Texhnolyze

In the dark underground city of Lux, people live in fear and despair under the rule of various criminal factions. Almost secluded from the surface, the gangs' only interaction with the outer world is their mining operation of "raffia," which is the raison d'être of the city.

Available only in Lux, this rare substance is the basis of "texhnolyze" transplants that permit humans to replace parts of their body with cybernetic prostheses. The latter have the particularity not to trigger an immune response in their hosts and the "Class" has the privilege to conduct research on them. This elusive organization, also in charge of the raffia production, delegates its executive authority to a group called Organo led by Keigo Oonishi—a self-righteous man with texhnolyzed legs who is rumored to hear the "voice of the city."

The fragile balance of powers in Lux is disturbed when a mysterious visitor named Kazuho Yoshii begins committing a series of crimes that puts the gangs at each other's throats. In the midst of the chaos, new actors emerge: Ichise, an ex-boxer mutilated by Organo and recently texhnolyzed by Eriko "Doc" Kamata; and Ran, a young florist who can see the future. While Lux steadily plunges into insanity, both Ichise and Ran find themselves involved in the greatest crisis the city has ever faced.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ichise Main

Haga, Satoshi Japanese

Ran Main

Itou, Shizuka Japanese

Yoshii, Kazuho Supporting

Inoue, Takashi Japanese

Oonishi, Keigo Supporting

Tsuchida, Hiroshi Japanese

Kamata, Eriko Supporting

Niki, Shizumi Japanese

Shinji Supporting

Kitade, Shinya Japanese

Kano Supporting

Tanaka, Kajirou Japanese

Tooyama, Haruhiko Supporting

Hoshi, Mitsuaki Japanese

Sakimura, Tatsuya Supporting

Tonosaki, Akihiko Japanese

Kimata, Genji Supporting

Nakata, Jouji Japanese

Ueda, Yasuyuki Producer

Murata, Yoshimichi Producer

Shikata, Satoshi Producer

Gotou, Hideki Producer

Reviews

Mar 8, 2026

SansonOshino

Recommended

I finally watched this anime I had really high expectations for, and on one hand I had hoped it would be good enough to make my top 15, but it was still so good that I didn't regret watching it at all.
I'm writing this with the aim of recommending this anime.

Note :
- I have to say that this one of those anime that is really not for everyone :
it contains really dark themes, has a pacing that can be hard to follow, features older animation and can be very disturbing for many reasons.
What I mean by really dark and disturbing is the anime as ... a whole, but to be more specific you may witness extreme violence, sexuality, incest, pedophilia and homosexuality (not a problem but still saying ), so be prepared.
All of this is in fact not problematic to be in an anime but this is more of a warning to those that want to watch it, also it's not action-based.
If you don't want to watch it maybe come back when you have nothing to watch you won't be deceived.
Know if you've acknowledged this and still want to watch it, I'll try to explain in the best way why you should watch it by saying the good points it has in the most objective way I can.

Presentation :
- Texhnolyze is set in a futuristic dystopian cyberpunk world, and takes place in the city of Lux, a decaying underground city, a place that feels completely cut off from the rest of the world. The city is unstable and divided between several powerful factions that all try to control it, while most people simply struggle to survive in a harsh and violent environment. We follow the story of Ichise, through a series of events, he becomes involved with a technology called "Texhnolyze". This technology is one of the main reasons of the conflict between factions, due to his nature and the Texhnolyze technology, Ichise will be involved in the conflict in different ways, and we follow the story of Lux and the evolution of the conflict through different characters but mainly Ichise.
- This anime also has a strong link to Serial Expermiments Lain, and Ergo Proxy through Chiaki J. Konaka
and to Serial Experiments Lain, and Haibane Renmei through Yoshitoshi Abe, so if you liked one of these anime, you should definitely watch Texhnolyze.

