THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS Texhnolyze is a cyberpunk series that showcases humanity both at its best as well as at its worst oftentimes seamlessly blending the two together in the same moment. Taking place in the dreary underground city of Lux saturated with a suffocating and oppressive atmosphere the viewer is soon introduced to several major characters. Among them are a stoic young man who survives as an entertainment fighter the resolute leader of a mafialike organization known as The Organo a girl with increasingly accurate precognitive abilities that allow her to catch glimpses of the future an ironwilled group that holds idealistic beliefs a twisted doctor a gang of rash hedonists and perhaps most importantly a stranger not from the underground city but rather from the surface above who begins a slow descent into this dark dystopian society soon igniting a series of events that will determine the course of the future of humanity forever. Among those who worked on Texhnolyze were Chiaki J. Konaka Yoshitoshi ABe and Yasuyuki Ueda who had previously collaborated on the strange and bizarre Serial Experiments Lain. Chiaki J. Konaka has over the course of his career acquired a reputation for writing some of the most peculiar works within the medium with Texhnolyze being among the series that demonstrate his talents strikingly well. ABes art tends to favor a more realistic design than what is found in most other series and frequently has a gloomy sense of melancholy to it. Within Texhnolyze the creators manage to work a lot into the twentytwo episode run. So what is the point of this series? In essence what the creators want to express is something from within something beautifully human. Texhnolyze is frequently treated as a series that is all about nihilism. This is not the case though it is not about pure nihilism. Rather to me it seems to acknowledge and explore it but ultimately it clearly and wholly rejects it. Texhnolyze is dark and remorseless in the pursuit of its message but fundamentally inspiring and rife with an optimistic outlook. A series from Studio Madhouse made in the early 2000s Texhnolyze begins with an episode that has almost no dialogue. Following after that are even more episodes that may at least at times feel very slowpaced for this is a deliberate attempt to demonstrate the nature of the slowly crumbling monotonous lives led by the people within this series. To have the viewer feel this it is structured such that it will feel like a brutal and suffocating trek across a wasteland. Being slow does not mean it is bad by any means as slowpacing is not an inherently bad thing. As slow as Texhnolyze can be there is almost always something of import occurring during that time. Texhnolyze is a series that relishes in letting its audience draw conclusions for themselves leaving open many avenues of interpretation oftentimes focusing more on showing rather than telling as a resultand indeed it loves to show and will rarely if ever tell the viewer what it is actually saying. Moreover the slow pacing early in the series is utilized to convey the pain the characters experience as clearly as possibleand so when characters are injured or events transpire we are readily able to glimpse into their feelings via their facial expressions their displayed behaviors and the actions they take. I suppose it may be worth mentioning that this series lacks likable characters which is probably bound to turn some away. The main character will also not be the primary focus of the story in its entirety. It is more like everyone in the story is equally important and feels more like an ensemble cast. Likable and/or relatable characters are not a necessity for a series to be good and so the value of the characters will not be evaluated upon such a belief in this review. What matters is whether or not the characters are handled well. This is the case as none of them are neglected and each one serves a purpose within the story. There are no good guys or bad guys which is quite gratifying. Instead characters are treated as though they were an actual human and behave as one might in such a society as the one depicted. The characters in Texhnolyze seem almost like a symbolic representation for a characteristic of humanity at times. Even so they will still maintain their own identity. From here I will begin to discuss spoilers which will continue until the end of this review. Read at your own risk. BEWARE: SPOILERS AHEAD Ichise is an individual that I can see as being a representation of the human will to survive. This is demonstrated by the way he is seen crawling around and struggling yet never giving up as he tries desperately to cling to life. He loses an arm and a leg yet continues to grapple and fight to survive. Once we consider him to be the human will to live his days as an underground prize fighter take on a new meaning. He has always been placed in a situation where he must forcefully struggle just to scrape by in life. He is constantly wrestling with and making efforts to push onward to the point that he seems like a wild animala stray dog as the series puts itbut at the same time much like a human. Ichise frequently makes grunting noises...a lot but the grunting sounds he makes often do an impeccable job of separating him from other characters and demonstrating that he is an individual who wants to live and will fight to do so. He has an obsession to live. He may have nothing in the world but he still refuses to passively die becoming a perfect representation of human perseverance. He is often shown being at the mercy of another controlled by factors he cannot repel whether as a prize fighter as one of Docs subjects as a member of the Organo as one who suffers his own fate he seems to have very little control over his own life and seeks only his own survival. However I would say that it is possible to consider that he does have control over his life and his fate. His desire to survive is his choice thus it is by his own will that he survives. As the will to live should he not have had control over his survival he would not have allowed himself to be subjected to such control to begin with as it would not be in his nature to do so. It must be his choice and no one elses. I would not call him a tragic existence in a pessimistic sense since he has truly lived and this is expressed most convincingly when he smiles and then subsequently dies at the end. Perhaps it is necessary to consider him as tragic in an optimistic sensean individual who affirms his life even the aspects that involve suffering and his death. But did Ichise truly possess a free will was the genesis of his desire to survive founded by his own freedom and was there even a choice involved? A question to possibly ponder as well and moreover one that will receive no concrete answer. If Rans