Aria the Animation

I stumbled upon Aria years ago when reading a review about the manga and made a mental note to check it out later. Positively drawn in by Kozue Amano's original work, I soon picked up the anime as well. For a reason I still can't recall I dropped the show nearly three years ago, and it wasn't until just recently that I finished what I started back then. And though not much had changed for either better or worse from what I remembered, I'm glad I did so. Aria the Animation is not for you, who prefers a clear cut and classically constructed storyline that movesfrom point A to point B with some key events in between. Aria the Animation is not for you, who requires relentless action and constant fast-paced happenings from their anime. And most certainly Aria the Animation is not for you, who finds little to no enjoyment in just sitting back and watching as a close-knit group of girls, not in their bra and panties with guns ablaze, but with their gondolas and oars go through ordinary day-to-day activities instead of epic adventures and intense situations. But on the good chance you are the type to approach your anime with an open mind and the patience to watch and see the magic in the moment, you are likely to find the company of Akari, Aika, Alice, and the rest of the undines and undines-in-training much to your liking. Because that's what Aria the Animation is ultimately about: a journey to uncover the joy of the obvious, the excitement behind the mundane, and the possibilities underneath the sorrows. These scenarios are played out to us by a cast of characters who depict a variety of different personalities. Akari is the naive amateur who treats all she experiences with childlike wonder; through her most of the show's message is brought across to the viewer. . Aika is her best friend and almost her exact opposite: no-nonsense and feet firmly on the ground-kind of girl who constantly berates Akari for her dreamy ways. And Alicia is their mentor and the big sister-type of character, who's there to provide insight and help the juniors along the way. They're surrounded by a pack of friends who similarly have their quirks and qualities defining them and making their role contributing to what the creator is trying to tell us. You're right if you argue that the story is boring and seemingly pointless at times. Saying the characters being archetypes of their respective personalities (and almost exclusively female as well!) is cliche and overused is valid. Complaining that having cats as business company presidents is just plain stupid and ridiculous is justified. But as one who no doubt has already seen quite a bit of anime in their life, you have for sure come across these common failings before. And in case you've reached the point of having made peace with them, or feel like challenging yourself to do so, Aria the Animation may prove to be an eye-opening experience for you that anime can be good even if no heavens are pierced.

"May this town's kindness reach the hearts of many people..." From what I saw, I'm sure it will. The first idea I wanted to share in this review is that Aria is a series that speaks for itself. What I'm doing here is merely trying to explain a complex story within a few lines. I would never be able to summarize all the pros/cons of Aria, first because each person will see it in a deferent way, and second because you would need to watch it in order to understand all the comparisons, metaphores and symbolism I would mention. That said, I'm reviewing it with thesole purpose of bringing more viewers for this amazing chronicle and hopefully introduce more and more people to Aqua and its habitants. Aria is an anime that everybody should watch, still, it's not an anime that will work for everybody. Whether or not you will enjoy it, is up to you, your personal interpretation and the mood of the moment. I would say that what matters the most is the timing. If you watch it while in the mood for a thriller, you'll drop it even before understanding the idea of the story. "Now, please take my hand" Is what you would heard from a radiant Undiine while boarding her gondola. With a gentle smile she would gracefully ask you where to and start conducing you trought Neo-Venezia, a city modeled after Venezia in Man-Home (Earth). She would show you turistic spots and you'd start to notice that even being in 2053 the city moves slowly, without traffic jams, rush hour, polution, cellphones, noise pollution... The only evidences that you are really in the XXII century would be the spaceships that are continually transporting passangers from one planet to another. This relaxed athmosphere would start to embrace you while the Undiine continue