June 21, 2006

RahXephon Episode 10 - "War In the Remembrance [ Sonata of Recollection ]"

Today is part of Commander Kunagi's backstory, which makes this a compelling episode which doesn't overly rely on flashbacks.

SUMMARY:
The episode opens with a Dolem attack. Elvy and her squadron are attacking the Dolem, while it lashes out at the RahXephon, which attacks and slices apart it apart. A barrage of missiles from the jets finish it off.

On the TERRA HQ bridge, Haruka comments on how well Ayato has been doing - that he seems to have no doubts anymore. Kunagi comments that there isn't a person alive who has no doubts. Moving forward, we find Kunagi in his office in the dark, with Quon playing a violin piece for him.

The next day, Souichi arrives at the Commander's office to deliver his mail. He reports there is nothing going on and that he wishes these peaceful days could go on forever, as he looks at the Commander's blue bird (in cage). In his mail, the Commander notices a specific letter. He tells Souichi that he'll be gone for about 24 hours and that Souichi is in charge. Souichi asks him why he never gets a mate for his bird "friend" - that she looks lonely... before asking "She is a girl, isn't she?"

On the way out, Kunagi runs into Watari, who mentions that he was on his way to the planning session for the Mu War Memorial Service, which is apparently a sort of rememberance day for the events of the war. Watari comments that he doesn't mean to antagonize Kunagi by referring to the Memorial, saying he knows that today is a "special day" for Kunagi and that he should take it easy.

Ayato and Megumi are apparently about to go out to run errands. As they walk through TERRA HQ, they see Quon. When Ayato calls her name and she turns to say "Yes, Ollin?", Megumi asks "Ollin?". Ayato asks where Quon is going, and she replies that she "left something at Jin's." Megumi and Ayato don't know a Jin, wondering who that might be. On the bridge, the TERRA male crew are discussing what makes women happy. As Ayato and Megumi arrive, they ask Megumi what pleases girls to get - gifts like flowers and such. She replies in a joking manner "Sure, I'll have mine now.", but the bridge crew says she has Ayato for such things, to which she replies "Are you crazy? He puts soy sauce on his fried shrimp!" which of course starts the typical Megumi-Ayato banter. At this point, Isshiki walks in, chastising them for their childishness and wondering at the fact that these people are the first line of defense against the Mu. Souichi also arrives to explain that he'll be in charge as Commander Kunagi is out for the day. Isshiki walks off, commenting "I hope you won't make too many mistakes in the Commander's absence." The crew comments that it's an odd day, and Megumi follows this up by mentioning they ran into Quon, who had said she left something at "Jin's". The crew tries to think of who could be named Jin, when Kim
mentions that she is surprised that none of them know that Commander Kunagi's first name is Jin. As the crew reacts with shock to the fact that Quon is leaving things at "Jin's house", Ayato receives a call from Dr. Itsuki. Souichi mentions that Quon is often at the Commander's house late at night, a fact which makes the male bridge crew jealous. Itsuki asks Ayato to stop by his house, and Souichi asks Megumi to accompany him.

We flash to Quon, who is in the Commander's office and stops to look at the bird in the cage. Flashing back to the bridge, Kim is asking why Quon is always at the Commander's place, mentioning that Quon really isn't with TERRA or the military. Souichi mentions that Ayato is the same way, because he has a special ability to pilot the RX. He says that Quon is the same way, that she has some kind of special ability to help out.

Kunagi is at home, listening to a recording or phone call (it's not clear which at this point) of a young girl talking about her music and how much she misses Kunagi, and that she hopes he'll be at her next recital. At Itsuki's house, Megumi is looking at some flowers which have bloomed while Ayato listens to a recording of music that Quon has done recently. Apparently, the music caused the flowers to bloom in a different manner from the seed stock that they should have been. Itsuki mentions that he would have asked Quon about it, but he doesn't think she knows what she has caused to happen. Ayato reacts to the song he is listening to. He tells Itsuki that there's something not right about the song - that listening to it makes you sadder and sadder through its dissonance and discord.

Quon is playing her violin, and as we see her doing so, we flash to Kunagi, who is driving. He wanders around town, and we flash back to his office, where we see his bird is apparently wearing a ring on her foot. Kunagi has apparently run into Futagami in a watch/jewelry store. Kunagi buys a watch, and when Futagami asks the salesman to see the same watch, he is astounded by the price. Back at the house, Itsuki finds Quon crouching on the floor. She seems to be disturbed by the fact that she can't complete her music, saying something isn't right. He comments to her that Ayato said the same thing, to which she replies that Ayato understands because Quon and Ayato are alike, but then she wonders aloud "Will Jin be alright?"

Futagami thanks Kunagi for helping him find a stuffed animal toy for his niece. Kunagi turns to leave, but Futagami surprises him by saying "There's no need to be in a hurry, the ship won't be leaving port for a while." Futagami speaks to Kunagi about Watari attending the memorial planning service, then says they need to clear a few things up about the war. They talk about what happened when the Mu showed up - apparently American troops in Japan were said to fire first, leading to America's downfall in prestige. He says though that there were always rumored that the Americans were ordered to fire first, someone from the Japanese (I think) National Defense Force, and that this person dumped the blame on his subordinate,
which damaged that subordinate's career, and then vanished. This subordinate was also tricked or forced into using a tactical fusion bomb against the Mu, and it apparently led to the loss of a city. It is clear from the tone of the discussion and flashbacks that Kunagi was the subordinate under the military official who vanished, and that he didn't want to attack, but he was forced to do so by his superior. Futagami clearly knows this information, and asks why Kunagi is the commander of TERRA and not someone else. Kunagi surprises Futagami by mentioning that Futagami must have a connection to the Federation, causing Futagami to laugh about "being caught". Kunagi asks if Futagami can leave him alone, and as he walks off, Futagami mentions "Atonement for his sins..."

Back at Itsuki's, Quon leaves to go somewhere. On the streets of Nirai-Kinai, Ayato and Megumi (who is carrying some of the flowers seen at Itsuki's) run into Elvy and Haruka, who tease them about being on a date. Megumi mentions she got the flowers from Itsuki, insisting that they're not on a date. Megumi teases Haruka about having been out drinking, and they all tease Elvy about not drinking too much. She responds by grabbing Ayato's sleeve and saying "You're coming with me."

They go to a nearby arcade/bar. where Megumi reveals that she just learned Kunagi's first name is Jin, which Haruka seems to have already known. Megu mentions that they were talking about where the Commander might have gone, to which Haruka says that all she really needs to know is that it's a special day for the Commander. Megumi is upset that her sister "knows it all." Ayato and Elvy are dogfighting in an air combat game. Ayato is doing well, but Elvy eventually wins, shooting him down after distracting him with a compliment on his skills in the RX. As they leave, she asks him how long he intends to keep piloting.

As they (Ayato and Megumi) are walking home, Megu remembers that they forget to get a vase while in town for the flowers. Ayato asks her if she wants to go back, but she declines, saying instead that they should go look at the ships. In harbor is a restaurant cruise ship that Megumi mentions circles the island and is a hot date spot. Futagami comes across them (again, asking the humorous "On a date?" question) and points out Kunagi is getting on the ship. Megumi thinks that he must be on a date, and Futagami says she is sort of right - that the date is with his daughter - today is her birthday. Megu has an idea.

On the ship, Kunagi meets up with a woman who doesn't seem thrilled to see him. It's difficult to describe this scene without the reader seeing it, but apparently Kunagi was surprised the woman came, and they talk about how the girl in the video had a future. The girl in the video was Kunagi and the woman's daughter. Kunagi missed out on much of her childhood because of work, until she died in the war, presumably in the fusion bomb strike which Kunagi ordered. The woman mentions that she is leaving Japan, that she's changing her name, and that they likely won't see each other again - too many bad
memories. Before she leaves, she gives Kunagi an envelope with a piece of music, which is apparently the last page of a piece of music - the one Quon has been playing for him. Just then, a waiter arrives with the flowers Megu had, the stuffed squirrel Futagami had, and a note about how he should have a gift when meeting a girl. His ex-wife goes to leave, but he thanks her for coming.

Outside, Ayato wonders if they should have done anything, saying that sometimes family matters are something that outsiders can't understand. They head home.

Kunagi then heads to a graveyard, where Quon is waiting. Kunagi gives her the last sheet, asking her if she can play it for him. She's happy to do so for him, and she plays as he places the flowers on his daughter's grave, saying he knows that she is lonely, but she won't be much longer, but that he has things he must do. We notice the name Michiru on the grave, and at last we see that same name is on the ring on the bird's leg in his office.

Posted by Drylnn at 07:26 PM | Comments (0)

June 20, 2006

RahXephon Episode 9 - "Sanctuary [Small Shrine of Time]"

This is the episode that I saw on G4 that made me investigate this series. It was the first episode of RahXephon that I had seen, and since I started in at the Lighthouse part, it took me a while to figure out what series I had seen.

Summary:
Futagami is still investigating the island, travelling around asking questions of the various people. We are only given bits and pieces of what he is finding out, most noteworthy the concept of being "spirited forth", or the reverse of being spirited away, but we are offered no information on what this means. He makes one final comment: "First dig up a shrine, and then a god descends."

Ayato is running more tests for TERRA. Dr. Itsuki asks him to make the shield on his arm (as seen in the previous ep). Ayato concentrates on making the shield, but fails to do so, earning a lecture from Isshiki about how he doesn't know why they're keeping him. He continues his reprimand by saying that Ayato not knowing about what it took to bring him out would be "criminal" and he tells Ayato that as the representative of the Earth Federation, he represents mankind. There is clearly tension, and as Ayato goes to leave, Isshiki orders Sayoko to escort him home. After telling them "Happy New Year" in a sarcastic manner (and they leave), Isshiki tells Itsuki that he knows that Itsuki "wants to try it."

Back at home, Megumi finds Haruka cleaning out her room - the place is a mess and Megumi comments on how Haruka is always listening to the old music. Outside the house, Quon is waiting for Ayato. In typical odd Quon fashion, she says he is having doubts about where he belongs as she listens to his heartbeat. Megumi walks out just then, chewing out Ayato as she says he needs to sleep because they're going to the beach tomorrow. Quon seems intrigued, and Megumi essentially has to invite her along. Just then, it's the new year.

At the beach, some of the TERRA crew unwinds. As usual, Ayato is drawing, this time a picture of Quon standing at the end of a pier. Kim notices and comments on how good he is, drawing the attention of Elvy and Kathy (the female jet pilot in Elvy's squadron), and they fight over who should be the model. As they battle, Kim grabs the sketchbook, and notices the pictures of Mishima inside, asking Ayato who all the pictures are of. Megumi also wants to see, so Kim shows her, and Megumi seems a bit angry. Ayato comments it is someone from school, and Kim says "Without the Mu, you both might have been high school sweethearts." Ayato mentions that without the Mu, for starters, they'd both be 29 with the 12 year lag. Kim comments that the whole situation is weird; that if Ayato hadn't been inside TJ, he'd be older than her and about the same age as Haruka and Itsuki. Kim asks if he has any memories of the war, but Ayato says that Itsuki told him that the Mu fabricated memories in his head, but he says he is sure he'll remember the truth someday. Haruka listens to this discussion from a nearby chair, seeming worried.

In the meantime, Sayoko is trying to hack into the information on Isshiki, but seemingly getting nowhere.