precognitive abilities and the beliefs and ultimate fate of the citizens of Gabe are considered perhaps it is necessary to take an optimistically fatalistic outlook on Ichise. As Ran states despite her attempts to interfere with destiny Nothing changes. But consider as well that the people of Gabe believed Rans vistas of the future to be only one possibility so is there really a choice after all? Their actions are at times in contrast to this as at the end they are resigned to Luxs doom. In any case it need only be stated that Ichise loved and hated the monster inside him more than anyone else for he loved his fate. Ran can be seen as a prophet a guide an oracle in a metaphorical manner Ran is a character that I can see as representing the future of humanity itself in a sense at least. She has the ability to see the future because she is the manifestation of humanitys future. She wants to protect the future of humanity and prevent its extinction a future she has prophesied will occur. It is shown that her visions are not necessarily always going to be correct and they can be changed something that can potentially have to do with fatefate as written by the individual. Under such an interpretation fate can be loved as fate is controlled by whomsoever it refers to not the other way around. It is ones own life and ones life every aspect of itthe happiness the pain and the sufferingall of it is their own and it is by their own choices that their fate exists. Fate in Texhnolyze would then not be the result of something beyond ones control but rather as something that is dictated by ones choices and by extension ones choices cannot be dictated by fate. But is this actually the case? Even if it is fate as in ones destiny being beyond ones control it is still possible to love that fate and the happiness and suffering that comes with it. No definitive answer will be given by the series. Why does Rans prophecy about the extinction of humanity come true or why is Ran even able to predict the future? It may be due to the concept of the eternal recurrence of the same note that philosophical concepts are at times integrated into the series but it is important to acknowledge that they do not define it which is alluded to a few times in the series. Everything will play out the same way every time no matter how times and it cannot be fought. Ran may not be seeing the future she may be seeing something that has already occurred many times before. When the future of humanity is effectively gone she asks Onishi to destroy her she is The Voice of the City and during the course of the series Onishi can listen to her without losing his sanity as she is the cause of the madness in Lux after having shown the residents her visions. The last remaining humans in the city have been consumed by insanity due to these visions. If she represents the future it would be a good reason as to why she wanted to protect and help Ichise who represents the will to survive. With no future Ran there can be no will to live Ichise and with no will to live there can be no future. The actions and lines spoken between these two throughout the series seemed to indicate such an idea to me at least. These two characters have a very siblinglike relationship within the series and perhaps the best way to describe the relationship between the human will to survive and the future of humanity is siblinglike as well. In a way they would both be like the children of humanity. Within the series Ichise or humanitys will to live wants to know his future and the answer he ends up getting from Ran is one he rejects saying he would not let it come to pass. Perhaps you can look at this as a rejection of fate when it is not written by the individual on Ichises part. Once Ichise returns to Lux after seeing the surface world of the Theonormals he said something along the lines of What choice have I got? I have to protect you to a vision of Ran that he spoke to upon his arrival back in the city. This would also seem like a good indication to me that the will to survive and the future need to protect each other if humanity is to truly survive. Ichise has come to that realization that he must protect Ran the same way she has been protecting him throughout the series. The flowers that Ran is frequently shown carrying selling and dropping at points in the series are in one matter of interpretation meant to represent the hope for the futurehope as in the affirmation of life. In episode five she drops them into the maze of a sewer that Ichise aimlessly wanders and uses them to guide him the human will to survive to her. After he manages to escape his unwilling predicament in this labyrinth he falls unconscious and she leaves a white flower by him. The idea of this flower becomes central to Ichises character for the remainder of the series. Additionally note the way this scene where Ichise wanders the sewers mirrors the final scenes of the series as well. As Ichise wanders the sewers his confusion and anger at his inability to find the exit is reflective of his internal state at the time. When Ichise returns to Lux at the end of the series whereupon he begins his trek to find Ran and confront Kano he is calm and understands who he is at this point. He understands that he was capable of change though he also remained much the same person for even if and when a person changes they are still the same person. Ran leads Ichise out of the sewer Ichise talks with a vision of Ran as he goes to find her in the final scenes. After Ichise escapes the sewer it is Ran who strokes his head in the end it is Ichise who carries Ran and returns her to the Raffia. Ran leaves the flower by Ichises head Ichises texhnolyze arm projects a flower. Within the sewers Ichise lies against a wall seemingly resigning himself and giving up at the end Ichise rests against a pillar and bleeds out as he accepts with satisfaction this time that he has lived and can die taking comfort in that fact. As the will to live it is significant that at the point in the sewers when he has resigned himself it was almost immediately after that that Ran the future of humanity reignited his desire to survive by dropping the flowers into the sewer to lead him out. https://www..com/watch?v=6NszZ7JpqHc https://www..com/watch?v=Ohhx7KGNnmM If you wish to compare. Additionally Ichise lies against a wall/pillar many times besides the two notable times I mentioned above over the course of the series and each time he does this something of importance about him is being conveyed in that instant. This recurrent visual cue is meant to stimulate within the viewer an association between Ichise and what he is going through at this point in time. When he lies near a wall the series is asking the viewer to contemplate what is happening because it is often establishing something significant about him as a character. There was