Aria the Origination

All good things must end, as the saying goes. All good things must end. Man, I hate that saying. I hate it for how true it is. Kozue Amano, why couldn't you keep it going? Did you run out of ideas? Was five and a half years enough? Did you already plan this out? Wait, what am I saying? Of course you planned it out. Month after month, you crafted chapter after chapter of this masterpiece. Jyunichi Sato, thank you for taking this work and running with it. For three separate seasons, each one improving on the last, you dealt the manga justice. You even added a newcharacter that Kozue retconned into the story. And she was fabulous. I should probably stop the ranting and the gratitude-giving and get to the review. Although this is under Aria the Origination, this will be a review of all three seasons plus the OAV. Aria is a bloody masterpiece. Yes, you heard me right. "All 10's will make you untrustworthy and prejudiced, and people won't pay attention to your reviews anymore!" Blah blah blah, whatever. I don't care if no one ever reads my reviews again. ARIA is that good. I savored each and every episode of the anime, along with each and every chapter of the manga. Whenever I watch ARIA, I have this stupid grin on my face. I can't help it. So why is Aria that good? One, the magic of the characters. You start off with Akari, the cheery protagonist, arriving on Aqua (used to be Mars) to fulfill her dream of becoming a master gondolier, an Undine. There, she meets her mentor, the perfect Alicia, who teachs Akari the ins and outs of the trade. Along the way, Akari befriends Aika, the heir to one of the biggest gondolier companies on the planet, Himeya. She also befriends Alice, the genius gondolier from Orange Planet. Aika also has a mentor, the ever-so-awesome Akira. Alice's mentor is the ever-so-clumsy Athena. Akari also meets Akatsuki, the apprentice Salamander who controls Aqua's climate, Albert, the Gnome who controls Aqua's gravity, and Woody, the Sylph who makes deliveries by aircraft. Akari also meets Akino, the mentor of Alicia, and Ai, a girl from Manhome (Earth). Yes, all of the characters have names that start with A with the exception of Woody, but there is never a time when you are confused between who's who. Character introductions and development are handled impeccably well. Two, the complete lack of an overarching plot. Yep. Every episode is basically a one-shot, providing a glimpse at the utopian society of Neo-Venezia. Some episodes are character driven, while others are setting-driven. There are no antagonists, no final boss fight, and no conflicts. Therein lies the terms "healing anime" and "slice-of-life," which both describe this show perfectly. Now, that does not mean that ARIA fails to invoke emotion. Some episodes will make you cry manly tears. Some episodes will make you laugh out loud. ARIA is a show that you can sit back and watch every night before you go to bed. It improves the quality of your sleep. I guarantee it. Three, the progression of the animation throughout seasons improves leaps and bounds. I'll admit that some scenes were full of QUALITY, but by Origination, there is none of that. Origination is even in widescreen, giving everything a more epic sense. I loved the water animation, the chibi faces, the epic gondolier rowing, everything. ARIA has something for everyone. Lesbian tendencies? Oh yes. Epic boat rowing? Even more yes. Heartwarming just to the point of sappiness? Triple yes. And there are much, much more: a soothing soundtrack, amazing vocal insert songs, fabulous opening and endings. The sound production is just perfect. The openings are different for each episode too, allowing you to immerse yourself into each episode seamlessly. I cannot pinpoint a favorite episode, but I loved the 11th episode of the first season, when Akari waves to Aika and Alice from the bridge. I also loved the snowball episode, the four-leaf clover episode, and the well episode. My favorite character is Akira, by far. Her spunkiness and her awesome chibi-face won me over. But alas, all good things do come to an end. As I sit and watch the final episode of Origination again, I cannot help but close my eyes and feel them tearing up. I'll miss each and every character immensely. Good work, Kozue Amano. Good job, Jyunichi Sato. I salute you for making me sleep better at night these last five and a half years. Sit back and enjoy. A.D. 2301 - The Voyage from Neo-Venezia.

