Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Orbmaster1234
When taking a critical lens to RahXephon it is almost impossible divorce it from comparisons to its blatant inspiration Evangelion. This show makes use of characters, themes, aesthetics, etc that can be found in Eva. Despite this, the show still deserves its flowers for not absolutely bungling the execution on most of it and standing on its own in a lot of ways. Because of this the rest of the review will not include any comparisons to Eva and let the work stand on its own.
Story (6):
On the surface RahXephon's story is quite confusing. For the first quarter almost nothing is explained and the viewer is dragged along as things happen. Once things progress and more information is drip-fed episode by episode it begins to become clear that the story of RahXephon is actually quite simple, bu…
Read at the sourceMako10
I’ll go ahead and say that Rahxephon was deeply flawed. It essentially tries to copy Evangelion's general themes and characters but was executed so poorly that the show is worse than its inspiration. Christian symbols are replaced with Aztec/Mayan and characters have somewhat changed. All of this is fine but the execution was poor.
One thing wrong with the show is how it mishandles point of view (POV) for the audience. The show bounces between multiple POV inside TERRA, the earth defense force against the alien Mu. It’s a mystery when the scientist/research arm tries to uncover the truth to Rahxephon. It’s a mecha action when Ayato suits up and fights. It’s a romance drama when the female crew deals with complicated relationships. All these subplots are fine but were so disjointed and poor…
Read at the sourceTimordecai
I don’t really know what to say, seems I’m still digesting everything I saw, ultimately very good. I would like to “sing” this show praises (pun intended), as there are many moments that have stood out to me as the most shocking and interesting twists and revelations I’ve seen in any series.
The score. Wow, I mean the soundtrack alone, such beautiful compositions as well as perfect tones and spot on creative sound design. The editing of this show, as well as the animation for being a 2002 animated tv series (done by Bones no less) has some stand out episodes. Though I will say there’s a few frames here and there where they were obviously just moving character models up and down instead of animating walking, but I’ll give it a pass because from the halfway point onward the whole show real…
Read at the sourceCreepyphasma101
RahXephon is good. At times it gets to the point where I say wtf and other times where I am at the edge of my seat. The Ending was enjoyable as well.
The highlight for me was the characters and sound of this show. The sound was very fitting with the theme for this show.
The story is alright, nothing really mindblowing but it is an enjoyable ride. There was one episode towards the end where I felt really f****** bad for the MC, tough luck kid. The one thing that kept bothering me was the fact that the story kept revealing that certain people were related to the MC to the point where it was annoying and didn't really have any impact.
Art was at times both good and bad. Sometimes the magic of bones animation shined and other times it looked rough. But it didn't bother me overall.
For t…
Read at the sourceKryptonot_7471
Despite it's interesting plot and setting, things in it seemed to be badly explained (NOT as in - went over your head, BUT rather either explained too early or too late for any drama.)
All of the main characters felt really fucking cliched even though it's side-characters were great. It still ruined the quality overall. it nearly felt like a fucking harem at points and I really hated that as well. the main romance was also extremely forced, but at least the last episode explained it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. (like I said, too late for that. the show is literally over by the time they get to it. so all of the dramatic moments earlier just feel hollow.)
In terms of characters they nail the side characters but the main leads are incredibly shallow.
Haruka was upsettingly disingenious from the very beginn…
Read at the sourceBalsamina
This is a tale of love crossing and enduring time...
A tale of maturation and liberation...
A tale of finding your true self, discovering your true yearning and understanding and accepting oneself and finally, expressing all of that...
Admittedly, this tale is not for everyone. In my younger days, I once attempted to watch this but could not quite stomach the symbol-laden style of storytelling and my experience was akin to looking for a fun tale to read and coming across a complex Shakespearean work. More than this, Rahxephon's symbolism is not one that the majority of post-Christian societies will readily understand -- much of the work's influences are derived from the Mayan/Aztecs and James Churchward's idea of the lost continent of Mu. If you are not one who is receptive to a story t…
Read at the sourceMFbaba
“Good artists borrow, great artists steal”- Pablo Picasso
As you have most likely seen by the latter reviews, this is the Studio Bones version of Evangelion. Numerous characteristics are taken or perhaps stolen. The most obvious of them are the character models in which the narrative is woven around. Ayato and Shinji share similar feelings of loss, hopelessness, grief, and sadness. When I reflect on their journey's, I personally can relate to their coming of age voyages. Let's dig a bit, shall we?
