{"id":2171,"date":"2008-12-28T15:01:27","date_gmt":"2008-12-28T20:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/?p=2171"},"modified":"2008-12-28T15:01:27","modified_gmt":"2008-12-28T20:01:27","slug":"aria-the-animation-anime-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/2008\/12\/28\/aria-the-animation-anime-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Aria the Animation&#8211;Anime Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/image\/stars\/35o5.gif\" alt=\"3.5 Stars\" \/><br \/>\nThis is not the show to watch if you are looking for searing drama, tearful heartbreak or gut-clenching action. It&#8217;s more like the ultimate feel-good show, a cheerful vision of a future world in which people are nice to each other and nothing really bad happens to anyone. I don&#8217;t think I could stand to marathon this series, but I find that an occasional episode is a good way to regain my emotional equilibrium after watching something like <a href=\"\/fun\/2008\/11\/23\/neon-genesis-evangelion-anime-review\/\">Neon Genesis Evangelion<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This is another example of Nozomi Entertainment&#8217;s publishing strategy: find a quality show that has languished unlicensed for several years; license it cheaply and release it without a dub as an inexpensive DVD box set.<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ItemList\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Original Title<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\"><em>ARIA<\/em><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Genres<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Science Fiction, Comedy, Slice of Life<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Languages<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Japanese with subtitles<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Demographic<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Shounen<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Contents<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">13 Episodes on 4 DVDs (1 box set)<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Based on<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">A <a href=\"\/fun\/terms-used-in-anime-reviews#manga\">manga<\/a> by Kozue Amano<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Director<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Jun&#8217;ichi Satou<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Series Composition<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Jun&#8217;ichi Satou<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Character Design<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Makoto Koga<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Art Director<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Junichirou Nishikawa<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Chief Animation Director<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Makoto Koga<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Animation Studio<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Hal Film Maker<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Broadcast<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">TXN 2005<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Region 1 Publisher<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Nozomi Entertainment<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Parental Advisory<\/h3>\n<p>There is absolutely nothing here that is likely to frighten a child or offend a parent.<\/p>\n<p>I am generally not a fan of English dubs, but it this case it is rather unfortunate that one is not provided. Unlike the vast majority of animes published in America, this one would be suitable for children who are too young to read the subtitles. (They might not understand everything but they could still enjoy it.) Without a dub they are out of luck.<\/p>\n<h3>Premise and Characters<\/h3>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/aqua.png\" alt=\"Aqua\" title=\"Aqua\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2225\" \/>Several centuries from now humans have succeeded in terraforming Mars (changing it into an Earth-like planet.) For reasons that are not clear to me they decided to flood the place and change its name to <strong>Aqua<\/strong>. Ninety percent of the planet&#8217;s surface is now covered by water.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\nEarth is now called <strong>Manhome<\/strong>. We aren&#8217;t told much about conditions on Earth. <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/manhome.png\" alt=\"Manhome\" title=\"Manhome\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2232\" \/> Some casual remarks suggest that it is fairly polluted, but it is obviously rich enough that its inhabitants can take a vacation on Mars at least as easily as a present-day American can take a European vacation. Indeed, tourism from Manhome seems to be one of the mainstays of Aqua&#8217;s economy.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/neovenezia.png\" alt=\"Neo Venezia\" title=\"Neo Venezia\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2234\" \/>The main tourist destination on Aqua is the city of <strong>Neo Venezia<\/strong> which was built as a recreation of twentieth century Venice.