a time when I thought that the crude projection of the flower Ichises texhnolyze arm shows in the last scene was something that the doctor Eriko was responsible for because one would assume she is the one who would be responsible for it due to her being the person who gave him the texhnolyze limbs in the first place and repairs them when they are damaged. She knew he liked the flowers. There is a scene where they were walking on the surface and she took notice of him looking at them. Also of note about this scene is that when Ichise looks at the flower on the surface it immediately wilts and dies. He then looks back the way they came towards Lux and stares in that direction for a few seconds. The wilting flower is a sign that hope for the affirmation of life is dying in Lux that the future of humanity is soon to be no more. It also doubles as a representation that it is not possible for life to be affirmed on the Surface World. https://www..com/watch?v=SxHc4boKXhw Skip to 1:36 Eriko witnessed this and while she certainly had come to care about Ichise over the course of the series I have since wondered if Eriko being entirely responsible for the projection within his texhnolyze arm is not actually the case actually I think it is more of dual effort at least in a way. Eriko put it there but perhaps it is actually Ran who made the projection appear in the last scene in this way the future and the will to live would die together then. She is the one who controls the texhnolyze limbs through the Obelisk and at this point she has been returned to the Raffia by Ichisewhere all the citizens of Gabe go when they dieto be reincarnated in another form of life. This would also parallel the scene where Ichise wanders the sewers in episode five with the final scenes of the last episode rather well too. Ichise does end up fulfilling the prophecy of Ran and dying alone but at the same time he wasnt truly alone because in a way Ran and the others who he met in his life are there with him and they also die with him. The thoughts that he truly lived his life and is grateful for this and for those he met along the way lets him die satisfied. The flower projection is a reminder of what he found in living. He smiles one of the only times he does so in the entire series and slowly fades away. Keigo Onishi represents the order of humanity. He works to ensure that the order in the society of the city will be upheld since he believes that is to the benefit of Lux. So when the order diesas the people of Lux have gone madOnishi being the incarnation of that order soon dies as well by the very people he strove to help. In the series Onishi serves as a mentor to Ichise and is almost like a father for him. He can be considered the Apollinian juxtaposed with Yoshiis Dionysian. Kazuho Yoshii exists at the intersection and overlap of the irrationality and rationality of humanity. The actions he takes seem extremely irrational to the other characters but he also believes he is helping to prevent Lux from becoming like the terrifyingly bleak surface world. He believes Lux is a living world unlike the dead one on the surface and does what he deems necessary to prevent it from reaching a similar outcome as that one has. He believes in the living human and he believes in the power of humanity. He denies wanting to know his future when Ran asks him if he would like to know it. For him he doesnt need to know his future because he already knows his life and its meaning. More clearly though he is widely acknowledged to represent the bermensch. He is Dionysian especially in the sense of the concept as it was developed by Nietzsche after The Birth of Tragedy rather than fitting the term as described within that work. So being the irrationality and rationality representation is somewhat related. Yoshii is the antithesis of the decadence of the surface world. Yoshii embraces his fate and loves his life and when he dies he does so with a smile. He comes from clear skies and has known solitude like no other. He does not preach. He is no prophet. He comes to Lux to awaken people to themselvesfor themselves. The doctor Eriko can represent the advancement of the human species or the desire for more knowledge. She believes the texhnolyze limbs are what can help to achieve this. When she returns to the surface she discovers that they have given up on the texhnolyze limbs she sees they are now ghosts apparently the perfection of the human species. She has lost her purpose and without that purpose she cannot live soon dying thereafter. Within the series Eriko is like a second mother to Ichise as well. And this leads to further clarification of her characteris she really pursuing knowledge because she wants to advance the human species? She seems more interested in using it as means of allowing herself to have children. Texhnolyzation is for her the only way she can pass on her genes. To hammer in the fact that the surface world denizens are like ghosts the series goes out of its way to literally have some of them possess the translucent appearance commonly thought to be characteristic of a ghost. Doc deems her entire purpose and everything she has been working for meaningless upon witnessing the state of the Surface. Shinji leader of the Racan is the navety of humanity. He dreams of being one of The Class. When he eventually discovers their true form he proceeds to kill them. He is killing his dream in a literal sense and seeing as he is no longer that nave and trusting individual he is meant to represent he can no longer exist and is literally killed by his dreams blasting a whole through his chest. He is empty inside both literally and metaphorically. Kano is a representation of solipsism believing that he is the only thing that he is certain exists. Perhaps he can also even be insanity itself. Though his goals seem to be sanehe wants to improve mankind or so he claimshis methods to do so are what many would agree insane. He improves humanity by destroying the very things that make them human. Humans are human because they can die and because they maintain their spirit for the affirmation of their life. By disregarding this and turning them into the immortal Shapes he has failed to help mankind ironically damning them instead. Eventually it is learned that he doesnt care about humanity or helping them at all they are just homunculus in his brain. Tatsuya Sakimura is a fantasist. Although I prefer to think of him more as the passive Conductor. He is dead and resigned to his own end like the surface dwellers but he is captivated by Yoshii Yoshiis desires are enthralling to him. He dreams of the world Yoshii envisions. He too much like Shinji also kills his dreams Yoshii when he sees he has been mortally wounded episode 10 and with it he returns to the already dead and seemingly nihilistic surface dweller. Motoharu Kimata is the