Izubuchi says the name RahXephon lacked a real meaning, but that he now explains it as composed of Rah as the origin of Ra according to Churchward, X as the unknown variable or X factor, and -ephon as a suffix for instrument from "-phone".[3]. He added that the English voice work "raised the bar across the board. The series follows 17-year-old Ayato Kamina, his ability to control a mecha known as the RahXephon, and his inner journey to find a place in the world. So much so I have bought every subsequent volume. Just finished episode 26 to Rahxephon, and it's confusing. Some of these shows also have staff common with RahXephon. At this time, Haruka's family name was Mishima. Ayato Kamina, a teenager, finds out he must plot the giant mecha; the RahXephon and that he was living in a closed world where time is moving slower then in the real world. RahXephon: Harmonic Convergence is a perfect example in what happens when a complex story is crammed into too short a runtime. Yutaka Izubuchi was a successful anime supervisor and designer focusing on costume, character and mechanical design, notably in the Gundam and Patlabor series. [35], Eduardo M. Chavez of Anime on DVD was not impressed by the first volume of the manga, especially when compared to the TV series; he rated it "C minus", though he said it could have worked as a "parody dōjinshi". Anno and Izubuchi, the chief directors of each show, both designed mecha appearing in Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (1988) and they worked together on the Cutie Honey (2004) live action movie. [4] Mitsuo Iso, a writer and key animator on Neon Genesis Evangelion, wrote and directed the RahXephon episode "The Children's Night"; Yoji Enokido wrote the screenplay for RahXephon's "Interested Parties" and Neon Genesis Evangelion's "The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still". Characters, mecha and story from RahXephon were featured in a game in the Super Robot Wars series. They gave an interview for one of the RahXephon guide books, and have a relationship that can be described as being old drinking buddies. Each Mulian Dolem has an Italian name referring to musical notations, such as, Allegretto, Falsetto, or Vivace. [19] It was considered popular enough that a TV movie version was commissioned and aired. A movie, an OVA episode, art books, and guide books were also created. In contrast, Neon Genesis Evangelion's director stated that he did not know how the show would end,[43] and production was influenced by the reactions that TV executives and viewers had to previous episodes. [4] It is also a reference to the first three notes in the C major scale, "Do-Re-Mi", and the Italian word "dolere", meaning "to ache". Protoculture Addicts editor Claude J. Pelletier chose RahXephon as one of the top 3 anime television series of 2002,[21] and Miyako Matsuda agreed, noting mystery, technology, and romance. The scenario of the manga adaptation is similar to RahXephon series with some minor and major differences. In the year 2012, a mysterious organisation called "MU" suddenly attacks Tokyo. Although Haruka appears to be a stranger to Ayato at first, the series reveals that they knew each other from before the beginning of the story. [27] Solomon noted the "strikingly original mecha designs"[25] and Anime Boredom's John Huxley noted the "unusual yet elegant" mecha and the "fluid computer-enhanced"—but not CGI-looking—animation. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. In terms of voice acting, it also ticks all of the boxes, with great acting the whole way through. Haruka Shitow, an agent of the defense research agency TERRA (acronym for Tereno Empireo Rapidmova Reakcii Armeo, broken Esperanto for Earth Empire Rapid Response Army), brings Ayato and the RahXephon to their headquarters. A Dolem attacks while singing, and sometimes the attack is the song itself. Some reviewers noted similarities between the series' protagonists and their style and execution of events. The series was also spun into novels, an extra OVA episode, an audio drama, a video game, illustration books and an altered manga adaptation by Takeaki Momose. RahXephon is an oft-misrepresented series. Izubuchi had also made some design drafts of the Evangelion units, but did not make the final designs. His life as a student and artist in Tokyo is suddenly interrupted by a mysterious stalker, strange planes invading the city and strange machines fighting back. Approved third parties … Have you seen RahXephon - The Motion Picture: Pluralitas Concentio? Spoiler: its just what I got out of it so yea hope that clears up a few things if you disagree … Obviously the specter Reika was the Rahxephon but that doesn't explain how see seemed to be a physical presence later on. Director Izubuchi said RahXephon was