The Old New: ARIA the Animation

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As has been done in the past with the Da Capo series, there's no better time to get into a long-running franchise than when another season of it is on the way, and with a third season of Aria announced, I figured it was time to get on the bandgondola.

To be honest, Aria is another one of those shows with a very weird lead-in to it; I've watched shows before based on other blogger's ravings, on forumite ravings, on the random shouting of "Gao~" and "Uguu~" in forums, but Aria got onto the 'to-watch' list simply because the one anime-related clan in a non-anime-related game I play (BATRacer, if that means anything to you.) was called, yup, the "Aria Company Team".

Knowing very little about this quite successful slice-of-life anime, I decided to pick it up for myself.

The first thing that's apparent about Aria, that sticks out to anyone who watches it for the first time, is that it's very much an anime where Nothing Happens.

I mean, there's slow.
There's "Syaoran confessing to Sakura" slow.
There's "Moe Mizukoshi talking" slow.
There's "Akiha Tohno's breasts growing" slow.

And then there's Aria.

Perhaps that sounds a bit mean but that little exaggeration is mean to exemplify the fact that if you're watching Aria with the intent of actually seeing something 'exciting' happen, you're in the wrong place.

All slice-of-life shows can be termed 'slow' in a sense, since none of them really have a lasting plot that drives the characters and the show. But Aria is different in that it doesn't have a large focus, like other shows, on making jokes, per se.

Its music is fairly constant without aural gags, with mellow violin music rather than upbeat "hey look, we're talking" or "character's theme" riffs. There isn't really any buildup in the show, the 'hey look a gag is coming', nor any time period for jokes to sink in.

Aria is very much a show that's 'there', for better and for worse.

The second thing that's apparent about Aria is that, being such a 'atmospheric' anime, as it's called, it's not suited for marathon watching. You simply can't sit down and say "OK, time to watch some Aria." I was in a similar situation with Azumanga Daioh a while back; slice-of-life anime a lot of times don't work as anime watched 'on purpose'.

As such, Aria came off kind of on the wrong foot when it inherited my 'one-episode-a-night' slot which is the case during the school week. Actually setting out to watch Aria on a very rigid schedule like this doesn't quite work; it's like trying to will yourself to sleep. You can't put so much effort into trying to relax.

It's quite fitting that Aria, the show located on a sort of futuristic Venice, is very much an anime that has the feeling of ebbing and flowing; sometimes it's a show that you can't quite get in the mood to watch, and sometimes it's a show that you could lie down and watch for hours.

Still, having watched three episodes in three nights, Aria has been pretty much exactly what I'd expect from a show touted for its great atmosphere; warming, but not thrilling.

The setting of Aria is surprisingly futuristic, considering that this 'story' per se could have taken place in pretty much any timeframe of Venice. Like Code-E, Aria is a show that's set wildly in the future, yet maintains a pretty down-to-earth feeling to it.

Still, one gains much more of a sense of technological advancement in Aria than in the former, where pretty much the only change is the making electronic of everything. Aria is actually set on Mars, and with blimp-like spaceships, floating islands a la Sonic CD, and advanced-looking computers, it paints a nice contrast to the very retro way that people on Aria live.

It is this life that the pink-haired heroine Akari is attracted to, as her ambitions to become a professional undine (gondola rower) is the closest to a story that Aria has. The days in her life as she meets members of other companies and explores aimlessly the world of Neo-Venice are what compose the majority - if not totality - of this anime.

To talk more in-depth about the show would again almost go against the grain of Aria itself, as the show is not so much about what goes on in each show so much as the slow development of characters and the interactions of their personality. The latter, as in most slice-of-life (if not all) shows, are very imporant and Aria doesn't seem to let down in this regard.

Akari's positive and bright personality can, like it does in the anime, bring a smile to many viewers' faces, and the other main characters are pleasant as well. I hesitate to use the word entertaining, as Aria doesn't seek to do that so much as just impart a good feeling, but the tsundere-lite antics of Aika ("not allowed!"), the motherly demeanor of Alicia ("ara ara..."), and even the high-class, academic attitude of Alice are all highly enjoyable.

And the SD faces that pop up every now and then when characters are startled add a level of entertainment to the show as well; chibi can be very powerful when used sparingly.

On the flip side of Aria, as mentioned, it's not a great show for really watching so much as viewing. Episode posting, for example, about Aria, would be near-impossible (at least if you want to discuss what you thought of the episode), and really analyzing the show would be futile.

Naturally, all this can be rectified with an Azumanga-like flip of the switch up in the head; such does Aria work as an anime for unwinding.

The other mildly distracting thing about Aria is that, like 99% of slice-of-life shows, it consists of a mainly female cast. This isn't that bad, as even without the Y chromosome most of these shows manage to have a diverse cast. Aria doesn't seem to be an exception yet.

However, what Aria does differently compared to many other highly female slice-of-lives is that it sends the yuri-meter off the charts. Maybe I'm just tainted with the harem fan's goggles of "everyone must be paired", but man, there is some serious girl-crushing going on in Aria. And it's not just a niche relationship as in the case of the quasi Konata/Kagami or Sakaki/Kaorin action; it's amongst what feels like a lot of characters.

Now this may be a bit of exaggeration given that the only coupling seen to be given decent justification so far is Aika's admiration of Alicia, but I must admit that my face twitches every time I see another character blush. Aria feels like the type of show that work better without pairings, so hopefully things will stay just on the extreme adoration level.

Aria, three episodes into the first season, hasn't been a pleasant surprise nor a dissapointment. It feels like an anime that doesn't stand out in a good or bad way, and is more of a show that will just sort of be there with that comforting presence, kind of like Alicia herself. As such, it's certainly not a show that will gain priority status, but it will remain one that is there when there is a lack of shows to watch; when you're looking for a shoulder to rest on, Aria is there.

-CCY