RahXephon
ラーゼフォン (Rāzefon)
Genre	Mecha, Psychological, Romance
TV anime
Director	Yutaka Izubuchi
Studio	BONES
Network	Fuji TV/FNS
Original run	21 January 2002 – 11 September 2002
Episodes	26
Manga
Author	Takeaki Momose
Publisher	Shogakukan
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Monthly Sunday Gene-X
Original run	September 2001 – November 2002
Volumes	3
Novel
Author	Hiroshi Ohnogi
Publisher	Media Factory DrMaster
Demographic	Male
Published	July 2002 – February 2003
Volumes	5
Animated film: RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio
Director	Tomoki Kyoda
Studio	BONES
Released	April 19, 2003 (TV) September 25, 2003 (DVD) July 20, 2004 (DVD)
Runtime	120 min
Game
Publisher	Bandai
Genre	Adventure, Action
Rating	CERO : 12
Platform	PlayStation 2
Released	August 7, 2003
OVA: Her and Herself (彼女と彼女自身と) / Thatness and Thereness
Director	Tomoki Kyoda
Studio	BONES
Episodes	1
Released	August 7, 2003

RahXephon (ラーゼフォン, Rāzefon^?) is a Japanese science fiction series about 17-year-old Ayato Kamina, his ability to control a godlike mecha known as the RahXephon, and his inner journey to find a place in the world around him. Word origin and usage The term "mecha" is derived from the Japanese abbreviation for the English word " mechanical " Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic (anime in Japanese, is a Japanese Illustrator, Anime designer and director. Izubuchi is credited for designing costumes characters and creatures but most of his designs are is a Japanese Anime studio It has produced numerous series including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess is a Japanese Television station based in Daiba, Minato Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX. 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DrMaster Publications Inc is an American distributor of Japanese comics ( Manga) and Chinese-language comics ( Manhua) with offices in the (born 1970 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese animation director and animator is a Japanese Anime studio It has produced numerous series including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 303 - On a voyage preaching the Gospel, Saint Fermin of Pamplona is beheaded in Amiens, France Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " A video game publisher is a company that publishes Video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a Video game developer is a Japanese Toy making company as well as the producer of a large number of Plastic model kits See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction An adventure game is a type of Video game characterized by investigation exploration puzzle-solving, interaction with game characters and a focus on Narrative An action game is a game that challenges a player's speed dexterity and reaction time A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of Video games into suitability-related groups The ( CERO) is the Organization that rates video games and Computer Software in Japan with levels of rating that informs the customer A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. abbreviated (and sometimes as OAV) is a term originating from Japanese animation ( Anime) for animated films and series which are made specially to be (born 1970 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese animation director and animator is a Japanese Anime studio It has produced numerous series including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Word origin and usage The term "mecha" is derived from the Japanese abbreviation for the English word " mechanical " His peaceful life as a student and artist in Tokyo is suddenly interrupted by a mysterious woman who appears to be stalking him, strange machines invading the city, and even stranger machines fighting back. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū.

The original 26-episode anime television series was the first directed by Yutaka Izubuchi. (anime in Japanese, A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U is a Japanese Illustrator, Anime designer and director. Izubuchi is credited for designing costumes characters and creatures but most of his designs are It was created by Izubuchi and Bones, and it aired on Fuji TV from January to September 2002. is a Japanese Anime studio It has produced numerous series including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess is a Japanese Television station based in Daiba, Minato Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX. It was produced by Fuji TV, Bones, Media Factory and Victor Entertainment. is a Japanese Publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Chūō Tokyo. is a Subsidiary of Japan Victor Company (JVC that produces and distributes music movies and other entertainment products such as Anime and television shows The series received critical acclaim and was subsequently translated, released on DVD and aired in several other countries, including the United States. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is An adapted movie directed by Tomoki Kyoda, with plot changes and a few new scenes, was released in 2003. (born 1970 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese animation director and animator Novels, an extra OVA episode, an audio drama, computer games, illustration books, and a somewhat tweaked manga adaptation by Takeaki Momose were also created. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story abbreviated (and sometimes as OAV) is a term originating from Japanese animation ( Anime) for animated films and series which are made specially to be This article is about audio performance for other uses see Radio (disambiguation. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly is a Japanese manga artist. Works These Japanese comics have been drawn by Takeaki Momose Miami Guns

Music, time, archetypal mystery, intrigues and romance are central elements of RahXephon's plot. An archetype ( pronounced: /ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/ (Brit or /ˈɑrkɪtaɪp/ (Amer The series shows clear influences from philosophy and Japanese folklore, and from Western literature such as the work of James Churchward. James Churchward ( February 27, 1851 - January 4, 1936) is best known as a British born occult writer Mesoamerican and other Pre-Columbian civilizations have a prominent place in the cultural background of the series. Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Mesoamérica is a Region extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, defined The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences

Izubuchi said RahXephon was his attempt to set a new standard for mecha anime, as well as to bring back aspects of 1970s mecha shows like Brave Raideen. is a Super Robot Anime series Produced by Tohokushinsha, Asahi News Agency and Sunrise, it aired on NET (now TV Asahi from 4 April The result was generally well received by English-language reviewers. While some reviewers only judged the show on its own merits, others compared it with varying favour against shows such as Brain Powerd, Megazone 23 and Neon Genesis Evangelion. is a 26-episode Anime TV series created by Sunrise and directed and written by Yoshiyuki Tomino. is a three-part Original video animation created by Noboru Ishiguro and Shinji Aramaki. commonly referred to as NGE, Eva, or Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful influential and controversial Japanese Anime that

Contents 1 Characters and plot 1.1 Background 1.2 Characters 1.3 Central plot 2 Production and media 2.1 TV series 2.2 Movie 2.3 Manga 3 Influences 3.1 Art and literature 3.2 Civilization and culture 4 Reception 4.1 TV series reviews 4.2 Movie reviews 4.3 Book reviews 5 Comparisons with other anime 5.1 Raideen the Brave 5.2 Neon Genesis Evangelion 5.3 Other anime 6 Legacy 7 Notes and references 8 External links

Characters and plot

Background

The backdrop of RahXephon is the fight against pan-dimensional invaders known as the Mulians, or Mu (ムー, Mū^?). In appearance, the Mu are indistinguishable from humans. However, they carry a genetic marker called the "Mu phase" which makes their blood turn blue at a point in their maturity; this process also appears to cause memory loss.

