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Studio : Hal Film Maker
Licenced by : Nozomi Entertainment/TRSI
Length : 13 Episodes
Year : 2005
Genre : Slice of Life - Science-Fiction - Drama
Synopsis :
ARIA is based on the manga by Kozue Amano, being released in the US by ADV manga.
It depicts the daily life of the Undines running Aria Company on Aqua (the planet formerly known as Mars), Gondolieri girls who ferry their customers through the terraformed waterways of a town called Neo-Venezia.
An Undine in training is Akari, who came to Aqua from "Man-Home" (Earth) all alone, and since she is the point-of-view character we are introduced to all the marvels of learning to live as an Undine during the seasons of Aqua and to the various friends who populate the Undine business and Neo-Venezia.
The manga, and the anime, show slice-of-life episodes of great beauty and tranquility. Viewers who have enjoyed the Yokahama Kaidashi Kikou OVAs (Quiet Country Cafe) will probably enjoy this. Dramatic tension or incisive character development however are not part of the manga story - and so will probably not show up in the anime either. This is an anime to relax with as a nice change to the usual over-dramatic or over-action-based anime fare or just because you want to look at cute girls and lovely scenery after a hard day in real life.
Added : 2005-10-30
Synopsis by : Estara
Last update : 2008-11-23
Last update details : Seiyuu modified
Score : 8.2
Number of reviews : 15
Link(s) :
Official #1 : Official Aria Website (Japanese)
Official #2 : TV Tokyo's Aria Website (Japanese)
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : Yui Makino - Undine
Ending #1 : ROUND TABLE feat. Nino - Rainbow
Release(s) :
2006-04-15 -- Episode(s) 5 by Hikari no Kiseki. BT Link
2006-02-27 -- Episode(s) 3 by Hikari no Kiseki. BT Link
2006-02-24 -- Episode(s) 13 by CrystalNova. BT Link
Found 24 releases. Click here to [ Find them! ]
Hits : 29667
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Posted by : Terentius 
Posted on : 2008-11-22 
It has been a very long time coming, but I finally managed to find the free-time to watch perhaps one of the more relaxing shows I've seen.
Animation
Very pleasant to watch and excellently animated. Then again, there wasn't much in the way of intergalactic machinery or exploding planets with ass-kicking fight scenes to push the artistic limits of the studio! The character designs were better than average with some lovely Undine costumes. I first thought that President Aria was a Moomin reject, but I eventually feel in love the strangest looking cat I’ve seen! Considering the very relaxed nature of the show, it really was a case of watching the world go by and enjoying all that there is around you. The buildings and landscape were lavishly drawn. I've never been to Venice but I’m sure that the animators at the very least had detailed photographs of the city. The real quality of the animation was not in the characters (which were done very well), but in the very world of Aqua.
Story
There wasn't much I'm afraid to say, other than it was a typical 'slice of life series following the lives of 3 Undines (Gondola rowers) training to be fully qualified. It was very slow paced and nothing much happens that was dramatic. Then again, it really made such a huge difference watching this after a long and hard day at work. Watching how the likes of Akari enjoy every waking moment of life was both incredibly touching and inspirational.
Characters
Much like the story, the characters don't really do much on screen other than talking and contemplating the relatively serene life of Aqua. However, their approach to life as aforementioned was moving. If only everyone could enjoy life in all its splendour, from the capability to see beauty in something as simple as a gentle sea breeze, to enjoying the company of those around you then this world be a much better place to live in. This show was not a plot-driven series. Unusually it is an incredibly thoughtful and wistful character-driven show with much going for it. Seeing all the Undines working, joking and generally hanging out together was a joy in itself (even if all they are doing is watching the world go by!)