This is my first review; and what better series to review than the glorious Aria the Origination. This is what I've been looking for all along. This is the reason why I have been spending countless hours experiencing many different stories, encompassing so many different themes while simultaneously being sucked into an abundance of worlds. There is a saying that goes as such: "A good life is a collection of happy moments". This is exactly what this anime was to me. It taught me, along with many others, to appreciate life, and how incredible it truly is. The third and final season of Aria didn't tryto impress its audience from the start. Instead it allowed the viewers to try and envision what the outcome might be, however obvious it was from early on. I even found myself in the first couple of episodes of this season scratching my head, wondering why people were giving the show as much praise as it frequently gets; as the opening episodes were not as potent as I expected them to be. I almost got the impression that I was re-watching the first season: Aria the Animation. I felt as if this season was a bit of a back-step; lowering itself in terms of storytelling from the brilliant Aria the Natural. Don't be afraid, however, if you find yourself feeling the same way after watching the first couple episodes. It is certainly not like that the whole through. I can assure you. Don't get me wrong, the first two or three episodes were of high quality, just not as 'special' as I thought they would be. Origination focuses much more purely in being a undine in Aqua. Unlike Natural, which focuses more in the city of Neo Venezia, and all the supernatural beings which inhabit it, the final season shines its spotlight on the act of being a gondolier. We see more prospect in how our three young undines go by their day-to-day life, rowing their gondola, and their struggles and efforts to finally becoming a prima. Earlier on I mentioned that it is quite evident what will happen by the end of the series, and by that I meant that it will end with Akari, Alice, and Aika being prima undines. If this was to end otherwise, it would be unsatisfactory, and almost a dreadful 'read the manga' ending, that would ultimately be a grave disappointment for the viewer. To add to this, there are even pictures of the show, which illustrate our three undines, without their signature gloves meaning that they have become primas. Regardless, I assure you that the show ends almost perfectly, as it left a permanent smile across my face, for the entirety of the final several episodes. Aria the origination was brilliantly directed, as we dive into the fantastical world that is Aqua, in all its glory. The pacing of the show is as well truly extraordinary. There is a very correct balance between comical moments, and more heart-tugging moments, with each individual episode ending with Ai-chan's unbearably cute voice. Of course the setting is still on-point, as Neo Venezia is almost as if its an exact replica of Venice. Each building feels real, the sea and the chilling breeze when a character stares into the ocean, reaches the viewer, as I often felt chills down my spine. Thus the city is given life, just like how Akari explains almost every episode. I have not once been left disappointed by the fluidity, background depth and detail, character designs and color palette, but instead I am left in awe by how brilliantly done they all are. The final season of Aria, as expected, does not disappoint. In matter of fact, it is even more spectacular. There were times that I felt as if I as watching a movie by the sheer magnificence of the show visually. One aspect of the art that really surprised my how by the use of 3D in this season. You can tell just how much effort was put into this anime! Another example of how much the animation/art quality improved in this season, was the detail of each character's faces, or more specifically their eyes. Any scene which took place on the Hope Hill (the green hill with all the wind turbines), looked almost godly. The only minor irritation I had with this aspect was that there were a few too many (albeit hilarious) chibi scenes. Although these helped tone down the show, I feel as if it would have been better without as many as there were. The reason why I included that comment in this section, is since such scenes tended to be more lackluster in animation (as one would expect). Overall, however, I am utterly pleased with this aspect of the show. If you go ask anyone who has watched the entirety of Aria, what their favorite aspect of the show was, 9/10 times it would be the soundtrack.Why, do you ask? Well it was through this show that I found out that one could orgasm through longitudinal waves! (nerdy joke) But on a more serious note; the mixture between orchestra, piano, and violin was masterful, and each track was played at the perfect moment! If this aspect was not how it was, the ending result would be no where near as impactful as it is. This might be an obvious statement, but Aria the Origination heavily relied on its soundtrack to guide the tone of the show. And without guidance, you have a badly paced series. Something I should truly praise the show for is its seiyuu performances. Each and every seiyuu was perfect: especially Akari's voice actress: she reflected Akari's character flawlessly, as being a constantly happy and optimistic girl; a role which I believe to be exceedingly difficult to master. The ending song was one of the greatest things I have ever experienced: both