The Garden of Eden was not in Asia but on a now sunken continent in the Pacific Ocean. The Biblical story of Creation came first not from the peoples of the Nile or the Euphrates Valley but from this nowsubmerged continent Mu the Motherland of Man. The Lost Continent of Mu James Churchward 1926. 50https://vgy.me/IbiiIV.png RahXephon is a hodgepodge of ideas. An anime inspired by art and history alike and is Yutaka Izubuchis personal reinterpretation of Yuusha Raideenhttps://anilist.co/anime/2128/YuushaRaideen/ a traditional superrobot show from the 1970s. However unlike Raideen many of the shows ideas borrow heavily from western literature first and foremost James Churchwardshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JamesChurchward believes regarding the Nacaal a super human species that is said to have inhabited the now lost continent of Mu. Various bookshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16605.JamesChurchward on the matter exist and their influence can be felt from start to finish. Recall the quote? Its an essential part of RahXephons overarching narrative. Similar to the creatures referred to in the biblehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse the former inhabitants of the Motherland of Man referred to as Mulians have an active interest in resetting the worlds current state too. Thus RahXephon closely imitates Mesoamerican aestheticshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerica its culture and its peoples and presents many references and allegories linking the two throughout. Confusing terms like ixtli face yollotl heart and ollin movement also llin Tnatiuhhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TC58Dnatiuh are taken from Nahuatlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahuatl an ancient Aztec language. The mech designs utilize various Nacaal symbols most notably the ruling class cresthttps://vgy.me/rTW2hj.png as an integral part of the protagonists mechanical unit. Another example are the blue blooded villains who just so happen to start their invasion in 2012 the year of the apocalypsehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012phenomenon. The list of nifty little homages also includes wordplays such as the Mulians ability to turn structures invisibile to the human eye and thereby explaining why the Continent of Mu was Lost in the first place. Many such details are sprinkled all over the show and a testament to how throughly it was built. 550https://vgy.me/6XhoDJ.png Map showing the supposed location of the lost continent of Mu The map was drawn based on various archeological findings but is considered pseudoscientific research Ive divided this review into two separate segments. The first one addresses the narrative structure visual and acoustic directing as well as various storytelling tools used in RahXephon. The second focuses on RahXephon as a work built on outsideinfluence and by doing so tries to clarify and explain similarities between the show and various other anime. The latter is neither necessary to understand nor appreciate RahXephon. Consider it educational material for those who are unknowledgeable of the mecha genre the relationships between industry icons and the derivative nature of Japanese animation. There are some spoilers albeit not a lot of overly specific ones. Seeing how most subplots stretch over a vast amount of different episodes Ive tried to avoid longwinded remarks regarding twists or narrative developments. Otherwise Id have been forced to analyze each episode individually something that feels rather counterproductive considering the format. 277https://vgy.me/Tri5II.png 273https://vgy.me/mIxOtO.png Titular mecha of Yuusha Raideen and RahXephon similarities are easy to spot e.g. chin shoulders forearms Aforementioned Nacaal crest as an integral part of the design distancing itself from the samuraiish headpiece Youll encounter various hyperlinks throughout this review. Sometimes to interviews sometimes to polls sometimes to WebMs very often to WebMs with sound. Keep that in mind. Rah = Sun god Churchward X = the unknown variable ephon = suffix for instrument from phone Contrary to popular belief RahXephon is not about music. Its a traditional mystery and comingofage story albeit an exceptionally well directed one. Unlike anime a la SDF Macrosshttps://anilist.co/anime/1088/ChoujikuuYousaiMacross RahXephon neither tries to explore the impact of music on culture nor does it attempt to explain how music can connect different species. Music is used as an aesthetic basis to sell setting and atmosphere give ways to exert power or provide a theme based naming conventionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SolfC3A8ge. A tool to create harmony. Presented contrasts between music and painting symbolizing expectations free will and individuality are merely used to characterize the shows protagonist. The primary narrative themes are therefore not music or sound but rather manipulation ones ability to cope with failure and the struggle to find back to reality. Escaping a dreamstate so to speak. 