Story: There are various opinions on the story. Here's my schpeal: the story is complex, complex to the point of intriguing confusion. Sorry for not having an IQ of 690, I had to look up the more minute details on the wiki. I'm a sucker for slow burns with dialogue that causes you to pause an…
Read at the sourceRecynon
Rahxephon is both underrated and overrated. It's underrated because its confusing world and concepts and weak mecha battles turn off viewers who were looking for strong action and romance, before they have a chance to really decipher Rahxephon's message. It's overrated because like Wolf's Rain, this message is executed well by the story but not by the characters, which prevents it from fully capitalizing its massive emotional potential.
I can see why this series only has a 7.5 average raiting- it doesn't hook you in with bombastic mecha action nor oversaturated emotional drama. Its battles are cerebral experiences and its characters are relatively subdued. Character motivations and emotions take a while to unearth and understand. This is a series that takes at least two rewatches to appr…
Read at the sourceQuiddity131
RahXephon originally aired on TV in 2002 and was one of the earliest anime produced by BONES, a studio that was formed when certain staff members from Sunrise, the industry’s foremost producers of mecha anime, broke off to form their own studio. It was the directorial debut of Yutaka Izubuchi, a veteran mecha and character designer who got his start back in the 1970s.
RahXephon’s plot starts in rather complicated fashion. We are introduced to Ayato Kamina, a 17 year old high school student who is an aspiring artist. Ayato and the general populace believe Tokyo to be the only city remaining on the Earth after a mysterious force known as the Mu invaded in 2012. When an enemy force attacks Tokyo, Ayato’s world is suddenly thrown upside down. After departing a crashed subway car, Ayato is pur…
Read at the sourcePain_Amvs
People are used to being fed information and not using their problem solving skills in most anime. Rahxephon does the opposite of that. You will have to use your problem skills, connect all the dots and watch it without distractions or you will find yourself lost and displeased with the ending.
If you are able to understand the symbolism, the camera angles, use of lighting and the emotions that these characters are really feeling, you will come to find yourself to really enjoy this. Score:10/10 in my books.
I found the story telling to be very consistent if you were paying attention by the way.
Read at the sourceasyrannh
Ima be honest. I am not that familiar with mecha anime because they all make my head fuzzy and I really start to get confused with shit. Like this anime confused me on who the hell was good and who the hell was actually bad. But of course as you can see from my rating, I really liked it.
(May contain spoilers.....sort of?Yes contains some spoilers)
Story
---> So the story is about this guy who is just fucked up in time. Apparently Tokyo was separated with Japan or some shit like that and those in the dome, time is slowed down. So basically 1 second inside of the dome is equal to like 4 seconds outside the dome (if i did my maths right). Now to back up my statement, oh yea and before that here is kinda a spoiler but not really an important one, Ayato and Haruka's age difference is 12 year…
Read at the sourceDyantier
A Christian's Anime Review
RahXephon
Discernment Topics
Violence: \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Mechs and pseudo-organic creatures engage in melee combat and blast each other with energy. Blue blood often sprays as a result of wounds.
Some people are shot, stabbed, and crushed off-screen in disasters. Blood is minimal.
Military vehicles engage in combat with pseudo-organic creatures... and subsequently get exploded. (Because when has the military ever been able to fight mysterious monsters without the help of a protagonist?) Language:\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Frequent mild language.
Spiritual Content:\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
References to Mayan religion…
Read at the sourceJohnPerez
REVIEW WITH NO SPOILERS
This is an anime that I really did not understand nothing in the beggining. You need to really pay attention... it's not an "easy-to-watch-anime" or something to pass the time.
It's the kind of anime that you watch to think, or maybe refflect about its story.
So I admit this is not an anime for everybody... especially if you want a spetacular animation (it's not a bad animation, it's actually fine if you consider the time it was made).
But considering the technical aspects it's a BRILLIANT anime. And I did'nt enjoy it too much... it's more like a really deep type of mecha.
So, if you are looking for a reflective, "hard-to-understand" and complex mecha, with great characters (main and supporting), RahXephon it's what you're looking for!
Read at the sourcegirib6y
The main reason why I'm doing this review is to at least try to show that it has NOTHING to do with eva.
Be aware that the manga, anime and the movie are all different. I recommend you start it with this order: ova-anime-movie-manga. At least, this was the one that worked for me, just change it if you want to.
Why not the novel? Well, if you'll be able to find it somewhere, then read it after the anime.