visually, and sound-wise. It fat the tone of the show quintessentially! The opening was as well great, although not as memorable.There's not much I can say to bash this section, as the show did almost everything right, in my opinion. A problem that I tend to have with shows that have a very limited cast, is that there is not enough variety through their emotions, in order to truly satisfy my needs as a viewer. However, Aria is a show that turns this speculation upside down. Each and every character is fully developed, three-dimensional, and human. They are realistic, and although they are happy most of the times, there is more behind that smile than one would think. Akari Mizunashi is a great example of this. She is described as a quote on quote "Eternal optimist" or "Miss expect of happiness" and there is a valid reason for this. It is rare to see this character feeling down or depressed. At first I found this trope pretty unrealistic, but especially with Origination I was proven very wrong. She expresses so much emotion just by her intelligent analogies and 'speeches' about how important life is to those who respect their lives. She is very important to the story, as her character makes the entire city feel happy and content. She helps her friends when they feel down, and she even tries her utmost when she herself feels as if she cannot mirror her title. Alicia Florence is another fantastic character: she does not go about explaining her reasoning like any other human. Instead, she will go about her explanation in a very peculiar way. She might start rolling a snowball out of nowhere just to prove a point! I realise that this sounds silly, but I was utterly amused by how accurate those actions were to help explain her points. She, like Akari, is more often than not, always wearing a smile. This helps Akari keep her own smile, so that she could be able to illustrate her talent as an undine. Alice Carroll is my personal favorite character ( plus my new waifu but that's besides the point). The reason why this is so, is since she is probably the most logical, intelligent, and talented undine out of all the cast, at such a young age. She is almost inspiring as a character: not only to those in the anime, but to the viewer him/herself. I particularly love how she has an O.C.D, as she has to, for example, kick a stone all the way home one day, or another she will have to walk backwards, or walk only in shadows. This makes her character more realistic, as it demonstrates her more childish side, since shes only 14. *Small Spoiler* She also has an impeccable singing voice which came to my surprise. The rest if the cast, which I could talk about for eternities, is all fully fledged out, and as i mentioned before, realistic. The only issue I had is that I wanted a bit more backstory for other characters, but that's only a small problem, which wouldn't really affect the show too much. An honorable mention is Grandma, who had a brilliant backstory, and was a fantastic addition to the cast, even though it was seldom that she appeared in the show. But I digress, since the characters were all pretty much perfect; even the secondary characters such as the Patissiere and Akatsuki. I don't think there is any other slice of life series that could provide as much enjoyment as this one did. Almost every single episode left me teary-eyed. Episode 9 was one of the greatest episodes I have seen in a LONG time. It was surprising, beautiful and incredibly well animated. That is not to say that it was miles ahead of any other episode, as they were all important to the story, which ultimately lead to the magnificent and conclusive ending, which could not have satisfied me more than it did. All I can say is Bravo! What an accomplishment this show truly was. If only this series gained more mainstream recognition. It truly, truly deserves a wider audience, even though it is not, of course, perfect. But then again, no show ever is. Sayonara Akari, Alice, Alicia, Aika, Athena, Akira, and Aria. It was a fantastic run. Cheers! Story - [Score: 9] Characters - [Score: 9] Art/Animation - [Score: 9] Sound - [Score: 10] Enjoyment - [Score: 9] [Final Score: 9.4/10] Final Comment: A legendary slice of life series, that should be enjoyed by many, if not all anime fans.

Before watching Aria the Origination, you have to have watched the prequels - The Animation, The Natural and The OVA: Arietta - otherwise you will be doing yourself - but more importantly this series - a great disservice. Because Origination, being the grand finale of the franchise, demands that you as a viewer has formed bonds to the setting and characters of the Aria universe; if you haven't, you will automatically disarm the bomb of emotion that is this third and last season of Aria. And that would be so incredibly sad. Once again we return to Aqua, the planet which prior to human terraforming went bythe name of Mars. Upon the surface of this ocean-clad planet, we find the city of Neo-Venezia, an almost perfect replica of the presently (Aria takes place in the 24th century) submerged Venice on Earth. In this old, yet new, city, the gondoliers are without exeptions female, are called Undines and work for one out of three companies: Aria, Himeya or Orange Planet. The Aria series revolve around the daily lives of the Undines Akari, Aika and Alice -- them practicing rowing the gondola, the people they meet, the places they visit, but most importanly their hopes and dreams, of which the wish to become a Prima Undine, the very elite amongst the Undine, is