Texhnolyze Volume 3

In past reviews, I have made no secret of my admiration for Texhnolyze. I realize this is hardly the most accessible (even likable) of series, but I love it irregardless. I assume Texhnolyze is just too bleak for many anime fans; these characters live in hell- the underground complex of Lux is a monolithic and brutal city that is visibly decaying, filled with artificial light and drained of all colour, unsurprisingly its citizens don’t fare much better. There are no blue haired big breasted girls to lighten the mood- come to think of it, there is no comedy at all- everyone is pissed off!
So by now, you should probably know whether or not Texhnolyze is a series for you; this is a show with complex ideas about personal evolution, the animation of which is unintentionally beautiful. There is nothing pretty about Lux, but the setting strikes a strong emotional chord and comes up with some powerful images of mankind at his compelling best, and his despicable worst.

We rejoin the story in the aftermath of the battle instigated by Yoshii. Amidst the chaos, the Obelisk (a giant white tower that connects the Lux raffia mine to “the Class”- the technologically advanced governing body of this whole operation) is bombed, causing panic at Organo (they don’t want to upset the Class). Some of the power hungry top brass blame their boss Oonishi, there-by instigating a small revolt within Organo. Oonishi is now a wanted man, but he has other concerns; namely, tracking down the apparently psychotic Yoshii (with the help of Ichise).

Meanwhile, Yoshii is pushing his oblique, blood thirsty machinations ever onwards; having established the edgy social and political climate in Lux, he is quietly calculating a large scale war and revolution- does he intend to destroy Lux?

The first two volumes of Texhnolyze were admittedly slow going; they rely solely on mood, atmosphere and feeling to set the stage for the viewer. Being a fan of inventive science fiction, I love the premise of Texhnolyze, its ideas about the future and its beautiful visual style; I didn’t have to work hard to enjoy this series, I just find myself naturally interested by it. Thankfully though, the narrative is finally settling down and hooking us with some intriguing hints about the world above ground, the world of “the Class”.

The chilling Yoshii is a brilliantly unpredictable character, though it is still tough to ascertain his ultimate motives. I hazard a guess that in his own way, Yoshii is trying to show the people of Lux how strong they truly are; by causing such massive conflicts, he is creating powerful characters- self sustaining people who in this modern age, don’t need to rely on others or technology to survive. His methods are blunt, but effective.

As ever, the musical soundtrack remains a real highlight of this show. By capturing the bleak industrial tone of Lux, Hajime Mizoguchi’s and Keishi Urata’s music is a perfect fit for this story; there is a lot of eclectic electronica going on here, but most impressive are the more elegant and subdued piano driven songs. Like other elements of this fine series, these songs hint at a surreal hope-filled dream, slipping farther away with every passing moment.

In Summary

This latest thought provoking volume of Texhnolyze is as unpredictable and beautifully animated as ever, but where as previous volumes had focussed on Ichise’s immediate reactions to his increasingly dire situations; here the technological nightmare of Lux is slowly unveiled for all to see. Yoshii’s plans climax with some interesting revelations about the world above ground (and “the Class”).

That said, Texhnolyze remains a largely atmospheric, ambient experience that will scare many curious viewers away with its bleak invention and stilted story telling pace. This is real science fiction, a series unafraid to break convention and present ideas and theories about our future that are as chilling as they are enthralling.