Aquarion Evol

Aquarion Evol

The Japanese Blu-ray cover of volume 1 featuring main character Amata Sora.
アクエリオンEVOL
(Akuerion Evoru)
Genre Action, Comedy-drama, Mecha, Romance, Science fantasy
Anime television series
Directed by Shōji Kawamori
Written by Mari Okada
Music by Yoko Kanno, Ayako Ōtsuka
Studio Satelight, 8-Bit
Licensed by
Network TV Tokyo
English network
Original run January 8, 2012 June 24, 2012
Episodes 26
Manga
Illustrated by Aogiri
Published by Media Factory
Demographic Josei
Magazine Monthly Comic Gene
Original run January 14, 2012 – present
Volumes 3
Light novel
Written by Yasujiro Urayama
Illustrated by Kana Ishida, others
Published by MF Bunko J
Demographic Male
Original run April 25, 2012December 12, 2012
Volumes 4
Original video animation
Sōsei no Aquarion Love
Directed by Kenji Yasuda
Written by Mariko Mochizuki
Music by Yōko Kanno, Ayako Ōtsuka
Studio Satelight
Licensed by
Released July 2, 2015
Runtime 26 minutes

Aquarion Evol (アクエリオンEVOL Akuerion Evoru) is the sequel to the 2005 anime series Genesis of Aquarion. It was originally announced on February 25, 2011, by the production staff.[1] It aired on TV Tokyo from January to June, 2012 and its premiere featured an hour-long special that combined the first two episodes in a single broadcast. Funimation has licensed the anime in North America.

The story is set in the same universe as the original Genesis of Aquarion, and takes place twelve thousand years after. The protagonists live on a planet called Vega, while most of the antagonists originate from its "sister planet", Altair. The main character, Amata Sora, a young man that has kept his ability to fly a secret since youth, meets a girl named Mikono Suzushiro, and they become fast friends. However, invaders from Altair begin large-scale attacks against Vega, forcing Amata and Mikono into a long battle for the planet as members of an organization called Neo-DEAVA. There they, along with other young men and women called Elements who also possess special powers, are recruited to pilot giant robots called Aquaria in the defense of Vega.

Like the original, the themes of love, mutual understanding, and individual growth play an important role in the story, albeit in different ways. For example, a prohibition on romance is enacted on the members of Neo-DEAVA for the duration of the series. The main characters are again reincarnations of the legendary beings described in Aquarion, and much of the latter half of the series works to establish connections with the series' predecessor.

Plot summary

Twelve thousand years after the events of Genesis of Aquarion, mankind living on the planet Vega (ヴェーガ Vēga) is threatened by a new enemy from the planet Altair (アルテア界 Arutea Kai) whose female population was wiped out by a mysterious disease called the Curse of Eve (イヴの呪い Ivu no Noroi). The Alteans using their "Abductors", just like the Shadow Angels, invade the cities in Vega to kidnap its female inhabitants, looking for a way to ensure the preservation of their race.

To defend against the invasion, the Neo-DEAVA (ネオ・ディーバ Neo Dība) organization establishes two teams, one composed of only males and other of only females, each one piloting their own giant machines called "Aquaria". To protect their new friend Mikono, teenager Amata Sora makes use of the power he has kept in secret his entire life and by combining Vectors with male and female pilots into one single robot, the legendary giant Aquarion is reborn.

Themes

Aquarion EVOL, while a giant robot show at heart, focuses mostly on the characters and character development. Of its many themes, that of love is the most prominent. The restriction placed on the members of Neo-DEAVA that forbids love at the same time permits a real development in the characters' relationships from infatuation and teen romance to love. It also presents a different view of love held by characters of Altair, whose perceptions of it are warped by the current state of their planet - that of the complete extinction of women. The theme of love is explored further in a few other examples, such as a character from Neo-DEAVA and an Altair spy growing very attached to each other, and another character being forced to examine his own feelings after his love interest is transformed into a man. Overall, love and relationships between characters lead to them being able to at least partially understand each other.

While not as big a theme as romantic love in the series, family relationships are also explored. Three of the main characters - Amata, Mikono, and MIX - all have strained relationships with parents for various reasons, and each is forced to come to terms with what those relationships have produced. Amata's feeling of abandonment, Mikono's feelings of shyness, and MIX's moral opposition to her father's behavior are all explored through the relationships they have with each other.

As in the original Aquarion, reincarnation of people of myth and legend is a major theme. However, the series repeatedly undermines assumptions made by the viewers, especially those that have watched the original series. The many plot twists regarding the identity of the characters' reincarnations are brought to a head during their final battle.

