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: March 25, 2003
• Run Time: 125 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000844JY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,670 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "RahXephon - Threshold (Vol. 1)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Adv Films Release Date: 03/25/2003 Run time: 125 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent anime, but you may want to skip the box, April 15, 2003

By 

M. Gold (Tukwila, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RahXephon - Threshold (Vol. 1) - With Series Box and T-Shirt (DVD)

RahXephon has a lot to live up to, being created by the same studio that brought us the Cowboy Bebop movie, and directed by the director of Gasaraki. Thankfully, I can say (based on this first disc) that it is fulfilling that promise. RahXephon's plot is likely to hook you quickly, and set up a sense of intrigue and mystery that will keep you wanting more.

Though many have scornfully compared this series to Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon is not a series to be dismissed as an "Eva clone." While there are many similarities, it could easily be said that RahXephon pays homage to the earlier anime classic, while maintaining its own story and style. Some may even find it easier to digest than the symbolic and didactic Evangelion.

Now for my only criticism: You'll notice that I still gave this disc a five star rating, because a show should not be judged on the quality of its box. However, I should point out that the box is flimsy, and likely to be bent or creased by the time it arrives in your hands. Also, there are many reports of security tabs being applied directly to the inside surface of the box, necessitating slightly ripping the colored surface in order to remove it. This was a very poor packaging design decision. Finally, the t-shirt that comes with it is poor quality and made of cheap material. The design on the shirt is too small, and obviously cheaply printed in only two colors. This is not a shirt you would be proud to wear... in fact, it looks worse than most bootleg anime goods.

So my advice is, definitely buy the series, but pass on the box. It's one of the worst boxes ADV has put out in a long time. It, and its godawful shirt, are not worth the extra money. The series on the other hand, is a joy to watch... so don't let your enjoyment be spoiled by poor excuses for "collectors items."

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly profound experience (Spoiler Free), January 22, 2004

By 

J. MURRAY (Ridgefield, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RahXephon - Threshold (Vol. 1) - With Series Box and T-Shirt (DVD)

(This will be spoiler free, and as a result, brief. I don't want to give away a thing!)

I recently finished watching this series and I have to say that it has been one of the best viewing experiences of my life.

The animation is fluid, smooth, and breathtaking. Strategic placement of various backdrops and images enhance the story, whether by foreshadowing an event to come, or connecting an event from the past.

You can tell from the titles themselves that RahXephon has a very strong musical undertone, and in fact is an integral part of the story. The result is music that is haunting, stirring...memorable.

Above all else the characters are what makes or breaks a story - and these made it many times over. The diversity of characters ensures that you can relate and empathize with at least one, if not more. They are simple, complex, mysterious, or a little bit of each - tied together with the perfect voices, making these characters come to life. You find yourself laughing with them, crying in sorrow, in rage, in joy. You no longer see 'characters', but real souls going through myriad experiences and taking you along for the ride.

After finishing this story I find myself feeling as if I had lost a close friend, since I will never again be able to discover this world and these people for the 'first time'. I'm sure all of you have gone through a similar experience, and realized how profound it was, and how much you wanted to share it with your family and friends, anyone who would listen. RahXephon has been such an experience for me, and it is one I will not soon forget.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "What can I do?", April 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 - Threshold (Vol. 1) - With Series Box and T-Shirt (DVD)

This has become a very promising year for US releases of anime. Most of the new issues are at least interesting, and a select few are serious contenders. RahXephon is one of the latter, combining some tried and true story lines with enough original thinking to seem fresh and original.

Sometimes I think Evangelion is the most borrowed from anime ever produced. Many of the results are unsatisfactory because the original set such a high standard that failures are glaring. Not so the case with RahXephon - rather than borrow, it echoes the old themes in an original context. Sure enough, a teen-aged boy (Ayato) finds himself in the middle of an attack on Tokyo and is led to the mystical temple where a giant egg contains RahXephon, who is a very aesthetic combination of EVA 01 and Gundam Wing. And giant space creatures (Dolems) appear in the skies for RahXephon to conquer.

But for each similarity, there are differences. Ayato is a much more vivid character than Shinji. After the first battle, Ayato and the robot catapult outside of the 'hidden' Tokyo. Where Ayato discovers that the city he though was all that was left of the world was really the last stronghold of the alien Mu, who plan the earth. They have locked themselves behind a time barrier in what is now called Tokyo Jupiter.

Ayato's friends have echoes as well - the reticent Reika Mishima who links him with RahXephon, Haruka Shitow - part special agent and part softie. And there is also the stern head of TERRA operations, Jin Kunugi. But despite the parallels, they these new efforts have different and richer personalities than their precursors. And there are many others to fill out the cast. It is clear that relationships will play as important a part in the story as the combat scenes, where 'song' is a weapon.

If the first five installments are any indication, the artwork and character design are outstanding. And true to a series where sound is a weapon, the music (by Khiko Hashimoto) is memorable. The story is carefully paced, but the viewer is treated to an active and often beautiful film surface. Mecha and mystical are mixed together seamlessly. This is a work that stands on its own quite well, but I think that Evangelion fans will be especially pleased.

I am not as excited with the set box and t-shirt, though. I like gimmicks, but while the packaging is pretty, it is not as solid as it should be. And the t-shirt is a bit average. Be warned that, if you are not a collector, the DVD alone is probably a better purchase.