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/potatostand2.png\" alt=\"Potato Stand\" title=\"Potato Stand\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2237\" \/>Oddly, the inhabitants of Neo Venezia seem to be predominantly Japanese. Or maybe that isn&#8217;t so odd. If the real Venice were to sink into the mud, who would be more likely to create a replica as a tourist destination? It would be just like the real thing, except cleaner.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\nThe people of Neo Venezia seem happy to live a primitive early-twentieth-century lifestyle.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/telephone.png\" alt=\"Primitive Telephone\" title=\"Primitive Telephone\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2242\" \/> Of course this is mostly an illusion, since they control technology that is vastly more advanced than ours. To these people, having one&#8217;s house inundated in a flood is merely an interesting diversion.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/ukijima2.png\" alt=\"Ukijima\" title=\"Ukijima\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2243\" \/><strong>Ukijima<\/strong>, the floating island, hovers in the sky over Neo Venezia. It contains the climate-control machinery that keeps the planet at an Earth-like temperature.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/undines.png\" alt=\"Undines\" title=\"Undines\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2245\" \/>Among the most popular attractions of Neo Venezia are the <strong>Undines<\/strong>, female gondoliers who serve as tour guides and entertainers.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<strong>Akari Mizunashi<\/strong>, the main character of the story, came to Aqua from Manhome hoping to become an Undine.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/akari.png\" alt=\"Akari\" title=\"Akari\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2220\" \/> She was lucky enough to get a trainee position with the <strong>Aria Company<\/strong>, the smallest of the city&#8217;s three gondola companies. At the beginning of the story she has been on Aqua for almost a year and has advanced to the level of &#8220;Single&#8221;.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\nIn the apprentice system used for Undines rank beginners are called &#8220;Pairs&#8221; and wear gloves on both hands.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/pair.png\" alt=\"Pair\" title=\"Pair\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2235\" \/> More advanced students are called &#8220;Singles&#8221; and wear one glove. Fully-qualified gondoliers are called &#8220;Primas&#8221; and work bare-handed. Only Primas are allowed to carry paying passengers by themselves.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/akari2.png\" alt=\"Akari\" title=\"Akari\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2218\" \/>Akari is a cheerful and somewhat naive girl. She is constantly gushing about the beauty of the planet. She finds it more awe-inspiring than the natives, who naturally tend to take it for granted.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\nShe is also sensitive to something else: the spirits of the pioneers who began the arduous task of terraforming Mars 150 years ago.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/pioneers.png\" alt=\"Pioneers\" title=\"Pioneers\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2236\" \/> These spirits seem to act as benevolent guardians, demanding nothing except perhaps some reassurance that their dream of creating a better, happier world was fulfilled.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/alicia.png\" alt=\"Alicia\" title=\"Alicia\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2224\" \/><strong>Alicia Florence<\/strong> is the Aria Company&#8217;s only Prima. She is one of the &#8220;Three Water Fairies&#8221;, the most popular Undines in the city. Clients love her bright smile and cheerful personality. She is always calm and unflappable.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\nTradition requires that all gondola companies be led by a blue-eyed cat. (Cats are very important on Aqua.)<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/presidentaria.png\" alt=\"President Aria\" title=\"President Aria\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2239\" \/> <strong>President Aria Pokoteng<\/strong> is the head of the Aria company. A strange-looking cat, probably the product of genetic engineering, he is unusually dexterous and seems to understand Japanese, though of course he doesn&#8217;t speak it. His duties include eating, sleeping and getting into things.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/ai.png\" alt=\"Ai\" title=\"Ai\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2216\" \/><strong>Ai<\/strong> is a young girl from Manhome who is not enjoying her family vacation on Aqua. In the first episode she tries to stow away in Akari&#8217;s gondola. They become good friends and spend the rest of the series corresponding.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/aika.png\" alt=\"Aika\" title=\"Aika\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2217\" \/>Akari&#8217;s best friend <strong>Aika Granzchesta<\/strong> is a Single for the Himeya Company, a much larger organization. Aika is competitive and unsentimental, often responding to Akari&#8217;s gushing comments with &#8220;No sappy lines allowed!