Rahxephon

At first glance, RahXephon could be shelved and dismissed as "Another Giant Robot Anime" or as it is commonly stereotyped "A Poor Man’s Neon Genesis Evangelion". Though it is near impossible to review RahXephon without mentioning and comparing it with Hideaki Anno's groundbreaking series, the stand-alone quality of the series should merit a review free of comparisons or need for substitution. It is ironic, that the mulish, diehard fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion are those who have bestowed such a debasing and rancorous title on RahXephon, as this is ultimately the only alternative to quality of such an immense magnitude as Evangelion offered in 1995. Evangelion fans will have to take the palpable parallels with a pinch of salt, and do as I did in enjoying RahXephon for its individual merits and prestige.

Ayato Kamina is to RahXephon as Shinji Ikari was to Neon Genesis Evangelion, forced into leaving his mundane routines of school and leisurely pursuits to have the world he thought he knew fall from beneath him. On a seemingly normal day, Ayato's home city of Tokyo falls under attack by giant flying aircraft. The 17-year old flees the wreckage of the subway and tries to find shelter anywhere possible, but is instead drawn to Xephon Temple, the resting ground of an enormous egg, after encountering a classmate on his frantic scurries across town. It is at the Xephon Temple that Ayato’s troubles kick off, as the teenager learns of his connection with an enormous automaton (mech if you will) nestling inside the oversized egg. After discovering his deviant destiny as pilot of RahXephon, Ayato later learns that his 17 years of content in Tokyo have been false.

It’s hard to discuss RahXephon without giving too much away, but by the third episode you know that Studio BONES have something truly magnificent on their hands. RahXephon's pivotal characters are established and explored from the get-go, and the series wastes little time in revealing the insecurities and intricacies of the cast. The plot tends to race around for the first couple of episodes, but it would take a pretty impatient viewer to be deterred by the chaotic opening couple. After the story is founded, RahXephon breaks away from rivals and peers as the plot becomes laden with surprises, suspense, secrecy and tremendous heights of ambiguity. Again this is the adopted formula that made Neon Genesis Evangelion so widely successful, but opting to sequester the religious symbolism that Evangelion was unfortunately criticised for by a select few assessors.

I’ll try to steer away from Neon Genesis Evangelion comparisons for the remainder of this review, as I’m sure readers have already grown tired of its constant citing. Still, keep your heads if the name does pop up once or twice. There’s the odd series that comes along that spoils all the acmes and zeniths of the plot with horrific animation, or substandard to stay the least, but RahXephon is one of the only series that I can wholeheartedly say maintains a high standard in both areas of production throughout. Though originality isn’t the forte of such a style, its fluidity and grandeur assures sceptics that matured methods can still amaze and astound a candid audience. The use of CG animation may not rival the titanic degrees of the crown bearing Vandread, but it surprisingly fits the celluloid animation so well that it is often hopeless to try and distinguish the two.

RahXephon relies heavily on sound in many aspects of plot building; RahXephon itself for example, uses a sound-based attack as his greatest form of offence, and such characters as Kisaragi Quon are ardent performers on a wealth of instruments, a violin in Quon's case. This brings forth the opportunity for many musical breaks in the show, opportunities that Studio BONES seize very often and present chilling, sombre and melodic solos. The naive amongst us will detest such an approach for the musical score, but in defence of the title I would bluntly say that this isn’t a show for idiots.

What I mean of course is that RahXephon explores a pantheon of themes that those familiar to Dragon Ball, Narrator and Pokemon would not be able to keep up with. Viewers must keep in mind that RahXephon was not a shallow attempt at grabbing ratings for TV Osaka, and it was most certainly not BONES’ financial trump. Personally, I see the series as a cultured effort at redefining what can and cannot be done in the anime industry. Whether it is indeed their spin on the Neon Genesis Evangelion (there I go again) formula is irrelevant, as RahXephon is a magnificent series that I certainly rank amongst my all-time favourites. I was shocked, moved, astounded and compelled to re-watch the series a number of times after fathoming out the enigmatic climax. If a series can do this much for one man, then it must be something worth your enquiry. Right? Thought so.

