Rahxephon - The Motion Picture

Starring:Chris Patton, Hiro Shimono, Aya Hisakawa, Monica Rial, Houko Kuwashima, Kira Vincent-Davis, Mandy Clark, Maaya Sakamoto, Ayako Kawasumi, Hilary Haag, Kevin Charles, Christopher Riley (II), Tiffany Terrell, Yumi Kakazu, Jessica Boone, Melissa Cybele Sparks, Cynthia Martinez (II), Patrick BÃ©thune, Mako HyÃ´dÃ´, Toshihiko Seki
Director: Yutaka Izubuchi
Studio: Adv Films
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
RahXephon: The Motion Picture retells the story of the 2002 broadcast series with some minor changes. After a subway accident, high school student Ayato Kamina discovers the city he knows has been hidden by Mulian invaders inside "Tokyo Jupiter," a huge sphere in which time passes slowly. Ayato's half-human/half-Mulian blood makes him the "Instrumentalist" who can pilot the giant mecha RahXephon and "tune the world," which will somehow defeat the Mulians. Ayato undertakes this mission only to save Haruka Mishima, his former high school sweetheart. Condensing the plot of the 26-episode series into just under two hours proves a daunting task for executive director Yutaka Izubuchi and his artists. They leave big chunks of the story unexplained and send characters into the past to visit themselves, creating some thorny, unresolved paradoxes. The results feel like yet another unsuccessful Evangelion imitator. (Rated 15 and older: violence, brief nudity, sexual situations) --Charles Solomon
Description
Return to the world of RahXephon, where humans and Mu fight for dominance over a shattered Earth, and giant statues are the ultimate weapons. Where music forms the fabric of the universe and the link between two hearts is the thread upon which the fate of humanity hangs. It is still a love story, but it is not the same story. Not exactly. Prepare for new visions and new revelations, as the other side of RahXephon is finally revealed. RahXephon was created and directed by Yutaka Izubuchi (Gasaraki, the Gundam franchise), and produced by Bones (Angelic Layer, Cowboy Bebop), Victor Entertainment (Noir) and Fuji TV (Astro Boy, Battle of the Planets). The RahXephon series debuted on Japanese TV in 2002 and became an immediate sensation, with fierce action and the multilayered complexity of the plot and characters drawing in viewers by the tens of thousands. RahXephon: The Motion Picture is a DVD-only release, containing a 120-minute feature in both English 5.1 and Japanese 5.1 language versions with English subtitles. Extras includes an 10-page RahXephon booklet and ADV previews.

Rahxephon - The Motion Picture
Average customer rating:

Movie is good for the uninitiated

Fill the wholes and Tune the Rainbow

A World in Discord

I saw this first and the series second

Not as good as the series

Rahxephon - The Motion Picture
Starring: Chris Patton , Hiro Shimono , Aya Hisakawa , Monica Rial , and Houko Kuwashima
Director: Yutaka Izubuchi
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00029NMN6
Release Date: 2004-07-20

Amazon.com

RahXephon: The Motion Picture retells the story of the 2002 broadcast series with some minor changes. After a subway accident, high school student Ayato Kamina discovers the city he knows has been hidden by Mulian invaders inside "Tokyo Jupiter," a huge sphere in which time passes slowly. Ayato's half-human/half-Mulian blood makes him the "Instrumentalist" who can pilot the giant mecha RahXephon and "tune the world," which will somehow defeat the Mulians. Ayato undertakes this mission only to save Haruka Mishima, his former high school sweetheart. Condensing the plot of the 26-episode series into just under two hours proves a daunting task for executive director Yutaka Izubuchi and his artists. They leave big chunks of the story unexplained and send characters into the past to visit themselves, creating some thorny, unresolved paradoxes. The results feel like yet another unsuccessful Evangelion imitator. (Rated 15 and older: violence, brief nudity, sexual situations) --Charles Solomon

Description

Return to the world of RahXephon, where humans and Mu fight for dominance over a shattered Earth, and giant statues are the ultimate weapons. Where music forms the fabric of the universe and the link between two hearts is the thread upon which the fate of humanity hangs. It is still a love story, but it is not the same story. Not exactly. Prepare for new visions and new revelations, as the other side of RahXephon is finally revealed. RahXephon was created and directed by Yutaka Izubuchi (Gasaraki, the Gundam franchise), and produced by Bones (Angelic Layer, Cowboy Bebop), Victor Entertainment (Noir) and Fuji TV (Astro Boy, Battle of the Planets). The RahXephon series debuted on Japanese TV in 2002 and became an immediate sensation, with fierce action and the multilayered complexity of the plot and characters drawing in viewers by the tens of thousands. RahXephon: The Motion Picture is a DVD-only release, containing a 120-minute feature in both English 5.1 and Japanese 5.1 language versions with English subtitles. Extras includes an 10-page RahXephon booklet and ADV previews.

