Rating: 
Summary: Amazing Anime
Review: I just finished watching the entire RahXephon series and i can't get over just how great it is. I wasn't expecting much I bought it on a whim and even watched it right after Evangelion and Escaflowne. Lets just say it held its own and then some. Most people won't see the whole series for a while unless they get the import. But, believe me this series is worth it just watch it all the way through, it all wraps up very nicely. WATCH THIS.... you won't be disappointed in the end.
Rating:
Summary: Best new anime in a long time
Review: I was really floored by how well this movie was made. Graphics, music, characters and plot were a welcome change. Its another mech movie but plot seems to have a good twist. The trailer for the movie does it no justice. If your looking to start a series give this one a shot. I hope you like it as much as I did and if not then my apologies. I've had a chance to glimpse it before it was released and I think it was really well rounded. Definitely a sleeper movie if you haven't seen the previews.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best I've seen in a while
Review: I wasn't terribly interested in this series when I first had a chance to see it and didn't have any real idea what it was really about, but after watching the first episode I was drawn in and completely hooked. The story is interesting and compelling while the animation style and mecha designs are absolutely beautiful. Through out the series I found all the characters to be very fascinating and extremely well developed. As far as the DVDs themselves go I am very pleased too. The inserts contain some great translator notes and other extras. A lot of reviewers tend to compare Rahxephon to Evangelion, but I don't really think it's all that great of a comparison. Rahxephon is a much better series in my opinion. The characters have much more depth and have more reasonable motivations for their actions and are considerably more believable while the angst is less severe and more reasonable when it is present. The allusions and references are much more literary, like the aliens being called the Mu after Churchward's lost continent of Mu which I believe is often referenced in H.P. Lovecraft, and several rather apt references to various works of Japanese literature. Also the series has an awesome ending which while really weird and somewhat nonsensical at first eventually revealed a wealth of wonderful irony and assorted goodness after I thought about it for a moment. All of which leads to a wonderful series that I greatly enjoyed.
Rating:
Summary: nothing short of amazing
Review: I wasnt quite sure of what to expect when i bought this. I was pleasantly surprised. It has a very deep if not confusing story, but since you've probably read a million other reviews for this, I wont go into the story. It has beautiful animation and the music is good but a bit annoying, but this is a bit biased because Im a rocker. The shirt that comes with it is very cool and is the only non-black shirt I wear in public. This is a fine purchase for anyone who likes giant robot anime, like myself.
Rating:
Summary: RahXephon looks to be a masterpiece...
Review: I'll keep this short. This series is top-tier anime. These 5 episodes will have you thinking until the next volume comes out. And you'll be on the edge of your seat for these first episodes. RahXephon is a complex, emotional, and mezmerizing series. 5 stars on everything; sound, music, artwork, and especially characters. The characters here are some of the best I've ever seen. I've had the privledge of viewing some of 2003's upcoming anime series' ... but this one leads the pack, by far. And yes, this beats Evangelion.
Rating:
Summary: amazing...simply amazing
Review: I've been looking at this for a long time. Obviously it appealed to me due to my deep love for Mecha-based anime, but I wanted to do a little basic research before buying it. After reading some basic info, I decided to buy it, and was lucky enough to find this box set at a Best Buy in New Hampshire, where there's no sales tax, and its about $15 cheaper than on this site. What I got was simply amazing. The animation is crisp and smooth, truly a thing of beauty at many points. The plot so far is very cool, and it's already drawn me in. Like what some have said, it bears some resemblance to Neon Genesis Evangelion, a series which I have the utmost respect for, but it is indeed its own show, and definetely a great show. The characters I've seen so far are excellent and feel very real, and there is some humor in it that makes it a little better(I believe episode 5 is the one with some humorous moments, such as a dinner scene, where there is a subtle but funny reference to sex made by a certain character^_^). The series is definetely going to be one I will keep my eye on in the coming months after each week's paycheck... And another great thing, this DVD actually is worth the $30 I paid for it. The artbox it comes with for storing all seven DVDs is cool, and I love the shirt it comes with, it has a great black-and-white drawing of RahZephon on it. And of course, the five complete episodes makes it a good starting place for the series...
Rating:
Summary: Calling all former-mecha and non-mecha anime fans!
Review: If like me you've tired of the Mecha catagory but are willing to take another look if the right one came along, then wait no longer - RahXephon - Threshold (Vol. 1) is it. You have the art rendered modern and does not detract from a compelling story of not only a post-modern world in which the rest of the world's population is gone but the surviving population, a very small section of a japanese island, of this story lives in a bubble (they really do!) knowing little difference from before. Hey, they live a bubble, within which time moves slower than in the outside world, and that's only the beginning: the 1st 5-episodes are jammed w/character intros, plot developments, history unfolds as a plot line device, love is in the air, trusts are betrayed, your family secrets are revealed to you - you could want more and I believe we'll get it in spades! Did I forget to mention the battles with the gigantic monster mechas? Who are the MIU? What was the point of the mass destruction? Why does the battle continue years after the survivors think all that is history and peace reigns? For the answers I must, as must you, watch for the next installment!
