| Aquarion | |
Cover of the first DVD volume of Genesis of Aquarion |
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| 創聖のアクエリオン (Sōsei no Akuerion) |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Mecha, Romance |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Shoji Kawamori |
| Studio | Satelight |
| Licensed by | Madman Entertainment FUNimation MVM Films |
| Network | TV Tokyo |
| English network | FUNimation Channel 2x2 |
| Original run | 4 April 2005 – 26 September 2005 |
| Episodes | 26 |
| Anime film | |
| Gekijouban Aquarion | |
| Directed by | Shoji Kawamori |
| Studio | Satelight |
| Released | 15 September 2007 |
| TV anime | |
| Aquarion Evol | |
| Directed by | Yuusuke Yamamoto |
| Studio | Satelight |
| Original run | 9 January 2011 – ongoing |
Genesis of Aquarion (創聖のアクエリオン Sōsei no Akuerion) is an anime TV series written and directed by Shoji Kawamori, produced by Satelight.
The science fiction series is a homage to the Super Robot shows of the 1970s and 1980s, executed with modern animation techniques and aesthetics. Set in the future, a giant fighting machine called the Aquarion is humanity's only effective weapon in the fight against the technologically advanced species called the Shadow Angels.
Aquarion aired from April 4, 2005 to September 26, 2005 on TV Tokyo. An alternate retelling of the television series, the Genesis of Aquarion OVA, premiered on September 15, 2007. The television series is licensed in North America by FUNimation while on the 14 February 2006 it aired on MTV Italia.
On April 27, 2009, the series made its North American television debut on the FUNimation Channel.[1]
A sequel to the series titled Aquarion Evol (アクエリオンEVOL Akuerion EVOL) was announced on February 25, 2011, to be in production.[2]
Contents |
Twelve thousand years in the past, mankind was at mercy of the mythical creatures known as Shadow Angels (堕天翅 Datenshi), immortal winged beings with overwhelming powers and technology. That is, until one of their kind, Apolonius, fell in love with a female human warrior, Seliane. Apolonius joins forces with the humans to free them from their oppression, by using the legendary giant fighting robot Aquarion (アクエリオン Akuerion).
Eleven years prior to the story, a disaster only referred to as the "Great Catastrophe" destroyed/devastated significant parts of the world and killed off many of its inhabitants. Along with the disaster came the return of the Shadow Angels who have been in slumber in their city of Atlandia (アトランディア Atorandia) since their battle with Apolonius. The Shadow Angels began invading human cites on Earth to harvest human beings, dubbing them as "the wingless ones", like cattle, to extract the prana (プラーナ purāna, life force) from the harvested humans not only to serve as energy and nutrition to them, but also to feed the legendary Tree of Life (生命の樹 Seimei no Ki). The Shadow Angels facilitate their harvesting via giant, floating harvesting machines called harvest beasts (収穫獣 shūkakujū) which are guarded by giant mecha called Cherubim Soldiers (ケルビム兵 Kerubimu Hei). They are sentient, yet there are times when they are piloted by Shadow Angels.
Ordinary weapons prove ineffective against the Cherubim, but a human expedition under the leadership of Gen Fudou eventually excavates three very technologically advanced fighter planes, and an organization called DEAVA (ディーバ Dība, Division of Earth Vitalization Advancement) takes over the research of these machines, called Vectors (ベクター Bekutā), trying to identify how to use them. The three Vectors are colored mostly in white and are shown as the green Vector Luna (ベクタールナ Bekutā Runa), the blue Vector Mars (ベクターマーズ Bekutā Māzu), and the red Vector Sol (ベクターソル Bekutā Soru). DEAVA discovers only people with special powers called Elements (エレメント Eremento) can control the Vectors and the three vectors are in fact the pieces of Aquarion, the same robot used to fight the Shadow Angels twelve millenia before. They also discover the Elements can ultimately unite the vectors into one of three formations of the giant robot in battle, and can use it to fight and defeat the Cherubim.
