Genesis of Aquarion
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| 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 | |
| Director | Shoji Kawamori |
| Studio | Satelight |
| Licensor |  FUNimation |
| Network | TV Tokyo |
| Original run | 4 April 2005 – 26 September 2005 |
| Episodes | 26 |
| Animated film: Gekijouban Aquarion | |
| Director | Shoji Kawamori |
| Studio |  Satelight |
| Released | 15 September 2007 |
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 an homage to the Super Robot shows of the 1970s and 1980s, executed with modern animation techniques and aesthetics. It is set in the future, where a giant fighting machine called Aquarion is humanity's only weapon in the fight against a technologically advanced species known as the Shadow Angels.
Aquarion aired from April 4, 2005 to September 26, 2005 on TV Tokyo. An alternate retelling of the TV series, the Genesis of Aquarion OVA, is in production. A feature film adaptation premiered on September 15, 2007. The TV series is licensed in North America by FUNimation while on the 14 February 2006 it aired on MTV Italia.
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[edit] Plot
Eleven years before the start of the series, a disaster only referred to as the "Great Catastrophe" destroyed significant parts of the world and killed off many of its inhabitants. Along with that disaster came the appearance of the "Shadow Angels", a winged humanoid species, which seems to have been in slumber for twelve thousand years. These beings harvest the humans on Earth, which they call the "wingless ones", like cattle, as to extract their prana (life force) from them, which serves as energy and nutrition to the Shadow Angels.
The Shadow Angels facilitate their harvesting via giant, floating harvesting machines which are guarded by giant golem-like creatures, the "Cherubim Soldiers". How these are normally piloted is unknown, yet there are times when they are piloted by Shadow Angels.
Ordinary weapons prove ineffective against the giant fighting weapons, but a human expedition under the leadership of Gen Fudou had eventually excavated three very technologically advanced fighter planes. Gen Fudou disappeared, but an organization called Deava took over the research of these machines, which they call Vectors, trying to find out how to use them. The three Vectors are called Vector Luna, Vector Mars and Vector Sol.
They find out that only people who are Element users can control the Vectors and, ultimately, unite the Vectors to form the giant fighting machine Aquarion.
During the first sortie to fight a Cherubim Soldier, they encounter the young boy Apollo, who seems to be the reborn hero Apollonius, also known as the "Solar Wing", who has betrayed the "Shadow Angels" for his love, Celiane.
Later on, it is revealed that military development, in association with Deava, has created military Vectors; similar in ability to the first three, but with additional conventional weaponry.
[edit] Characters
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It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article. (Discuss) |
[edit] Element Users
Youngsters with special powers gathered from around the world and trained by Deava in order to pilot the Vector Machines.
- Apollo
Voiced by: Takuma Terashima (Japanese), Christopher Bevins (English)
The main protagonist. Apollo is an orphan that has grown up in a group of homeless children. His name was given to him by his best friend Baron, who acted like an older brother to him for most of his life. Apollo possesses a kind heart and a noble spirit behind his rude, aggressive and bestial behavior. He has very sharp reflexes and senses, similar to an animal. His characteristics cause few to believe the rumor that he is the reincarnation of Apollonius, also called the "Solar Wing".
Apollo gradually learns and acquires new talents, as well as showing his amazing ability to pilot the Aquarion. Eventually it is found that he is only part of Apollonius' soul, and in the last episode he sacrifices himself, along with Toma and Sirius, to restore the world. However, he promises Silvia that he'll be back in 12,000 years, although it's never explained precisely why that time in particular.
- Silvia de Alisia
Voiced by: Yumi Kakazu (Japanese), Brina Palencia (English)
The female protagonist. A noble from the Alisia family and a reincarnation of Apollonius's human lover Celiane, she possesses great physical strength and a great admiration for her older brother, who she thinks he is the real reincarnation of the "Solar Wing". She always argues with Apollo, not only because she thinks he is an imposter, but also because of his rude habits and untamed nature. She has dreams of Celiane's past.
For much of the series she acts like a brat, always hanging off her brother and attempting to sabotage his romantic relationships. But as the story progresses, she starts to develop strong feelings for Apollo. We also discover that she has the "light" half of Celiane's soul, while her brother has the "dark" half; this explains her jealous crush on him. In the final episode, she bids farewell to Apollo as he sacrifices himself, but knows he will return someday.
- Sirius de Alisia
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Japanese), Eric Vale (English)
Silvia's older brother. Obsessed with his own concepts of aesthetics and perfection, he is also a great swordsman. Many people, including Sirius himself, believe that he is the true reincarnation of the "Solar Wing", and thus Sirius despises Apollo. Despite his love for his sister, Sirius is often annoyed with her because her adoration of him involves romantic love, and she jealously tries to sabotage his potential relationship with Reika.
