Aria The Animation Season 1

Director: Jun’ichi Sato

Studio: Hal Film Maker

U. S. Distributor: Nozumi / Right Stuf

U. S. Re-Release Date: Oct 1st, 2013

Format: DVD / 13 Episode / 325 Minutes

Genre: Slice of Life, Sci Fi

Age Rating: 13+

Overall Personal Rating B+

Synopsis:

Akari Mizunashi, at the age of 15, has left everything behind to travel to a sparkling planet covered in water, Aqua. More than anything, Akari wants to be an “undine” – a female gondolier who navigates the canals of the Aquan city of Neo-Venezia. As she begins her training with the prestigious Aria Company, will she be up to the challenges that await her on the path to achieve her dream?

Along the way Akari manages to make some life long friendships and discover the importance of understanding the world she is becoming a part of. With the tutelage Alicia the world will unfold for Akari in ways she will never expect. The real key to her growth and development are her friends Aika and Alice who are also in training but with other companies. The three of them also resemble the beginnings of the famed Three Water Fairies of Neo-Venezia who are also their trainers and mentors. Will the bonds that these three form help them see their way to the dreams that each one has for their futures and will getting there be the real adventure?

Commentary:

If you are looking for a easy going, simple, and loving slice of life then Aria is something made for you. I personally enjoy these quiet, calm and caring anime that are all about those coming of age years when friends and your future are the only things important to you. Aria does a wonderful job of putting Akari’s life in perspective and at the same time provide a little magic to keep her moving forward. I also like the way they make these young ladies friends rather than utter rivals. They are all in the same position and with this in mind they bond together rather than compete against each other. It is a rather eastern way of looking at things but it comes across rather well in this quiet anime.

With this anime originally airing in 2005 in Japan the animation is rather slick for a TV series. The overall production level is very high for a longer running series and for it to be aimed at the younger teen girl demographic it comes across as a series that had some serious funding. Of course it is a wonderful series for showing how to navigate the day to day problems we come across and at the same time place you in a world that doesn’t appear to have the dark troubles that our world has.

Overall Grade: B+

The idealism of the series is the weakest part of the narrative. I felt as though from time to time things were over simplified and some of the other trials we go through were overlooked. These types of series typically don’t try to drag in all of the trials and tribulations that we all suffer with, but Aria manages to side step some of them completely and this makes the series just a little too simplistic. This simple approach may let it down from time to time, but it also this very simplistic viewpoint that helps prop up the series. These girls and their mentors all have the kindness of heart that is the single redeeming quality of humanity that keeps us alive and striving to be better.

Aria is not for everyone, but if you like simple caring slice of life stories and are looking for something to give you a warm glow when things are quiet then you should reach for Aria. I highly recommend it for young ladies who are looking for a series that is not burdened with dating struggles but rather just wish to see how friends get along and enjoy their journey to adulthood.