contradiction and hypocrisy of humanity. He is a leader of a group known as the Salvation Union that rejects the texhnolyze despite being a texhnolyze himself. He embodies the contradictory and in a way the natural contradictions found in humanity. Haruhiko Toyama is the oversight of humanity. He will do anything to survive and serves to provide a contrast with Ichise. When he becomes one of the Shapes he ends up thanking Ichise when he kills him having come to realize that he has made a mistake. Being one of the Shapes isnt surviving. By becoming one of them he has forsaken his humanity. At the point when Ichise kills Toyama Ichise has decided to return to Lux in order to protect Ran. Ichises oversight in this case was that he did not realize that he must protect Ran the future before and it has now been killed by his decision to return. Ichises other oversight was wrongfully blaming his father for the death of his mother and that is killed as well when he meets the ghost of his father and apologizes to him. Toyama had earlier said They say acts of selfinjury or getting tattoos are ways to deny ones blood relations. and it is no accident that soon after Ichise kills Toyama he meets the ghost of his father. Kohakura is a representation of the treachery of humanity. He does betray the leader of the Organo Onishi but this is not his biggest act of treachery. His greatest act of disloyalty is to himself. He betrays his own humanity when he becomes one of the Shapes. He is permanently rooted to the ground facing downwards for an eternity with the rest of the Shapes who betrayed their humanity. Lux is meant to represent the Ninth Circle of Hell at this point. These Shapes who have altered themselves to an unrecognizable existence shaped humanitys end. They have inherited the Earth though it is ultimately meaningless now. The different factions within the series can also be seen as representative of certain things. The Organo means organs of the body and perhaps the best term for them is a meritocracy or to a lesser extent an aristocracy. Or maybe feudalistic is more appropriate. Their leader is chosen by the group on the basis of ability there are opportunistic individuals within the organization the citizens accept them as their form of rule etc. It is stated at one point that the residents of Lux pay a fee for protection which can be likened to a tax in a twisted sense. The Salvation Union is fanaticism/idealism and they are Social Revolutionaries. Notice the clenched fist raised to the sky that they often show. Some members are quite fanatical. The Racan are Anarchism. They are a group of hedonists who gather around a leader but are still free to do as they please and leave if they so choose. The Class are a Caste System. To reflect how such a system can decline with time it has the members inbreed and gives rise to an egoist like Kano. Kanos beliefs are again solipsism with maybe some Social Darwinism in there as well. Those of Gabe are deterministic Religion. The Theonormals surface world citizens are nihilism They are meant to represent the Last Man. The name of the city Lux appears to be a rather deceitful title for the underground societyinitially at least. This name which means light is seemingly ironic. You may think it sounds strange calling the dark dismal city of Lux the city of light and hope however by the end of the series it is realized that it was. We are left with the understanding that the denizens of Lux were indeed the lucky ones when compared to the lives led by those on the surface. Having noticeably been able to maintain their human nature unlike those upon the surface they never sank into an outright nihilistic or fruitless existence. They had their humanity though life was tough brutal and cruel they remained alive although appearing lifeless. They never devolved into the lifestyle of those on the surface who merely live as ghosts awaiting their inevitable end unable to reproduce too tired to even do anything let alone die willingly which the series seems imply they would do if it was not for the effort involved. The Theonormals are the apparent perfection of humans they do not suffer from disease there is no war there is no struggle everything they could ever want has been obtained but they are not alive. They live a decadent life where their only desires are comfort and security until death finally arrives. The art/artstyle of Texhnolyze is bleak dull somber and gloomy. It is coupled with an emotionally evocative soundtrack that does an exceptional job of setting an appropriate tone for the series. Some of the tracks convey a deep sense of desolation others a great degree of urgency at other times a track produces a poignant melancholy and still at other times it provides a gentle tune exuding an air of fragile grace. Oftentimes rather than a soundtrack there are some ambient noises that are occurring insteadan effect that is often very prominent in the series directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki. There is a meticulous attention to detail in the series: from the outfits the characters wear saying something specific about them to the backgrounds which are often hidden with a subtle meaning themselvesit effectively manages to capture the tone the series is aiming for. Characters designs had little room for symbolic elements to be implemented due to a desire to make the characters look as realistic as possible however there are certain little things there. For example Ichises eyes are bright blue brimming with life Ran wears a kitsune mask. There is an interaction between light and dark all throughout the course of the seriesanother trait shared in Hamasakis works. There is recurrent usage of a train and train tracks meant to symbolize the progression of humanity within Lux specifically and indeed when we reach the end of those tracks we have also soon reached the end of the series and the end of Lux. They can also be seen as representative of determinism and of fate. Also recurring in the series are spinning fans which too served a purpose. Often simultaneously setting a tone or being used for atmospheric purposes also common in other Hamasaki series I believe they also served another purpose. There is an idea of cycles in the series. Humanity has run its course from beginning to end the characters have completed the cycle from life to deatheverything eventually completes its cycle and the cycle will repeat eternally if you wanted to apply a literal interpretation of the eternal recurrence which is occasionally referenced. Another thing I would like to note is the titles of each episode. From Episode 1s title Stranger where Yoshii the stranger to the city of Lux in this case descends into that underground setting to the tragic irony of Episode 19s Heavenward to the realization of Episode 20s title Hades referring to the surface once considered