275https://vgy.me/OlwbKY.png 275https://vgy.me/KVORG8.png Dolems are bound to a host and controlled through singing partially also possess the ability to use sound as a weapon Each unit is named after musical notations e.g. Sforzando Larghetto Fortissimo Falsetto Loosely based on Robert F. Youngs Dandelion Girlhttps://www.wattpad.com/121643thedandeliongirlrobertfyoung Izubuchis first directional work is as far as I am concerned the most thoroughly and flawlessly constructed story in all of Japanese animation. Despite coming off as simple comingofage RahXephon sports an impressive amount of very important subplots all of which hand the viewer additional world building information. Said information is rarely necessary to understand the overaching narrative but its required to fully appreciate narrative developments and character behavior. While Izubuchi regularly resorts to spoonfeeding the audience some form of context he does so in a manner that is very different to traditional exposition. Information is spread thinly and over the course of many episodes. By doing so RahXephon comes together stroke by stroke layer by layer and only by the end will the audience fully realize what the artists vision added up to. https://i.vgy.me/OBlavQ. To be a little more specific: The above conversation happens in episode 6 yet only gains actual narrative relevance by episode 14. The audience needs to keep track of the information provided or otherwise future events will appear like mere coincidence and in consequence appear like very convenient twists. Izubuchi does this all the time. Small breadcrumbs are being laid out and allow the viewer to reach answers way in advance of the actual reveals. While none of this might sound particularly exceptional most directors fail at presenting information in such a comprehensible manner. The writers did not only weave vital information into almost every episode but also managed to create a story that flows organically ties up all of its narrative subplots and does so without relying on character runins or other cheap narrative tools. Even if such tools are employed they are very often justified through character traits rather than being convenient plot devices. The staff does not try to change character relationships by having A run into an intimate scene between B and C but rather structures the events in a way that show C to specifically force a misunderstanding between A and B by striking the moment he notices As presence. By giving a character intent the misunderstandings primary purpose becomes to build the cast rather than to destroy already established relationships. In this particular case the action can also be seen as a desperate attempt to preserve the individuals paradise or dream. Even the stereotypical beach episode is skillfully used as a narrative device to address Ayatos sexuality and his behavioural patterns in relation to women. Ayato is a Mulian an unwanted guest. A person who due to his ability to pilot a mythical robot is seen as an outsider an alien so to speak. Showing intimate character interactions and the protagonists for anime unusual response to the female form serves as evidence that hes not different at all no matter what he might be perceived as. Hes an ordinary teenager just as much as a genetically engineered tool conceived to retune the world. 275https://vgy.me/v9jW4a.png 275https://vgy.me/nUyK9T.png Ep9 introduces Quons memories as well as her past as narrative elements Ep13 shows said memories from a different PoV giving additional context and information Other prominent themes are deception and manipulation both of which are tied perfectly into the comingofage story as well as the dreamlike visualization and acoustics. The shows goal is for Ayato to abandon his naive and childish state of being a manipulated individual the state of a person without free will and actual independence. A state similar to what many of us experience while dreaming. Unless one possesses the ability to force lucid dreams the dreamer is never in control of the events. Memories will be fading and very rarely be detailed. Sometimes our conscience even makes fun of us by portarying fears or wishes in abstract ways and