Aquarion Evol

Gr 10 Up—In this manga companion to the anime Aquarion, readers learn that it's been 12,000 years since the events of the film. A boy named Amata Sora lives and works in a movie theater where he meets a beautiful girl named Mikono. While on a date, they are attacked by invaders from another dimension called Abductors. Suddenly, giant machines called Aquaria appear in order to retaliate against the Abductors. After an intense battle, Amata wakes up at the Neo-DEAVA Holy Academy, where he learns that he will train to become an Aquaria pilot. Boys and girls are separated at Neo-DEAVA, as socializing with the opposite sex is forbidden. However, Amata and Mikono accidentally formed a union during the battle with the Abductors and in doing so created a legendary machine called Aquarion. A variety of characters are introduced from the get-go, and while their design is gorgeous and distinct, some readers may have some trouble keeping track of them all. Unfortunately, the battle scenes and mecha designs are lacking, and it's difficult to distinguish between the protagonists and the antagonists at times. The story also suffers from a heavy-handed metaphor for teen sexuality: boys and girls form "unions" to create taboo machines. While body parts aren't drawn in detail, the suggestion of nudity makes this manga more appropriate for older teens. Overall, readers may need subsequent volumes to really grasp the plot.