Aria the Origination

In the 24th century on the planet Aqua, three girls—Akari Mizunashi, Alice Carroll, and Aika S. Granzchesta—continue to work hard toward achieving their goal of becoming Prima Undines: professional tour guide gondoliers. Luckily, the girls have the guidance of the three best Prima Undines in Neo-Venezia—Alicia Florence, Athena Glory, and Akira E. Ferrari—who are known as the "Water Fairies" in honor of their skill. With their help, the young apprentices train hard and work to overcome any situations that they find themselves in.

Aria The Origination follows the hardships and daily lives of these three young girls, who are doing their best to improve as tour gondoliers in Neo-Venezia, a terraformed replica of Venice.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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

Beniya, Yoshikazu Producer

Iizuka, Toshio Producer

Uchida, Tetsuo Producer

Satou, Junichi Director, Sound Director, Storyboard

Reviews

May 23, 2024

Brittaman12

Recommended

To be honest, I still don't know how to define the genre, slife-of-life. I think it can sometimes be characterized by its more mundane qualities. Typically, the setting is somewhat average, the conflict of the story is more laid back, and the characters are also very average. There are obviously going to be other aspects, but those are typically what I think of when I think of Slice-of-life as a type of story. The Aria series definitely has most of the qualities, consequently, it has been tagged as a slice-of-life. I would also say that the Aria series is a Slice-of-life. But twice now (First ... with Clannad) I have watched a show with that tag and been completely blindsided by what I found.

When I began watching the Aria series, I had some good expectations. I was hoping to see a relaxing show with a cool setting and good, heartwarming story-telling. And that is exactly what I got from the Animation. And because of that, I gave it a 9. Realistically, if I really followed what I preach, I should've given it an 8. But before I watched the show, I had convinced myself that I wanted to enjoy it. I'm not sure why, but I did. And because of that I rated even higher than I normally would have. What the Natural did, was it took what the Animation had created/set up, and began to really drive it home. The story developed. This is where I began to really get attached to Akari and her friends. This is when I began to relate to these characters. The Natural develops and develops, and by the end, I began to realize that I really have no idea where this show is going to go. However, the OVA gave me a glimpse into what I was going to see, and I loved it. As for the Origination, I was completely humbled.

I don't know what the right words are to convey this message, but the Aria series is good. Really good. And I don't mean it's good in the sense that it is enjoyable and pleasing to watch (even though it is). I mean that it is good in the sense that it fills you with happiness and is genuinely healthy and rejuvenating. It has a magical, wonderful ability to uplift you and make you want to love what you have. It shows you that the only thing that you need to be happy is your own heart, and that loving the world around you is the first step towards that. I never thought in a million years that a pink haired anime chick from a 16 yr old Japanese cartoon would help me understand that, but that's how it goes sometimes. You really never know. And because you really never know, I think that you should give this show a shot. A lot of people like this show, and fewer love this show. I would put myself in the ladder. But, what I am certain of, is that there will be something about that you will be able to appreciate.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Feb 20, 2024

GravenER

Recommended

This is what anime ought to be - this and other masterpieces make the medium of anime worth existing.

Miyazaki once said that anime was a mistake, and anime like Aria, K-ON, Violet Evergarden, and a few selected others are there to prove him wrong. Aria is the kind of adventure you can go back to at any point in your life and still find new meanings, feeling like you're meeting an old friend after many years apart. Said in less embarrassing terms: it gets better at every rewatch, and that is arguably rare for a SOL.
Some people might find it boring because it's not ... an action-packed combat shounen and doesn't have heap tons of fanservice, but there's beauty, intensity, and care in every scene, every music/soundtrack, every dialogue, every background, every interaction within this anime, and if you don't get to understand that... well, your loss, honestly. This is objectively a masterpiece and the peak of the early-to-mid 2000s anime industry, just like Ghibli Studio movies were the peak of 80-90s. Yes, I'm going this far.

The music is, simply put, stunning - from Athena and Alice's lyrical pieces in Esperanto and other made-up languages to the openings and endings and the various soundtracks. The art is on par with Ghibli Studio movies and, together with the music, conveys a sense of magic and beauty in every scenery that is hard to describe. Simply put, every scene is a majestic painting, full of warmth and colors.
The characters. Ah, the characters! I could say they're 3-dimensional, with deep backgrounds/stories and well-executed arcs, making them feel *real* and compelling instead of some stereotype or a mere addition to the MC, but honestly, that should be the bare minimum for such a masterpiece, right? Instead, let me say this - the first time I watched Aria, I was barely more than a kid, and I instantly fell in love with Akari Mizunashi. She has a beautiful heart filled with kindness, courage, and a will to improve, grow, and change - she's right there with the heroes and heroines of my favorite pieces of literature as an inspirational figure. That shall suffice.