STORY
As you read before, the plot is Terra vs Mulians, the ancient people with blue blood that wants to regain the world from humans, the red blooded people that has their hearts full of despair.
The story evolves Ayato's being the only pilot for Rahxephon, a god who controls fate but it's main goal is to grant pilot's happiness/desire.
ART
Oh, the times where anime wasn't full of C…
Read at the sourceDarkRavie
RahXephon tells the story of Ayato Kamina, a student in Tokyo who dreams of being a painter. One day, Tokyo is attacked by an unknown force and Ayato is lead by his mysterious classmate Reika Mishima to the giant clay doll called the RahXephon. With the RahXephon, Ayato discovers that the world he knew is false and he is now the deciding factor in a war between two races over the fate of the Earth.
My thoughts:
This anime was addicting. I started watching and couldn't stop. It's a good thing I have all the episodes on my computer. RahXephon is a 'mecha' type anime but with a more in-depth story than Evangelion. The characters are more developed and have bite to them. There are no wishy-washy characters in Rah. The art is awesome, and the supporting cast fit perfectly. The story begins an…
Read at the sourceGrayRealm
This is....
This is on evangelion level. To be precise, it is on the level evangelion could've been, if things went differently, and circumstances aroudn first evangelion were more favorable... if Shinji wasn't a wuss, if the story was more complex. So perhaps you could say it surpasses even Evangelion.
This anime, Rahxephon, is without a doubt on masterpiece level. From the beginning that starts with an amazingly well done mindscrew, it presents a complex story resembling a puzzle, that is being shown out of order to you. Fior the duration of 26 episodes, it keeps throwing more and more pieces of the puzzle at you, and each piece you get is well crafted and well done. But even in the end at the final episode you'll still have to think and piece everything together by yourself. So do not…
Read at the sourceCrimsnBullet
Ah... RahXephon...
Where do I even begin?
First off, if you're walking into this with expectations, you'll be disappointed. If you have almost no expectations at all (Like I did), you'll still be disappointed.
Story:
I find it funny how people can praise this as being, “Well written,” or say it has a, “Complex story,” seriously...
If you thought either of those things after watching this the whole way through, then you need to see a doctor. Yes, I know there's different ways of telling a story, but then there's just throwing a bunch of random bull!@#$ at the viewers with no context or meaning. Yet, people seem to have a big enough of an imagination that they force themselves (And others) to believe that, if it doesn't make sense you just have to, “Think harder,” because every little t…
Read at the sourcevittumainen
RahXepon was.. something different. Wildly experimental and strikingly abstract, RahXepon shows a great potential in its early episodes. Does it live up to the expectations? Well, not quite.
The show draws a lot of strong influences from other works of art, namely Neon Genesis Evangelion and The Lost Continent of Mu. You can draw many parallels between NGE and RahXepon, that is not to say that RahXepon isn't innovative or original, it is, but with that being said ..
Opening episode starts great. The story kicks off with Tokyo being invaded and our main character Ayato Kamina finding himself in the middle of all of this. While looking for help he encounters his former classmate Mishima Reika, stringing him along a number of puzzling events. He is attacked by government officials and then…
Read at the sourcetagbadger
Worth seeing all the way to the end, managing both to improve upon the Eva formula in some areas while suffering in others.
What I thought it did well:
- Relationships between various characters were generally well done. This is clearly a major theme of the show, and overall I liked it.
- It was well acted. Even the english dub seemed solidly written and performed.
- The ending felt conclusive. Even built on the Eva model, it was clear the writers knew how they wanted to end the show, and I enjoyed it.
- The 2nd half was a big improvement over the 1st half, being far more interesting and did better to explain what was going on. The 1st half did not do well trying to be both mysterious and entertaining.
- Characters generally seemed consistent and mostly interesting. No one was straight up…
Read at the sourceggultra2764
Rahxephon is an entry in the super robot genre of mecha anime focused on teenager Ayato Kamina coming to realize his seemingly ordinary life is a complete fabrication when he is caught in the middle of a conflict between the blue-blooded Mulian race and a military organization known as TERRA fighting to oppose their attempts to take over the world. Becoming the chosen pilot of the mecha Rahxephon, Ayato fights to protect humanity against the Mulian threat while trying to make sense of what is real to him and who he can trust in a crisis where he feels like a pawn to both sides fighting in the conflict.
Before I get going on the review, I should address one infamous bit of contention that older mecha anime fans usually go off about and that is accusing Rahxephon of being an Evangelion ripo…
Read at the source
