| ENCEPHALOPATHY | |
|---|---|
| ROGUE: 21 | |
| Air date (Japanese) | September 19th, 2003 |
| Air date (English) | February 21st, 2007 |
| Writer | Chiaki J. Konaka |
| Director | Yoshinori Kanemori (Storyboard), Takayuki Hirao (Episode director) |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous ROGUE: 20 Hades |
Next ROGUE: 22 Myth |
ENCEPHALOPATHY is the twenty-first episode of the Texhnolyze anime series.
Title Definition[]
ENCEPHALOPATHY – n., 1:a disease of the brain especially one involving alterations of brain structure.
Synopsis[]
The audio in the short film Doc and Ichise watched is heard now. It is just a symbolic retelling of Lux’s history, with Lux presented as Purgatory and the Surface world as Hades, and a lot of prophetic things said about Ichise. He loves and hates the “monster” that is Texhnolyze, he was born in the underground, reached the surface, met his father as a ghost, has a second mother in Doc, he is now going back to the underground.
Much of the episode has spatters of color, as audio is heard. The voices vary. At one time it is of Kano and evidently of his sister The female voice (Ran) asks why he wants to kill the city, and denies that she is his sister. Kano calls her as Theoria, the one sent to Lux to save it. It is also seen Oonishi and his “voice of the city” (who sounds like Ran). Later Ran asks if Kano is satisfied; he replies that the other people are no longer necessary for his plans. She has driven people mad by her predictions and her powers.
Ichise’s Texhnolyzed limbs have stopped working, and he limps his way into Lux. Near the bottom of the air vent, Gotoh runs into him, and tells him that the illumination has to be restored for all of the underground world to keep on going. As it is, that will not happen, and it will soon be over for everyone. Ichise takes the single-passenger train carriage to the city center. While Ichise was away, a bloodbath has ensued in Lux. Dead are strewn on the streets.
Oonishi finds Michiko in a bar with a group of unmechanized men. As inferred by one of the men, Michiko has been raped and abused by the group. She is mentally vacant and ragged in her appearance. Oonishi kills off the men and checks on Michiko. Michiko begs him to kill her, and raises his sword to her mouth. After consulting with the voice of the city, Oonishi fulfills her request, and she dies.
The Gabe Elder, Ran’s grandfather, is dead. He is thrown over a waterfall. His final thoughts are of apology for not protecting Ran well enough. While visuals of this is presented, Gotoh relates the legend that Raffia is just the combined souls of the dead.
After meeting for a short while with Oonishi, Shinji drives his motorcycle into Class. When he gets there, he fires and kills everyone within range. He spouts off about wanting, all his life, to live on the hill as a member of the Class. That is, until he met Kano.
Shinji reaches the center of the building, and finds a circular pool of green material, inside of which are naked people with wires stuck into them. This is Raffia. One of the Raffia humans approaches him as if to welcome him. Shinji sarcastically asks the human if it wants him to join them. He then shoots at all the Raffia humans. As soon as the deed is done, Zushi sees Shinji, bores a hole into him, kills him. Afterward, the Kano's right-hand man places the gun at his side of his forehead, and kills himself.
Ichise reaches the city center, and sees a vision of Ran, which he follows. He keeps telling her that he has been to the surface, and he wants to bring her there with him, where there is always peace. He HAS to protect her. But sometime later, the vision of Ran disappears.
Oonishi stands in front of the Obelisk. The voice inside him, which sounds like Ran, tells him to “kill” the Obelisk. She has caused too much trouble for everybody, so it would be better if she were killed. Surrounding Oonishi are a ragtag bunch of unmechanized men, all with guns, and all pointed at Oonishi. Ichise by this time is near the area and runs to where Oonishi is.
Declaring that he would rather die than keep living with the insanity caused by Texhnolyze, Oonishi drives his sword into the Obelisk. Soon after, he is riddled with bullets. Ichise is too late to interfere.