Aria the Crepuscolo

I don't know why this short movie got such a criminally low score and I'm here to correct that. J.C Staff has never been known for producing great anime but I can confidently shout out with every ounce of my strength that Aria is an absolutely masterpiece. The same goes along with every other parts of the series.

The problems with drama in slice of life overall is its unnecessary and unnatural moments. As soon as they solved a misunderstanding, another one will occur or some unpleasant problems will immediately take place. Aria doesn't need that, it precisely understands that mundane life itself has too many ... worries already, it doesn't need more manmade tension or fake drama to beg for the viewer's sympathy. It carefully treats its characters like real and tender human beings. And along the blur line of fantasy and reality, Aria sends its heart-warming messages and encourage people to live on happily.

This short movie is just as wonderful, they centered around the mermaid pair of Athena and Alice, they seems to trouble over something lately. And with the help of their dear juniors, under the magical night of the festa del Redentore, their feelings will get to each other.

The ost of Aria is top-notch, along with the new and improved animation, everyone will enjoy this lovely movie.

If you're a fan of slice of life or simply you have an hour to spare, Aria the Crepuscolo will be perfect. They will have another movie next year I believe. Can't wait.

This is the second part of the post-TV movie trilogy, taking place after the events of the 3 TV seasons (Animation/Natural/Origination) and the first post-TV "movie", Avvenire. But while Avvenire was divided into 3 20-minute episodes, Crepuscolo and the upcoming final part of the trilogy (Benedizione) are a 1-hour movie.

It's more Aria, which we would've never imagined happening after Aria the Origination in 2008. Origination wrapped up the journey of the main cast and their senior undines very nicely, and to this day, it is still considered one of the finest iyashikei (healing slice-of-life) shows ever produced. 3 years after Origination, the voice actress for ... Athena Glory, Tomoko Kawakami, passed away. Avvenire was released in 2015 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Aria S1's original airing. As a sign of ultimate respect, they didn't recast Athena. Instead she only appeared as a cameo, and a stock audio recording of one of her past singing performances was used.

Fast forward six years later, and the second part, Crepuscolo, is finally out. What you'll immediately notice is this one isn't animated by the original studio that did Aria TV and Aria the Avvenire. Instead, it's animated by JC Staff. This decision was probably because they did Amanchu, which was by the same author as Aria, and also directed by Junichi Satou. The background art, which has always been one of Aria's strengths, was stunning as usual. But JC Staff revamped the character designs, and despite everyone looking more detailed, this is one of the few times where the detail update makes the aesthetic worse. It's jarring and off-putting, as everyone now looks too sharp and "Amanchu'd", as the style suggests they jumped out of that show. The original designs were softer and simpler, with more rounded outlines, which invited a sense of relaxation and comfort.

The main issue I had with Avvenire was that the three new singles weren't given enough time to make the movie theirs and launch a new generation of undines. Crepuscolo doesn't do this either, as the movie is squarely focused on Athena and Alice. It is clear now that the new singles will play second fiddle to the Aria TV cast for the whole movie trilogy, which is a shame. But what's worse is that they did the unthinkable: they recast Athena, and then made her one of the main characters.

Yes, it's more Aria, and fans will take anything they can get. But I felt that they disrespected Tomoko Kawakami's legacy by recasting Athena. Her story, along with the other senior "Water Fairy" undines Alicia and Akira, had concluded nicely. They didn't need to be in this movie. Two of them have moved on from being an undine. The movie trilogy should've focused on the new singles and their mentors. But the author was content on just having this be a supplement to Aria the Origination episode 9. Certain scenes from that episode are re-animated here, so at times this felt like a rehash rather than something new like Avvenire. As a result, this one didn't have the tranquil magic of Aria that I so fondly remembered.

The synopsis for Benedizione makes it appear to have a more substantial story, so hopefully Crepuscolo was just a rare miss and that JC Staff is able to conclude the movie trilogy in a satisfying manner.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW:

I suppose since I've been waiting to watch this for over a year now, it's only right that I give this movie its first review. In Aria the Crepuscolo, the world of Neo-Venezia remains as magical as ever. Although it has fresh new visuals provided by the studio JC Staff, not an milligram of its old charm has been lost in the update. For all of those who have stuck with Aria throughout all the seasons and OVAs, this latest installment will prove to be anything but a disappointment.

The story of Aria the Crepuscolo focuses heavily around Athena and Alice of Orange Planet. ... Unlike the original series (and more like Avvenire with Akari/Alicia) this film centers on two of the characters and wrapping up their story. This may be mildly disappointing if you were hoping for a film that gives the whole cast a balanced amount of screentime, but I feel that the Akari and Aika appearances were natural and enjoyable. To keep it spoiler free, if you liked the dynamic between Athena and Alice in the series, you'll likely love this movie.

Originally, I was skeptical about the overhaul on character designs and the fact that JC Staff had taken over production of the final two Aria movies. While I didn't think the character designs looked bad in the promotional material, I was concerned that the characters would lose some of their identity and past expressions. This uneasiness was quickly washed away once I watched the new movie, as the new designs and animation provided some of the most beautiful moments of the whole Aria series. JC Staff really delivered on all the impactful scenes, and I couldn't be more impressed with the consistent, stunning visuals.

As someone who really values good sound, Aria has always been able to achieve a very immersive effect with its audio. This continues over with Aria the Crepuscolo. A significant amount of the OST consists of songs previously used in Aria. This "if it ain't broke don't fix it" approach to the OST is greatly appreciated, because it gave me yet another chance to enjoy so many of my favorites from earlier in the series. The VA work remained amazing as well, with almost all of the original cast returning. The seiyuu who stepped into the role of Athena with Avvenire really had a chance to shine in this movie, and her Athena proved to be just as enjoyable as the original.

Overall my love and enjoyment for this movie was the same as my love for some of the best moments from the Aria series. Although I can't guarantee it, if you adored Aria like I did and craved an excellent movie that touches your heart, look no further than Aria the Crepuscolo.
Now... UNTO ARIA THE BENEDIZIONE DECEMBER 2021 AND THE FINAL INSTALLMENT OF THE BLUE CURTAIN CALL TRILOGY!