Genesis of Aquarion

For other uses, see Genesis of Aquarion (disambiguation).

Genesis of Aquarion
File:Logo aquarion.jpg
創聖のアクエリオン (Sōsei no Akuerion)
Genre	Mecha, Science fiction, Romance
Anime
Directed by	Shoji Kawamori
Studio	Satelight
Released	4 April 2005 – 26 September 2005
Anime
Gekijouban Aquarion
Directed by	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 a homage to the Super Robot shows of the 1970s and 1980s, executed with modern animation techniques and aesthetics. Set in the future, a giant fighting machine called Aquarion is humanity's only weapon in the fight against the technologically advanced species called the Shadow Angels.

Aquarion aired from April 4, 2005 to September 26, 2005 on TV Tokyo. An alternate retelling of the television series, the Genesis of Aquarion OVA, is in production. A feature film adaptation premiered on September 15, 2007. The television series is licensed in North America by FUNimation while on the 14 February 2006 it aired on MTV Italia.

On April 27, 2009, the series made its North American television debut on the FUNimation Channel.

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 the disaster came the appearance of the Shadow Angels, winged-beings who have been in slumber for twelve thousand years in their city of Atlandia. The Shadow Angels harvest humans on Earth, dubbed the "wingless ones", like cattle, extracting their prana (life force) from them, serving as energy and nutrition to the Shadow Angels, but also to feed the legendary Tree of Life. The Shadow Angels facilitate their harvesting via giant, floating harvesting machines called harvest beasts guarded by giant mecha called Cherubim Soldiers. They are sentient, yet there are times when they are piloted by Shadow Angels.

Ordinary weapons prove ineffective against the Cherubim, but a human expedition under the leadership of Gen Fudou eventually excavates three very technologically advanced fighter planes. Gen Fudou disappears, but an organization called Deava takes over the research of these machines, called Vectors, trying to find out how to use them. The three Vectors are the green Vector Luna, the blue Vector Mars and the red Vector Sol. Deava discovers only people who are Element users can control the Vectors and, ultimately, unite the three to form a giant fighting machine called Aquarion.

During the first sortie to fight a Cherubim, Deava encounters 15 year-old Apollo, who seems to be the reincarnation of the hero Apollonius, also known as the "Solar Wing", who betrayed his Shadow Angel brethren for his love of the human warrior Celiane.

Characters

Main article: List of Genesis of Aquarion characters

Mecha

In the process of Unification, the Vectors combine to form the humanoid Aquarion, with the head being the leading section. This process also merges the souls of the Elements to some degree, as each supplies one of the supposed three aspects of their soul into one when Aquarion is formed. During Unification, the Elements experience an influx of power and energy, which in classic Japanese fan-service style is shown to be a feeling of wondrous power for the men, while for the women it is blatantly orgasmic in nature.

Aquarion

Solar Aquarion

Corresponds to Vector Sol as the head, Vector Luna as the back, and Vector Mars as the legs. This is the most balanced of the three basic Aquarion forms, with its specialty in melee combat. It is the only form that can manifest the "Solar Wings" on its back. Later in the series, the Elements develop the Solar Aquarion's signature "Mugen (Infinity) Punch", an attack extending the arm indefinitely in order to reach even the most agile enemy; to elaborate, the Mugen Punch can reach distances that extends to the surface of the moon. The Solar Aquarion is almost always used by Apollo.

Aquarion Luna

Corresponds to Vector Luna as the head, Vector Mars as the back, and Vector Sol as the legs. It specializes in ranged combat, with the use of a specific bow and arrows, or another form to partake in melee situations, given the Aquarion Luna's agile movement and reflexes. It too can manifest a set of wings on it's back. It is Mostly used by Silvia de Alisia and Hong Lihua.

Aquarion Mars

Corresponds to Vector Mars as the head, Vector Sol as the back, and Vector Luna as the legs. It is the only form that does not have a set of wings. This is the fastest of the Aquarion forms. It is Sirius de Alisia's favorite because it can wield a sword and due to its long legs and speed, it is perfect for Pierre Vieira's "Fire Kick" technique.

