Review of Texhnolyze

Forewarning first; this anime is punishingly slow paced and worse, lingers into a confusing sequence of secondary character deaths in the middle before finally moving on again with the story. Texhnolyze has its share of action but this is heavily diluted by above mentioned story telling approach. So already, this is an anime that only a minority of people can get into. What it does excel in is its atmosphere. The anime starts off with masterful animation direction, detailed industrial backdrops, no dialogue aside from tortured breathing and a drained colour palette, if not outright darkness. The slow pacing; far from becoming a weakness, creates constant gutwrenching tension throughout the entirety of the show. This anime is no horror but it doesn't need to be; its guaranteed to be more unsettling than most horror.

As you near the end of the show and with a mountain of named character deaths, doses of nihilistic philosophy, allusions to genocide, gang rapes and pedophilia; you will feel absolute and genuine despair.

This anime really wasn't my cup of tea in the end but it made me its bitch. It is a one of a kind experience that forcefully seizes you by your figurative balls and doesn't let go until it has given you a taste of insanity. That alone puts this show above the typical 7/10 anime.

On a more positive note, the Ost is amazing. Too good for any anime except this one, which it suits perfectly. There are the hauntingly beautiful ambient tracks; which I found the only respite from all the bleakness. There is the industrial opener which captures the setting of the show so well and finally, absolutely unrestrained free jazz rockers that teeter into Rock in Opposition territory. An avant-garde soundtrack for a one of a kind anime.