Genesis of Aquarion
Encyclopedia
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 the Aquarion is humanity's only effective 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, 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
.
A sequel to the series titled was announced on February 25, 2011, to be in production.
Eleven years prior to the story, a disaster only referred to as the "Great Catastrophe" destroyed/devastated significant parts of the world and killed off many of its inhabitants. Along with the disaster came the return of the Shadow Angels who have been in slumber in their city of since their battle with Apolonius. The Shadow Angels began invading human cites on Earth to harvest human beings, dubbing them as "the wingless ones", like cattle, to extract the from the harvested humans not only to serve as energy and nutrition to them, but also to feed the legendary . The Shadow Angels facilitate their harvesting via giant, floating harvesting machines called which are guarded by giant mecha called . 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, and an organization called takes over the research of these machines, called , trying to identify how to use them. The three Vectors are colored mostly in white and are shown as the green , the blue , and the red . DEAVA discovers only people with special powers called can control the Vectors and the three vectors are in fact the pieces of Aquarion, the same robot used to fight the Shadow Angels twelve millenia before. They also discover the Elements can ultimately unite the vectors into one of three formations of the giant robot in battle, and can use it to fight and defeat the Cherubim.
During the Elements' first sortie against the Cherubim by uniting the Vectors into a formation of Aquarion, they stumble on 15 year-old Apollo, who seems to be the reincarnation of Apollonius. They become convinced of this when he single-handedly unites the Vectors into the Solar Aquarion formation and defeats the enemy, thus recruiting him to join their ranks.
. The Solar Aquarion is almost always used by Apollo.
: 46.2 meters tall. 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 ability to wield a bow and arrows, or as 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 its back. It is mostly used by Silvia de Alisia and Hong Lihua (Reika).
: 51.1 meters tall. Corresponds to Vector Mars as the head, Vector Sol as the back, and Vector Luna as the legs. It does have a set of wings on its back, but it cannot manifest or de-manifest them. 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.
Aquarion: All three Aquarion forms are capable of using the powers and/or abilities that the elements piloting it have separately or in any combination, as well as combining them with the main powers of the form Aquarion is in at the time (Mugen Punch, bow and arrows or sword) and using the main powers in special ways, such as classifying them with unique names or using them in unique ways. The elements piloting it can combine their status, such as strength, speed, targeting, mental strength and willpower in any way as well, and enable Aquarion to use it as its own in battle. Gen Fudou also trains the elements routinely on how use their powers to unlock and wield other powers that Aquarion itself has, such as how to firmly attach Aquarion to the ground so it cannot be moved or make Aquarion's body grow. (Ironically after most of these training sessions the Shadow Angels make a weapon that the elements can only stop by utilizing what they learned from the last training session while piloting Aquarion.) Sometimes the elements can even combine their emotions with Aquarion's energies to make new powers, like when Rekia turned her fear of her bad luck into unlucky-like energy to defeat the legend monster or when Pierre turned his determination to save his family into fire-like strength to defeat Kumba and Nikumba.
: After the Solar Aquarion's arms were destroyed and separated, Lihua, Tsugumi Rosenmeier and Pierre united 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.
: When the Vector Mars was absent, Apollo, Tsugumi, Lihua and even Silvia united to form an Aquarion out of the Vector Sol, Vector Luna and a Military Vector Omega, respectively, with the Vector Omega taking the position of head, the Vector Sol as the back, and the Vector Luna as the legs. It is assumed this form retains all of the Aquarion Mars' abilities, even with the lack of the Vector Mars' presence in the combination.
:
-controlled. It can configure into six different forms and is composed of three Vectors that are colored mostly in gray/black and look very much like the originals. The Vectors are a red Vector named Alpha, a green Vector named Delta, and a blue Vector named Omega, which corresponds to the Vector Sol, Vector Luna and the Vector Mars, respectively. These Vectors are compatible with normal elements and the original Aquarion Vectors and they are mass produced by the New United Nations.
: 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 on its right arm 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.
: 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.
: 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 transform into the Armageddon Formation without the need to separate the Vectors and reuniting.
: 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.
: 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.
Aquarion Beast form
, 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
.
' 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 and completing Aquarion's power.
s 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.
