Alternative TitlesJapanese: アリア The Animation
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 13
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 6, 2005 to Dec 29, 2005
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
G - All Ages
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.931 (scored by 14793 users)
Ranked: #5472
Popularity: #480
Members: 36,148
Favorites: 714 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
comedy sci-fi slice of life |
SynopsisDrift peacefully into Neo Venezia, a city on the planet Aqua (formerly known as Mars). By the 24th century, humans have found a way to colonize the previously uninhabitable planet. As futuristic as that sounds, Neo Venezia is still teeming with rustic beauty; gondolas on wide canals and waterways are the main mode of transportation. The city itself is a faithful replication of Manhome’s (the planet formerly known as Earth) Venice.
To make sure that residents and tourists alike get the most from Neo Venezia’s many wonders, companies offering guided tours via gondola were formed, one of which is named Aria Company.
This is the workplace of Akari Mizunashi, a free spirited teenager from Manhome who is now a novice Undine (the title given to tour guides). Join Akari as she becomes intimately acquainted with other Undine, tourists, Neo Venezia’s residents, and even the city itself, learning many valuable life lessons along the way, such as the wonderful truth that there are such things as manmade miracles.
[Written by MAL Rewrite] |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Aria, Aqua
Sequel: Aria the Natural
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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harmony73
16 of 20 people found this review helpful
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13 of 13 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
"Nothing really happens, but in a really good way." - Sayaka Ohara, VA of Alicia.
It's not a surprise that a considerate amount of people come to dislike the slice of life genre, but it's a little unfortunate that some automatically avoid any show that's listed in the same category. Anime is a storytelling medium, and what the majority of viewers are looking for is some sort of story that they'd like. Some people would therefore hate a genre which doesn't focus on the story section, leading it to be boredom food for them. However, there is a few anime that, whilst being dedicated to being purely a slice of life, actually takes advantage for what it is and makes it a lot less boring in a rather graceful manner.
Of course, I'm talking about the Aria series.
There's no complex writing involved; finding an exciting storyline, unpredictable plot twists and suspenseful cliff-hangers in Aria would be a rather wearisome journey without any end at all. However, is it so much of a tedious journey to go through? It's a given that all the ingredients listed above are not involved, but it hardly makes Aria badly-written. You'd find that, with a broad preference and the right mindset, the series isn't so much of a wearisome anime compared to other series with the same missing ingredients. It's perhaps the complete opposite.
For those who are unaware, the story centers around a girl called Akari Mizunashi and the world of Aqua; Mars in the 24th century colonized into a fully-fledged water planet, now habitable for humans to live on. Despite being 300 years in the future, advanced technology is hardly evidential in Aqua, as it sets the tradition of presenting beauty in its nature of water. The anime is set in Neo-Venezia, a famous tourist destination, and with cars and bikes prohibited in the area, the main transportation is gondolas ridden by Primas and Undines. Akari aims to be a professional Prima; people guiding tourists on their boats and showing them around the city, teaching them about the world, town and just generally talk, whilst they relax and enjoy themselves as much as they can.
The plot and setting are laid out for the entire 50+ episodes. Aria the Animation covers the first quarter, and being the first it's set as the introduction for the entire series. Although not the strongest part, I advice anyone who is planning to watch the series to start here in order to fully enjoy the later seasons. As to why that is though will be mentioned not in this review, but for the last season. What this review will need explaining though is how such large number of episodes be remotely enjoyable, let alone interesting.
Aria the Animation doesn't rely on sheer, complex writing, nor does it pick through non-mundane events for viewers. Instead, it focuses on pure execution than anything else. It's execution is far from epic, yet ever so close to graceful. It's anything not shocking, yet lovely if anything. For one who'd be hocked into the show will realize that 24 minutes felt hardly as long as 10, despite very few proper events happening in the episodes. That's how Aria is supposedly best viewed by anyone though - by just relaxing and cuddling in a clothe of warmth.