There isn’t really any required viewing order as there's only the first season but still :
1- Texhnolyze ( 22 ep x 23min )
2- Texhnolyze: Revisit ( 1ep x 33min) - Not needed
youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsJHfSLVN8I)
( That's the link to watch it ( Without subtitles unfortunately), since I found it hard to find )

Now what is the Revisit episode :
it's a summary episode of episode 1-8 I think around that. Now why would you want to watch a summary, first if you watch Texhnolyze and don't love it that much well don't watch it.
If you loved it :
- The anime has a pacing that is particulary hard to follow, but more that you will probably not remember everything that happened nor understand all, especially since after those episodes many things happen, so it can allow you to "revisit" the beginning / introduction and maybe have a more global view to think about Texhnolyze because as I may have already said it's likely that you won't understand all at the first watch.
( still not necessary tho it's only if you want)

Story : 8,7/10
- Honestly, the story is really good. The narration is often shown through different characters, and what I find particularly interesting is that most of the time, especially in the first half of the anime, is that characters rarely talk. Because of that, you often have to understand by yourself what is happening and why. It makes you think more about the events and become more involved in the story, which can make the experience even more enjoyable.
- The story also explores many different themes such as politics, conflicts, religion, and the evolution of technology. At the same time, it is very psychology-oriented and goes quite deep into the characters, which allows the anime to explore many themes through their behavior and their perspective.
This approach isn't necessarily a problem, and it can even make the story more engaging. However, for more casual viewers it can sometimes feel very dense and difficult to fully understand.
- The pacing is also very unique, sometimes really slow and sometimes so much happens, but again I don't think that's a problem and it fits perfectly in the atmosphere of Texhnolyze.
- The introduction is one of the best I've seen imo, and the conclusion is also really good, I won't really talk about them since I don't want to spoil.
- I also think it has really solid consistency, depth, pacing, peaks, and as for the fights/action scenes are not used to entertain the reader, as is often the case in shonen or action based animangas, but rather to advance and develop the story and characters, particularly Ichise.
- Overall, the story may not be easy to follow, but its depth and unique storytelling make it a very impactful experience.

Art / Visuals / Animation : 8,2/10
- First it's really the old type of animation which may not appeal to everyone, but I still find it really good despite that, I still have to say that it's way too dark and sometimes you can't see much on the screen ( low brightness of doom and despair ), but apart from that it's done well and again fits the atmosphere of Lux and Texhnolyze perfectly, that way of being unique is a really good point.
- The art direction is also very strong. The environments, especially the underground city and its industrial design, really help create the feeling of a decaying and hopeless world. The visuals constantly reinforce the mood of the story and match the themes of the anime perfectly.

Audio / Sound / OST / Opening / Ending : 8,6/10
- The Opening is insane I really love it, puts you instantly in the atmosphere of Texhnolyze when you start the episode and prepare you to the heavy mood, just amazing. "Guardian Angel - Juno Reactor "
youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_t7HpeWIv7M)
- The sounds and OST do their job really well, they take a good place too in making you feel the despair and cyberpunk atmosphere, you never hear them too much, just enough to feel the atmosphere while enjoying the story. Heavy mechanical sounds, echoes, and silence are also used to make Lux feel alive and oppressive.
- Voice acting is not an element that stands out from the rest because the characters do not speak very often, but I still think it's also done well.
- The Ending is also very good / maybe even amazing, it has a much softer and almost melancholic tone compared to the dark atmosphere of the anime, and I don't know what it says but it feels really deep, especialy when finishing an episode.
" Tsuki no Uta / 月の詩 - Gackt " : Meaning " song of the moon "
youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEQWl56P-OA)
- Overall the sound is one of the strongest points of Texhnolyze, from the intense and atmospheric opening, to the subtle yet effective OST that fills the world of Lux with tension and despair, to the melancholic ending that lingers in your mind, every audio element works together to create a fully immersive experience. Overall, the audio perfectly complements the anime’s visuals and storytelling, making it essential to the series’ impact.