The crew decide to go swimming and diving from a nearby boat. Haruka is lying out in the sun, listening to an ipod type device when Quon takes the earphones off her head to listen. She then gives it to Ayato to listen to. After he listens to the song for a bit, Haruka asks him if he knows that song and if he liked it. She then jumps into the water. Ayato notices Quon looking up at the cliffside. Looking up, Ayato seems a girl in a yellow dress (looking like Mishima) by the lighthouse on the cliff. Back at the base, Itsuki dons a helmet looking to enter the RX. Ayato and Quon look for Mishima. Ayato thinks she couldn't be there, because she died, but Quon thinks that she is. They wander into a forest as Ayato completes his thoughts saying "...even if she was alive, she'd be in Tokyo", to which Quon says "Will you go back?" Just as she says that, Ayato notices that they have arrived at an ancient looking shrine.

Itsuki tries to enter the RX like Ayato does, raising his hands to the sky in a sort of supplication to the barrier that surrounds the RX. Sayoko returns to see what is going on, asking Isshiki what is going on. She questions Isshiki, saying she knows he has only been with the Federation for one month, and before that, there are no records. Isshiki compliments her on her research skills.

Back at the shrine, Quon says she somehow knows this place. Just then, the shrine door opens. Flashing back to the lab/RX Shrine, Isshiki talks to Sayoko, saying that she must find him captivating, to which she agrees. Just then, Isshiki is rejected by the RX, and a Mishima looking projection looks out from the barrier surrounding it. (think of the faces from the movie "The Abyss" when the watery projections were moving around the station to look at the humans) At the shrine, Quon enters, forcing Ayato to follow her. Behind them, the shrine door closes by itself. At the RX shrine, the power goes out, and Isshiki comments on how the goddess is indeed guarded.

The Terra crew, led by Haruka, is searching for Ayato, as he and Quon have been missing for 4 hours. Kunagi tells HAruka that they should keep looking and he'll send more help. Megumi is despondant, wondering why Ayato would go off with Quon. Inside the shrine, Ayato walks down a dark corridor, while Haruka arrives outside. She looks at the shrine door and notices that the chain that apparently held the front is broken. She pulls on it, but when the door opens, it is blocked off by solid rock. Just then Futagami arrives at the shrine. Haruka asks him why he's there and he says it was at this shrine that the "spiriting forth" took place. He says that 38 years ago, two girls appeared at the shrine. As he tells the tale, he mentions that people who return from being spirited away often disappear again and don't return. He says that there was one large spiriting away that took place - that of Tokyo, and he wonders what the people who are spirited away see on their second time that keeps them from coming back. More search teams from Terra appear.

Back at Itsuki's house, Sayoko tries to calm his worries about Quon, but Itsuki reacts angrily. Megumi is also despondant at home. Several days apparently pass, with no word on their whereabouts. Eventually, Itsuki calls off the search, saying they've done all they can, but Haruka angrily responds that she is never giving up. Haruka rushes to her car and drives off, heading towards the shrine. Again, she pulls on the doors, but finds the same wall. She falls to her knees in tears.

Ayato seems to have been walking for a shorter period of time than outside, calling for Quon. Eventually, he notices that the tunnel itself disappears, and he can see Tokyo Jupiter beneath his feet. Quon finds an empty table and chair, with what looks to be a little egg on top of the table. As she picks it up, she comments "Ixtli, the Ollin is looking for you." We now see Reika Mishima sitting in the chair. She tells Quon "The egg you hold is the cogwheel that turns time." Quon puts it to her ear and can hear a heartbeat. Quon talks of fear and oblivion being born into the world, but Mishima tells her "Do not be afraid, it is yours to possess." Quon replies "A world, suffused with sound?" to which Mishima replies "A melody not of this world." as she talks of music being part of the new world that can be created. Quon says "One who will tune the world... an instrumentalist?" Mishima tells her "You are an Ollin...." - we see Quon react in shock, as Mishima is now gone, but we hear her voice continue "... and I am Ixtli..." The egg starts to hatch, and for a moment, we see a vision of two little girls crying in front of the shrine seen earlier, one with blue hair and one with red hair - the color of Quon's.

Meanwhile, Ayato is falling towards TJ, but as he falls, he hears singing. Outside the shrine, Haruka is singing a song, and somehow Ayato is hearing it. Haruka stops singing, but just then there is a flash of light from the shrine and Ayato falls out of it. Haruka catches him and he notices her saying "Ah, Haruka". She starts crying and he wonders why its dark outside. She tells him he has been missing for days, but he says that can't be right - looking at his watch he says it has only been five minutes since he went in. Just then, they notice Quon is lying out front of the shrine as well. Haruka says there must be a time lag like TJ, and Ayato says that he did see TJ inside, but he came back because he heard Haruka singing. She asks him if he hadn't heard her, would he have gone back to TJ, but Ayato says no, that this is the place where he belongs.

The power comes back on at the shrine, and Isshiki seems disappointed. On the way back, Haruka is telling Itsuki that she found Quon and Ayato. Ayato starts humming the song Haruka was singing in front of the shrine, which grabs Haruka's attention - he comments that he's heard it before, and wonders where he has heard it before (he knows the name and everything). He says it makes him feel "nostalgic" and "good". Haruka seems about to cry, hanging up on Itsuki. He starts humming it again, and she hums along with him. Itsuki, hearing a dialtone, comments "Haruka, good for you, and yet, thank God."

Isshiki and Sayoko are meeting for drinks - apparently, Isshiki wants Sayoko to do something for him, and she asks him if he's sure it will help Itsuki. She also mentions that "partners should get to know each other" to which he says "As I've said, you're quite smart."

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This show isn't too subtle with some of its secrets, which is probably my biggest complaint. In seeing this episode, it should be obvious what the writers are implying - that Haruka might have known Ayato long ago when they could have been the same age. But so far, we're left to figure out how that fits into the puzzle of the plot. It would have been better (IMO) to reveal that more slowly - to leave more doubt in our minds as to this possibility. By starting to reveal these pieces so soon, the writers eliminate secrecy that could cloud the main plot thread, but miss a chance to really surprise the audience.

Mishima = Ixtli. Ixtli = Mishima. But what does it mean?

Megumi seems to be having a thing for Ayato, despite her aggravation when people try to link them as a couple. Should prove interesting if Haruka knew him long ago.

Quon's role remains to be established, but you're welcome to try and figure it out. The revelation by Ixtli/Mishima that Quon is also an Ollin means that "Ollin" isn't a proper name. Which leads to the next question - is Ixtli?

As I stated at the beginning, this is the first RX episode I saw any part of, and it was the mix of the interesting storylines that made me watch further. For those who want to try and shove RX into the line of mecha shows, it is episodes like these that put the lie to that push. The RX is only briefly in the episode and plays no role - it's character interaction and development which drive this episode. It's one of the reasons I like RahXephon so much.

Posted by Drylnn at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)

RahXephon Episode 11 - "Nightmare [ Continuing Path of Empty Wickedness ]"

It's amazing what good story can keep you from noticing. I never noticed something until I did the screenshots for this episode - all the "dream world" sequences are in letterbox widescreen format. I guess my brain naturally just makde the transition without me having to consciously think about the change. It made the screenshots that I use for each episode's montage difficult, but I decided to use the letterbox shots.

Summary:
The RahXephon is in trouble at the beginning of the ep: Ayato is screaming through the com, in obvious pain, while TERRA HQ is receiving danger alerts from the monitoring systems. Haruka is confused by the readings she is seeing. On the RX, Ayato is writhing in pain. The D1 moves towards the RX, and Haruka notes that the field it is emitting resembles the signal type of Tokyo Jupiter. She calls out his name as the Dolem comes closer to the RX. It restrains the RX and pulls it inside an undetectable field. TERRA is losing signal from the RX, and Haruka screams for Ayato to get out of there. It appears like the RX tries to sing, but it is enveloped by the field as it does. The D1 and the RX are lost. Haruka is distraught.

Ayato awakens inside what appears to be Tokyo Jupiter., but he cannot be sure he is really there, as when he looks in a nearby storefront window, he sees himself as still in his combat suit (while away from the window, he appears to be in his civilian clothes) He is surrounded by familiar sights, even running into Asahina and Mamoru. Interspersed with these images, there is a flash of another humanoid figure (it's hard to explain - you only see it every once in a while, for just a few frames). The people around the trio don't seem real, almost like shades of real people. Mamoru and Asahina don't seem to have noticed that Ayato was gone; they react as if he was just daydreaming and was out with them the whole time.

Mamoru convinces them to go to an arcade, where Ayato notes that it says that today's date is 7/25/2015, or back when he was inside.

(In a funny note, the 3rd place on the table is Buchi, the cat).

Later, as they walk through town, they stop to get a bite to eat. Mamoru's cellphone rings and he walks away for a moment to talk on it. While he's gone, Asahina puts her hand on top of Ayato's as they sit on the steps. Ayato looks to where Mamoru is, but he hasn't noticed. As Ayato looks back, Asahina has moved closer, saying she wishes things could stay like this. In a creepy moment, she says that Ayato has some BBQ sauce on his face... "Let me clean it off for you" as she moves closer and licks her lips. Ayato runs off.

Running through the city, he stops to rest, and notices a stuffed penguin wearing Mishima's scarf. As he watches, the penguin starts to wave, but then it pops like a balloon, which freaks Ayato out some more. Ayato runs again, we see the same humanoid figure for a moment, and Ayato finally stops, seeing Haruka in front of him. He asks her what she is doing here.

They go to a nearby bar (of some type), and Ayato asks if this place is in TJ and what year it is. Ayato continues to ask questions, but Haruka asks him why he isn't drinking. Ayato starts to drink, but insists that this is just a dream. He says he thinks it is a dream, but that its exactly like the TJ he lived in. He starts the thought "And hanging out with Asahina and Mamoru again..." which Haruka finishes "... makes the other world seem like a dream?" Ayato questions whether this is the dream, but Haruka asks him if it matters if "you're dreaming of the butterfly, or the butterfly is dreaming of you?" She continues to ask "If you believe that what you feel is real, doesn't that make it real?" She wonders why he chooses to suffer in silence if he can feel and enjoy this world. We see another flash of the odd humanoid (who seems to resemble one of the masked Mu people... it is not staggering to its feet) and flashing back, Ayato is on top of Haruka, with his hand on her breast. He pulls away, saying he's sorry, but Haruka grabs his hand and pulls him back asking him why he doesn't act like a man and stop holding back his desires just because she's older than him. She tells him to do what he wants - whatever pleases him. Ayato yells for her to stop this; that he's not restraining himself and he's not suffering in silence, but Haruka says he is lying, that this is what he wants and everyone knows it. She tells him to do it, that it's all his for the taking. Ayato pulls back, and looks at a nearby painting. In it, a long haired angel turns towards him, causing him to freak out. As he falls, Haruka gets on top of him, asking him what he desires, then asking "Can you play the music yet? Have you been tuned? Answer me." which causes Ayato to yell "No!" He flees into the street saying that he just wants to go home.

Taking the subway, Ayato gets off near his mother's home, where he rings the doorbell. His mother answers and he tells her that he is home. They're having a meal while watching TV, where Ayato comments that this isn't like her. She mentions that it has been a while since she cooked like this. Ayato is about to ask his mother a question, when he hears the TV news announcer's voice saying things like "Ayato... Ayato Kamina, can you hear me? If you can, you have to set your suit transmitter to C and give us some sign that you are alive..." TERRA is apparently calling him, but the voice is being
routed through the TV announcer, which is breaking up. Interspersed in the static, we can see the face of Reika Mishima. Just before it turns off, we can see Haruka's face for a moment after Mishima's. Maya shuts it off, saying they've been having a lot of interference. Again, we see the brief image of the Mu woman, who is getting closer to our perspective, reaching out towards the viewer.