ultimately comments on our mental state and deepest desires. Ayato is a character who has to free himself from the dreamlike world he is stuck in. He has to free himself from outside manipulation and his role as a pawn. The role he was assigned by Bahbem Terra the Mulian empire and Reika the RahXephons soul. 275https://vgy.me/KuHAod.png 275https://vgy.me/RyST6V.png Girl wearing a dress standing on an elevated object hair waving in the wind reference to Dandelion Girl metioned in e26https://i.vgy.me/J4J271.png Ep1 depicts extremely clouded reality Mulian structures used as visual cues for manipulation and tempering Ep22 visualizes development and departure from dreamstate by implying clarity of thoughts To accommodate this goal the staff put a sizeable emphasis on the shows acoustic presentation. RahXephon utilizes an extremely dreamy soundtrackhttps://www..com/watch?v=erM73awTNc and by doing so further enhances the trancelike visual presentation. It could even be argued for the OST to bear significant resemblence to lounge music. Similar to dreams lounges are places that allow us to escape and forget outside troubles. By trying to invoke a concurrent state of trance or relaxation it manages to put additional emphasis on the situations the individual characters find themselves in and the slow but consistent development towards the storys conclusion. The musical score doesnt play a mere supportrole but manages to build layer of its own. By putting additional emphasis on the surreal and deceptive nature of many events the acoustics were essential to making the experience both stylistically and narratively coherent. Even when paying homage to European opera the referenced compositions are very much thematically relevant. Take Alexander Borodins Dance of the Maidenshttps://www..com/watch?v=EsFbMYzYScY a melodyhttps://www..com/watch?v=4qHsMMw5ks one can also find in Kismethttps://www..com/watch?v=JjQqHL8TY a stageplayhttp://tinyurl.com/yyf7e6kz starring two lovers from different worlds as an example. Instead of using acclaimed western compositions for the sole purpose of giving his show a more exotic touch the pieces serve as fundamental elements used to embellish the story and its characters relationshipshttps://i.vgy.me/Akh0UH.jpg. https://i.vgy.me/BAycvj. RahXephons very dreamy Ending Credits storyboarded by Yutaka Izubuchi and performed by Ichiko Hashimoto Hashimoto voiced Maya Kamina and provided the shows musical score Jazz/Piano musician who rarely works with anime Oscar Wilde once said: Music is the art which is most nigh to tears and memoryhttps://www.goodreads.com/quotes/136527musicistheartwhichismostnightotears. Given the strong connection between Ayatos memories and RahXephons musical motif its safe to say that the shows staff Youta Tsuruokahttps://anilist.co/staff/102194/YoutaTsuruoka in particular really took this quote to heart. The sound director to many known for his work on Madokahttps://anilist.co/anime/9756/MahouShoujoMadokaMagica/ the Monogatari serieshttps://anilist.co/anime/9260/KizumonogatariITekketsuhen/ and more recently Liz to Aoihttps://anilist.co/anime/100178/LiztoAoiTori/ contributed more to RahXephons harmonic presentation than almost any other person. Not only does the implementation of the soundtrack carry significant weight but the timing and selection of the soundeffects as well as the seiyuus stellar performances are in a league of their own. Emotional when appropriate yet never overly melodramatic. Its the script and its subtext that give dialogue the necessary impact and aforementioned humanness not disingenuously exaggerated angst. However it should be noted that various fights sport subpar soundmixing. Some of the soundeffects clash so much with the rest of the shows presentation and are so inaccurate and disjointed Ive started to consider for them to be intentionally bad. Although I have yet to figure out why. 275https://i.vgy.me/xQWUvO.png 275https://vgy.me/1dhqz8.png Shots taken from ep1 and ep2 to make Reikas supernatural origin clear to the viewer very early on Reflections or lack thereof are used as a visual cue commonly reoccuring motif throughout th show Storyboarding and layouts are generally on point. There are some weaker sequences sure but all things considered the show presents visual cues long and obvious enough for the viewer to notice them and come to realize their importance. Many segments are visually chained together to allow the audience to combine puzzlepieces without longwinded exposition being necessary. Symbols are frequently used yet not to an extent that risks making the audience feel like a bunch of halfwits. In fact what the staff clearly excels at is utilizing symbolism to enhance the story and build the world. Instead of using frames that vaguely indicate character traits commonly seen in Ikuharas works RahXephon first and foremost uses its metaphorical language to communicate essential narrative elements and it does so very often and very well. However dont get me wrong. The show still very much utilizes visual language as a means to flesh out its characters and their emotional state. In fact allegories are fairly common but they merely serve as an additional layer to reasonably educated individuals rather than being crucial narrative elements a viewer is required to decipher to truly get the story. 