In the early 24th century, Mars has been terraformed by mankind into a sparkling planet covered in water. Akari Mizunashi, at the age of 15, has left everything behind to travel to that reborn world, now known as Aqua. Mor... more »e 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? Contains the complete 13-episode first season. DVD Features: Scene access, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo audio for Japanese dialogue, English subtitles and English on-screen translations. PLUS: More features to be announced.« less
Slowburn and boring with a pokemon style character in it.
Movie Reviews
It's not shoujo, lol...
Nat | 01/03/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This Solomon Amazon reviewer is an idiot. First off, Aria is not a shoujo series. I can't say exactly what it is... it's not exactly seinen, but it is most definitely not shoujo. (I've read/watched hundreds of shoujo manga/anime... I know shoujo when I see it) This guy name-throws in Azumanga Daioh (is it the one other anime he's seen?) even though it has absolutely nothing in common with Aria. Azumanga isn't even slice-of-life. Yes, there is a genre name for this kind of show. It's "slice-of-life." There is no overarching plot or intense drama. It's a subtler form of escapism, and it's only boring for "older viewers" with zero attention span and no appreciation for this kind of anime. This isn't really a kids anime, either. I'd think most kids would be bored to death by Aria. Like Kokoro Toshokan (another slice-of-life anime--not as good as Aria, but worth a look nonetheless), it takes you to a very romanticized version of the world, and eases you into its pace for a while.
That said, I was not so -very- impressed when watching the first season for the first time. I thought it merely a fairly good show. It was during the second season that I really fell in love with Neo-Venezia and its characters. By the third season it was one of my favorite anime of all time.
"
Calm, Peaceful and Lovely...
Alanna Evans | 10/27/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"ARIA is a beautifully crafted piece of anime, brought to life by Junichi Sato (Sailor Moon, Kaliedo Star and others). His optimistic characters shine through and this "slice of life" series about gondoliers on a foreign idyllic water planet called Aqua has life and substance. The stories are as light as air, and deal with three girls and their mentors as they train their hardest and most earnestly to become Prima Undines, gondaliers who scull boats through the water canals of a Neo-Venice.
The color and art design are breathtaking, water lapping, gorgeous blues and golds washing the screen to give a cool, soft feel. There are the typical episodes, such as the one where the girls go on a mission to train, but the training turns out to be different than they expect. A cat goes missing. There's a trip back into time to see the past in the present's eyes. There is the hot springs episode, the holiday episode... but its all well done and has a calm, uplifting feel to it all.
Those who enjoyed series such as Haibane Remnei, Somedays Dreamers and other slow moving, slice of life series will find themselves right at home here. It's calming, beautiful to watch and has a charming sense to it too.
All 13 episodes are represented from the first season/series. Japanese language with English subtitles (there is NO dub). An array of bonus features populate the four discs, including one that shows clips of the director in Venice (with commentary) by Sato, which is quite entertaining."
Wonderful Anime
Christopher W. Toledo | Chicago, IL United States | 09/11/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Cheerful but not too sappy. In fact one character yells at another one for sappy lines. The guidebook they provide gives background information for people who did not read the manga and is a fun read also."
Relaxing
Doug | Seattle | 05/29/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It is nice to watch an anime without attacking aliens or evil syndicates [Haruhi]; this anime ponders those quiet "wonderful" moments in life. This can easily be mistaken as 'escapism' but maybe the more "sensational" anime are the ones that should carry that label. Breath ...relax ...enjoy."
Relaxing on a gondola in Neo-Venezia
lain4ever | Los Angeles, CA | 04/10/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Aria" is one of those series that drifts along without much of a plotline, but it's so beautiful that it doesn't need one.
The main story focuses on Akari Mizunashi, who is training to become an Undine, a professional gondolier and tour guide for Aqua. She works for the Aria gondola company in Neo-Venezia. However, she spends most of her time chatting and relaxing with her friends, the hard-working Aika and the shy, reserved high school student Alice.
However, Aqua itself is one of the most scenic planets, due to the wide expanse of water surrounding the entire planet. Believe or not, the planet actually becomes a character in this series, with plenty of mysterious spirits.
Because of the gorgeous backgrounds, the detailed character designs and the incredible voice actors, "Aria" is a masterpiece of art--it's the most wonderful oceanic utopia in an anime.
And Akari, her friends and her mentors make for excellent characters. One especially touching episode centers on the three gondolier mentors telling Akari, Aika and Alice how they became close friends when they were young. It's a nostalgic and impressive character analysis of the laid back gondolier Alicia, the perfectionist Alicia and the clumsy diva Athena.
With a lovable cast of characters and one of the most relaxing landscapes, it's no surprise that "Aria" is one of the best anime of 2008. I look forward to watching season two of "Aria" as well.
The season set is packed with great special features as well, such as interviews with the Japanese voice actors, clean opening and ending sequences and a special set of episodes called "Venice, I'm sorry!" These episodes document director Sato's trip to Venice, and how he integrated these shots into the anime. Also keep in mind that there are no dubs--the entire series is in Japanese."