In his room, Ayato keeps looking at his hand when his mother says he has a phone call. It's Mamoru, saying they were worried and that they'll see him in school tomorrow. Ayato lies on his bed saying that he doesn't care anymore, that this is his world and its where he belongs. He insists that he doesn't have to be scared nor feel any pain - that he doesn't have to worry about anything and as he breaks down into tears, he says "I just don't care anymore..." He then sits up and screams "Isn't that right? Isn't that what you want me to think?" He begins yelling "Leave me alone" and throwing books off the bookshelves in his room, but he soon notices that the books have no text or pictures in them - they're just blank pages. Just then, he notices his painting of Reika Mishima, and he hears her voice calling his name.

Back in "the real world", Quon is in her underwear on the floor staring into a mirror, rubbing at her lips and looking like she is terrified. Itsuki walks in, asking what she is doing and telling her to snap out of it. Quon says "No, Ollin, you can't...." In HQ, Megumi and Haruka are despondant, with Megumi telling Kim that the lifesigns on the suit keep fluctuating, going from active to negative, mostly negative. Kim tells Megumi they can't give up, but Megumi says its been several hours with no word. She picks up the headphone and yells for Ayato to answer her. She starts to cry, but Haruka picks up the headset, saying they have to let him hear the sound of their voices and that she's never giving up.

In the "dream world", Ayato hears Reika's voice saying "You must find me Ayato..." He screams out asking who she is, and for a moment he can see her, but just then Maya comes in and hugs him from behind, saying he should listen to his mother. Another flash of the Mu woman, and suddenly they're in a curtained room, with the covered Mishima painting on one side and on the other, a kid Ayato is playing with legos and his mother. They stand, watching the child Ayato play with his mother, while Maya's voice says "You are the rightful instrumentalist of the RahXephon" but says he must adhere to the score - that its too early for him to improvise when he hasn't learned to properly tune the RX. She insists that she gave birth to him and thus, he will stay with her. Another flash of the Mu woman, and when we flash back, Ayato has apparently rejected his
mother (it is left to interpretation whether he slapped her). She says he can trust her, but insists its not alright. She says she always cared for him, and he says that she never was near him nor there for him. On the floor behind them, the legos have been wrecked and the clothes of the child Ayato and younger Maya are empty. Ayato runs off, while Maya cries and says "You are my son..." before she starts speaking in another tongue.

Ayato runs, hearing the singing of Reika. He comes to a park area, where he finds Reika next to a lake, singing. He says "It was you, wasn't it?" She replies with a smile, "We do keep meeting." Ayato insists he wants to go back to the real world, to which Reika says "I don't know about that." Ayato says he can't exist in this world, that this world is sick, and he doesn't care which world is real - but he can't stay in this on, even if it might have been the world he wished for. Reika tells him that if he chooses to leave, he may have to confront some truths that he doesn't want to hear, but if he can
handle that, it might be possible to leave. She then pushes her hand into his mouth, forcing him to his knees, and pulls what appears to be a large log out of his throat. As she does so, the lake erupts, and the RX's command seat is there. Reika tells him that he may leave this place of his own will.

The throne is now inside the curtained room, but the curtain starts to lift as he sits in the seat and Reika stands in front. He thanks her for her help.

The RX's eyes open - the Dolem had a long appendage down the RX's throat (similar to the log in the dream world). The RX pulls the appendage out, freeing Ayato and the RX from the field. He quickly destroys the D1. Megumi remarks "He's incredible" then turns to see her obviously relieved sister. Ayato stares at his hand some more, then looks out at TJ.

Back at Itsuki's house, Quon is being watched and monitored by a number of medical personnel. In her delirium, Quon says "There you are, I've found you... Ollin."

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There is so much in this episode that cannot be summarized. To begin with, the conversations between characters often have a weight of tone in their voices that is open to interpretation. There's a great amount of imagery and representation in the visuals, constantly giving the viewer something to think about.

One might wonder why a Mu Dolem (assuming that's what the woman was) would set up a false world that Ayato obviously didn't fully want. Having things like Asahina seemingly try to seduce Ayato only serves to freak him out, and can only make it harder for the Dolem to control him, if that is indeed its goal.

The Haruka scene has a lot of seductive undercurrents - it is clear that there will be unresolved issues between Haruka and Ayato after his emergence.

It was interesting to see Megumi nearly as distraught as Haruka - a love triangle is definitely being set up. Will Ayato choose the older woman, or the sister of around his age?

You'll need to see most of the imagery to understand that I cannot begin to explain it all. We're left with more questions - why was Mishima in this false world, and why wasn't she a warped parody like the others. What was Maya talking about when she was so insistant that Ayato was her son and she did everything to care for him? And was this dream world a link to Tokyo Jupiter, or just a seperate reality created by the Dolem. That last part might seem cut and dry, but remember Maya's commentary in the last set of scenes in the Dream World - she doesn't sound like the musings of a Dolem trying to seduce or trick him into staying in the dream world. She sounds much more lucid in that scene.

Posted by Drylnn at 05:04 AM | Comments (0)

May 30, 2006

RahXephon Episode 8 - "The Dreaming Stone [Bitterly Cold Holy Night]"

I decided to include the alternate title in [ ], because I'm not sure which is the best title. One of them is the English title, one is the Japanese title. They both seem to have interesting things to say about the episode, so in the end, I felt bad about leaving them out.

Summary:
Futagami is being shown the RX in its holding area, which he describes as like a "god in its shrine." Seeing the damage, he mentions to Itsuki that even gods can be wounded, but Itsuki tells him the water pillar the RX is stored in will repair all the damage. Also in the lab is a piece of the Dolem that was destroyed. After stopping Futagami from taking pictures, Itsuki notices a gemstone (or crystal) embedded in the Dolem, looking clearly out of place. He removes it and puts it in his pocket.

Ayato and much of the Terra staff are at the beach - Ayato is drawing the same picture of the girl who looks like Mishima standing on a cliffside (again).

Megumi asks him if he's drawing the same person and says that if he asks her nicely, she'll model for him. Ayato blows her off, and she grabs the sketchbook away from him. As she does so, she sees Ayato's odd runemarks/birthmarks and asks about his "tattoos". He comments that he's had them since birth, and when he asks her if she has one, Megumi whacks him. Kim and Haruka are also there - Kim lying out in the sun, Haruka working on a laptop. Itsuki arrives with Sayoko, who he tells to wait in the car (she seems irritated by this). Coming down to the beach, he invites them all to a Christmas party, which seems to irritate Haruka and intrigue the rest. He also mentions that much of the staff, including Souichi, will be coming, which catches both Megumi and Kim's attention. The party will be tomorrow. Sayoko seems irritated, especially during the drive back. Upon arriving at the house, he gives her an early Christmas present - the crystal from before in pendant form. This cheers her up, and just then, it oddly starts to snow (considering it was hot enough to be in swimsuits a bit ago, this certainly seems odd). The staff also notices, as does Quon at her home.

In a bar, Isshiki is having a drink when Futagami arrives. Isshiki talks about religion and religious celebration, while Futagami tells a story about his grandfather. Very odd scene.

At home, Haruka returns from a jog in the snow. As she rests, Ayato talks to her about her effort (from behind). As she turns to talk to him, she notices that he's wearing one of the bizarre longsleeve robes that Quon put in his suitcase. When she asks him what he's wearing, he comments how he doesn't have any winter clothing. This reminds Haruka of something, which causes her to blush. She tells him to wait for her a second, runs off, and returns with a pair of gloves (mittens). He asks where she got them, but she doesn't answer.

Back at HQ, Kunagi and Watari discuss the last Dolem attack. Watari briefly mentions the party, which Kunagi blows off, and then Kunagi asks Watari "Aren't you going to see *him*?" No mention of who this *him* is made.

Back in town, Kim and Megumi are walking through the snowfall, apparently on a shopping trip. Megumi falls in the snow, apparently due to new heels she is wearing, and she comments on how her sister was taller than her at her age. Kim has a flashback to Haruka telling her how her sister will be starting work at Terra, and asking Kim to look after her. Kim asks Megumi if he got a present for Haruka, but Megumi says no, implying that she wouldn't, to which Kim replies she didn't know the situation was like that. In a cafe, they talk about it, with Megumi apparently suffering from sibling envy, as she mentions that Haruka isn't the serious, perfect person that the crew thinks she is - that she has a silly side. She tells how there was a boy that Haruka loved a long time ago - that Haruka never forgot this boy and keeps a present she was going to give him inside her dresser drawer. Megumi thinks that it is silly that Haruka never threw the present away, like she never grew up. Kim starts to mention Ayato, but Megumi sees Souichi outside through the window and she runs after him with a present. He opens it right away, and it's a red tie, which he seems to like. She mentions the party, and Souichi mentions that if she's going, he'll see her there. Kim seems worried by the exchange. Megumi mentions that Souichi only likes someone like her sister. Kim mentions that she doesn't think this is the case, but Megumi ignores her saying "If I were more like my sister..." to which Kim responds that Megumi *is* like her sister, even if she can't see it.

Back at HQ, Kunagi is meeting with Haruka, Isshiki, Itsuki and Sayoko. He mentions that the piece of the Dolem they salvaged hasn't lost cohesion, meaning that part of it may still be functional and dormant nearby. Itsuki mentions this is all very interesting, and Haruka berates him saying that his research can wait and that destroying it is their top priority. Itsuki repeats her words in agreement, but winks at her, which annoys Haruka. Sayoko and Isshiki also notice the exchange, with Sayoko seeming very angry.

Out in the hall, Sayoko and Haruka are drinking coffee, with Sayoko asking Haruka how she manages to deal with everything. Blushing, Haruka says "When there's someone you're interested in at work, you go the extra mile". Sayoko apparently believes this to be Itsuki, judging by her expression on her face. She asks if this is recent, Haruka says its from a long time ago. Sayoko: "Is it someone I know?" Haruka (blushing): "That's a secreeeet!" Just then Haruka notices the stone on the pendant and asks about it, but Sayoko pulls away.

Meanwhile Itsuki and Watari watch the end of the scanning tests for the day on Ayato. Quon is not there though, apparently at home looking outside, saying "Trembling emotions, bitterly cold lips, a pillar for a cold heart to possess."

Sayoko and Haruka sit in silence, when Haruka is called to the bridge. As she leaves, she fails to notice that the pendant crystal is growing, and behind Sayoko in the window glass, we see one of the masked Mu women (like we say when Allegretto and the other Mu Dolems were launched in episode 1). Sayoko shudders, and the weather intensifies.

Itsuki walks down the hall and notices it is snowing inside. Runnign to the hall, he sees Sayoko standing there talking to herself. He notices the stone is growing as she reacts angrily to him, and with that, a wind shatters the glass window behind Sayoko. She comments to him: "Neither father, nor older brother, will ever forgive me" as she jumps out the window. He looks out to see her freezing the ocean nearby.

TERRA is on alert now as Sayoko moves away from HQ, creating ice as she goes. TERRA has picked up a Mu signal in the area, and as this is going on, we see the crystal growing to envelop Sayoko. TERRA finds the anomaly - a Dolem made of ice standing 500 m high. Kunagi makes Ayato launch. He goes in the RX to attack the Dolem, but notices Sayoko imbedded in its head. It attacks him, and TERRA, not knowing the situation, asks Ayato why he isn't fighting back. He informs them of the situation, saying if he attacks, Sayoko will be killed. Kunagi orders him to destroy the Dolem, saying one human life cannot outweigh the rest - that if he wants to save her, he better work a miracle. The Dolem attacks again, knocking the RX away. Itsuki watches from a balcony with Watari, but when Watari asks if Ayato will be alright, Itsuki is unconcerned.
Inside the RX, it is now very cold. Yet, Ayato hears Reika's voice call his name, and she is beside him. She hugs him, touching his hands, and he looks down to notice that his gloves have been replaced by the ones Haruka gave him. He says the cold is gone, that he's warm, and she guides his hands back to the RX's controls. Once again, Quon seems to know what is happening. The RX recovers, with ayato saying "You wanted a miracle - I'll make it happen". He extends a beam saber type weapon from the RX's hand, and cuts into the Dolem. Sayoko has a vision of two people in shadow holding out hands to her (like a memory, as she cries red tears) and she is ejected from the Dolem. Ayato destroys the Dolem, while Quon (now emerged from the blanket, in underwear only--- wtf?) makes another of her cryptic statements about the "light of the Ollin".
With the destruction of the Ollin, the cold weather is dispelled. Sayoko has also been saved, as Futagami takes pictures from afar. Ayato has caught Sayoko in the RX's hand, as she says over and over "I'm sorry...."

At the party, Sayoko claims to have no memory of what went on, and she is saddened because she lost the pendant, but Itsuki tells her not to worry and offers to get drinks for them both. Ayato talks to Quon, asking her why she wasn't at that day's exams, She replies she doesn't like the cold, but also says "However, the Ollin is quite warm." As Haruka watches, Itsuki asks her "Feeling jealous?", but Haruka says she isn't, to which Itsuki responds "I think I might be" which shocks Haruka.
Ayato goes to talk to Haruka. Souichi is wearing the tie that Megumi gave him as he sits with Kim. She starts to say "About us....", but Megumi arrives (in a very nice dress), interrupting the conversation. Megumi greets them, but notices Ayato holding the gloves Haruka gave him earlier as he thanks Haruka for them. Megumi makes the comment "Those are the same gloves..." (which Kim hears) as Haruka seems very happy that the gloves fit and that Ayato liked them.

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Not a lot of comments to make for this episode. There's a lot of hints and red herrings scattered in the plot of this episode, and we get a great deal of information on the backgrounds of many of the characters, especially Haruka, and the motivations of Megumi's life.

Sayoko's character is explored somewhat, but apparently she has more skeletons in the closet to uncover, judging from the scene where she is freed from the Dolem.

Kim, Megu, and Souichi are forming the makings of a love triangle, although Souichi is such a happy guy, it's hard to tell what he's thinking. It's interesting that Megu thinks that Souichi might like Haruka though - Kim seems to understand the true problem (as she should, since she's apparently hooked up with him).

As for the rest, who is the boy that Haruka liked? Where is he now? Is he the guy at Terra? Will he show up from elsewhere later?

Although I know the answers (as this is a retrospective review and summary), I'll leave you to guess.

Despite what you might this, the beach scene was not fan service. Sadly, some of that will come next episode, judging from the preview.

Posted by Drylnn at 03:32 AM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2006

RahXephon Episode 7 (summary) - "Phantom in the Cloud"

Summary:
On the plane with Cmdr.Kunagi, we see that the reporter, Futagami is also coming, reading about Nirai. Kunagi asks Mr. Watari (Eyepatch from previous ep) why it had to be that specific reporter out of all of them. Watari replies that they'll need the USDF again for support. Futagami insists he'll enjoy a trip to a tropical island, and Watari tells him he'll make sure he has a "cute young guide".
We can also see that Isshiki is also on the plane.

Back at TERRA HQ, the staff is being told that a decoration in the command center isn't just a decoration - it's from the ruins on the island. Ayato is also there and Souichi asks him to "give it a try". The device is some sort of mystical transfer device which can take Ayato right to the RX, but no one knows how it works. Inside, Ayato looks around disappointed, saying "She's not here after all."

The plane arrives at Nirai-Kanai. Elvy and three other pilots are discussing the skills of the staff at the base. It becomes apparent these pilots have all known each other for a while from an old squadron. The pilots meet with the people from the plane, reporting for duty. Isshiki mentions that that Elvy is the sole surviving pilots from Operation Overlord, and that maybe she should be named "Lady Luck" or "The Grim Reaper." One of the other pilots (a woman) gets upset, but Futagami defuses the situation, asking questions about Tokyo Jupiter. Kunagi orders the Elvy and her crew to report to administration. Mr. Watari assigns Souichi to be Futagami's guide around Kinai.

After the tests, Ayato is finishing dressing when Sayoko comes in. Ayato asks her about a possible Christmas present for Haruka. Sayoko asks about Megumi, but Ayato says that she's easy to figure out. Seeing his expression, she says that he must be missing his family, and offers a "shoulder to cry on", but Ayato says he'll be fine and leaves the room. For some reason, this puts an angry expression on Sayoko's face...

In the CC, Haruka reports to Kunagi, and he mentions that this is the day she transfers to Tactical. He asks about Ayato, and Haruka says he's been very cooperative with the experiments and such. Souichi walks in and says that Ayato been adapting well, and wonders if Ayato has found a special someone, which Haruka asks him about who that could be. Kunagi asks Souichi where Futagami is, and Souichi states that he gave him the tour, but that Futagami ran off to Nirai (the main island). We see Kunagi's expression change at this news to one of concern.

Isshiki and Itsuki are talking in the boat - it seems they believe Futagami is an observer for the Federation and that he is here to find out about Itsuki's work. The two of them have apparently been friends for quite a while. Isshiki asks about Itsuki's isolation fro the TERRA staff, but Itsuki insists he's always been a loner, so isolation doesn't bother him.

Futagami ends up at the ramune store, where he meets Ayato, who tells him how to drink it. they talk, and Futagami mentions that he's here on a business trip as a salaryman. Ayato says he knows how that is
[working], and when Futagami asks him what he does, Ayato lies and says he drives a pizza delivery truck. Futagami asks "They still have those?" Just then, Ayato gets a page from the base, and Futagami asks him if he has to go deliver pizzas, to which Ayato answers in the affirmative. Futagami comments to himself how he's a nice kid.

The RX and the pilots in fighters take off to intercept the D1. The D1 is coming towards Nirai-Kinai, but they can only see the legs, the rest is above the clouds.

Meanwhile at the house, Futagami has arrived, noting the names (including Ayato's) on the door. "Uncle" Rikudoh meets him, and Futagami says he came to see him, bringing a game for the two of them to play to pass the time.

The jet fighters move to attack the legs, with Elvy saying it's "revenge for her comrades". One of the legs is blasted off
but apparently the D1 is hovering, so it doesn't fall. It launches smaller dolem-like creatures at the fighters, which they engage.

Back at the house, Futagami and Rikudoh are going back and forth, with Futagami asking about who else lives here, and Rikodoh telling him "2 nieces and one other."

Ayato and the RX engages the smaller things, but they're mostly too fast for him. As he blocks one, he makes a shield around his arm, something he wasn't able to do before. As he does this, Quon wakes up at her house. More mini-dolems decend, and Elvy ascends into the clouds to attack the D1, insisting she won't let a kid do her job.

Futagami talks about a contest held on an annual basis and insists that one of the 5th graders that participated in 2009 was named "Ayato Kamina", He states that if he were in 5th grade back then, he'd be 29 years old now, but his Ayato is 17. Rikodoh says that they must be different people then.

Elvy gets through the clouds, immediately running into the sound of the D1 Aria, which is also detected back at the base. Kunagi orders Elvy back, but she doesn't respond, and her plane is being damaged. Ayato ascends to help her. Elvy is in pain, but the RX moves in front of her ship, emitting a cancelling sound which nullifies the Aria. The D1 makes the clouds more solid to entangle the RX and hits it with lightning. Itsuki insists he can't be electocuted in the cockpit, but it is makign the temperature rise inside. Elvy fires on the D1 to help Ayato, but her shots are blocked by a shield.

The RX stops functioning, and Ayato's lifesigns are weakening. Ayato see Tokyo Jupiter in the distance, and seeing it, moves the RX and reaches towards it. He fires a blast from the RX's hand, repeatedly pounding at the D1's shield, repeatedly yelling "Get through!" Eventually he shatters the shield, destroying the D1 and fragmenting it into a number of pieces which crash into the ocean. Looking back at Tokyo Jupiter, he heads back. Back on Nirai, Quon is looking out the window saying "Time... the guiding timbre, not the fire of war. You are so wrong, Ollin."

Meanwhile, Rikudoh has beaten Futagami at their game. He asks if Futagami would like to play again, but Futagami says not now, he's sure he'll be back another time. For the first time, Futagami also calls him by name: "Professor Rikudoh."

Elvy is lectured about her charging in against the D1 by Haruka, who insists that Elvy will be killed. Elvy says it is her life to give. Kunagi stops Haruka's questioning, asking why Elvy did charge in. Elvy answers that her instinct told her it would be the right course of action. Kunagi says not to make a habit of it and grounds her for 2 days (slap on the wrist). Haruka is still upset, and afterwards she walks up to Elvy in the hall, but Elvy asks her first "Don't you find all this pitiful - making a child you kidnapped fight for you?" She insists that they all have to do their share in the battles too. Haruka softens, and thanks Elvy for looking after Ayato, especially since she cannot be out on the battlefield herself.

As Ayato returns home, he notices Futagami lying by the seashore. As they talk, Futagami notices his name printed on the sketchbook and realizes this is probably the Ayato Kamina he was looking for. Ayato asks him which it is to Tokyo. As Futagami points in the direction, Ayato looks that way and says "It just makes me feel connected somehow." Futagami smiles to himself and says "Really?" while they look out to sea.

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No summary this time.

Posted by Drylnn at 03:16 AM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2006

RahXephon Episode 6 (review) - "Lost Songs, Forgotten Memories"

Summary:
The episode begins with scenes from a city; people in a coffee shops. There's a mild tremor, then we hear the sound of a Dolem aria. Underneath the people, the floor starts to flow, and objects and people begin to sink into the glowing ground...

On the ferry boat, we seem an adult woman listening to music. Ont eh same boat, Ayato and Megumi are arguing about food preparation, with Megumi telling Ayato that soy sauce on the food in question is weird, while Ayato insists that years ago, it was probably the fashion out "here" too. The woman walks up to them and implies that they're like a couple, to which Megumi says it isn't like that. The woman introduces herself as Kim to Ayato. when he tries to do the same, she already knows his name. Kim works at TERRA with Megumi and knows all about him, including that he is the pilot of the RahXephon. He insists he won't pilot the RX anymore.

On the mainland, TERRA has a press conference to discuss events in the world. Some in the press imply that people don't see the need for TERRA, with some hinting it should be dissolved. One reporter, a Mr. Futagami from Yamato News, is exceedingly persistant that TERRA must have a new weapon, saying that the same day that a transport that came to Nirai, it came and left empty, yet oddly, it had a military escort. Terra denies any such weapon and most of the press laughs it away. Back in Nirai-Kinai, the TERRA staff debates what will happen. Just then an alarm sounds.