Every episode and every minute, the anime goes through everyday slice of life events, with a little more attention with the gondolas and Undines' training. It foreshadows the irony of being set in the far future, and as you ride through the peaceful events with the characters and the world, it's easy to forget that futuristic technology we imagine is supposed to be present in Aria's time-line. That's one thing I love about Aria though; simplicity in every corner of the anime creates the world's atmosphere and world as light and easy-going, executed in a really pure and gentle manner. The aura of Aria is spectacular, not in a gripping and adventurous way, but in a way that gets you to really float like a sweet cloud, allowing you to enjoy the peaceful yet adorable ride.
Despite rejecting adventurous statement earlier, this anime is full of it. It feels a little contradicting but what I mean is the series feels adventurous in a untraditional way; not in a way that invests risks and action-like excitement, but literally trying something completely new for the viewers. Which also feels a little contradicting because, as stated earlier, it's based on mundane and everyday events, not presenting any moments of the impossible limited to our imagination. Think carefully though; what contributes to the adventurous feel? How about the setting, for an obvious guess?
The one thing that separates Aria from the majority of slice of life anime is the setting. It's the beginning of a whole new world, something created merely from the writer's mind and not to be found anywhere in this universe. You see various buildings that are based on Venice, with different waterways, agricultural statues in different shapes and sizes, hidden areas in the town and the gentle air and water that has settled literally everywhere. You're able to spot interesting objects, shops, big areas and even machinery that keeps Aqua's atmosphere and gravity consistent. You even learn a bit of history when Undines talk to their customers.
It's anything as interesting to be presented with a fresh, new world instead of a high-school or an ordinary town setting. The presentation of Aqua is what's key though; majority of the time, it presents things indirectly, and by doing that the flow of going through a different setting doesn't feel forced, but rather fresh and exciting. It's doesn't shoved explanations right to you, but either through sight-seeing from your perceptive or from the flow of natural dialogue with characters in the series. Whilst not literally speaking, it's feels more of riding through the gentle boat yourself when being presented new things in Aqua, rather than actually watching the show from a third person preceptive.
Let's not forget that we're not the only people on the gondola ride though. Who is there to actually ride it? You guessed it, the Undines.
Although the anime does focus on the customers and tourists quite a few times, the Undines are the ones who are particularly focused upon in the series. It tells the stories between three Undines aiming to be professional Primas; Akari, Alice and Aika, as well as their tutors Alicia, Athena and Akira, who are all famous Primas in the town of Neo-Venezia. The anime follows a episodic format, with the contents being from meetings to eating, conversations to gazing and practicing to relaxing. With natural forms of relationships and friendliness, the events doesn't appear to be so separated of those in the real world, let alone maybe other typical slice of life shows. There's even a beach episode for those who were thinking of jinxing it.
However, the beach episode actually doesn't actually feel out of place at all, and it goes for any other events that happens in the anime too. The natural flow of events and the fluffy aura all support the mundane events to feel of any importance, whilst investing each scene to be at least interesting and relaxing if anything. The writing does demonstrates 'cute girls doing cute things' and working to be a Prima, which sounds pretty ordinary to be the least engaging and relevant, but let's not be so fooled so early on.
Unlike most slice of life anime, the atmosphere, unique setting and execution leads every minute and second to the main point and plot in a extremely graceful and splendid fashion. Watching the characters interact, practice and simply enjoying themselves in the world of Aqua makes the show a lot more purposeful and interesting, given that they're living in a completely different enviroment and world. With the three main characters striving for the same dream, watching them practice to get better, learn new skills and helping each other out feels touching, as those practice sessions feel meaningful. It takes the principal of 'cute girls doing cute things' into something with purpose and a lot more fulfilling than it seems on the outside.
This makes each and every episode extremely enjoyable to watch for its characters and writing, with a good sprinkle of relaxation in the entire series. Putting this to mind fully, every story in each episode and each individual scene feels like a lovely experience, actually feeling and getting into the world and story of Aria; whether it's laughing a lot from a quirky trope or joke a character pulled off in their actions and words, to feeling tearful yet satisfied in scenes that delivers the true touch of its writing in a lovely manner when necessary. With lots of feelings expressed through the characters, either towards the town, others or themselves, each lead up to memorable messages and lessons in the closure of nearly every episode. Those cute and clever messages hide inside the episode, and finally carefully uncovers itself with importance for the characters' needs, as well as lessons that we can actually relate to in the real world.