&#8221;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/akira1.png\" alt=\"Akira\" title=\"Akira\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2222\" \/>Aika calls her trainer <strong>Akira Ferrari<\/strong> the &#8220;Devil Instructor.&#8221; She is a demanding, no-nonsense taskmaster, but an Undine of the first rank, one of the &#8220;Three Water Fairies.&#8221; She and Alicia are long-time friends.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/alice.png\" alt=\"Alice\" title=\"Alice\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2223\" \/><strong>Alice Carroll<\/strong> <a href=\"#note_carroll\">[1]<\/a> is a new recruit at Orange Planet, the largest Gondola company. Though skillful at rowing the gondola, she needs to work on her people skills. She is shy and unusually suspicious, always expecting the worst of people in a world that is notably devoid of villains.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/athena.png\" alt=\"Athena\" title=\"Athena\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2228\" \/><strong>Athena Glory<\/strong> is Alice&#8217;s senior at Orange Planet. Though quiet and awkward, she is also considered one of the &#8220;Three Water Fairies&#8221; due to her amazing singing voice.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/akatsuki.png\" alt=\"Akatsuki\" title=\"Akatsuki\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2221\" \/><strong>Akatsuki Izumo<\/strong> is a &#8220;Salamander&#8221; who works in Ukijima maintaining the climate. He likes to hang around Aria Company, trying to get a date with Alicia. He teases Akari, calling her &#8220;Momiko&#8221; (Sideburns Girl).\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/woody.png\" alt=\"Woody\" title=\"Woody\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2215\" \/>Akari&#8217;s friend <strong>Udo &#8220;Woody&#8221; Ayanokohji<\/strong> is a &#8220;Sylph&#8221; who makes deliveries on a flying motorcycle.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/grandma.png\" alt=\"Grandma\" title=\"Grandma\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2230\" \/><strong>&#8220;Grandma&#8221;<\/strong> (<strong>Akino Ametsuchi<\/strong>) was the founder of the Aria Company. Now retired, she is still revered by all the Undines.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<\/div>\n<h3>DVD Notes<\/h3>\n<div class=\"Character\">\nDon&#8217;t skip over the opening credits. They aren&#8217;t a stock sequence; the beginning of the episode is happening behind them.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/realvenice.png\" alt=\"Director in Venice\" title=\"Director in Venice\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2241\" \/>Director Jun&#8217;ichi Satou travelled to Venice to collect background designs and find out the correct way to row a gondola. <\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/realgondolier.png\" alt=\"Gondolier\" title=\"Gondolier\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2240\" \/>He notes that today&#8217;s gondoliers are all men since the job is physically demanding and requires a lot of upper-body strength.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/12\/logrolling.png\" alt=\"Logrolling\" title=\"Logrolling\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2231\" \/>So how do the Undines do it? Has genetic engineering made women stronger without changing their appearance? Probably not, given the difficulty the girls have rowing logs. My guess is that advanced materials are used to create lightweight gondolas with reduced friction.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<\/div>\n<h3>Other Releases<\/h3>\n<p>There were three seasons of the <a href=\"\/fun\/terms-used-in-anime-reviews#anime\">anime<\/a>: <em>Aria the Animation<\/em>, <em>Aria the Natural<\/em> and <em>Aria the Origination<\/em>. Nozomi plans to release all of them as box sets. There was also an <a href=\"\/fun\/terms-used-in-anime-reviews#OVA\">OVA<\/a> called <em>Arietta<\/em> but I don&#8217;t know if there are any plans to license it.<\/p>\n<h3>Links<\/h3>\n<p>ANN Encyclopedia <a href=\"http:\/\/www.animenewsnetwork.com\/encyclopedia\/anime.php?id=5504\">entry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Wikipedia <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aria_(anime)\">entry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Notes<\/h3>\n<p><a name=\"note_carroll\">[1]<\/a> Yes, the works of Lewis Carroll are quite popular in Japan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is not the show to watch if you are looking for searing drama, tearful heartbreak or gut-clenching action. It&#8217;s more like the ultimate feel-good show, a cheerful vision of&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/2008\/12\/28\/aria-the-animation-anime-review\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[226],"class_list":["post-2171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anime","tag-aria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2171"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2258,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2171\/revisions\/2258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}