Review of Texhnolyze

This analytical review spoils the entirety of Texhnolyze, and is advised only for those who have completed the show. Texhnolyze takes a comprehensive look into humanity’s attempts to find meaning when it seems there’s nothing left to live for. Incessantly crafting an atmosphere of dread and despair through the use of monotonous sound effects, an uncompromising dark color palette, and an emphasis on pain, Texhnolyze captures the brutalistic atmosphere perfect for its narrative. Although it doesn’t hesitate to stretch scenes of despair and focus on seemingly inconsequential chains of event, how much Texhnolyze accomplishes in its run-time is astounding through its sheer focus. Atevery step of its story, Texhnolyze places great effort on showcasing the effects of the key events on all sides: the effect of the Salvation attack on Onishi visiting Doc and confronting the salvation union, the attention to every step Ichise takes while traversing the tunnel, and the reactions from all sides to Yoshii's attempts to stir up the city are examples. Each event has a consequence for the various factions, and no event from one episode is forgotten in the next. The structure of the episodes also follow a repetitive pattern of begginning with a sense of dread and then ending with a similar dread. As an example, episode 2’s beginning highlights the pain of Ichise losing his arm, and it ends with the despair of failing to move forward. While capturing the unpleasant atmosphere of the series, this repetition of dread contributes to Texhnolyze’s theme of nothing truly changing.

As an anime original, Texhnolyze delivers in terms of visual storytelling and directing. In episode 2, Ichise's imagines a version of himself climbing a set of stairs with his limbs in tact while defiantly looking at the failure of the real Ichise to move forward. Slow and bleak, the pacing and directing of this scene adds to its poignancy. Throughout the show, the characters’ expressions reveal truths they actively hide, as seen by Yoshii's expression of regret through his eyes when killing Onishi's wife and Onishi's seemingly forced expression of remorse for his wife's death. The series uses light in many cases to present myopia or blindness rather than true illumination. During Ichise’s boxing flashback in episode one, he’s portrayed in a shroud of light as he succumbs to his base desires. Nothing is visible as he charges for his punches. Similarly, in one early scene, the details of Lukuss are shown as light fades away to darkness. While light generally depicts hope, it is used in this way to parallel the revalation of the surface world. The bright-colored “heaven” of the surface is more hopeless than the darkness of the “hell” that is Lukuss. In the surface itself, Texhnolyze bases some of its scenes and architecture on the works of the American painter, Edward Hooper, who focused on portraying the loneliness and desolation of the 1920s. This stylistic choice is near perfect for portraying the surface world as lonely and sorrowful despite its seeming architectural beauty. As examples, Doc's scene of despair in the surface world directly mirrors the paining "railroad sunset," and the image of the houses on the hill parallel the painting "corn hill." Furthermore, Texhnolyze’s uses of symbolism is also noteworthy, mostly with the portrayal of the Shapes. As reinforced by Kohakura’s line about “reviving hell,” the Shapes share a resemblance to the buddhist notion of Preta. Referred to a hungry ghosts, the Preta are portrayed as beings with an extreme level of hunger and thirst but an inability to satiate them. This strongly parallels those who became Shapes to transcend the body out of greed yet lost their ability to obtain the pleasure they seek. They are ghosts hardly living with a hunger for that which they can no longer attain, as emphasized by Hal's lack of satisfaction after becoming a shape restricted his pursuit of pleasure. The dragonfly juxtaposed with a dormant Shape near the end of the series serves to contrast its freedom with the stagnancy of the Shape who abandoned the natural order in order to move on but lost agency. Rather than find freedom past the limitations of the human body, the Shape remains forever rooted to the ground. Moreover the series utilizes several visual cues to convey meaning without explaining everything. Onishi’s wife’s insanity is showcased by her talking on a phone that wasn't even plugged in. This is only noticeable because Onishi plugs the phone back in. Additionally, visual details with Ichise's arm are meaningful. In episode 2, Ichise imagines still having his severed arm in order to prevent falling when he's tripped by Hal and Shinji, to signify that he has yet to be accustomed to this change. The show also makes a point to emphasize how the difference between Ichise using his normal arm and his technolyzed one contributes to his characterization (elaborated later in this review). Through all of this, Texhnolyze maintains its monotonous style without being devoid of meaning through presentation. Its audiovisual focus cements it as not only a good story but also a good anime.

