Ranked #1610

Sousei no Aquarion

Aquarion is an homage to older mecha series, and that is easily seen when you watch it. Personally, I haven't watched a lot of older mecha series, so I can't exactly spout out examples of it copying them. But I've talked with people who are experienced with them, and the one mecha from the 90s which I've watched (NGE) is enough to prove my example of how similar it is.

The setting is - not surprisingly - a futuristic world, where a form of higher beings - in this case Shadow Angels - show themselves for the first time in thousands of years. There is only one organization - in this case DEAVA - who can fight against them, due to their possession of mecha robots - in this case the Vectors/Aquarions.

The male protagonist (Apollo) is a reincarnation of a fallen Shadow Angel, Apollonius, who betrayed the other Shadow Angels a long time ago. Also known as the Wings of the Sun, he is very important to the Shadow Angels, so they go after him. The female (Silvia) protagonist is the reincarnation of Apollonius' lover. That's it for the setting. Maybe you've now decided on whether to watch it or not?

Anyway, the story isn't that really great. It's episodic, and stays that way until the last couple of episodes. Those episodes are actually so independent of each other that, aside the first episode, you could probably watch them in any order. The development in Silvia and Apollo's relationship is all but prominent, and whil I could nearly imagine them kissing after one episode, that didn't seem so likely after the next. Still, that development is pretty much the only thing that ties the episodes together. The inconsistency of other characters' development also helps to drag a bit down.

The animation quality is actually one of the stronger parts of the show - not that it is a very positive statement. And that is if you count out all the CGI. The character designs and backgrounds are all decent, but there's just something dull about the coloring, and good lighting effects are rare, but good when there. Special effects are okay, but not something outstanding.

And then there's the CGI... I'm not a big fan of CGI in anime series, and especially not when it's so blatantly executed as the CGI in Aquarion. It just ruined the quality and my viewing experience. If you like or don't mind lots of CGI, you'll have no trouybles with this, but if you're not a fan of CGI like me, it can ruin your enjoyment of the series. However, the series deserve a plus for the best-looking male villain ever (Toma).

The soundtrack is the strongest part of the show. This time around it []is a positive statement. AKINO did an outstanding job on the OP and ED themes, and most of them are in the upper tier of my favorite OP/ED theme list. The BGM is okay too; it does the job it's supposed to do, but it stops there. VAs are good; I like the characters' voices and they're played pretty good. Sound effects are okay too, and they do their job like they should.

The characters are not that good. They're mostly unoriginal (at least from my experiences). I mean, Apollo is the stupid, rash character you've seen a lot of times, Silvia is the female protagonist who doesn't like the male protagonist at first, but warms up to him. Sirius is the arrogant-kinda type (he actually reminds me of Byakuya from Bleach), Pierre is the guy who's always going after the ladies, and so on. There's low amounts of character development, which also drags a bit down. You get a little on Apollo and Silvia as we gradually explore their past lives and they warm up to each other, but that's about it. A plus is Gen, though. I love most of his lines.

All in all, Aquarion is what you'd expect of an homage of older series - unoriginal. But they still executed it poorly; it had potential to be great, but it never became that. It's not an anime I'm gonna remember.

To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =) read more

Story: 7/10
Ugh, your usual staple of post-apocalyptic kind of world setting + a handful of young (duh? does it have to be young?) ones who can ONLY save the planet + a gigantic ton of metal that the young ones can only pilot + a race of nearly alien (or not) beings that can destroy shi* everywhere in the world = Sousei no Aquarion. Sounds familiar right? We all have our share of EVA, Raxhephon, Zeorymer, TTGL, etc. experiences and yet they are still popular despite mecha fanatics' swooning over GARness and teamwork blah blah.

Art:8/10
Sunrise did a pretty good job in animating this with artistic European backdrops, beautiful setting sun effects and dazzling flashes of light on transformation scenes and others. Character art ain't too bad too but it did get a bit confusing (I think the graphic change was part of the story) on one episode with that of stick art doodles. :D

Sound:9/10
Beautiful orchestral score in their BGM throughout the series. OP themes are a bit catchy and the ED is hauntingly good to listen at.

Character:7/10
As most super and real robot series, characters must be unique in every way to distinguish their different traits. Aquarion has that but has some elements borrowed from other robot series. What kind of amuses me is Apollonius' character with that of a wild beast and Reika, with her negative and emo way of thinking. The siblings are also good in their character as well as the Shadow Angels especially Toma. ^_^

Enjoyment:8/10
Most mecha fans would come to conclusion that the series itself is just chunks or bits and pieces of other mecha series that are put together. I could agree more but Aquarion has some aspects that are exclusive by itself and is almost a bit above-average than your regular mech anime series. I enjoy the love-hate relationship of the main characters, the personalities of the other crews and even the good mecha artwork of the Aquarion.

Overall: 8/10
This is a good mecha series to start with if you are not much of a mecha fan. Hot-blooded finishing blow shout-outs and the out of this world kind of feeling when combining are some of the *ooohs-aaahs* I have felt after watching this.

Recommend? - To non-mecha fans...yes; probably not much to hardcore fanatics...

Replay Value (Once) - Yeah, just for the heck of the understanding the confusing storyline on their past lives...
(Twice) - Errrr...do replay it if you are bored or haven't watched it for a long time....
(Thrice) - WTF! Too much might get ya...GATTAI SYNDROME! (watch it to find out what it is) :P read more