Rating: 
Summary: A truly profound experience (Spoiler Free)
Review: (This will be spoiler free, and as a result, brief. I don't want to give away a thing!) I recently finished watching this series and I have to say that it has been one of the best viewing experiences of my life. The animation is fluid, smooth, and breathtaking. Strategic placement of various backdrops and images enhance the story, whether by foreshadowing an event to come, or connecting an event from the past. You can tell from the titles themselves that RahXephon has a very strong musical undertone, and in fact is an integral part of the story. The result is music that is haunting, stirring...memorable. Above all else the characters are what makes or breaks a story - and these made it many times over. The diversity of characters ensures that you can relate and empathize with at least one, if not more. They are simple, complex, mysterious, or a little bit of each - tied together with the perfect voices, making these characters come to life. You find yourself laughing with them, crying in sorrow, in rage, in joy. You no longer see 'characters', but real souls going through myriad experiences and taking you along for the ride. After finishing this story I find myself feeling as if I had lost a close friend, since I will never again be able to discover this world and these people for the 'first time'. I'm sure all of you have gone through a similar experience, and realized how profound it was, and how much you wanted to share it with your family and friends, anyone who would listen. RahXephon has been such an experience for me, and it is one I will not soon forget.
Rating: 
Summary: An Intriguing Anime Series
Review: * At the beginning of RAHXEPHON, an anime series consisting of 26
half-hour episodes on 7 DVDs, we meet Ayato Kamina, a high-school
student in a near-future Tokyo. At the outset of the story, it seems
that Earth was invaded by some alien power that destroyed all but a
fraction of a percent of the planet's population, but Tokyo survived
intact, and Ayato is pursuing his dream of becoming a painter,
encouraged by his cool and aloof single mother, Maya Kamina. Then Tokyo is attacked by "Invaders", and Ayato meets two women: a
mysterious, elegant, cryptic girl of his age named Reika Mishima, and
an older woman named Haruka Shitow, who defends him from sinister men
in black and tells him: "Come with me if you want to know the truth." Ayato does and he will learn the truth, though it won't be by any
straightforward path. He will learn about the Earth Federation and
its war with the Mu, humans with blue blood who control powerful war
engines known as "Dolem"; TERRA, a military research organization
associated with the Earth Federation; and the secretive Bahbem
Foundation. He will unravel these mysteries as the pilot of an
ultra-powerful Dolem, the "RahXephon", stepping through a whirlwind of
events to an apocalyptic finale. * After working my way through RAHXEPHON, there are two general things
that can be said about it. On one hand, RAHXEPHON travels in the path
of earlier mecha-oriented anime series such as MACROSS, GUNDAM, and
EVANGELION, with such familiar elements and characters as mysterious
secret organizations, sneering villains, stone-faced military
commanders, cute girls in unrealistically sexy military uniforms,
cocky fighter pilots, and thunderous battles between mecha. On the other hand, RAHXEPHON takes such series to a higher level of
production quality. Its animation work is clean and stylish, its
soundtrack work is outstanding, its characters are fascinating and
engaging, and its scriptwork is particularly clever and well thought
out. It presents layers on layers of puzzles for the viewer whose
solutions are slowly revealed, with characters who are not always what
they seem and may not even realize it themselves, with the true story
not becoming apparent until the final episode. I would not claim that everyone is going to like RAHXEPHON. As
mentioned, it has major resemblances not merely to EVANGELION but to
other mecha anime series, though I felt RAHXEPHON had its own story to
tell. The artwork, though stylish, is still not in a league with
cinema-quality animation. In addition, although trailers for the
series show it as an action-adventure story, RAXEPHON seems more like
a dark melodramatic romance, even including a classic cinematic "I'll
always come back to you!" scene. There will be viewers who will be
put off by the passion, the melodrama, the mysticism, and who may find
RAHXEPHON's atmospheric ambience and the idea of sorting through every
bit of dialogue for clues as to what is going on tiresome or
frustrating. I say all this because I do not want to overpraise RAHXEPHON. I'm
just strongly inclined to. I haven't had this much fun with a story
since BABYLON 5, though on one hand BABYLON 5 had more space to put
together an elaborate story, while on the other hand BABYLON 5 didn't
really match the stylishness of RAHXEPHON. As far the melodrama went,
once I realized where RAHXEPHON was going I shrugged and bought it, in
just the same way I buy that action stories usually have a high body
count (though, incidentally, RAHXEPHON is by *no* means nonviolent).
I particularly liked the soundwork, which featured a melodically
sophisticated cyber-music intro theme, an atmospheric end theme, and
much pleasant incidental music in between; even the Japanese dialogue
and sound effects had a musical feel to them. Extras in the series are somewhat limited. There are cast interviews
of varying levels of interest on each disk, as well as little
slide-shows of production sketches, which are pleasant to watch
because they are accompanied by an extended version of the intro
music. A nice little pamphlet with production pictures, some clues,
and comments by staff is included with each DVD, but I would strongly
recommend NOT reading the pamphlets until you've gone through the
series ... particularly in the later DVDs, they give away too much of
the story. * I was getting fed up with anime for a while, and then in quick
succession I ran into RAHXEPHON and SERIAL EXPERIMENTS LAIN, which
suggested to me that anime has a lot more space left to explore.
However, after going through two such dark works I'm definitely
looking for some light humor for the moment.
Rating:
Summary: A great series although confusing at times.
Review: First off this show is really nothing like NGE, in my opinion it is alot like Brain Powered (look it up for a description). This is a series that never lets you know what is going on or what the plot is and by the end its still not too clear. The fact that the characters are interesting and there are lots of battles and the curiosity to know whats going on when not much about the plot is revealed kept me watching. I read this series was by the creator of Gasaraki witch turned me off a little since that series sucked so bad, but this was really entertaining to watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Beyond my expectations, yet lacking on origionality
Review: Having already watched much of the wildly acclaimed anime available in the US such as Evangelion, TekkamonBlade, Cowboy Bepop, etc., I was not expecting to be so intrigued by this series. Rahxephon is a fairly new and mainstream animation which is supposedly, as my friend had mentioned before I bought into the series, an almost direct clone of Evangelion. The story in Rahxephon is deep. Since I detest spoilers, I will only state that the plot is based on music and revolves around giant mecha combat, aliens, and the adolescent psyce. The animation is crisp and up to date. The battle scenes are beautifuly detailed and choreographed and the characters draw you with heavy dialogue and wonderful voice acting. Even the "ultimate resolution" at the end of the series was faboulously done and not as parodoxical as some Animes which I have seen. The only area in which this anime fails is that it is preceded by Evangelion. If you strip away the element of music, one of the things that makes this animation truly exceptional, this anime looks EXACTLY like evangelion; the characters, mecha, and emotions are, if not directly duplicated, extremely similar. This unorigionality left me dissatisified with the animation as a whole. It felt like I was watching an alternate version of Evangelion and because of this, the emotions and actions of the characters did not have any impact on me. HOWEVER, if you have not viewed Evangelion, I beseech you to buy this series and revel in it. The packaging and the DVDs themselves, are excellent. This anime should not be viewed by children for it is stark and violent and uterly devoid of "fuzzy" comedy relief.
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: 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: 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.
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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