Through the use of different factions, Texhnolyze lays the foundation of the core approaches humanity takes in coping with the world, exposing individuals' true nature and their bouts of hypocrisy in the process. The factions and their approaches are revealed gradually throughout the show through their interactions. Texhnolyze is a story that moves beyond long infodumps to conveniently convey all the sides. As a handful of Salvation Union members fail to assasinate the sage of Gabe, the affiliations of the sage with the Organo, the governing faction of Lukuss is established. The Organo is shown to be intricately tied to mining and exporting raffia, the main purpose of the city. From Onishi referring to Ichise as a mere dog in the second episode, the Organo utilizes individuals such as Ichise for the sake of profit (in Ichise's case, through boxing). Through weilding a sword rather than traditional guns or axes, the Organo establishes pride and order. Compared to other factions who either establish freedom among themselves or bind together for a particular ideology, the Organo fulfills the human drive to climb the ladder of society through business, in order to live a prosperous life. As they condone technolyzation for the sake of convenience and the mining of raffia for the sake of profit, they're directly opposed to the Salvation Union, who founded themselves on the principle of spirituality against such technology. The union though tied together by their ideology, isn't bounded by order to nearly the degree that the Organo is, as a fair share of their members are shown to act for their ideology without consultation from their leader. Chanting their motto, "“Soul, body, truth, salvation, vengeance," this group represents the individuals who cope with the state of the world by binding themselves to an ideology greater than themselves and choosing to act upon it beyond all else. This is exemplified when Salvation members fight to the bitter end against the shapes, despite knowing doing would lead to their deaths. For those less interested in following the qualms of society or giving themselves up for an ideal, the Racan exists as a group emphasizing free will. All members are free to do as they please, seeking spectacle and pleasure in life. They actively rebel against the status quo to maintain their worth. Outside of the city of Lukuss, the inhabitants of Gabe instead live under the force of religion, following the words of their seer and accepting the fate they're told will ensue. Rather than make their own choices, they hinge their entire lives on the prophecies that their child seer tells them. If the words of their seer is lost, so are their lives. The Class under the hill serves as the shadow leaders of the city, importing the raffia that the Organo is instructed to mine. Its leader, Kano, represents the will to assert one’s importance to the world.

Key to note about the factions, primarily the Organo, Salvation Union, Racan and inhabitants of Gabe, is that they encompass the central values individuals may seek to embrace: order and climbing the ladder for prosperity, spirituality, freedom and rebellion, and religion respectively. However, the show also makes a point to showcase the hypocrisy and opposition that may occur in such groups. None of the groups are monolithic. Each one consists of members who at some point challenge the values of the group or a particular decision that takes place. For example, ,after Onishi's diplomatic approach failed against Yoshii's attempt to stir up the city, the minor character Mizuno used this opportunity to compromise the Raffia dig site. Mizuno's plot displays the opposition that would naturally arise in a group of individuals with different moral standings and opinions. Instead of making the Mizuno subplot plot-relevant, it is uncovered by another group of Organo members who operated under the belief that Onishi was framed. The show could have easily ignored how other members would approach the turn of events in order to incorporate the Mizuno sub-plot into the story, but it rightfully chooses to flesh out the different perspectives and oppositions that would take place in the organization. Although the focus on such an irrelevant plot point may disappoint the viewer, it adds to the realism of the inner working and motives of Organo members. Some Organo members such as Toyama show little loyalty to the group itself and are willing to cut their ties when opportunity sees fit. Kohakura himself abandons allegiance to the Organo as a result of Kano's alluring ideology to further the evolution of Lukuss' people. Similarly, the allegiance of members of the Salvation Union is also varied. In addition to those who carry through with their ideology without Kimata's orders, there are those who, when granted an alternative under Kano's Shapes, point out their leader's hypocrisy with technolyzation in order to justify leaving the group. This is in reality just hypocritical justification, since turning themselves to Shapes also opposes their ideology of remaining pure against technology. As expected, the Racan wouldn't be particularly unified due to embracing free will above all else. The leader Shinji's main ally Hal chooses to leave the Racan in order to grow stronger. The two later confront each other in order to maintain their respective freedoms. Outside of the hill, some members of Gabe question the validity of hinging everything upon a seer whose words control their fate. They cannot accept Gabe's conviction in simply accepting the deaths they were fated to undergo and thus choose to abandon their group. The class itself involves opposition in that Kano's ideals aren't supported by the mothers who birthed him. The series makes a point to showcase that no group is truly mindless, that there will always be those who question a group's values or decisions. This is commendable for creating factions that are truly sensible instead of ones merely thrown in for the messages they are meant to convey.

