produced for television in Japan. Predominantly cel based, the foreground animation is fluid and detailed throughout; in particular during the battle scenes. Although the depiction of flying spacecraft is still rather one-dimensional (some things in this genre never change) the erupting explosions are beautifully rendered. The characterisations themselves are very distinctive, with the characters, while simple in and of themselves, interesting in that abnormally large eyes are used for both the males and females. Although it is typical of the genre to use larger eyes for protagonists and smaller for antagonists, the technique is usually limited to big haired-females, and I've never seen it applied in such as uniform way as it has been here. Also, as with the plot elements, the visual style does borrow a little from The Matrix franchise, with black suited, sunglass-wielding agents and action staged in deserted subway stations. Despite being predominantly cel-based, the animation also makes use of CGI to a limited extent in the support of the action sequences. Cropping up in the unexpected places, it is used for more complex effects such as the depiction of lines of bursting window panes and the creation of computer generated things such as heads-up-displays.

In terms of its digital incarnation, Madman's full-frame transfer is absolutely flawless. Colours are vivid and blacks are deep and solid; all delivered by a sharp image that suffers no aliasing or film to video related artifacts. Certainly fans should be more than happy with the treatment RahXephon has garnered on our little shiny format.

Wedgies: funny.

Sadly, RahXephon is one of those numerous anime titles to have been lavished with a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix for its dub into English, while the infinitely superior, original Japanese track languishes in Dolby Digital stereo. Now don't get me wrong - a 5.1 mix is more than welcome - but imagine how much effort it would have been, given that the foley, score and effects tracks have already been split across 5.1 channels, to add the Japanese dialogue to create a separate mix? I mean even if the Japanese dialogue was restricted to the front soundstage it's got to be an improvement. Yet another wasted opportunity.

With the rant over, let me say that the English 5.1 mix is great, improving greatly over the original stereo offering. The first thing you notice is the distinctive, very eclectic score - at times rather jazzy, at others rather techno in feel, but always very bass heavy (the subwoofer gets to help out here) and nicely mixed between the front and rear channels. Dialogue remains clear and distinct throughout, with the front and rear channels combining with the centre to position speaking characters off-screen. A good level of ambient sound can also be heart, with some particularly effective echoes when the action goes subterranean. Directional effects also abound, with jets and missiles screaming across and down your living room.

While the Japanese voice actors are characteristically superior to their English counterparts, the English voices are not those annoying valley-girl/boy dudes and dudettes that we often get. The script too, as evidenced by the English subtitle track, remains faithful to the literal Japanese translation. For those listening to the English dub, signs are translated in a separate subtitle track - a second track that is also displayed by default when the dialogue subtitles are chosen.

Animated full-frame menus provide access to a small number of fairly standard extras. Joining a clean opening sequence (1:30) and clean closing sequence (1:32) are a Japanese television trailer (2:31) and a montage of 22 production sketches that cover many of the vehicles and supporting characters in addition to the central protagonists. These are joined by trailers for six of Madman's other ADV releases , Nadesico, Samurai X: Reflection, Noir, Excel Saga, Burn Up Excess and Steel Angel Kurumi.

If you're a fan of Evangelion, or the whole mecha thing is your bag, errr, cup of tea, (ah - tea bag!) then chances are you'll want to check out RahXephon. Full of emotional subplots, Machiavellian intrigues and beautiful action sequences, this first volume promises a series as chock full of depressed teens, character development and plot twists as Hideaki Anno's beloved original. Check it out!