his attempt to set a new standard for mecha anime, as well as to bring back aspects of 1970s mecha shows like Brave Raideen. We use cookies and similar tools to enhance your shopping experience, to provide our services, understand how customers use our services so we can make improvements, and display ads. [12], Cover art from the third volume of ADV's DVD release of, Hashimoto's jazz compositions range from experimental to the more mainstream, like ". If you have heard of it, it must be with comparisons to Evangelion, but to say they are the same displays a lack of understanding in both RahXephon and Evangelion, a look at merely the superficial – ah mah gaaaad, a kid with a giant robot against giant monsters! [10], The manga was illustrated and written by Takeaki Momose. Ixtli, RahXephon's soul, also adopts Haruka's appearance and family name (Mishima) to guide Ayato, but takes a different given name—Reika. It's a story where everything is not handed to you on a silver platter; you pick up the pieces, and put them together yourself. While the series does indeed play fair with the viewers and generally gives you all the clues you need to sort the story out it can be easy to miss an important reference. RahXephon The Motion Picture is a feature-length movie that continues the story from the immensely popular, twenty-six episode anime series of the … [33] While Chris Beveridge also recommended the movie as an addition to the series, he did not recommend it as a sample for newcomers, "since some of the best revelations are given away so quickly..."[9], Indeed, reviewers who were not familiar with the series complained about the movie's lack of coherence. A 2003 movie adaptation RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio was directed by Tomoki Kyoda, with plot changes and new scenes. Christian Nutt was not excited about the TV series but found the movie to be better: Despite "too much cutting and chopping", he wrote that "the creators have done the best they can with the material." Born: 1998 Age:17 Ayato's former classmate. IGN Store: We got Tees for Spider-Man, Star Wars, and more! A Dolem attacks while singing, and sometimes the attack is the song itself. Buy Rahxephon - The Movie [DVD] from Amazon's Movies Store. The story begins as Tokyo comes under attack by invading aircraft while a mysterious woman, later revealed to be Haruka, stalks Ayato. And then when Haruka asks "who is that in the picture" and Ayato says "you know who" then it jumps to Haruka standing on a cliff as a teenager and Ayato drawing her? "[31], The TV movie had a more mixed reception than the TV series. Ernst von Bähbem of the Bähbem Foundation sponsors TERRA through the Federation, the successor of the United Nations. The field of view from the pilot's seat is a grid of hexagons which follows Ayato's view; the RahXephon's shields also have a hexagonal grid shape. A manga version, novels, soundtracks and an audio drama were published during the original broadcast. Plot Summary | … Oct 17, 2004 657 0 0. Although RahXephon is part of the mecha genre of anime, its "mechas" are not mechanical. Ayato is a boy who was unknowingly conceived with the help of the Bähbem Foundation living in Tokyo with his adoptive mother, Maya Kamina. ", "Bringing RahXephon Alive: The Digital Artistry of Mitsuo Iso", Chaika - The Coffin Princess: Avenging Battle, RahXephon Interlude: Her and Herself/Thatness and Thereness, Darker than Black: Beneath the Fully Bloomed Cherry Blossoms, Mob Psycho 100 Reigen -The Miraculous Unknown Psychic-, Mob Psycho 100: The Spirits and Such Consultation Office's First Company Outing ~A Healing Trip that Warms the Heart~, My Hero Academia: Make It! When destroyed, a Dolem disintegrates into blue blood and clay. The rest of the movie consists mainly of abridged scenes from the original series, sometimes with characters replaced or with different motivations and dialogue. The wiki format allows anyone to create or edit any article, so we can all work together to create a comprehensive database for fans of RahXephon. It was produced by Fuji TV, Bones, Media Factory and Victor Entertainment. John Huxley found "several similarities" with Neon Genesis Evangelion, but wrote that there were "many, more significant differences",[46] and concluded that RahXephon "deserves to be recognised outside of its comparisons to a certain Hideaki Anno animation."