Although RahXephon is usually placed in the mecha genre of anime, its "mechas" are not fully mechanical. Word origin and usage The term "mecha" is derived from the Japanese abbreviation for the English word " mechanical " The mechas used by the Mu are called Dolems. Dolems are made of clay, like golems; each is bound to a Mulian, and some are also bound to a human host called a "sub-Mulian". In Jewish folklore, a golem (גולם sometimes as in Yiddish, pronounced goilem) is an animated being created entirely from inanimate matter

The overarching theme of RahXephon is one of music changing the world. The Dolems are animated by a quasi-mystical force that is connected to music; most of the controlling Mulians appear to be singing. A Dolem attacks while singing, and sometimes the attack is the song itself. The RahXephon can also attack by having its pilot — the "instrumentalist" — sing a note. This unleashes powerful forces (such as light-energy blasts or heat waves) that cause destruction on an apocalyptic scale. Each of the Mulian Dolems has an Italian name which references musical notation, such as Allegretto, Falsetto, or Vivace. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. See also Modern musical symbols Music notation or musical notation is any system which represents aurally perceived Music through the use The ultimate goal of the RahXephon is to "tune the world. In Music, there are two common meanings for tuning: Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice " Izubuchi says the name RahXephon lacked a real meaning, but that he now explains it as composed of Rah, which according to Churchward is the origin of Ra, X for the X factor (the unknown), and -ephon as a suffix for instrument (-phone). Ra (pronounced Rah and sometimes as Rê, is an Ancient Egyptian sun god. A variable (ˈvɛərɪəbl is an Attribute of a physical or an abstract System which may change its Value while it is under Observation. A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. ^[1]

Characters

Main article: List of RahXephon characters

This section represents the story as told in the television series. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon. Characters are changed, cut and merged in the movie and manga. Character names are in western order. A personal name is the Proper name identifying an individual Person.

At the beginning of RahXephon Ayato Kamina is a modest 17-year-old living in Tokyo. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. Not exactly a model student, he is shown to enjoy painting and being with his classmates Hiroko Asahina and Mamoru Torigai. Ayato's mother Maya spends much of her time at work, which strains an otherwise affectionate relationship.

During a seemingly unexplained attack on Tokyo, Ayato hears the singing of another classmate, Reika Mishima. She leads him to a giant egg containing the RahXephon. Haruka Shitow, an agent of the defense research agency TERRA, brings Ayato and the RahXephon to TERRA. The acronym TERRA stands for Tereno Empireo Rapidmova Reakcii Armeo. That in esperanto, although Tero and Imperio are the correct words, can be read as Earth Empire Rapid Response Army. is by far the most widely spoken constructed International auxiliary language in the world

Ayato moves in with Professor Rikudoh, Haruka's uncle, and pilots the RahXephon. Quon Kisaragi, a girl living with chief researcher Itsuki, seems to share some of Ayato's artistic talent. Ernst von Bähbem of the Bähbem Foundation sponsors TERRA through the Federation, the successor of the United Nations. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security

While most characters are introduced by the end of episode 7, RahXephon continues to develop the characters and reveal their mysteries and relationships, making heavy use of foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a literary device in which an Author drops subtle hints about plot developments to come later in the story.

Central plot

This section represents the story and ending as told in the television series. See List of RahXephon characters for changes in other story formats. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon.

The unusual relationship between Ayato Kamina and Haruka Shitow is one of the most important plot lines of the series. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon. A narrative or story is a construct created in a suitable format (written spoken poetry prose images song Theater, or Dance) that describes a sequence of Although Haruka appears to be a stranger to Ayato at first, the series reveals that Haruka and Ayato know each other from before the beginning of the story.

Ayato, a boy conceived with the help of the Bähbem Foundation, was living in Tokyo with his adoptive mother, Maya Kamina. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon. Ayato met Haruka on a trip outside Tokyo, and they continued seeing each other when they returned to school in Tokyo. Secondary Education in Japan is split into Middle schools (中学校 chūgakkō) which cover the seventh through ninth years and High schools (高等学校 At this time, Haruka's family name was Mishima. in modern times usually consist of a Family name ( Surname) followed by a Given name.

The story reveals that two floating cities appeared above Tokyo and Sendai around the beginning of 2013. In Science fiction, floating cities are settlements that strictly use Buoyancy to remain in the atmosphere of a planet is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and the largest city in the Tōhoku (northeast region The ensuing conflict escalated into nuclear warfare, and the Mu enveloped Tokyo and outlying suburbs within a spherical barrier resembling Jupiter, referred to as "Tokyo Jupiter" ("Tōkyō Jupita") by all those outside. The barrier has a dilatory effect on time, with time inside Tokyo Jupiter passing about one-sixth as fast as the outside time. This article discusses a concept in physics For the concept in sociology see Time displacement.

During the Tokyo Jupiter incident, Haruka Mishima and her pregnant mother were away on a holiday trip while Ayato was caught inside. Years after the incident, Haruka's mother re-married and their family name became Shitow. Maya modified Ayato's memories to make him forget Haruka. The series makes clear that the entire population of Tokyo Jupiter is subject to the same kind of mental control. Still, visions of Haruka continue to haunt Ayato, as manifested in his art. Ixtli, RahXephon's soul, also adopts Haruka's appearance and family name (Mishima) but takes a different given name, Reika. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living

The story begins as the seemingly peaceful city is attacked by invaders while a mysterious woman (soon revealed to be Haruka) stalks Ayato. By this point, time dilation has made Haruka considerably older than Ayato and his friends who remained inside. Because of this, Ayato does not recognize Haruka and initially mistrusts her, but he gradually re-discovers his love for her as the series progresses and he learns of what has happened. At the end of the series, Ayato's RahXephon merges with Quon's, and he "re-tunes the world" (that is, modifies the past) so that he and Haruka would not have been separated. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon. In the final sequence of the series, the adult Ayato (who can now easily be mistaken for Dr. Kisaragi, his twin brother) is seen with his wife Haruka and their infant daughter Quon. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon.

Production and media

Main staff (TV)

Original story	Bones  Yutaka Izubuchi
Character design	Akihiro Yamada
Animation character design	Hiroki Kanno
Mechanical design	Michiaki Sato  Yoshinori Sayama
Art concept	Kazutaka Miyatake
Animation director	Hirotoshi Sano
Mechanic animation director	Shiho Takeuchi
Design works	Shingo Takeba
Art director	Junichi Higashi
Assistant art director	Atsushi Morikawa
Color coordinator	Shihoko Nakayama
Director of photography	Naoyuki Ohba
Digital works	Mitsuo Iso
Music	Ichiko Hashimoto
Music producer	Yoshimoto Ishikawa (Victor Entertainment)
Sound direction	Yota Tsuruoka
Producers	Masahiko Minami (Bones)  Shiro Sasaki (Victor Entertainment)  Katsuji Nagata (Media Factory)  Daisuke Kawakami, Go Haruna (Fuji TV)
Animation production	Bones
Animation production support	Asatsu DK
Director	Yutaka Izubuchi
Production	RahXephon Project  Fuji TV

