#sousei no aquarion

[juliusmode]

watched Genesis of Aquarion (2005) ! holy shit !

I almost dropped this show like twice due to some extremely rough showings in the first batch of episodes but honestly? It really kept turning it around with its insane sense of creativity and pure x-factor. I might love this show?

I have an ongoing relationship with mostly forgotten, boundary pushing 3DCG/2D digipaint composite anime (see: blassreiter); it's such an experimental era, pushing through different philosophies about its integration and Aquarion is definitely one of the more graceful ones. 3DCG feels like a natural fit for mecha works, but the way Aquarion handles its integration and animation feels really slick! It's a pretty damn good looking show to me (for the most part), and I don't know if that says something about my own tastes or how well this show's art direction and visuals hold up.

I got into Aquarion expecting a much more rote, mid-budget show? There's definitely a loose status quo at play but every episode feels like it wants to dig into a major theme or idea, however outlandish. While Aquarion is definitely Cool As Hell, it's not really supposed to be a brutal destroyer or arm of violence; so much of the show is spent pontificating on building a healthier relationship with the earth, the people around you, and your perception of all of it. All of this allows Aquarion to do some truly unshackled stuff, and the ideas and action frequently break out into the outlandish.

Spot one of my favorite episodes from the show, where the crew get trapped in another dimension marked by a completely different art and animation style from the whole rest of the show. So cool.

THE MUSIC TOO! God, the music is so good; Yoko Kanno on score duty and AKINO on insert and title tracks. I have to take a moment to share my favorite insert track (Heath of the Wasteland); while the OPs are legendary, this track is my favorite.

I found myself thinking at the end, "Man, there's so many one-off episodes here that I really enjoy..." and realized... hang on, that's the whole show! Even if the thematic core across the show is a little wobbly, bringing the series' individual cores together makes for an unbreakable whole.

... Where was I?

Yes, the characters!! While the early show (and... some of the later show in bursts) treats its girls pretty badly, I think as the show goes on, it gets away from its early series skeevy disposition (for the most part) and everybody gets their time in the sun! (Even if chained to a man in their emotional arcs. It is the mecha genre.)

I like Apollo and his haughty dogboy demeanor! He's a really fun protagonist, and his connections with the rest of the cast are great. I like Reika and her arc in trying to fight through her depression and sadness! I like the emotional bond she forms with Tsugumi and how it borders on yuri! I quite like Sylvia working past her unhealthy brother complex and finding a stronger and healthier place as the spunky heart of the Aquarion crew!

Even if the bulk of the character writing can be a bit shallow, I did find myself getting really attached to all the DEAVA crew at the end.

Something that does weaken the writing a bit is the "past lives" angle that the writers seem to assume is doing to do a lot of the heavy lifting for them; not something I'm super big on or something that really works in the show. It feels like an early excuse to get the cast together that overstays its welcome in some regards.

There's other caveats, as well. The show really struggles under the weight of the aforementioned "fanservice" and between that and pretty standard tropes tying women to men... it feels like it really struggles with giving its girls dignity; not in a way uncommon to the genre but still uncomfortable enough to mention. It brings down the whole series.

Then there's Episode 17, which... I really don't like dieting plotlines and the entire ordeal at the scale it gets to feels legitimately harrowing, even if it does come down on the bare minimum side of "eating and nourishing your body is good". It's bad and uncomfortable in how it combination sexualizes and denigrates its girls for the weight complex the writers decided to drop onto them for this episode. You're insane. This is terrible messaging.

Due diligence!

I do think once you're able to power through the rougher stuff, Aquarion manages to hit some astonishingly great heights and stays at those heights for huge stretches before it drops the ball. I don't know where it fits in the already stuffed pantheon of mecha anime, but it has definitely Mugen Punched its way into my heart.

Now to never, ever touch those sequels. (If anyone has a link to the original series OVAs, though, hit me up!)

