Review of Texhnolyze
A psychological story about a futuristic dystopia could very easily go very wrong in the hands of the wrong people; Luckily, the people previously known for Serial Experiments Lain, Haibane Renmei, and a small wealth of other fine titles were at the controls of Texhnolyze. On that note, Texhnolyze bore fewer similarities to Lain than it did to Ergo Proxy; So, needless to say, if you have seen and enjoyed Proxy then this is definitely a show to watch (and vice-versa). Story; 10. This is hands down why Texhnolyze is as good as it is. There were, sadly, a number of fairly aggravating faults in otheraspects of the series, however the plotline was essentially flawless. Slow, realistic pacing is key here, so anyone who doesn't like any down time between plot points should probably steer clear of this from the start. However, once it gets going this show was actually very well paced. The last ten or so episodes were filled with intricate explanations, epic monologues, and genuinely unexpected twist; if Evangelion had a properly executed ending, it would have matched this one. The other noteworthy fact of Texhnolyze's story is the atmosphere it creates. The show from start to finish successfully carried a melancholy tone of poverty, deprivation, and various other elements that helped create a truly upsetting world. Episode 19 is probably the high point of this, which I can't actually explain. It's probably the only thing I've ever seen that made me want to cry, but not for any specific reason, it's just really heavy stuff. Very successful story.
Art; 8; This should pretty much come down to wether or not your a fan of Abe's style. If you are, it looks good, and if not, you're not going to like the way this looks any more than anything else he's ever done. And personally, I like it. A welcome change from all the doe eyed moe girls we're used to.
Sound; 8. The soundtrack served the dreary atmosphere well, there was not a pop hit in sight. Mostly low-fi electronic and strings, and being a fan of Juno Reactor already made it a cool treat to hear the opening, Guardian Angel.
Character; 7. Here's the issue I had here. Ichise was not developed really at all until around episode eight or nine; And right from the get go, I could tell I was supposed to feel bad for him. But, he wasn't developed at ALL, so I didn't. I can appreciate the idea of keeping a shroud of mystery over such characters in this kind of story, but even a small backstory segment would have helped me out a lot. Ran was done perfectly, however, and I thoroughly enjoyed her character. Actually, every side character was by stories end fleshed out incredibly well except Ichise, although they did admittedly pick up the ball towards mid series. The doc also grew on me a lot towards the end. It's a shame they messed him up so bad, because aside of that glaring issue it's a great show.
Enjoyment/Overall; 8. I welcome this series greatly because until now, nothing had even touched the head scratching, soul searching inexplicable "heaviness" of Ergo Proxy for me. Likewise, nothing had captured that dystopian, edge of complete destruction world, and on both accounts Texhnolyze delivered. This show deserves much more attention, because as a sum of all it's parts, it's a very successful series.