During the Elements' first sortie against the Cherubim by uniting the Vectors into a formation of Aquarion, they stumble on 15 year-old Apollo, who seems to be the reincarnation of Apollonius. They become convinced of this when he single-handedly unites the Vectors into the Solar Aquarion formation and defeats the enemy, thus recruiting him to join their ranks.
In the process of Unification, each Vector is able to transform into a head section, (a chest with a head and arms) a back section, (a back with a set of wings) or a leg section. (a pair of legs) Thus, when the Vectors combine to form the humanoid robot Aquarion, they make a leg/back/head formation with the head being the leading section. The Vector that makes the head ultimately identifies the form of Aquarion the vectors make as well. The Unification or "Merging" process also combines the souls of the Elements to some degree, as each supplies one of the supposed three aspects of their soul into one when Aquarion is formed. During Unification, the Elements experience an influx of power and energy, which in classic Japanese fan-service style is shown to be a feeling of wondrous power for the men, while for the women it is blatantly orgasmic in nature. In all three forms Aquarion weighs 88 tons.
Elements: All elements have at least one "main power" that defines what they can do, but with the right equipment they can do more. Aquarion is a big example. In Aquarion their powers are "increased" to obviously use them as powerful weapons during fights. Sometimes these increased powers can enable them to create and use "sub-powers" besides their main power, like to make devastating lighting powered spin-kicks or create and use throwing weapon disks.
Aquarion: All three Aquarion forms are capable of using the powers and/or abilities that the elements piloting it have separately or in any combination, as well as combining them with the main powers of the form Aquarion is in at the time (Mugen Punch, bow and arrows or sword) and using the main powers in special ways, such as classifying them with unique names or using them in unique ways. The elements piloting it can combine their status, such as strength, speed, targeting, mental strength and willpower in any way as well, and enable Aquarion to use it as its own in battle. Gen Fudou also trains the elements routinely on how use their powers to unlock and wield other powers that Aquarion itself has, such as how to firmly attach Aquarion to the ground so it cannot be moved or make Aquarion's body grow. (Ironically after most of these training sessions the Shadow Angels make a weapon that the elements can only stop by utilizing what they learned from the last training session while piloting Aquarion.) Sometimes the elements can even combine their emotions with Aquarion's energies to make new powers, like when Rekia turned her fear of her bad luck into unlucky-like energy to defeat the legend monster or when Pierre turned his determination to save his family into fire-like strength to defeat Kumba and Nikumba.
The following are other forms the Aquarion can take, but only appear in specific situations:
The Assault Type Aquarion (強攻型アクエリオン Kyōkōgata Akuerion) is a copy of the original Aquarion, constructed in a joint operation between DEAVA and the New United Nations using Shadow Angel DNA collected by force. It follows the same basic architecture of the original with a couple of physical differences and uses massive versions of conventional weaponry of cannons, rockets and machine guns as opposed to the original's more traditional weapons of bow and arrows, sword and Mugen punch. Because of the size of its weapons, it is capable of fighting and defeating the Cherubim. This Aquarion is normally piloted by one Shadow Angel DNA-infused mentally reprogrammed element or even a normal human being, while the other two corresponding Vectors are AI-controlled. It can configure into six different forms and is composed of three Vectors that are colored mostly in gray/black and look very much like the originals. The Vectors are a red Vector named Alpha, a green Vector named Delta, and a blue Vector named Omega, which corresponds to the Vector Sol, Vector Luna and the Vector Mars, respectively. These Vectors are compatible with normal elements and the original Aquarion Vectors and they are mass produced by the New United Nations.
Despite early references to biblical trees, the Book of Genesis and such, the bulk of Aquarion is tied to many other non-Christian myths.
