Aquarian Age: Sign for Evolution: Awakening

Reviewed By: Carla Land

ADV Films DVD

Review based on volume 1 (episodes 1-5)

Rating 15+

What it’s (basically) all about: Kyota is a high school student on the verge of becoming the next big thing- only that doesn’t mean what he thinks it does. While he and his band mates Shingo and Jun are working hard to take the music world by storm, his kinda-sorta girlfriend Yoriko is fighting her destiny and there are flying women in strange costumes fighting over him in the windows. The deeper Kyota goes into the music industry, the more he learns about what’s going on outside of his own reality. The Aquarian Age is coming, rival factions are fighting over control of mankind, and he’s at the center of it.

Nitty Gritty: The language on this show isn’t too bad. There’re a few damns and a bitch or two here and there (in both subbed and dubbed versions) but other than that the language is almost G rated.

The fighting is surreal, and isn’t just girls in Tron outfits, but also humanoid lizard beings. While the fighting happens in another dimension, and only Kyota can see it reflected in windows, damage done to the real world is real and there are quakes and shattering lights and broken down trains left in the wake of the battles. There is no gore or hard core violence.

There is no sex or nudity in the show, though there is one character (Kanae) who is a model and is a little looser about making passes at Kyota than Yoriko would like.

Special features include a “Behind the Anime: Aquarian Age” featurette that is mostly clips of some of the voice actors during the audition process, a Japanese promotional trailer, clean opening/ closing animation, and a production artwork slideshow. ADV previews included are for Get Backers, Gamera (a live action Godzilla type movie), Saint Seiya, Nurse Witch Komugi (with brief stylized nudity), Farscape (season 4 of the Sci-Fi TV show), and Sonic Soldier Borgman, all of which are okay for all audiences.

Survey says: I’m not sure why this has a 15+ rating, since what I saw was PG at worst. This is appropriate for teen collections unless volume two erupts into a different show.

Personal Ad: Meh. It isn’t until episode five that things start to get interesting. The first four episodes basically introduce the 13+ main characters and follow the band’s slow introduction to the music industry. Since literally everyone Kyota meets is involved in the coming of the Aquarian Age it can get confusing trying to figure out who is who. Even the seemingly mild school librarian with the 1990’s bow in her hair is actually involved. I’ve had teens request it, but I’m personally having a hard time seeing why.