English: Aria - the Animation
Vintage: 2005
Style: MFG
アリア - Preview
Preview
In a distant future, mankind has not only turned Mars into a livable planet, but into a dream-like water-filled planet now called "Aqua". To address the water issue, most of the transportation is based on gondolas or otherwise boats. The biggest city (and capital), Neo Venezia, pretty much resembles our actual Venezia, and is a gondola-packed paradise. Obviously, as we are far into the future, you have your share of high-tech flighing ships, but that's way past the point of the series. Akari Mizunashi is an apprentice Undine, and her daily life is simple: wake up, wear her Undine apprentice clothes and get to training. As she learns the mysteries of being an undine, she will also get to know more and more about this peculiar planet, and eventually, together with the audience, fall in love with this fairytale-like environment.
Pacing
"Aria" is actually the name of the undine company Akari "works" at ("work" here is really a hard word to describe. It seams as if monetary issues are non-existent in "Aqua"), which is as small as it can get: Alicia ("Aqua"-wide famous) is the only full-fledged Undine, Akari the only apprentice, and together with the Martian sentient cat Aria - the president of the company - we have our three main characters. Aria is episodic, and that's the good news. No plot, no pretension, no goal at all. Aria is meant to be a warm and unutterably human title. Each episode brings in an event, with or without secondary characters, in which Akari or any other main characters learn how to respect and appreciate the little things. How an undelivered letter is important to someone, how a gentle "stroll" (or rather, sail thru the water-lines) in the city can sooth your soul, and how a problem-free, stress-free life is so addicting that it can be more thrilling than our usual fast paced lives. As Akari practices her undine skills, together with learning everything she can about Neo Venezia and Aqua so she can equal her senior Alicia on her guide knowledge, she eventually meets fellow undines from other companies: Alice Carroll is a prodigy girl, and with only 13 years she is the newest undine apprentice at Orange Company; and Aika Granzchesta, an energetic apprentice at the Hime Company. As the title goes, most episodes will feature the trio in their warming adventures throughout the scenic backdrop of the city. Eventually, other secondary characters will also bring in more from this fairytale into life: Akira, Aika's senior at Hime Company and close friend to Alicia; and Athena, Alice senior at Orange Company and likewise Alicia friend.
Conclusion
While fairly character and episode oriented, Aria is an amazing title which will make you earn for the next episode not out of a solid plot or cliffhangers, but simply to relax with the bucolical sound track and scenarios, and a life that anyone would love to have at Aqua, where despite technology is at it's peak, most people chose gondolas, written letters and rundown middle 20th century homes above all the sci-fi thriller you should expect from a futuristic populated mars. And with no plot, you can simply stop at any random episode and than return months later, and you will have the feeling all characters were waiting just for your return to continue their insights into simple life, carpe-diem and friendship. Constantly tipping about personal or social dilemmas, Aria also have an added "between the lines" content that can increase it's attractiveness for those who don't mind trying to scratch under the already pleasant surface - but it's always handled tastefully and with so much subtleness that one can appreciate the series without getting deep into the life messages some episodes brings, delivering entertainment rather you want it or not to search for further meaning on each little event that enlightens the characters. Aria can get pretty pink-colored at times, but that's ok, you want a title such as this to be easygoing and predictable. It's also almost impossible not to draw some comparisons with subtleness master "Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou": Both titles are futuristic yet bucolic, and feature a simple lifestyle and daily-life plots aimed at focusing the simple things. If you are tired of futures filled with gadgets and coorporate cleaness as well ridiculously hich-tech appliances at every corner, both Aria and YKK can show you a future in which technology and social evolution play an important, but not necessarily visible role in our lives. Yes, there are huge spaceships in the skies and top-notch computers that Akira uses once in a while, but the same way as we have buses, trains, cars and airplanes today that don't bring a shred of our daily attention, their futuristic counterparts should also not be important - perhaps the future in Aria is a lot more convincing than those sci-fi flicks. The only moment you realize you are not at a fantasy world way in the past is when you see a huge spaceship crossing the sky behind the clear blue skies of Aqua. Certainly not the wisest choice if you are looking for action or even a plot-driven title, Aria is specially made for those looking for something simple, inside the best of the "Make-you-feel-Good" style. If you ever thought that a boring daily-life comedy would be beyond your taste, try a few episodes of Aria: the art beauty, the soundtrack excellence and the cutesy and charismatic characters might actually make you fall in love and realize that, sometimes, being "boring" is a thrill. At times, it's a lot harder and complex to appreciate the little things, than to hide behind an agitated life style.
