Aria the Animation

Drift 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]

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Aria, Aqua
Sequel:	Aria the Natural

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Characters & Voice Actors

Mizunashi, Akari

Main

Hazuki, Erino
Japanese

Carroll, Alice

Main

Hirohashi, Ryou
Japanese

Florence, Alicia

Main

Ohara, Sayaka
Japanese

Granzchesta, Aika S.

Main

Saitou, Chiwa
Japanese

Pokoteng, Aria

Main

Nishimura, Chinami
Japanese

Glory, Athena

Main

Kawakami, Tomoko
Japanese

Ferrari, Akira E.

Main

Minagawa, Junko
Japanese

Aino, Ai

Supporting

Mizuhashi, Kaori
Japanese

Maa

Supporting

Watanabe, Akeno
Japanese

Izumo, Akatsuki

Supporting

Nojima, Hirofumi
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Tateishi, Shigeru

Producer

Satou, Junichi

Director, Sound Director, Storyboard, Screenplay, Series Composition

Gotou, Keiji

Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation, Assistant Animation Director

Fuseki, Kazunobu

Episode Director, Storyboard, Assistant Director

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Opening Theme

"Undine (ウンディーネ)" by Yui Makino

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Ending Theme

"Rainbow" by ROUND TABLE feat. Nino

Reviews

Jan 3, 2008

Archaeon

Recommended

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...

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Feb 11, 2015

BanjoTheBear

Mixed Feelings

(This has been adapted from my reddit thread)

There's a lot that goes on in a day-to-day basis that can easily elevate stress levels. Rushing to work due to oversleeping or caring for a crying child bring about more trouble than was initially had. Eventually, these separate events can pile together to the point of breaking. It's at this time that a reprieve is needed. A much-earned break, that brings simple serenity and peace of mind. And it's during this mellow moment that one discovers that the simple things in life are truly precious. Aria the Animation takes this to heart, marking the start of a ...

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Dec 26, 2017

Dionkeykong

Not Recommended

Danger Danger!Keep out if you can't handle strong language and sarcasm...And humour in general...And if you have some kind of allergy in different opinions..Basically sod off and read something else.

I don't know why i do this to myself..I really don't.I may be a masochist and not even know it.Cause i was hearing them little voices in my head screaming at the top of their imaginary lungs to not watch Aria.Did i listen?Of course not cause as it seems i may have a tendency towards the leather and gag ball end of things.If by any chance you are a goth mistress and on the look for ... a hat stand give me a shout,will ya?

But let's dive into Aria..Not literally,unless you're into cats..No not cats like people with cat ears,i mean cats,those hairy bastards that want to conquer the world,make us their slaves and bathe in a pool full of human blood.If you're a cat owner get rid NOW or forever be doomed.Get a dog,they're loyal and i've seen vids where they're trained to fetch beer from the freezer.

And we hit it off with the story..Or the lack of one.I say that cause the story is the one told in the synopsis and only there,nothing even remote to a story exists in the anime itself.So let's see what the synopsis says:The story takes place on Aqua,formerly known as Mars until they filled it with water 150 years ago,in the city of Neo-Venice,a replica of Earth's Venice.The recreation of Venice is one of the things i liked about Aria.They actually took time to do research in order to include famous Venetian landmarks such as the St Mark’s Basilica,the island of Burano and Plaza San Marco.The architecture and feel of the place is rather accurate,but unlike the real Venice if you happen to fall in the water you don't end up with 2 heads.

Each episode follows some "plot" of some sorts,but as far as i can tell there's no life in this anime's plots.They are just some small adventures everyone has seen in one way or another in other animes.Imagine an anime about someone stopping at a small mart to buy some milk and he realises he doesn't have enough money on him.So he has to go to the bank and take some money and go back to buy the milk..That's it..Nothing even remotely interesting.But you might say:"yeah it has some shit going on here and there"..And that's the problem.The only few surprises that try and spark some life into this corpse are some random shit,like "hey time travel"...As to why and how this happened that remains a mystery.Nothing is being explained.It's just your basic moe cancer with the pleasant feel.And last time i checked moe isn't story or plot it's just ebola through the internet.

As for the characters you have Akari who dreams of being a gondolier at pro level(pilot of the boats Venice is famous for)under the guidance of the wise Obi-Alicia who is blond.Then a weird thing happens as we are being introduced to other characters that their names begin with the letter "A"..I guess the alphabet wasn't invented?Get this for unimaginative naming..Aika who has blue hair,Akira who is the bitchy bitch teacher and Alice who i don't remember what she was doing there.Oh yes....There is a cat like creature that tries endlessly to sag another catlike creature...Soooo....Yeah it's moe..

Animationwise the details in the way the whole world is built and even the water movement and rflections are spot on..The characters themselves are pretty standard.

Songs and VA were ok-ish i think..Maybe they were good and i was sound asleep.

And now i must conclude this review so i can go drink my arse off and forget i even saw this.It isn't bad as such.And what with all these praising reviews and 3 seasons in total i expected something among the lines of a Japanese blockbuster.Unfortunately,little good can be said about this anime but not all of it is bad.I can only say that if you want an anime you can watch with your eyes and brain completely shut,then this is for ya.If you want substance of any sorts,even if it's just a little watch something else.How the hell did this thing manage to get so many seasons?Were you there on the land of the rising sun on drugs or something?Or maybe do you happen to have a weird sense of humour and thought it would be fun to export this shit to the west and stand back and laugh?

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