by the characters within the series to be a utopian paradise to the fact that humanity has indeed become a Myth by the end of Episode 22 each title was chosen with calculated contemplation. The next section is entirely dedicated to discussing Texhnolyzes episode titles their meanings and other significant elements of the episode. It is written in a more notelike manner for the sake of brevity. Rogue 01: Stranger Yoshii the stranger to Lux and like Ichise a stranger to the world he had lived in on the surface. Is your arrival good for the city and good for yourself? Or is it bad for the city and bad for yourself? Ichise a stranger to the city he lives in. A stranger to his fellow citizens. Struggles to live like a dog. You could say he starts as an absurd hero. Ichises situation in the world is irrational. There is a big emphasis on sensory experiences accentuating that one exists within it. The episode title is potentially a reference to Albert Camuss absurdist novel The Stranger. I will note when some philosophical concepts appear but I want to reiterate that they are merely integrated into the series and do not define it as a wholethey are parts. They are merely interesting to note when they appear. I will try to identify where some absurdist/existential elements exist when they are overt. Ive already attempted to examine the series without a big emphasis on these things above so now I may end up mentioning them more frequently. Rogue 02: Forfeiture The forfeiture of Ichises limbs but also foreshadowing his forfeiture of a part of what makes him human in his eyes when he is to gain the artificial Texhnolyze limbs to replace those he has lost. These Texhnolyze limbs are separate from him and are considered to be living entities of their own. Ichise carried his severed limbs through the streets even though it meaningless. Note that Ichise lies on the ground and looks at the vial containing his mother in this episode paralleling the final scene of the series. He struggles to climb stairs forfeiture of the ability to complete simple human tasks. Rogue 03: Texhnophile/Rogue 04: Synapse The Texhnophile is Doc obsessed with the technological advancement of the human species. Ichise essentially rejects her entire being when he thrashes his newly acquired limb against her equipment in a rage. Synapse emphasizes the connection of a foreign limb to Ichises body. Title Synapse is also hinting at the spectacle to come in Lux. The first word Ichise says in the series is Water. one of the essential things humans need to survive once again emphasizing his desire to live. Rogue 05: Loiter Ichise seemingly loiters about throughout the episode struggling with his new texhnolyze limbs and being dropped in a labyrinthine sewer. This maze that he wanders is reflective of what he is going through internally and the realizations he has begun to draw. Earlier in the episode he broke into a house and stole food when found and thrown out he lies by trash and begins to laugh. This is where he begins to attain an awareness of how unreasonable his situation in the world really is. First he struggled with limbs he detests then he struggles to get food to survive and then he struggles just to find a way out of the hopeless wasteland he is stuck in. Within the sewers he is lost and angry at one point he begins to give up potentially just waiting for death essentially committing suicide however within the barren sewers he sees a flower dropped and therefore two things are derived from his consciousness of the absurd: his revolt against it and his freedom within it. Because the episode ends right after he escapes the third consequence is not fully realized yet from the viewers perspective but will be in the next episode. Above I claim the flower to be representative of hope for the affirmation of life but with this interpretation here I would rather just call it beauty in the indifferent world. This idea will be the only time I apply a philosophical concept when it is not as explicit with its association within the series. Following the line of thought introduced here I will continue to add to this idea later though. This scene can be taken in a variety of ways this is merely one of them. This episode is the first one to actually discuss an individuals freedom instead of just showing us what the characters value via their actions. We witness a discussion between Yoshii and Shinji on the topic. Yoshii says True freedom cant lean on anything. Its transient lonely and arduous. You cant hope for security or reward beyond it. Shinji claimed he does not belong to anything and is thus free but because Shinji sees the lights of the City and dreams of reaching that place Yoshii contends that he actually does belong to somethingthe City itself and without a doubt so does his freedom. This is the episode where Ichise finds his freedom. This is a pretty important episode in my opinion. Rogue 06: Repetition This episode repeats certain things that have already occurred under a new light hence repetition. It also seems to imply the eternal recurrence of Nietzsche more of an abstract mental exercise rather than something literal with the opening and ending narrations. Ichise once more encounters those who severed his limbs and dropped him into the sewer and brutally attacks them. There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn. Albert Camus Continuing the line of thought from the last episode in the sewer Ichise scorns the indifferent world and the absurd revolting against it and finding freedom within it. In this episode from the absurd Ichise derives the third result: his passion. Camus claimed that revolt freedom and passion are the three consequences of the absurd. Ichise begins to work towards getting used to his new limbs managing to climb the stairs once more as he did with his original organic limbs. Rogue 07: Plot Yoshis plot and the overall plot of the series is finally starting to become clear. Onishi begins to gain an admiration of Ichises will to live. Shinji also recognizes Ichises desire to live upon seeing his eyes. Ran follows Ichise. I wonder by whose will he is being kept alive. Yours? Mine? Or the City of Lux? Doc Eriko Rogue 08: Crucible Lux itself is the crucible where the different elements within the city Organo Racan Salvation Union Yoshii Ichise Ran have begun to interact the implication being that something new will result from it. Indicative of the severe trials the characters face. For more on what the different factions represent see earlier in this review. Note that when the conflict finally erupts between the three big factions of Lux Ichise falls right into the middle of the chaos. Ichises newfound values are tested when he meets Yoshii Ichise immediately attacks him. Yoshii sees promise in Ichise probably sees part of himself in Ichise. Rogue 09: Wiggle The City of Lux and the