RahXephon began production as a TV series. is a Japanese Anime studio It has produced numerous series including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess is a Japanese Illustrator, Anime designer and director. Izubuchi is credited for designing costumes characters and creatures but most of his designs are (born February 10, 1957) is a Japanese illustrator and Mangaka. is a Japanese Animator, Animation director and character designer Mitsuo Iso (磯 光雄 Iso Mitsuo) is a Japanese key animator designer Anime Screenwriter and director Ichiko Hashimoto is the name of Ichiko Hashimoto (musician, jazz pianist composer and singer Ichiko Hashimoto (pop singer, singer who is a Subsidiary of Japan Victor Company (JVC that produces and distributes music movies and other entertainment products such as Anime and television shows is a Japanese Anime producer and president of Bones, born in 1961 in Mie Prefecture. is a Subsidiary of Japan Victor Company (JVC that produces and distributes music movies and other entertainment products such as Anime and television shows is a Japanese Publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Chūō Tokyo. is a Japanese Television station based in Daiba, Minato Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX. often abbreviated simply as ADK, is a Japanese Advertising agency. A manga version, novels, soundtracks and an audio drama were published during the original broadcast. A movie, an OVA episode, art books and guide books were also created. Characters, mecha and story from RahXephon were featured in two video games.

Further information: List of RahXephon media

TV series

Yutaka Izubuchi was a successful anime supervisor and designer focusing on costume, character and mechanical design, notably in the Gundam and Patlabor series. This is a list of media from the Japanese Science fiction series RahXephon. is a Japanese Illustrator, Anime designer and director. Izubuchi is credited for designing costumes characters and creatures but most of his designs are The term costume can refer to Wardrobe and dress in general or to the distinctive style of dress of a particular people class or period is a Metaseries of English Anime, featuring tiny robots or " Kounans " created by Sunrise studios Patlabor (a Portmanteau of "patrol" and "labor" refers to, a Manga franchise created by Headgear, a group consisting His drinking buddy and former Sunrise colleague Masahiko Minami, producer and president of Bones, had suggested that Izubuchi direct something. is a Japanese Anime studio and production enterprise It is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. is a Japanese Anime producer and president of Bones, born in 1961 in Mie Prefecture. is a Japanese Anime studio It has produced numerous series including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess ^[2]

Izubuchi finally took Minami up on the offer and RahXephon became his first directing job. Izubuchi returned to the classic mecha shows of the 1970s and 1980s, and wanted to make a show of that type updated with advances in anime production as well as injecting his own personal ideas. He wanted to "set a new standard in the field" of mecha anime,^[2] or rather to show his "own standard" and capabilities as a creator-showrunner. Show runner (alternatively showrunner) is a term used in the United States television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation ^[3] Media Factory, Fuji TV and Victor Entertainment joined Bones as production partners. is a Japanese Publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Chūō Tokyo. is a Subsidiary of Japan Victor Company (JVC that produces and distributes music movies and other entertainment products such as Anime and television shows After planning the story and designing characters and locations, a core group was expanded to a full production staff that completed the show, primarily working on the same floor — a departure from the trend of outsourcing anime production. ^[4]

The original music, except for the opening theme, is composed by Ichiko Hashimoto; she was initially approached to compose some of the score and replied that she wanted to compose all of it. A film score is a broad term referring to the music in a film which is generally categorically separated from songs used within a film ^[4] She also plays Maya and performs the closing theme together with her sister Mayumi. The opening theme "Hemisphere" is composed by Yoko Kanno and sung by Maaya Sakamoto, who plays Reika. is a Composer, Arranger and Musician best known for her work on the Soundtracks for many games seminal Anime films TV series live-action is a female Japanese Seiyū and singer who made her debut in 1996 as the voice of Hitomi Kanzaki in the hit Anime series The Vision of Escaflowne ^[5] Hashimoto's compositions range from piano sonatas and acoustic chamber music to experimental jazz, hard rock and ambience that crosses the border into sound design. The Baroque keyboard sonata In the Baroque era the use of the term "sonata" generally referred to either the Sonata da chiesa ( Church sonata Chamber music is a form of Classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Ambient music is a Musical genre in which sound is more important than notes Sound design is a technical/conceptually creative field It covers all non-compositional elements of a film a play a music performance That range also includes more mainstream jazz and orchestral music played with both acoustic and electronic instruments. Acoustic music refers to music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means as opposed to Electronic means ^[5]

Further information: See List of RahXephon media for episode list and music releases. This is a list of media from the Japanese Science fiction series RahXephon.

Movie

See also: #Movie reviews

A television movie version of RahXephon called Pluralitas Concentio was directed by Tomoki Kyoda, who had directed three episodes of the TV series and acted as assistant director with Soichi Masui. (born 1970 in Osaka, Japan) is a Japanese animation director and animator Izubuchi acted as Chief Director on this movie, but was not heavily involved in its production. Most of the staff members involved with the TV series worked on the movie, and it was distributed by Shochiku. is a Japanese Movie studio and production company for Kabuki. The producers were Masahiko Minami, Shiro Sasaki, Maki Horiuchi, Kenji Shimizu and Tatsuji Yamazaki.

The movie quickly reveals mysteries that were developed slowly in the TV series^[6] and makes changes to the plot. It begins with a prologue showing previously un-shown events, followed by a couple of expository scenes. Prologue ( Greek πρόλογος prologos, from προ~ pro~ - fore~, and lógos word) or prolog, is a prefatory Exposition is a technique by which background information about the characters events or setting is conveyed in a novel play movie or other work of fiction The final 30 minutes have the most plot changes and new scenes, and they end with a new epilogue. This article is about the literary epilogue See Epilogue (disambiguation for other uses of "Epilogue" or "Epilog" The rest of the movie consists mainly of abridged scenes from the original series, sometimes with characters replaced or with different motivations and dialogue. The plot establishes the link between the Kamina and Mishima families and other story-lines that were prominent in the original TV series were reduced or removed. One prominent distributor promoted the movie as an "encore" — an extra performance at the end of the series, rather than as a replacement. The encore is an additional extra performance of a Musical piece at the end of the regular Concert, which is not listed in the event Setlist, from the ^[7]

Manga

See also: #Book reviews

The manga was illustrated and written by Takeaki Momose. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly is a Japanese manga artist. Works These Japanese comics have been drawn by Takeaki Momose Miami Guns ^[3] Momose was one of the candidates for character designer on the series,^[8] but Izubuchi wanted Akihiro Yamada to do the original designs,^[9] and Hiroki Kanno got the job of adapting them for animation. (born February 10, 1957) is a Japanese illustrator and Mangaka. is a Japanese Animator, Animation director and character designer With the manga Momose got the opportunity to re-design the characters into his own style and make changes in characterization and story,^[8] as well as adding "fan service". UserScottandrewhutchins: http//enwikipediaorg/w/indexphp?title=Characterization&diff=next&oldid=157919139 --> Characterization is a process of conveying fanservice,, or simply, is a vaguely defined term primarily used for Japanese anime and manga to refer to elements in a story that are unnecessary to a storyline and are designed ^[10]

The manga adaptation of RahXephon presents the same overall scenario as the anime, with some differences, ranging from significant to minor. In the anime series, Reika is a mysterious and distant figure; in the manga Reika is a more comical figure who grew up as Ayato's adoptive sister, but here she has a darker origin. The anime series shows Megumi competing with Haruka for Ayato's affections, while this role is taken by Reika in the manga. The rate of time dilation is also different in the manga version, as the year outside Tokyo is 2033 instead of 2027.