As it becomes more obvious that Apollo is the true "Solar Wing", his jealousy consumes his mind, eventually provoking him to take drastic measures. He attempts to stop Silvia from helping Apollo, and subsequently finds out that he is also the reincarnation of Celiane -- but the dark side of her soul. Sirius redeems himself when, along with Toma and Apollo, he sacrifices himself to save the world.
- Hong Lihua
Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi (Japanese), Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)
Best known as Reika. She is a sensitive girl who has the strange ability of causing misfortune to those around her. This causes most people to avoid approaching her, with the exception of Sirius who nurtures strong feelings for her, and spends many episodes attempting to connect with her. Reika tries to avoid contact with people in general because she believes that her misfortune caused an accident that put her boyfriend Glen in a coma. However, Reika eventually manages to overcome her rotten luck, and turn it into a weapon.
- Pierre Vieira
Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka (Japanese), Travis Willingham (English)
A soccer star player, he is by far the most hyperactive of the Element Users, with more than the double of serotonine levels than any of the rest. Always trying to flirt with Deava's female residents, Pierre hides the pain of a lost love from the past, whom he abandoned in order to join the fight against the Shadow Angels. His "Fire Kick" attack is a perfect combination of his passion for soccer, and his burning spirit.
Despite his teasing and flirtatiousness, Pierre is among the most clear-sighted Element Users, able to see attractions and fears in more conflicted individuals like Silvia and Apollo. He can also be very kind, as in his behavior toward Reika. At the end of the series, he helps Reika defeat the Angels.
- Tsugumi Rosenmeier
Voiced by: Tsugumi Higasayama (Japanese), Laura Bailey (English)
A shy girl with a sad past. With the ability to explode things from a distance when her pulse reaches its peak, she was always estranged from friends and family. Because of her power, over which she still doesn't have full control, she sometimes creates some accidental explosions. This scenario started to change when Tsugumi found some real friends in Deava, including her roommate Reika, for whom she has great affection. Judging by her actions towards Reika and the official website's character correlation chart, one can assume that Tsugumi is a lesbian.
- Jun Lee
Voiced by: Daisuke Sakaguchi (Japanese), Todd Haberkorn (English)
The group's resident otaku. Has the ability to see through solid objects with his "Mind Eye Photography" technique which allows him to quickly target the weak points of enemies. Excels in handling computers and machines. Like Tsugumi, Jun rarely enters in action, spending most of the time operating the computers at Deava's control room.
- Glen Anderson
Voiced by: Yuto Kazama (Japanese), Mike McFarland (English)
A close friend of Sirius and Reika. The three were the first elements to perform a successful union, but this partnership ended abruptly when an accident put Glen in a coma. Sirius and Reika visited him regularly, until he mysteriously disappeared. Later, they discover he was being used in an experiment conducted by the military, in their search for new ways to fight the Shadow Angels.
- Rena Rune
Voiced by: Hiromi Satou (Japanese), Carrie Savage (English)
A little girl who is wheelchair-bound, is blind and looks to be albino. Though she is blind, she can apparently read "The Book of Holy Genesis", a scripture that contains the history of the conflict that happened between the Shadow Angels and humans 12,000 years ago. The other element users at Deava are intimidated by her with the exception of Apollo, believing that she is a vampire. This seems to be true, since in one episode she bites Apollo with fangs, drinks some blood and declares him "delicious." Her Element Powers allow her to levitate, teleport and drain Prana from people.
- Chloe and Kurt Klick
Chloe Voiced by: Romi Paku (Japanese), Caitlin Glass (English)
Kurt Voiced by: Romi Paku (Japanese), Justin Cook (English)
Fraternal twins who can communicate telepathically. They very rarely take part in combat, instead controlling and monitoring the computers in Deava's control room. Chloe is apparently very earnest about things and doesn't talk to people much and Kurt is fairly enough the same. When it becomes apparent that a relationship is developing between Chloe and Pierre, Kurt becomes a little embarrassed of his sister, often putting his hand to his face and shaking his head.
[edit] Deava Operatives
- Gen Fudou
Voiced by: Unshou Ishizuka (Japanese), Brandon Potter (English)
He conducted the expedition that retrieved the Vector Machines, and disappeared mysteriously since then. When the elements' battle against the Shadow Angels started, he returned in order to assume his position as Deava's supreme commander. Very knowledgeable of the human nature, he uses this wisdom to guide the pilots in order to help them to surpass their limitations and increase their teamwork. It is hinted that he piloted Vector Mars 12,000 years ago alongside of Apollonius and Celiane.