[28]. [31] Huxley praised RahXephon for including action sequences in the ending, providing "a more balanced experience". and Victor Entertainment joined Bones as production partners. Some Dolems are also bound to human hosts called "sub-Mulians" or "Dolem hosts" who anchor to the Dolems in the human dimension, making it possible for the Mulian controller to take over the body of the host. Both have appeared in the Super Robot Wars series, taking particular significance in Super Robot Wars MX where many characters note that Raideen and RahXephon are similar existences, and Brave Raideen has since been remade into Reideen. Certainly reviews like the one featured on Animeondvd for I think the Japanese-only PS2 game even takes a different spin on the story. RahXephon actually borrows far more heavily from Megazone 23 than it does Evangelion, and even Evangelion could be said to be heavily influenced by Megazone 23. I don't understand what happened after Ayato defeated Quan in the machines? She leads him to the sanctuary, resting place of the RahXephon, a giant humanoid being with powers to counter those of the Dolem. It was purchased for airing by television stations and made available on video on demand services in several countries. An anime inspired on Neon Genesis Evangelion , but unlike it, way better explained, with new and fresh ideas but with the same seriousness, philosophical complexity, social intrigue and critic to politic and religious elements. It's a big improvement over the TV show. [37], The five-volume novelization was translated to English, but the other novels were not. The two also appear together in Super Robot Wars: Scramble Commander the 2nd. The mechas, used by the Mu and called Dolems, are made out of clay, like golems. These bonds are so strong that destroying a Dolem can kill both the Mulian controlling it and the human host. Quon Kisaragi, a mysterious girl living with chief researcher Itsuki, seems to share some of Ayato's artistic talent. However, during what later became known as the Tokyo Jupiter incident, Haruka and her pregnant mother were away on a holiday trip while Ayato was caught inside the city. The RahXephon destroys another Dolem and creates a passage from Tokyo to the outside. The series was generally well received by English-language reviewers. RahXephon has a very detailed plot behind it that spans thousands of years. RahXephon is an anime television series produced by Bones and directed by Yutaka Izubuchi.It was broadcast in Japan on Fuji Television from January 21, 2002 to September 11, 2002. Ayato moves in with Haruka's uncle Professor Rikudoh and pilots the RahXephon against the attacking Dolems. The movie quickly reveals mysteries that were developed slowly in the TV series[9] and makes changes to the plot. RahXephon also had a great design aesthetic, with the titular robot in particular standing out to me as a powerful, yet majestic and otherworldly machine. In the anime series, Reika is a mysterious and distant figure; in the manga Reika is a more comical figure who grew up as Ayato's adoptive sister with a darker origin. Each D1 Dolem is bound to a Mulian who controls it. Upon its awakening, Ayato finds himself synchronising with the machine and it takes him to the world beyond Tokyo. ?, A+kiss?!?+Dammit,+I+didn¿t+even+know+her+in+this+movie.+She+was+asleep+the+entire+time!! He added: "the last scene is very touching. The link between the Kamina and Mishima families and other storylines that were prominent in the original TV series were reduced or removed. "[18] The series won the award for best anime television series at the 7th Animation Kobe fair. We encourage you to read our updated PRIVACY POLICY and COOKIE POLICY. The most important plot line of the series is the unusual relationship between Ayato Kamina and Haruka Shitow. [44] Although John Oppliger suggested stronger candidates for similarities than Neon Genesis Evangelion, he thought RahXephon's similarity to Neon Genesis Evangelion was intentional:[45] .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. [7], The original music, except for the opening theme, is composed by Ichiko Hashimoto; she was initially approached to compose some of the score and replied that she wanted to compose all of it. During the sudden attack on Tokyo, Ayato hears the singing of his classmate Reika Mishima. Rahxephon the Motion Picture is a retelling of the story in the space of 2 short hours. The full length series is whittled down to a feature film. I've watched both the series and the movie. The barrier has a time dilating effect, which causes time inside Tokyo Jupiter to slow down to one-fifth compared to the outside time, and allowed the Mu to secretly take control of Tokyo, using the area as their base of operations. The RahXephon movie didn't attempt to explain anything, it was a sort of 'alternate story'. This in turn means that both Akira and Ayato have Mu blood. Japanese credits available online: "RahXephon and Blu-ray Bakemonogatari Released Monday", "Rahxephon: Pluralitas Concentio DVD - Review", "RahXephon: The Movie (also w/box) (of 1)", "Anime Expo 2006 - Yutaka Izubuchi Focus Panel", "Anticipation continues to build for release