Characters : 8,5/10
- Honestly I would've rated the characters almost 9/10 if it wasn't for a character I didn't like at all, but aside from that one every character is really great.
- The protagonist : Ichise, one of the best to the best in Texhnolyze, really deep and complex, he rarely expresses himself, but through his actions, you gradually understand his motivations, struggles, and inner conflicts.
- The deuteragonist : Ran, she serves the plot as a mysterious character, important for an unknown reason that you discover later, she's omnipresent in the anime, yet you don't know if she did something to impact what was supposed to happen or if she just chooses to watch, I'd say she's my favorite character in Texhnolyze, she's also really deep and has a strong writing too imo.
- The antagonists : I won't say their names for obvious reasons, one of them is the character I despise, so I won't be talking about him, the other is a really great character, that has really interesting view about life and freedom, I won't dwell on him to not spoil but he does have a really strong writing too, I really loved his character.
- The side cast : Onishi Keigo, Shinji, Eriko Kimata are my fav of the side cast, Oonishi is super interesting and is one of the best character of Texhnolyze, not much to say except he's amazing, same goes for Shinji and Eriko, both interesting and deep.
Worth noticeable are also Tooyama Haruhiko and Kimata Genji, that are really good too.
- Overall, almost every character in Texhnolyze is amazing, they all have different point of view and ways of thinking, constantly conflicting each other, making Texhnolyze so good.

Enjoyment : 8,7/10
- All things considered, I really loved Texhnolyze, probably one of the most unique experiences I have had in anime, mixing the sound, visuals, and story making you feel the atmosphere so much while having so strong writing Texhnolyze is really amazing, if you wonder why I don't have it at 9/10 yet I say it's amazing, it's because I didn't connect as much to Texhnolyze compared to animes like Ergo Proxy or Monster, I would've loved to be more attached to it but well it's still really good, worth your time.

Overall :
- Texhnolyze is a dark, intense, and unforgettable anime. Its story, characters, and atmosphere are unique, creating a world that really pulls you in. It’s not easy to watch, and it deals with heavy themes, but that’s what makes it so impactful. If you like thought-provoking cyberpunk with deep characters and a mysterious story, Texhnolyze is definitely worth your time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by SansonOshino (4)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Jan 17, 2026

AloNatural

Mixed Feelings

Texhnolyze español
Esta historia comienza con Ichise. El está metido en el bajo mundo de las peleas callejeras y debido a ciertos problemas se ve absorbido por una ciudad repleta de criminalidad e injusticias, donde hay mafias, organizaciones o sectas.Si uno ve la serie desde el exterior es una historia sencilla y simple de mafias, nada nuevo. Pero aunque sea una premisa sencilla, lo que yo valoro de este anime es su honestidad de principio a fin.
Aquí los personajes funcionan como motor o como transición para la historia porque esta historia es una escalera para ver quién llega más rápido a las puertas del infierno. ... En cierta manera el infierno o la muerte vendrían siendo un lugar muy hermoso y justo para vivir comparado con la ciudad de este anime llamada Lukuss.
Los personajes de esta maravillosa ciudad son de pocos dialogos pero cuando hablan se siente que dicen lo justo y lo necesario hasta cierto punto para no caer en la sobreexposición. Y eso es una virtud más que una falacia, porque muestra los pensamientos de los personajes no con diálogos, sino con decisiones. A su vez, aquí los personajes no crecen o se desarrollan de manera convencional, aquí se revelan con solo existir ya te estás revelando ante una sociedad podrida.