275https://vgy.me/9B0j66.png 275https://i.vgy.me/V0u05i.png Left symbolizes the RahXephons potential to destroy utilizing rubble to convey the bleak atmosphere future if device used wrong Right is an homage to Rene Magrittes La Grande Familie symbolizing the RahXephons potential to bring peace and unity Wings stand representative for the RahXephon its forehead and final form not angels Tying in with the dreamlike atmosphere the cinematography is often abstract and the use of color pinpointed. Scenes are regularly framed in a manner to actively blur the lines between Ayato as a human and Ayato as a pilot. During dedicated dream sequences the staff paid additional attention to the color palettes used. Such episodes tend to utilize an extremely limited range of different shades perfectly matching the narrow perception of dreamers and manipulated invidividuals. Minimalistic compositions are common desaturated yellows and oranges probably the most frequently used colors. Whether the colors have a particular meaning is left to interpretation. Admittedly there are people who claim for yellow colored dreams to indicate deceit and deception betrayal or an unpleasent eventhttps://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5f0d/e6e7bc1d5443243f9f42f2379db9639a933d.pdf. Yellow and orange are also said to indicate negative emotions such as anxiety emotional fragility and immaturityhttp://micco.se/wpcontent/uploads/2010/05/MiccoGroenholmonColorAffectsSystem.pdf. While these interpretations would perfectly align with the themes addressed I doubt for it to be more than a stylistic choice. However given the thoroughness of the show and its presentation itd be foolish to deny the possibility of intentional subtext. Another prominent tool are character specific color palettes to allow the audience to associate objects or Dolems with specific cast members e.g. subtext explains why the hostile Dolem in ep19 is automatically bound to Asahina rose color theme wears a hoody matching spirits. 550https://i.vgy.me/iwxjAG.jpg Selected frames taken from the dream sequence of ep11 visual cues to indicate the fact that Ayatos is being manipulated and dreaming Yellow dress and ribbon represent Reikas attempts to reach and free Ayato from the dream see doll penguins ribbon etc. A symbol I want to shed a bit more light on is the blue bird. Most cultures consider it a sign of happinesshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebirdofhappiness. Izubuchi seems to have a soft spot for it given how it also appears in his reinterpretation of Uchuu Senkan Yamatohttps://anilist.co/anime/12029/UchuuSenkanYamato2199/. In RahXephon the birds behavior and its refusal to take flight can be seen as a visualization of the current state of afairs and likely a direct reference to Maeterlincks writinghttps://tinyurl.com/y8laojja. Towards the end the bird finally leaves the ground in various shapes. Either literally or metaphorically through Haruka and her plane Ayato visually transforming into it after a cut or both of them finally arriving at the place they hold most dear. At the same time it also symbolizes Shirow Wataris hope for his son to find happiness as a reward for the struggle he was put through. Its a commendable little detail albeit not very abstract or thoughtprovoking considering its very clear meaning. https://i.vgy.me/wRYrVt. As far as animation is concerned studio Bones did an exceptional job considering the unexplored state of digital art at the time. Sure animators improved a lot over the course of the following years and theres no doubt for Eureka 7https://anilist.co/anime/237/KoukyouShihenEurekaSeven/ to be significantly better animated than RahXephon. However given the shows placement in history itd be ignorant to deny the tremendous amounts of skill required. It was technically speaking the first television show of its kind. The amount of different angles objects and characters are being animated from is very high and the