Secondary forms

The following are other forms the Aquarion can take, but only appears in specific situations:

Aquarion Soluna

After the Solar Aquarion's arms are destroyed and is separated, Lihua, Tsugumi Rosenmeier and Pierre unite to form this Aquarion. Essentially the Solar Aquarion, it uses the Vector Luna as the head, but flipped forward, becoming the torso on top of the Vector Sol, making a leg/stomach/head formation. It is assumed this is the tallest of Aquarion's forms due to its configuration.

Aquarion Angel

When the Vector Mars is absent, Apollo, Tsugumi and Lihua formed by the union of the Vector Sol, Vector Luna and a Military Vector Omega, respectively, with the Vector Omega taking the position of head. It is assumed this form retains all of the Aquarion Mars' abilities, even with the lack of the Vector Mars' presence in the combination.

Assault Type Aquarion

The Assault Type Aquarion is a copy of the original Aquarion, constructed in a joint operation between DEAVA and the New United Nations using Shadow Angel DNA collected by force. It follows the same basic architecture of the original with a couple of physical differences and uses conventional weaponry of cannons and rockets, as opposed to the original's more traditional weapons of bows and swords. Colored mostly in gray/black, this Aquarion is normally plioted by one cyborg element, while the other two corresponding Vectors AI-controlled. The Vectors are compadible with normal elements and the original Aquarion's vectors. It can configure into six different forms and is composed of Vectors named Alpha, Delta and Omega, which corresponds to the Vector Sol, Vector Luna and the Vector Mars, respectively. They are mass produced by the New United Nations.

Aquarion Alpha

Corresponds to Vector Alpha as the head, Vector Delta as the back, and Vector Omega as the legs. It is the equivalent of the Solar Aquarion. It uses an enormous PSG Cannon as its primary weapon and like the Solar Aquarion, it can deploy the "Solar Wings" on its back, but does not have the mystical effect of the original. Oddly enough, its head is shaped like the Aquarion Luna's and has a visor over its eyes. This configuration can transform into the Walker Formation without the need to separate the Vectors and reuniting.

Aquarion Delta

Corresponds with Vector Delta as the head, Vector Omega as the back, and Vector Alpha as the legs. It is the equivalent of the Aquarion Luna. Taking a similarity to the Aquarion Luna's bow, the Aquarion Delta specializes in long-range combat through a complement of rockets that fire from its own customized bow and can also utilize the Aquarion Omega's machine guns, mounted on the same part as the rockets.

Aquarion Omega

Corresponds with Vector Omega as the head, Vector Alpha as the back, and Vector Delta as the legs. It is the equivalent of the Aquarion Mars. Using a pair of machine guns, this form is only featured once and can be assumed it can transform into the Armageddon Formation without the need to separate the Vectors and reuniting.

Armageddon Formation

A formation where the three Vectors combine into a 6-legged walker with the Aquarion Alpha's PSG cannon mounted on top, similar to a tank. This formation exists due to the PSG Cannon able to fire at its maximum capabilities with a stable footing. This form can transform immediately into Aquarion Omega without separating and reuniting.

Walker Formation

A vehicle formation used for speed, it appears as a jet-like machine with two legs. This form can transform into Aquarion Alpha without separating and reuniting. Its appearance closely resembles the GERWALK mode of the VF-1 Valkyrie from Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, another anime written and directed by Shoji Kawamori.

Aquation Beast form

In the Aquarion movie, when Reika got mad and didn't understand why Apollo was helping Silvia (who everyone thought was Scorpus, the person who killed Apollonius) Aquarion Omega tranformed into a evil beast form.

Shadow Angel Mecha

Cherubim Mars

After allying with the Shadow Angels and taking the Vector Mars with him, Sirius uses a Cherubim Soldier in place of the other two Vectors. The Cherubim Mars acts the same as the Aquarion Mars, but if its body is destroyed, another Cherubim Soldier can take its place.

• Antichthon
• Black Rena
• Cherubim Blumeblatt
• Cherubim Graave
• Cherubim Iskuron
• Cherubim Lune
• Cherubim Soldier
• Cherubim Sue le Kubera
• Cherubim Verizeva
• Harvest Monster
• Kumba and Nikumba
• Legend Monster
• Mirror Aquarion
• Mongie
• Titania
• Xibalba

Design

Despite early references to biblical trees, the Book of Genesis and such, the bulk of Aquarion is tied to many other non-Christian myths.