As a cyberpunk anime, Texhnolyze delivers on its sci-fi concepts. Firstly, the importance of raffia is asserted on a regular basis, suggesting that the city exists for the sole purpose of extracting it. The characters have undergone a century of strife within Lukuss, and raffia, which is able to prevent the bodily response to reject foreign entities, enables the transfer of body parts throughout individuals and the incorporation of technolyzed limbs so that individuals may continue to evolve and survive. Yoshii remarks when he first enters the city that its inhabitants are losing regenerative capacity, which emphasizes the importance of raffia in this state of decline. As the ability to evolve further is key, the Class and Surface World both begin emphasizing Lukuss' role for the purpose of raffia. Technolization, one of the central concepts of the series, is quite conflicting among the characters. Kimata, the leader of the Salvation Union, mentions the rotting effects of technolyzation for both the body and the mind, using his personal experiences with Technolyzation as justification for the harm it causes. Onishi fully accepts his technolyzed legs as not just the substitute of his legs but as his actual legs. It can be seen that technolyzation presents oneself with a higher level of awareness, supported by Onishi's ability to hear the voice of the city and Ichise's ability to detect assassins through his technolyzation (in episode 14 when Doc and Ichise approaches the Class). Toyama chose to be technolyzed solely to assert himself as different from his father. From Onishi's remarks that dogs such as Ichise aren't granted the privilege of technolyzation, it is reserved only for the fortunate, due to how valuable it is as a resource. Ichise's character arc demonstrates the struggles of adapting to technolyzation. Ichise undergoes a gradual process of wholeheartedly accepting his technolyzation process, which isn’t profound for a cyberpunk series but is necessary nonetheless. In terms of mechanics, technolyzation is tied to the Obelisk at the center of Lukuss. The series also establishes a factory that is necessary to provide the power for technolyzation. The shutting down of this tower highlights just how desparate several members of Lukuss are without their technolyzation. Texhnolyze in this way pays full attention to the details necessary to flesh out its concepts of raffia and technolization.

The introduction of Shapes enables a greater focus on transhumanism, although the series does not focus much on exploring transhumanist ideas. Kano utilizes the Shapes in order to instill his values onto others and force the views he believes are the right course for humanity. For the members of Lukuss who have spent their lives simply living and pursuing the basest of pleasures, the Shapes provide a new step forward in their evolution, a potential means of surviving as society nears its end. It appears that reproduction has ceased, hinted by the absence of children within the story and characters such as Doc who are aware of their infertility without needing to test for it. As such, embracing the Shapes is only natural when no alternative option for survival remains. Some individuals such as Toyama embrace the Shapes as they will pursue whatever will propel them forward, while individuals such as Hal follow the Shapes to satisfy their selfish desires. Hal seeks power and greater freedom than Shinji through becoming a shape, but Shinji himself remarks that Hal has lost his ability for freedom by choosing this path. After becoming a shape, Hal isn't truly living. He's a mere phantom, as the allusion to hungry ghosts would support. Even Hal’s statement that he lost his dick is notable since base pleasures is all members of Lukuss had to live their lives. Given that the Salvation members who stuck to their ideals to the bitter end are portrayed with far more humanity than those who sought after Shapes, the series posits the loss of humanity this danger of trans-humanism results in. Kano and Kohakura remark that the Shapes will continue to live past humanity, but given the repeated twitching the Shapes undergo and Kohakura's infection from gangrene, this appears to be a false hope. The Shapes will likely deteriorate with time, failing to obtain the evolution they desire. The tragedy of the Shapes is effectively depicted by the aforementioned dragonfly juxtaposition. As such, the series suggests the consequences of hinging everything upon trans-humanism. The pursuit of this trans-humanism was understandable given the circumstances. However, although rejecting it would lead to the same fate of death, it would at the very least grant the individual the freedom to embrace his/her values.

