Review of Texhnolyze

This is easily the most heart-breaking anime I've ever seen. At the start, I was unsure whether it was worth continuing. The random sexual acts drove me mad, and a number of things led me to believe it would be the same plot I had seen and hated zillions of times. Rival gangs in a run-down city? An orphan who was clearly destined to become the classic tormented anti-hero with daddy issues? A mysterious tribe with a despondent clairvoyant? Yet another heavily symbolic world of synthetic technology? And that name! Shameful! How could this be good? To anyone who is thinking along those same lines,I highly recommend that you stick it out. Because this anime turned out to be anything but ordinary.

The story and environment design were very well done, but the thing that resonated with me the most in this series were the characters. Even the characters I despised I could identify with and understand. There were few shallow fillers; each individual had their own interesting psychology. For example, Doc. Oh did I hate that woman with a burning passion. But, I could see exactly where she was coming from. She represents many women, I feel. Even though she is talented, successful, beautiful, and smug about it all, she is never really satisfied. She can't be. There exists a void within her, a starving desire for love and affection which she has never received and subtly tries to fill throughout the series. And I have to mention Ichise, my favorite. Ichise is a marvel to me because he is unlike any other main character or hero protagonist I've met. In the beginning he is a complete animal, which is a very rare state to be portrayed in. I was expecting for him to be reformed into the bad boy with a heart of gold, or maybe the kid with a hard-edged personality who doesn't always let people off easy, but does it for the greater good or out of disgust for the depraved. But Ichise is none of these. He cannot be called a hero in even the loosest sense of the term. He is merely a survivor who does wrong more often than right, and the good that he does is usually out of a sense of loyalty, duty, or yearning to belong. He isn't intended to be a role model. In this way he is just like most of humanity. But besides being just as awful as the rest of us, he maintains uniqueness. Talking isn't really his thing, he only does it when he has to. Even if a direct question is posed to him, he rarely answers it. He is passive, almost to the extent that you could consider him a doll at times, and yet he has free will. He is also extremely detached and hardly ever shows emotions. Few bonds are made with him throughout the series, despite the attempts by some, and he is disinterested in any physical touch. And, happily for viewers, although his deceased parents do play a role in his psyche, they are rarely brought up and there are no "please feel sorry for me, I had such a tragic past!" moments. Also very refreshing is the fact that Ichise is not undefeatable. He is extremely determined to survive and a strong fighter, but able to be conquered.

Whew, sorry about that long paragraph, but I was very much enthralled by the characters of this series. Moving on, the storyline also turned out to be quite lovely. Even though a few stereotypes remain in this series, for the most part it was surprisingly deep. Worlds and human minds are masterfully and chillingly depicted, and everything that occurs can be described as hauntingly sorrowful. The overall feeling of the series is very disconnected, and many of the interactions and emotions are inconspicuous. How characters really feel is often open to interpretation. Texhnolyze is one of the few series I have watched that I have not sat back and thought, "hmm, I could have done so much with this to make it better". I won't give anything about the plot away, but as I said in the very beginning this anime is heart-breaking. If you are looking for a feel-good show or just a happy ending.... it's not here, ha ha. It does not get light-hearted or even remotely satisfying at any point. While it is poignantly dark and beautiful, it is not for the faint of heart and will only become a favorite of viewers who enjoy very solemn shows.

After re-watching this series over a few years, I have to mention that some of the plot points stick with me, particularly when it comes to human integration with technology. The author's interpretation is that the more "engineered" humans become, and the more their body parts become replaced with "better" cybernetic ones, the less human people become. I know we aren't in that stage of the future yet, but I think we will be someday, and I very much enjoyed the speculation on this topic. I'm fascinated by the idea that even something basic - like our organs - can carry pieces of our souls with them, and that if enough pieces of our body are replaced, we might cease to have souls.

Some little things about this series that caught my attention:

Music. The theme song!!!!! I Love it! It's a rare thing indeed when an anime has a mainly instrumental opening, especially one that fits so well.

Lack of common symbolism. There is much symbolism in this series for sure, but you won't hear cicadas or go into any weird "mind state" episodes.

No psychological oddities. This series is psychological in many ways; however, it is mostly out there in front of you, and with some thinking you can figure it out. You won't be tripping acid to understand what's going on.

Rewatch value. This series would actually be great the second time around, and a second viewing would heighten understanding. I can say that with certainty after having re-watched it at least three times now.

In closing, this is a beautifully done, character driven, well-written series, but it is definitely not for happy-go-lucky types of people.