Age of Aquarius

Age of Aquarius, also known as the Aquarian Age, was a concept popularized by Carl Gustav Jung. The Age of Aquarius was seen in contraposition with current the Age of Pisces: whereas the Age of Pisces represents duality and antithesis (thus, conflict), the Age of Aquarius is an age of synthesis and spiritualism (in some ways, a new golden age). In the New Age, because of the implications of love, comprehension and one-ness, it can be associated with the fourth chakra. Aquarion as a name is a reference to this concept, but the show digs deeper in symbolism in using the Aquarion as an instrument for a "new era of holy genesis", managing to resolve conflict between the opposing parties of humans and Shadow 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 means "union with the divine through the integration of body, mind and spirit" (in Japanese, the word "kokoro" refers to both heart or mind, but is more often translated as just the heart). During Unification, the Elements merge together their bodies, minds and spirits, but a real Unification of the Aquarion can only be obtained with a Shadow Angel onboard, fitting the scheme of the divine element necessary into order to achieve true Unification.

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, but he can extend his hand anywhere and take whatever he likes. In the series, the Solar Aquarion's Mugen Punch manages to reach the moon, although the real prapti should not involve greatly elongated arms, but rather the ability to cancel distances between objects (resulting in the idea of omnipresence). In this sense, the real prapti in the show is perhaps used by Gen Fudo, who makes things appear out of nothing from his hand. It is worth noting another siddhi called Mahima is the ability to become incredibly big; this may be referenced to the Aquarion's ability to expand itself in size during particular battles with the Cherubim.

Apollonius

The character Apollonius is a passing nod to Greek mythology. Seemingly inspired by Prometheus, he gave fire to humans and was punished by Zeus through an eagle feasting on his liver; similarly, Apollonius gives the humans a fighting chance against the Shadow Angels with the Aquarion, but loses his wings as punishment. Like Apollonius of Tyana, Aquarion's Apollonius dies and reincarnates as the protagonist Apollo, while the Greek god Apollo is stated to have been born in the bank of a lake (Aquarion's Apollo is given his name after he swims in a lake).

File:Tree of Life Flower.jpg

The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life

Atlandia's Tree of Life seemingly takes on dual roles, referencing the Tree of Life (image to the right) from the Kabbalah as well as the Yggdrasil of Norse mythology. The arrangement of the flowers at the end of the central flowering portion can be easily seen forming the ten interconnecting nodes of the Sephirot. The tree also acts in a similar function to the Yggdrasil, as it literally holds the world together for the Shadow Angels and humans.

Theme music

Opening songs

1. "Sousei no Aquarion" (創聖のアクエリオン, Sōsei no Aquarion, "Genesis of Aquarion") by Akino from Bless4 (Episodes 1-16)
2. "Go Tight!" by Akino from Bless4 (Episode 17-26)

Ending songs

1. "Omna Magni" (オムナ マグニ, "I Can Fly") by Yui Makino
2. "Kōya no Heath" (荒野のヒース, "The Heath of the Wasteland") by Akino
3. "Celiane" by Gabriela Robin

Other themes

• "Nike 15-sai" (ニケ15歳, Nike Jūgo-sai, "Fifteen-Year-Old Nike") by Akino
• "Genesis of Aquarion" by Akino (English lyrics by Bless4)

Yoko Kanno is the composer of the soundtrack music. Performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.

Other appearances

• Genesis of Aquarion makes its debut in the Sony PlayStation 2 video game Super Robot Wars Z.

Reception

In America, Genesis of Aquarion has been praised for its excellent mecha designs, musical score and animation style. The story, however, has mixed reviews. AnimeonDVD, and Anime News Network has rated the series overall a C+, stating that Aquarion tries to please everyone with the different elements that are reminiscent of other series, and fails to establish its own identity.

Most fans consider the series to be a homage to other like-minded mecha series, and appreciated the above average enjoyment that it's predecessors lacked. Other fans found that the lack of a completely original story from Kawamori, was countered by a smoother, less complex manner of execution that familiar stories couldn't pull off.

Overall, Aquarion has been received well by the majority of fans and critics, appealing more to the former than the latter.

External links

• Sousei no Aquarion Official Site Template:Ja icon
• FUNimation's Official Aquarion website
• Zinc Panic's list of Aquarion mecha
• Sousei no Aquarion ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia