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- Anime Review -- Aquarion: Complete Series Part Two
Anime Review -- Aquarion: Complete Series Part Two
- By Gretchen Lee
- Published 08/29/2008
- Anime and Manga
- Unrated
Gretchen Lee
Gretchen is an anime junkie who spends far too much time reading manga and searching for that elusive new favorite series. She lives with her cat, and raises tomato trees.
View all articles by Gretchen Lee
Aquarion shares quite a few similarities to Neon Genesis Evangelion, arguably one of the best mecha animes around, however, this recent addition to the genre feels more like a pale imitation. Granted, a great many mecha series share certain aspects, the most obvious being giant robots and some threat to Earth. A good mecha series needs that spark, that little something extra to make it unique. Aquarion tries mightily, and has a few touches to set it apart, but instead of pushing the series over the bar, these touches only manage to help it squeak by as a cheesy, silly mess.
Twelve thousand years ago, a great war raged between humanity and the Shadow Angels. Just when the Shadow Angels had the upper hand, one of their own, Apollonius, fell in love with a human woman, Celiane, and betrayed his kind, successfully tipping the balance in humanity's favor. Using the powerful weapon Aquarion, Apollonius defeated the Shadow Angels. Millennia later, a great catastrophe strikes the planet. The Shadow Angels have reawakened, harvesting humans for food and threatening to destroy life as it is currently known.
Enter Deava, an organization devoted to protecting humanity from becoming dinner by using gifted young people, dubbed Elements, to pilot the rediscovered Aquarion. It takes three people to pilot the weapon, using three small ships, or Vectors, that combine kind of like Legos. The three individuals must merge completely, mind, body, and soul, making for some unintentionally amusing moments. Apparently piloting Aquarion is good for more than just one kind of thrill. Meanwhile, only the reincarnations of Apollonius and Celiane can truly awaken all of Aquarion's power. A young princess, Silvia, is certain that she is the reincarnation of Celiane, and she is convinced her brother, Sirius, is the lost Apollonius. However, with the arrival of Apollo, a feral young man raised on the streets, all of Silvia's and the other members of Deava's assumptions are challenged.
The second half of this series begins to weave together the disparate strings of the first half, but ultimately the story remains a bit convoluted. An awful lot happens, which keeps things entertaining, but if you're looking for something meaningful, look elsewhere. There are plenty of fights, but after a while, they start to blend together and I found myself waiting for the explosions to end so that maybe an explanation would be forthcoming. Most of those dangling questions from the first half do get answered, in time. However, by the end of the series, the revelations and big answers just aren't all that fulfilling.
Shocking revelations lose their appeal when the viewer isn't engaged with the characters and the plot is held together with all too familiar cliches. We've seen these characters before. The pampered, yet plucky princess. The young man who hits on anything vaguely female possessing a pulse. The outsider who must overcome his inner demons to be a part of the group. These types haven't been done badly here, but they've been done better elsewhere. It's hard to care about characters that don't have much depth. The one exception is conflicted, angry Sirius. His character shows a certain depth that is satisfying and enjoyable to watch, even if he does recite ridiculously awful poetry. Perhaps that's part of the appeal.
Regardless, cliches abound, the worst being the I-hate-you-until-I-suddenly-love-you romance novel scenario. That one has green fur growing on it, and while new awkwardness between love birds is rather sweet, it doesn't negate the cheesiness of the cliche. The impressive amount of cheesiness in this series makes it far more inappropriately amusing than it ought to be.
Watching Aquarion, it was hard not to be reminded of Evangelion. The series are decidedly different, and Aquarion definitely travels in another direction, but on the surface, there are quite a few echoes of that other series. The idea of big, evil mecha angel-type beings attacking a post-apocalyptic, dying Earth just seems awfully familiar. Especially since Aquarion doesn't do the scenario nearly as well. Then there's the shadowy organization employing teenagers and older children. NERV or Deava, both run by a man who knows far more than he lets on. While watching the pilots try to merge, I was constantly reminded of the episode of Evangelion where Shinji and Asuka must work in synch to defeat the angel, and are forced to do everything from brushing their teeth to fight in unison. It's one of my favorite episodes, but seeing the idea repeated, stretched, and dragged on and on began to grate after a while. Aquarion is its own series, but in comparing it to something like Evangelion, one can't help but be disappointed.
The animation, however, is slick and pretty and better than the story. Like many other aspects of this series, it's not fantastic, but it certainly isn't bad, either. Each character is uniquely designed and pleasing to the eye. The backgrounds, many of which are more of an impression rather than anything greatly detailed are nice. Soft colors and an almost watercolor painting-type feel mark the distance shots. The sharp lines of Aquarion, the Shadow Angel's weapons, and the Vectors contrast well with the background. Even the CGI is pretty good. It's difficult to find computer imaging that isn't awkward, but the fights, most of which are CG, aren't terribly jarring. The Vectors actually look animated, rather than computer-generated. There is still some awkwardness, but compared to some other CG out there, it's not too shabby.
One thing that must be noted is Yoko Kanno's music. This anime seems to take the middle of the road on all fronts. For the most part, the series is not done badly, but there are animes out there that have been far better crafted. The same goes for the music. I'm a huge fan of Yoko Kanno, and tend to buy her anime soundtracks. This isn't a soundtrack that's going to be added to my collection anytime soon. Say it with me, "It isn't bad, but it's been done better elsewhere." There are instances where the music is just perfect. It bears Kanno's distinctive stamp and really defines a moment. The rest of the time, though, the music is pretty generic, resulting in a disappointing experience.
