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