Product Details

• Actors: Jason Douglas, Hiro Shimono, Aya Hisakawa, Fumioki, Houko Kuwashima
• Directors: Akitoshi Yokoyama, Ikuro Sato, Masahiro Andô, Mitsuo Iso, Susumu Kudo
• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Adv Films
• DVD Release Date: June 17, 2003
• Run Time: 75 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008G8QF
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,748 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "RahXephon - Harmonic Convergence (Vol. 3)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

As the story of RahXephon unfolds, its similarities to and differences from Neon Genesis Evangelion--the subject of heated online debates--become increasingly evident. Unlike Shinji, Ayato is curious--and suspicious about the events surrounding him. He's right to be suspicious: lurking in the shadows is mysterious billionaire Ernst Von Bähbem, who may be over 500 years old. His relationships with TERRA, the Mulians, and Ayato are only hinted at. Quon begins to discover her latent powers, although "the time of her awakening has not yet come." Music exerts a curious power in this world: Quon floats toward a great Mulian egg singing the familiar "Second Polovtsian Dance" of Borodin. The ultimate success of the series will rest on whether director Yutaka Izubuchi ties all these elements together more satisfactorily than he did in Gasaraki. (Rated 15 and older: violence, brief nudity, minor profanity, tobacco and alcohol use) --Charles Solomon

Product Description

RAHXEPHON 3-HARMONICXX (DVD MOVIE)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for a sci-fi fan, August 21, 2003

By 

"yeselcuk" - See all my reviews

This review is from: RahXephon - Harmonic Convergence (Vol. 3) (DVD)

RahXephon is a sci-fi anime with an intriguing story. Editorial review does a good job for summarizing the overall scenerio, so there is no need to lengthen my review. RahXephon resembles Neon Genesis Evangelion in many respects but it doesn't have the drawbacks of Evangelion that I mentioned in my review of its complete set. If you enjoy science-fiction books or movies having interesting and intriguing subjects, you will enjoy RahXephon as much as I do. If you need an example from anime to make your decision, I can say that the ones liked Gasaraki will probably like RahXephon, too.

Video and audio quality of this DVD edition is very good. Most anime fans dislike dubbing and prefer to watch Japanese sound with English subtitles. However, subtitles are not that good. I found out that listening an important conversation, which you couldn't understand it at first, for a second time is much more efficient than figuring out what happened from subtitles. You should notice that there are actually two English subtitles. First subtitle is the regular one and the second one is similar to the "Pill" option of Akira, it only translates Japanese words on the video and background conversation on scenes such as a news heard from a TV. This second English subtitle is benefical to turn on.

Leaflets on DVD's are very wellcome and useful. There are fully coloured drawings of mechas and persons together with a brief information. The leaflet of this first volume also includes short interviews with Japanese cast but no translation notes this time. Production sketches, opening and closing animations are there again in the extras, as well as ADV previews. Final extra of this volume is the early production promo trailer. As being early, this is not as good as the trailer in the first volume. To summarize, this volume has the weakest extras amoung the first four.

Third volume has only three episodes. 10th movement, first episonde on this volume is among the weakest of those in the first volumes. This is only because of its slow pace but it contains some important key points. I would give the volume four stars if all the episodes were like this one. However, the next episode is very "Matrixish", making it up - 11th movement is to be praised by Matrix fans like me. I, as a science fiction fan, give five stars to this volume as well as the other three and I am looking forward for the rest.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interior Dialogues, July 23, 2003

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: RahXephon - Harmonic Convergence (Vol. 3) (DVD)

This series has a particular fondness for exploring the inner workings of its characters. Frequently this is in association with RahXephon's battles, but the first episode here is an exception, playing the antagonistic relationship between Ayato Kamina and Megumi Shitow against Commander Jin Kunugi's painful visit to his daughter's grave. In a sense, fractured relationships are as much a major sub-theme of RahXephon as is the music that often expresses via the mysterious Quon Kisaragi.

In the next episode, Ayato, pilot of the RahXephon, encounters a new Dolem, 'Vivace,' in battle. It thrusts Ayato into a strange dream world that is a partial replica of the Tokyo locked behind the time barrier. He finds himself more in touch with his on inner turmoil and fears of intimacy than he expected to be, creating a crisis that will resound through the rest of the series.

The last episode is Quon's tale. Her role so far has been that of a beautiful, but physically weak woman who is most noted for her poetry and violin playing. In undergoing her own crisis - triggered by Ayato's in the previous episode, Quon comes face to face with her own potential, and very nearly overreaches herself.

Often, this series will get compared to Evangelion, and not inappropriately. But there is much more going on here at the character level than it's forbearer offers - and correspondingly less action. If you can imagine Evangelion grown up a bit, with even better music and art you would have a good idea of what to expect. I find it fascinating both as art and concept, with a difficult to achieve naturalness to the acting.

By all means seek this series out, it shows every sign of being a keeper.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This should have been titled Dissonance, July 11, 2003

By 

"iso_allen" (Irving, Tx United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: RahXephon - Harmonic Convergence (Vol. 3) (DVD)

This is what I would consider a break away from the main series with three episodes that stray a bit from reality.

This disk is going to be a love or hate. The art and color use are still great. Not much is revealed about the main story line and as I said its a few steps away from where the rest of the series has been so far. If you are looking for answers you wont find them here but if you pay attention you can intuit a few things that I feel will be major in the story line later.

I liked departure from reality episode. It reminds me more than just a bit of the Twin Peaks TV series. The pacing could have been faster but I think it was done well enough. It also sets some interesting character relasionship umm.. dificulties. I'm interested to see if they intend to work through them or if they will just go away next episode and everyhting will be fine again. Could go either way.
I think it was a brave move for the creators of the series to take this kind of divergence from the formula people might have come to expect. I don't know that it would work for the whole series but I think it works on these few episodes.

Like I said - love it or hate it, to each their own.