Music
As mentioned by other viewers, the OP was played with the start of the episode so in a way, one was forced to listen to it. I am thankful for it. Both the OP and ED were just perfect for this type of show. They could have chosen a song that was typically J-Pop, namely fast paced, with saccharine overflowing the edges. Instead, I was treated to some truly soothing songs that I lapped up with childhood abandon. Of special note was the prominent use of the Spanish Guitar as part of the score. For lack of a better term, ALL of the music was just sheer untainted beauty.
Summary
I have watched shows where anything and everything happens. Dramatic deaths, non-stop action, melodramatic relationships to planet shattering explosions are just some of the things I've seen. Aria was the polar opposite of such shows. I found it so soothing and relaxing that if I could, I would have taken time off work and gone on holiday just watching it. It wasn't just the slow pacing and character-driven story that makes Aria deserving of such a high score. Seeing the likes of Akari and Alicia observing beauty in everything they interact with was highly inspiring. If only most of humanity could see such beauty in even the smallest of things.
Aria was meant to be watched as a show to sooth. It never was meant to give an adrenaline rush. If relaxation is something that you seek in an anime, then I honestly canit think of anything more wonderful than Aria the Animation
Posted by : Ravensdark
Posted on : 2008-08-25
This was one of the shows that was on my to watch list for a long time, though I did not feel a real pressing need to jump into it. To put it bluntly, this is a show without a lot of conflict and trauma. There is no real action or adventure, and while there are some comedic moments, it is not a comedy. The whole point of this show seems to be just being. A very gentle slow paced slice of life, while at the same time having both funny and touching moments. On the whole this is a very gentle feel-good show that seems to touch the soul.
The animation was impressive while not detailed; it showed a impressive amount of attention to detail. You do not really see the water cresting or lapping but you see the water shadow moving. Light and shadow is used extensively. In addition there are so many details that would often be left out that are put into this show. I loved the rippling of the wings on the seagulls as they were soaring.
For me the best part of this show was the music. I would often watch the ending just because the music was soothing. Then we go to the OP where you have the story being played while the OP music is going. Finally there are some incredible singers singing both the OP and ending music as well as the in episode music. I love the music that was sung by the 3rd fairy. Her voice is incredible.
I have to say that I usually watch a show looking for a story so maybe this just hit me when I was in the perfect mood for it. I would recommend this show for anyone that likes feel good shows.
Posted by : Molenir
Posted on : 2008-08-25 
Before watching any of the Aria series, you need to be aware, that its a slice of life type show. What that means, is that there really isn't a plot per se, but rather just characters, that live their lives. I tend to enjoy this type of show, as a character driven show instead of a plot driven show just appeals to me. Shows like Lucky Star, Ichigo Mashimaro, and others are like this. However this show is different from those, in that it doesn't focus on being slice-of-life comedy, instead its just slice-of-life.
The show revolves around 3 girls who are attempting to become Undines. Another term for Gondalier in the future. They reside on a Mars of the future. A future where Mars obviously supports life, and has become a water planet. Undines show the tourists around the Mars version of Venice. Akari, the main character, originally comes from Man-Home aka Earth. She immigrated in order to enjoy the slower pace of life on Aqua, and to become an Undine.
The artwork is outstanding. The characters, very enjoyable to watch. The OP... This is the very first anime series I can remember watching in which the OP was part of the show. As in, the characters are onscreen, doing different things, even talking, all while the opening credits are rolling and the music is playing in the background. In a word, unique.
I originally tried watching this, and simply couldn't get into it. It was too laid back, too slow paced for my tastes. At the same time, I knew that as a slice-of-life type show, I would probably enjoy it once I got accustomed to its pacing. This was indeed the case. I very much enjoyed my sojourn on Aqua, and am looking forward to the 2 sequels as well as the OVA which I'm going to watch next.
As I said, this show is very laid back, so be prepared for that. Otherwise, this is an enjoyable show, with interesting characters, inhabiting a magical world. Its definitely worth watching.