. Seemingly inspired by Apollo
, the Greek god of light and Prometheus
, who gave fire to humans and was punished by Zeus
by having an eagle feast on his liver. Similarly, Apollonius is a Shadow Angel who seems to have light-like powers and gives the humans a fighting chance against the Shadow Angels with the Aquarion, but loses his wings as punishment from the other Shadow Angels. Like Apollonius of Tyana
, Aquarion' s Apollonius dies and is believed to be reincarnated 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.
Atlandia's Tree of Life took on two roles throughout the series. It is basically a large pile of multicolored flowers. The arrangement of the flowers at the end of the top central flowering portion can be easily seen forming the ten interconnecting nodes of the Sephirot from Hebrew Bible/Christianity, only that the flower at top middle center of this arrangement, the spot that is supposed to symbolize the unity of the nodes is absent. The tree's first role was made by the Shadow Angels to use it to re-start the Shadow Angel race. The second role was its original role and was a similar function to its name, it literally contained the entire planet's life force. Because of this, if that force was unleashed as a power such as to give birth to a race of species, the planet would become lifeless and the tree would die, causing its remains to fall to the Earth's core and make the planet fall apart. This was something the Shadow Angels who had possession of and took care of the tree oddly did not know.
Ending songs
Other themes by Akino
Yoko Kanno
is the composer of the soundtrack music. Performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
.
According to Kawamori, the story will take place 12,000 years after the first Aquarion television series at a city modeled after Hong Kong. A new cast of characters, piloting a new Aquarion robot, will fight enemies from another dimension. However, Kawamori hinted that the characters might be reincarnations of Apollo, Silvia, and the other characters from the first series.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
TV series written and directed by Shoji Kawamori
Shoji Kawamori
is a Japanese anime creator, screenwriter and mechanical designer, having created or co-created such notable series as The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, The Vision of Escaflowne, Earth Maiden Arjuna, Genesis of Aquarion, Macross 7, and Macross Frontier. He is currently executive director at the...
, produced by Satelight
Satelight
is a Japanese animation studio.-History:The studio was founded on December 1995, in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, their first project being Bit the Cupid, the world's first fully digitally-animated television series. The name Satelight consists of S for Sapporo, A for Animate, T for Technology and E for...
.
The science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series is a homage to the Super Robot
Super Robot
is a term used in manga and anime to describe a giant robot or mecha, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons, extreme resistance to damage unless the plot calls for it, sometimes transformable or combined from two or more robots and/or vehicles usually piloted by young, daring heroes,...
shows of the 1970s and 1980s, executed with modern animation techniques and aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
. Set in the future, a giant fighting machine called the Aquarion is humanity's only effective 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
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
. An alternate retelling of the television series, the Genesis of Aquarion
Genesis of Aquarion (OVA)
is an OVA series created and directed by Shoji Kawamori and produced by Satelight studio. It is an alternative retelling of the Genesis of Aquarion television series, divided into two parts, and .-Plot:...
OVA, premiered on September 15, 2007. The television series is licensed in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
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
FUNimation Channel
The FUNimation Channel is a 24-hour cable network which broadcasts anime series in the United States. OlympuSAT was chosen as the exclusive distributor of the network....
.
A sequel to the series titled was announced on February 25, 2011, to be in production.
Plot
Twelve thousand years in the past, mankind was at mercy of the mythical creatures known as , immortal winged beings with overwhelming powers and technology. That is, until one of their kind, Apolonius, fell in love with a female human warrior, Seliane. Apolonius joins forces with the humans to free them from their oppression, by using the legendary giant fighting robot .Eleven years prior to the story, a disaster only referred to as the "Great Catastrophe" destroyed/devastated significant parts of the world and killed off many of its inhabitants. Along with the disaster came the return of the Shadow Angels who have been in slumber in their city of since their battle with Apolonius. The Shadow Angels began invading human cites on Earth to harvest human beings, dubbing them as "the wingless ones", like cattle, to extract the from the harvested humans not only to serve as energy and nutrition to them, but also to feed the legendary . The Shadow Angels facilitate their harvesting via giant, floating harvesting machines called which are guarded by giant mecha called . 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, and an organization called takes over the research of these machines, called , trying to identify how to use them. The three Vectors are colored mostly in white and are shown as the green , the blue , and the red . DEAVA discovers only people with special powers called can control the Vectors and the three vectors are in fact the pieces of Aquarion, the same robot used to fight the Shadow Angels twelve millenia before. They also discover the Elements can ultimately unite the vectors into one of three formations of the giant robot in battle, and can use it to fight and defeat the Cherubim.
