Texhnolyze - Inhumane & Beautiful (Vol. 1) - DVD

Texhnolyze (2003) reunites producer Yasuyuki Ueda and screenwriter Chiaki Konaka from Serial Experiments Lain. This violent, moody tale is presented through similarly fragmented collages of images, but with minimal dialogue: 11 minutes elapse before anyone speaks in the first episode. Ichise is a muscular young fighter in the gritty distopia of Lukuss, which is ruled by the Mafia-like Organo. When Ichise crosses an Organo boss, thugs hack off an arm and a leg, leaving him for dead. He survives through sheer willpower and receives powerful cybernetic limbs through the Texhnolyze technology his parents helped develop. His fate is somehow linked to Ran, a psychic girl who lives in the subterranean realm of Gabe with her grandfather, the Sage, and to Yoshii, a visitor from Lukuss. Bleak, atmospheric, and often obscure, Texhnolyze is sure to inspire heated discussions among its fans and detractors. (Rated 16 and older: considerable violence, nudity, sexual situations, alcohol use) --Charles Solomon