Reviews

Neon Genesis Evangelion
Patlabor the Movie
Rahxephon

Patlabor the Movie

The Patlabor franchise could well be described as a vast continent consisting of many independent countries. What on earth does this bizarre analogy mean you ask? Well the point I am attempting to put across is that each element of Patlabor can be viewed independently of the others. That is to say, you will not enjoy the long-running series any less if you have seen the trilogy of movies first and vice versa. In fact, with the limited availability of both OVA titles and the 47-episode TV series, the majority of fans will only have seen the Patlabor movies. It seems quite odd in fact that the movies are so readily available, while the other components of the franchise are quite hard to come by. But I digress, so on with the critique!

The result of great leaps in the field of robotics, Labors (the various mecha throughout the franchise) have become commonplace in workforces throughout the world. These bipedal mecha are perfect for heavy construction work, but also have various military applications. Sadly, with this new technology comes an all-new form of crime: Labor crime. In order to combat this, the police force has established the Special Vehicles Unit. These Patrol Labors are dubbed Patlabors (for obvious reasons) and act as the first line of defence against rogue Labor pilots, or defective Labor units. In this, the first Patlabor movie, a scientist on the Babylon project, a Dr. E. Hoba, mysteriously commits suicide by throwing himself from "the Arc"; a vast new Labor production factory. Dr. Hoba was the developer of the new HOS (Hyper Operating System) that has propelled Labors into a new realm of performance. However, a great storm is brewing around Tokyo with a worrying increase in the number of Labor crimes all over the city. It seems that Labors have been going rogue: functioning on their own, causing mass panic and baffling the military and police forces. Could the HOS be at the centre of this? And if so, just what is Hoba?s master plan? Only the plucky young members of Special Vehicles Unit division 2 can solve this case, but time is fast running out.

Though Patlabor features an array of impressive looking mecha, and the franchise is marketed on this basis, this movie is very much a detective story. From the start we are filled with intrigue: an unknown man commits suicide, but why? The military hunt down and capture a rogue Labor that when they open up has no pilot, but how could that Labor escape from the military all on its own? All of this is established in the opening 10 minutes of the movie, and sets the tone for the remainder. Something important to establish now is that if all out mecha mayhem is what you want, then perhaps a title such as Gundam Wing or Platinumhugen Ordian would suit you better. Patlabor certainly features some excellent mecha action, but it is far from the focus of the story.

Director Mamoru Oshii (also known for his work on Ghost in the Shell) certainly knew exactly how he wanted to portray the detective story that he had come up with, as is obvious in the various ways that the story is told. A prominent feature of the movie is the birds-eye view of Tokyo. This depicts the city in a calm and almost surreal fashion; something like a sleeping giant, waiting for something to happen. The birds-eye view technique is best employed when it follows the detective's investigation into Hoba?s life and his many places of residence. In these scenes, music is also excellently employed, as eerie violins play in the background, and the investigation is depicted through the animation rather than dialogue. Following a similar theme, the story is told in quite an ingenious fashion, with the standard narrator replaced by a series of news reports from news copters or on-scene locations.

Oshii's philosophy of detailed realism is yet again self-evident through the title's setting, animation and character designs. The man himself has stated on previous occasions that his stories start by copying the real world, then using his imagination to create new, yet believable additions to this world. Presumably he was referring to the Mobile Police Force and Labors that he has created. Despite the movie's 1989 vintage, the animation and character designs are simply pristine. The level of detail in all areas of the movie is fantastic; with the various images of old and new Tokyo the most inspiring. The characters themselves, though created in a now abandoned style, look excellent and really carrying over Oshii?s dedication to realism. Sticking with the characters for a moment, it is also a great asset to the movie (and in fact the entire franchise) that the central cast of Mobile Police Officers and Patlabor mechanics are so diverse and unique. Of the lot, Captain Goto has to be one of the most intriguing with his laid back manner and understated authority over his team. The cast are a delectable treat for any viewer, and give the titles a more universal appeal.