Whilst the anime does tell a single tale each episode, it's still not necessary to watch them in a randomized order. As quite a few slice of life shows do not acknowledge time order in their stories, Aria is one which does. After 6 months of Winter is Spring, and after 6 months of Summer is Autumn (Aqua year is equivalent to two Earth years, or Manhome as recognized in the Aria universe). Akari may not know a certain person until she meets them, and after becoming friends, they do talk again when they meet by accident. It's a linear story, and although this doesn't match with much importance, it does with its full potential in the later seasons. As to way it's extremely important is for another time to speak.
Surprise for a few, character establishment is really evidential and key for the first season, with partially a few amount of development involved. Just as how Aqua and Neo-Venezia gets introduced, Aria introduces characters in the same manner; some appearing in separate times than others, their characters being described by other Undines showing what their reputations are, as well as them showing their individual personalities with unique tropes, quotes and preferences in various situations and conversations. The introductory series slowly builds up each of their characters, whether it's in their dedicated episode or not, which is especially important for the next two seasons taking place after this season.
The six Undines have distinct personalities, each one standing out from the rest. It does feel a little cliché, having a cast of characters with different attitudes and preferences, but as they get established and fleshed out, you start to feel for them and actually care of them, and so it makes it so much more fun to watch them interact with others and how they're involved with various kinds of tales and places. There's not much development that goes on with little exception for Akari, but considering its only the first season, it's takes the correct step to not go ahead of itself and leave development for necessary timing.
The production values of the first season doesn't contain so much of a grand budget, but does spiral up with more creativeness than skill and use of money. The most noticeable thing is the backgrounds and settings of Neo-Venesia; the buildings and paintings feels wonderfully structured, with interesting patterns on various sections. The paint works of segments on the ground and walls are quite interesting, being fairly noticeable in its different shades of colour and evidential in its paintbrush marks. The lighting effects and water reflections are beautiful, especially with close-ups camera shots on the waterways and puddles when it rains. The budget is fairly average, with a few inconsistencies in movement and faces, but it's not nearly enough to ruin enjoyment, especially if the designs of everything else are coloured and taken care of in a distinct way than a lot of other shows.
The OST helps contribute to the extremely relaxing atmosphere, and the sound department is quite well done for the entire season. Several of the songs are memorable and powerful to its given scenes. Performed by Choro Club, the songs are composed in a distinct style with acoustic guitars, bass and unique drums, fleshing out a more distinct style for the Aria atmosphere. Some tracks are extremely light, vocally floaty, exciting and rather touching, making it really fun to listen to stand-alone. Despite this though, a lot of scenes are comforted by silence, which gives a quiet, floaty effect for the gentle atmosphere, so the use of OST is done effectively. Sound effects of water, seagulls, crowds and footsteps are handled with great care for the atmosphere too, being consistently well volumed and gentle as it aimed to be.
The one thing I need to state out to anyone reading this is that, as much as I praise on its gentle execution and heart-warming stories, the reasons I stated earlier makes this series more of a debatable case on whether it's actually worth watching. The gentleness and slow pacing of the anime may actually put people off. Those who looking for a proper plot and expecting something more juicy and eventful are going to be in a pinch as this anime doesn't offer nearly as much plot as you'd expect, think or want.
In practice, this series involves a certain mindset and the right mood. Best way to watch it is, for starters, one episode a day. Maybe every few days, or even a week. Get in a comfortable, silent room and don't feel tense, be it anxiety or excitement too much. Find some food and a good drink whilst eating with the cast in Aria. Funny enough, feeling worn-out or a little stressed after a hard day of work or school is more preferable than feeling the need to strive and fish your new favourite anime. After all, this is a Iyashikei show, meaning 'healing', which is a small sub-genre in the slice of life genre, for the purpose of getting one to relax and feel much better than what they've been feeling already.
That doesn't mean to say that those who are not fond with slice of life anime will not enjoy this. Aria is one of the few which actually uses the advantages of its genre and makes it most of it, with unique elements that are not found in typical slice of life anime. Unlike most slice of life shows, each event, conversation and scenery has meaning for its plot. Unlike most slice of life shows, it builds establishment and development for its characters throughout the series. And lastly, unlike most slice of life shows, it's gentle, graceful execution gets you to enjoy, relax and feel with every episode you watched.