factions within wiggle in the crucible of Lux with the war now ignited. Onishi feels his values wiggling as Yoshii makes the conflict personal for him having destroyed the order Onishi values and targeted his wife. Yoshii is the bermensch and he desires that others believe more in their own power. I want to enlighten them. So they can believe more in their own power. Now Im beginning to see that is my mission. Yoshii Rogue 10: Conclusion The bermensch dies. A conclusion is reached. Yoshii sees promise in Shinji but Shinji cannot reject his dream of the Class. This is absurd. Im your friend you know. Yoshii Yoshii is killed by Ichise he dies satisfied and with a smile. Yoshii lived what he believed to be his purpose. After all nothing changes. Ran Rogue 11: Vagrant Ichise no longer a stranger now a vagrant. Ichise has recognized the absurdity of life and is now a wanderer. This episode lays the foundation and begins to set up his discovery of what he wants from life and what personal meaning he can potentially find in it. For all characters in the series any meaning found will be personal and created by them. Texhnolyze is not a nihilistic series. It possesses both existential and absurdist elements to it. Whether or not you want to call Ichises journey on the most basic level an existential or absurd one will depend on whether or not he sees any hope which he currently is not aware of as right now he is living the three consequences of the recognition of the absurdity of life to continue the line of thought introduced in Episode 5. Ichise is able to empathize with Toyamas hatred of his father and their shared upbringing in the same part of Lux. Ichise learns Toyama became a texhnolyze as a way to deny his blood relations to with his father. But sometimes I cant help wondering if the decisions I made were right. I feel that way especially watching you. Toyama Later in the episode Ichise goes to visit Onishi in the hospital Eriko is already there where he informs him that Kohakura has given him to Onishi as a gift. Onishi asks And thats fine with you? to which Ichise replies I wouldnt have come here if I didnt want to. To tell the truth I really dont know. What I want to do or what I should do. But Im not going back to where I was before and I have no place to go now. I know that much. This demonstrates that he has begun to attempt to find a meaning to his life. He later runs to locate Ran when he notices one of her flowers floating along the waterway. Ichise will eventually find the meaning in his life through his relationship with others specifically Onishi Ran Eriko and Toyama. Rogue 12: Precognition Ichise once more sees Ran walking through the streets and wonders why she is ignoring him. Ran sees Ichises future at this point and begins screaming before losing consciousness These visions that she sees drive the residents of Lux mad when they see them towards the end of the series. She is subjected to them regularly and maintains her sanity. Ichise will later learn that it is his destiny to destroy everything hurt a lot of people and be all alone in the end according to Rans precognitive ability. Ichise once more looks at flowers in this episode. These represent his continued awareness of the beauty in the world and allow him to recall those who have helped him along the way. The world may be indifferent to him but at least four of the people around him are not. Ichise learns the truth of his fathers death when the Voice of the City Ran shares it with him. Rogue 13: Vista You enjoy the beauty of the flowers do you? Ichise looks at a view of flowers in this episode. Ran also sees vistas of the future and tells Onishi about what she sees. This is also the episode where Ichise learns his future from Ran. Onishi and Ichises relationship grows closer as the two have a conversation. Onishi shares how he lost his legs with Ichise. Rogue 14: Rejection Ichise has rejected the future Ran has seenhe scorns it. Doc Erikos texhnloyzation is rejected by the Class essentially her reason for being is rejected as well. This foreshadows those who reject their human soul and become the Shapes. Rogue 15: Shapes The introduction of the Shapes and the one who shapes the end of humanity the egoist Kano. Numerous members of the different factions begin to desert and become the Shapes meant to emulate the hungry ghosts the Preta. Rogue 16: Strain A strained situation is faced by everyone with the Shapes now running rampant. These Shapes are meant to be seen as a different strain of humans those who have forsaken what makes them human in the first place. They have been changed to such a degree that it is damaging and they cannot be considered to be the same human anymore. Transhumanism to such a degree is rejected by the series. Defeating the Shapes demands significant effort. Even the weapons the Shapes use are different from those used by humans. Rogue 17: Dependence Members of the Salvation Unions dependence on their ideals leads them to rush headlong to their doom. The citizens of Gabe are dependent on the Seer Ran and can do little without her guidance. Doc Eriko is dependent on her reason for existing the technological advancement of the human species without which she struggles for meaning. The Shapes are dependent on Kanos ideals. Onishi and Ichise are dependent on themselves and the belief systems they have made for themselves. As it is you will also cease to be sooner or later. But I want you to stay alive. and To me the Organo was nothing more than a means to keep surviving are lines spoken by Toyama. Ichise says I wouldve been dead now if it werent for the Organo. This shows his gratitude towards the organization. You want to live so badly that youll pay any price? Ichise asks of Toyama to which he replies You cant live at all unless you pay the full price. Ichise has been doing this the whole time Toyama has an oversight in judgment and ends up eventually becoming one of the Shapes. Ichise learns that Doc lied about his mother and that she actually dumped the contents of the vial. When Ichise attacks her she asks for his forgiveness and he actually gives it. He soon accepts his limbs once more without a dependence on them containing his mother this time. Rogue 18: Throne Kano sits upon his worthless throne. Humanitys reign has ended. Sakimura who idolized Yoshii sees a hallucination of him in one of the Shapes eagerly running up to it and asking Yoshii. Is this what you wanted to do? in an attempt to determine if there was meaning in Yoshiis actions and his death. Recall Yoshiis claim True freedom cant lean on anything. Sakimura is still leaning on Yoshii rather than his own power. The Shapes were not what Yoshii wanted to do and are in opposition to it. Doc Eriko asks Ichise to hold her as shes feeling afraid. Ichise does so and she says This is how my texhnolyzation should be used. This also