to show you wonders and misteries from this planet that were once dry and empty and is now filled with water and life. It's impossible to not enjoy such cozy enviroment. Every episode is a kind of fairy tale, filled with cultural values and a sense of friendship, always coming up with a poetic moral in the end. Aria stands out from the average and prove us that the essence of the Slice-Of-Life is not dead. Characters can be lovely and elegant without being "moe". All the great stories in human history never needed movies or TV series to be remembered, they passed from generation to generation depending only in the power of words and its storyteller. Aria didn't have a high budget, neither big sponsors, so the quality of the animation could never be compared to a "top" studio, even though, the artwork values itself from this modest simplicity, that even with a medium quality, brings you gorgeous scenarios and handsome characters. At this point you probably already noticed that Aria raise some questions a regular slice-of-life doesn't. This is only possible because of two main reasons: The already mentioned storyline progression, that works with a character-driven story and a "not-so-linear" time progression, and the well said characters. Usually what you see is a cast made of a group of high schoolers in a school enviroment, 99% of the slice-of-life stories are like this. Not saying they are bad, but it only provides a unilateral point of view from a given subject. Of course each character, if well planned, will have a difference in personality and see things in a different way, otherwise it would get boring to watch. Aria on the other hand change things in a "macro" way, and brings a entire community as characters. Works with different generations and people with the most different styles of life and personality traces, bringing to you a much more rich story that resemble our lifes. It stays apparent whenever or not a studio made an effort to create something special when one of the basic points of a series steals the show. Financial issues or other external factors can put a "barrier" to graphics, effects, art, post-production development, but sound is relatively free from it. Music can be made by anyone, anywhere. Anonymous people can create masterpieces, and some kid can be playing right now a perfect cover of Beethoven. Why am I saying this? Because Aria's music deserve to be praised. Wonderful acoustic pieces by Choro Club and Senoo was the perfect match for the enviroment of the series. The entire OST is performed with string instruments (even a rhodes) without any kind of pop song or eletronic. The songs are slow paced, almost hitting a andante and sometimes a vivace, while the vocal collection are mostly ballads. It's undoubtedly the best choice of OST for a story with the values of Aria. Can you fell the nostalgia already? Aria made something special here. I wish not enter in the merit of originality but it is perceptible that after its publication, lots of other franchises started producing series which bended more to this side of a philosophical slice-of-life with tones of self-discovery on it. One could say the strenght of this series lies into two major standards. The fact that we all wish for hapiness and a calm life, and the philosophic notion that this happiness and this ability to see the wonder in things is already inside of us. You just need to find it. Being honest, I don't really mind that Aria is little of a underrated series. If it's like this, the amount of haters are minimal, there's no controversy around it, neither people arguing to see "which is the best character". The way it is, Aria will continue to be slowly recommended from friends to friends, just like in the pace of the anime itself. As for enjoyment, it sure hits the maximum score. Without any action scene or a suddenly twists in the plot, Aria still managed to amuse me every single episode. There's no way I would watch one episode and don't feel refreshed, all warm and fuzzy inside. Meaning-of-life anime? This is definitely one. I probably went full-philosophic in the last paragraphs, then for a closure to this review, a funny observation: Aria is not perfect. There's something pretty annoying on it, that will chase you from the 1st episode to the last of the 3rd season (...) 99% of the characters' names and/or last names starts with "A". Aqua, Aria, Akari, Alice, Alicia, Aika, Akira, Athena, Ai, Al, Anna, Akatsuki... It's pretty hard to memorize who is who before you get used to them! I hope I was able to introduce at least a little bit of this great story that is Aria. Now, the rest is up to you. "Thank you for choosing Aria Company. Have a safe trip! See you again!"