During the Elements' first sortie against the Cherubim by uniting the Vectors into a formation of Aquarion, they stumble on 15 year-old Apollo, who seems to be the reincarnation of Apollonius. They become convinced of this when he single-handedly unites the Vectors into the Solar Aquarion formation and defeats the enemy, thus recruiting him to join their ranks.
Mecha
In the process of Unification, each Vector is able to transform into a head section, (a chest with a head and arms) a back section, (a back with a set of wings) or a leg section. (a pair of legs) Thus, when the Vectors combine to form the humanoid robot Aquarion, they make a leg/back/head formation with the head being the leading section. The Vector that makes the head ultimately identifies the form of Aquarion the vectors make as well. The Unification or "Merging" process also combines 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. In all three forms Aquarion weighs 88 tons.Aquarion
: 48 meters tall. 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 as well as the true form of Aquarion, 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 moonMoon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. The Solar Aquarion is almost always used by Apollo.
: 46.2 meters tall. 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 ability to wield a bow and arrows, or as 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 its back. It is mostly used by Silvia de Alisia and Hong Lihua (Reika).
: 51.1 meters tall. Corresponds to Vector Mars as the head, Vector Sol as the back, and Vector Luna as the legs. It does have a set of wings on its back, but it cannot manifest or de-manifest them. This is the fastest of the Aquarion forms. It is Sirius de Alisia
Powers and Abilities
Elements: All elements have at least one "main power" that can define what they can do, but with the right equipment they can do more. Aquarion is a big example. In Aquarion their powers are "increased" to obviously use them as powerful weapons during fights. Sometimes these increased powers can enable them to create and use "sub-powers" besides their main power, like to make devastating lighting powered spin-kicks or create and use throwing weapon disks.Aquarion: All three Aquarion forms are capable of using the powers and/or abilities that the elements piloting it have separately or in any combination, as well as combining them with the main powers of the form Aquarion is in at the time (Mugen Punch, bow and arrows or sword) and using the main powers in special ways, such as classifying them with unique names or using them in unique ways. The elements piloting it can combine their status, such as strength, speed, targeting, mental strength and willpower in any way as well, and enable Aquarion to use it as its own in battle. Gen Fudou also trains the elements routinely on how use their powers to unlock and wield other powers that Aquarion itself has, such as how to firmly attach Aquarion to the ground so it cannot be moved or make Aquarion's body grow. (Ironically after most of these training sessions the Shadow Angels make a weapon that the elements can only stop by utilizing what they learned from the last training session while piloting Aquarion.) Sometimes the elements can even combine their emotions with Aquarion's energies to make new powers, like when Rekia turned her fear of her bad luck into unlucky-like energy to defeat the legend monster or when Pierre turned his determination to save his family into fire-like strength to defeat Kumba and Nikumba.
Secondary forms
The following are other forms the Aquarion can take, but only appear in specific situations:: After the Solar Aquarion's arms were destroyed and separated, Lihua, Tsugumi Rosenmeier and Pierre united 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.
: When the Vector Mars was absent, Apollo, Tsugumi, Lihua and even Silvia united to form an Aquarion out of the Vector Sol, Vector Luna and a Military Vector Omega, respectively, with the Vector Omega taking the position of head, the Vector Sol as the back, and the Vector Luna as the legs. It is assumed this form retains all of the Aquarion Mars' abilities, even with the lack of the Vector Mars' presence in the combination.
:
- Another Aquarion form with the Military Vector Omega. It consisted of the Vector Sol as the head, the Vector Luna as the back and the Vector Omega as the legs, It was piloted by Apollo, Lihua, and Pierre.
Assault Type Aquarion
The 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 massive versions of conventional weaponry of cannons, rockets and machine guns as opposed to the original's more traditional weapons of bow and arrows, sword and Mugen punch. Because of the size of its weapons, it is capable of fighting and defeating the Cherubim. This Aquarion is normally piloted by one Shadow Angel DNA-infused mentally reprogrammed element or even a normal human being, while the other two corresponding Vectors are AIArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
-controlled. It can configure into six different forms and is composed of three Vectors that are colored mostly in gray/black and look very much like the originals. The Vectors are a red Vector named Alpha, a green Vector named Delta, and a blue Vector named Omega, which corresponds to the Vector Sol, Vector Luna and the Vector Mars, respectively. These Vectors are compatible with normal elements and the original Aquarion Vectors and they are mass produced by the New United Nations.