Customer Reviews:

Movie is good for the uninitiated.......2007-02-02

After finishing the series just recently and having watched the movie quite some time ago, I think that honestly this film is only good in the sense of how well it ruins the series.

Haruka Mishima from this movie is totally given away from the beginning and nothing in this film ever explained Mishima's role and what she represents, the major plot twist in the end that explains who she is was totally expected by the time they built up to it, and the ending failed to close alot of plot holes.

They twist the whole series by clipping away the parts that make the story intriguing and make the relationships that are built in the series important to the overall story.

I for one was disappointed to recall the movie and how it played out akin to series order but without explaining crucial elements of the story like the where and how of what was really going on, they leave out very key elements about the story overall, such as the implications of the Foundation's involvement, the Bahbem Group, explaining how the Mu control dolems and where dolems and instrumentalists come from. The TERRA Commander's heartwarming story about his daughter's death and his struggle to atone for his inability to save his daughter in the great mu war.

This entire series is built around the premise of how relationships evolve and connect people by events, people, places, and things. Such as the squad leader's handkercheif, the picture of the Commander's daughter, Haruka's gloves, Buchi, etc. All these things connected one person to another even if only for an episode, and the emotional transcription is way more profound in this way...

The movie made me feel as though I lost part of that by knowing what happens before it happens, especially with Asahina.

If you have a burning need to own this film, please watch the series first, this is not a good introduction movie to the series and will ruin the story for you.

Fill the wholes and Tune the Rainbow.......2006-07-24

I imagine I must first explain that emotional content and emotional affect have a great deal to do with how I rate Rah-Xephon: Pluralitas Concentio. This movie rates high in both categories. I viewed the series in total a few years ago on DVD and was left feeling confused and unsure of what had actually happened. I'm in the process of rewatching the series, but only after having viewed the movie. In doing so, I now have better insight into the world and characters of Rah-Xephon.

The movie is emotionally charged. There really is no other way to put it. I must agree with some of the other reviews in that it skips from here-to-there in a number of places and that character development is lacking (for most of the players) when compared to the series. The exception would have to be Ayato Kamina's "other" female friend from school, Hiroko Asahina. Her death in the series was tragic. In the movie it is even more so because we have a better understanding of her feelings for Ayato. We learn that her love for him is as long-lived and every bit as deep as the shared love between Ayato and Haruka. That Hiroko's love is unrequited until just before her death makes it all the more tragic.

Recommendation: This is a hard one to recommend. Mostly because it is so different from the series. If you've seen the series and were left confused then Rah-Xephon: Pluralitas Concentio should be on your "must buy" list.

One last point: The end title song for the movie, Tune the Rainbow is a wonderful piece of music. My understanding is that it is unique to the film and did not appear in the series.

A World in Discord.......2006-04-20

** Spoilers **

RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio is not a traditional anime movie in the sense that it precedes, follows from, or slightly strays from the series. For the amount of rehashing of old scenes the movie does, it is not a series rehash episode to help fill the audience in either.

RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio is the retelling of Ayato Kamina life before, during and after the incidents that transpire in RahXephon the series. While many of the scenes are recaps of what occurred during the series, to those that haven't seen the series in its entirety they probably won't make too much sense. Despite ridicules claims that the movie does not follow the storylines presented in the series, this reviewer can only find one instance in which this occurs: where Quon during the movie remains asleep and should be awake and present during Ayato's life outside Tokyo Jupiter.

For the full impact of the series one should most certainly see RahXephon the series (the purchase over the movie is recommended... essentially that's the only thing that is a requirement in the world of RahXephon). However those looking for a companion that introduces their favorite characters and experiences through different perspectives, feel free to pick up the movie after seeing the series. For those that know how things turn out in the series, the RahXephon team carefully introduces new scenes and segments which show what was going on behind the scenes from the series.

The "behind the scenes" material isn't earth shaking new material; instead it confirms what many fans knew to have occurred during the course of the series. That is to say that Terra's motives for their actions did not reflect Ayato's emotional well-being - they, in fact, used him as many fans gathered by the end of the series. Again, while nothing earth shaking, the new content is a condensed version of the series which comes across nicely.

Some of the finer aspects of the movie come across in the beginning segments of the film as well as the end segments. In the beginning we see Ayato's life with his childhood love and can sympathize with him more (we also see how frequently he thinks of his childhood love and how later, in time, his childhood love still thinks of him). The ending of the movie simply confirms the end of the series while showing you something akin to "where are they now" segments. Truly beautiful but short and in and of themselves do not constitute "earth shaking" new material.