Tomemos a los pilares(personajes) de esta serie , que bajo mi juicio son tres. Estos son la base de la obra:
Ichise, un perro callejero cuyo principal objetivo es sobrevivir. En la primera parte de la serie no habla, pero la serie te muestra su inconformidad, su agotamiento y su agonía con sus propias expresiones faciales, y muestra su voluntad de querer vivir con sus acciones. En la segunda parte dialoga un poco más y se va conociendo mejor su historia.
Onishi es el jefe de la organización más poderosa de la ciudad. Es un personaje honorable y leal a sus principios hasta el final. Tiene piernas robóticas y es quien mantiene la base de toda la serie. Es el mentor de Ichise y quien más desarrollo le da al protagonista, junto con Ran, dándole un objetivo cuando antes no lo tenía.
Yoshi tiene la apariencia de un dueño de tienda vestido como pescador. Es genial no solo por su apariencia tranquila, sino porque también funciona como una crítica a la hipocresía. ¿A qué me refiero con esto? Lukuss está gobernada por organizaciones o sectas que imponen “orden”. Están el Órgano y la Alianza, las más importantes. Yoshi funciona como catalizador del caos o como crítica al falso orden de las organizaciones, creando conflictos entre ellas para que muestren su verdadera máscara y comience una matanza entre todas las organizaciones de la ciudad.
Personalmente tenía miedo de que al tener este personaje como único motor de la serie en su primera parte se perdiera la consistencia pero me equivoqué. Los otros personajes como Ichise, Onishi, los demás integrantes del Órgano o la Alianza hasta cierto punto cargaron con la segunda parte de la serie.


Estos personajes sirven como transición. Estos personajes son las columnas:
La doctora, una científica con fetiches sexuales en verdad me gusta porque es un personaje “vitalista” que cree que la evolución humano-máquina es la salvación de la humanidad, pero esta ciudad la bofetea de una manera tan realista que da hasta miedo. A lo que me refiero es que funciona como una crítica a la evolución biotecnológica.
Hay un personaje que critica esto y es el líder de la Alianza, llamado Genji Kimata, otro culto loco de la ciudad. Él obliga a la mayoría de sus participantes a no colocarse prótesis biológicas y critica la imperfección de la prótesis, algo que personalmente no había visto en ninguna otra serie.
Ran es una niña con el poder de percibir el futuro. Es un personaje que puede parecer contradictorio pero hay que analizarlo con pinzas. Ella parece aceptar su destino o el de la ciudad como lo hace la superficie: no hay manera de cambiarlo, solo aceptarlo. Pero cuando se le da la oportunidad de cambiar algo, posiblemente ella lo hace. Esta tensión entre aceptación y acción la convierte en una figura que no encaja del todo en ninguna postura clara, y precisamente ahí reside su fuerza.

Hasta este punto, la serie podría parecer una obra excelente pero no,uno de mis principales problemas con Texhnolyze es su ritmo. La primera mitad, incluso con Yoshi como fuerza motriz, se siente lenta. La segunda mitad también podría haberse condensado, y toda la serie en su totalidad se podría haber disfrutado sin perder su esencia en aproximadamente doce o quince episodios como máximo.Mi segundo problema es que algunos personajes están desequilibrados. Intentan hacer algo, pero al final no hacen nada. No son ni un techo ni escombros útiles. Entre ellos se incluyen:
La pandilla de jóvenes (llamados los Lacan), que en realidad, si la quitas de la serie, no pesa nada, porque ya con las pandillas principales hay inconformidades y conflictos, como el Órgano y la Alianza.
Kanno es mi principal problema. Alarga la historia y sobreexpone conflictos ya establecidos, mostrando lo que otros personajes ya mostraron:
1) Kanno no representa la desigualdad, porque Lukuss ya lo muestra.
2) Kanno no muestra burocracia o jerarquía, porque con las mafias basta.
3) Kanno no critica la sociedad, porque Yoshi ya lo hace, y tampoco es el detonante del conflicto, porque el lúcido de Yoshi ya lo fue.
4) Kanno tampoco critica el transhumanismo, porque una de las organizaciones ya lo hace; tampoco innova en la evolución, porque la doctora ya lo hace; ni tampoco es racista, porque la superficie(aqui es donde nace un observador como Yoshi) ya lo hace muy bien.