Slice of life anime are difficult to represent to audiences in an entertaining manner without being a boring spectacle; that's why most of these have dramatic or romantic elements, or a lot of fanservice in them in order to be appealing to the viewer. But then there is Aria: The Animation, a slice of life in its purest form, that proves that such type of anime doesn't need any of the above to be succesful. Having dived in without any expectations whatsoever, I was pleasantly surprised: it was proven how wonderful and relaxing such a simple anime can be. ~Story~ The premise of Aria: The Animation isof simple nature: Akari Mizunashi, a teenager who moved from Manhome to the planet Aqua (formerly known as Mars), joins the Aria Company to become a professional Undine - or a professional tour guide - in Neo Venezia, a flawless presentation of Venezia itself. This may seem as something totally uninteresting, learning how to become a undine, yet while it certainly is an aspect of importance, its main focus lies in the interactions with the people in the city, in addition to world building of the location. Another interesting aspect is the fact that it is a planet covered in water and while it gives the impression at first of being a simplistic and somewhat regressed humanity technologically wise, it is for the matter not: it is mixed with futuristic vehicles and devices such as gigantic airships, or flying machinery, whereas everyday tools are simple, which gives the viewer a feeling of attachment to the setting itself, as this may be something that would happen in the near future. Now it must be said that not much of the world and how it came to be is revealed, which will maybe be done in the sequels. As mentioned earlier, the story focuses on the different interactions with the people of Neo Venezia, and naturally fellow apprentice undines, as well as professional ones. It doesn't stop there: world building is done through the different, but intricate people of the city necessary to maintain a working society. Audiences may think that this anime has the approach of "cute girls doing cute things", yet with Aria it doesn't give this impression at all: they're just humans living their everyday life. These interactions are truly fascinating and heartwarming to watch, as it is in addition very relaxing as it also represents the ups and down life has. ~Characters~ The cast of characters in Aria: The Animation is not big, and is by no means necessary; in fact, it fits well with the story to have a better and more realistic fleshing out of a handful of characters, than to have an excess of those. It must be mentioned that the fleshing out is limited and nothing outstanding, as well as character development itself. The characters are simple and have distinct personalities, that fits well with the setting and different relationships between the characters. What however stands out in Aria are the character interactions: these are very well presented, in a realistic and soothing manner. These are heartwarming and varied, nothing overly dramatic, which relay simple messages as enjoyment of the simple things of life, or realization of your own flaws through your environment and relationships with the characters. Which leads to other great aspect of the anime: the females are in no way sexualized, which is a huge plus to the anime. Other aspect that was really soothing and amusing to watch were said interactions: these were often witty and funny that managed to make me smile, and sometimes even blurt out quite often, which was something unexpected. These can be in addition quite emotional as well, as viewers observe how some of the characters are affected by their environment. What also struck me was the fact that the anime didn't seem to focus on Akari, rather her friends and companions as well. ~Animation and sound~ The animation of Aria: The Animation (ha, animation) was well done, character movements being fluid, at times even being surprisingly well done. The art style itself is average, but fulfills its purpose well, having distinct character design and well drawn backgrounds that represented well the world and atmosphere the anime was trying to convey to the viewer. Another bonus is the smooth transition between the introduction and opening of the show, as well as the ending: it never felt an abrupt change. What however really stands out is the soundtrack used: besides the wonderful opening and ending songs that matched well with the story, were the individual OST's used. These were particularly of high quality to what the show was trying to convey, in addition to not being overused throughout the show. The voice actors performed their role well, matching well with the personalities of the characters and was relaxing to listen at. ~Enjoyment~ What I initially thought to be a boring show about Venezia and how to become a undine, proved to be so much more interesting and relaxing than ever expected. The narrative and interactions with the characters, the humor and wonderful OST did a fantastic job to have a wonderful experience. The fact that it was no "cute girls doing cute things" type of show, in addition to females not being sexualized in any manner, was a huge bonus to the show. It certainly lacked in character development and having any type of story which I usually am no fan of, however the story set out what it meant to do. Some may wonder why I only gave it a score of only 8 despite all the positive things I mentioned in the review: this is mainly because nothing really happens, it is purely oriented on slice of life with no goal apparent. World building was a bit lackluster as well. I could recommend to anyone with an interest in the slice of life genre, just don't expect anything groundbreaking. Thank you for reading.