On the mainland and in TERRA, there are reports of a D1 that no one can find, but it has devastated an area and left what looks like a Nazca line drawing. Meanwhile, Mr. Futagami is still suspicious. Kunagi calls Souichi to tell him that Souichi will have to command the action, as he cannot make it back in time to Nirai-Kinai.

The signal from this new Dolem matches the D1 Aria from 14 years ago in Australia, where several cities were devastated. As Haruka is giving a presentation on what happened 14 years ago there, she mentions that back then, 6 million people died. Ayato comments on the loss to Kim, and he makes the comment that until a few days ago, he thought there were only 23 million people left in the world, so for him, that's as if 1/4th of all the people just died. Kim is thinking of other things though, remembering the events of 14 years ago and growing angry. As her anger grows, Quon is somehow aware something is wrong. Kim responds angrily to Ayato, insisting that he has a lot of work to do. He responds that he will not pilot the RX; that he didn't want to do it the first time. Kim fires back that Terra needs him and he says he doesn't care what Terra wants. She asks what he'll do then, and he says he'll work, but not fight. She questions what he could possibly do that could be of use to them. He says she knows nothing about him; she says she knows how the world works - "What the hell did someone like you have to be the pilot?" The argument interrupts the meeting. Megumi, Haruka, and Itsuki try to stop the argument, with Itsuki implying they're both acting like children.

In the hall, Megumi explains to Ayato that Kim's parents were in Australia 14 years ago and were killed. She also tells Ayato that is why Kim works for Terra.

Kim appeals to Souichi to do work related to translating Mu signals. Souichi refuses, implying that revenge isn't a proper reason. Itsuki arrives in the office, notes the discussion, and asks Kim if she'll take somethign to intel for him. He says it's the latest D1 Aria file.

Back on the mainland, Kunagi and two other characters obscurely talk about how "It's taken 40 years to make this a reality." A lot of unclear talk occurs about "the proper application" and "the plan". (basically, if you've seen any old X-Files eps where the suited people talk about the conspiracy, you'll get the idea of what this scene is like). The older of the trio says he hasn't seen Kunagi since "that incident", and Kunagi comments "And yet we're still both in good health, right Lord Babhem?" Lord Babhem asks about the Federation Council's decision, which is apparently to leave the RX in Terra's hands for observation and to only use it in emergencies of the highest order. The other man (whom I'll call Eyepatch - he seems to be a TERRA higher-up) insists that this decision was due to the Foundation's support. We're left to wonder what this means.

On the train (mass transit), Kim is remembering her parents leaving on vacation before they died. There is a thought that is hard for me to explain - It appears Kim is thinking of two identical "child" Kims - one is standing over a box, crying, while the other (identical) walks away from the crying one, with a determined look on her face. I can only surmise that this might be Kim, leaving her childhood behind and becoming resolute in what she'll do.

At this point, Quon comes up and asks her why she is crying (she was only crying in the vision in her head, not in reality). As Kim doesn't answer, Quon says "That's a very pretty music box, may I listen?" and takes Kim's headphones on her ipod like device. Apparently Kim was listening to the D1 aria on her ipod, and she admits that she took the data. Quon however says crypically "A city that overlooks a strait, it is prepared with an enclosure of a star."

Meanwhile, Ayato gets inside the RX. Itsuki talks to him via a radio, saying that Ayato should tell him if anything happens. Apparently, Ayato is only cooperating on doing tests, not to fight. Itsuki says he understands Ayato's decision not to fight, insisting he's a pacifist like Ayato. Sayoko says that Ayato would be angry to know that Itsuki is not telling the whole truth, that he is a guinea pig of sorts. Itsuki says he hasn't lied, but if Ayato won't ask, he won't mention it.

At home, Kim remembers when her parents died - at the time, she was staying with relatives until her parents return. As notification of the death comes, the relatives talk to each other about how they didn't sign on to keep her forever. They talk about shipping her off to another relative, which she overhears. Just then, a package arrives from Australia. It's a music box from her parents that they sent before they died. Inside, there's also a picture of them and a note that they'll have lots of presents for her when they return for her birthday. She cries. Back in the present, Kim thinks about how it was their last message, and thinking of "message" makes her remember what Quon said on the train. She overlays the Aria pattern on a map of Australia, and it matches the Australia city destruction exactly, which means she knows where the new Dolem will be next now, since the pattern is the same as the one 14 years ago. She tells Souichi, who tells her of the cost and such of mobilization insisting the USDF wouldn't do it, but since he's in charge, he'll order the mobilization. She kisses him on the cheek and they discuss the planning.

The USDF, under TERRA, gathers tanks and such at the next location. Haruka and Elvy are flying overhead to observe. When Elvy mentions that Haruka is only doing this for "that kid", Haruka responds "Who was it that was draped all over him before?" then mentions that she heard about Elvy's transfer request.

Back at the base, Megumi asks Souichi how he got the USDF to mobilize, and he says that he told them the D1 was after the RX. Ayato is sitting outside, but there is no mention of his role. That night, the D1 arrives. Ayato (for some odd reason that isn't explained at this point) is in the RX, as Kim mentions it is coming right towards the trap. The tanks fire, but fail as it sucks them into the ground. The RX attacks the D1 and starts beating on it, but Ayato hears Kim's voice in the RX saying "Do you want revenge?" as he remembers Mishima's scarf falling as she disappeared. He stops attacking the Dolem, and it starts singing, causing the ground to glow and making the sinking thing happen to the RX. Inside the cockpit, the situation with the RX is mirrored as Ayato begins to sink into a blackness. Kim reports that the RX is being sucked down into Mu-Phase space. Ayato struggles to free himself but keeps sinking. Kim prays for Ayato, remembering that just before the operation, she talked to him and asked him why he changed his mind. She asks him "Do you want revenge? I mean.. like me?" He says not exactly: it's because he can, that there must be a reason he has this ability. As she remembers this conversation, she drops his sketchbook, which she was holding onto for him, and it falls open on a drawing of Mishima.

Inside the RX, Ayato is blacking out, but then sees a vision of Mishima walking towards him, singing.

He says "Reika" several times, and she reaches out to pull him up. As she does so, Quon (with eyes closed) opens her eyes, seemingly aware of the change. Ayato and the RX emerge from Mu-Space, flying out and finishing off the D1.

We flash back to Kunagi and Eyepatch, talking about how the operation was a success and they wish they had on-site decisions "back then". Kunagi insists that "is all in the past, dead and buried"

Kim seems to have found a measure of happiness, as she is cleaning and lightening her apartment. On the ferry, Ayato is paging through his sketchbook when he notices little note on one of the pages: "Thank you... -K" Meanwhile, Kim looks at herself in the mirror and says "Happy birthday..." and smiles.

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It's nice that all the problems in RX don't center on Ayato as a character. This episode is clearly about Kim, as the series attempts to flesh out some of the people in TERRA. Kim's backstory is told, and we get some idea of her relationships to people in TERRA, specifically Ayato, Souichi, and Megumi.

Kim is an interesting character because her pain is believable - it has a personal element. Her questions to Ayato are spot on - if he will not pilot the RahXephon, what good is he to TERRA? At the same time, Ayato's problem is understandable - is he to be defined solely by his pilot role? Does his opinion matter? We can sympathize with both characters, and that is important in the series. Far too many times in NGE, they gave us too many personal problems and I could feel no sympathy for one of the conflicting characters - one would have a lesser problem and as such, I picked sides. Here, Kim and Ayato both have problems that are reasonable for their motivations, and I didn't feel that one was more "right" or "wrong" than the other.

Kim really does save the day in this episode by figuring out the pattern, although its debatable if she would have if Quon had not made her cryptic comments to remember. Quon's role hasn't yet been fully established, but she definitely has an interesting ability to know what people are thinking and feeling. The imagery in Kim's head seemed to be readily apparent to Quon, and there was a lot of possible double entendre given in discussions with Kim, specifically the "music box" comment and the asking of why Kim was crying.

We also get a little bit of information on the conspiracy aspect of the show as Kunagi, Bahrem, and the Eyepatch guy (whom I can't remember if he was introduced prior to this)discuss the events of the past in vague terms. They only give tiny bits of the puzzle - there was an incident many years ago, possibly related to the RahXephon and the ruins on Nirai-Kinai. Much like in NGE, we'll have to see in later episodes what all this means. Something apparently went wrong at this event and obviously it had an effect on the events of today (or they wouldn't even have it, and this would be one poor drama series).

My only complaint about the episode (other than the need to have "the mysterious conspiracy" angle) is that I hope it doesn't fit a pattern. Ayato obviously helps to fix Kim's self-image and help her into a better world - I hope he won't be the solution for each person. I want to see character interaction between people other than Ayato, and that these other people are capable of helping each other out. Ayato cannot merely be the convenient cure for all ailments, or the episodes will become too formulaic.

Posted by Drylnn at 04:45 AM | Comments (0)

April 16, 2006

RahXephon Episode 5 (review) - "On Earth as it is in Heaven"

A lot of the screenshots have Ayato and Megumi in them - they were such a big part of the episode, it was hard to get anything else.

Summary:
The episode starts with Terra's leadership getting a report on D-1's destruction. In addition, the RahXephon is being petrified in its holding area and it cannot be stopped. Commander Kunagi has to go to a meeting with members of the Earth forces. Sunglasses/Hat man (Isshiki) gets pieces of D-1 for research by the Earth forces. Ayato is also being examined and it is noticed he has odd marks, almost like runes on the skin of his stomach and chest. Quon also has marks that are similar with different symbols.

The next day, Ayato is summoned by Souichi, who asks him how he is doing. Ayato does not answer. In Terra's command center, Ayato seems angry over the events of before. Terra members whisper about the situation. The Commander says that Ayato will have a temporary
residence. He orders Haruka to take Ayato there, but when Haruka tries to take Ayato's hand to lead him out, Ayato responds angrily for her not to touch him. One of the bridge officers comments to a girl with short-red hair that the situation is not good: that everyone seems to be on Ayato's bad side.

Luckily, the scientist in glasses (Itsuki Kisaragi) says that he
will take Ayato to his destination, with the implication that he's not in Terra (he says "Not one of these people", so I assume he means Terra since there are people on the bridge that haven't met Ayato). Haruka seems upset by Ayato's coldness to her. As Ayato leaves, Souichi tries to ask Haruka something, but she walks off distraught, all the while with the red-haired girl looking on. Souichi then
turns to the red-haired girl and says "Megumi, can we talk?" Off the bridge, he asks her for a favor. He whispers it into her ear, bringing a "WHAAAAAAT???" in response from her.

Ayato and Dr. Kisaragi talk on the way. He asks Ayato if he heard the Mu's song. Ayato is confused by the name Mu, and the Doctor explains it has a literary link. Quon is waiting downstairs for them. When Kisaragi asks her how her visit was, she says the doctor is stupid, that she wouldn't need to do so many tests if she
was fine. She asks the Itsuki to dress her (like she did with Ayato in last episode). Ayato seems to be jealous, but then Quon asks Itsuki if he's coming home today, and when he responds in the affirmative, she says "Thanks very much brother". Ayato is relieved by that revelation.

They ride a boat back across the bay of Nirai Kinai. Ayato asks if the name of the place is the same as the Okinawan name for "Utopia". Itsuki explains that Nirai is the island of the ruins, and Kinai is a floating manmade island alongside it. At the same time as their boat ride, Commander Kunagi is also flying off to his meeting. Itsuki notices his plane and says he'll have a hard time protecting the RX and the ruins on the island from others. He also says Ayato has wrong views about Kunagi. As they boat on to the other side, he points out Kunagi's house, and the cherry trees in the backyard,mentioning that they're of some interest because they have such beautiful blossoms.