Texhnolyze’s characters can be quite controversial, as they aren’t prone to as much emotion as many viewers would like. To focus on providing atatchment to the characters isn’t Texhnolyze’s aim, so this is no issue. The show depicts characters who behave how they would under their circumstances and doesn’t choose a specific side amidst the several character stories present. Claiming that the characters are excessively stoic is inaccurate as they show emotion whenever appropriate. Doc demonstrates her lust for power and pleasure when she has sex with Ichise and cuts off the limb of a rat, while she demonstrates despair when rejected by the Class and unneeded by the surface. Ichise is portrayed mostly through primal madness but has instances of calm understanding, when comforting Doc during her rejection by the Class, and showcases respect when coming to terms with his father in the surface world. Onishi carries out a mask of stoicism in order to fit his role as the leader, but this stoicism is questioned when his wife dies. He may try to undergo the formalities without showcasing emotion, but is unable to escape a breakdown when Toyama calls him and abruptly ends the call. Yoshii showcases varied emotion throughout the series, Kano remains bombastic, and Shinji although lifeless in certain cases, has his moments of wildness and liveliness near the end. Even a character such as Ran uses her mask in order to hide her distress in situations. Although Texhnolyze as a tonal piece doesn't have characters that are brimming with emotion, the emotions and moods they take don't come off as forced throughout the series. Some may claim that Texhnolyze characters are flawed by being ideologies and nothing more, but nearly all the important characters are established well beyond their ideologies. Rand and Kano are the closest to being merely the roles they serve, but even they have the sufficient characterization needed.. Ran possesses child-like pleasure as shown when she's excited by Ichise's revenge against Organo members, and she undergoes the distress that is sensible due to her ability to see the future. Although this doesn't make her a particularly good character, her character is understandable for the child she is without agency. Kano, defined by his god-complex, is characterized well in order to reinforce said god-complex. His view in solipcism, that reality exists in his own mind, is in tandem with his god-complex, and his desire to have metaphorical intercourse with the series parallels the incestuous conditions which lead to his birth. From these character traits, it is reasonable to see that he believes his will is absolute, and given the state of the world at the time, his ambition through the Shapes is sensible. The rest of the central characters are deserving of their own inspection.

