The show was set in a contemporary world where people went about their business without giant robots, advanced technological schemers trying to rule the populace, or any of the other clichés of anime (at least initially). The show began with a small pop group trying to make it big, following their hearts instead of their minds as young people tend to do. The group is made up of Kyota, Junichi, and Shingo; three best friends that would do anything for each other (although fuss about it endlessly from the initial set up provided). Kyota starts having weird dreams where super powerful gals fight using various elements at their disposal and it is soon discovered that he's actually seeing things on a different, but closely related, plane of existence. This interferes with his plans for a career and all the trappings that come with it but the five factions apparently have been fighting for eons and figure he's one of the chosen needed to further their goals. In various bold orchestrations, the creatures attempt to recruit him by any means necessary, regardless of the cost to those around him, including using his friends and family to fulfill a prophecy of the dawning of the Age of Aquarius where one group can actually win (something previously unheard of) the battle; ending the struggle for good. With stakes as high as this, it's no wonder that all stops are pulled out and the enemies converge on the characters. Here's what the original box covers said about the three episodes:

"Kyota and his pals Shingo and Junichi dream of becoming pop idols. At a New Year's show they get their lucky break when a Cosmopop agent discovers the trio and offers to manage their debut. Then things take a turn for the weird when Kyota begins having visions of magical girls battling one another in the air - only he's not dreaming! For centuries, five supernatural factions have waged war for supremacy over mankind with legend prophesizing that one day the Aquarian Age will begin and one group will reign supreme. Now Kyota's dreams must take a backseat to his destiny as he may hold the power to turn the tides of war in favor of whichever faction can control him.

Kyota should be having the time of his life: The debut of his band has been set and beautiful girls are throwing themselves at him! Instead, he's singing the blues as the mystical war that surrounds him begins to heat up. Added to his misfortunes is his long time friend, Yoriko, who has been giving him the cold shoulder as her career as a movie star begins to take off. Why do people suddenly want to kill him and what's behind the sudden coldness in Yoriko's heart? Can he save her from the darkness sucking at her soul while keeping his own intact as well?

Success never comes easy, but for Kyouta, it may not be worth the price! Shingo and Junichi have morphed into the harshest of music critics, pop idol Ryuusei finds fault with everything Kyouta does and girlfriend Yoriko thinks his songs are boring! Of course, Yoriko is not quite herself anymore either. Reveling in her newfound powers, she rather enjoys wreaking havoc on others. And no one seems capable of stopping her madness! Let's not forget Abuto, either: He just decided it's time for Kanae to slice open Kyouta and his friends. Ack! If Kyouta survives this obstacle course, he may get a chance to save the woman he loves, but he'll have to drop everything and take the risk of missing his own debut concert! What's a boy to do?"

So, what about the show did I like? Well, it almost seemed as though each volume in the series had something different in terms of focal points and themes. The final volume was most interesting for me as the inner battles we all face came into play with the characters. Reveling in such great power probably feels pretty good to a young person started out on their own and it might be easy to lose yourself in the raw energy surrounding yourself if given the chance which was why Kyouta was probably best attacked from the side. I admit that my initial thoughts of the show weren't all that favorable since the limitations of coming from a card game were all over the place, at least initially. Had more been done with the characters and the setting up of the powerful foes they encountered, I think the story would've been more of a success instead of just eye candy but I did think about half the episodes were pretty well handled on one level or another. I'm going to rate this one as a Rent It since much of what took place will probably look a lot like a card game elevated to an anime series but some of you will likely find it appealing if you don't think too much about it.

1) Deep Blue Overture
2) Fire Green Premonition
3) Cloudy Red Melancholy
4) Concealment Black Offering
5) Sparkling White Inevitability
6) Illusion Green Salvation
7) Deep Red Offshoot
8) Light Purple Awakening
9) Procession Silver Remnants
10) Yellow Green Suffering World
11) Indigo Red Conflict
12) Faded Red Consent
13) Purity White Embrace

Picture: Aquarian Age: Sign For Evolution Collection was presented in the same 1.85:1 ratio non-anamorphic widescreen color it was shot in by director Yoshimitsu Ohashi for release in Japan back in 2002. The animation style looked low budget at times, maybe due to the way the show was derived from a card game and/or needed to come out quickly to cash in on it. Otherwise, the colors looked accurate, the design of the various fantastical elements was handled competently by Hisashi Abe, the designer for the excellent Gunslinger Girl, and there wasn't a lot to complain about for the most part. The mundane aspects of life in the big city were handled lie most such shows and the battles were relatively tame by comparison too but I saw no compression artifacts or other major visual flaws.

Sound: The audio was presented with the usual choices of the original Japanese vocal track offered up in 2.0 Dolby Digital stereo or the English language dub in a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround track. This was a case where the vocals from Japan fit the mood better although I think both voice acting casts did a solid job. The special effects and music (by Yuki Kajiura from Noir fame) sounded better on the English dub, likely due to the way that ADV reengineers them for a more expansive sound. Neither track lived up to the potential of the material but I'm willing to bet that'd cost a whole lot of money for only a slightly marginal benefit.

Extras: Once again, the extras were striped away to provide the best possible picture and audio quality so only some trailers were included.

Final Thoughts: Aquarian Age: Sign For Evolution Collection had some lofty concepts backing up the story but when push came to shove, the slower initial pacing and story fraught with limitations due to the source material (staying true to the card game seemed more important than an interesting and unique story from the looks of it) prevented me from liking it as much as a slavering fanboy to the kind of card game it came from. I applaud ADV Films for their current kick of releasing series in value packed sets but the lack of the initial extras (in this case, there had been some decent ones according to the company's website and Amazon.com) made me wonder why; you can easily fit the material onto the same three discs the show was handled in last year, yes? Otherwise, check it out if you get a chance since there did seem to be some worthy material at times.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVDTalk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003 and Best Of Anime 2004 article or regular column Anime Talk