Customer Reviews

Aquarion: Season 1, Part 1

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Aquarion: Season 1, Part 1

I watched this series before reading a single review on it. The first thing I thought of when I saw it was, "this is like a better animated version of Voltron!" Sure enough, I see many references to Voltron Voltron - Defender of the Universe - Collection One: Blue Lion and also Neon Genesis Evangelion Neon Genesis Evangelion: Platinum Collection.

In fairness, younger generations of mech anime fans will likely not be familiar with Voltron, but they probably will be familiar with Evangelion. And let's face it, it's younger generations who are normally drawn to these types of Anime.

The Bad

Yes it's true, this story isn't terribly original. Yet let's be fair here, the theme of post-apocalyptic survival is very common. Some great anime was created based on a common formula. Did people not see Independence Day simply because the War of The Wolds already covered the theme of aliens attacking the planet earth? No, they were two separate works that dealt with a common theme for two different generations and in two different ways. I think the same can be said about Aquarion versus Evangelion and Voltron.

While this isn't great, I can look past the predictable story lines and enjoy this as entertainment alone.

The merging sequences have some very campy erotic overtones. Since brother and sister are often in the merged groupings, this was perhaps not well thought out. Not to mention, it takes 3 people to perform a merge, another unintended message?

Will the human race survive? I'm sure if we want the answer to that we will have to buy all the parts to this series.

The Good

Visually the animation was really pleasing to me. I couldn't help but wonder how much better Voltron might have been if the CG and animation effects available today were used in its creation. In fact, the images of the mechanical flying machines fighting and merging during fight sequences approach 3D and HD clarity. While I was less blown away by the actual human characters, overall the animation and effects are top notch.

The other thing I really liked about this set was the volume of episodes included in this modestly priced set. Too often these anime series are priced similarly for 4-6 episodes. Here you get 13. I don't know why but these seemed to run longer than the listed 26 minutes to me. So in that sense this was a very good value. And let's face it, in general existing fans are going to be the ones buying these sets.

The included box that holds the first three volumes in this set is nicely animated too. But as usual, I was slightly envious to see the art on the Japanese versions was more appealing. The front image on this box just doesn't do the artwork justice.

Conversely, the included pencil mat has awesome art that probably would have made a nicer cover. This is a cool extra that you rarely get with Anime series.

Conclusion

If you like anime and cartoons like Voltron and Transformers, this is a nice series that is entertaining and well put together. If you're looking for more mature, refined and original anime, there are many other options for you besides this.

Enjoy!!!

Created by Shoji Kawamori who was behind such classic anime series as Macross, Escaflowne, "Aquarion" has a interesting premise and is entertaining but borrows signficantly from other Anime shows including Kawamori's own previous creations.

When the Great Catastrophoe treatens to engulf the remains of Earth's population a race called the Shadow Angels awaken and pick off the remains of humanity. Our only defense are a group of humans who fly mecha (Vectors)called the Elementals. The discovery of Apollo a young man living in isolation who manages to use one of the Vectors when a pilot is injured to fight off the evil human hungry Shadow Angels gives hope to the Elementals. They believe he might be savior they've been foretold about a reincarnation of the Solar Wing who will help bring their struggle to an end and victory.

The series lacks the spark, depth and creativity of Kawamori other series and while the show is nice to look at with often visual stunning designs, the stories and characterizations are often lacking in depth and detail. The main characters are pretty shallow without much development which I found a bit disappointing as well. The first two discs were more a chore to sit through than a join while the third disc hinted at some potential by develing into what happened 12,000 years ago that forced the Shadow Angels into hibernation.

What saves "Aquarion" from the junk heap of derivative Anime is the beautifully rendered backgrounds and character designs. By the third disc of this series (it runs 26 episodes and half of those episodes are available on this the first set of the show)"Aquarion" perks up and Animae fans may find just enough meat to keep them interested in gobbling up this series.

The show itself looks marvelous with bright, bold colors that postiviely pop. Audio is extremely active as well with a nice use of the surround speakers particularly during action scenes. Presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio it looks quite nice on widescreen TV sets without the black bars being too large if you want to watch it on a standard set that has a 1.33:1 aspect ratio. I should note that the first set I was sent wouldn't play in any of my players. The shows would start but the images would quickly dissolve into pixels going through fits and starts throughout the episode and randomly skipping around. Luckily, I was able to obtain a alternate first disc that didn't have constant pixelation and jam up my DVD player.