The story. Even if it's a SOL (Aria is THE SoL), there's still a goal for the characters to reach and strive forward - becoming a professional undine. For each of them, that means something different - it's not just the fulfillment of a career choice, goes without saying. Meanwhile, they train and live their daily adventures, and each arc (typically 'resolved' in 1-2 episodes) has something to teach, a lesson for one or more or all of the characters (and for you the audience) to learn, and most importantly, a story to tell, leaving the characters a bit different and closer to their goal. The anime takes place in a sci-fi future, but its stories are relatable because they talk about emotions, struggles, and thoughts we all can relate to as human beings, and it does so in a believable, realistic - albeit optimistic - way. It feels similar to Violet Evergarden, albeit relatively less dramatic - if anything, this anime is proof that you don't need drama for a story to be compelling. Indeed, it's easy to elicit strong emotions in the audience by, say, killing off a character every two episodes or touching heavy topics for a guaranteed tear-jerking moment. Aria doesn't do that, and it doesn't set incredibly high yet irrelevant stakes like "the world's gonna end," but gets you invested in what's happening to the characters and on the verge of tears more often than you'll be willing to admit.

Aria the Origination is the peak of the whole Aria adventure (although not the final season), and as such, this is where I feel like I shall leave my review for this show. Tldr - it's a must-watch. No matter how old you are, who you are, or whether you're in a good or bad spot in life at the moment - watch it, and regain your hope in humanity, even if just for 24 minutes at a time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Aug 13, 2022

Doofenheimer

Mixed Feelings

Wow, what an improvement. I gave Animation and Natural both 6's and now I give Origination an 8. I was very unimpressed in this anime, thinking it was just another episodic slice of life with a unique setting. And honestly, I would agree with that statement for the entire show until the last 5 episodes of Origination, where somehow everything just comes together perfectly. Think like a present that has horrible wrapping and is all beat up but has the most perfect red bow on top of it, and that was my experience with Aria. But now that I've watched the conclusion, I feel that ... the entire build up of those episodic slice of life episodes is why the ending was so perfect. Anywho, let's begin.

The story is easily the weakest part of this show, because it didn't really need one. Aria is a character driven show and it knows it is too. The story was just a set up for the characters to flourish and make you feel warm inside. If you come in expecting some action packed thriller, I implore you to never watch Aria. This series can be summed up in one word: Relaxing. Aria is something you chill out to on a cold December day with hot coco and sit with a blanket on. If you go in trying to analyze everything and everyone, you will just ruin the vibe this show is trying to set up for you. Just turn off your critical side and let yourself sink into the land of Neo Venezia. I will say, however, that it does get quite repetitive and boring after the first dozen or so SoL episodes, which is the entire show basically. You can only use the same formula for so long before even if you are into the relaxed side of the show, can still feel like a drag. And if you think this show does anything more, then go look for something else. Cause the 52 episodes that make up Aria, up until the last 5, is just an episodic SoL about 3 girls and their trip to being a Prima Undine. If you have the tolerance to sit through that, then congratulations because you will be crying your eyes out in the last 5 episodes. All of the SoL elements the show creates for 40 episodes straight all pay off magnificentely and create a dagger that stabs you right in your heart, with love, of course. Overall, the entire show was a 6/10 and then the last 5 episodes singlehandedly brought it to a 7.5.

Now let's talk about the characters. We follow Akari, Alice and Aika as they pursue the position of Prima Undine. They do so in their own style and it's a joy to watch them be on screen. The dynamic they share is really something special and without them, this show would be nothing. Of course you have the already Prima's: Alicia, Akira and Athena as the teachers of the 3, representing the contrast of what the younger 3 will become. The show really just sat down and let these characters do their thing and let it run with them, and I really don't think anyone is bothered with that. Just sit down, relax, and let these girls take you on a trip you can chill to.

Overall, I really do think (after the ending) that this show had a clear beginning, middle and end. It was tied up perfectly and should be left to rest (I know there's a sequel movie but I'm not going to bother). If you want something that will keep you on the edge of your seat, dying to see what happens next, go watch something else. However, if you want that seat to turn into a blanket and pillow as you chill out to some SoL, try a few episodes why don't you.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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