A Soothing Tale: Aria the Animation

Synopsis

This is a tale about 15-year-old Akari Mizunashi and her beginning as a resident of Aqua, a sparkling planet covered in water which was once the planet of Mars before humans found a way to colonize it during the 24th century.

Her reason for packing her bags and heading for the planet? To become an undine, a female gondolier who navigates the canals of the Aquan city of Neo-Venezia and gives tours for tourists.

The company to which she joins is known as the Aria company, a company which aims to show tourists as many wonders of the city via gondola as possible. As she begins her training with the company she finds challenges in the path towards her dream.

The Good

The art of this series is the most memorable aspect that a viewer can find after finishing the series. This most especially applies to the rendering of the water and the variety of tones used in different scenes. The same can be said to the designs of the characters, they are simple in looks but their tones and details.

On the note of characters, they too are enjoyable parts of the series in they way that they interact with one another and how they are portrayed. Also looking at the side characters, they too have their own stories told in different episodes. Overall, the art, tone and characters of the series brings are the highest points to find in the series.

The Bad

The disappointing thing about this series is that while the art is good, there is not much to be said on the storywork of the series. Yes we are given the journey of a protagonist, however there is just about no conflict given, unless you count the brooding moments the character has on her path but it can’t necessarily cause a huge amount of drama. Another point to be said is on the dynamics of the characters, while likeable for the most part, they are also rather generic.

Simply put, as enjoyable as the art and the characters are in the series, the lack of plot/conflict and the generic dynamics of the character may be a downfall for other viewers.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a simple and soothing show with great art and likeable characters, then this is the series for you. However, one cannot expect too much from the series seeing as little to no conflict is shown and when looking at the characters as a whole they come off as rather generic and lacking in dynamic traits. So depending on a viewer’s preferences then this is a rather hit or miss work.

Rating: 7/10