Who knows if you'd like Aria or not. Give it a try though; it's certainly a unique watch and a new breath of fresh air in its controversial genre.
read more
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Archaeon
442 of 559 people found this review helpful
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13 of 13 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
I'm quite surprised that no one's actually written a review for this yet.
I have to admit that I wasn't sure what to expect from this show. The synopsis didn't really give any clues as to what I should expect, and that is probably the best thing about it - it isn't quite what you expect.
The story takes place on what used to be Mars (the first thing I didn't expect), in a place called Neo-Venzia (New Venice), and is about a girl training to be an Undine (the story uses the term to refer to a female gondolier rather than a water spirit). The story itself isn't linear in any way, as each episode is a story in it's own right. Normally this is a recipe for disaster in the anime world, but it works in this show - I'll explain why in a bit.
The art and animation are of a very high standard, and the city and it's surroundings are beautifully rendered - and you will see a lot of the city in this show. The characters are very well depicted, even when they show their chibi side, and the best bit is there's not a panty shot in sight - hooray!
The sound is one area where this show excels. Everything is there if you listen, from the sound of the waves to the hubbub of of a crowd. The music is ideally suited to the show and, unlike many anime, actually heightens the viewing experience.
The characters are extremely well realised. I can't think of one character I actually disliked in the entire show. One of the things I liked about the show was how each character actually fits into the story, and the world in which they exist - even the cats have a purpose. One of the other things I liked was the use of fairytale and mythological creatures in the show. The females gondoliers are referred to as Undines, with the top three being called the Great Fairies. The weather is controlled by salamanders, the gravity is controlled by gnomes, etc. One thing that puzzled me was why the female characters names begin with A (except Grandma, however her real name is Akino), but that's by-the-by.
So the important question is: Will you enjoy the show?
If you're an action junkie, or into horror or angst, then this is not the show for you (although it never hurts to give it a try). This show is funny and quirky in many ways, without going over the top, but the one word I would use to describe the show is RELAX. It took me two weeks to finish this show and it's sequel (which is a long time for me by the way), and this is because this show is so relaxing that I was falling asleep whilst watching it. Normally it takes a lot for me to fall asleep, and even boredom doesn't work, but somehow this show just relaxes you to the point where you just drift off to dreamland without a second thought, and never once was I bored with this show.
Overall this is a show that deserves to be watched, as it has a unique appeal that the like's of Sketchbook ~full colour'S~ and Kokoro Toshokan just can't quite match up to. The reason why the non-linear story works well in this show is because it's so relaxing that you honestly just don't care about the fact there's no real plot - which is a rather refreshing perspective to have.
The best way to watch the show? Have a shower, have a good meal, get comfortable, and relax... read more
Recommendations
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Aria and Sketchbook share the slice of life genre. The pace of these two is incredibly slow and they are both very good, especially after a tiring day at work. I also noticed that cats play quite a big role in both of these. Even the company who animated these two is the same. The only major difference between these two would be the sci-fi found in Aria.
Both anime are set in a slow moving life, and give a different perspective about the life from what are generally used too.
Both are slice of life anime with a very laid back and relaxing feeling and any Makino Yui fans should definitely check these out, she sings the OP in every Aria season and she sings the ED in Sketchbook.
Sketchbook ~full color'S~ was animated by the same company (Hal Film Maker) and shares several of the major creative staff, although the original mangaka are different. There's even a blatant, very hard to miss President Aria reference in the first episode.
Aside from that, though, both shows are similar styles of slice-of-life (iyashi-kei, to be precice), with Sketchbook slightly more comedic than Aria, and Aria slightly more sentimental than Sketchbook.
Aura, colours, cats, music. If you liked one, you'll like the other.
Firstly, both have the same creator as can be seen on the last episode of sketchbook. Both have a slow moving paste and is relaxing too watch, not too mention the overdose of cats on boths shows. The main character also is a little dense in both sides and lastly, they are both excellent Slice of Lifes.
The are both created by the same animation company and producers. ARIA is like Sketchbook in Venice, with gondolas and beautiful back-drops.
Awesome, slow-paced slice of life anime with a lot of nice jokes.
