Aquarion Evol: Part 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Aquarion Evol: Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Lovely to look at.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 27, 2013

It’s not that unusual for a sequel to pick up some time after the original ended—but twelve thousand years? That’s the difference between the epochs depicted in Genesis of Aquarion and Aquarion Evol. That may seem like an unfathomable amount of time, but even by the somewhat more telescoped standards of television fare, the fact that there was a lapse of around six or seven years between Genesis of Aquarion and Aquarion Evol may indicate that too much time has passed for fans of the first series to easily pick up the story with a new iteration. The good news here is that Aquarion Evol stands on its own two gigantic mecha legs fairly easily without much need for overly convoluted knowledge of the first property. That said, Aquarion Evol weaves in elements of the first series in a fairly seamless fashion, referring back to events of millennia ago while also “updating” certain ideas of the first series in a new way. While Aquarion Evol follows in the footsteps of Genesis of Aquarion by falling into what would generally be termed a mecha subgenre, there are a number of other mythological and fantasy laden elements that enter the mix and give the show its rather distinctive flavor. Just as Genesis of Aquarion posited a kind of divine couple in Apolonius and Seliane, the sequel has its own unexpected pairing in the form of Amata and Mikono. The series actually starts with Amata working in a movie house which is playing a film that seems to be recounting some of the mythology from the first series. Mikono has stayed behind after the film ends, and the two haltingly begin a friendship which is soon tested when a series of bizarre bug like creatures called Abductors show up and begin scooping up unsuspecting citizens (fans of Genesis of Aquarion will no doubt recognize this “call back” to the first series). With Mikono in desperate straits, Amata is forced to reveal a secret he’s kept for most of his life—he has special powers, including the ability to fly. This has been played for laughs during much of the first episode, as evidently being around Mikono makes Amata “lighter than air”, and so he has stuffed his boots with heavy metal plates to “assist” gravity’s pull. But in this harrowing situation, he casts the plates aside, and the two float upward where they are magically inducted into a mecha which has jettisoned its previous pilot. With Amata and Mikono on board, the mecha undergoes a startling transformation and becomes Aquarion Evol.

Fans of the legendary live action science fiction film Forbidden Planet may be amused when they hear that the villains in Aquarion Evol come from an orb named Altair. The residents of Altair have been decimated by a plague of sorts which has killed all the women, and they are thus sending the Abductors to Vega, the home planet of Amata and Mikono, in order to replenish their supply of females. The ironic thing about this situation is that Vega’s mecha academy is strictly quarantined by gender, with absolutely no contact allowed between girls and boys. In fact there are different models of mecha (M class for men, F class for women) that supposedly cannot even operate by anything other than their “assigned” gender. The fact that Amata and Mikono “couple” as one pilot to create Aquarion Evol sends a certain shockwave through the “establishment” that colors much of what occurs in intervening episodes of the show.

This is the rare mecha series that seems to have more than a passing interest in fan service and things sexual, as the aforementioned plot point of coupling hints at. Probably intentionally comically, the series actually sometimes posits the girls as the inquisitive ones when it comes to sexual matters, especially before the mecha academy finally goes co-ed a few episodes into the show. Aquarion Evol toes a fairly fine line between all out action sequences, more heartfelt character beats (the series has a very large supporting cast surrounding Amata and Mikono), as well as goofier humor elements that are frequently off the wall.

While those facets of the series tend to segue fairly seamlessly, when looking at the entire series as a whole, there are lapses in logic and basic storytelling that prevent the series from ultimately having as much impact as it might otherwise have had. This is yet another series that seems content with merely introducing terms that hint at mythology, rather than actually developing that mythology more readily. The one saving grace throughout all of this occasional chaos is the series’ utterly gorgeous design aesthetic. This is one of the most consistently beautiful anime in recent memory, full of really spectacular CGI elements that are blended with more traditional animation techniques in a kaleidoscopic array of bright colors and fantastic designs. Aquarion Evol may ultimately not make a whole bunch of sense, but it’s one impressive show to simply watch.

Aquarion Evol: Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Aquarion Evol is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Funimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. As stated above in the main body of the review, whatever dramatic fault the series may have, they're probably more than overcome by the sheer beauty of much of what is on display here. This is certainly one of the more impressive looking anime Funimation has released recently, one filled to the brim with amazing colors and great looking CGI effects. Lush purples are especially notable throughout the series, from some of the shades of the stained glass windows behind the girls' choir at the mecha academy to shots of the interstellar masses behind various battles in the sky. But that's just one hue in what is often a visual onslaught of bright primaries and vividly saturated pastels. Line detail is sharp and well defined, and contrast is generally strong (some of the interior scenes where the Commander shouts orders at his troops are just slightly murky looking). The rendering of light is especially impressive throughout the action sequences, as can easily be seen in several of the screenshots accompanying this review.

Aquarion Evol: Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Aquarion Evol features a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English dub as well as the original Japanese language track presented in Dolby TrueHD 2.0. Even original language purists may want to at least sample the English dub, for while it features some typically hyperbolic Funimation regular performances, it also significantly opens up the soundfield in the battle sequences, substantially boosting the low end along the way. Both tracks deliver dialogue cleanly and clearly, and neither track has any damage to report.

Aquarion Evol: Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Myth of Ten Thousand Years and Two Thousand More Returns (1080i; 22:27) is a live action supplement that documents some of the furor surrounding the release of this title in Japan. There's also some good information about Genesis of Aquarion for those who aren't that well acquainted with (or who may have forgotten about) the first series.


• Textless Opening Song "Kimi No Shinwa - Aquarion Dai Ni Shou" (1080p; 1:32)


• Textless Closing Song "Gekkou Sinfonia" (1080p; 1:32)


• U.S. Trailer (1080p; 1:27)


• Episode 1 Commentary features Christopher Bevins, J. Michael Tatum and Brina Palencia.


• Episode 9 Commentary features Christopher Bevins, Alexis Tipton and Josh Grelle.

Aquarion Evol: Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Aquarion Evol is undeniably gorgeous to look at it, but after a while, the series simply tends to bog down into fairly traditional mecha meanderings, despite some obvious attempts to shake things up with a variety of characters, many of whom have pretty interesting back stories. The biggest issue here is that this is a sequel to a series that has been off the radar of most fans for a fairly long time. Even though Aquarion Evol doesn't necessarily depend on knowledge of Genesis of Aquarion, there are enough passing references to the first series that it seems like the creative staff wanted the audience to at least be aware of the first series. That, coupled with a lackluster approach to really delving into the series' nascent mythology, ultimately keeps this show from really reaching the stratosphere. But it is gorgeous to look at. Recommended.