[pollon-apologist]

May I share with you the headcanons? They are stupid and my brain is vibrating :"3

The process of rebirth and reincarnation of souls belongs only to the shadow angels and it is available only to them. Twelve thousand years ago, humans, ordinary wingless humans, were not capable of rebirth and were interested in this inaccessible process. Imagine that the whole point of Celian and Apollonius' relationship is that the girl took advantage of a fallen angel traitor for the secret of reincarnation. Maybe the relationship with the Angel, and receiving reincarnation, was a big sin for Sylvia if her soul is divided and her reincarnations have wings on their hands.

I love Commander-in-Chief Fudo, but it has to do with Apollo and when I thought he was the reincarnation of Apollonius.

Deaf! Apollo. He's still wild, has a keen sense of smell, and communicates in sign language. Maybe he was able to get into Diva as one of the Aquarion pilots (canonical event). His encounter with Toma? Toma comes to "his Solarwing," examines the boy, and maybe he doesn't understand why Apollo looks over to the crew and they communicate on their fingers. And when Toma speaks, it is telepathic and Apollo hears it! He hears someone else's voice, feels awkward and embarrassed, but imagine how happy he is to ask Shadow Angel to say something else. Maybe one of the pilots will tell Toma that Apollo is deaf.

OOO thank you SO MUCH for sharing these with me :DD i love aus and headcanons!

ooo that's a really cool take on the reincarnation and the start of the war! much to think about...

!!!!! YO DEAF APOLLO IS A REALLY COOL AU! maybe he got a disease when he was younger that gave him hearing loss, so like one of the only other voices he's ever heard was Baron, and now toma comes up and apollo can't help but be more fascinated by him and his telepathy (and maybe that's something sirius and silvia could learn too? maybe partially bc of their angel blood?) - VERY INTRIGUING!!

[oh-yes-i-did-not]

I can't believe I have to call new anime old but that is how time works. It will happen to you too. But Sousei no Aquarion. I can't say it's a bad anime with good soundtrack because it's not. It's a good anime with good soundtrack but once I say that the anime itself is good then the Burden of Proof is on me to tell you all why it's good.

But no, I think not. I will just say it's good and you can either believe me or not but I'm not gonna defend myself or my opinion. It is a good anime THE END and fuck off.

[panjams-posts]

+w+ the aquarion art book is goooorgeous 💜💜

[animemakeblog]

“Sousei no Aquarion: Myth of Emotions” The Second Promo

The official website of the Sousei no Aquarion: Myth of Emotions television anime series unveiled a new promotional video for the Kako Shinwa-hen (Past Myths) arc. On January 10 at 12:30 a.m., Tokyo MX will debut the animation, followed by TV Aichi, tvk, BS Asahi, and AT-X.

[darthcontusion]

aquarion is a pretty cursed franchise, but is it more or less cursed if, for some inexplicable reason, they make aquarion wholesome.

[newsintheshell]

▶️ AQUARION - MYTH OF EMOTIONS: IL PRIMO VIDEO CI PRESENTA IL CAST E... NON È AFFATTO COME CE LO ASPETTAVAMO!

È inutile che vi stropicciate gli occhi: no, non è il teaser per il nuovo Panty & Stocking, e che ci crediate o no, il chara design è ad opera del buon Masashi Kudo (Bleach, Tower of God).

La cosa più divertente e sconcertante, secondo me, è che Shoji Kawamori (Escaflowne, Macross, Aquarion) abbia visto la direzione stilistica e abbia detto "Sì, ok, ma io i mecha non li cambio 🗿".

La serie, la quarta dello storico franchise SATELIGHT, è diretta da Kenji Itoso (Santa Company) e sceneggiata da Sadayuki Murai (Kaina of the Great Snow Sea). Il simulcast su Crunchyroll partirà da gennaio 2025.

[howshouldiknowboutlife]

If you don't mind my asking, why do Sylvia and Sirius have wings on their arms? Are they indications of sin from the relationship between Celian and Apollonius, or did these two manage to make babies before they died and all their descendants have a wing on one arm?

Sooooo sorry for the delay on this, it completely slipped my mind! 😖

I dont think it's an indication of sin - as far as I can tell Aquarion isn't a very christian show.

I believe they mention that the de Alisia family is literally descended from Apollonius and Celiane, so they have Angel blood in them, hence having feathers.