The extras are all located on the third disc of the set. We get a brief interview (about 5 minutes) with creator Kawamori, a 20 minute Q&A session from the Toyko Anime Fair where Kawamori and the voice talent discuss the series and four short featurettes that focus on the themes of the series. Finally FUNmation includes a cool looking pencil board within the case that your kids will enjoy almost as much as the series itself (when you aren't explaining it to them).

Overall, "Aquarion" was initially disappointing to me. While the premise was solid it wasn't as well developed as I had hoped relying on cliches of the genre and elements of other Kawamori created series to carry the first two discs. By the third disc, however, things perked up because we got to examine the past of the world we were thrown into in the very first episode. Personally, I'd like to see this developed further but I am unsure of how far this has been taken because I haven't seen the last 13 episodes of the first season.

Aquarion or Genesis of Aquarion is the product of Shôji Kawamori, the man who created Vision of Escaflowne as well as much of the Macross series. Aquarion is yet another giant Mecha series that ran for 26 episodes on TV Tokyo in 2005. This boxed set presents the first half of the season, 13 episodes on three DVDs. Aquarion combines traditional 2D aniamtion with 3D animation taking over during the mecha battles. The look is seamlessly rendered and simply dazzling. The battles between the giant war machines are the highlight of each episode.

Aquarion has drawn unflattering comparisons to Neon Genesis Evangelion. Certainly the themes and plots are similar, perhaps a bit too similar: Global Cataclysms, using teenagers piloting Mecha to battle beings known as Angels... Kawamori certainly won't win many points for originality but this sort of copying of plots goes on all the time in Anime and Aquarion can stand on its own.

The "Great Catastrophe" has killed two-thirds of the world's population and awakened the Shadow Angels from a 12,000 year hibernation. The Shadow Angels subsist on the life force of human beings called prana. The Shadow Angels harvest the prana by capturing humans with giant machines guarded by mecha known as Cherubim. To combat the Shadow Angels, the organization called Deava recruits special teenagers known as Elements or Element users. They are trained to pilot three advanced warcraft known as Vectors. The three Vectors can then merge together to form Aquarion. Aquarion has several different forms it can take on with each Vector becoming the lead depending upon what form they merge into.

The Elements are a diverse lot. There is the snobbish and elitist Sirius and his younger sister Silvia; there is soccer star Pierre; friendly but bad luck-prone Reika; and Apollo, the orphaned, feral-like young man whose incredible abilities astound his fellow trainees. Apollo may, or may not be, the reincarnation of the great hero Apollonius, also known as Solar Wing, who helped defeat the Shadow Angels thousands of years ago but is still loved by Toma, the leader of the Shadow Angels.

Each episode has the same basic outline. The first half has the students generally training with Deava commander General Fudou or the other commanders. This is the time we get to explore the personalities of the main characters. Silvia is the reincarnation of Celiane, Apollonius' lover many millennia ago and this leads to all out verbal and physical battles between she and Apollo. She cannot believe that he is truly her reincarnated lover. This constant bickering does become tiresome after a few episodes and thankfully other characters are explored in depth as well.

The second half of each episode has three of the team responding to a threat from the Cherubim soldiers and merging to become Aquarion. While merging, the three members all experience what can only be described as a sexual orgasm of pleasure. This is a bit weird and one would think HIGHLY distracting in the midst of a battle.

Aquarion's visuals are stunning! The mech battles are earth-shattering and the 3D animation brings it all right into the viewer's lap. In almost each episode Aquarion has to find a new way to defeat the Cherubim as the enemy mechs are constantly adapting to Aquarion's attacks.

Aquarion is enjoyable although the familiar pattern of each episode can get boring after a while and you can't wait until the next mecha fight begins.

Extras:

Interview with Director Shôji Kawamori
Panel discussion with the Japanese cast members from the 2005 Tokyo Anime Expo

But being exceedingly Japanese is not a bad thing necessarily. :) I do have to question, however, whether a western audience would appreciate it, though.

