Unfortunately, aside from the delightfully eyegasmic setting it was in, the story and characters leave a bit to be desired. At it's core, it's not a story to be taken seriously. Like the prequel, there are a lot of ridiculous and ludicrous events that happen throughout the show. How about a punch move that wraps the entire planet just to punch the enemy into space? How about each time the characters combine into the Aquaria mech they experience near-orgasms? If you can suspend a great amount of belief, you can enjoy this show since there are lots of funny and exciting material here. For some, the lack of a serious and well-thought out story can really be a disappointment. Indeed, the story in Aquarion EVOL had a lot of potential. The villains of Altair and their motives belong in a moral gray area, but the planet Altair is mostly left undeveloped and unexplored as the credit rolled.
The characters also suffer from wasted potential in terms of depth and attitude. The main characters, especially, come off quite shallow and frankly, annoying. Both Amata and Mikono are shy and often unreliable, and they often misunderstood each other for both comedic purposes and really shallow and cliche reasons. On the opposite spectrum is Kagura - the bad boy villain who lusts over Mikono and Zessica - the scantily dressed confident girl who lusts over Amata. These main characters came off as largely one-dimensional. While they do receive character development, it was often too late in the series to really appreciate them. Kagura's sudden change of character near the end is frankly just sloppy writing. Their one-dimensional personalities became repetitive quickly.
Character writing was undoubtedly not a strong point of Aquarion Evol. However, the side characters certainly were pretty entertaining even if they were one-dimensional. There is Andy W. Hole who is completely obsessed with holes, Mix who is obsessed with neatness, the loli president Crea who amuse with weird puns, the immortal Fudou who speaks in riddles, and many more. Their character interactions are usually amusing to watch even if the main characters comes off as annoying and boring.
Each episode often starts with light-hearted character interactions, and usually ends with the mech Aquarion in action against an opponent mech. The CG in these fights is really obvious and differs in style from the beautifully rendered artwork, but it doesn't really take away any entertainment value. Combat flows fluidly and is entertaining in general since each fight seem to end really differently. Sometimes, it's just not enough to destroy an opponent with a punch. Aquarion EVOL will punch with such profound disregard to physics that will make other mecha series tame in comparison. Still, the problem with Aquarion EVOL is each episode becomes formulaic. The series is what I'd call mindlessly entertaining, but it really could've had more depth if it spend more time developing the villains and developing the world instead of spending time on flat characters and formulaic mech fights.
Other than that, the presentation value is really high and I was pleasantly surprised. AKINO returns to this sequel with catchy j-pop insert themes and OP/ED credits. The soundtrack is varied with grand orchestra pieces, solo piano or violin pieces, as well as light-hearted or solemn moody pieces. Character models are pleasing to look at and remains in quality even if zoomed out. And of course, the gorgeous landscapes and space artwork whether it was day or night made lasting and unforgettable impressions. Words can't really describe the beauty I've seen, but I highly recommend it if anyone enjoys what the anime medium could offer in looks.
Ultimately, Aquarion EVOL was an enjoyable series full of heart and ridiculous combat, albeit often ending up as melodramatic and exaggerated. The artwork and sound are gorgeous and catchy, but the story and characters came off as wasted potential. For someone looking for a serious and well-thought plot with realistic characters, this is definitely not the series for you. But if you are simply looking for some fun, Aquarion EVOL is definitely an entertaining series.
