RahXephon - Vol 1 [2003] [DVD]

The animation and soundtrack of RahXephon is absolutely stunning, as are many of the voice actors in the American dub. As I have already said, the plot seems to be a cross between many other stories but all of the characters are very deep and so I expect they will develop very well through out the series. It also manages, like animes such as Trigun, Outlaw Star and Generator Gawl, to be serious and have some humour at the same time and so it lightens the mood and so prevents it from being overly dark and depressing. I love this anime and will certainly watch it more. I would reccomend it to everyone ^0^

But for all the similarities RahXephon is so much more than Evangelion. Rahxephon is every bit as complex but the plot development is better paced and more thorough, so while there are plenty of twists and subplots, it has a proper ending and can be followed with some thought. Evangelion leaves too many things unanswered, even with the revised ending, ultimately reducing the overall enjoyment of the series. Sequences in Rahxephon, such the majority of episode 11 are explained, so you can see the relevance and how it adds to the overall story, this is something that the ambitious Gasaraki suffers from as well, as much as I adore that series.

Character development takes another step forward. The balance between action and character sequences is perfect allowing each character to develop fully, making you understand them and wanting to know more about their personality and history.

The animation is absolutely amazing and the whole series just looks incredible. Character, vehicle and location design is first class and you will never tire of the visuals.

The first volume surprisingly for ADV contains 5 episodes (although the latter volumes contain the usual ADV stitch up of 3 episodes per disc). These episodes hook you into the story incredibly well and build a superb foundation of the world of RahXephon on which to build the rest of the series.

In my opinion....MUCH better than Evangelion, everything is superior about it. Once you start watching it you will want to go out and buy the entire series as it is that good.

For any Mecha anime fan an essential purchase.