Rating:
Summary: Just A Shade Below Evangelion
Review: It is unfair to call RahXephon a pale shadow of, or a poor man's Neon Genesis Evangelion. This series, which appears to be a Neon Genesis clone on first look, ultimately stands on its own, even bettering Evangelion, arguably the best anime series ever, in some aspects. Ayato Kamina's mundane life comes to a shattering halt during an attack on Tokyo by "invaders." Ayato rushes from his friends and the subway wreck they are in to find help, instead separately meeting two women who will put his ideas of "reality" to the test. Soon, he finds out that he has been actually living in a enclosed space on Earth called Tokyo-Jupiter, ruled by an invading species of Murians, where time passes at a slower rate. The outside world, some 13 years ahead in time, has been trying to recover Tokyo-Jupiter and its oblivious inhabitants. Ayato, who is the only one able to pilot a giant robot--which battles with a variety of weapons, and uniquely with sound--called RahXephon, seems the outside Earth's only hope. The beginning parts of the series move with a medium-pace, despite the giant robot battles and the numerous realizations Ayato begins to reach. They aren't as fast as they should be, but each episode is crucial to the series. Things pick up just after the 15th episode, when Ayato makes a return to Tokyo-Jupiter. The series shifts into overdrive at this point, with battles, revelations and emotions all running high and fast. Unlike Evangelion, however, RahXephon does provide the viewer with a sense of closure. Whether you like the art or not is subjective; it falls exactly between the clean, flat, thick-lines of Gasaraki and the detailed, liney art of Evangelion. The CG effects are some of the best in anime, not for how spectacular they are, but how well they blend in with the regular art (it's extremely difficult to tell which is which). The music is predictable in most places (battle scenes, somber, sadder scenes) but also throws in some stranger selections (i.e. a techno beat, off beat to a chase sequence) that are slightly off, but create a good effect. This is definitely a three-watcher: watch once to get acquainted, twice to understand, and three times for a fully enjoyable viewing effect. The characters (other than Ayato) are all well-developed, and explored. Each shares some significant role within the series, with many strange connections and relationships unknown to most of the characters. The series doesn't quite go as deep as Evangelion, the fault of its broader focus. The series covers racism or speciesism, identity, human relationships, and the all-important factors of sound and time. RahXephon will live up to all your anime and giant robot expectations, with a superior storyline, and original ideas. Highly-recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Perfection of Parallelism
Review: It's been a long time since Neon Genesis Evangelion came out and revolutionized the mecha anime. Undoubtly, many tried to mimic the success and ultimately came short.
Meet RahXephon. This series deliver the next step to the mecha anime that's been overdue. From well drawn characters to storyline, this one surpassed my expectation for good.
This series never denies the influence of Evangelion. Rather, it embrasses the basic concept and further develops in their own vision. While some would simply say that there are too much similarity in between RahXephon and Evangelion, I never felt this as mere knockoff clone. Once you start watching it, you would see that this is more like watching alter ego. It gives the sense of alternate reality hence "Parallel Universe".
While mecha (or "gear" if you prefer) is the dominant factor of the series, it never overwhelm the series, nor shy away from the show. Just like in Evangelion, mecha is bonded in personal level that cannot be broken.
Music is what makes this series special. Exceptional combination of fast-paced Jazz and ambient sound of New Age creates uneasiness that makes you sit on the edge. Sound is dominant theme of this series and it shows.
There aren't any ground-breaking acheivement in picture. It has well drawn characters, and back ground; nothing notable.
Within the series, it shows the parallelism right from the beginning. What's more interesting, is that also represents the struggle to break out of blue print created by Evangelion. I believe that they finally found the way to stands out as it own.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best anime series in recent memory
Review: It's been a while since I've seen an anime whit as much depth as RahXephon. Although many people have compared it to Neon Genesis Evangelion this is really not a correct comparison. Although they share similar themes their stories and the way the plot unfolds are total different. While in Neon Genesis Evangelion the anime revolves around the mecha and the pilot's reaction to them and through them, in RahXephon the mecha is just a means to an end. The story is more about the main character, Ayato Kamina come to terms whit him self and the two worlds he is a part of. In Evangrlion the story was forced on the characters. In RahXephon the characters actions force the plot. There is no predicted dooms day approaching and there is never any feeling that he is the only hope for mankind. He is just a kid whit a talent and the world will not end just because something happens to him. This allows for a more realistic character that's easy to relate to. The Artwork and CG is some of the best that I have seen in anime. They blended the two together so well that in many scenes it becomes hard to tell what is CG and what is drawn. The music very well done, it is predictable enough that it easily brings out the proper emotion for the scene but also surprising and strong enough to be remarkable and memorable.
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