Cinnamon Ass - Reborn Like a Zombie

Sousei no Aquarion Episode 13 - A Twelve Thousand Year Old Love Letter

Wow, yet another great Aquarion episode! Watching out for spoilers once more, so we're off to the extended entry again. The show really seems to be hitting its stride here - however, I'm not sure whether I've got all the details of this episode right, so please correct me if that's the case. I was utterly gripped the whole way through, to be honest - thumbs up all round!

PS - someone out there must want to buy me this, right? I can cope without mecha models and I can afford the manga when it comes out, and a DVD release is so inevitable that I can pass on the amazing looking R2s, but I'm desperate to pick up the game despite the fact that it is no doubt absolutely rubbish.

We pick up where we left off last time, with Toma trying to seduce Apollo back to the Shadow Angels by reminding him of the wonderful things they did when he was Apollonius - flying across the Sun, listening to whale song in the ocean, all other sorts of romantic things. All Apollo wants, however, is Baron back - so Toma tells him he's ugly and toddles along back into the Cherubim with Otoha, before telekinetically throwing the Aquarion into the shield protecting the base. Reika allows it through to stop it being electrocuted, but Toma reveals his trump card - Baron, in an explosive prison. Apollo throws all sense out the window to try and rescue Baron and, with Pierre's angsty encouragement despite Silvia's protestations, breaks through the shield and rescues him. However, in freeing Baron, Apollo drops the bombed prison - the explosion not only takes out the shield but vaporises Baron before Apollo can protect him.

Incapacitated by grief, Apollo is pinned to a wall in an echo of 12,000 years ago by Toma. After Pierre beseeches him to act on behalf of his friends, Apollo goes berserk, ripping the Aquarion free from its arms and creating new ones from the Lunar Aquarion. As Apollo attempts to kill Toma, he escapes the Cherubim and heads for the research facility where the feather is being kept - Apollo and Silvia head off in hot pursuit, and Tsugumi and Reika transfer in to take their places.

Apollo's attacks are almost totally useless against Toma, and even Sirius (who snaps out of his torpor to help out) is ensnared in vines, along with Silvia. Toma tries once more to convince Apollo to return to him, revealing that the gauntlets Silvia and Sirius wear contain the essence of Apollonius' ruined wings and enticing him to return to his one true family, but Apollo refuses once more. Toma starts to choke him to death, but when Tsugumi blows up the Cherubim (after Otoha escapes) the blast also vapourises the feather - Toma leaves and returns to Atlantis, transferring his affections to Otoha at last. While Silvia is concerned with Apollo's wellbeing, Sirius immediately goes on the offensive, blaming Apollo for being "polluted" with Apollonius' wings (obviously Sirius is a racist as well as a snob!).

Later that evening, at DEAVA headquarters, Apollo gives Silvia the fertility goddess figurine she picked up before as thanks, and they seem to be reaching a pivotal moment - however, the full reality of Baron's death hits Apollo, and he runs away into the mountains screaming in sorrow.

Come ON, Sirius MUST have something to with Toma - note how Toma kissed his finger to ward him off, just like Sirius himself does! And another random note - I'm really glad Otoha survived, for some reason, despite her playing a very, very small role in everything thus far. And, as Fudou himself says, don't believe the preview...

What an awesome episode - aside from the generally kickass action and plot, I'm particularly glad Baron's dead just so that we can move on a little from Apollo's Baron-rescuing obsession (although if it's Baron-grief from here in on there may be screaming!), and I think Toma's an awesome villain so lots of him was very much appreciated. Animation was great, we got some new pieces of bombastic choral and orchestral music (I liked the piano intro to the OP theme's use in the Aquarion battle in particular) and basically I need to stop gushing. True, it's Aquarion, I don't think anyone's likely to really think it was as great as I did, but hey, I liked it, and that's what counts!

Posted by BluWacky at June 27, 2005 11:40 PM | TrackBack