effects animationhttps://www.sakugabooru.com/data/61419af396931945c1a88936fcd15541. a standout characteristichttps://www.sakugabooru.com/data/496d2392c45c5a71131bf5297ee4a886.mp4 for its time. Properly animating smokes and liquids requires an excessive amount of work which is why most television directors either delegate the effects animation to the CG department or ignore it for anything but the most important sequences. Putting emphasis on effects animation something that tended to be reasonably exclusive to movies and high budget OVAs was a very commendable decision to make. The battlechoreographies are impressively versatilehttps://www.sakugabooru.com/data/2e8605313ac7348198c6c747c1052b4f.mp4 and the shows highs are very high albeit not as high as those found in anime such as Dennou Coilhttps://anilist.co/anime/2164/DennouCoil/ or Xamd. Another remarkable accomplishment is its consistency something that shouldnt be taken for granted given the projects scope. Even its single outsourced episode sports a handful of well animated sequenceshttps://www.sakugabooru.com/data/b8d800c452431370949ffea24fd25beb.mp4. Similar to its story RahXephons budgetdistribution was meticulously planned and turned the show into the bar none most well animated television anime of the early 2000s the only real contender being GITS:SAChttps://anilist.co/anime/467/KoukakuKidoutaiStandAloneComplex/. Most of the noteworthy sequences were animated by Mitsuo Iso see below Masahito Yamashitahttps://www.sakugabooru.com/data/59177f583ade4497d9ff28a191206517. Masami Gotohttps://sakugabooru.com/data/b15dde5efe8fe930f0760ceb36f899ce.mp4 Yutaka Nakamurahttps://sakugabooru.com/data/d1f8fbc2d6181043c94cba57926ca5c4.mp4 and Shuichi Kanekohttps://sakugabooru.com/data/5b7c9cab24c2b7fa5414f043d482cbc2.mp4. Takashi Tomioka also did a great job animating various charactercentric sequences serioushttps://sakugabooru.com/data/4c4fa5db5c487ae89ba6d00697cca1e2.mp4 approach comedichttps://sakugabooru.com/data/f96b7e93e77ee48eed15080526aac065.mp4 approach. https://sakugabooru.com/data/64360b65fbe7da04793769c1bdf90375.mp4 Extremely detailed animation and inventive integration of digital effects and perspective Mid section shows point of view of the dying dolem and what it sees prior to falling apart completely As announced: Following is a short detour to point out similarities between RahXephon Neon Genesis Evangelion Yuusha Raideen and various other Mecha shows released throughout history. It is by no means an attempt to deny Evangelions obvious influence on RahXephon. However said influence is severely overrated. The goal of this segment is to highlight series relationships and to make the derivative nature of Japanese animation more clear to the average individual. If you lack interest in educating yourself on this particular subject then Id advise to skip ahead. RahXephon SuperRobo and RealRobo the shows cousins. Ever since RahXephon aired many people have accused it of being a blatant ripoff of Neon Genesis Evangelion. To understand why these two share nothing but superficial similarities one needs to have substantial understanding of 1 the Mecha genre 2 Japanese mentality and 3 the relationship between Anno Hideaki and Izubuchi Yutaka. Izubuchi and Anno are more than mere colleagues or peers. They are friends. Such close friends in fact they not only invented nicknames for eachotherhttp://www.gwern.net/docs/eva/2003rahxephoncompleteannoizubuchi but also repeatedly relied on the other partys assistance to advance personal projects of theirs. Some examples: Anno invited Izubuchi to consult during the planning stages of Evangelion 1990s and later asked him to design the costumes for his Cutie Honey live action movie 2004 Evangelions 1.11https://anilist.co/anime/2759/EvangelionShinGekijoubanJo/ 2007 and Evangelion 3.33https://anilist.co/anime/3785/EvangelionShinGekijoubanKyuu/ 2012 as well as various pieces of merchandise for Shin Godzillahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ShinGodzilla 2016. In return Izubuchi invited Anno to storyboard an opening for 2199 2010s the remake of Uchuu Senkan Yamato a Japanese classic with a special place in both directors hearts. Additionally theyve worked handinhand on various projects most notably Chars Counter Attackhttps://anilist.co/anime/87/KidouSenshiGundamGyakushuunoChar/ for which Anno served as the lead mechanical designer and Izubuchi as the arguably lead mobile suit designer. The latters designs are still considered to be the best in franchise history NuGundamhttp://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/RX93CEBDGundam just recently won another poll as most