emphasizes the divide between her views on transhumanism and that of the Shapes. Rogue 19: Heavenward Ichise heads to the surface world with Doc and Sakimura hence Heavenward. Its tragic irony though as the surface is actually likened to Hades once they arriveit is no utopia. We learn that Docs cells are in the biocircuit of Ichises texhnolyzed arm. The reason she lied about it containing his mother was to make sure he didnt treat the arm carelessly. I just had to make sure you would take good care of it. If not anything else then at least this arm. In the last episode it becomes clear why the arm is so important as it projects an image of one of Rans flowers as Ichise dies. Throughout Lux there was recurrent usage of trains and train tracks once they reach the surface world the train tracks end immediately showing the viewer that it is a dead end. A statue of an Angel without a head and arms is shown. Ichise notices a flower once again and once he touches it it wilts and dies. He then looks back towards Lux. The surface world citizens are likened to ghosts. Where are the people? asks Doc to which Sakimura replies I dont know where they are. Maybe there arent any human beings left in this place anymore. The people of the surface world represent Nietzsches Last Man. Rogue 20: Hades The surface world is Hades a hellLux is where people were truly alive. Docs entire purpose has been destroyed upon seeing the surface world she claims that she has become one of the ghosts and cannot leave soon committing suicide. She views herself as an anachronism. This is a place for dead people. No one is alive here. Ichise Ichise encounters several of the theonormals on the surface one of whom says it would have been nice if he stayed there forever because Ichise is actually living. Toyama assaults the surface with other Shapes Ichise kills him at which point Toyama says Thank you brother. While this is able to interpreted as him merely giving thanks to Ichise as a brother from the Organo it is clear that Toyamas relationship with Ichise has often been akin to that of an actual brother as well. Ichise apologizes to the ghost of his fathera very important moment for him. Rogue 21: Encephalopathy Ran shows the citizens of Lux her visions and they go mad. Kano an egoist refers to Ran as Theoria. One of the residents of Gabe delivers a monologue about returning to the Raffia. Shinji goes to kill the Class see earlier in the review for more on him. Ichise returns to Lux and sees a vision of Ran. He wishes to take Ran to the surface world because no one kills one another there. Why did you look after me? Whenever I was in trouble I found flowers that Id never been able to have before. So what choice have I got? I have to protect you. Ichise Onishi kills Ran the Voice of the City by stabbing the Obelisk. Ichise watches as the citizens driven mad kill Onishi. If the only way to be granted life in this world is to surrender my body and soul to insanity then I shall choose to meet my doom Onishi Rogue 22: Myth Humanity goes extinct becoming myth. The title may also double as another reference to one of Camuss works his philosophical text The Myth of Sisyphus wherein he describes his absurdist philosophy and later relates it to Sisyphus who was condemned to forever roll a boulder to the top of a mountain only to see it roll back down at which point he would have to begin anew. Camus claims that Sisyphus recognizes how futile it is but continues anyway thereby conquering it and being content with it. He imagines Sisyphus is happy. Ichise upon witnessing the death of Onishi flies into rage and kills the last humans in Lux after being shot multiple times. Ichises texhnolyze limbs begin to fail to function but Doc had adapted them prior and are thus able to work once more. In other words she helps him to get back on his feet again. Ichise sees the Shapes rooted to the ground. He encounters Kohakura who says Someone told me long ago what this place is. He said this is the Ninth Annex of the Reviving Hell. Ichise asks a vision of Ran if hes changed. He realizes he has remained the same person in some ways and relates that what hes been doing has been the same thingjust trying to survive. Does that mean that whatever I do doesnt change no matter what? That isnt so is it? Ichise Ichise punches the solipsist Kano killing him. He returns Ran to the Raffia. He then lies against a pillar and slumps over where Rans prophecy finally comes true in its entirety. A projection of a flower appears from his texhnolyze arm. Realizing it was Doc who placed it there and likely Ran who has returned to the Raffia projecting it he feels satisfied with his life and the meaning he found through his relationships with others. He smiles and dies a happy death. With a discussion of each of the episodes complete here are some other ideas and topics that are worth considering and thinking about. Section I: Is Yoshii a villain? No I dont think he can be considered a flatout villain. Some actually consider him to be the protagonist of the series or at the very least the protagonist of the first part since Episode 10 ends with his death and is titled Conclusion. In this case I might call him an antihero. The series lacks anything that could be called a hero in the modern conception of the word though and I think labelling the characters with any of these terms is something of a futile endeavor see below although I do believe that Ichise has the most heroic qualities. I dont think we are meant to apply morals as we understand them to Yoshii since Yoshii himself has revaluated the values of his society to reach his views. He was active in a passive nihilistic society. He wants to force the people of Lux wake up thereby allowing for the affirmation of their lives. As he sees it the people of Lux arent nihilistic like those on the surface but merely afflicted by a plague of which they are aware but which they have not yet found a way to accept. This can lead to nihilism unless they are active against it. Yoshii believes that in inciting them to become active and affirm life he can prevent them from eventually becoming passive resigned and nihilistic like those on the surface are. Whether his intentions are noble enough to justify the means is left ambiguous they are neither framed as right nor wrong but left up to interpretation as is nearly everything in the series. What the series does frame as important though is what the views of the characters led to and what it means for them. The series does seem to frame the idea that beliefs of theirs or their created meanings for life can lead to a life where one truly lived and a happy death and this is therefore more of a good ending for them. On the other hand nihilism and the choices of the Shapes are condemned. For the most part it seems to bounce back and forth between absurdist and existentialist