Ichise's journey is the driving force of the series. Beginning as a character with next to no values other than preserving the cells of his dead mother, he sought survival and survival alone. His base nature and desire to live beyond all else brought forth interest from Doc and later Onishi. Of course initially rejecting the Technolyzation he was given, he undergoes a slow process of coming to terms with his technolyzed limbs. While traversing the tunnel he was thrown into by Organo members, he followed flowers that Ran left behind, which after noticing they came from Ran, he began to associate with her. As such, he grew value in Ran even though she herself didn't perceive him to the same degree. In the climax of episode 6, Ichise shows an inability to retaliate against the arm he had lost with his Technolyzed limb, thus forcing him to achieve vengeance through his ordinary arm. This emphasizes his embracing of himself rather than the arm he was given. Ichise later forms respect for Onishi, likely through the Organo leader’s assistance to him throughout the brawls with the other factions. As such, when Onishi is threatened in episode 10 by Yoshii, Ichise deals a decisive blow to Yoshii with his technolyzed limb, contrasting his inability to use it in episode 6. Through now being accustomed to his limbs, Ichise begins to pursue value and purpose, choosing to join the Organo to meet that intent. He's proven to be unable to control himself when he comes across the ones who framed his parents. Toyama later remarks that he has hardly changed, merely seeking vengeance. Ichise clings to Ran for desperation, knowing that she can tell him his future, which he wishes for due to his desire for purpose. He's haunted by the future he's told by Ran, that he'll destroy everyone around him and become alone, as he's now fond of the connections he's made with individuals such as Onishi and Doc. As he accompanies Doc to approach the Class, he questions whether he truly is destined to abandon those around him and become isolated. As a result, he shows genuine affection towards Doc and comforts her when she believes she has lost everything. As Ichise continues to carry out the orders of the Organo, he questions why exactly he's merely following orders. In an attempt to find purpose within the Organo so that he doesn't isolate himself, he ends up straying from the very self-preservation that defined him. In contrast to his original disposition of living solely for himself, he's no longer even thinking for himself, choosing to follow orders due to his perceived obligation to the Organo. His strife is partially mitigated when the hospitalized Organo Chief, Gotoh, assures him that he must not pay heed to fate and must rather choose to live his own life. When Doc reveals that his Technolyzed unit doesn't actually have his mother's cells, he enters a state of madness but is able to restrain himself from killing Doc. The Ichise of the past clearly wouldn't have restrained himself, so this demonstrates the effect of the ties he's developed with others. After reaching the surface, he quickly understands that those individuals aren't truly living, and adopts an expression of grim understanding. He's prepared to kill the elderly couple who carries out their lives without actually living, in order to ease their pain. Similarly, Ichise is willing to end Toyama's life in order to free the latter from the burden of living as a shape who isn't truly alive. The clash between the two serves as a distinction to the foil that was setup between them. Both had begun as individuals who scorned their fathers and chose to survive against all odds, but Ichise was able to forge connections outside of living for himself. Poignantly, right after the clash, Ichise is able to come to terms with his father's death and apologize for accusing his father of betraying him, thus directly opposing Toyama's inability to let his hatred of his father go. With the death of Onishi at the end, Ichise pleas for his technolyzed limbs to work, claiming that they are his true arm and leg. He has now come to full terms with his circumstances. Having defended himself with his accepted limbs, he reflects upon Ran's role in his life, and how it had a positive influence on him. Though he realizes that he hasn't actually changed, he is able to take satisfaction with the life he has lived. As such, though his fate is tragic, he was able to live his life without regret.

Toyama's introduced with a repugnance towards those who "drag down others who try to rise." To rise and continue living is the central ideal Toyama pursues, and as such nothing frustrates him more than those who live with envy rather than acting for themselves. Due to his father's incestuous feelings for Toyama, he grows a resentment towards him, choosing to follow Kohakura under the Organo as a substitute. He claims that he'll kill his father, but is never able to do so, using the excuse that he'll restrain particularly because it's his father. His relationship with Kohakura is no different, as Kohakura sexually harasses Toyama by touching his butt, yet Toyama does nothing against this. His scenario and abuse doesn't seem to truly change, and he's unable to come to terms with these burdens. For the sake of rebellion against his father alone does he seek technolization, and he's willing to abandon the Organo when he sees fit in order to continue surviving. Toyama seeing those clouds in the surface may be a representation of his "rise," which he emphasized as his main value. But upon wishing to kill Ichise, he perishes, in essence falling immediately after his rise. Toyama spiritually dies when he becomes a shape, the burdens he never comes to term with explaining why he is unable to survive his rise to the surface. By contrast, Ichise is able to come to terms with his father conflict and make the descent back to the city he seeks.

Yoshii's ideals and values are strongly integral to what the series attempts to convey. Having understood the monotonous lives of those in the surface who aren't truly living, Yoshii strives to stir up Lukuss so that they don't embrace the same complacency. He hopes to unleash their true power so that they can live to their potential. Living in the moment and choosing to embrace spectacle, he doesn't want Ran to tell him his future. He seeks the freedom to be unbounded by such tools as fate. He kills a prostitute and her pimp, realizing that they would be unable to carry out with their goals of escaping the city. Rather than allow them to suffer the burden of failing to reach their goals, he chooses to eliminate them as they are. Yoshii is the character with one of the strongest showing of emotion in the series. He shows vulnerability when his bag is stolen by Racan members, hesitation when killing Onishi's wife, and genuine curiosity in the state of Lukuss. He takes notes for his own sake rather than for the indifferent surface world. He lives with his ideology instead of simply blurting it out. His desire to create conflict among the classes of Lukuss to bait the Class is actively demonstrated rather than explained. At the end of the day, he dies with satisfaction knowing that he lived how he wished to live. He sought his desires for spectacle and pleasure while serving as an influence for Kano's unleashing of his plans and Kohakura's decision to abandon the Organo.