Further information: List of RahXephon media#Manga volumes

Influences

In addition to its musical theme, RahXephon has many explicit references to ancient history and myth, literature, art and culture. This is a list of media from the Japanese Science fiction series RahXephon.

Art and literature

Music

In addition to the prevalence of terms from music, classical musical works are used in the show: The overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg opens the first episode, hinting to the musical contests between "normal" Humans and the Mu where the RahXephon is one of the instruments. Overture ( French ouverture meaning opening in Music is the instrumental introduction to a Dramatic choral or occasionally Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg) is an Opera in three acts written and composed by Richard Wagner The motif Quon sings or hums repeatedly is from Polovetsian Dances in the opera Prince Igor, about a warrior prince. In Music, a motif or motive is a perceivable or salient recurring fragment or succession of notes that may be used to construct the entirety or parts The Polovetsian Dances (or Polovtsian Dances) are perhaps the best known selections from Alexander Borodin 's opera Prince Igor. Prince Igor ( Князь Игорь, Knyaz' Igor) is an Opera by Alexander Borodin, written in four acts with a prologue Additionally, the opera itself is played on more than one occasion, usually over a loudspeaker system. For the Marty Friedman album see Loudspeaker (album A loudspeaker, speaker, or speaker system is an electroacoustical The melody is also used in the musical Kismet, about love between two people of different worlds, here with new lyrics and titled "Stranger in Paradise". Kismet is a musical written in 1953 by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Alexander Borodin, and " Stranger in Paradise " is a popular Song from the 1953 musical Kismet and is credited to Robert Wright

Post-classical literature

Izubuchi found the basis for the relationship between Ayato and Haruka in Robert F. Young's short story "The Dandelion Girl". "The Dandelion Girl" is a Science fiction Short story written by American sci-fi author Robert F ^[3] In Young's story the protagonist encounters a girl standing on a hill in a dress, the breeze blowing in her hair; this girl comes from the future, while the girl in RahXephon comes from the past. The Dandelion Girl is also the title of the "Coda" appearing after the credits of episode 26. Coda ( Italian for "tail" from the Latin cauda, see below is a term used in Music in a number of different senses primarily to designate Izubuchi later realized that another story, Portrait of Jennie, had been an additional influence for the relationship. Portrait of Jennie is a 1948 Fantasy film based on the novella by Robert Nathan. ^[3] The idea of Tokyo Jupiter is explicitly compared to Sayonara Jupiter and Tokyo Blackout by the veteran science fiction writer Sakyo Komatsu. is a 1984 Japanese Science fiction film directed by Koji Hashimoto and produced by Toho. (born January 28, 1931 in Osaka) is a Japanese science fiction writer and screenwriter ^[11]

The summary movie shows Haruka and Ayato sharing the book Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll; the series itself does not mention this book, but they have commonalities: Both use mirrors and reflections, and both feature the stopping and reversal of time. Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There ( 1871) is a work of Children's literature by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson In the manga version of RahXephon, the choice of literature is different: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. This book appears only briefly in the anime series,^[12] but characters in the manga note how their situation is similar to Oz; the last manga chapter is named "Over the Rainbow". " Over the Rainbow " (sometimes mistakenly known as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is a Song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E In a reversal of Dorothy's experience Ayato is whisked away from the constructed world of Tokyo Jupiter into the "real" world.

The series also references the works of writers who have won the Nobel Prize in Literature: "Macondo Four" a code-name used at the beginning of the show, comes from Gabriel García Márquez's fictional hometown Macondo, prominent in One Hundred Years of Solitude. The Nobel Prize in Literature (Nobelpriset i litteratur is awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has in the words from the will of Alfred One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien años de soledad is a novel by Nobel Prize winning Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez that was first Another, "Yoknapatawpha", comes from William Faulkner's fictional home Yoknapatawpha County. Yoknapatawpha County is a fictional county created by American author William Faulkner as a setting for many of his novels The teams using the code-names attempt to maintain a similarly unreal home town for Ayato. ^[13]

Colours

The RahXephon system consists of a white RahXephon and a black RahXephon, with eggs, wings and feathers coloured accordingly. The Mu are shown to have blue blood while normal humans have red blood; in the RahXephon universe, the idea that the nobility has blue blood is thus a holdover from the period of Mu dominance. Blue is a Colour, the Perception of which is evoked by Red is any of a number of similar Colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of Light discernible by the human eye in the wavelength Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime

RahXephon uses blue flowers as symbols of the Mu. The Blue Flower ( Blaue Blume) is a central symbol of Romanticism. ^[14][15] This concept was used by the philosopher Novalis, who wrote about Heinrich — a young man yearning for a "blue flower" that he once saw in a dream. Novalis (noˈvaːlɪs was the Pseudonym of Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg ( May 2, 1772 - March 25, 1801 Heinrich von Ofterdingen is a famous quasi-fictional Minnesinger who participated in the Sängerkrieg (Minstrels' contest on the Wartburg. Novalis wrote that "the world becomes a dream, and the dream becomes reality". RahXephon has several references to dreaming, and features dreamlike sequences that are shown to foreshadow real events. Dreams are the images sounds thoughts and feelings experienced while Sleeping, particularly strongly associated with Rapid eye movement sleep.

Michiru, the blue bird which the character Kunugi keeps, is named after his daughter. ^[15] As well as being a Japanese given name, "Michiru" is the Japanese name for "Mytyl", a character in Maeterlinck's The Blue Bird. Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Count Maeterlinck ( August 29, 1862 - May 6, 1949) was a Belgian Poet, Playwright, The Blue Bird ( L'Oiseau bleu) is a 1908 play by Maurice Maeterlinck. In the last two episodes this bird parallels Haruka, blue birds symbolize the Mu, and The Blue Bird is used to describe Itsuki's relationship with Nanamori. The manga also uses this theme.