popular Gundam of all timehttp://www.nhk.or.jp/anime/gundam/ranking/rankingms. Not only does their relationship have a long personal history but their careers have also been shaped by the same people similar childhood experiences and a comparable interest in design. Even today the two still host panels at scifi conventions togetherhttps://twitter.com/tokyoculture2/status/862270214590746624. Neither Anno nor Izubuchi even acknowledge noteworthy similarities between RahXephon and Evangelion. How come? 550https://vgy.me/EGebrE.png Interview starring Izubuchi and Anno using their respective nicknames and talking about various mecha anime. Hyperlink to the interview in the paragraph above. I mean lets be fair. Its clear that Izubuchi took various visual cues from Annos playbook. So why do neither of them acknowledge any similarities? Well on one hand its part of Japanese mentality. The Japanese have never seen a point in reinventing the wheel. If an idea is good why not just use and improve on it? Theyve been doing so in a variety of fields most notably the legal sector. Even today Japans legal system especially private law is nothing but a hodgepodge of German European and US law. On the other hand its the history of the subgenre. Evangelion wasnt new. It simply combined commonly utilized concepts visual cues and narrative approaches and cranked them up to eleven. Inspiration isnt linear. If B gets inspired by A then C doesnt suddenly get inspired B. Its illogical to assume for later works to always build on the ideas utilized by the most recent releases. Memorable works that have a significant impact on a directors ideas tend to stretch back as far as their childhood. Thus it becomes less a question of creative capability but rather one of business opportunity. Riding the coattails of a shows success simply speaks for a persons understanding of the market. Japanese animation is derivative and has been for a very long time. All media ishttps://www.goodreads.com/quotes/843880thereisnosuchthingasanewideait. RahXephon is a show that similar to Neon Genesis Evanglion takes from a variety of works that made their mark on anime as a medium. This is something a person needs to understand prior to spitballing accusations. Two shows that were of fundamental importance to RahXephons genesis are Yuusha Raideenhttps://anilist.co/anime/2128/YuushaRaideen/ and Megazone23https://anilist.co/anime/1935/Megazone23/ mecha anime from the mid70s and 80s respectively. I will focus a bit on the superficial similarities between RahXephon Raideen and Evangelion now. Keep in mind that this is but a short list. If I were to specify them all youd be scrolling for quite some time. Various forms of introspection Protagonists father is a genuis scientist who just so happens to be in charge of the relevant scientific project also happens to wear some form of eyewear and sport a goatee A pyramid as the the organisations or mechs center of operations 183https://vgy.me/SJIQUd.png 183https://vgy.me/oJJ3Zh.png 183https://vgy.me/dK5mLr.png An episode that features two slightly different looking opponents who attack the protagonist simultaneously in a zone that makes it hard for him to navigate Christian symbolism 137https://vgy.me/0lP4Mv.png 137https://vgy.me/aJQfXM.png 137https://vgy.me/wcmCzz.png 137https://vgy.me/KZae3K.png Nonmechanical mecha. Other prominent examples of robots sporting a conscience are Giant Gorghttps://anilist.co/anime/3327/KyoshinGorg/ Ideonhttps://anilist.co/anime/930/DensetsuKyojinIdeon/ Tetsujin 28gohttps://anilist.co/anime/2686/Tetsujin28go/ and Giant Robohttps://anilist.co/anime/2321/GiantRobotheAnimationChikyuugaSeishiSuruHi/. 550https://vgy.me/53wxuU.jpg The protagonists mother being thoroughly woven into the story with a special relationship to the titular mechanical unit. In RahXephon Quon Ayatos biological mother has a connection to any Xephon of her choice. However unlike Yui Shinjis mother she is not the mechs soul. That role belongs to Reika who has no direct ties to Ayato. Furthermore Maya Ayatos foster mother and aunt leads the Mulians in an attempt to retune the world in their favor. Reiko the mother of Raideens protagonist Akira is the ruler of Gatlantis a long forgotten civilization of highly advanced humans who created the Raideen unit essentially a combination of all aforementioned characters. Obviously every single protagonist happens to have a mother complex. 