¿Qué función tiene el personaje?
Alargar la historia. Y el problema es que Kanno es el detonante final de la serie. Ya la serie de por sí es lenta, y ahora se vuelve obvia y repetitiva.

Conclusión
Respeto la propuesta, pero la ejecución no está a la altura. Texhnolyze es una serie decente e interesante: si buscas coherencia estructural, falla; pero si buscas honestidad, brilla. No como una luz cómoda o constante, sino como un fuego irregular: a veces ilumina con intensidad, otras veces solo arde, y no siempre sabe cuándo apagarse.


Texhnolyze English
This story begins with Ichise. He is involved in the underworld of street fighting and, due to certain problems, he ends up being absorbed by a city full of criminality and injustices, where there are mafias, organizations, or sects.If one watches the series from the outside, it is a simple and straightforward mafia story, nothing new. But even though it is a simple premise, what I value about this anime is its honesty from beginning to end.
Here, the characters function as an engine or as a transition for the story because this story is a staircase to see who reaches the gates of hell faster. In a certain way, hell or death would be a very beautiful and just place to live compared to the city of this anime called Lukuss.
The characters of this wonderful city have few dialogues, but when they speak, it feels like they say what is fair and necessary up to a certain point so as not to fall into overexposure. And that is a virtue rather than a fallacy, because it shows the characters’ thoughts not through dialogue, but through decisions. At the same time, here the characters do not grow or develop in a conventional way; here they are revealed—by merely existing you are already revealing yourself before a rotten society.

Let us take the pillars (characters) of this series, which in my judgment are three. These are the foundation of the work:
Ichise, a stray dog whose main objective is to survive. In the first part of the series he does not speak, but the series shows his dissatisfaction, his exhaustion, and his agony through his own facial expressions, and it shows his will to live through his actions. In the second part he speaks a little more and his story becomes better known.

Onishi is the leader of the most powerful organization in the city. He is an honorable character and loyal to his principles until the end. He has robotic legs and is the one who maintains the foundation of the entire series. He is Ichise’s mentor and the one who gives the protagonist the most development, along with Ran, giving him a goal when he previously did not have one.

Yoshi has the appearance of a shop owner dressed like a fisherman. He is great not only because of his calm appearance, but because he also functions as a critique of hypocrisy. What do I mean by this? Lukuss is governed by organizations or sects that impose “order.” There are the Organo and the Alliance, the most important ones. Yoshi functions as a catalyst of chaos or as a critique of the false order of the organizations, creating conflicts among them so that they show their true mask and a massacre begins among all the organizations in the city.
Personally, I was afraid that by having this character as the sole engine of the series in its first part, consistency would be lost, but I was wrong. The other characters such as Ichise, Onishi, the other members of the Organo or the Alliance to a certain extent carried the second part of the series.

These characters serve as a transition. These characters are the columns:
The doctor, a scientist with sexual fetishes, I really like because she is a “vitalist” character who believes that the human–machine evolution is the salvation of humanity, but this city slaps her in such a realistic way that it is even frightening. What I mean is that she functions as a critique of biotechnological evolution.
There is a character who criticizes this, and he is the leader of the Alliance, called Genji Kimata, another crazy cult of the city. He forces most of his participants not to place biological prostheses and criticizes the imperfection of the prosthesis, something that personally I had not seen in any other series.
Ran is a girl with the power to perceive the future. She is a character who may seem contradictory, but one has to analyze her carefully. She seems to accept her destiny or that of the city as the surface does: there is no way to change it, only to accept it. But when she is given the opportunity to change something, possibly she does. This tension between acceptance and action turns her into a figure that does not fully fit into any clear stance, and precisely there lies her strength.