At Itsuki's house, they meet another woman (Sayoko), who seems to be his assistant. Ayato asks if she's his wife, and while she seems happy by the implication, he says she's just his assistant, which aggravates her. He also says that he and his sister live alone in the house, so Ayato should feel free to visit anytime. He says he is going to take Ayato to another house to live.

Meanwhile, Haruka and the pilot (Elvy) are having lunch at a grill, drinking beer and fighting over pieces of food. Elvy teases Haruka about Ayato being mad at her. Elvy also says since Haruka can't pretend to be a good person, maybe she should be a good woman. All the while, Terra Command is monitoring Ayato's location, with Souichi saying that since they can't stop the petrification on their own, they need this to work.

As they get ready to leave Itsuki's house, Quon gives Ayato a pink suitcase with things for him. She points out some holes on the side of it and says to be sure not to block them. In the car with Sayoko and Itsuki, Ayato asks how long till they reach the "concentration camp", but Itsuki says that Terra is more considerate than that. They reach a point in the car where they can't really drive further, but just then, they notice the red-haired girl from before walking up the hill towards them. She sees them and seems aggravated.

She walks up to them and says to Ayato "I can't believe you're here already" and Ayato asks "What do you mean by that?" Itsuki explains that he's staying at her house, and she angrily replies that its her uncle's house. She says she lives next door, so Ayato shouldn't get too excited, he comments that shouldn't be a problem. They go back and forth for a bit, with Megumi noticing his pink suitcase and Ayato commenting on her need to comment, until the sci says "What a sweet couple you make." which aggravates them both.

At the house, Ayato is given lunch, but doesn't eat. Megumi's uncle says the change must be quite a difference from when he lived in Tokyo Jupiter, but says he hopes Ayato will adapt. He says Ayato should pretend he's staying with a relative and to relax. Ayato replies that he never had any relatives to visit.

Megumi goes to leave, but her uncle asks her to show Ayato around town before dinner. She gets upset...

... but he reminds her "Remember what I always tell you", and she disgruntedly agrees to give him a tour.

Ayato is shown the island's various windmills, and then the seaside. Ayato asks what her uncle always tells her, but she doesn't answer and says angrily how she can't believe Ayato is living at her house. Ayato gets angry and walks away, but Megumi goes to stop him (falling off the wall she is sitting on). She says that even if Ayato gets mad at her, he can't leave - that he shouldn't try to go away.

As Ayato is still aggravated, it starts to rain, so they run to a store where Megumi goes to buy a ramune soda drink. She catches Ayato staring at her at one point so she chastises him, then tells him that her big sister lives in her part of the house with her, so he shouldn't think of sneaking in that side. As they bicker, two young women of their age walk by, commenting on how the "local school-phobic is out on a date." Megumi grows sad, and Ayato asks her why she's not in school and if that's why she's in the military. He tries to offer her a handkerchief, but she just grows angrier and angrier at his attempts to be nice. He angrily comments "At least you have someplace you belong." and she seems saddened by his comment. She then notices Ayato framing things with his fingers, and he explains he was going to be a painter after high school. She realizes that the inside of Tokyo Jupiter must be like outside, with schools and such and how Ayato can't get back. She tries to apologize for not getting him a ramune soda, and realizes that he's never had one. She gives him hers to try a sip, but he can't drink the soda around the marble in it. She starts laughing, explaining you have to hook the marble in place to drink it. As Ayato laughs, the skies clear up and the sun comes out all of the sudden, leaving one to wonder if there's a link or not. (he comments "It's getting cooler).

At the house, Ayato opens the suitcase, wondering about the things inside. As he looks at the clothes, wondering who would wear any of it, Buchi (the cat) peeks out of the suitcase. Ayato realizes the holes were for him. Buchi runs off. Haruka and Elvy come in front door, and we realize that Haruka lives there. She sees Buchi, and just then Ayato comes up. He realizes that Megumi's sister must be Haruka. He holds out his hands (ostensibly to take Buchi) and says
"Welcome home." which cheers Haruka up. Elvy decides to stay for dinner, demanding that Megumi get her more beer.

Elvy is drunk and acts attracted to Ayato (very amusing), but the uncle asks Ayato for a favor in the other room. Ayato asks the uncle what the thing he always tells Megumi is, and he tells Ayato a version of the Golden Rule. He gives Ayato a name plaque (of his name) to hang by the entrance.

Back at the base, Souichi is near the RX and he comments "It's getting cooler" When he turns around, we see the petrification on the RX is gone, and says that using Megumi was the right move.

We flash back to Megumi who is looking at a photo of herself and the people at Terra Command. She turns to look out the window, only to notice Ayato using his fingers (like he did earlier) to frame her
like he was going to take a picture. She closes the curtains on him
Uncle Rikudoh gets a call from Kunagi and he says that taking care of Ayato is no problem.

At Itsuki's house, Quon is playing piano while Itsuki has a drink. As he combs her hair (in an odd scene), he mentions about how cherry blossoms have a legend about why they're red (first ones on a grave site, blood seeped into roots to make red blossoms). He says Kunagi's trees blossom blue, and wonders what kinds of people are buried in his yard.

---------------------------------

There's a lot of setup and hidden meaning in this episode. Some of it might even be red herrings for the series.

1) The blue blossoms.
2) The "It's getting cooler" with the weather changes timing themselves with Ayato's mood.
3) The runes on Ayato and Quon's bodies.

The writers use subtlety in referring to some of these instances, so in many cases, you can't be sure of what the implication is, or in the case of the weather, if there even is a connection. We're still left feeling out many of the character interactions, piecing together the tapestry of Nirai Kinai and TERRA.

Ayato and Megumi have several amusing scenes which I cannot fully describe. They irritate each other greatly, and their attitudes go back and forth, but in the end, we're left with the potential for more character development. The writers leave Megumi's age slightly ambiguous, but without looking it up in the RX bible, I would say she's probably a year or two younger than Ayato.

There are a number of great sets of paired personalities - Ayato and Megumi, Kunagi and Souichi, Itsuki and Quon, Itsuki and Sayoko, Kim and Megumi. It'll be interesting to see how these groups mix in future interactions. Of course, since we have the classic "We all live together" setup, we'll get a great deal of our development out of Professor Rikudoh, Megumi, Ayato, and Haruka in the same house, and Quon and Itsuki will also fit into this puzzle.

Quon and Itsuki make one disturbing pair though...

Posted by Drylnn at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2006

RahXephon Episode 4 (review) - "Watch the Year Hand"

Summary:

We get an extended recap instead of the opening credits, giving us a synopsis of the series so far. After this, the carrier is about to arrive in the harbor of an island known as Nirai Kanai. At the same time, another ship is arriving at the island, as we see the Captain of that ship talking to an odd looking man in sunglasses and a flat top hat. We also see a red haired girl on the carrier, the same one seen for a moment in episode 1 when the operation was initiated. Finally we get a glimpse of the Commander's second in command, Souichi, a young man onboard ship.

On board, Ayato is getting a checkup and blood test done. Haruka watches with obvious interest as they draw his blood - it is red and she seems relieved. Just then, the Commander of Terra arrives in sickbay. He tells Haruka to look for the cat, then tells Ayato that his watch's time is wrong and he needs to adjust it. As we move around the ship, we see that it is carrying the RahXephon.

Later on the bridge, the Commander of Terra is told to hand over the RX to the Earth Federation's Mulian Technology Labs by the other captain. When the Commander asks about Ayato, the Earth Federation Captain says they have no interest in the boy; that they have enough Tokyo Jupiter specimens.

Meanwhile above decks, Haruka is looking for Buchi the cat. Ayato asks about what he was told by the Commander about time difference. Haruka shows her watch explaing that it's not just a time shift to the outside world - that time in Tokyo Jupiter is going slower than outside world. They are being watched from cockpit of nearby fighter (looks like one from battle in the first episode). Haruka tells Ayato to go on ahead.

The pilot of fighter is another woman, and she's upset with Haruka for not telling her about the operation. She wants to know why all her wingmen died to get one boy out of the Mu area. She also wants to know if Haruka knew about the operation before Haruka got her drunk, and when Haruka doesn't give a straight answer, we hear the sound of a punch.

Inside the ship, Ayato sees a barber pole near one of the rooms, then meets the redhaired girl (RHG), who keeps saying "Rara?" He says he thought it was weird that the ship has a barbershop. She mentions that the red, white and blue barber pole was once a medical symbol, with red and blue representing blood vessels - she wonders aloud why there are two colors of blood vessels since human blood is red. Just then, she asks Ayato to help her put on her vest, which she is carrying one hand. Of course, typical feelings of embarassment from Ayato as it's a close fastening job. After, she grabs his hand and says "Come on Ollin, let's go." He asks what an Ollin is, and she tells him "Never mind."

On deck, they notice the RX being taken to the other ship. The RHG seems surprised, Ayato is upset. Just then, the sunglasses/hat man comes up and explains that what they do with spoils of war is none of Ayato's concern. Ayato asks what his name is and...

We flash to the bridge where Sunglasses/Hat explains that he is named Isshiki Makoto and he works with Terra. Ayato asks about RX and the Commander explains it is going to Federation Research. Souichi notices that Haruka has a black eye from being hit earlier (they were both on the bridge also)

The Commander tells Ayato that he cannot claim ownership on the RX, and when Ayato yells and tries to fight, Haruka moves to stop him. The Federation ship leaves with the RX. Ayato asks if he will be transferred like the RX. The Commander says not at this time, but it is their right to do so. Haruka seems worred, says she'll brief Ayato on his situation. All the while, the RHG watches RX sailing away and speaks cryptically of matters (this happens often with her, for me to explain most of it would be difficult, as most of it is riddles and meaningful statements of code.

Haruka is in a room saying that the Commander just wants Ayato to adjust, Ayato says that people on outside don't see the Tokyo Jupiter people as human, or at least not as equals.

Meanwhile, in med lab, the doctor says that Ayato has the Mu Phase in his blood. They don't think he's a Mu, but the commander decides to treat Ayato as if he is for now. We flash back to the room, where Haruka asks Ayato if he thinks she's that way also, he says "No, not you." She tells him "Then who cares what the rest think?" As they look at each other, Haruka is summoned to the bridge. As she leaves the room, she notices the room seal behind her, and she knows he is being locked in and is upset. She goes to the bridge and tells her superior to let Ayato out or let her in, but the commander will not. In addition, if the door is forced, it will explode. They explain the test to Haruka, saying that Ayato has the Mu Phase, but she says he doesn't know anything and vouches for his cooperation, yelling that he is human. The others cannot agree - they point out on a camera that while he could be reading up on his situation on a computer in his room, instead he is drawing. The Commander says that his personality makes no sense. The picture Ayato is drawing is the same as his painting - a picture of a girl on a cliff who appears to be Reika. Just then, the RHG walks ont he bridge holding Buchi - she tells them the Mu are coming.

A sub is attacked first and destroyed, then the automated defenses are tried to stop the Mu, The Dolem is approaching Nirai Kanai and the female pilot wants to launch, but her ship not ready. Automated drones called Eidolons fight and fail. The Dolem comes to the base, surfacing underneath it and pushing its way into the base. As it pushes its tentacles into the base, they seem to seep through the metal of the walls and floor.