Posted by : Jsy3k
Posted on : 2008-05-04
Introduction
Aria the Animation took place in an alternate reality, where Mars had become a habitable planet and most of its surface is covered completely with huge ocean. Due to the change in its planetary looks, it has been renamed to Aqua.
Lies in this planet, a town called Neo-Venezia was built for people to live in. This town is a direct copy of Venice on Earth (called Manhome in the show).
In this town, a group of gondoliers(boat rowers) goes through their everyday life, trying to be the best in what they do, and also to enjoy their life in this new planet where every encounter would become a memory that they will never forget.
Genre: Slice-of-Life, Drama
Storyline: Very Good!!
For the storyline, people will either hate or love it, depending on their preference, but for me, the story is a really good breath of fresh air. Having watched lots of action anime with strong storyline and emotion wrecking scenes, having this light-hearted themed anime really changed the atmosphere. This anime is a rare gem in 2005, that I may have missed if not for my boredom and barrage of those heavy-themed anime.
Some people may not like this anime due to their slow and lazy pace, but to me, it is something that I appreciate once in a while in an anime.
Graphics and Animation: Decent
Nothing worth mentioning for the animation, but detailed representation of Neo-Venezia and the buildings are worth mentioning. Other than those, not much of these department is worth mentioning, but kind of expected this for a drama and slice-of-life type of anime.
Sound: Superb!!
Everything of sound here is superb!! All the BGMs are totally addicting, and mixed well together with the mood of the scenes.
The OP sequence is slow-paced song called "Undine", which can literally make you sleep. The ED sequence, which is my favourite, is "Rainbow", a mid-paced song with nice acoustic guitar sound.
One of the reason that I watch this show in a marathon is due to their incredible sound usage, which kept me going for more episodes.
Opinion: Very Positive!!
This anime is definitely a taker for me, but of course, for the rest, it is very depending on their preference. I really recommend this title for those drama and slice-of-life lovers. For those looking for good action anime with strong storyline and plot, you should stay very far away from this title.
Rating: 8/10
Posted by : du5k
Posted on : 2008-03-16
Aria the Animation is probably the most prominent slice of life series out there. Like Yuun said, it has a very soothing and relaxing feel to it, with very good combination with its comedy. One thing that didn’t impress me is the naming... like a lot of other people say, although it’s somewhat creative that every character has a name that starts with an “A�, I don’t see anything cool about that and it kinds of makes the names hard to remember.
The terra-formed Mars is an interesting concept though, and with its Neo-Venice background, the whole scenery became pretty impressive. The light colours and relaxing BGM makes a good mood, and Aika/Akari’s Tsukkomi and Boke routine never gets tiring. Well, maybe a little repetitive and predictable later on, but I never really got bored of it.
I think the animation needs more work though, it was never really detailed or smooth.
I’m okay with the opening song, but the ending theme “Rainbow� was awesome. How awesome? Well, I had it on my mp3 list for half a year before I started on this series, and it’s still on the list now.
Highly recommended.
Story Style: 9
Animation: 6
Music: 9
Value: 8
Posted by : Yuun
Posted on : 2007-09-25 
ARIA The Animation is probably one of its kinds in this anime world, rather than focusing on the story, characters, actions, or graphics… this anime is focusing particularly on the Scenery and The Atmosphere.
Honestly speaking, ARIA is probably the MOST soothing, relaxing, slow paced, and full with meaningful morals anime out there. Akari, the heroine of the story is a very optimistic person and always think positively, her characteristic is totally original and you’ll never find it elsewhere in other anime. Athena, as one of the Prima aka as Siren possess a really amazing voice, her personal song is simply amazing beyond words... her song goes into your ears and lock itself in your mind. If you notice, oddly enough every characters both male n female name starts off with “A" such as Alice, Akari, Aika, Alicia, Athena, Akira, Al, Akatsuki, and many more.
