RahXephon

RahXephon (ラーゼフォン, Rāzefon^?) is a popular Japanese science fiction series about 17-year-old Ayato Kamina, his ability to control a godlike mecha known as the RahXephon, and his inner journey to find a place in the world around him. His peaceful life as a student and artist in Tokyo is suddenly interrupted by a mysterious woman who appears to be stalking him, strange machines invading the city, and even stranger machines fighting back.

The original 26-episode anime television series was the first directed by Yutaka Izubuchi. It was created by Izubuchi and Bones, and it aired on Fuji TV from January to September 2002. It was produced by Fuji TV, Bones, Media Factory and Victor Entertainment. The series received critical acclaim and was subsequently translated, released on DVD and aired in several other countries, including the United States. An adapted movie directed by Tomoki Kyoda, with plot changes and a few new scenes, was released in 2003. Novels, an extra OVA episode, an audio drama, computer games, illustration books, and a somewhat tweaked manga adaptation by Takeaki Momose were also created.

Music, time, mystery, intrigues and romance are central elements of RahXephon's plot. The series shows clear influences from philosophy and Japanese folklore, and from Western literature such as the work of James Churchward. Mesoamerican and other Pre-Columbian civilizations have a prominent place in the cultural background of the series.

Background

The backdrop of RahXephon is the fight against pan-dimensional invaders known as the Mulians, or Mu (IPA pronunciation: [muː] Katakana: ムウ). In appearance, the Mu are indistinguishable from humans. However, they carry a genetic marker called the "Mu phase" which makes their blood turn blue at a point in their maturity; this process also appears to cause memory loss.

Although RahXephon is usually placed in the mecha genre of anime, its "mechas" are not fully mechanical. The mechas used by the Mu are called Dolems. Dolems are made of clay, like golems; each is bound to a Mulian, and some are also bound to a human host called a "sub-Mulian".

The overarching theme of RahXephon is one of music changing the world. The Dolems are animated by a quasi-mystical force that is connected to music; most of the controlling Mulians appear to be singing. A Dolem attacks while singing, and sometimes the attack is the song itself. The RahXephon can also attack by having its pilot — the "instrumentalist" — sing a note. This unleashes powerful forces (such as light-energy blasts or heat waves) that cause destruction on an apocalyptic scale. Each of the Mulian Dolems has an Italian name which references musical notation, such as Allegretto, Falsetto, or Vivace. The ultimate goal of the RahXephon is to "tune the world." Izubuchi says the name RahXephon lacked a real meaning, but that he now explains it as composed of Rah, which according to Churchward is the origin of Ra, X for the X factor (the unknown), and -ephon as a suffix for instrument (-phone).

Central plot

The unusual relationship between Ayato Kamina and Haruka Shitow is one of the most important plot lines of the series. Although Haruka appears to be a stranger to Ayato at first, the series reveals that Haruka and Ayato know each other from before the beginning of the story.

Ayato, a boy conceived with the help of the Bähbem Foundation, was living in Tokyo with his adoptive mother, Maya Kamina. Ayato met Haruka on a trip outside Tokyo, and they continued seeing each other when they returned to school in Tokyo. At this time, Haruka's family name was Mishima.

The story reveals that two floating cities appeared above Tokyo and Sendai around the beginning of 2013. The ensuing conflict escalated into nuclear warfare, and the Mu enveloped Tokyo and outlying suburbs within a spherical barrier resembling Jupiter, referred to as "Tokyo Jupiter" ("Tōkyō Jupita") by all those outside. The barrier has a dilatory effect on time, with time inside Tokyo Jupiter passing about one-sixth as fast as the outside time.

During the Tokyo Jupiter incident, Haruka Mishima and her pregnant mother were away on a holiday trip while Ayato was caught inside. Years after the incident, Haruka's mother re-married and their family name became Shitow. Maya modified Ayato's memories to make him forget Haruka. The series makes clear that the entire population of Tokyo Jupiter is subject to the same kind of mental control. Still, visions of Haruka continue to haunt Ayato, as manifested in his art. Ixtli, RahXephon's soul, also adopts Haruka's appearance and family name (Mishima) but takes a different given name, Reika.

The story begins as the seemingly peaceful city is attacked by invaders while a mysterious woman (soon revealed to be Haruka) stalks Ayato. By this point, time dilation has made Haruka considerably older than Ayato and his friends who remained inside. Because of this, Ayato does not recognize Haruka and initially mistrusts her, but he gradually re-discovers his love for her as the series progresses and he learns of what has happened. At the end of the series, Ayato's RahXephon merges with Quon's, and he "re-tunes the world" (that is, modifies the past) so that he and Haruka would not have been separated. In the final sequence of the series, the adult Ayato (who can now easily be mistaken for Dr. Kisaragi, his twin brother) is seen with his wife Haruka and their infant daughter Quon.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahxephon#Manga

My inspiration: the most significant of this anime series is the character design which i like the most. The story line is also interesting. The plot focus on psychology and love romance. this anime also reflex many cultural and civilization: "RahXephon has many references to Pre-Columbian American culture. December 21, 2012 is the end of the 5-vigesimal Mayan Long Count calendar and the transition from one Mayan age into the next. In RahXephon the Mu re-appear one week after this date. Characters listen to a song called "Fate of Katun"; a Katun is a measurement of time in the Mayan Calendar. The Dolem control system is worn as a helmet shaped like a face from a Mayan sculpture,^[21] and the cities of the Mu contain artwork inspired by Mayan and other Mesoamerican art.^[22] Even the leader of the Mu in Tokyo is named Maya." (wikipedia-the free encyclopedia, Rahxephn, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahxephon#Manga).