Fafner - Arcadian Project (Vol. 1)
The teen-agers of Tatsumiya Island, the heroes of the 2004 broadcast seriesFafner, believe they live in a tranquil paradise--until the alien Festum attack. The high school students didn't know an interplanetary war has been raging for decades. Tatsumiya is really the hidden base for Fafner, a giant battle robot piloted by a psychic teen. Only Fafner can defeat the Festum, who appear as a giganticmechathat resembles RahXephon with a coat of gold paint. The series borrows shamelessly fromEvangelion, although the names are taken from Wagner'sRing of the Nibelungen, rather than Judeo-Christian legends. The familiar elements include a standard assortment of eager and/or misunderstood kids, a mysterious girl imprisoned in sinister machinery, demanding officers, and an elaborate complex of corridors, bunkers, and weapons systems. If Shinji Ikari washed up on Tatsumiya Island, he'd feel right at home. (Rated 13 and older: violence, brief nudity, alcohol use)--Charles Solomon