One of the greatest scenes found only in Pluralitas Concentio is a scene in which Ayato meets up with Haruka shortly after she intercepts the union (or conflict) between Quon and Ayato (essentially a union which will decide how the world is tuned and which forces will prevail victorious). During this scene an almost-stoic Ayato stands before Haruka and explains just what is happening to the world, a world which is filled with dissonant sounds which needs to be retuned. In addition to that those that enjoyed philosophical and religious references found within the series will like how Ayato explains at great length how he, now, stands apart from past and future (essentially becoming almost Buddha-like figure), and will essentially live in all things.

RahXephon is a beautiful series and I highly recommend you see it. I would rent RahXephon: Pluralitas Concentio before purchasing it just to ensure that you'll enjoy it. Not a fan of "recap" episodes in anime series, I have to admit I enjoyed Pluralitas Concentio quite a bit. The DVD scores a 4.5 out of 5 while the series itself scores a 5.

I saw this first and the series second.......2006-01-21

I'm writing this review as a person who found out about the series through this film. The film is beautifully done, the animation is out of this world and the story is unforgettable and amazing. I love this movie but having seen this first I don't have an attachment to the series and therefore I can give a review just for this movie. I watched some of the series after and I have to say that trying to do that will confuse the hell out of you so I understand why the reviewers who have seen the series first rated it the way they did. Still as a retelling in some ways it is done poorly. For one scenes in the film make it seem like an Evangellion Death & Rebirth styleized DVD. It can switch from one point in time to another within minutes but all in all its animation can take your mind off those things. It's a 5 star movie but if you've seen the series it's pointless and dumb.

Not as good as the series.......2005-11-14

This is one of the best anime movies ever. Even tough it is not as good as the series it is pretty good on its own. Enough said.

Rahxephon - The Motion Picture + Series Box and Book

Average customer rating:

Speechless
The Parts Are Sometimes Better Than The Whole
Appreciation
Got me hooked.
Anime for the Ages.....

Rahxephon - The Motion Picture + Series Box and Book
Starring: Chris Patton , Hiro Shimono , Aya Hisakawa , Monica Rial , and Houko Kuwashima
Director: Yutaka Izubuchi
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Rahxephon - Complete Collection
RahXephon - Crescendo (Vol. 7)
Rahxephon - Aria (Vol. 6)
Rahxephon - Dissonance (Vol. 4)
RahXephon - Synaesthesia (Vol. 5)

ASIN: B00029NMNG
Release Date: 2004-07-20

Description

Customer Reviews:

Speechless.......2005-11-22

How come people are hatin' on the movie?! The movie answers a whole lot of questions! I saw the Rahxephon movie before I saw the series, and it didn't make any sense to me at first, but then I realized (I'm a dunce...so I didn't pay any attention to what I was watching) "This is only the other half of the show...Why is there a movie and I don't even know the show..." So I watched the movie all over again(^_^ Good thing I had the movie for free on demand) and I pieced some bits together without seeing the show..."So Ayato is the person who is supposed to tune the world to what its supposed to be...and that lady is his friend" (I almost spoiled it...but then again...only an idiot would watch the movie first the the show...making me an idiot...)"And Quan is also like Ayato...OHHHHH!...And his mom..." And now I'm just watching the show(starting from episode 18...like an idiot...but I'm a researcher of sorts...so i know the whole series like the back of my hand...almost) on g4 tv...where I saw lain...from episode 11...which made me really confused...cause I bought the DVDs of it and it made no sense...at all...like FLCL...or...Excel Saga...but I recommend this movie to new comers(since I'm a new comer/old fan of it...) and already fans of it! ^_^

The Parts Are Sometimes Better Than The Whole.......2004-11-12

There seems to be quite a difference of opinion on the two-hour feature film based on the RahXephon series. I find my impressions are mixed, but that overall the film provides a different angle on the original story. One that touches more on emotional factors, and ekes out several things that are easy to miss in the series.

The plot, for those who haven't seen the series, is the tale of Ayato Kamina, who is caught in Tokyo during an alien invasion. The city is separated from the rest of the world, and the human inhabitants are convinced that they are the only survivors. When Ayato reaches the age of 17, a sudden meeting with a secret agent (Haruka Shitow) turns his world upside down. He discovers the truth and finds that he is connected with a giant robotic creature called the RahXephon.

He leaves Tokyo to aid humanity in stopping the aliens (Mu). Ayato is an instrumentalist, half human half Mulan, and badly torn over the path he should follow and his true nature. He is haunted by an old relationship and faces a complicated, metaphysical crisis or two.