- Jean-Jerome Jorge
Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita (Japanese), Jason Liebrecht (English)
Deava's second-in-command. He's arrogant, pessimistic, quick to judge and somewhat pretentious. Almost the exact opposite of Commander Fudou, Jerome tend to not agree with or understand his actions.
- Sophia Belin
Voiced by: Sakiko Tamagawa (Japanese), Stephanie Young (English)
Deava's top scientist and third-in-command. She's very kind when compared to Jerome and a lot less up-tight. Sophia acts as the teacher in the Element User's mental training classes.
[edit] Other Characters
- Baron
Voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese), Zach Bolton (English)
Baron is Apollo's best friend. He was charged with the task of taking care of the other orphans, but before ever meeting them he met Apollo in a concentration camp. He shared his food with Apollo and the two of them then became local thieves. Baron named Apollo after seeing a him walk out of the lake he was swimming in with the sun behind his back. After being captured by the shadow Angels, saving him and the other orphans was Apollo's true reason to fight with Aquarion.
- Chibi-ko
Voiced by: Mayumi Yoshida
Chibi-ko is another orphan that was captured with Baron and the others. She had an important role in Episode 19 and 26 at the end.
[edit] Shadow Angels
- Toma
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese), J. Michael Tatum (English)
The main antagonist and Apollonius's onetime partner, who was left behind when Apollonious fell in love with Celiane. Even 12,000 years later he could never forget his treason, but still has feelings for him. Because of it he is one of the Angels who despise humans at most. He plans to use Aquarion's power to repair the tree of life, but in order to make it possible, he needs to make Aquarion manifest the true power of the "Solar Wings", and thus he prepares ordeals and trials to the elements, especially Apollo, in order to make them stronger.
Knowing that Apollonius would be reincarnated in 12,000 years, Toma apparently put himself in suspended animation, and was awoken by Otoha around the time Apollo was found by the Element Users. Toma is still passionately in love with Apollo/Apollonious, and quite openly admits this to Apollo early in the series, much to the boy's confusion. He eventually redeems himself somewhat by joining Sirius, Aquarion and Apollo in reviving the Tree of Life, and sacrificing himself in the process -- ironically being permanently reunited with the man he loved.
- Otoha
Voiced by: Mako Hyoudou (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)
Touma's faithful servant, she loves him with jealousy. She hates Apollonius and Celiane, not only because they destroyed Atlantis 12,000 years ago, but also because their love makes Toma suffer so much.
- Johannes
Voiced by: Shin Aomori (Japanese), Vic Mignogna (English)
The eldest and leader of the Shadow Angels. Johannes's true appearance is never revealed, as he is always draped in robes and chains and wears a metal mask. He appears to be missing the bottom half of his body, so he is constantly suspended from the ceiling in the main altar of Atlantis. He also appears to have no arms. In the English Version, Randy Tallman was originally cast as Johannes but due to his untimely death, Vic Mignogna was brought in to play the character.
- Moroha
Voiced by: Kazuki Yao (Japanese), Barry Yandell (English)
A Shadow Angel Warrior "who knows no equal". Moroha seems to be the most hot-blooded one of them all and is the only Shadow Angel who enjoys fighting. He prides himself as being the strongest warrior alive and likes to toy with his opponents, gauging their strength. He doubts Toma's ability to kill the Solar Wing and criticizes him for it. Unlike the other Shadow Angels, Moroha resembles an insect; he has six eyes (some covered by a bandage-like scarf), horns and insect-like wings on his back that don't seem to have feathers.
- Lensi
Voiced by: Unshō Ishizuka (Japanese), R. Bruce Elliott (English)
The architect of the Shadow Angels that designs and creates the Cherubim Soldiers that Deava does battle with. He is said to possess the fingers of God.
- Shilha
Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese), Antimere Robinson (English)
In the American Dub this character's name has been changed to Shiruha. Resembles a blue lion with a large, human-like head and wings on its back. He acts as Futaba's caretaker.
- Futaba
Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami (Japanese)
The only child angel who survived Atlantis' destruction 12,000 years before. Like a boy playing joyfully with ants, he often plays with the "Wingless ones'" lives. Often, he had no hesitation in finding ways to have fun even at the cost of them. However, his childish manners eventually cost him dearly. His death is the last straw for Toma who promptly seeks out revenge against the humans. His wings are located at his ankles.