Aquarion just doesn't cut it as a heart-pounding, engrossing mecha action series. This is unfortunate. Perhaps if some of the extraneous ideas had been excised, and some of the other storylines strengthened, it could have been much more successful and streamlined, rather than floating along as a mildly entertaining diversion.
Details: Runtime 315 minutes, contains 13 episodes on 2 dvds. Extras include Creation and Development of the Series, the 2005 stage drama, music videos, a manga-style silent movie, original commercials, textless songs, and trailers.
Twelve thousand years ago, a great war raged between humanity and the Shadow Angels. Just when the Shadow Angels had the upper hand, one of their own, Apollonius, fell in love with a human woman, Celiane, and betrayed his kind, successfully tipping the balance in humanity's favor. Using the powerful weapon Aquarion, Apollonius defeated the Shadow Angels. Millennia later, a great catastrophe strikes the planet. The Shadow Angels have reawakened, harvesting humans for food and threatening to destroy life as it is currently known.
Enter Deava, an organization devoted to protecting humanity from becoming dinner by using gifted young people, dubbed Elements, to pilot the rediscovered Aquarion. It takes three people to pilot the weapon, using three small ships, or Vectors, that combine kind of like Legos. The three individuals must merge completely, mind, body, and soul, making for some unintentionally amusing moments. Apparently piloting Aquarion is good for more than just one kind of thrill. Meanwhile, only the reincarnations of Apollonius and Celiane can truly awaken all of Aquarion's power. A young princess, Silvia, is certain that she is the reincarnation of Celiane, and she is convinced her brother, Sirius, is the lost Apollonius. However, with the arrival of Apollo, a feral young man raised on the streets, all of Silvia's and the other members of Deava's assumptions are challenged.
The second half of this series begins to weave together the disparate strings of the first half, but ultimately the story remains a bit convoluted. An awful lot happens, which keeps things entertaining, but if you're looking for something meaningful, look elsewhere. There are plenty of fights, but after a while, they start to blend together and I found myself waiting for the explosions to end so that maybe an explanation would be forthcoming. Most of those dangling questions from the first half do get answered, in time. However, by the end of the series, the revelations and big answers just aren't all that fulfilling.
Shocking revelations lose their appeal when the viewer isn't engaged with the characters and the plot is held together with all too familiar cliches. We've seen these characters before. The pampered, yet plucky princess. The young man who hits on anything vaguely female possessing a pulse. The outsider who must overcome his inner demons to be a part of the group. These types haven't been done badly here, but they've been done better elsewhere. It's hard to care about characters that don't have much depth. The one exception is conflicted, angry Sirius. His character shows a certain depth that is satisfying and enjoyable to watch, even if he does recite ridiculously awful poetry. Perhaps that's part of the appeal.
Watching Aquarion, it was hard not to be reminded of Evangelion. The series are decidedly different, and Aquarion definitely travels in another direction, but on the surface, there are quite a few echoes of that other series. The idea of big, evil mecha angel-type beings attacking a post-apocalyptic, dying Earth just seems awfully familiar. Especially since Aquarion doesn't do the scenario nearly as well. Then there's the shadowy organization employing teenagers and older children. NERV or Deava, both run by a man who knows far more than he lets on. While watching the pilots try to merge, I was constantly reminded of the episode of Evangelion where Shinji and Asuka must work in synch to defeat the angel, and are forced to do everything from brushing their teeth to fight in unison. It's one of my favorite episodes, but seeing the idea repeated, stretched, and dragged on and on began to grate after a while. Aquarion is its own series, but in comparing it to something like Evangelion, one can't help but be disappointed.
The animation, however, is slick and pretty and better than the story. Like many other aspects of this series, it's not fantastic, but it certainly isn't bad, either. Each character is uniquely designed and pleasing to the eye. The backgrounds, many of which are more of an impression rather than anything greatly detailed are nice. Soft colors and an almost watercolor painting-type feel mark the distance shots. The sharp lines of Aquarion, the Shadow Angel's weapons, and the Vectors contrast well with the background. Even the CGI is pretty good. It's difficult to find computer imaging that isn't awkward, but the fights, most of which are CG, aren't terribly jarring. The Vectors actually look animated, rather than computer-generated. There is still some awkwardness, but compared to some other CG out there, it's not too shabby.
One thing that must be noted is Yoko Kanno's music. This anime seems to take the middle of the road on all fronts. For the most part, the series is not done badly, but there are animes out there that have been far better crafted. The same goes for the music. I'm a huge fan of Yoko Kanno, and tend to buy her anime soundtracks. This isn't a soundtrack that's going to be added to my collection anytime soon. Say it with me, "It isn't bad, but it's been done better elsewhere." There are instances where the music is just perfect. It bears Kanno's distinctive stamp and really defines a moment. The rest of the time, though, the music is pretty generic, resulting in a disappointing experience.
Aquarion just doesn't cut it as a heart-pounding, engrossing mecha action series. This is unfortunate. Perhaps if some of the extraneous ideas had been excised, and some of the other storylines strengthened, it could have been much more successful and streamlined, rather than floating along as a mildly entertaining diversion.
Details: Runtime 315 minutes, contains 13 episodes on 2 dvds. Extras include Creation and Development of the Series, the 2005 stage drama, music videos, a manga-style silent movie, original commercials, textless songs, and trailers.