the ultimate goal. The main plot moved along at a leisurely pace during the first two seasons. They were more or less episodic series, and while the seasons changed from spring to winter and from winter to spring, the characters didn't develop that much and you couldn't really feel that the main story was actually moving forward. Don't get me wrong now -- I really liked both the Animation and the Natural -- but when juxtapositioned with the Origination, the lack of character development becomes quite evident. Luckily enough, the things the previous seasons lacked are abundant and overflowing in the Origination. The absolutely most impressive thing story-wise is that nothing unpredictable happens. Despite this - or maybe thanks to this - the directors have polished the unfolding events to perfection. While the first few episodes aren't that exceptional (hence the 9 to the story), what comes afterwards makes up for that thousandfold. From episode 5 onwards, this is the single most emotional anime - or any production, for that matter - I've ever watched. I was almost constantly crying until I found it astounding that my tear glands could even produce any more liquid. Yes, for almost three hours. Apart from seeing the three main characters finally making their dreams come true, we also get to witness the birth of Aria company, a beautiful story in its own right. As if that wasn't enough, we are also provided with tear-jerking flashbacks to the times when the Undine trio first met their senpais/seniors. The "Origination" in the title is not there just for show. HAL Film Maker - and of course the manga's original creator - deserve enormous amounts of credit for making the setting trustworthy. I have yet to visit Venice myself (will change this fact next year), but judging from the footage I've seen, they've really paid attention to detail when creating Neo-Venezia -- buildings, islands, shops and traditions from Earth's Venice are all present, something that gives Aria its own, unique atmosphere. The use of colours is also skillfully handled, making the city and it's inhabitants - and of course the water - feel full of life. I was particularily impressed by how the animators made all the strong emotions show on the characters' faces so realistically... with such purity. Aria the Origination might not be an example of cutting-edge animation technology, but on the other hand -- it proves that an anime doesn't have to boast with tons of flashy effects to excel in this department. And it does look considerably better than it's predecessors. Musically, we have the mandatory slow, comforting opening song that may not be as great as the previous ones, but it's definitely anything but bad. The ending theme, Kin no Nami Sen no Nami, is a much more powerful ballad that fits perfectly with the ebullient emotions the characters - and most likely the viewer - go through during the episodes. Background music was not memorable for me (it almost never is), but I have a hard time imagining that it was anything but stellar during the crucial scenes, considering the impact they left on me. Sound effects were also deftly handled -- the gentle splash of an oar cutting through the water, the cries of the seagulls, the bustling sounds of a crowded marketplace. It was all great. Voice acting? Phenomenal. You can really feel that the voice actresses have captured the essence of their characters perfectly after sticking with them for 50+ episodes. That aside, Aria's greatest strength has always been it's wonderful cast of characters and the interactions between them. We have the happy-go-lucky Akari, around whom miracles always seem to occur. She loves Aqua more than anyone else and always describes the beauty of nature and life with exquisite words. Words which are more often than not interrupted with the more down-to-earth Aika's trademark line, "Embarrassing remarks are NOT allowed!", which in turn is countered by a "You're very nosy." from the youngest of the three, Alice. While the comedy moments admittedly are highly repetitive, I actually enjoyed them as well, knowing that I would miss them after finishing the series. Other than that, character interactions are simply beautiful. Over the course of the Aria series, the girls' friendship deepens considerably with all the happy and sad moments they go through together. They gradually realize that becoming a Prima Undine also means that their next to worryless days spent practicing together will come to and end -- that a full schedule means little time to spend with each other. Akari also has to come to terms with the fact that she alone will be shouldering the fate of the two-man Aria company, together with her future apprentice, and thereby say goodbye to the happy years spent with her beloved senior Alicia. But life goes on and having less time to spend with the people you hold dear only makes you treasure and enjoy these precious moments even more. I could go on writing forever, but I have to stop sometime, right? Aria the Origination is undoubtedly the single most important anime I've ever watched. It made me cry rivers while smiling and actually provided me with a new outlook on life, neither of which any other man-made production ever has succeeded in doing. I tried my best, but it was fruitless; words aren't enough for me to describe how much I love this incredible series. You just have to watch it yourself (unless you're a heartless bastard, of course). My only 10 I've ever given without hesitating will be awarded Aria the Origination.