[edit] Mecha
In the process of Unity, each of the Vectors becomes either the leg section, the back section or the head and front section of Aquarion, whereas the head is the leading section. The unification process also merges the souls of the Elements to some degree, as each supplies one of the supposed three aspects of their soul which unite into one soul when Aquarion is formed. During unification, the Elements seem to experience something very similar to an orgasm.
[edit] Aquarion
- Solar Aquarion
Corresponds to Vector Sol as the head part. The most balanced of the three basic Aquarion forms, its specialty is barehanded combat and is the only one that can manifest the "Solar Wings" on its back. Later in the series it develops the "Mugen (infinity) Punch", a punch where the arm extends indefinitely in order to reach even the most agile enemy and "Mugen Binta" an attack that starts off appearing as Mugen Punch but turns into a quick slapped used against a shadow angel child causing chaos and destruction. A form almost always used by Apollo.
- Aquarion Luna
Corresponds to Vector Luna as the head part. Specialized in range combat, contains a giant bow and arrows. Mostly used by Reika and Silvia.
- Aquarion Mars
Corresponds to Vector Mars as the head part. The fastest of the basic Aquarion forms. It's Sirius's favorite because it can wield a sword, and also Pierre's, because due to its long legs and great speed, it is perfect for his "Fire Kick" attack.
[edit] Secondary Forms
There are other forms which appear in special situations:
- Aquarion Soluna
Appears in episode 13 only. After the Solar Aquarion lost its arms and was separated, Reika/Tsugumi/Pierre united to form this Aquarion. It is essentially Solar Aquarion, except that the back part, Vector Luna, flipped forward and became the upper body on top of Vector Sol, making a leg/stomach/head formation. It's assumed that this is the tallest of Aquarion's forms because of this.
- Aquarion Angel
An Aquarion formed by the union of Vector Sol, Vector Luna and Military Vector Omega, where Omega takes the position of the head. It's assumed that it retains all of Aquarion Mars' abilities.
[edit] Assault Type Aquarion
Assault Type Aquarion, a copy of the original Aquarion, which was constructed in a joint operation between DEAVA and the New United Nations. It follows the same basic architecture of the original with a couple differences and uses conventional weaponry, cannons and rockets, as opposed to the original's more traditional weapons, it's also colored mostly grey. The Assault Type Aquarion needs only one pilot, the other two corresponding Vectors are AI controlled, has six different forms and is made up of Vectors named Alpha, which corresponds with Vector Sol, Delta, which corresponds with Vector Luna, and Omega, which corresponds with Vector Mars.
- Aquarion Alpha
Corresponds with Vector Alpha as the head and is the equivalent of the Solar Aquarion. Uses an enormous PSG Cannon as a weapon opposed to its fists. Like Solar Aquarion it can deploy "Solar Wings" on its back but does not have the mystical effect of the originals. Unlike Solar Aquarion it's assumed to not have infinitely extending fists. Its head is, oddly enough, shaped like Aquarion Luna's and has a visor over its eyes. This form can transform into Walker Formation without separating and reuniting.
- Aquarion Delta
Corresponds with Vector Delta as the head and is the equivalent of Aquarion Luna. Specializes in extra-long range combat through the use of rockets which fire out of "Vector Luna's bow". Can also use Aquarion Omega's machine guns, which are mounted on the same part as the rockets.
- Aquarion Omega
Corresponds with Vector Omega as the head and is the equivalent of Aquarion Mars. Uses twin machine guns as its primary weapon. This form is only featured once and it can be assumed that it can transform into Armageddon Formation without separating and reuniting.
- Armageddon Formation
A formation where the three Military Vectors combine into a 6-legged walker with Aquarion Alpha's PSG cannon mounted on top similar to a tank. This formation probably exists because the PSG Cannon can only fire at maximum power with a stable footing on the ground. This form can transform immediately into Aquarion Omega without separating and reuniting.
- Walker Formation
A vehicle formation used for speed. For the short time it appears it can be described as a jet-like machine with two legs. This form can transform into Aquarion Alpha without separating and reuniting.
- Unknown Formation
Though a sixth formation for the Military Aquarion hasn't been seen in the anime serries clearly there are several short shots of it during the final battle
[edit] Shadow Angel Mecha
- Cherubim Mars
After joining the Shadow Angels and taking Vector Mars, Sirius uses a Cherubim in place of the other two vectors. It acts the same as Aquarion Mars, but if it's beaten, another Cherubim can take its place, so it can keep fighting.