Visual arts

A recurring significant image in the anime is a modified version of noted Surrealist artist René Magritte's La Grande Famille, showing a sky through the silhouette of a dove. René François Ghislain Magritte ( 21 November 1898 - 15 August 1967) was a Belgian Surrealist artist A silhouette is a view of some object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior with the silhouette usually being black

The anime makes other references to the French Surrealism movement, from the dreamlike sequences associated with some Dolems, to all the references to retuning and reworking the world and the desires of man. Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members Surrealists said that artists should express the subconscious uninhibited by conscious thought and reason, and that the dream world of the subconscious was more real than the real world — surreal. The term subconscious is defined as existing or operating in the Mind beneath or beyond Conscious Awareness. ^[16] Ayato re-tunes the world based on his desires. Likewise, the Surrealists wanted to re-shape the world to fit the subconscious, for example through political revolution. A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively ^[17]

The opening sequence features dream art with surrealist qualities. Dream art is any form of Art directly based on material from Dreams or which employs dream-like imagery One image in particular shows a dreamscape with clocks, some broken and others moving at different speeds, recalling the "soft watches" paintings^[18] by Salvador Dalí. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech 1st Marquis of Púbol (May 11 1904 &ndash January 23 1989 was a Spanish Catalan Surrealist

Civilization and culture

The Americas

RahXephon has many references to Pre-Columbian American culture. The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences December 21, 2012 is the end of the 5-vigesimal Mayan Long Count calendar and the transition from one Mayan age into the next. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian 2012 ( MMXII) will be a Leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The vigesimal or base - numeral system is based on twenty (in the same way in which the ordinary decimal numeral system is based on ten The Maya calendar is a system of distinct Calendars and Almanacs used by the Maya civilization of Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and by In RahXephon the Mu re-appear one week after this date. Characters listen to a song called "Fate of Katun"; a Katun is a measurement of time in the Mayan Calendar. A katun or k'atun-cycle is a unit of time in the Maya calendar equal to 20 Tuns ' or 7200 days The Dolem control system is worn as a helmet shaped like a face from a Mayan sculpture,^[19] and the cities of the Mu contain artwork inspired by Mayan and other Mesoamerican art. Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Mesoamérica is a Region extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, defined ^[20] Even the leader of the Mu in Tokyo is named Maya.

This is not coincidental, since the series draws many of its references from James Churchward's books about the Mu — an advanced ancient race from a large island in the South Pacific which had sunk, like the legendary continent of Atlantis. James Churchward ( February 27, 1851 - January 4, 1936) is best known as a British born occult writer Mu, as the name of a sunken Pacific Ocean Continent, was first used by James Churchward in his 1926 book "The Lost Continent of Mu Motherland Atlantis (in Greek,, "island of Atlas " is the name of a Legendary Island, first mentioned in Plato 's dialogues Churchward claimed that the Maya, and other ancient civilizations, were remnants of Mu colonies. RahXephon's main character Ayato is shown to know about Churchward's theories. ^[14]

The language of the Mu is based on Nahuatl, a classical form of which was spoken not by the Mayas but by the Aztecs further north. Nahuatl ( is a group of related languages and dialects of the Aztecan or Nahuan branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political The terms in ixtli in yollotl (face and heart) and ollin (movement) come from this language, and the latter refers to the sun god Ollin Tonatiuh. In Aztec mythology, Tonatiuh ( Nahuatl: Ollin Tonatiuh "Movement of the Sun" was the Sun god According to the Aztec sun stone, humanity is living in the fifth and final age of the world. The Aztec sun stone, Stone of the Sun ( Spanish: Piedra del Sol) or Aztec calendar stone is a large monolithic sculpture that was excavated Tonatiuh is the god of this fifth age; in RahXephon, the characters Ayato and Quon are both called Ollin by the Mu. At the end of the series, both characters reach a state called Yolteotl — a state similar to the Buddhist nirvana. Yolteotl is an Nahua word from Central America meaning the "heart of God" or someone who contains an almost spiritual creativity ("an enlightened mind" In sramanic philosophy Nirvana (निर्वाण| Nirvāṇa; निब्बान Nibbāna; Prakrit: णिव्वाण ^[21]

The series shows a Dolem carving shapes into the earth; these shapes are referred to as "Nazca Lines"^[22] after lines made by a pre-Incan culture. The Nazca lines are a series of Geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert, a high arid plateau that stretches more than 80 km (50 miles between the towns of Nazca The history of Peru spans several millennia Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world and to the Inca Empire Step pyramids both in the style of Tikal^[23] and other locations^[14] are shown, and the TERRA headquarters' shape is a pyramid-cone amalgam with the angle and tip of Mount Fuji. Step Pyramids The construction of step pyramids has been an ancient part of several cultures throughout history Tikal (or Tik’al, according to the more current orthography is the largest of the ancient ruined cities of the Mayan civilization. A cone is a three-dimensional Geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat round base to a point called the apex or vertex is the highest Mountain in Japan at.An Active volcano that last erupted in 1707–08 it straddles the boundary of Shizuoka and ^[20][24]

The final episode contains a quotation from Octavio Paz's prose poem "The Obsidian Butterfly" from the collection Aguila O Sol/Eagle or Sun? that plays upon Aztec mythology and the coming of a new era. Octavio Peazy Paz " ( March 31, 1914 – April 19, 1998) was a Mexican Writer, Poet, and diplomat "The Obsidian Butterfly" is a reference to the Aztec goddess Itzpapalotl; the character of Quon becomes a representation of this goddess, particularly Paz's usage of the goddess in his poem. In Aztec mythology, Itzpapalotl ("Clawed Butterfly" or "Obsidian Butterfly" was a fearsome skeletal warrior Goddess, who ruled over the paradise

Creation myths

The tuning of the world resembles the idea of creation by song, appearing in creation myths like that of the Hopi. A creation myth is a supernatural mytho-[[religion religious]] story or explanation that describes the beginnings of humanity, Earth, life, and The Hopi are Native American people who primarily live on the 12635 km² (2531 ^[25] It also appears in fictional mythologies like J. R. R. Tolkien's Music of the Ainur and the creation story of C. Ainulindalë ( Quenya, "Music of the Ainur " or more literally "Singing of the Holy" is the first section and chapter of The Silmarillion S. Lewis's Narnia. For other uses of "Narnia" see Narnia (disambiguation. Another symbolic element is that of the golems, creatures made from clay, recalling Biblical imagery from Genesis as well as more recent stories in Jewish kabbalism and folklore. In Jewish folklore, a golem (גולם sometimes as in Yiddish, pronounced goilem) is an animated being created entirely from inanimate matter Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism.