Needless to say they both are favourites of mine.
Very similar in atmosphere. Must-see for the fans of either.
Both have a calm, relaxing atmosphere. The only difference is the setting.
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Beautiful art, a decorative town with a deep history, a young, eager girl and don't forget some soothing, wonderful music.
Slow paced series about girls learning to do something (sora: playing trumpet, aria: operating a gondola) in a fictional, fantastical setting. Both have an emphasis on that setting as well as quiet interactions between the main characters.
The visual art and the music reminded me so much of Aria's atmosphere. Enthralling.
Both take place in futuristic versions of modern day cities. The main characters are learning something from their seniors and some characters are kind of alike. Also, there are very few male characters, who are not extras, in both series.
Plotwise: Both shows are about a main character being trained by a superior, and her interactions with the new world around her.
Characters: Both are primarily female casts, and every character in Sora No Woto bears a resemblance to a character in Aria. Also, where Aria has cats, Sora No Woto has an owl.
Setting: Both take place in imaginary worlds around cities where the people and land has a rich history and traditions. The difference here is that Sora No Woto has a wartime setting, where Aria does not.
Artwork: Beautiful backgrounds and landscapes, stunning visuals all-around.
Slice of life set in a sci-fi, future setting. Both series play off their own worlds very well, with a strong focus on interactions between the main character and the main setting of the anime. The characters also share some similarities, the most notable being Kanata & Akari and Filicia & Alicia.
They both give off very similar vibes, and if you liked one you'll probably like the other.
Aria the Animation is about a group of young female gondoliers learning with their seniors and generally having a good time with each other in a slice of life, futuristic setting.
Sora no Woto is about a group of young female soldiers learning with their seniors and generally having a good time with each other in a slice of life, futuristic setting.
There are heavy sci-fi implications on both shows' universes, but these seem to be secondary, and almost overlooked. Both stories focus more on the girls learning about their worlds, their trade, themselves and each other, while exploring and interacting with their surroundings. There's drama, but not necessarily conflict. Both shows provide the viewer with slow pacing, relaxing music, beautiful scenery, lighthearted comedy, interpersonal relationships, character development, warm fuzzies and the occasional sappy line.
The characters are almost a direct match to each other:
Akari/Kanata - they're both pure-hearted main characters, rather awkward about their skills, very friendly to everyone they meet, easily excited about new things and very prone to sappy lines. They both say "suteki" a lot.
Aika/Kureha - they're both bratty tsundere types, very perfectionist and quick to point out other people's flaws. They constantly act like know-it-alls, though deep inside they're just insecure and eager to please and impress their seniors.
Alice&Athena/Noël - Noël is the quiet, reserved and serious type, like Alice, but she can resemble Athena a lot in carelessness when she's tired. She seems to be naturally talented at what she does, using her impressive skills with little effort.
Akira/Rio - they're both "cool big sister" types who try to enforce strict discipline, though beneath their assertive attitude they care deeply about their juniors. They both confide and share a deep bond with Alicia/Filicia, who are closer to them in age and maturity.
Alicia/Filicia - for crying out loud, not only are they a complete clone in appearance and personality, they also talk in similar fashion and even share the same quirks. Even their names are remarkably similar. And they're both #1 ranking in their groups.
In Aria they have cats, which act as mascots and represent each company's president.
In Sora no Woto they have a owl, which acts as a mascot and represents their organization logo.
Having watched Aria first, and considering the chronological order, I suppose I can say that Sora no Woto is by far the closest thing to Aria I've seen so far. The major difference is that Sora no Woto might occasionally address some disturbing war related themes, which are completely absent from the slightly more lighthearted and optimistic Aria universe. But even these, while expected in a war setting anime, are actually very rare.
Also, in Sora no Woto, embarrassing remarks seem to be allowed! ^^
Both series have fantastic element involvement yet at the same time are a piece of life shows.
The main cast are females and in both series the main character is going through training. The bigges part of attention is upon interection between main character and the world around.
The only real difference would be the fact that Sora No Woto is more dramatic and action based towards the end.
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Opening Theme"Undine (ウンディーネ)" by Makino Yui
Ending Theme"Rainbow" by ROUND TABLE feat. Nino
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