Japan loves giant robots. That is no secret. They also love teamwork, romance, woven plots that extend across hundreds of shows...

Here, we see something of a synthesis between Evangelion and Escaflowne, but beyond that, we see culture stretching all the way back to Japan's first giant robot animes.

It is a little difficult to explain succinctly, the amount of "Japanese-ness" (or at least pop-robot-anime-Japanese-ness) present here. Just because you like Evangelion does not mean you'll like this! Even if you liked Escaflowne, you might not.

One thing I can promise you, however, is that if you're interested in Japanese culture, and interested in seeing what they see, and are a scholar like myself, you will enjoy it, at least, from that perspective.

All the social motifs of friendship and teamwork--everything from this to, say, kendo, which is where it first became practice to shout the title of your "attack" as you executed it.

This is a peculiar form of entertainment from our perspective. If you're willing to accept that, and experience it, I welcome you to. It is also somewhat of a commitment, a rather long series.

So caveat, emptor. Read all the reviews (not just mine!) and think before you hop in.

As far as the animation, it's excellent; the character designs are fun, the dialogue (in Japanese at least!) well written and recorded (there were a few lines I found especially captivating and poetic, which I paraphrase--"Time and distance are products born from an uncertain heart").

After the first few episodes, actually before the first episode even concluded, I was almost certain it would receive a five-star score. Its particular culture, however, and all that comes with it, as well as the somewhat plodding nature of the story, reduce the rating for me. Others might be even more critical. I have not perused other criticism written on the show.

"Aquarion" is a strange, strange show to have to review. Here is a new show from anime master Shoji Kawamori, who created the very popular series "The Vision of Escaflowne." Escaflowne is a classic. Not only is it considered by many to be one of the best animes ever created, I consider it to be one of the greatest SHOWS to ever air! Since then though, old Kawamori has been struggling to find his high again. "Earth Girl Arjuna" and "Spring and Chaos" were fine shows, but they still fell short of greatness. Well, if "Aquarion" is any indication then Kawamori has a long, LONG way to go before capturing our attention again, as the only thing worth noting in this show is how unbelievably average it is.

"Aquarion" revolves around Apollo, a homeless boy who acts like a dog and seems to have bad canine habits. He is recruited by a government organization to pilot a three piece mecha of some sort, because he might be a reincarnated savor. It takes three people to pilot the mecha, so Apollo is usually accompanied by two characters named Silvia and Sirius, a brother and sister who have a questionable relationship with each other. And there are a couple of bad guys, who's motivations are murky for most of the show, and...you know, I'll just stop here; I can tell I've already lost you. To say that the show is a mess would be kind. As it stands the show is unforgivably boring.

For everything that happens, nothing seems to get accomplished. The first ten episodes are dull and trite, as the characters seem to make no progress except in annoying the viewer more and more with each episode. For the most part these characters are very unlikable, with their plights being understandable, but far from sympathetic. Near the last four episodes on this set the show starts to hint that a change for the better is on the way, and the show does improve a tad bit at this point. Overall though it comes in too late, and many viewers, I suspect, will have given up at the series before they reach this point. The best thing about the show is the music, composed by fan favorite Yoko Kanno.

Now then, with that out of the way "Aquarion" is a significant release for the anime community. Funimation has made it well known that they plan to slowly move away from single disk releases and start releasing season sets. While we've seen these sets with "Dragon Ball Z" and other Funimation shows, this is the first actual release to receive a boxset without a prior release. Judging from this release alone, I can safely say this is the right direction to take the anime business. For $49.99 fans can get thirteen episodes of "Aquarion," and in the next few months they can finish the series with the second box set. It's cheap, it's collectible, and it gives fans a chance to sample a good portion of the show for a fair price.

This release also insures that shows get finished faster, which is something most people would agree is a good thing. Heck, this show would have been KILLED if not for the boxset release! The show is not good, but half the show is bought now. I think everyone agrees they'd rather spend $50 for thirteen episodes before finding out it's a turkey over $30 for four episodes to find the same thing. Plus the last few episodes are good enough, maybe getting the second season won't be a bad idea. And remember folks: Shopping around can result in finding this set for even less (like around $35).