Japanese culture and religion

Two Japanese folk tales are explicitly mentioned in the series: Ayato compares himself to Urashima Tarō,^[11] and professor Rikudoh compares Maya to Princess Kaguya. The legend of is a Japanese Legend about a fisherman who rescues a Turtle and for this is rewarded with a visit to the Palace of the Dragon or The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Japanese 竹取物語 Taketori Monogatari) is a 10th century Japanese folktale, also known as ^[26] "Spiriting away" (kamikakushi) happens both in reverse and in the way common to Japanese folklore. Japanese folklore is the Folklore of Japan. It is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country ^[27]

TERRA is based on Nirai Island, a fictional addition to the Satsunan Islands, one of the island groups making up Japan's southwest islands. Ryukyuan religion is the indigenous belief system of the Ryukyu Islands. The Ryukyu Islands, in Japanese called the (literally Southwest Islands are a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit The base itself is located in Kanai city, built on reclaimed land adjacent to the natural island. Land reclamation is either of two distinct practices One involves creating new land from sea- or riverbeds the other refers to restoring an area to a more natural state (such as after Nirai and Kanai have been named as a pun on Nirai-kanai. ^[14] In traditional Ryukyu beliefs "Nirai kanai", also called "Nira-hara" or "Niraasuku", is the place out at sea where the gods live. Ryukyuan religion is the indigenous belief system of the Ryukyu Islands. These gods are believed to visit the islands of humans during certain religious festivals. ^[28] In RahXephon, Mu is suggested to be the real-world basis of the Nirai-kanai legend. The "Shrine of Time" looks like a Ryukyan family tomb. Ryukyuan religion is the indigenous belief system of the Ryukyu Islands. ^[27] RahXephon's Nirai, Kanai, and the bay between them are roughly shaped like commas, a shape shared with magatama^[24] and common Taijitu symbols. A comma ( ,   is a Punctuation mark It has the same shape as an Apostrophe or single closing Quotation mark in many typefaces but it differs Magatama (ja 勾玉 or ja 曲玉) are curved Beads which first appeared in Japan during the Jōmon period. In Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin and yang ( is used to describe how seemingly opposing forces are bound together intertwined and interdependent in the Mount Fuji appears in the show, both directly depicted^[29] and as a design inspiration;^[24] this mountain has a special spiritual significance in Shinto. is the highest Mountain in Japan at.An Active volcano that last erupted in 1707–08 it straddles the boundary of Shizuoka and is the native religion of Japan and was once its State religion.

The religious foundations of the TV series are Ryukyan and Mesoamerican. Beyond Ryukyuan beliefs and Confucianism the TV series has few prominent references to traditional Eastern religion. Confucianism ( is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of the fifth century B The character Yagumo is shown in a kimono performing a Shinto New Year ritual,^[27] but other religious worship is not shown. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon. The is the National costume of Japan. Originally the word "kimono" literally meant thing to wear ( ki wearing and mono thing but now has come The Japanese celebrate New Year's Day on January 1 each year Before 1873 the date of the was based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar and celebrated at The characters celebrate a secular Christmas, and distinguish between practice and belief. ^[30] The character Kunugi visits a Christian cemetery,^[31] and important scenes in the last two episodes are set in and around a church. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon. A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. A church building is a Building or Structure whose primary purpose is to facilitate the meeting of a church. The show thus reflects the variations of Japanese religious practice. The primary religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shintō (神道 " the way of the gods "

Although Eastern religion only has a minor role in the TV series, the movie version references Buddhism. The history of Buddhism in Japan can be roughly divided into three periods namely the Nara period (up to 784 the Heian period (794–1185 and the post-Heian period The epilogue shows a butsudan where a plaque bearing Ayato's posthumous name is standing. A butsudan (佛壇 or 仏壇 is a Shrine found in religious temples and homes of Japanese and other Buddhist cultures A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty nobles and sometimes others in some cultures after the person's death Beyond this, near the end of the movie there is a scene by a lake in which Ayato explains the situation of the "re-tuning" to Haruka. He explains how he cannot remain with her in the world as they know it and that now he, in fact, somehow has transcended his human state, that is, Enlightenment. Bodhi (बोधि is both the Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English as "enlightenment In the manga version of the story, Reika is a Mu miko who was unprepared for a ritual involving the RahXephon, and who is trapped in a cycle of reincarnation. This is a list of recurring characters and cast in the Anime / Manga /novel series RahXephon. is a Japanese term that anciently meant "female shaman shamaness medium prophet priestess" who conveyed divine oracles and currently means "shrine maiden virgin consecrated This form of reincarnation is very different from rebirth in Buddhism. Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the consciousness of a person (as conventionally regarded upon the death or dissolution of the aggregates ( Skandhas

Reception

The anime series originally aired on stations in the Fuji Television network and its affiliates, except in the Kansai region where independent UHF stations aired it instead. is a Japanese Television station based in Daiba, Minato Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX. The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan 's main island Honshū. The, (abbreviated JAITS) is a group of Japan 's reception fee-free commercial Terrestrial television stations which are not members of the major national ^[32] Starting with episode 10, some stations moved the series from the afternoon to after midnight, but other stations moved it from late night to afternoon. ^[33][34][35] RahXephon thus remained both a "late night anime" and afternoon anime throughout its original run. is a term for an Anime Television series that air during late night or early morning in Japan, usually between 11 P

According to its distributor the series "captivated millions in Japan" and "[drew] in viewers by the tens of thousands. "^[36] The series won the award for best TV anime at the 7th Animation Kobe fair. The is an event created by Kobe city in 1996 to promote Anime and other visual media ^[37] It was considered popular enough that a TV movie version was commissioned and aired.

Internationally, the series was translated and released on DVD video. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is It was purchased for airing by television stations and made available on video on demand services in several countries. Video on demand ( VOD) or Audio video on demand ( AVOD) systems allow users to select and watch/listen In the United States, the DVDs were released around the U. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the S. theatrical release of another Bones production, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. Cinemaaustraliajpg|thumb|A movie theater in Australia ]]A movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre or cinema is a venue Cowboy Bebop The Movie, known in Japan as, is an animated Feature film directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, based on the The distributor claimed that RahXephon was met with "strong sales and extraordinary critical response in the U. S. "^[38]

Further information: See List of RahXephon media#Anime distribution for more information on international distribution. This is a list of media from the Japanese Science fiction series RahXephon.

TV series reviews

Protoculture Addicts editor Claude J. Protoculture Addicts is a North American Anime and Manga magazine Pelletier chose RahXephon as one of the top 3 anime TV series of 2002,^[39] and Mioko Matsuda agreed, noting mystery, technology and romance. ^[40] Christian Nutt of Anime Jump offered a contrary opinion: "RahXephon's characters fell flat and the grind of its scenario didn't inspire much curiosity, despite some initially awesome ideas". ^[41] En Hong, on the other hand, found the characters to be skilfully developed and believable as "self-conscious entities and not just parts to be filled for the story to progress",^[42] and Charles Solomon called them "engaging". ^[43]

Mike Toole of Anime Jump was impressed by the music, animation and character design;^[44] as was Protoculture's Martin Ouellette. ^[45] Solomon noted the "strikingly original mecha designs"^[43] and Anime Boredom's John Huxley noted the "unusual yet elegant" mecha and the "fluid computer-enhanced" — but not CGI-looking — animation. Computer animation Computer-generated imagery (also known as CGI) is the application of the field of Computer graphics or more specifically 3D computer graphics ^[46]