Most of people first impression about this story will be about Gondola and cute girls, this I admit I was caught by this which encourage me to start watching. However, as I watch on… I notice that the creator is trying to send a different message to the audience, which is Neo-Venice, a dream land and how we as human should learn to appreciate our life in it. Personally, I was really amazed and totally caught at the beautiful landscape, landmark, scenery, beautiful animation qualities, and music was simply marvelous. I would imagine that Heaven would look something like this… a Dream Land indeed…
Every episode feels as if you are there and can feel as if you’re on the same gondola as the character’s is on. There’re times I can smell the sea, feel the wind, bath in the sunlight, and hear the bird sing by just sitting and stare at the TV screen. Light color were use in such an amazing way that it brings out the feeling and atmosphere from the anime and I can assure you that if you know how to appreciate this anime, you can relieve all your stress that accumulated in your soul.
This anime is unique and totally original, great characters and very beautifully and consistently drawn and portrayed. Music is amazingly soothing, relaxing and pleasant to the ear. The animation quality is kind and gentle to the eyes and brings about the realism feelings as if you’re there in the anime itself. I could never compare this anime with any other anime for this anime already won a special place in my heart that sets it apart from other anime that have to compete with each another to win my heart.
I learn a lot from this series, particularly how to appreciate what I have and to always see my cup as half full and not half empty. Truly a masterpiece creation which none anime out there could come close to it. Highly recommended to anyone out there and as a family anime, it is suitable for all ages and parents should recommend this to their children. If you’re suffering from stress or simply need a break, REMEMBER ARIA THE ANIMATION!
P/S: I would give this series a Full if it is not of lacking in Romance, and certain character development. I expect more on the 2nd season!
Posted by : technomo12
Posted on : 2007-06-28
Well from what i already watched this anime is very nice even though it has no action parts and mostly slow paced and brightly colored backgrounds , this really is a good quality anime
Plot: well literary there is almost no plot because it is just a day to day adventures involving the planet named Aqua and each ep has its own plot from what i watched that is
Character: well most of all most of the name nearly got me confused because almost all of the main character and supporting character started with the letter`A`like Akari , Alicia , Alice Athena , Akira , Aika and the one that Akari used to talk to in mails Ai-chan. but from what I saw each of them has a growth in their on respective
Graphics/Animation/Episodes: Well ill be abrupt. I like all of the ep because of their own uniqueness and style of story and each animation is very soothing and calming , that the quality is made to loosens ones heart and mind and give it relaxation in spirit
OP/ED Songs: the song of the op/ed suits this anime pretty well it has that soothing sound that you find old and very likable soft melodic music [I even have it on my Ipod so that i could listen to it always]
Recommendations: Well this is good quality anime very slow paced and really is suitable for those people who is either dead tired of work or stressed from studying to much watching this will give you something very emotional well as for me this gave me the feeling of would I cry or would I be happy kind of sensation
Posted by : Chikage_Shampoo
Posted on : 2006-06-27
I'm at a bit of a loss as to what score I should give this anime. I think I'll settle for 6/10, though I really don't know what to give it.
Aria the Animation is a hate-or-like type of anime; people can either take note of Aria's "significance" past the peaceful, yet laggy mood or look at it in ordinary perspective and say: "Eh, boring."
Animation: I have seen more beautifully rendered backgrounds in animes like Air and The Third; Aria's was a bit hazy around the edges and also pale. Of course, this would usually enhance the peaceful and conciliatory mood of the anime, but at times the colors were just somnolent.
What I liked, however - were the character designs, especially that of Alicia and Alice (hoo boy, similar names). Each girl had their own unique design (and - the design of the varying companies' costumes were each eyecatching in their own simple way), stressing their personalities quite well. Alicia's relaxed manner was emphasized by her droopy and calm eyes, etc. etc.
Storyline: Aria basically has no storyline. It outlines day-to-day experiences of Akari, and how she spends her peaceful days with her friends (whether working as an undine - a guide who rows a gondola - or just detailing her free time). However, there is almost no character development, even though some of the episodes focus on "moral-building". Basically, Aria comprises of a string of one-shots that don't really have anything to do with each other (unless, of course, you want to know who some of the characters are that randomly pop into the series in the beginning, then suddenly at the end).
