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Buried beneath the Earth's crust the forgotten and dying
city of Lux continues to be controlled by the four warring
gangs. Joining with the Class, the Organo, the Racan or the
Union brings immediate benefits of power and prosperity, whilst
the rest of the city wallows in abject poverty. Only the Texhnolyze
process seems to offer any help by merging humans with their
prosthetic cybernetic limbs. In the dark dystopian city, death
and dark forebodings are never far behind you...
Rogue 17, Dependence, and the Shapes, fully cybernetic
humans, continue their attack on the city. The gang have all
but been destroyed and Hal returns as a shape to settle some
old scores. In this episode old rivalries, between the gangs
are put aside as the city fights the onslaught of the shapes.
Ichise, desperate for some answers, visits Doc - who still
continues to refer to him as her best piece of work. But Ichise
is there to discuss his dead mother's cells, which in a previous
episode Doc had said he carried in his cybernetic arm. This
turns out to be a lie, a lie she told him to make him have
the cybernetic arm. Not much happens in the episode to progress
the plot. The Class still appear to be behind the shapes as
they are the only gang untouched by the attack. The episode
continues the shows journey into dark dystopian nightmare
punctuated with large amounts of violence.
Rogue 18, Throne, continues with Ran, now with the
power of a seer, having a vision of the obelisk hanging over
her head. The attacks, which started in the previous episode,
continue to wipe out the other gangs. Most of the major characters
are attacked in one way or another. Onishi and Sjinji, having
survived an assassination attempt, go to consult with the
Elders of The Class, who admit that Kano is behind the Shapes.
For the first time the Elders entreat Onishi to go to the
world above and warn them of the impending Shape invasion.
Onishi refuses, instead insisting that Doc and Ichise go in
his stead, but will they make the journey into the light?
This is another slow, brooding episode, as the show builds
to its climax in Rogue 22, it is becoming increasingly introspective.
You really have to pay attention to the dialogue as many more
clues are given out, not only by Doc, but also by Onishi to
Ichise as to the reality of his existence.
Rogue
19, Heavenward, and Doc and Ichise make it to the surface.
Odd really as all they do is take a train. You would have
thought that given it was that easy more of the citizens of
Lux don't just leave due to the gangs and the poverty. The
upper world is the antithesis of Lux. Where Lux revels in
its city and technology, the surface world looks more like
a rural idyll, though initially the place looks well kept,
but deserted. What creatures there are, are very odd. A talking
chair, a radio that keeps repeating the same phrase over and
over, all very weird and confusing. At a cinema Doc and Ichise
watch what looks like a film about the construction of the
Obelisk in Lux.
So
only one more DVD to go to finish the show and I'm as confused
as ever. I'm still sticking with the thought that this is
all some form of personal nightmare on the part of Ichise,
mostly due to the enigmatic clues that Doc keeps giving him.
However, Heavenward has given me pause for thought
as it seems to indicate that the show is set further into
the future than at first suggested. Doc and Ichise apparently
contact what is left of the human race - that have evolved
so far that they are now just waiting for extinction.
The
disc continues to display the various animation forms in great
detail, though once again the extras are somewhat disappointing.
Audio options continue to be limited to an English and Japanese,
with subtitles, stereo track. On the extras you get the Alternative
Dialogue Outtakes, wherein the English dub actors have
some fun by putting their own warped take of some of the scenes,
some are very funny and none are less than amusing. Other
than that there is only a bunch of trailers and the DVD credits.
Although
there is a lot of bitching over the extras on anime discs,
we should not forget that this is selling to a much smaller
audience than a blockbuster film, from much smaller companies
as well. In all honesty I'm delighted that they do what they
can. So, another great, thought provoking, disc and only one
more to go to reveal the truths behind the show.
Charles
Packer
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