Doc's character arc and tragic ending is quite relevant for the nihilistic side of Texhnolyze's conclusion. She's a character who is defined initially by pursuing her pleasure, through having sex with Ichise and chopping off the limbs of a rat. She's drawn to Ichise because of his eyes which resemble the first ancestors of Lukuss and because of Ichise's drive to survive. Through helping Ichise become the most evolved individual in the city, she is able to satiate her desire for purpose and accomplishment. She uses Ichise as a means of reaching her own satisfaction, and when Ichise leaves Onishi's cell for him in episode 7, she resorts to a rat to fill her void for company and meeting of her pleasures. After completing Ichise as her masterpiece, she brings Ichise along with her to move to the Class. Her jealousy of Ichise's respect towards Onishi hints at her growing affection towards Ichise and desire to be acknowledged by him. When Ichise refuses to go with her, she replies that everything including Ichise and the way the city evolves is in her control, singifying that she prides herself on her significance. This sense of significance is shattered when the class rejects her research and achievements with Ichise. She's driven to a state of despair, but is partially consoled by Ichise insinuating that she still has him. Although she’s consulted by Ichise’s reassurance, she realizes that Ichise won't be with her for long. Once the Shapes emerge, in contrast to Ichise's insistence in being obliged to help Onishi, Doc suggests that Ichise should give up on him, uncertain whether Onishi may even be alive. Her sense of selfishness is still intact, but not entirely as she asks Ichise to hug him, to reinforce that such acts are what her technolyzation was for. When she and Ichise leave to the surface, she implants her own cells into Ichise, in order to compensate for lying to Ichise, while also serving as her only means of symbolic reproduction given her infertility. Once the surface has no need for Doc, she has nothing left to live her life, choosing to end herself on the surface rather than returning. Her conclusion serves as the fate that some may come to in such a world, where there's nothing to value and nothing to live for. Although her intentions were selfish, she genuinely cared for Ichise by the end, and one can assume that she placed the flower in Ichise's unit, which was what he ultimately needed during the end of his life.

Onishi is a character constrained by a mask of obligation. He tries at all costs to fulfill the role he's expected to play. His bravado is present in the beginning when he looks down upon Ichise as a worthless dog who lost his limb. He pursues diplomacy and finds fault in those who pursue violence recklessly. He's the voice of reason when the rest of the factions wish to fight each other due to Yoshii's methods of stirring them up. Seeks diplomatic ties with the Salvation Union after being attacked by rogue Union members, he is hesitant to use force during the conflicts beyond necessity, as shown by his response to the fire. He doesn't seem to show much actual affection to his wife, as he has sexual affairs with his secretary. However, with the death of his wife, it appears that he forces himself to care for her, undergoing the formalities for the sake of it. Clearly burdened by the scenario, he cannot contain his composure after Toyama calls to inform him about Yoshii and then immediately ends the call. He sought to keep his composure, but such a disturbance prevents this. It is likely that he feels a sense of guilt after the death of his wife, as he no longer makes sexual advances with his secretary. Onishi showcases responsbility by voluntarily offering his ordinary legs, in contrast to Ichise who lost them through recklessness. Although put into question by the Mizuno subplot, he turns his attention to saving Gotoh from Yoshii's assassination attempts of a Class member. Despite the accusations laid on him, Gotoh continues to maintain trust in Onishi due to his genuine sense of duty from visiting the former at the hospital regularly. It is clear that Onishi acts selflessly for the benefit of the city and its inhabitants by ruling responsibly and seeking to minimize tension with other factions. When necessary, he's willing to throw out wounded members in his car to enable his own survival, but he does this by necessity while apologizing for doing so. Onishi seems to realize Ichise's sense of obligation towards him, and remarks that Ichise may leave to the surface world, so that Ichise would no longer be bound to him. Amidst the chaos of the city during its last hours, Onishi maintains his sanity by symbolically cutting his tie with the city, rather than living only to embrace the insanity around him.