Comedy? Well, there's not really much comedy, except for a consistent joke that the animators use: "Embarrassing remarks are not allowed!", accompanied by a "Waaaaaaa?" And I really would NOT consider that comedy; Aria is mostly a "wannabe peaceful" sort of anime, and it DOES have potential, but is not able to fulfill that potential. For one thing, it was hideously dragging at times with a huge amount of talking - reminiscent of .hack//sign (OK, well- that might not be the very best example I can give at the moment, but it's the one that I threw off the top of my head).
Characters: The number one thing that bothered me was that all the main characters' names... started with A.
Akari: Light-headed, laid back, very nice. The main protagonist of the story that does most, if not all, of the narratives. Cute at times, but boring at most.
Alicia: The president of Aria Company. The extreme version of Akari. She has beautiful character design, and is frequently in the anime, but she should have appeared more - she had more depth than Akari in all of the anime.
Alice: A shy, contemplative girl. Another one of my favorite character designs. She seemed to have the most sense, but hardly talked (well, not NEARLY as much as Akari and Aika).
Athena: Extremely dopey and hardly in the anime, but she does have a beautiful singing voice. It really makes all your cares melt away.
Aika: Loud and noisy, but has a kind heart. She can seem obnoxious at times, and keeps reprimanding Akari.
Akira: Same as Aika, but she reprimands Athena and Alicia instead.
All of them basically stayed the same way that they were, except for a slight change in Alice during one of the episodes. Basically, the juniors were like their seniors in most parts (Alice and Athena, Akira and Aika, Akari and Alicia), except for a few minor details. A bit disappointing on the character development end, and they were mostly boring as regular characters.
Sounds/Music: Aria's opening, Undine, really captures the feel that the anime attempts to convey: a calming sort of feeling that would be the best after a hectic day at work or just to relax. Most of the characters (except for Aika and Akira) had a softspoken tone to their voice, adding more to Aria's "Hey, just kick back and relax" tone.
As I said before, Athena's voice is beautiful. It was the only thing in this anime that really grabbed my attention.
Overall: Nice for the music, "ehhh" in everything else.
Posted by : Yue_Hikaru
Posted on : 2006-05-08
One of my most favourite anime. I just have to review it. I've been fallen for the series since I read the manga. The story is just wonderful.
The main character is Akari when she's originally from earth when she's 19th she go to Aqua(Mars) to become an Undine. Akari is a type of character that's pictured pure, self satisfastion, love everything and I mean everything.
The story circle around Akari's everyday life at Aqua in her path to become an Undine. In the story we will presented with her everyday life and all the event that happens around her (the mysterious one and the ordinary one). In the anime series the put one original character that doesn't appear in the manga and a few of the original story. Oh I wish if only they would include my fave chapter in the manga where she goes around the town searching for treasure. The story is slow paced and didn't contain any intriguing conflict. NO LOVE story either so for people who want to see some tears, fighting, or argueing this is not your series. If you're a fan of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou I highly recommend this story for you.
Graphic wise Aria The Animation is an AA+ series the series is made with an neat and beautiful drawing you'll ever met.
The sound in this series is wonderful to where you the OST and the scene just fit perfectly.
In conclusion Aria is A nice story for you because of its relaxed atmosphere. Watching this series might even make you learn appreciate everything around you more.
Posted by : tabz
Posted on : 2005-12-09
Score one up for another one of those needed for good sleep animes. I was first attracted to this series because of the pictures I've seen on the net, the art is sooo beautiful and crisp, and the characters are just in that range of drawing styles that i like. The beautiful backdrops and blue scenery coupled with classic-like structures/architecture are the main focus of my attention here.