[edit] Episode List
1. Memories of an Angel
2. The Beast of Darkness
3. Element School
4. Barefoot Soldiers
5. King of the Underground Labyrinth
6. To the Other Side of Emotions
7. The Knight of the Crimson Rose
8. The First Union
9. The Route of Dreams
10. The Stars in the Sky, The Flowers on the Earth
11. Happiness of the Sea Bottom
12. The Time of Amber
13. A Twelve Thousand Year Old Love Letter
14. Shining Shadows
15. Aquarion’s First Love
16. The Black Mirror
16.5. Theatrical Feature -Hymn to Triumph-
17. Eat and Combine
18. The Soul of a Cosplayer
19. An Innocent Trick
20. An Angel’s Feather Song
21. The Crimson Path
22. Invisible Wings
23. Fleeting Wings
24. Heaven's Gate
25. The Final Battle!! Atlantis
26. The Day the World Began
[edit] Design
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This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007) |
Despite early references to biblical trees, genesis and such, the bulk of Aquarion is more tied to many other non-Christian myths.
- Age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius, also known as Aquarian Age, was a concept popularized by Carl Gustav Jung. The Age of Aquarius was seen in contraposition with current Age of Pisces. Whereas the Age of Pisces represents duality and antithesis (and thus conflict), Age of Aquarius is an age of synthesis and spiritualism, in some ways a new golden age; in New Age, because of implications of love, comprehension and one-ness, it can be associated with the fourth chakra.[1] Aquarion as a name is an obvious reference to this concept, but the show went deeper in symbolism in using Aquarion as instrumental for a new era of holy genesis, managing to resolve conflict between the opposing parties of humans and angels, and showing a not-so-metaphorical process of oneness with the Earth.
- Yoga
Aquarion's main theme references Indian lore. The word yoga is translated as "unite", and it means union with the divine through the integration of body, mind and spirit (note that in Japanese "kokoro" means both heart or mind, and is more often translated as "heart"). During gattai, the pilots merge together their bodies, minds and spirits. In the last episode it is revealed that the real Aquarion can only be obtained with a Shadow Angel onboard, which fits in the scheme as the divine element, although in yoga the divine element, Brahma, was not something like a kami.
- Prapti and the Mugen Punch
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 planet, but he can extend his hand anywhere and take whatever he likes. In Aquarion, the Mugen Punch managed to reach the moon, although the real prapti shouldn't involve greatly elongated arms, but rather is the ability to cancel distances between objects (resulting in omnipresence). In this sense the real prapti in the show is used by Gen Fudo who makes things appear out of nothing from his hand, and also is able to move incredibly fast. It is worth noting that another siddhi, called Mahima, is the ability to become incredibly big; this may be referenced by Aquarion's Great Form.
- Apollonius
The character Apollonius is a passing nod to Greek myths. He seems inspired by Prometheus, which gave fire to humans and (for other reasons) was punished by gods. Like Apollonius of Tyana, Aquarion's Apollonius is said to have died and reborn. The god Apollo is said to be born in the bank of a lake; similarly, Aquarion's character Apollo is given his name after he swam in a lake.
- Atlantis, Asgard and the Tree of Life
Due to its importance in the series, Atlandia's tree of life, more than the biblical tree of life, reference to Yggdrasil. The same Atlandia has similarities with Asgard. In Escaflowne, Gaea's Asgard was a snowy region where the Valley of Atlantis was to be found. This valley was in a place which was part of Gaea but wasn't on Gaea. The connection between Asgard and Atlantis was inspired by a book Kawamori read. In Aquarion, Atlandia is part of the Earth but not on the Earth. It also seems connected to South Pole, as a snowy region. While in Escaflowne the mean to get there was a pillar of light, in Aquarion there are dimensional portals and "red paths", but there was also a passing mention to "seven colors" which referenced the rainbow bridge that connected Asgard to Earth. References to Atlantis instead can be found in the 12000 years span time between past Atlantis events and the present, which was the time chosen in Escaflowne, and a mention of Crete, where Aquarion was found.
[edit] Theme music
Opening songs
- "Sousei no Aquarion" by AKINO (Episodes 2-17)
- "Go Tight!" by AKINO (Episodes 18-25)
Ending songs
- "Omna Magni" by Yui Makino (Episodes 2-13,15-24)
- "Kouya no Heath (The Heath of the Wasteland)" by AKINO (Episode 14)
- "Celiane" by Gabriela Robin (Episode 25)
Other Themes
- Genesis of Aquarion by AKINO (Ep 26)
Yoko Kanno is the composer of the soundtrack music.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Sousei no Aquarion Official Site (Japanese)
- FUNimation's Official Aquarion website
- Sousei no Aquarion (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