Through his excellent recreation of modern Tokyo and fantastic story telling, Mamoru Oshii has produced one of the most memorable animated movies of the last few decades. Patlabor has it all: an intriguing and well thought out plot, an excellent core of central characters, splendid animation, intense though sparse mecha action scenes and even a few sprinklings of well deployed humour. This title is a memorable one for me, and at the time of writing I have watched it four times without any decrease in enjoyment. Taking into account that the Manga Entertainment boxed set including both this and the second movie is readily available, and there really is no excuse not to enjoy the fantastic world (or continent) of Patlabor.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion was released upon the world with little more than whimper. Nobody, not even the great intellects of studio GAINAX, could have predicted just how much this ill-promoted series would impact the world of anime and irrevocably change it for years to come. Not content with mere artistic genius and a never before seen take on the mecha genre, Neon Genesis Evangelion calls into question the very moral fibres that much of the modern world is based upon, and in an instant turns our beliefs of God and Angels into a story of mankind's ultimate battle for survival.

Set in the year 2015, 14 years after the horrific Second Impact that melted the polar ice caps and threw the human race into turmoil, Evangelion sees mankind face the greatest of foes; menacing biological titans known as Angels. These towering behemoths have begun their assault on the fortress city of Neo Tokyo 3, prompting the activation and subsequent use of mans last and only defence: the Evangelions. As Eva Unit 01 emerges from NERV's underground headquarters onto the streets of Neo Tokyo, the ultimate battle for survival commences. There can be only man or angel; there is no half way point, no compromise and no mercy as the battle for man's very existence begins with the tentative first steps of an Eva pilot; a terrified 14 year old boy.
A far cry from the likes of Mobile Suit Gundam, Evangelion is not for the faint of heart. Never before has mankind?s struggle against enemies of titanic proportions been quite so graphic or thought provoking. Indeed, many an intelligent person has been confounded at the complexity and true meaning of the Evangelion story. The series not only questions all forms of modern religion, but makes a point of highlighting man's great strength and great weakness: the desire for something more than just what we can see and touch; an urge to find more than just the tangible. To watch this series from start to finish and then move onto the subsequent movies: End of Evangelion and Death and Rebirth is a great undertaking. I can guarantee that it will require more than just one viewing.

Though the frown-inducing plot is clearly Eva's predominant strength, great mind must also be paid to the breathtaking animation and infallible mecha design that GAINAX has had the courtesy to bless us with. Unlike the clunky, erratic appearance and movement of most other mecha designs, Eva offers the viewer something entirely different. Something, you might say, that seems almost in the image of god, but created by man. The fluid motion of these living titans is something to behold and at the same time, another reason to buy this series on DVD for the ultimate viewing experience.

The vast cast of characters surrounding the main character, Shinji Ikari, is yet another draw to the Evangelion franchise. It is fair to say that it is each character's flaws and imperfections that makes them so intriguing to watch as they begin to grow together and, sad as it seems, fight their own inner battles. Without a doubt it is the relations between characters and their inner struggles that drive the Eva story from start to finish. For a pleasant change of pace, it is the machines that take a back seat to the humans this time around.

Add to all of the above a musical score that truly gets the heart pounding during action sequences and Evangelion is rounded off very nicely. A ground breaking piece of entertainment if ever there was one, Neon Genesis Evangelion is sure to have you scratching your head in awe and disbelief as the true events of the Second Impact are unfurled and the inhuman plans of special agency SEELE come to the fore. This is a must-buy anime and will remain as such for many years to come.

A Beginning of Sorts

Welcome readers to the Orient Express Archive; a day-dreamer's return to what was once the source of great satisfaction to all who took part in the project. Orient Express had many predecessors, and a few successors too, but none surpassed the achievement of the site as it was in 2004. Many believe that the project died in its infancy; failing to reach the upper echelons of the online anime community which it was very much capable of. In truth, the site ran its course well, but hit the ceiling quickly as many sites of that nature do. The commitment and resources required were simply not available to progress the project to the next stage. Various incarnations and attempted kick-starts followed, but it was quickly apparent that the site that had been was no more. So here readers, for my own pleasure as much as anyone else’s, will be the home of the Orient Express Archive; a compilation of all that remains of the glory days. Enjoy.