Anime has a lot of cliches, and mecha anime has even more than its fair share. Especially if you include, you know, metaphysical stuff along with the giant killer robots.

And at first glance, "Aquarion" seems to have all those cliches and more, despite the stunningly lovely animation. Fortunately Shoji Kawamori's series starts hitting its stride after five or six episodes. At that point, the pomposity is replaced with a sly sense of humor that spoofs its own cliches, peppered with some decent characters and a bittersweet edge.

12,000 years ago, the Earth was invaded by the arrogant Shadow Angels, who abducted hundreds of people to drain their life force. But they were defeated by the Shadow Angel Apollonius (also called Solar Wing) and his human lover Celiane, in the enormous three-part mecha Aquarion. Now the Shadow Angels have returned. To defend the Earth, Aquarion is being piloted by a bunch of Element Users working for a special defense unit.

Then two element users -- including Celiane's reincarnation, spoiled princess Silvia -- come across a strange, feral street boy named Apollo. Not only is Apollo shockingly powerful, but he pilots the Aquarion as he always knew how -- yup, he's the reincarnation of Apollonius. Silvia is appalled by the idea that her long-lost soulmate is this rough, dirty boy, and Apollo is only coming along to rescue his abducted friend.

And as they battle the Shadow Angels, this motley little team of element users learns some weird lessons -- the benefits of fighting barefoot, dangers of dreams, corruption of jealousy, their "first times," finding Apollo in a booby-trapped labyrinth, and overcoming their own fears even if they blow stuff up in the process. But then a familiar face returns -- Apollonius' ex-lover Touma, who still feels betrayed by Solar Wing jilting him for Celiane 12,000 years ago. And now he wants to reclaim Apollo -- or kill him.

The first several episodes of "Aquarion" are not very engaging -- they speed by too fast, don't really make you care about the characters, and basically consist of the same pattern: Apollo does something feral and/or stupid during training, Silvia and/or Sirius are disgusted, the Cherubim attack, but Our Heroes (including Apollo) save the day and learn a valuable lesson in the process.

All that, and the typical anime cliches too like the accidental kiss, the mystical soulmates who initially hate each other, and the big stompy robots. We even have some totally random elements, like the blind handicapped vampire girl.

But something happens about five or six episodes into "Aquarion" -- suddenly the series gains a sense of humor. It still has an overarcing storyline, and it's a rather cheesy one -- but Kawamori seems to become secure enough to let the story unfold gradually, and with a sly sense of spoofery instead of pompous seriousness. And some of the more bittersweet moments, such as Apollo reminiscing about his life with Baron, are quite nicely done.

But at that point, we've got intentionally silly attack names ("Unlucky Bottom Attack!"), comical deus ex machinae (Our Heroes are saved by a cry of "DINNER!"), piroetting alien mecha, lots of pseudomystical stuff, Silvia knocking herself unconscious, and a Yoda-like commander who exists solely to teach the heroes Important Life Lessons and spout cryptic sayings. And I must admit, those orgasmic mecha merges are pretty funny.

The characters are something of a mixed bag, though. Kawamori spends too much time emphasizing that Apollo is a feral wild-card, so we don't get to see enough of his loyalty and kindness. He's far more endearing when he's being goofy (gobbling Silvia's ice cream before she can react), or working his butt off to save his friends. And Silvia is pretty much a brat to everyone, except the brother she has a bizarre incestuous crush on.

The supporting characters end up being much more interesting, partly because they seem so much more real. We've got the loyal, flirty athlete Pierre, the painfully unlucky Reika, and a handful of newbies who are still learning the ropes. And there's Silvia's brother Sirius, whose confidence and self-image are being slowly destroyed by Apollo's presence.

It's worth noting that the animation for "Aquarion" is utterly gorgeous. While it has a few things like swelling fists and little puffy cartoon faces, most of it is hyperrealistic, and infused with colour, light and exquisite shots of flowers, bejewelled books, and half-ruined buildings with a Grecian theme.

"Aquarion" takes a long, long time to get off the ground. But once the satire kicks in, this mecha series becomes a gorgeous, fluffy brand of brain-candy.