Production

Many staff members from the original Aquarion were brought back to work on this series; however, as the director Kawamori wished to create a series that didn't require viewers to have seen the original, many themes were reworked.

The main character designs were split between two designers: Chinatsu Kurahana, who worked on the male characters, and Ishida Kana, who was in charge of the female ones.

Mecha

Neo-DEAVA

Vectors

The Vectors are vehicles used by Neo-DEAVA to retaliate against the Abductors. There are three different kinds of Vectors making up a set for combinations. It is an Element user piloted vehicle capable of combining into Aquaria, and later Aquarion. Though armed, the damage done by the Vectors are minuscule and are only used for driving off or distracting enemies, or if the pilot is in a tight spot. In total, Neo-DEAVA is in possession of six different Vectors, two of each type with one set for the boys and one set for the girls initially, though in most sorties only one of each set is used at a time, with the other set serving as back-up. Distinction based on sex is abolished later when co-ed combinations are allowed later in the series, although one-set-only-sorties is still maintained.

Aquarion

Aquarion is a powerful robot formed from the combination of the three Vectors. Each combination of the Vectors produces a different Aquarion mode. Dubbed as the Machine Angel (機械天使 Kikai Tenshi) by Altair.

Aquarias

The Aquaria (アクエリア Akueria) are formations the Vectors made before Amata Sora managed to remove the seal between them, preventing the unification between members of opposite sex. Developed to both fight the Abductors and prevent the same disaster that befell the first time Aquarion Evol was formed, the Aquarias had proven themselves strong against ordinary Abductor forces, but ineffective against commander-type units like the Mithra Gnis. Only two models of Aquaria were created, the Aquaria Type-M piloted only by male Elements, and the female pilots-only Aquaria Type-F, both armed with automatic rifles and a missile pod on each shoulder. The Aquaria are based on the form of Aquarion Gepard, which is said to be the form of Aquarion that requires the least energy to maintain, permitting the formation of it, even with the interference of Guize Stones.

Legendary Aquarion

Legendary Aquarion (神話型アクエリオン Shinwagata Akuerion) is the original Solar Aquarion which was buried into the earth's crust to prevent its ruin after the Tree of Life's collapse 12,000 years before. Since then, it replaced the Tree, maintaining the world's balance. When the Legendary Aquarion is unearthed and taken to Altair, the balance is broken and several natural disasters start occurring throughout Vega. It is piloted by Kagura, and its only attack so far is the Genesis Mugen Attack (創聖無限拳 Sōsei Mugen Panchi).

Altair

Media

Anime

Aquarion Evol first premiered on TV Tokyo on January 8, 2012 in a one-hour special featuring its two first episodes. Just like the original series, it is produced by studio Satelight and directed by Shoji Kawamori. It was announced at Supanova Melbourne 2012 that Madman Entertainment had acquired the series for English release.[2] At Otakon 2012, Satelight had announced that Funimation (whom later confirmed) has licensed the series.[3]

Manga

On January 14, 2012 the manga began publishing by Media Factory, an adaptation of the anime written by Aogiri.[4]

OVA

Sōsei no Aquarion Love is an OVA featuring a crossover between characters from both Aquarion EVOL and its prequel Genesis of Aquarion. It aired in Japan on July 2, 2015, just before the premiere of the newest Aquarion series Aquarion Logos.

Light novel

On April 25, 2012, a light novel adaptation of the anime, written by Yasujiro Uchiyama, began serialization by MF Bunko J, with illustrations by Kana Ishida, one of the anime's character designers.[5]

Theme songs

Opening theme

Ending themes

Insert songs

Several pieces of music from Genesis of Aquarion's original soundtrack are featured as insert songs, among brand new compositions.

As with the original series, Yoko Kanno composed the theme music and soundtracks. Gabriela Robin wrote the lyrics to both of the theme songs. The original soundtrack, Aquarion Evol: Psalms of Eve (アクエリオン EVOL イヴの詩篇 Akuerion Evoru Ivu no Shihen), was released on May 23, 2012. An original album titled Love @ New Dimension, featuring all of the vocal tracks featured in Aquarion Evol with some new instrumentals by Kanno and new songs were released on July 25, 2012.

References

  1. "アクエリオンEVOL発表!|アクリオンEVOL STAFF BLOG". 2011-02-25. Retrieved 2011-02-26.
  2. "Madman Announces New Acquisitions at Supanova Melbourne - News". Anime News Network. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  3. "Funimation Licenses Aquarion Evol TV Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  4. "Aquarion Evol Anime Gets Manga Series - News". Anime News Network. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  5. "アクエリオンEVOL 1". MF Bunko J. 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2012-07-11.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 29, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.