RahXephon's "brief but not unwelcome" comic moments went over well with Huxley,^[47] and he found the romance "a million miles away from the cheery antics of Love Hina or Ranma 1/2" and "for the most part thoroughly believable". is a Japanese Manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. is a Japanese Manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi with an Anime adaptation ^[46]

Cris Beveridge of Anime on DVD found the final episodes beautiful both in visual style and story, "with the raw emotions coming out of it, in both languages". ^[48] Huxley also liked the conclusion: "Despite falling short of the mark in a few areas this is a satisfying conclusion to a good series. "^[46] On the issue of plot resolution he wrote that RahXephon "keeps the audience guessing right up until the final credits and beyond" but that "the clues are all there" for the viewer to piece together. ^[46] Anime News Network columnist Zac Bertschy called RahXephon a "paragon of responsible storytelling (. Anime News Network (ANN is an Anime industry News Website that reports on the status of Anime, Manga, Japanese popular . . ) No loose strings are left; we see the conclusion of every character’s storyline. " He added that the English voice work "raised the bar across the board. "^[49]

Movie reviews

The TV movie had a more mixed reception than the TV series. Christian Nutt was not excited about the TV series but found the movie to be better: Despite "too much cutting and chopping", he wrote that "the creators have done the best they can with the material. " He added: "the last scene is very touching. It's a big improvement over the TV show. "^[41] Efrain Diaz Jr. of IGN called the movie a "valiant effort", but preferred the TV series and asked, "Why even bother with the movie?"^[50]

Carlo Santos, writing for Anime News Network, recommended the movie both as an "endcap to a remarkable series" and as a sample for those yet to watch it. IGN (abbreviated and formerly known as I magine G ames N etwork is a multimedia news and reviews Website that focuses heavily on Video ^[51] While Chris Beveridge also recommended the movie as an addition to the series, he did not recommend it as a sample for newcomers, "since some of the best revelations are given away so quickly. . . "^[6]

Indeed, reviewers who were not familiar with the series complained about the movie's lack of coherence. Mitchell Hattaway of DVD Verdict "got lost about ten minutes in", considered the movie a waste of money for anybody but RahXephon completists and wrote that "Bones Animation Studio is guilty of contempt for its audience. "^[52] Janet Crocker of Animefringe was confused by the plot as well, but was less confused on the second viewing and looked forward to watching the TV series. She called the movie "intellectually refreshing and visually beautiful" and recommended it "even to non-mecha people like me". ^[53]

Book reviews

Eduardo M. Chavez of Anime on DVD was not impressed by the first volume of the manga, especially when compared to the TV series; he rated it "C minus", though he said it could have worked as a "parody dōjinshi". are self-published Japanese works usually manga or novels They are often the work of amateurs though some professional artists participate as a way to publish material outside the regular ^[10] After the disappointment of volume one, Chavez was pleasantly surprised by the story in the following volumes,^[54] and called it a "story that grew up with its characters", giving it a "B plus". ^[55]

The five-volume novelization was translated to English, but the other novels were not. This is a list of media from the Japanese Science fiction series RahXephon. This is a list of media from the Japanese Science fiction series RahXephon. This translation was marred by a lack of copy editing in the first volume, which was rated "D" by Santos. Copy editing (also copy-editing and copyediting) is the editorial work that an editor does to make Formatting changes and improvements to a manuscript ^[56] The situation was somewhat improved in the second volume, but reviewers did not recommend the novelization as an alternative to the animated versions — only as a source for learning more about the characters and their internal motivations. ^[57]

Comparisons with other anime

Some reviewers, as well as the director, have compared RahXephon with other anime shows. Some of these shows also have staff in common with RahXephon.

Raideen the Brave

The director of RahXephon has said this series is meant to be a sort of modern-day Raideen. is a Super Robot Anime series Produced by Tohokushinsha, Asahi News Agency and Sunrise, it aired on NET (now TV Asahi from 4 April ^[3][9] As such there are similarities between Raideen and RahXephon, particularly in the titular "robots".

• The monsters in both shows are made from earth and rock which is brought to life.
• Akira Hibiki and Ayato Kamina both have mothers who are from a race called the "Mu". This in turn means that both Akira and Ayato have Mu blood.
• Akira and Ayato both "meld" into a surface in order to enter the cockpit of their respective robot. Akira enters via Reideen's forehead; Ayato can enter the RahXephon both directly and through a portal that is separate from the body of the RahXephon.
• The Raideen and the RahXephon both are portrayed as intelligent, sentient beings and possess similar general aesthetics, particularly the human-like face that is covered on the sides. Aesthetics or esthetics ( also spelled æsthetics) is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values sometimes called Both can attack with their voices, and can form a bow with arrows as well as a sword that protrudes out of their right arms. Sonic and ultrasonic weapons (USW are weapons of various types that use sound to injure incapacitate or kill an opponent A bow is a Weapon that projects arrows powered by the elasticity of the bow

Brave Raideen has since been remade into Reideen. is a Japanese animated Television series Remake of the 1975 Super Robot anime Brave Reideen.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

While some English-language reviewers did not mention the popular mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE) in their reviews of RahXephon,^{[43][44][51][6][52][58]} others compared the two explicitly. commonly referred to as NGE, Eva, or Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful influential and controversial Japanese Anime that Some reviewers noted similarities between the series' protagonists and their style and execution of events. ^[42][59] John Huxley noted an episode with "soul searching" sequences reminiscent of NGE with a "hint of Twin Peaks". Twin Peaks is a Television Serial drama that follows the investigation of the brutal murder of popular respected Teenager and homecoming queen ^[60]

After reviewing the first five episodes, Mike Pinsky of DVD Verdict wrote that much of RahXephon was "ripped off completely" from NGE and although finding it to be a good show, he ruled that "This Evangelion Lite tastes good enough, but is much less filling. "^[59] Christian Nutt of Anime Jump had seen the entire show when he wrote that "One of my least favorite aspects of RahXephon is its aping of Evangelion". ^[41] In Protoculture Addicts Mioko Matsuda agreed that the shows were similar, but compared the two in RahXephon's favour: "it is very similar to Evangelion, but in many ways more original and exotic. Protoculture Addicts is a North American Anime and Manga magazine "^[40] In the same magazine, Martin Ouellette went as far as calling RahXephon an NGE "imitation", but was so impressed that he exclaimed "the imitation has surpassed the original!"^[45]

Some reviewers favoured RahXephon because of its more active protagonist^[42] and clearer ending: "Like Evangelion, you have to bend and warp your brain around this thing, but unlike Evangelion, if you think about it, it all makes sense" wrote Zac Bertschy. ^[49] Huxley praised RahXephon for including action sequences in the ending, providing "a more balanced experience". ^[46] RahXephon's story and complex relationships were planned and written early in the production cycle. In contrast, NGE's director stated that he did not know how the show would end,^[61] and production was influenced by the reactions that TV executives and viewers had to previous episodes. ^[62] Although John Oppliger suggested stronger candidates for similarities than NGE, he thought RahXephon's similarity to NGE was intentional:^[63]