Up to this point, the series might seem like an excellent work, but no, one of my main problems with Texhnolyze is its pace. The first half, even with Yoshi as the driving force, feels slow. The second half could also have been condensed, and the entire series as a whole could have been enjoyed without losing its essence in approximately twelve to fifteen episodes at most. My second problem is that some characters are unbalanced. They try to do something, but in the end they do nothing. They are neither a ceiling nor useful debris. Among them are:

The gang of youths (called the Lacan), which in reality, if you remove it from the series, weighs nothing, because with the main gangs there are already disagreements and conflicts, such as the Organo and the Alliance.
Kanno is my main problem. He stretches the story and overexposes already established conflicts, showing what other characters already showed:
1) Kanno does not represent inequality, because Lukuss already shows it.
2) Kanno does not show bureaucracy or hierarchy, because the mafias are enough.
3) Kanno does not criticize society, because Yoshi already does, and he is also not the trigger of the conflict, because Yoshi’s lucidity already was.
4) Kanno does not criticize transhumanism either, because one of the organizations already does so; nor does he innovate in the field of evolution, because the doctor already does so; nor is he racist, because the surface (this is where an observer like Yoshi comes into play) already does so very well.

What function does the character have?
To stretch the story. And the problem is that Kanno is the final trigger of the series. The series by itself is already slow, and now it becomes obvious and repetitive.

Conclusion
I respect the proposal, but the execution is not up to the task. Texhnolyze is a decent and interesting series: if you are looking for structural coherence, it fails; but if you are looking for honesty, it shines. Not like a comfortable or constant light, but like an irregular fire: sometimes it illuminates with intensity, other times it only burns, and it does not always know when to go out.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by AloNatural (5)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Jul 24, 2025

Xamir1

Not Recommended

Funny

The show had a lot of potential to be as deep as it was trying to be, but after watching that last episode my reaction was "what was the point?" I know the show was trying to be philosophical and make some kind of point about human nature, but it was so poorly executed and dilluted. The atmosphere in the anime was great and some of the characters and politics were interesting. That is the strength of the anime, but in terms of making the anime logical from start to finish and tying everything together, it failed. We don't get much backstory on most characters, ... which are continuously introduced throughout the anime. Furthermore, many of the characters that are present don't undergo much evolution throughout the series. Things just kinda happen throughout the story and one thing leads to another. Even when there are revelations to mysteries related to the main character's quest, it's cool, but doesn't seem to give the main story any forward momentum or clarity on the overarching story. I'd say it is worth a watch for the culture, and because it has some good moments, but if you don't want to be disppointed by a lackluster, confusing, and seemingly pointless ending, it ain't for you.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Xamir1 (3)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Próximos?

by igorrr

48 Entries · 1 Restacks

Foreign Music in Anime (Part 1)

by Ya_B0i

50 Entries · 64 Restacks

Delusions and Dystopias

by ryck66x

50 Entries · 149 Restacks

	Poll: Texhnolyze Episode 22 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) tounoyaboys - Jul 1, 2008	335 replies	by karleto917 »» Mar 17, 12:48 AM
	Poll: Texhnolyze Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) xXDaijinkazeXx - May 6, 2009	183 replies	by omtlord »» Mar 5, 4:46 PM
	Poll: Texhnolyze Episode 12 Discussion Ston3_FreeN7 - Nov 15, 2009	42 replies	by F1am3_arko »» Feb 18, 9:55 PM
	Poll: Texhnolyze Episode 19 Discussion ( 1 2 ) loghneckbeard - Apr 28, 2010	74 replies	by ann_sordo »» Feb 11, 8:51 AM
	How is this supposed to be enjoyed? removed-user - Aug 8, 2021	12 replies	by CatDragonFly »» Jan 6, 9:57 AM

12 Complex Psychological Anime to Wrap Your Head Around

In a genre with anime of various types ranging from action to sports, these are the psychological anime that will actually challenge you and the way you think.

by MAL_Articles

287,642 views

Top 20 Best Sci-Fi Anime of All Time

So what's this genre all about anyway? Complex formulas and futuristic, science-y stuff? Well, only some of the time. Check out our list to find out!

by madokamage

552,684 views

Spoiler

CollectionSci-fi