: 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 on its right arm 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.
: 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.
: 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 transform into the Armageddon Formation without the need to separate the Vectors and reuniting.
: 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
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
. 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.
: 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
VF-1 Valkyrie
This article is about a fictional vehicle; for the fighter squadron see VF-1.In the fictional Macross Japanese anime series and its English adaptation Robotech, the first mass-produced variable fighter or veritech fighter is called the VF-1 Valkyrie.-Background:The VF-1 was created by the...
from Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, another anime written and directed by Shoji Kawamori.
Aquarion Beast form
- In the Aquarion movie, when Reika got mad and could not understand why Apollo was helping Silvia (who everyone thought was Scorpus, the person who killed Apollonius) Aquarion Omega transformed into a rampant beast form. The form appeared similar to Seismosaurus from ZoidsZoidsis a multi-media model-kit-based franchise originating from Japanese toy company Tomy ; though now produced by various companies through licenses. The majority of the franchise is built around and focused on the various model kit series...
and fired the PSG Cannon from its tail.
Shadow Angel Mecha and Monsters
- 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 Cherubim Soldier body is destroyed, another Cherubim can take its place.: A three dimensional polygon that brings out the inner hatred and/or jealousy of those that see into it long enough.: A harvest beast with the ability to make itself look and act like what the people facing it fear most. Because the elements were afraid of Rena at the time, it took on a Vampire Rena form and acted like a vampire to drain prana.: Miniature versions of regular cherubim soldiers that act as anti-military forces. Although they lack legs they are highly maneuverable users of levitation and are armed with pulse lasers from the head and sometimes the hands. They are very important for the Shadow Angel invasions of human cities to harvest human beings, as they are what broadcast the Shadow Angel's "Hypno song", which hypnotizes normal unprotected humans and makes them sitting ducks for the harvest beasts to collect.: A special cherubim with immensely thick armor that can stand up to most assaults with very little damage. It can fire Pulse beams from its large head and the hands and it can also use its drill-like gloves for melee combat as well as launch them.: A colorful custom cherubim used by (and resembles) Mohora capable of bisecting. Its pulse beams are green instead of blue and aside from being normally fired from the head and club-like claws can also be used as daggers in melee. Other powers include an energy beam from the chest and teleportation.: A special cherubim that was infused with "the moon's ability to be not too near yet not too far". It can dodge nearly any attack and can produce black/purple electric balls from its hands. It can also quickly recover from normal attacks.: Standard mecha used by the Shadow Angels capable of flying very fast and firing a verity of blue pulse lasers and sometimes even missiles from their head and palms. The only three notable versions are Toma's revived one capable of spinning fast enough to produce tornadoes in episode 2, the soldier armed with the gravity staff from episode 4, and the soldier modified by Futaba in episode 21.: A black cherubim soldier made and used by Toma in two of the last episodes in the series. It is armed with a pair of rapiers and pulse lasers from the palms designed for impalement like spears and has great speed and agility.: A customized cherubim used by Toma and later Otoha armed with a pair of swords and pulse lasers from the palms designed for impalement like spears.: Standard Hammerhead sharkHammerhead sharkThe hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks in the family Sphyrnidae, so named for the unusual and distinctive structure of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a "hammer" shape called a "cephalofoil". Most hammerhead species are placed in the genus Sphyrna while the...
-like vessels used to collect humans for Shadow Angels. They possess no offensive capabilities.: A pair of cherubim that share a core and can exchange it between each other; the one without the core becomes indestructible and by exchanging it with the other when the one with the core is struck down, they are almost unstoppable. They look like a fiesta-like mix of the Cheribum Iskuron and the Graave Cheribum, except they have yellow-and-black coloring.: An ancient water-like harvest beast that remained dormant in a lake. A plant-like one was hidden in a building in Apollo's former hometown.: A fake version of Aquarion made from three fake versions of the Aquarion Vectors that possesses all the regular abilities except expansion of the body.: Tiny harvests beasts used to consume all the food consumed by humans with a great resemblance to the kaiju Dogora.: A dream manipulator harvest beast from the Moon that exists in the dream world and entraps people in their nightmares.: A cherubim-like digging machine that is essentially a giant mechanical worm with large clawed hands and a massive mouth that are used for burrowing through the ground quickly and can fire pulse lasers and missiles from the back of its hands.