Shinji serves as a direct foil to Onishi, striving for freedom and rebellion compared to Onishi's values of obligation and order. But from his dialogue with Yoshii in episode 5, the latter remarks that Shinji isn't free because he's bounded by his ties to the city. Shinji is considerably lively during the beginning, nonchalantly telling Ichise in episode 2 that he should have joined the Racan to avoid losing his limbs and motivated by the spectacle of Yoshii's fire. However, after opposing Yoshii's assassination attempt of the class member, feeling betrayed to an extent, he undergoes a slump in which he loses his rebellious passion. This may have been bolstered by being unable to conclude his fight with Onishi is episode 8, as Onishi is a key hindrance to Shinji’s core desires. He’s drawn to Onishi's secretary Micheko, likely due to Micheko's remark that Shinji wishes to be like Onishi. Clearly Shinji wishes to reject this statement, but there is truth to it. Indifferent to Hal leaving, his melancholic attitude in contrast to his previous liveliness ensues. Just as Yoshii remarked Shinji wouldn't be free because he is bound to the city, his ties to the Racan prevent him from living the life of rebellion he longs for. When he ends Hal's life and leaves Yoko behind, he is finally able to embrace his true nature of spectacle and rebellion. He explicitly states in a confrontation with Onishi that he'll kill people while Onishi helps them, directly remarking that he wishes to take the opposite path of Onishi. This serves as a rebellious act directly targeted at Micheko's claim that he wants to be just like Onishi. His defiant nature has truly been satisfied, and he has finally overcome his jealousy of Onishi. He remarks how pitiful the Class that he longed to join really is, and he lives the last moments of his life killing the raffia statues in the Class' headquarters. Killed during that moment, he died while obtaining the very spectacle he longed for, after he was able to escape the restrictions of his den and by extension his city.

Before delving into how Texhnolyze utilizes all this characterization for its conclusion, there are some issues with the show worth mentioning. Firstly, plot armor is present in many instances. Ichise or Onishi dodge a barrage of bullets unscathed, and Ichise’s ability to defeat an entire crowd with his technolyzed limb requires suspension of disbelief. One may also question Ichise's relationship with Ran to some extent. The show places great emphasis on Ichise's value for Ran, but this value in series relates almost solely to Ichise noticing that Ran provided the flowers that helped him in the tunnel and thus could have benefited from a stronger relationship. Related to this, in episode 11, Ichise is led to believe Ran knows something about him, but it isn't clear what made him reach such a conclusion. He has no reason to suspect Ran's ability to tell the future, so this interaction is a reasonable criticism. Ran's connection to Kano at the end was far too abrupt and required more elaboration. How exactly Ran relates to the Obelisk is also left unexplained, and her role as the voice speaking to Onishi isn’t an integral twist. The series also includes moments of symbolism that betray realism during certain points. The blood that arises when Onishi destroys the Obelisk with his sword makes no literal sense, and the Surface World treads the line between reality and the illusory for a symbolic purpose that could be again questionable from a literal standpoint. Konaka's Serial Experiments Lain has non-literal aspects like this, but since that show is metaphorical in its entirety, there's no disparity compared to the more grounded Texhnolze. Ultimately, these aren’t major faults with the series. Although a fair share of these problems arose during the end, the ending is overall the strongest point of the series.