I'll be upfront about it - I've never watched anime before "Aquarion." It's not that I have anything at all against it, I just never got into it.

Having watched this series, I'm a little confused. Who is this stuff targeted to? Older audiences, certainly - as there are sexual themes that aren't suited for children (in my opinion, of course, I do realize there are parents that don't give a rat's act what their kids watch). Now, I don't have a problem with mature content - but the voice acting in this series smacks of kiddie entertainment. Again, I have no clue if this is consistant with anime in general. But regardless, while watching "Aquarion" I couldn't shake the feeling that I was watching something made for children - but too violent and sexual in nature for that age group to watch. Let me put it this way, I probably would've loved this when I was 12.

Please know that I am not disparaging anime in general. I realized all too clearly as I watched this that I was completely out of my element. I didn't particularly like it, but I was impressed by the visuals and didn't mind watching one episode at a time. Really it was just kind of weird and a little hard to follow. I consulted my sister, who is a fairly big anime viewer, and sight-unseen she wrote this show off as a rip-off of other (supposedly better) anime shows. Keep in mind, she hasn't watched this. I just thought it was interesting to point out, because I don't follow the genre and wouldn't know if this was totally revolutionary or a tired rehash of other shows.

Oddly, at least with my DVDs, when you select the option of watching by episode (rather than 'play all'), the DVD still segues right into the next episode after one ends. Sure, I can go back the menu - but I've seen this before occassionally and find it irritating.

Also, inside the box is a piece of see-through plastic with some artwork on it. What the heck am I supposed to do with that??

I had high hopes going into this series. I grew up with Voltron and Robotech, so I've always had a soft spot for big Japanese robot cartoons, and Aquarion definitely falls in that category. There is also the fact that Aquarion comes from one of the principal creators of Macross Plus and Escaflowne, two of my modern anime favorites. Unfortunately the series doesn't quite live up to its potential.

Story - Stop me if you've heard this before. In a post-apocalyptic future, Earth's population is under attack by giant otherworldly creatures called Angels. Humanity's only hope lies in specially designed mechanical battlesuits piloted by gifted teenagers in a secret government training program. Essentially it's Evangelion without the theology, coupled with bits and pieces of Gundam Wing and Voltron. There's a neat subplot about reincarnation, and the pilot school idea is fun, but for the most part the series' entire premise has been not so subtly lifted from other animes.

Characters - The characters are well designed and are very reminiscent of the Gundam Wing characters. Making the series protagonist a nearly feral street urchin was an interesting touch, and is one of the few elements of Aquarion that doesn't bring to mind Evangelion. I can't picture our boy Shinji catching and devouring a live rat. His female counterpart might as well don a red suit and change her name to Asuka though.

Animation - The animation is nothing short of stunning. Between the character and mecha designs, the seamless merging of traditional and 3D/CGI animation, and some truly incredible battle scenes, Aquarion is one of the most visually impressive animes I've ever witnessed.

Packaging - You get 13 episodes on 3 DVDs, each in its own slimline case housed in a sturdy slipcase. This is only part 1 of the series, so you're not getting the full story. It's still a decent value for the money, especially at Amazon's discounted price.

The Verdict - As much as I enjoyed the animation and the cool robot configurations, I just couldn't look past the recycled story. Aquarion has a lot going for it, but it too often comes across as a dumbed down version of Evangelion. I could see it appealing to a younger audience, though parents might have a problem with the brief nudity in each episode.

Aquarion is a wonderful anime. As of writing this review you can now purchase the full series in one box set which is far more economical than purchasing the series in two parts however if you liked Aquarion the price difference will not compare to what you get when you buy it in two parts. There is more art both on the box and in the box when you purchase in two pieces which is a redeeming factor for fans. The quality of both the subtitled original and the dubbed version is wonderful and I am not personally a fan of dubs. Either way you choose to watch Aquarion you are going to have a good experience.

The art is well done and the theme songs are both well chosen, you aren't going to run into the series and be turned off by the soundtrack - everything blends together well. You won't find scenes where characters are suddenly not drawn properly, there was no haste or cutting of corners in this production and it's very clear from the outset that this is a quality series.