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 AquariusAge of Aquarius
The Age of Aquarius is either the current or new age in the cycle of astrological ages. Each astrological age is approximately 2,150 years long, on average, but there are various methods of calculating this length that may yield longer or shorter time spans depending upon the technique used...
, 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
Antithesis
Antithesis is a counter-proposition and denotes a direct contrast to the original proposition...
(thus, conflict), the Age of Aquarius is an age of synthesis and spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
(in some ways, a new golden age
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...
). In the New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
, 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
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
Yoga
AquarionYoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
is translated as "unite" and means "union with the divine
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
through the integration of body
Body
With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...
, mind
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
and spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
" (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 and completing Aquarion's power.
Prapti and the Mugen Punch
YogiYogi
A Yogi is a practitioner of Yoga. The word is also used to refer to ascetic practitioners of meditation in a number of South Asian Religions including Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.-Etymology:...
s 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
Omnipresence
Omnipresence or ubiquity is the property of being present everywhere. According to eastern theism, God is present everywhere. Divine omnipresence is thus one of the divine attributes, although in western theism it has attracted less philosophical attention than such attributes as omnipotence,...
). 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 mythologyGreek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. Seemingly inspired by Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
, the Greek god of light and Prometheus
Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
, who gave fire to humans and was punished by Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
by having an eagle feast on his liver. Similarly, Apollonius is a Shadow Angel who seems to have light-like powers and gives the humans a fighting chance against the Shadow Angels with the Aquarion, but loses his wings as punishment from the other Shadow Angels. Like Apollonius of Tyana
Apollonius of Tyana
Apollonius of Tyana was a Greek Neopythagorean philosopher from the town of Tyana in the Roman province of Cappadocia in Asia Minor. Little is certainly known about him...
, Aquarion
The Tree of Life
Theme music
Opening songs- by Akino (Episodes 1-17)
- "Go Tight!Go Tight!"Go Tight!" is the second single from AKINO, produced and composed by Yoko Kanno. The title track is used as the second opening theme of the anime Genesis of Aquarion. "Go Tight!" peaked at #18 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and charted for seven weeks. Gabriela Robin is credited as the lyricist for...
" by Akino (Episode 18-26)
Ending songs
- by Yui MakinoYui Makinois a Japanese voice actor, actress, singer and pianist. She is best known for her work in the anime Tsubasa Chronicle and Aria. She can speak basic English. She is well known as a nice, caring, polite and a down-to-earth person, according to her fans. Her fans sometimes call her "Yucchi",...
- by Akino
- "Celiane" by Gabriela RobinGabriela RobinGabriela Robin is a singer and lyricist, credited for lyrics and vocals on many songs composed and arranged by Yoko Kanno.She has long been rumored to be Kanno's pseudonym. Robin stated in a print interview that she was going to sing in front of an audience for the first time at Kanno's...
Other themes by Akino
- "Genesis of Aquarion" by Akino (English lyrics by Bless4Bless4bless4 is a Japanese vocal ensemble from the United States consisting of the four brothers and sisters of the Kawamitsu family. Youngest sister Akino has her own solo musical career, and youngest brother Aiki has also released a solo single to accompany his book.-History:All but Akashi were born...
)
Yoko Kanno
Yoko Kanno
is a composer, arranger and musician best known for her work on the soundtracks for many games, anime films, TV series, live-action movies, and advertisements...
is the composer of the soundtrack music. Performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
The Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra , one of Poland's premier musical institutions, was established in 1901 on the initiative of an assembly of Polish aristocrats and financiers, as well as musicians...
.
Sequel
A series sequel to Genesis of Aquarion titled "Aquarion EVOL" is currently in development by the same creator of the original series, Shoji Kawamori and also animated by Studio Satelight.According to Kawamori, the story will take place 12,000 years after the first Aquarion television series at a city modeled after Hong Kong. A new cast of characters, piloting a new Aquarion robot, will fight enemies from another dimension. However, Kawamori hinted that the characters might be reincarnations of Apollo, Silvia, and the other characters from the first series.
Other appearances
- Genesis of Aquarion made its video game debut in the Sony PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
game Super Robot Wars Z. It has also appeared in the PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
game Another Century's Episode R and the PSPPSPPSP most commonly refers to the PlayStation Portable, a handheld game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment.PSP may also refer to:-Computing and programming:*Corel Paint Shop Pro, a graphics editor...
game Super Robot Wars Z 2: Hakai-Hen.