The story revolves around Akari(the main character) and the different girls working as 'boatmen', in a venice like futuristic city in a planet terraformed into a beautiful water filled blue paradise/tourist destination.
The city, Venezia was made in the image of Venice, on a futuristic world where everything is automatic, people go to Neo Venezia to experience some culture, the essense of man(in this case woman) making strides rowing boats with human hands -less machines, no cars etc., .. the blue waters are somewhat calming to see.. and the sudden SuperDeformity of the characters are just right to give you a quick smile... not that its really boring, its more calming i guess and gives a bit of "slice of life" feel of the characters..
The animation is beautiful(i just can't seem to say that word enough).... and it gives off that soothing vibe for relaxation. I'd suggest this maybe for those that have insomnia, if it doesnt put you to sleep, at least it will make you feel a little better.. oh and the girls are cute ... ^___^
Posted by : Disconnected
Posted on : 2005-11-27
This anime brings me peace, calm, and pleasent moments. I enjoy every second of it, and I can't wait for more. The pet called President Aria, [the sexy white one] is cute and makes me laugh. This is not an anime you'll see with reviews saying 'great bloody fights,' 'bad ass action.'
This anime brings you peace, it's pleasent to watch, easy to understand. Makes you forget about all the sadness and disappointment life brings. ^__^ I just love it. The whole package. The music, intro and outro, both are calm and nice. The drawings and surroundings of this place they called Neo-Venezia [sorry if i mispelled] and the new world created by man hands.. Aqua. I love this and I would recommend it very much so.
Posted by : Krypfto_Feelgood
Posted on : 2005-11-27
The world needs more Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou wannabes.
Aria does not, at first glance, appear to have any spectacular qualities. The animation is slightly above average, the music is somewhat nice, the characters rather ordinary (except that they all have names that begin with the letter 'A'), the humour occasionally amusing but nothing to write home about, and the plot... What plot? There is no real, proper plot, there's just stuff happening. And in the end, that's the thing that makes every day a new episode of Aria is fansubbed a great day indeed.
The opening song, Undine, sums up the brilliance of Aria as a whole rather well. It's calm, atmospheric, peaceful, relaxing, and beautiful. Exquisitely so. The canals of Neo-Venezia criss-crossing their way through the city, the beautiful scenery one can witness from the floating weather control islands high above, the sunset over the vast ocean, even a graveyard uphill from a sunken old water excavation facility... Every single episode so far has had at least one scene, landscape, or concept that has made my eyes a little watery. There's a zen-like beautiful calmness to the whole show; Aqua is almost utopian-like, flowing through time without any excessive melancholy, melodrama, angst, or stress. It's, like, philosophical and stuff. Far out, brother! Good trip!
However. Everything, every single thing that Aria does (except maybe silly feline antics), Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, the manga that embodies mono no aware, does it better. A lot better. So if you are a fan of YKK and start watching Aria in the hopes of witnessing something of the same level of life-changing magnificence, you're in for a disappointment. However, since Aria is basically a YKK rip-off, it does retain some of YKK's best qualities. Conversely, if you require big explosions, nefarious conspiracies, laugh-out-loud funny comedy, or heart-rending drama in your anime, you probably won't enjoy Aria all that much. I'd still suggest you try it, though; I mean, the worst it could do is make you feel whole, happy, and at peace with yourself, even if for just a brief moment. The briefness is a part of the beauty.
Posted by : selovare
Posted on : 2005-11-05
I first became interested in this series when I noticed the picture at the top of the anime-source page. I didn't know what to expect of the series, seeing as how there were few reviews. Deciding that I should see it for myself, I began watching; I was surprised.
The most notable trait of this atmosphere is definitely its atmosphere. By this, I mean that the feeling throughout all the episodes is light-hearted and pleasant. This feeling is supported not only by the color medium used in the series, but by the actual colors of buildings, scenery, or even the characters' eyes. It's true that all series will create a different type of ambience or aura which fits the series- action, love, etc. The word I would use to characterize this series' mood is relaxed.