All things eventually have to end, especially with series that have left a mark on many people. One series that has cemented itself as the king of accomplishing this for many is the Aria series. What many consider the series’s magnum opus, Aria the Origination is the last chapter in the anime adaptation of the beloved manga. As you might figure out, it is just about as glamoured with gorgeous music, cheerful characters, and dramatic optimism as one can handle. Despite all of the beautiful aspects of the series, there’s still that one question that has bugged me each season: Why am I not smiling? BeforeI start voicing my criticism on these issues, I’d like to explain the positive aspects of Origination that leave it off from being just a "decent" show and try to describe it without comparing it to previous seasons. Origination is supposed to be the accumulation of everything the series was building up to. As we see the characters grow from their past experiences, they inevitably want to make it into a big emotional climax to end it all. I can concur that it is a satisfying conclusion to the series. Since Origination is focused on character development, this is where Origination truly shines. It tries to develop the characters little by little. Because we have followed three of these girls and their elder undines for so long, their complex relationships have been built up for the inevitable climax that shows them growing into leaving their profession as full-time undines. Its slow pacing is why it works as lovely character development because there are no awkward transitions between episodes that feel problematic to the characters' growth. Of course, you can’t talk about a season of Aria without ever mentioning its musical composition. It is no secret that the series is known for its beautiful and memorable scores, and Origination does not fail in this aspect. Although I would consider this to be the weakest of the series, there is no reason to suggest that the instrumentation of the songs in Origination still keeps the spirit of the series going. The music involves a lot of Celtic guitar instrumentation that feels fitting with the setting and atmosphere. Vocals are exceptionally graceful and give an excellent introduction to the show as the opening guides us into a new kind of adventure with each episode. As the series progressed, the animation and art got better and better as their budget had increased by the time they started with Animation. Origination’s celebrated blend of colors and misty backdrops gives the show a dreamy atmosphere with transparent white overtones of the environments and characters. Character designs are neatly colored with nice clean looks to their facial features and expressions, especially when they are in chibi form whenever a comedic moment happens. It creates a decent flow of showing a new dimension to the show by not just being a melancholy slice of life but also a comedy with zany edges to it. They are not what you would call hilarious or hysterical, but they are funny tidbits that have a nice spark of humor to Origination. Now, what many might conceive as one of the best facets of Aria is the atmosphere. It is often praised for being very relaxing and bringing happy emotions to the audience, from the artistic aspects to the character interactions. Nobody can deny that the features that inhabit it do not exist in some form, but that sort of ethereal atmosphere only does very little to impact the series. To put my criticisms into perspective, an atmosphere that wants to make the audience feel any emotion needs to have some semblance of a structure that makes it feel natural and effective. In the case of Aria, it feels as though it just wants to be a relaxing atmospheric show just for being one and nothing else. Another troubling aspect of the atmosphere that doesn’t make for a worthwhile experience is that it is always the same impending tone. There are some moments when we are given a slightly different shift to a more somber, depressing one, but those are very few and far between. Because of this, the whole atmosphere feels incredibly fake and alienating for someone like me who does not feel the need to take the atmosphere for granted. The atmosphere is entirely stagnant and makes Origination a relatively dense slice of life show that seems to think life is always this happy-go-lucky experience with halfhearted expectations of things getting better. In conjunction with the atmosphere, the characters that inhabit Aria are not necessarily the most magnificent cast of characters that you might’ve been told so. As I’ve said before, all of their developments are great and make them stand out. You can’t make bland characters any better by just developing them to excuse all the yawning. Besides that, what other characteristics do they have that make them any more significant? Is it the fact that they continuously throw in monotonous catchphrases to try to make them not dull? The fact that they all have similar optimistic outlooks that hardly make them any more distinct from any other character? Or that they constantly throw in pointless poetic dialogue to somehow make them seem more insightful than they are? I can appreciate some of the quirkiness thrown out here and there from the characters, but that is not enough to think of any of them as inspired characters. Once in a while, I can chuckle at the catchphrases, but it is quickly forgotten due to the uninspired way they implement them into the show. Some character side stories don’t go anywhere that can be construed as the show cutting some things off of the manga, like the awkwardly written romance between Aika and Albert. It all comes down to the fact that no characters have anything to offer in terms of creativity or intrigue other than their development, which is two completely different things in character writing. Despite all of the negatives, Origination is not something that I would consider terrible, for that matter. It is decent for what it is, which is a positive overall evaluation for the series as a whole. Origination is not the remarkable life-changing show that many like to make it up to be, in my opinion, but it is not the polar opposite to that effect. There are plenty of qualities that anyone can look upon with fresh eyes. All that is left to do is pinpoint what stands out for them as an experience worth going through. Grade: B-