When Ichise, Doc, and Sakimura reach the surface world, the viewer's expectations are shattered by the true nature of this seeming heaven. In contrast to the city of Lukuss whose people were at the very least living, the inhabitants of the surface are nothing but ghosts, simply reflecting upon their past lives without actually living. Atmospherically, this world is interesting from instances such as a seemingly normal flower being revealed to have withered away in reality. When Sakimura informed his supervisor about his killing of Yoshii, he is driven to despair but his supervisor just assures him that he probably did a good job with the task. From this, we can surmise that the theonormals posses no value of morality, simply paying heed to whether a task was done as it should be. There's a strong emphasis on formality for the sake of formality, and the inhabitants are completely indifferent to Doc's message that Kano's Shapes would attack. They've given up on life. Nothing truly matters, and they import raffia by habit alone. The radios continue to repeat the same pointless lines, to emphasize the sheer meaninglessness of the surface and everything they do. Doc is driven to despair by this meaninglessness and her inability to attain the purpose and acknowledgement she wishes for. An old man assures Ichise of the merits of not having a last name, as he's bounded to one fewer thing. Ichise remarks that the old man should visit Lukuss, for the inhabitants are at the very least living there. Essentially, the twist of the surface world lays into question what it truly means to live. There are those who simply go about their lives with complacency and there are those who although they suffer, at least have something to live for. Although the approach of the theonormals to simply give up on life isn't necessarily wrong, it is clear that individuals such as Ichise would be unsatisfied with that alone. As an individual seeking meaning, he descends back to Lukuss, to meet the fate he's bound to meet. At the very least, Ichise is satisfied with his life's conclusion, for he is able to reflect upon the life he lived and the relationships he forged. The flower grants him hope despite his tragic end. He may not have actually changed, but he at the very least lived a life, found people to value and memories to cherish.

More important to Texhnolyze is how the elements of the ending fully wrap up all the perspectives present within the series. Texhnolyze provides a vast array of potential approaches to life. Ichise strives for self-preservation and to find meaning, while Kano strives to maintain his values to others and assert his own meaning by awaking everyone's egoism. Toyama desires to rise beyond all else, Shinji attempts to live with satisfaction by seeking rebellion and Doc externalizes her goal through furthering Ichise's evolution and striving to be needed by others. The Salvation Union is willing to die for their cause, maintaining their value of the natural body. Members of Gabe cling to fate rather than acting on their own, Yoshii strives to unleash the potential of the people and live to hedonism, and the surface decides to give up on life. It is questioned whether anything really changes, for the cycle of death and rebirth of cities is stated to be continuous, and Ichise's own journey ends with a punch just like how it began (punching Kano at the end compared to punching the prostitute during the begginning). The different conclusions the series presents are quite varied. It presents characters who live their lives with satisfaction: Ichise as he reflects upon the life he's lived, Shinji as he lives the way he always wished to live, Yoshii as he lived and fueled the spark for others to live, and the Salvation Union as they pursue their ideals without hesitation. It also presents the tragedy of those who have given up, either choosing to end their lives such as Doc or Ran, or choosing to meet their fates such as the members of the surface. Onishi, though he met a tragic end, at the very least kept his sanity. Characters such as Hal and Toyama died in folly, but served to enable Shinji and Ichise respectively to live their true lives. Texhnolyze weaves its various perspectives and approaches to meaning almost seamlessly, utilizing its 22 episodes to build-up the components that each character and faction would require. And although the folly of approaches such as Hal's is highlighted, the show doesn't present a particular approach as the correct one. Ultimately, Texhnolyze isn't a propaganda piece with a message it's trying to convey. It shows the sides of the conflict, what the world and one's way of living within it means for each of them, but there's no correct answer. It is as if through these perspectives, the show encapsulate the core of humanity for what it is. Texhnolyze is a study of the way people fundamentally approach life and the conclusions they are lead to. The ending may lead the viewer in a sort of void ,from the sheer overwhelming nature of a world with no overarching meaning or truth. "Walking Through the Empty Age," the music that plays during the last few minutes of the final episode, perfectly captures the melancholic yet contemplative mood that this ending entails.

Final Verdict:

When all is said and done, Texhnolyze is a show that's thematically satisfying. It's a series that is focused from beginning to end, one that is indifferent to whether the viewer is invested and instead simply tells its story. It's an anime that takes care in executing the characters it tries to convey, utilizes visuals to contribute to the story and presents one of the most thematically rich stories the medium has to offer. It may have a few minor issues in its execution, but it effectively explores the many sides to the concepts and perspectives it focuses on. As such, it is possibly one of the greatest works the anime medium has to offer.