Reviews

Oct 20, 2012
Maybe it was the build up. Maybe it was the characters. Maybe it was simply who I am. Aria the Origination seemed to pull my heart strings this way and that, making this so bittersweet. It's easy to fall in love with a character. But three characters and their mentors? And then saying good bye to all of them? It was a heart-wrenching moment. Aria the Origination takes the best of the best when it comes to plot development and character interaction all beneath a facade of gentle Neo-Venezia. I'm not going to do my standard "here's a score and here's why I gave it that." This review will be more why I loved it and why it deserves the perfect score.

After watching (naturally) Aria the Animation and Aria the Natural, I was in no way in high hopes for this last part of the series. Those two were just ok, slow-moving like the currents of the ocean, but rich with focusing on the character and how they slowly are growing up in the beautiful realm of Neo-Venezia. Interestingly, this series paced MUCH quicker, and continued to do so until the bittersweet end. Besides pacing, the story in general became fluid, picking up speed and continuing with its momentum. Akari, Aika, and little Junior (or you will soon found out, not so little anymore) each have their own little tales of growing up. The other two preceding prequels were more there to build up to Origination. Natural and Animation seemed to focus on Neo-Venezia as a whole and what goes on in this beautiful planet, while Origination zooms in on the characters and builds them up to its bittersweet climax.

Each scene was rich with color and texture, I could almost picture Italy as it is today. The background music was bright and cheerful, full of spirit and wonder and happiness. The intro song was beautifully connected to each episode, and followed a character as they went through town or prepared for the day ahead. The scenery and environment was gorgeous; I don't think I ever saw a reused environment or backdrop once. If it was, it was drawn at a different angle at a different time of day.

Comparatively, to the other two series, the animation in my opinion stepped it up a notch. Now the environment has always been something I keep my eyes on, and the beautiful scenery captured the lighthearted mood perfectly. In fact, almost every place Akari and the gang visited in Natural and Animation seemed to come up again, or at least be hinted at. Their other friends, like Woody or Al or Akatuski, and their acquaintances like the guy who owns that old coffee shop, come up frequently, but in matters more serious. It seemed everyone knew something big was coming. Pasts were dredged up, history was told, and stories flew.

I especially loved each and every character. Akari was an airhead, but only when it seemed appropriate; her comments that Aika had dubbed "too embarrassing," were actually insightful and used great literary rhetoric, but apparently no one noticed. She kept the fuel going beneath their three muskateer mindset, and she frequently seemed to be the center of not really attention, but of notice to others around her. Her likable nature and charisma hit off with the town, and she steals attention away from Aika, he gets jealous sometimes. I loved her character. Never have I had such a lighthearted character be useful to the plot so much; in other series like K-ON! or Lucky Star, the attachment was forced upon the watcher. Now, however, Akari's general likability was contagious, and soon I was spewing how great Neo-Venezia was to anyone who would care to listen.

If Akari was the sun, Aika was the moon. She seemed the opposite of Akari in almost every way, as in afraid to share her feelings (Akari just blurted them out whenever she had so much as a thought), boastful and proud, and argumentative and sneaky where Akari or Alice would be up front and personal. She seemed to fit the tsundere role....except she didn't. She wasn't the prime example of that at all. But she came closest, and yet I came to love her character, because she seemed to balance Akari and Alice so well. She was the rational mind of the group, leading talks or encouraging them on. She was the driving force of the trio, and continued throughout.

Alice was the quiet girl, a year behind them, and talked in a certain way. Very formal, very unobtrusive, and yet when need be, the perfect critic. Her comments were (pretty obviously) thought out or had weight behind them; she wasted no words, so every spoken sentence was critical to understanding her character. She was the follower, but in some cases, the leader when it came to basic skill or singing, just like her mentor Athena. A child prodigy at the gondola, her skills become more salient as the series moves on, so much even the arrogant Aika takes notice.

Alicia, Akira, and Athena are all the mentors of Akari, Aika and Alice, respectively. And each one was critical on the development of their juniors. Akari became lighthearted and happy from Alicia's lack of scolding. Aika became driven and determined to succeed from Akira's scolding and badgering. Alice became quiet, reserved, and thoughtful, and can sing, under Athena's not that wary guidance. But because of them, history was made; the Three Water Fairies patrolled the oceans of Neo-Venezia, bringing good cheer and happiness to the entire planet.

Why am I taking so long to describe the characters? That's because I've never had a cast of characters I liked so much. Every anime, not matter how good it is, seems to have someone I positively hate, whether it be because of personality or general traits. But here, I loved every characters. Every. Single. One. They all fit some sort of role, like a jigsaw puzzle, and fit together oh so perfectly it hurt to see them apart or to not catch a glimpse of them throughout the episodes. They drove the story, and by the end, I was tearing up....

I could gush for hours. I really could. This was something I needed to say. I'm an action junkie; check my anime watched if you do not believe me. But this really hit me in the heart, just like Akira's confidence. Each character needed pages to describe their characteristics, but I could only give them a paragraph or a simple allusion. Everything was perfect; the artwork, the characters, the voice actors - everything could not have been possibly better. I recommend this heavily, even for those who don't like slice of life. But start with Aria the Animation. Let the waters of Neo-Venezia take you away on a beautiful journey....Oh sorry, Aika-Chan. Embarrassing remarks are prohibited!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice Nice0
Love it Love it0
Funny Funny0
Show all
It’s time to ditch the text file.
Keep track of your anime easily by creating your own list.
Sign Up Login