Aria the Origination (2008– ) User Reviews

Aria is the BEST slice-of-life Anime ever made

[TwiZone · 10/10 · 18 April 2021]

First of all, make sure you watch Aria The Animation and The Natural in that order first before watching The Origination.

Anyway, The Origination is the culmination of this series and oh boy, what a beautiful way it is to conclude this perfect SOL Anime!

Why do I love it so much? The character development and interactions are great, the soundtrack is serene and memorable, the city of Neo-Venezia and Aqua is my all-time favourite setting in Anime, the atmosphere and emotional moments are impeccably executed, the storyline is very engaging, the overall feeling you get when watching it makes you feel so good and warm inside and overall, no other Anime has made me feel like I was transported to another world as much as this one did.

It's one of my top 5 favourite Anime and it definitely gets a 10/10 for me.

A fine third instalment in this gentle series

[Tweekums · 10/10 · 9 October 2015]

This, the third season of 'Aria' takes us back to the city of Neo-Venezia on the planet Aqua where the young trainee gondoliers Akari, Aika and Alice continue the training that will ultimately lead to them becoming primas… fully qualified gondoliers. Along the way they meet various customers, explore parts of the city they haven't seen before and learn more about their work. When one of them is promoted they have to come to terms with the fact that they won't be practising together for much longer and the one who was promoted has to deal with working alone and not being with her friends. As the series and they attain their goals they look forward to the next stage of their lives.

Anybody who has seen the previous two series will know what to expect; the stories continue at a gentle pace. Often nothing of great consequence is happening but that doesn't mean this is ever boring; the characters are likable and there are lots of amusing moments; not forced laughs with obvious gags but a more gentle humour where thinks are just naturally amusing. As the story progresses there are more emotional moments as the girls must come to terms with the fact that things don't remain the same and that the promotions they desire will mean they see less of each other. Overall though things are as upbeat as ever and the series leads to a conclusion that is just about perfect. As in the previous series the animation is really good and the backgrounds are beautiful; watching this it almost feels as if Neo-Venezia is a real place and its animated inhabitants real people. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody looking for a gentle series with nothing to offend… I would recommend watching the first two series first although it isn't absolutely essential.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.