“

RahXephon actually borrows far more heavily from Megazone 23 than it does Evangelion, and even Evangelion could be said to be heavily influenced by Megazone 23. AnimeNation is a well-known Retailer of Anime, Manga, and other products of Japanese culture founded in 1995 and located in Tampa is a three-part Original video animation created by Noboru Ishiguro and Shinji Aramaki. I think that in its effort to be purely artistic entertainment, RahXephon knowingly pays homage to both Megazone 23 and Evangelion in the same way Evangelion re-uses the concept of a boy piloting his father's giant robot that was used 20 years before in Mobile Suit Gundam, which itself borrowed the idea from even older shows like Tetsujin 28 and Mazinger. is a televised Anime series created by Sunrise. Written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network Gigantor is the American adaptation of the Anime version of Tetsujin 28-go, a Manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama released in 1956. is a long running series of Manga and Anime featuring giant robots or Mecha.

”

John Huxley found "several similarities" with NGE, but wrote that there were "many, more significant differences",^[64] and concluded that RahXephon "deserves to be recognised outside of its comparisons to a certain Hideaki Anno animation. born 22 May 1960 in Ube Yamaguchi, Japan, is a Japanese animation and film director. "^[46]

Production connections

Anno and Izubuchi, the chief directors of each show, both designed mecha appearing in Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (1988) and they worked together on the Cutie Honey live action movie (2004). is an Anime movie set in the primary Universal Century timeline of Gundam, taking place in UC 0093 is a Japanese Media franchise created by Go Nagai. Cutie Honey first appears on volume 41 of the 1973 edition of Shōnen Champion. Izubuchi had also made some design drafts of the Evangelion units, but did not make the final designs. They sat down for an interview in one of the RahXephon guide books. ^[65] Mitsuo Iso, a writer and key animator on NGE, wrote and directed the RahXephon episode "The Children's Night"; Yoji Enokido wrote the screenplay for RahXephon's "Interested Parties" and NGE's "The Day Tokyo-3 Stood Still". Mitsuo Iso (磯 光雄 Iso Mitsuo) is a Japanese key animator designer Anime Screenwriter and director A key frame in Animation and Filmmaking is a drawing which defines the starting and ending points of any smooth transition. This is a list of media from the Japanese Science fiction series RahXephon. is a Japanese Screenwriter. He is considered an experimental storyteller by anime standards and penned the scripts to such unconventional anime shows as Ouran High School Host This is a list of media from the Japanese Science fiction series RahXephon. is a list of episodes of the 1995 Japanese animated Television series. Takeshi Honda was also an animator on both shows. is a Japanese Animator, designer and Animation director. His nickname is. Gainax was one of many companies contracted for in-between animation work on episodes 6 and 26. is a Japanese Anime studio famous for productions such as The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia The Secret of Blue Water, ^[66] Although no seiyū from NGE voiced characters in the Japanese version of RahXephon, both shows were re-dubbed into English by ADV Films, and both Allison Keith and Tiffany Grant voiced regular characters in both series. A is a Japanese vocal actor Seiyū work in Radio, Television, and movies; they perform voice-overs for non-Japanese movies they provide narration and they In filmmaking, dubbing or looping is the process of recording or replacing voices for a Motion picture. AD Vision (commonly referred to as ADV) is an American international Multimedia entertainment company based in Houston Texas, active Allison Keith is an American Actor and Voice actor who is best-known for her English-dubbing work with ADV Films on such Anime movies Tiffany Lynn Grant (born October 11, 1968) is an American Voice actor who is known for her English-dubbing work with ADV Films on such Anime

Other anime

• AnimeNation's John Oppliger noted influences from Escaflowne, Evangelion, Revolutionary Girl Utena and "especially Megazone 23"^[67][68]
• Charles Solomon compared the premise of RahXephon with that of Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure, but found RahXephon to be "better plotted and executed". AnimeNation is a well-known Retailer of Anime, Manga, and other products of Japanese culture founded in 1995 and located in Tampa is a 26- Episode Anime Television series produced by Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. is a Manga by Chiho Saito and Anime directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara. is a three-part Original video animation created by Noboru Ishiguro and Shinji Aramaki. is a fourteen episode series created in 1999 by Masaki Kajishima and produced by AIC, both well-known for the Tenchi Muyo! franchise ^[43]
• Huxley found the Dolems to be "the star of the show with their bizarre, slightly disturbing designs" reminiscent of Grey. Grey is a Japanese Science fiction Manga created by Yoshihisa Tagami that was published in the 1980s It was also turned into ^[64]
• Anime Jump reviewer Mike Toole compared RahXephon with Brain Powerd on account of the "excellent music", design and a "frustratingly large cast and Byzantine plot", but found RahXephon "more focused". is a 26-episode Anime TV series created by Sunrise and directed and written by Yoshiyuki Tomino. ^[44] He thus disagreed with his colleague, Christian Nutt, who wrote that "[Brain Powerd] may not be as sexy, but it features a more heartfelt and original story". ^[41]

Legacy

After RahXephon Izubuchi went back to design work and it was his assistant director Tomoki Kyoda's turn to be chief director, on Eureka Seven. Eureka Seven, known in Japan as, is a Mecha Anime TV series by Bones. Mitsuo Iso went on from his experience on RahXephon to become the chief director of Dennō Coil. Coil — A Circle of Children, is a Japanese animation Science fiction series depicting a near future where Augmented reality (AR technology RahXephon has been referenced by at least one other anime series, which was also produced by Bones. ^[69]

When asked whether robot anime following RahXephon had "lived up to the new era" Izubuchi answered "Partially yes and partially no" and regretted the focus being on financially safer remakes instead of on new creations. A " remake' " is a term used to described something that has been done again sometimes with better Quality, and usually with more features ^[9] One of Evangelion's producers was similarly frustrated with anime as a whole, stating that much of what was released in the "post-Eva era" was "mass-produced junk". ^[70]

Notes and references

External links

Official sites

• (Japanese) Official website by Media Factory
• (English) Official website by A.D. Vision

Databases

• RahXephon (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• RahXephon at the Internet Movie Database

Directory

• RahXephon at the Open Directory Project
• RahXephon at the Anime Web Turnpike

is a Japanese Publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Chūō Tokyo. AD Vision (commonly referred to as ADV) is an American international Multimedia entertainment company based in Houston Texas, active Anime News Network (ANN is an Anime industry News Website that reports on the status of Anime, Manga, Japanese popular The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory Anime Web Turnpike (also known as Anipike is an Online Anime web site was founded in August 1995 by Jay Fubler Harvey

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