Aquarion is not going to be for everyone. I found that older anime fans that have grown up watching mecha (or younger anime fans that enjoy the genre) are going to relate to Aquarion and find the beauty of this series. It is not original; it's homage, a mash up of all the funny, amusing, beautiful, and distinct parts of many different series. This makes it wonderful to watch. It can evoke your memories of Voltron, remind you of X, Macross (also by the same director), Robotech (another derivative piece of great merit), and even Evangelion. It can be a serious show (the very pretense of the series is of great severity) and a comedic masterpiece. The humor to be found in the joining of the three smaller ships to make Aquarion Mars, Sol, and Luna - the characters have an orgasm every time it's "good" - and the conversations between characters because of this is great and a small part of the comedy.

The star-crossed lovers theme is done a hundred times, and while Aquarion doesn't do it any better this isn't a series that is trying to. I didn't go into this series looking for it to be something new and innovative, and I didn't come out of it feeling that way. It's just beautiful to listen to, to see, and to remember which the power of this series is: the ability of Aquarion to bring back your fondest memories of anime long past. It is by no means a show that takes itself seriously and right when you think it might be something crazy and off the wall happens to remind you that it's humor. There is action in the show and the battles are well done, there is that level of gravity to it. It's well thought out and well planned, and really if you look at Aquarion for what it appears to be trying to achieve it did a fantastic job.

Characters are well defined, even if their back story isn't all that it possibly could be. Through the series and part one in particular we learn more about the past lives of the characters and their current incarnation. There is a very clear foreshadowing of what is to come in Aquarion. So for those who want to reminisce on many anime at once and even more to experience all the little things that made multiple series great presented in one go this is a must purchase. For those who want to experience something that has many different threads woven together; the serious, the humorous, the battles and the mayhem, this is also a must purchase. Aquarion is what the mecha genre needs: a good jab in the ribs.

With titles such as Macross Plus and Escaflowne to his credit, it really comes as no surprise that mere mention of the name Shoji Kawamori stirs up excitement in mecha anime lovers such as myself. His latest creation, Aquarion, is the culmination of lessons learned from his previous endeavors coupled to the charm of a simpler time in animation. The plot, while not overly complex nor edited to appear more complicated than necessary, combines just the right elements of solid story telling to make Aquarion unique among a rich field of competitors.

The story's pretty straight forward: A Great Catastrophe has left the world in ruin and an ancient race of alien beings called the Shadow Angels have taken advantage of the weakened state of humanity to begin their assault on the planet (after 12,000 years of laying low). Earth's last hope and greatest defense against the threat comes in the form of the Mechanical Angel Aquarion. For those rolling their eyes at the fact that this story has been seemingly told again and again, take heart in the fact that this isn't just another cookie cutter giant robot show. In fact some of the nuances that make Aquarion unique among its competition can truly be called influential enough to spawn legions of imitators for years to come.

About the best way to describe the program would be to compare it to the shows it most closely emulates: Take the heavy mythological elements of RahXephon, combine them with the level of fun that made early 1980s giant robot shows so magical (think Vehicle Voltron) and finally top it all off with the victimized human element of The Matrix for good measure. If none of these comparisons strike a chord with your ability to decide whether or not Aquarion is right for you, read on. I'll break the show down on its own merit throughout this review. If however you are in fact familiar with the above analogies, there need not be another word said to influence your decision: This is giant robot action meets Atlantian mythology all done up in the crisp animation standards of today. In that regard it's worth the nostalgic undertones alone.

Perhaps the show's greatest contribution to the entire genre is the robot Aquarion itself. Sure the concept of three ultra-capable jet fighters (in this case called Vectors) combining to form a massive butt-whipping mecha is nothing new, the idea that the end result is completely dictated by the personalities of the three pilots involved certainly is. Known here as Elements, the individuals charged with the task of saving all of humanity one wild mechanized fistfight at a time play a far deeper role than simply glorified fighter pilots. Indeed this series makes interesting use of the concept of a person's aura as, depending on the combination of the three Elements involved in the conjunction, the Aquarion itself can basically take on limitless forms. Sorry Voltron, a single character isn't delegated the role of "forming the head" here but rather the position is up for grabs among the three Elements chosen to go out and do battle. Depending on which one snags the responsibility, Aquarion unites into a unique mode with special abilities including everything from archery, to the leg dexterity of a pro soccer player, to a punch with near endless reach.