The tentacles move around the RHG, but she steps back one step and they come no further. Ayato is trying to get out door of his room, yelling for Haruka. He thinks Haruka betrayed him in locking him in and that he could be killed. Just then, his picture glows, and it looks like Reika in the picture is moving. On the Federation ships, the RahXephon gets up, breaks free, and flies back towards Nirai Kunai. The RHG's eyes begin to glow red. As RX approaches, Haruka (on the bridge) realizes it is coming for Ayato. RX lands in base puts hand on the floor. The RHG turns around and somehow can see (through the wall) Ayato looking at the girl who looks like Reika. His picture seems to have come to life around him. When Reika turns to look at Ayato, his eyes also glow red as he says "Mishima." She reaches out to him and they clasp hands. Suddenly, Ayato is teleported to the RX. The RX rises and easily crushes the Dolem, carrying it outside the base and destroying it in seconds, showering the area in blue blood.

Some time later, the captain of the Federation ship is saying that Terra must have stole the RX, but the Commander suggests that perhaps the captain should show his orders to the RX. They decide Ayato cannot be confined as the RX lands on Nirai Kanai in a pool near the Terra base on the island. There, a scientist in glasses is awaiting it. When sees a glowing and sleeping Ayato come out of it, he says "Welcome back, Ollin."

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A lot of good things to get a grasp on in this episode. A variety of different characters are introduced, among the most important being the Commander of Terra, Quon (the RHG), Souichi, and several others. There's not a lot of development on Ayato's part, other than his seemingly odd possessiveness of the RahXephon - it doesn't seem to scare him at all that he's seemingly bonded to this odd humanoid craft. Haruka gets a lot of development this episode, as we learn more about the operation which was sent ostensibly to retrieve Ayato.

Many of the characters in this episode will see their roles expand in the next few episodes on Nirai Kanai.

We get a slightly better explanation of the time difference between Tokyo Jupiter and the outside world, although much of that has not been explained yet.

It might seem odd to mention this, but Buchi the cat seems to serve no purpose. His role would seem to be to show the humanity of certain characters, but I would suggest that a cat isn't necessary to do that. I don't think the cat was suppossed to be the token fluffy animal, because quite frankly, it's not drawn in a very cute manner. Mostly, Buchi seems to be some sort of foil for Haruka, although her humanity has not been in question yet in this series - she very clearly displays her emotions at times.

Repeat after me: Quon is not Rei from NGE. Quon is not Rei from NGE.

The island will be revealed in the next episode, as we learn more about the organization Terra and the components that it is made up of.

Posted by Drylnn at 01:04 AM | Comments (2)

March 16, 2006

RahXephon Episode 3 (review) - "Welcome to Our Town"

Summary:

The RahXephon has hatched from the gigantic egg and taken Ayato inside of it, as Maya and the agents look on. Ayato says "Mother" aloud, but is surprised to hear Maya's (his mother's) voice in his head, saying "So, you've awakened." Apparently she can communicate telepathically. She tells him that she has been waiting for him to "awaken". Meanwhile, the military watchers who were with Maya detect an energy signature, saying that Dolem and the Xephon are syncing. At that point, one of the Dolems (I don't remember which) crashes through the wall of the Shrine of Xephon, which shatters the ground under Maya and the agents. Surprise surprise - Maya can float in midair and does so, floating up to the second Dolem that enters as she utters "Come Ayato..."

As Sunglasses runs up the Shrine, Maya notices Reika on the RahXephon's shoulder and is shocked by her appearance. Meanwhile, Sunglasses yells "Ayato, don't do it!" as she gets near. She is about to get caught in an avalanche of debris caused by the Dolem, but Ayato reaches out (via the RahXephon) to block it. The shock knocks her out, but the RahXephon surrounds her in an orb of light and picks her up, all the while yelling out a multitone yell, which lifts it into the air. One of the Dolems follows it up, and the two titans stare at each other in the Tokyo skies. While this is going on, Maya (on top of the other Dolem) watches and says "Ixtli... of course..." while brushing away the blue blood.

Reika is still on the RahXephon's shoulder, saying in a multitonal voice "Time to sing, Rahxephon... Sing the song that is forbidden.... Sing, so that someday all will become one." Ayato can hear her inside, and turns the head of the RahXephon to see her on his (RahXephon's) shoulder. The Dolem attacks, hitting the shoulder Reika is on. As Ayato looks for Reika, he sees only her shawl falling, and he screams in defiance at her apparent death. The watchers note the scream. The Dolem fires again, this time dead center, but Ayato's yell causes a shield to block the blast. He reacts violently, putting his hand to the Dolem's neck, crushing it. At the same time, a woman in the watchers' center reacts like she is being choked. Above the Rahxephon, a circle of light appears as the Dolem is dying, and when it does die, the choking woman also vanishes. The circle of light sucks Rahxephon in, and the watchers say he has "lept the barrier... with.. the Ollin..." Maya watches and seems undisturbed - as she puts it, Ayato will return to her, with Ixtli.

Ayato awakens on a beach, staring up at the RX (what I'll call the RahXephon from now on). As he looks at the horizon, he notices and orange-red barrier nearby, taking up a good portion of the sky. Nearby is an abandoned boat, which Sunglasses emerges from, where she was apparently search for a transmitter. He asks her what the barrier is, and she answers "That's Tokyo Jupiter... well, that's what we call it." She tells him it was his entire world until this morning, but Ayato is confused. She starts to look for pursuit, and as she does on the boat, Ayato causes her to fall towards the water, as he jumps after her, grabbing her in midair, making her blush.

Later, wet and tired, the two look to dry off. Ayato says he thought the outside world was destroyed, but she says that's what he had been taught, but that it still exists and he shouldn't believe everything he's told... that he's not a child. They go to find dry clothes and food to eat. The town is overgrown, like its been abandoned for some time. In a nearby store, Ayato finds some HIDEOUS purple clothing, then notices a phone covered in dust. As he tries the phone, Sunglasses says that he's wasting the time - there's no power or working phones. Sunglasses emerges in new clothes, but tells Ayato to change into something better.

They grab water and food from abandoned store, and Ayato says they should get some boxed stuff as she is only looking at canned, but she says he'll get sick. Ayato says he thought that the food was good for three years from date. The box says the date of expiration is 8/16/2015, and as she looks, she mumbles "That's right, you don't know yet...." She says they need to go back to RX (thus telling Ayato the name). That night, they listen to a radio broadcast about the olympics, saying that last Olympics was 2024.. shocking Ayato, as he says he was born in 1998, and he's only 17. She looks at her watch, does some calculations, and says it's 10th of Nov 2027. He asks if she's from the future, which causes her to laugh.

She tries to explain that its really 2027, but leaves it at that.
He asks if everyone stil exists inside the sphere, and she tells him they're all okay, which comforts Ayato.

The next morning, she awakens to find Ayato gone. He is walking around, seeing the abandoned city remains and the overgrowth. While walking in one area, he hears a payphone ring. When he answers, he hears his mother on the other end. She says to him, "Be Careful... the ones that wrecked our city, they'll try to make you forget about me... they'll compel you to hate me and make you believe horrible things about me.. Be strong (the voice breaks up into foreign tongue, like Latin here)" Ayato yells asking about the blue blood, but gets no answer and runs away from the phone. He runs to the edge where the land ends before the barrier of Tokyo Jupiter... it looks like the barrier just appeared, cutting off the area, breaking land, bridges, pipes, etc. Sunglasses rides up on a bike behind him, says it's 10 KM from there to barrier. She says they think the bottom is also hemispherical, so you can't just tunnel your way in. He says he could go back, but she says that he can't.. that it took too much energy for them to enter. Ayato goes to the bike, takes it from Ayato, and tells Sunglasses to get on... he'll pedal.

On way back, she says she'll have to call for a pickup somehow. While searching for a transmitter, they find a cat roaming in the ruins and take him along to feed him. Ayato asks her what she's going to do with him, and oddly, she asks him if she can keep him. Hearing a plane overhead, Sunglasses turns the boat into a bonfire, signalling the jet. Much later, they see a ship coming to pick them up. She tells him its a carrier belonging to TERRA, an "Earth Federation Anti-Mu strategy group" and that she works for them as an intelligence officer. She says her name is Shitow Haruka. End of episode.

-----------------------------------

We have sort of a reverse Matrix going on in RahXephon, or so we are led to believe. Is the inside world of Tokyo Jupiter the real remnants of an alien attack, or is there really an outside world. Who is lying - is it Maya or is it Sunglasses? And who/what is Ixtli? There are so many questions to answer, and we've just barely scratched the surface.

Assuming this is a reverse Matrix, then what is the significance of the time difference between Tokyo Jupiter and outside? The RahXephon would seem to indicate that all is not false inside Tokyo Jupiter, so what is being hidden from Ayato?

Posted by Drylnn at 03:16 AM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2006

RahXephon Episode 2 (review) - "Awakening"

Continuing from episode one, episode two looks to provide some of the answers about what it going on in Tokyo.

Summary:
A slight bit of recap as we again hear Reika's voice calling to Ayato to awaken. Ayato is saying his name over and over again, then says "RahXephon" and the egg hatches. We also see the dolems flying around. The thing that emerges from the egg is a humanoid figure, with wings from the head covering the face like a sort of mask. The flying ships of the "invaders" from before fire at the new figure to no effect. The humanoid figure charges energy and then discharges, destroying many of the flying ships. The Dolem Allegretto then sings a tone at the figure, which fires back, destroying the Dolem and sending fragments all over. The Mu thing from last episode that Sunglasses Woman saw then disappears.

We note that the mysterious woman in the viewing area has been told what is going on, and also is told that the "Ollin has been found."

The agents are making photos of Sunglasses Woman from security tapes, and they discover the tracer in the "Ollin's bag", from which they get fingerprints and confirm a match. We leave them searching for her.

Ayato awakens in the hospital, seeing many other survivors of the attack. He asks the nurse if a girl was with him when he was found, but she says no, then tells him that his mother is coming to pick him up. Ayato has flashbacks to the egg hatching and the dolem being destroyed, but can't remember anything clearly. At this point, his mother picks him up, and we realize (if it hadn't been known before) that Maya, his mother, is clearly the woman in the center chair who watched the battle. As they drive home, Ayato asks his mother about the "secret weapon", as the news is calling the Dolem and if she noticed the humanoid with wings that it was fighting. Maya says no and tells him to relax.

Later that evening, Ayato is dialling the phone. Reika answers, and he asks why she vanished. She doesn't answer that, but asks if he is okay, he says he will explain tomorrow. His mother walks in and asks if he called his friend. When Ayato goes upstairs, his mother hits redial on the phone and gets a disconnected number.

The next day at school, Ayato notices Reika is absent. He flashes back to the Sunglasses Woman offering to explain things. Through the teacher's lecture, we learn that the Invaders destroyed America, Germany, and Britain years ago, and that Tokyo is literally the only place left unscathed, even in Japan. While this goes on, Sunglasses Woman is watching the school.

After lecture - Asahina, Momaru, and Ayato talk about what happened. Ayato mentions that he was running to get help and ran into Mishima. What's odd is that Momaru and Asahina seem confused as to who Reika Mishima is, but as they express this, Reika walks up, and they seem to recognize her after a moment's look at her. Reika thanks Ayato for yesterday. Out by the school pool, Reika and Ayato talk. Reika tells Ayato that she doesn't think his vision of the humanoid figure was a dream; that it must have been real - "It is a mirror that reflects the truth... and if it is the truth you desire, I think you might meet it again."