Aria the Animation is not an anime for everybody. It's perceived as boring to many people, which is understandable. There is little action here and the plot is somewhat slow and aimless. There's also little moe compared to other slice-of-life anime. I should also mention as this IS set in a utopian society, there won’t be nearly as many sad emotions as happy ones, so those looking for a realistic anime should also not expect to find it here; Aria is blissful if nothing else. However, if you are in the mood to watch something relaxing and heartwarming, Aria the Animation would be a perfectchoice. The setting takes place in the Utopian society of Neo Venezia, in the planet of Aqua, a terraformed planet filled with water. Though it does take place in the future and is classified as “sci-fi,” Neo-Venezia often feels like more of a past, halycon world. It centers on Akari and her friends Aika and Alice as they set out on their journey in becoming prima-undines, the greatest undines (or tour guides) in the region. The overall plot is not linear though trio do have a goal in mind (becoming prima-undines), it is not the prime focus of the anime. Rather, each episode is its own adventure, and by this I do not mean the kind of adventure like a hero’s quest to slay the evil dragon. Instead, it is the adventure of Akari discovering the wonders of Neo-Venezia that are yet to be found. She meets new friends and experiences the many joys of friendship and the love of those close to her. Through its loveable characters and serene and idyllic environment, Aria the Animation manages to transform things usually mundane and perfunctory into something heartwarming and beautiful. Each episode leaves behind a warm, fuzzy (and inexplicable) feeling in your heart. Some also leave a hint of sadness as the trio realize that their lives currently filled with euphoria will not last forever. The characters in Aria the Animation are all likeable and fit perfectly in the anime, adding to its lovely atmosphere. All the characters start their name with “A,” though I’m not entirely sure why. Though the characters are likeable, they lack relative depth (and little character development) and stick to their portrayed characters (to some people, to a repetitive extent). However, I feel as if this isn’t too bad of a thing, as Aria the Animation stands out for its simplicity and the characters add to that unique trait. The art in Aria the Animation was captivating, and was a considerable factor in what made Aria the Animation’s atmosphere so magnificent. The portrayals of the city and background were beautiful throughout. The amount of detail was consistently impressive, which is paramount to creating the impression that Neo-Venezia is a real place. In fact, the team in charge of creating Aria and its art traveled to Venice in order to create the most accurate depiction as possible; needless to say, they succeeded. Though there were some chibis here and there, the characters were generally nicely designed. And praise the lord, no moe in sight. A little downside to Aria’s art is that it’s not in high definition (at least not yet, perhaps the Blu-Ray will change that). And while this lack of video quality is limiting, it never prevents Aria from creating the vivid landscapes and magnificent spectacles that Aria is well known for. The soundtrack was amazing as well, and it blends well with the anime. The background music added to certain scenes helped maximize its effect to the fullest extent, and each piece of the OST was aesthetically astounding. The sound is one of the most astounding parts of the anime, and are of utmost importance in creating its atmosphere. The OP and ED were just some of the amazing songs, and after finishing Aria the Animation I would recommend checking out the rest of the album as well. “Rainbow,” in particular, is one of my favorite songs I have ever encountered in any anime. The setting of Neo-Venezia itself plays a fundamental role in Aria. As previously mentioned, the detail of the surrounding environment bring life to the picture, and the decoration of buildings and scenery in the background bring Neo-Venezia a sense of place. One of Akari’s greatest joys is learning more about the wonders of Neo-Venezia. As the audience, we follow her in her quest of knowledge, as we visit new places and meet new people throughout the episodes, we begin putting together the picture of Neo-Venezia. By the end of the trilogy, Neo-Venezia is nothing short of a fully fleshed-out world, leaving behind a certain touch of sadness as we experience the dreamy world one last time. Above all else, it is through its atmosphere that Aria works its magic. The result of a perfect combination of the plot, the setting, and the audiovisuals, the atmosphere of Aria makes it what it is. Aria is almost always cheerful and uplifting, warming the heart to its very core. Yet it is also calm and relaxing, evoking a sense of tranquility. This atmosphere is the inner core of Aria, but it is also what makes it a hit or miss series. You really have to “feel” the atmosphere of Aria to enjoy it, and as this is the case, Aria often comes off as soporific to those who don't feel the same. Aria the Animation was an amazing anime, and I greatly enjoyed it. I recommend it to those who enjoyed Mushishi, Natsume Yuujinchou, Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou or any slice of life fanatic. With its lovely character crew, stunning audiovisuals, and blissful and relaxed atmosphere, Aria the Animation gives you a feeling of contentment and tranquility. As I said before, don't expect to be at the edge of your seat in every episode, because you won't be. Rather, sit back and relax, as you slowly drift into the world of Neo-Venezia... I decided to end this review with a song that, while trite, I felt encapsulated Aria: "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream!"