Even cooler is that each Aquarion configuration has its own name, color motif and unique look. Part of the fun, especially early on, is determining each build's strengths and weaknesses. Aquarion literally becomes the personification of the "head" character's personality.

Villains in the show are standard fair aliens; humanoid beings bent on global conquest with a slightly "classic mythological" depth about them which is nice as it offers a unique contrast to the often-times bubbly nature of the cast of teenage good guys.

Perhaps the depth of the enemy is greatest realized in the 7th episode of the show, Knight of the Crimson Rose. Here the viewer is treated to a bit of art (poetry to be exact) and the consequence that negative emotion can inflict. The Shadow Angles capitalize on the arrogance and confidence of Aqaurion's pilots, literally forcing them to find strength through their weakness and fear.

About the oddest element this series brings to the genre would have to be the combination sequence itself. Since, as stated above, Aquarion interlocks not only mentally and physically but energetically as well, the show goes to great measures to illustrate the almost orgasmic sensation the pilots experience as they merge both with one another and the machine as well. While undeniably unique, it is a gimmick that is perhaps taken a bit far throughout the course of the 26 episodes. Especially since juvenile sexual references often pop up here and there with younger inexperienced pilots looking for what basically boils down to a sex-ed conversation from their superiors. However, I should note for sensitive viewers and concerned parents alike that the references are never pornographic or off color. The Mature rating that the show carries is certainly on the conservative side of the spectrum as really there is little here in the way of explicit violence, language, and so on.

Packaging of Aquarion is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand this is a Funimation Entertainment release which, in case you aren't familiar, means the property is treated like a piece of fine art. The box, jacket, and disc art is simply top notch all the way. I often go on record as saying that with many companies you are simply buying dvds, with Funimation, you are immersing yourself in the total experience. Aquarion is no exception to this trend (although I will say that the inclusion of books as was the case with Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid would have been absolutely clutch). Even still, the set is spaced out across five thin pack discs and includes a pair of 5x7 pencil boards that are every bit as gorgeous as is the show itself. The trouble is that Funimation has yet to release a single boxed set of the series, instead forcing viewers to purchase two volumes; the first of which contains 13-episodes across three discs and the second with the final 13-episodes spaced across two discs. Cost for both volumes is just about the same as ADV Films' single-box release of RahXephon (which is also a 26 episode series). Hence obviously pricing isn't an issue so much as it's simply inconvenient for buyers to have to track down two sets rather than one.

But I digress, back to the meat and potatoes of the show itself; the animation is spot-on throughout the entire series with a lush color pallet and spectacular textures. I mentioned the occasional depth displayed by the aliens but the intelligence behind their attacks pales in comparison to the mecha battles themselves. Releasing giant machines called Cherubims to the planet's surface, it is these skeletal-inspired beauties that Aquarion finds himself clashing with time and time again. In all honesty whatever shortcomings the plot suffers from (occasional tangents that do little to advance the overall prose) are more than made up for by the beautiful battle sequences. The battles maintain their status as spectacles to behold right on through to the end. The subdue Shadow Angel designs and sharp lines make for an awesome counterpoint to Aquarion's fluid curves and brighter color pallet.

Finally the series boasts a beautiful, moving musical score by Yoko Kanno. Think Escaflowne here with soaring orchestral pieces often infused with dramatic vocals.

In all, some criticize Aquarion for its inability to match the psychological depth of comparative shows such as RahXephon and Evangelion but I suspect that Shoji Kawamori's plan was to avoid falling into the pitfalls that plague such shows by resetting the proverbial clock on what makes good robot anime great. As such he makes it a very deliberate point to counteract the darker moments of the prose with an energetic and likeable main cast, creepy enemies with a bright, larger than life giant robot defender; splashes of light for every shadow.

Aqaurion is an enjoyable self-sustained series that does far better when judged on its own merits rather than it does by comparing it to similar entries. This is all made even better by the fact that it was released by Funimation- which means its loaded with extras and the attention to detail is without rival.