After school, Ayato heads home, but once there finds a note with a photo. The photo shows some of the things he saw yesterday and the note says "Don't you want to see how the world truly is? Meet me tonight at 2 AM in Shakujji Park." That night, we see the destroyed Dolem is repairing in the center where Maya watched the battle. Several people are watching the humanoid figure, saying it shows no sign of awakening from its sleep.

Ayato of course sneaks out, while we notice that a short distance away, Sunglasses has knocked out the two agents watching Ayato's house. At the meeting spot, she picks up Ayato, and tells him she knows he is curious about things. She asks him a strange question - "How many humans are on Earth?" Ayato answers with the answer from school - "23 million." She replies "Try 6 billion." Ayato is shocked.

They drive through a security gate, sounding an alarm, and grab an aircraft from a base there. Meanwhile, the agents have awoken and told Maya what is going on. We see Fortissimo is repaired as Reika is walking on water across to the RahXephon in the floating temple area (The Shrine of Xephon). The people in the viewing area pick up something moving towards the RahXephon, but they can't view it on the cameras.

Sunglasses is flying the plane when it suddenly starts flying on its own and she can't regain control. As this happens, Reika starts singing the one note tone she did in episode one from on top of the RahXephon's shoulder. The agents and Maya are heading towards the shrine, with Maya saying that if "it" starts to move, they need to activate the Dolem immediately. Ayato can hear Reika's tone in the aircraft and insists that he must get to it, saying someone is waiting for him. Sunglasses sees the RahXephon, calls it by name, while Ayato jumps from the cockpit, with Reika saying "Come Ayato..."

The jet loses control and crashes, but Sunglass is fine. She starts climbing the shrine to reach the RahXephon. Ayato sees the face of the RahXephon and looks upon it, his eyes glowing red. He walks into the face of the RahXephon.

Inside, he is in a room with standing water and a seat in the middle. As the RahXephon opens his eyes, Ayato can see through them. He is frightened and realizes where he is... he starts to ask "What is happening?" then remembers what happened before and starts screaming "Noooooooooooooo!"

Sunglasses barely hangs on as the RahXephon bursts free. The Dolems appear and begin to sing. As the RahXephon breaks free, debris hits Maya in the face. She is cut, but bleeds blue blood. Ayato notices this from the "cockpit" of the RahXephon. End of episode.

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I know you're thinking that many parts of this sounds like the Matrix - "Is this the real world?" It's safe to say that many parts of this are a reverse of the Matrix - is the outside world truly destroyed?

An interesting scene was when Ayato's classmates don't seem to know who Reika is, then as she walks up, it's hard to say, but it almost seems like they are fed information on who she is. Almost like a software update in the Matrix.

And yet, there are several differences from the Matrix. Clearly, the authors/writers are not trying to set up a "fake" world in the manner of the Matrix where people inside are only representations - we are given every indication that these are real people. We also know that everyone doesn't have blue blood, as we saw Asahina bleeding red in episode one.

Maya's role remains unclear. She seems to be the leader of the people who watch over Tokyo, but what is her purpose? What is the shrine of Xephon and the Room of Rah, and how do they relate to the RahXephon? What is the Ollin? I know now that many of these terms come from Aztec legends, but it's still interesting food for thought. Ayato is clearly the Ollin, but what does that mean?

In the end, we still have a ways to go till things are explained. Can Sunglasses guide Ayato to some answers? What will Reika reveal? If Maya has blue blood, does Ayato?

Perhaps episode three will enlighten us.

Posted by Drylnn at 12:08 AM | Comments (0)

March 07, 2006

Anime Rewind - RahXephon Episode 1 - "First Movement"

I've decided to jump back and do some of my favorite series in blog form as well as continue to do new series. Of course, I don't mean the same series you've seen 4 billion times, like Love Hina or something of that nature. I'm going to try and shed light on some lesser known or passed over anime that you might have missed.

To that end, I've decided to start with one of my favorite series, if not my favorite series. This series is RahXephon:

For my review, I'll be using the newest released thinpak dvds, which I purchased from RightStuf. I'll start with the series and work my way to the movie, but I'll make notice right now - I've combined parts of the movie and series in my head to make the perfect synthesis of story. The reason I like RahXephon so much is not because the series was groundbreaking from the standpoint of story, but rather because the themes of the story resonated so much in my head afterwards. As a writer, when a story reverberates in that way, it's a sign to me that I was very much affected by the thought process and emotion of the story, and that's a *good* thing.

To give you a one line of what the series is about in terms of emotion - "Can love survive across time?" or "Does it matter if emotion is only a memory?" To try and elaborate more would spoil the series, and you may take a different meaning from it than I do. I'll try and explain as I go along.

I don't think there's anything different about the thinpak dvds, but here's a look at the menu to give you an idea of what artistry went into this series.

Summary:
We begin with a scene on what appears to be an aircraft carrier. A female pilot descends into a jet, looking at her watch. We see two times on this watch: Normal and Tokyo. Other military members look on as it appears an operation is about to begin.

Elsewhere, we see a young man, perhaps 16 or 17 (what anime hero ISN'T that age?) He appears to have just finished a painting of a girl in a yellow dress, standing in an odd conjunction of images:

Ayato apparently lives with his mother, Maya, but as he readies to leave for school, he notices breakfast is sitting out for him with a note which says she'll be late from work. Ayato mutters "You mean again... don't you mother?" Ayato leaves, but fails to notice that a woman (henceforth called "sunglasses woman") is watching him from the balcony of a nearby building. She follows him, and both are later seen on the subway, with the woman slipping a tracer device into Ayato's bag.

As Ayato leaves the subway to change trains, he suspects someone is following him, but when he turns to see who, there is no one there. He quickly runs into his friends, Asahina and Mamoru. (At this point, I'd like to note, the dub voice for Asahina is terrible... please don't watch this dubbed...) They all get on another subway train.

We flash to Ayato's home, where two fellows in suits and sunglasses are looking around, saying that "he" may have been contacted, and that the first line of defense may have been broken.

On the train, we get typical high school banter, with Asahina teasing Ayato about his paintings of "pretty girls." Just then, the subway screeches and careens off track, crashing. The lights black out. We get a quick flash to the agents moving through the city, then we're back on the train, where Ayato's friends are hurt and bleeding. Ayato leaves the train to go get help.

As he emerges from the subway tunnel, the city is clearly under attack. Several strange aircraft of an odd design are flying around, while military vehicles (the Defense force) fire on them. We also see several human jets firing at the aircraft, but the aircraft are easily winning.

A quick flash to the sunglasses woman, who is on the subway car near Ayato's friends. She follows the tracker signal, ignoring Asahina's pleas for assistance.

Ayato is still watching parts of the battle, moving through the city, when he hears a single vocal tone being sung. Following the tone, he sees a girl on a rock making the sound. She looks oddly like the girl he painted, in that she has a similar yellowish dress and is standing in a similar manner. Ayato tells her it is too dangerous to be here, and as she turns to face him, he recognizes her, saying "Mishima Reika?"

After the commercial break, while Ayato gets them both soda from a nearby broken machine, Reika asks "Is this a war?" He says he's surprised to see her, but also that he's happy to see her, and she says the same. They both hear another singing vocal tone and follow it. As they do, Reika says "The Dolem...."

Overhead, we notice a large flying ... thing appear. It moves upright with the head of a humanoid figure and begins firing on the strange aircraft. Ayato says that it must be a military secret weapon since its firing on the invaders. The agents in the copter see the creature, then notice Ayato running around.

We flash to several people watching everything on the viewer, talking about how it could be dangerous to use "Allegretto". A woman seated in the center of the room says that it cannot awaken anyways without "Ollin", then another person reports that they've located the Ollin.

Meanwhile, Ayato and Reika move through damaged areas. While they do, the animators make great use of the background to play with our minds:

Ayato goes downstairs into another subway station, notices Reika isn't following - when he turns around asking "Mishima?", she is gone.

Just then, the agents from before show up, identifying themselves as Federal agents and telling Ayato to come with them onto the next train. When he tries to refuse, they pull a gun and hold it on his head to force him to come along. Just then, sunglasses woman attacks the agents, disabling the one with the gun. As she kicks the second one, it bleeds blue blood, which Ayato notices. Sunglasses woman wins, but Ayato points the gun at her. She says that his actions are not any way to treat someone who saved his life and takes the gun. They engage in some very sarcastic banter, then she says to Ayato: "Why was their blood blue.... that's what you're wondering..." She tells him to come with her and she'll answer all his questions. While he ponders, he sees that the train has pulled up and Reika is on it. When he refuses the sunglasses woman, she points the gun at him and tells him to come along. However, one of the agents regains consciousness and lunges at her, distracting her as Ayato gets on the train with Mishima. It locks as sunglasses woman yells "No, don't go!"

The train locks down, putting odd plating on the windows. Reika asks what is happening, but Ayato has no answers. He swears he will protect her. As the subway slows, it announces that the next and last stop is the "Shrine of Xephon". They tentatively get off, but have no idea where they are. Realizing they have no choice, they leave the station.

They arrive inside an odd-templelike place. Around this building are humanoid figures much like the Dolems in the skies over the city. Meanwhile, the people viewing notices where Ayato is, and the woman at the center says to launch "Fortissimo". Another Dolem enters the city skies.

Ayato and Reika emerge in an odd place on the water with floating arches and in the center, a massive egg. A singing tone again comes from the area, and Ayato falls to his knees in pain. Reika looks at the egg and begins to sing as well, while Ayato still lies in a fetal position. He hears Reika's voice in his head, calling for him to awaken, and with that, he mutters "RahXephon..."

Just then, the egg hatches. We flash to sunglasses woman, who is on the roof of a building, looking at strange shapes in the sky saying "There they are, the Mu, our enermy and that of all mankind..."

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Most people read a synopsis for RahXephon and assume it's an Evangelion clone. And thus they pass over it. RahXephon is *not* a NGE clone. There are many differences (among them, I don't hate the main character as a whiny brat), but while NGE tries to construct a confusing story as the center of the narrative and then makes flawed characters around the story, RahXephon assumes that the characters are the central part and arranges the oddness around them. The difference is hard to perceive at first, but becomes obvious as you watch further.

What will happen is that we will follow Ayato's journey to find out what is going on, and in the process, meet a vast background of characters, each of whom have very interesting backstories and personality traits. In the end, you'll understand the motivations of all of these characters, something that NGE failed to do clearly enough.

In the end, NGE is a series that tries to play with your mind, wraps it up in religious doubletalk in the attempt to define the meaning of man's existence. Rahxephon is telling a much simpler story, and while I don't want to give it away, it's important to realize that it isn't trying to hit the dizzying heights of the thought in NGE, but rather tries to tell the stories through interesting and diverse characters who may have flaws, but aren't defined by them as the characters are in NGE. Asuka and Shinji are flawed people who in the end are defined by the extent of those flaws. Ayato and the characters in RahXephon will not be defined in the same way.

Getting back to episode 1...

There is much in this first episode we don't know. Who are the invaders? Why are there agents pursuing Ayato? And why is he painting a girl that he sees later?

Ayato is not a whiny person so far - he's merely a high school kid. Reika appears to be a classmate, although she has a bit of mystery about her.

In the end, we don't have much yet to explain this "taste" of the story. Episode 2 will continue to expand the opening narrative and give us a little more in terms of answers.

I know the analysis is disappointing, but we really must wait on Episode 2 to get a better understanding for analysis.

Posted by Drylnn at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)