I'd bet the only-on-one-arm thing is more a watering-down of genetics after 10,000 years than a hard rule of how the Angel blood is expressed. (It also comes out in their strong Elemental powers, for example.) maybe Apollonius/Celiane's first kid had two wings (or more)!

Plus, Silvia and Sirius specifically each having one half of a full set of wings is a thematic pointer to their soul incarnation situation.

Thank you for asking :D Again, sorry for the delay, but feel free to throw any more questions my way and Ill do my best to answer ^_^ 💜

[reachartwork]

genuinely so mad that someone is calling me a Fake Mecha Fan for thinking that mecha could POSSIBLY be horny or that i'm the reason for the "explosion in fanfic people thinking mecha is horny" buddy i was watching sousei no aquarion as it came out which is *explicitly* about how piloting mecha is like sex, in two thousand fucking five AD, I KNOW MORE THAN YOU

[miunala]

ME CRYING AT ENNA’S BIRTHDAY CONCERT

[pollon-apologist]

When I got nostalgic and rewatched Genesis Aquarion, I really thought Apollo was the reincarnation of Apollonius. But halfway through the anime I looked in the "fandom pages" with the character data. And just. WHAT THE HELL IS HE THE REINCARNATION OF A DOG. This is something I didn't expect (sorry, I haven't watched Aquarion Evol yet and I'm still having a hard time watching it after the first season)

Sorry, I'm here with my headcanons :"D

I'm still amused by the Apollo theme as a reincarnation of Apollonius. Because it all looks ridiculous. The once dangerous Angel of Death who terrifies people and collects their souls for the Tree of Life, who messes with humans, is reborn as a homeless kid who eats dry ramen and rats. Additionally, he behaves like a wild animal and bites people's legs. And let's see, if Toma takes Apollo back to Atlandia (it doesn't matter by what means, maybe the Abilities are activated and memory is partially returned), Apollo will sniff and bite absolutely everyone.

They'll all need a rabies vaccination anyway.

Heheheheh they fuckin got you - the show wrapped you around their little wings just like the rest of us! XD i was also super surprised by the twist but honestly, just looking at how Apollo acts, it Does make some sense that he's actually a doggo soul lolol

(Aquarion EVOL is so hard to get through, i feel you - the main characters are empty wafers of nothingness, dont watch the show for them. watch it for the side characters who are awesome and shouldve been the main focus of EVOL)

Absolutely NEVER apologize for headcanons, they're delightful and fantastic!

God imagine if toma did take apollo back and then tried to like, class him up and make him all fancy and badass again, and then every time he looks away for even a second apollo has ripped off the stifling fancy clothes and is chewing on the table legs lmao Rabies vaccine FOR SURE! XD

[desultory-novice]

Noir's Field Trip - "Starting Out"

"...Thanks, you two."

-

Ahem! Following in the footsteps of several other Kirby OC contest peeps, you may send in asks for [Noir]!!

(...But I'm SUPER busy so it may take until May to respond! ^^;;)

[Notes/Rules About Asks:]

-I'm iffy on back-and-forth style dialogue-based RP, due to the complex interplay of pseudo-linearity in an amorphous situation plus my autistic-self often being unable to figure out what my RP partner is actually trying to say tone-wise or what they are thinking and then-I-answer-them-wrong-and-embarrass-myself...!!

NVMD SEND WHATEVER YOU WOULD LIKE XD

That and long post-chains make me a little nervous. ^^; Asks in the form of questions Noir can answer in-character are preferred.

(You may also ask me generic "What does your OC think/do when...?" style questions, such as those from THIS detailed OC ask meme!)

-You can also send an ask for Noir from your OC, if you'd like to find out how the troubled teenage boy would react to meeting them! (These may or may NOT(!!) come with art, depending on mood, time, and a variety of circumstances. Tourney OCs will generally get preference. If I AM inspired to draw said meeting, I may request additional information/clarification before going through with it.)

Again, I'm pretty autistic, so if you are going to go this route, it'll help if I have something more than "Hiya, Noir!" to work off of - else he'll just react to you the same way he does to Marx.

(Not that you can't go places from there! XD)

-You can also prod Noir about his traumas if you like! XD Note that asking for details about certain things (the "murders" on Shiver Star or his hatred of physical contact) may result in responses with TRIGGER WARNINGS, if I decide to answer them.