of RahXephon 1: Threshold", "ADV announces release date for RahXephon-Orchestration 7: Crescendo", "Feature: Animefringe Coverage: RahXephon", "RahXephon - Threshold (Vol. The anime series originally aired on stations in the Fuji Television network and its affiliates, except in the Kansai region where independent UHF stations aired it instead. Akira and Ayato both "meld" into a surface in order to enter the cockpit of their respective robot. It begins with a prologue showing previously unseen events, followed by a couple of expository scenes. A lot of people seem to have accidentally mistaken the movie as the series restarting. [25], Mike Toole of Anime Jump was impressed by the music, animation and character design;[26] as was Protoculture's Martin Ouellette. RahXephon has been referenced by at least one other anime series, which was also produced by Bones. [14] Starting with episode 10, some stations moved the series from the afternoon to after midnight, but other stations moved it from late night to afternoon. His friend and former Sunrise colleague Masahiko Minami, producer and president of Bones, had suggested Izubuchi to direct something. "[23] Efrain Diaz Jr. of IGN called the movie a "valiant effort", but preferred the TV series and asked "why even bother with the movie? [8] Hashimoto's compositions range from piano sonatas and acoustic chamber music to experimental jazz, hard rock, and ambience that crosses the border into sound design. While most characters are introduced by the end of episode 7, RahXephon continues to characters development and reveals their mysteries and relationships through heavy use of foreshadowing. The opening theme "Hemisphere" is composed by Yoko Kanno and sung by Maaya Sakamoto, who plays Reika. Where to Buy RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 3070, and RTX 3080 Gaming PCs (Updated). My all time favorite anime is without doubt Rahxephon. The monsters in both shows are made from earth and rock which is brought to life. "[34] Janet Crocker of Animefringe was confused by the plot as well, but was less confused on the second viewing and looked forward to watching the TV series. Takeshi Honda was also an animator on both shows. [5], Izubuchi finally agreed and RahXephon became his first directing job. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Rahxephon - The Movie [DVD] at Amazon.com. Caught up in the chaos, Ayato meets a mysterious girl named Mishima Reika. Its arms and head mimic Ayato's movements. Some reviewers and the director have compared RahXephon with other anime shows. The anime series shows Megumi competing with Haruka for Ayato's affections, while this role is taken by Reika in the manga. The story reveals that two Mu floating cities appeared above Tokyo and Sendai around the end of 2012. [23] In Protoculture Addicts Miyako Matsuda agreed that the shows were similar, but compared the two in RahXephon's favor: "it is very similar to Evangelion, but in many ways more original and exotic. The ultimate goal of the RahXephon is to "tune the world." E4 | His Own Watch - Watch the year hand Having left the "safety" of Tokyo and now living on the outside, Ayato and Haruka are picked up by TERRA, the military group that she is a member of. Dolems, or Dorems (ドーレム, Doremu), are enormous mecha-like beings that are used as powerful weapons by the Mulians. In my RahXephon review, I note how every scene has small details that go to explaining the characters and events – no scene was wasted. Because of this and her now having a different last name, Ayato does not recognize Haruka and also initially does not fully trust her, but he gradually re-discovers his love for her as the series progresses, and he learns of everything that has happened. In the United States, the DVDs were released around the theatrical release of another Bones production, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. Houko Kuwashima, the voice of Quon, sings an intentionally distorted theme from Alexander Borodin's Polovetsian Dances on track 18 "Way … Each is bound to a certain Mulian; however, some are also bound to certain human hosts, called "sub-Mulians". The ensuing conflict between Mu and humans escalated into nuclear warfare, and the Mu enveloped Tokyo and the outlying suburbs within a spherical barrier resembling Jupiter, referred by outsiders as "Tokyo Jupiter" ("Tōkyō Jupita"). After RahXephon, Izubuchi went back to design work. Important Note: If you receive the same set I did, the movie starts after the credits of the 26th episode, the last episode of the series. [50], When asked whether robot anime following RahXephon had "lived up to the new era" Izubuchi answered "Partially yes and partially no" and regretted the focus being on financially safer remakes instead of on new creations.