Age of Aquarius, also known as the Aquarian Age, was a concept popularized by Carl Gustav Jung. The Age of Aquarius was seen in contraposition with current the Age of Pisces: whereas the Age of Pisces represents duality and antithesis (thus, conflict), the Age of Aquarius is an age of synthesis and spiritualism (in some ways, a new golden age). In the New Age, because of the implications of love, comprehension and one-ness, it can be associated with the fourth chakra. Aquarion as a name is a reference to this concept, but the show digs deeper in symbolism in using the Aquarion as an instrument for a "new era of holy genesis", managing to resolve conflict between the opposing parties of humans and Shadow Angels and showing a not-so-metaphorical process of oneness with the Earth.
Aquarion's main theme references Indian lore. The word yoga is translated as "unite" and means "union with the divine through the integration of body, mind and spirit" (in Japanese, the word "kokoro" refers to both heart or mind, but is more often translated as just the heart). During Unification, the Elements merge together their bodies, minds and spirits, but a real Unification of the Aquarion can only be obtained with a Shadow Angel onboard, fitting the scheme of the divine element necessary into order to achieve true Unification and completing Aquarion's power.
Yogis are said to develop special powers called siddhis. One of them is called prapti (acquisition) and with this siddhi, the perfect mystic yogi can not only touch the moon, but he can extend his hand anywhere and take whatever he likes. In the series, the Solar Aquarion's Mugen Punch manages to reach the moon, although the real prapti should not involve greatly elongated arms, but rather the ability to cancel distances between objects (resulting in the idea of omnipresence). In this sense, the real prapti in the show is perhaps used by Gen Fudo, who makes things appear out of nothing from his hand. It is worth noting another siddhi called Mahima is the ability to become incredibly big; this may be referenced to the Aquarion's ability to expand itself in size during particular battles with the Cherubim.
The character Apollonius is a passing nod to Greek mythology. Seemingly inspired by Apollo, the Greek god of light and Prometheus, who gave fire to humans and was punished by Zeus by having an eagle feast on his liver. Similarly, Apollonius is a Shadow Angel who seems to have light-like powers and gives the humans a fighting chance against the Shadow Angels with the Aquarion, but loses his wings as punishment from the other Shadow Angels. Like Apollonius of Tyana, Aquarion's Apollonius dies and is believed to be reincarnated as the protagonist Apollo, while the Greek god Apollo is stated to have been born in the bank of a lake, Aquarion's Apollo is given his name after he swims in a lake.
Atlandia's Tree of Life took on two roles throughout the series. It is basically a large pile of multicolored flowers. The arrangement of the flowers at the end of the top central flowering portion can be easily seen forming the ten interconnecting nodes of the Sephirot from Hebrew Bible/Christianity, only that the flower at top middle center of this arrangement, the spot that is supposed to symbolize the unity of the nodes is absent. The tree's first role was made by the Shadow Angels to use it to re-start the Shadow Angel race. The second role was its original role and was a similar function to its name, it literally contained the entire planet's life force. Because of this, if that force was unleashed as a power such as to give birth to a race of species, the planet would become lifeless and the tree would die, causing its remains to fall to the Earth's core and make the planet fall apart. This was something the Shadow Angels who had possession of and took care of the tree oddly did not know.
Yoko Kanno is the composer of the soundtrack music. Performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.
A series sequel to Genesis of Aquarion titled "Aquarion EVOL" is currently in development by the same creator of the original series, Shoji Kawamori and also animated by Studio Satelight.
According to Kawamori, the story will take place 12,000 years after the first Aquarion television series at a city modeled after Hong Kong. A new cast of characters, piloting a new Aquarion robot, will fight enemies from another dimension. However, Kawamori hinted that the characters might be reincarnations of Apollo, Silvia, and the other characters from the first series.
In America, Genesis of Aquarion has been praised for its excellent mecha designs, musical score and animation style. The story, however, has mixed reviews. AnimeonDVD, and Anime News Network has rated the series overall a C+, stating that Aquarion tries to please everyone with the different elements that are reminiscent of other series, and fails to establish its own identity.