-Tournament!Noir is currently in his own similar but separate timeline from Mainline Apologies Noir. However, events during this contest MAY influence his fate and the fates of those he holds dearest!

-Noir's latent cross-dimension sight means that you can ask him about his various other timelines or Kirby games he was not alive for and probably get some pretty unique/funny/strange answers.

-I almost assuredly won't be able to get to every ask/comment. Some I may avoid answering due to complexity, uncomfortableness, them not fitting tournament!Noir's narrative, or me just not having any good ideas. Please don't take this personally.

-Lastly, please leave space between sending multiple asks. ^^

omg I'm so nervous about this. I want to draw lots, for me and for others (!) too if I can but I want to follow the flow of the tournament and not JUST go off on my own crazy thing, except that I'm not even completely familiar with what the rounds will be like?!

[Non-Ask Notes:]

-The flowers in the BG are the forget-me-nots that Adeleine drew for him on his birthday and that he received in this post. That post was also the inspiration for Tournament!Noir. (Although he retains the corruption + the collar here.)

PS: In addition the song that post is, you know, named for, Noir + the forget-me-nots also makes me think of the lyrics: "Since the day I met you, there's never ceased to be music in this hell of mine" from the opening to Sousei no Aquarion.

-This, and the tag name, was inspired by @Graycoin's comment "Noir gets to go on a field trip. I hope he has a good time : D " (then I saw Starflung had the same idea to send her OC off with a backpack! Haha! XD)

-The fish bone is a gift from Gooey. He's doing his best. Adeleine is also doing HER best. ("...A comb? Really?" "It's unbreakable!")

-As to the bento box, I'm not sure if I mentioned this before (?) but the Fontaine children are French-Japanese...on their mother's side.

-Why yes, that IS a cellphone in his backpack! I wonder who might call him...?

[karinta-agogobell-unified]

Preliminary ranking of Kanno Youko anime OSTs (best to “worst”):

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Turn A Gundam

Vision of Escaflowne

Arjuna

Brain Powerd = Macross Frontier

Zankyou no Terror = Sousei no Aquarion

Cowboy Bebop = Macross Plus = Aquarion Evol

OSTs left out:

Escaflowne (movie) — haven’t listened to it in a while

Darker than Black — unable to find OST, haven’t listened yet

Kids on the Slope — only listened to a bit of it yet

Cowboy Bebop movie — ditto (although I adore the song “Elm”!! Pierre Bensusan is amazing.)

Please Save My Earth — ditto; also, only partial participation from Kanno

[koholint]

tumblr still broken for me i think i can still post but i can't see the dashboard? okay. anyway:

Go Go Girls - Cyber Dance

Yu Serizawa - TRIaL HEART 〜Koi no Ihan Ticket〜 (DJ BOSS HEART EUROBEAT Remix)

Nagisa - Sousei no Aquarion

Norma Sheffield - Waiting For You

Leo River - Feel the Power

Kei - Tetegobashi

Rekka Katakiri - Tamayura

3L & maria♂polo - Last Moments

Albatrosicks - miko+Resurrection IV (DJ Command Remix)

D. Essex - Take Me to the Top

Aleky - Do You Remember?

Bamboo Bimbo - Kiss

thanks for listening!

[animemakeblog]

“Sousei no Aquarion: Myth of Emotions” The Theme Songs, First Promo

The primary promotional video and theme music were unveiled on the official website for the television anime series Sousei no Aquarion: Myth of Emotions. On January 10 at 12:30 a.m., Tokyo MX will debut the animation, followed by TV Aichi, tvk, BS Asahi, and AT-X.

[conflagrate]

Winter 2025 Anime Season

Ranking the autumn shows...dang I watched more than usual.

