Posts with the “retrospective” tag

Anime of the decade: #10

Texhnolyze

Bringing back the creative forces behind the 1998 series Serial Experiments Lain came Texhnolyze in 2003: a thoroughly peculiar name and the decade's best example of mind-bending anime. Scenario creator Chikai J. Konaka was riding high after 'Lain and the well received Hellsing TV series, around the same time Texhnolyze was released he had already lent his hand to the RahXephon movie (Pluralitas Concentio) and would go on to do the Air Gear TV series as well as Masamune Shirow's Ghost Hound. Character designer Yoshitoshi ABe meanwhile had leant his hand to a number of series previously including Haibane Renmei and Nie Under 7, however this would remain his last character work for anime for the foreseeable future.

a meditative look at the effect machines have on humanity when all barriers between them are removed

The setting could not be more verdant for exploration: an underground society - the only place on earth where the component for artificial limbs can be harvested - carved up by ceaseless gang fighting. The company-sponsored Organo tussle with the anti-prosthetic Union while in the middle is a religious sect who worship prognosticators born only once in a generation. Ichise, a bare-knuckle brawler, is mutilated by his employer and only saved after being taken in by an arrogant and capricious doctor, eager to experiment. He is fitted with the latest prosthetic limbs, texhnolyzed in the series' parlance, and eventually joins the Organo in their ongoing fight. However those who control the city, the Class, begin to move and the streets of the decaying city, Lux, become a warzone.

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Hitman Contracts playthrough: Complete

My Hitman Contracts narrated playthrough is now (almost) complete. Originally only going to be a "no bullet" run, it quickly turned into a fabled "all zero" run which provided enough of a challenge for me to run through the game again. All twelve missions contained in the game were completed without: assassinating anyone unnecessary, alerting any guards, almost getting discovered or shooting any bullets; on the Professional difficulty level getting Silent Assassin rating on all missions.

Below are thumbnailed links to all of the missions and I've also provided a retrospective on this project at the end.

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