ways of living life for the characters as ways to find satisfaction with it. From Yoshiis point of view nihilism is the ultimate evil worse than even death. The surface world is a society where morality does not exist and death is meaningless. Up there killing is viewed as neither right nor wrong good nor evil. He gave up on this society because in the absence of morality there is no chance of anything he does changing the peoplewhen there is nothing to judge him upon nothing can be condemned. In his society that is. As comparison consider when you go to another country you are subject to the laws of that country. On the Surface world no such laws exist and he therefore cannot be subject to these nonexistent decrees. An interpretation with regards to perspectivism might be considered. Lux is a dying world to him slipping towards a similar end as the surface. Yoshii created his own new values on the surface a place devoid of any such values. His acts are in his view creative where nothing is unjustified since they are undertaken in his pursuit of the prevention of the complete degradation of humanity. Even deplorable and inhuman means are not in his outlook evil. This interpretation tries to probe more into the nature of good and evil as it exists or does not exist within the world of Texhnolyze and the views of the characters within the series and without regards to our own views on the topic. In calling Yoshii evil this applies a personal or more modern view to the interpretation of his character which I think is fine but I also think it is worth considering him in his own society with how things are there. His desire to see humanity beautiful once more is not detached from his moral values since the desire directly stems from the principles. For him whether or not to choose violent means is irrelevant since he views nothing as unjustified to achieve his objectives. He is more ambiguous and difficult to understand for these reasons. Yoshii has moments to demonstrate that his values are the driving force behind his actions and that they are not undertaken merely because he wants to engage in violence: True freedom cant lean on anything. Its transient lonely and arduous. You cant hope for security or reward beyond it. I want to enlighten them. So they can believe more in their own power. Now Im beginning to see that is my mission. This is absurd. Im your friend you know. When Ichise meets him for the first time Yoshii sees Ichise as someone similar to himself. To say he prefers to engage in violence merely out of preference would require ignoring much that he said or did that defines him as a character. The violence is a result of it. Nothing he says or does implies that he is using his words or other actions simply in an attempt to justify the use of violence because he would not see this as necessary to do so in the first place. He comes from a place the Surface that lacks morality what need would he have to create a value system merely to justify violence when there is no need to justify anything in the society he was from? Its the values that he has created for himself that truly matter to him. Section II: Morality in Texhnolyze The Surface World condemned all of its undesired violent and/or criminal elements to Lux 100 years prior. On the Surface morality stagnated. Good and Evil lost meaning because there was only good from a moral point of view. With the moral good being all that existed morality lost meaning altogether. Where there was no moral evil there was only moral good and the knowledge of the moral evil was lost. Only the ideals associated with moral good were existent and deemed relevant. The Surface drove Yoshii to despair because natural elements belonging to humanity were lacking. The Surface world denied impulses natural to humanity. Yoshii was an immoralist but he embraced life including the good and the evil as morality describes it sides of it. He revaluated what good and evil meant. He had a passion for this lifea Dionysian passion. In embracing his Dionysian side he embraced humanity as a whole. It raises the question: Did anyone love humanity more? Lux lacked the moral good and developed by means of its own chaotic interactions. In Lux power ultimately prevailed above all else. Much of humanity appears to be in decline. Yoshii wants them to believe more in their own power and less in an ideal. Ideals can lead to stagnation in his view. He wants to have the people of Lux acknowledge the suffering of existence and embrace it. Note that I use Dionysian here more in the way the term was developed after The Birth of Tragedy rather than the way it was described there. Section III: Philosophy in Texhnolyze Seeing as Nietzsche has just been brought up: all philosophy is a mere part of the whole in Texhnolyze. Anyone who tells you that Texhnolyze is all about Nietzsche or anyone else is being dishonest. Section IV: Free Will and Destiny Fate plays a role in Texhnolyze but how is this fate really depicted? It appears rather ambiguously portrayed and resolved by the series itself. Is free will existent in the series or is it fatalistic? Does it even really matter whether it is fatalistic or not? Section V: Truth There is no truth. Texhnolyze managed to capitalize on all the potential it had in the greatest way possible making it a work that I can wholeheartedly describe as a glorious triumph within the animated medium. Riveting and thematically rich psychologically intriguing and dramatic in remarkable ways Texhnolyze was a very rewarding experience. Yes Texhnolyze may seem like an absurdist series in ways but I also believe that it can be seen as a series about seeking meaning in that meaningless world with hopeit can be viewed as an existential series. While the series may integrate the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche or Albert Camus or whoever else at times it never frames any of what they believe as the truth its just using some ideas not being defined by them. And it isnt even necessary to know what Nietzsche or Camus etc. is all about to enjoy the series anyway. Its merely interesting to note when some of their ideas come up. Texhnolyze ends with the extinction of humanityan empty age. The final scene is the slow fading away of the city and finally the slow fading away of Ichise the endling of the human speciesthe last living human. Perhaps this ending seems like a completely depressing soulcrushing conclusion to somebut I disagree. When the ending is examined a little closer one will find perhaps the most inspiring and optimistic message within it in all of anime. An ending that is nothing short of perfection. An ending that exemplifies what the series wants to express flawlessly. A necessary end. Despite the fact that all who live will inevitably someday meet their end there are still those who can find meaning in their livesas humans.