The visuals in this series aren't anything particularly stunning, but to reiterate, the choice of medium and actual colors accentuates the feeling of the series.
The choice of audio in this series is with a purpose that I feel, again, is to stress the mood. The mellow atmosphere created by the calm, demure voices of the female characters also adds to the overall feeling. Other than that, nothing awesome in this department.
I'm not sure what the point of the story is, really. A girl wants to become a gondolier (Undine), and moves to the newly-terraformed Mars, which is now full of water. The story, so far (ep. 3), takes place in a Venice-like reconstruction complete with Gondolas. Other than that, there doesn't appear to be any main story, as each episode contains a side-story about another character.
Aria the animation is calming to watch, but thus far, it isn't something particularly good. It's interesting, I'll give it that, but I can't say much more. If you want something different then Aria may be what you're looking for.
Posted by : vilincica
Posted on : 2005-11-02
I would sum this anime up with one word - pleasant. It`s not something to be really excited about, but it`s sweet and well... pleasant.
The animation is nice. Lots of pastel colors, flows nicely... nothing to write home about, but nothing to be frowned about either. It is probably not an anime for guys ... almost zero action here, nothing big happens (at least it hasn`t up to where I watched and I seriously doubt that it will change into an action anime anytime soon :) ).
As it was previously said it`s a slice of life anime. We follow a girl, Akari, as she strives to become a professional undine in New Venezia. And I do agree there is some moral reflection that`s a bit cheesy, but since it is an anime for all ages the younger audiences will not find it as cheesy so it`s understandable.
The music fits - that`s all I can say about it. It isn`t very noticable but it enhances the peaceful atmosphere.
Aria the Animation is a nice anime to watch when you need to relax and you don`t feel like watching a bunch of guys running this way and that way, and back again
Posted by : stokerino
Posted on : 2005-10-25
I ought to have learnt by now that an anime being described as 'slice of life' (as it was on AnimeNewsNetwork) does not equate it to Azumanga Daioh.
That said, 'slice of life' sums up ARIA pretty well. The story follows the young and pink-haired Akari as she works as an apprentice 'undine' (gondolier) on the planet Aqua, formally known as Mars. The planet has long been terraformed into a Venice-like maritime haven, as signified by the name of the city, 'New Venezia'.
The 'slice of life' phrase comes into play with the fact that very little of significance happens in this anime. For instance, in the first episode, Akari meets a small girl named Ai whom she takes for a ride in her gondola. It's a relaxing watch and a change of pace from your typically manic anime, but I for one couldn't help but think that I have many other more-worthwhile things that I could be watching.
It has its little snippets of humour, which did on occasion make me chuckle, but these are far outweighed by the series' desire to be sweet and/or cute. The problem is, that it's not remarkably good at it. There is a depressingly significant amount of speech dedicated to the usual "moral reflection" that you see a lot in those cheesier animes. I believe I drew the line when they starting discussing "coming to love the parts you hate about someone...it takes a bit of effort, but if you do that, the one you love becomes an important person", and other such regurgitated nonsense. This sort of thing can pass when it's an important part in a character's development - not as a throwaway conversation in the first episode!
Speaking of failing to be cute...no matter how hard they try, the little white creature just isn't adorable in any shape or form. It's not something you can ignore either, for they keep thrusting it into the spotlight. A lot. If you don't love it immediately, it's really going to start annoying you by the end of the episode.
In all, if you want to just sit back and take in a more carefree anime without any need for frantic action, or big plots, or in fact much intellectual involvement whatsoever, then ARIA will do you just fine. However if, like me, you want your so-called 'relaxing' animes to at least be quite clever and/or funny (ala Azumanga), then I'd suggest that you let this one pass you by. For its unremarkable albeit not-entirely-repulsive performance, I give this a mark of 4.
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