What I especially liked -

The story isn't exactly different, but it focuses much better on the abridged romance between Haruka and Ayato. In the series, which has time to develop the detailed characters better, let time is spent on this theme. There are hints along the way, but only at the end does it achieve prominence. In the film Ayato's female relationships are the key element. This clarifies some of the confusion of the series.

One the other hand -

Either there was a very poor transfer or the film was made with sloppier artwork. Nor is the music of the same quality. Character development is seriously abridged, as is often the case in a feature length version. There are several cases, though, where it would have been better to leave out a character entirely. And poor Quon Kisaragi is barely a shadow of her series self, which is a shame. And finally there are some monologues which try to be lectures on the theory behind the action. These border on the tedious.

Since you aren't going to buy this package unless you intend to or already own the series, you will be pleased with the entire Rahxephon experience whether you like the film or not this won't be a disappointment. Collectors, after all, are happiest when they are collecting.

Appreciation.......2004-10-21

I must admit when I watched the RahXephon series I only caught it from like the last 15 episodes and truly didn't understand what the hell I was watching; yet I knew liked it for some reason. If you're the same then you have to see this movie. Some say this movie won't really bring any closure to the series or explain what's really going on, but that doesn't matter. The whole point of this movie is to truly help you develop greater appreciation for an excellent love story. After watching it you could understand the story a bit more though you really notice the relationships and feelings of the characters more in depth. The movie kept all the important scenes that portrayed that concept. The whole story with the Mu invasion, the Xephons, the instrumentalist, and the tuning of the whole world, (sorry to those if I may have given too much away), only work as a back drop to better express this scenario. There are people torn between their feeling for one person and another. In a sense all the turmoil seems to help emphasize this, and only when they all become true to their emotions does everything become tranquil you can say. So check this movie out if you're still lost about the reason for why RahXephon is about all this crap. The only way to find closure to a story is to read it from the beginning. Even if the stories condensed a little, well that's just my opinion. I give it 4 stars.

Got me hooked........2004-10-11

I like anime, but I'm very picky. I really liked the Lain series because it had me thinking, constantly. I liked Ghost in the Shell, because it made me reflect on the direction we are taking our society. I'm not an otaku, or whatever they call those crazy fanboys. Most anime fails my test. But not Rahxephon, and although it didn't make me contemplate things in the same ways as Lain, or define anime the way Ghost in the Shell did, I still fell in love with it immediatly.

I watched the movie twice in a two day period, because towards the end I became distracted and couldn't figure out exactly what was going on. If you can pay constant attention to the movie, it's wonderful. Bits and pieces of the puzzle are constantly revealed to you for you to put together to figure out the entire mystery of what is going on. Some people have complained about this. But I feel it really gives you the oppurtunity to be placed in Kamina's shoes, and experience what he is experiencing. As the truth of his world is revealed to him, it is revealed to you, too.

And who doesn't love giant, powerful robots? Giant powerful alien robots? That can destroy everything. The movie lacks a little in this department, and could have benefited from better fight scenes, but there's a lot to compact in 2 hours (it comes from a 13 hour series, I've found out) and the fight scenes they supply are somewhat adequate.

Then there's the love story. I wish I could spoil it for you, but I won't. I'll just say my heart was on a roller coaster ride throughout the movie. One moment, joy and warmth, the next moment, cold sadness.

The art style was amazing, as well. Most anime is generic, or gritty. Not Rahxephon. Its art style is amazing and more production studios should strive for this level of quality. If we compare anime to comic books, most anime is like your regular comic book and printed on that recycled paper junk. Rahxephon is that special edition issue where they print it on glossy paper and it looks a million times better.

The movie got me interested in picking up the series and really getting to immerse myself in the world of Kamina and the Rahxephon. Hopefully I can find it at an affordable price (amazon doesn't seem to carry the series!!)
If you're an anime snob, too, then you should dig rahxephon. The only people who dislike it are fanboy's gone bitter because they wasted so much time on subpar anime that their gpa suffered ;)
Stick to the good stuff. Add rahxephon to your collection.

Anime for the Ages............2004-10-02

Ok, Whats going on with all the negative reviews of this movie? The series was great and I think the movie, though it was a little bit different view interpritation on the story line from the series, is just as good as the series. I don't think alot of people truly understood the series and probably would not have as great of appricitation for this movie as other might. However if you were a fan of the 30 some episide long series, than the RahXephon movie (which runs alittle over 2 hours) is a must see. If you have not seen the series yet, it might be better to try to watch the it first and keep an open mind. Though the similarities to series such as Evangellian are there, RahXephon is truly in a league of it's own and should not be compared to past anime series!! Just watch RahXephon and experience one of the best anime story lines ever to be written....

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