RahXephon - Tonal Pattern (Vol 2)
AsRahXephonprogresses, a number of parallels with Hideaki Anno'sNeon Genesis Evangelionemerge. Ayato, like Shinji, is the reluctant,  chosen pilot of a fantasticmecha; the officers of TERRA are using  Ayato as a pawn, as the directors of SEELE used Shinji. The Dolem, the  gigantic flying fortresses of the Mu, recall the menacing Angels. But unlike  manyEvangelionclones,RahXephonis challenging and  intriguing. Although Ayato is  understandably uncertain about his role in a  strange time and place, he remains less alienated and more likable than the  schizophrenic Shinji. The interpersonal relationships surrounding Ayato are  more complex and involve more humane characters than the remote Commander  Ikari or the emotionally scarred Misako. Director Yutaka Izubuchi preserves a  sense of mystery without allowing the story to degenerate into  incomprehensibility, as he did in the muddledGasaraki. (Rated 15 and  older: violence, brief nudity, minor profanity, alcohol use)--Charles  Solomon