183https://vgy.me/Q6EbQl.png 183https://vgy.me/G0gchF.png 183https://vgy.me/av9QX4.png Some people might argue for RahXephon to have plagiarized End of Evangelions ending sequence but I can confidently tell you that not even a sequence as memorable as that first sprouted from Annos head. The concept itself is likely taken from SDF Macrosshttps://anilist.co/anime/1088/ChoujikuuYousaiMacross/ earth being destroyed while acoustics are limited to BGM no dialogue and the visual presentation is a very close imitation of the final minutes of Birthhttps://anilist.co/anime/2607/Birth/ with a bit of 2001 shoved inbetween of course. https://i.vgy.me/Vn4cwk. I could go on for hours. Whether its the female leads role as a military pilot the monsters being made of organic material instead of metal episodes carrying elemental themes e.g. ice fire thunder the mecha growing in size during the final showdown all Yuusha Raideen or intrigue and mysterious subplots of hidden organizations controlling the world and creating a false reality Megazone23. RahXephon and Evangelion borrow so heavily from other works that neither of them can be considered truly original in the first place? This list doesnt even account for influences from Macross Ideon Gundam Layznerhttps://anilist.co/anime/3079/AokiRyuuseiSPTLayzner/ Iczerhttps://anilist.co/anime/2291/TatakaeIczer1/ Ultramanhttps://anilist.co/anime/3444/TheUltraman/ Tokusatsu Patlabor or copy pasted sequences from shows a la Combattler Vhttps://anilist.co/anime/1068/ChouDenjiRoboCombattlerV/ most of which Anno hardly even modified prior to integrating into his widely acclaimed TV show. Also relevant: nonmecha anime produced by Ghibli or Dezaki as well as LiveAction film e.g. 2001 Space Odyssey Stalkerhttps://i.vgy.me/8cl38M.jpg Tarkovskys remaining filmography The Andromeda Strain. 550https://vgy.me/42Oltr.png Introduction of the titular mecha in their respective shows l. NGE r. Combattler V Characters are put in a pitchdark room lead infront of the mech and react shocked Originality is not only overrated but has arguably become an impossibility. Anno and Izubuchi took works they held dear and rearanged them to fit a more modern market. Their works resembling eachother on a superficial level is no more than the logical conclusion of their careers and personal histories. Lets not even start on the fact that RahXephons narrative structure themes atmosphere acoustic presentation and character writing are entirely different to Evangelions. Ayato is to Shinji what a well adjusted adult is to an autistic child. Their similarities quickly boil down to being 17 year olds who just so happen to pilot a mechanical unit. If anything RahXephon is a response to Evangelion. So how comparable are they really? Here you have what I consider the most accurate comment on the matter ... Evangelion was a fevered passion project that crashed wildly against the caged boundaries of its medium whereas RahXephon was assembled in a laboratory. PreRebuild Evangelion and End of Evangelion in particular is an exceptional series. However its success does not mean for all future shows to use it as their primary inspiration. Such an assumption makes even less sense when the two anime in question focus on entirely different elements. Something an attentive audience should have realized by now especially considering how strongly Anno conveyed his fascination with the genre by littering Evangelion with hundreds of references to other works. If Evangelion is the culmination of negativity addressing mankinds worst characteristics RahXephon is a beacon of hope directing attention towards the beauty of freewill. Its rare to find a show as thoroughly planned and meticulously constructed as this one. A show that doesnt try to be vague for sake of being cryptic that doesnt attempt to be a life changing experience but instead utilizes every tool at its disposal to tell the most detailed story it can without attempting to leave the viewer base hanging all while receiving the necessary time to develop organically. No writer trips over their own feet in an attempt to integrate subplots that are mere sidenotes in an incomplete script. Its the consistency of the individual building blocks that elevates RahXephon to the heights it reaches throughout. Heights not many directors have managed to reach throughout TV animation history. 50https://vgy.me/IbiiIV.png Changelog: 14/02/19 added passage addressing Quons memories 02/03/19 added information regarding the various references to operas and musicals e.g. Dance of the Maidens Kismet 05/03/19 added cinegrid for ep11 to better illustrate visual directing and cues 06/03/19 added a section addressing some notable similarities to the Wizard of Oz spoilered 13/03/19 added additional examples for well animated sequences 18/03/19 slightly reworked animation segment 25/04/19 slightly reworked sound segment