RahXephon is, to put it in no uncertain terms, weird. The second volume doesn't toss a whole lot more confusion into the mix (which is good - we had a rather large helping in the last volume), but it also takes its sweet time in offering any new information. The show seems to be interested in revealing how intricate the story is first, and then getting down to the business of telling it. I expect that the final episodes will reveal everything, when the final bad guy (whom I shall dub "Godot," for now) appears. For now, I'll explain the love-hate relationship I'm forming with RahXephon.

Volume one introduced a story that was interesting, but at the same time seemed almost purposefully convoluted. Volume two continues this fine tradition by introducing new characters and making it seem like maybe some of the things we saw in volume one didn't really happen. The volume begins with Shinji, er, Ayato refusing to pilot RahXephon ever again. Well, we can all see how long that will last (about 10 minutes, for those still curious).

The rest of the plot for this volume has surprisingly little to do with Ayato, which is a good thing for those notably insane folks who enjoy characters that are likable. We get treated to a bit of back story on Kim, Megumi, and Haruka; and amazingly enough, the stories have a real relevance to the present! If you seek a character whose irrational fear of french kissing dates back to a horrible experience with the family's St. Bernard, then don't come within 100 feet of this release. However, if you enjoy characters confused by hate or once burned by past romance and daring to love again, then this is the video for you.

Kim has a few personal issues to work through in this volume.	It's a big rock. Can't wait to tell all my friends; they don't have a rock this big.

In fact, the relationships between the main characters are really what set RahXephon apart from the other shows in the "well, it looks like a robot" genre. I have a genuine interest in what will happen next between Quon and Ayato, Megumi and Haruka, Dr. Kisaragi and his assistant Sayoko, and a couple others that I will refrain from mentioning due to the threat of spoiling things. The story isn't all peaches and cream, though. There is such a thing as too much political intrigue, and I'm worried that the writers don't know where that boundary is. Not every scientist needs to be insane and calculating, just as not every military officer needs to be involved in shady deals behind the scenes. It also doesn't particularly sit well with me when these figures carry on conversations in their (currently) indecipherable mobster lingo - all the while discussing topics that have little to no relevance to current plot events - and silently laughing at the viewer as they carry on. Even the reporter that's invited to TERRA's base to do a story on RahXephon seems to know more than us viewers. Until the show decides to stop pussyfooting about and spit out some details, I'll care more about Haruka's emotional growth and learning about what makes Quon special.

The overall presentation by ADV for this volume is again excellent. The cover features a picture of the Mu dolem Forzando. The disc extras include the clean opening and ending sequences (again), some production art, and an interview with the English dub cast. The insert is very informative and printed on quality paper.

In summary, there is much to be liked and a little to be disliked about RahXephon, at this juncture. The main characters are a solid reason to keep watching, even though the remaining ones do their darndest to make you feel like a retard. And hey, the robots still look nifty.

Video Quality: A+
Audio Quality: B+
Presentation: A+
Content: B-
Overall: B