Top Shows 1. Natsume Yujincho S7 2. Dandadan 3. SAO: GGO S2 4. Magilumiere 5. Raise wa Tanin ga Ii Shows completed: 13

OMG IT’S A NEW YEAR😱The new shows start today orz orz orz

Must Watch: Zenshuu, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto S2, YAMI SHIBAI S14 WHYYY (3) Sounds Interesting! Hope It Doesn’t Suck!: Ameku Takao no Suiri Karte, Sorairo Utility, Medalist, Maho Tsukai no Yakusoku, Hana wa Saku Shura no Gotoku, Baban Baban Ban Vampire (6) 3episode Taste Test Needed: Kisaki Kyoiku, Konno Kaisha ni Suki na Hito ga Imasu. Tasokare Hotel, Honney Lemon Soda, Douse Koishite Shimaunda, Nihon e Yokoso Elf-san, Ubel Blatt, Okinawa show Do I Have To…? (No I Don’t): Momentary Lily (bloody GoHands!!!), Kuroiwa Medaka, Farmagia, Sentai Red, Sequel/Spinoff/Remake Hell: Grisaia, Solo Leveling S2, Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon S2, Unnamed Memory S2, Dr Stone, Sousei no Aquarion, Precure. Cardfight Vanguard whatever, UniteUp, Hanako-kun seaeon waterver, Mashin Sozoden Wataru, Kazillion Girlfriends, Kinnikuman S2, Ishura S2, 0saiji Start Dash Light Novel/Isekai/Villainess/Mecha/Sentai/Harem/Magical Girl/Cross Dressing/Video Game/Aidoru Hell: S-Rank Behemoth, Hazure Skill, Izure Saikyo no Renkinjutsushi, Salaryman ga Isekai ni, Class no Daikirai na Joshi to Kekkon suru Koto ni natta, Botsuraku Yotei no Kizoku Dakedo, Magic Maker, Ara-40 Otoko, Fugushoku Kanteishi, Akuyaku Reijo Tensei Oji-san, Guild no Uketsukejo desu ga, Bandori Ave Mujica, A-Rank Party Continuing: Chi Chikyuu no Undo ni Tsuite, Beastars Final (I’m watching this sloooowly)

Expected Load: 8-9

TV & Streaming

I remain irregular & inconsistent with my TV watching....here's what I watched in the last quarter

Disney+/Hulu: Only Murders in the Building S4, The Old Man S2 Netflix: Tokyo Swindlers [JP], The Lincoln Lawyer S3, Heartstopper S3, Black Doves Apple TV: Silo S2*, Pachinko S2, Bad Monkey, Slow Horses S4 HBO: The Penguin CBS/Paramount+/Showtime: Tracker S2*, NCIS: Origins*, Lioness S2, The Agency* ABC: High Potential* NBC/Peacock: The Day of the Jackal Gameshows: Only Connect S20* Others: From S3 (MGM+) JP/KR: Chaser Game W S2 (TV Tokyo), Occhan Kitchen (TVer), Kimi no Tsugu Kaori wa (Tokyo MX), Gezan Meshi* (TV Tokyo), Tendering Resignation (Vigloo app)

Total series completed: 15 Ongoing: 6 Full-length films watched: 19

Coming up in the next 3 months....:

Disney+/Hulu: A Thousand Blows, Gannibal S2 [JP], Paradise(?) Netflix: Ashura no Gotoku [JP], The Night Agent S2, Zero Day(?), When The Stars Gossip? [KR], Cunk on Life. Apple TV: Silo S2*, Severance S2, Prime Target, Dope Thief(?) HBO: The White Lotus S3 Prime: Reacher S3 BBC: SAS: Rogue Heroes ITV: Playing Nice Channel 4: Patience(?) CBS/Paramount+: Tracker S2*, NCIS: Origins* ABC: Will Trent S3, High Potential* NBC/Peacock: The Hunting Party(?) Gameshows: Only Connect S20* JP: Call Me By No Name (MBS/Gagaoolala), Tokyo Salad Bowl (NHK), Kujaku no Dance, Dare ga Mita? (TBS), Futari Solo Camp? (Tokyo MX), Mikami-sensei? (TBS), Alice-san’chi no Iroribata? (BS-TBS), Vanilla na Mainichi? (NHK) Shows I still haven’t had time to start: Bad Sisters S2, Disclaimer, Teacup, Dune: Prophecy, The Devil’s Hour S2

*: ongoing

I feel like I'm already doomed! So many movies & shows on my 'to-watch list' too...as Oscar season is coming....😤