| ARIA the ANIMATION (Episodes 1-2) |
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| Tuesday, 20 March 2007 | |
 Slice-of-life shows. High-speed pacing has never really been a feature of them, but ARIA the ANIMATION (all those capital letters are the official spelling, and who am I to argue) takes the artform to a new level, with a show that seems designed for insomniacs. That's not a criticism, though, as ARIA definitely has that 'must watch' factor that so many shows are missing. I wonder if I can get my 10-month-old to watch it...1 - That Wonderful Miracle Welcome to New Venezia, a recreation of old Venice on the watery planet of Aqua (previously known as Mars, until it was terraformed). Like its Earth-bound namesake, New Venezia is a tourist mecca, and amongst others the Aria Company is there to meet their needs. Enter Akari Mizunashi, trainee undine (professional gondolier). One day, while out practising her rowing skills, Akari picks herself up a free-rider - young girl Ai, just arrived from Man-Home (Earth to you and me) and wanting to experience what it's like to be in a gondola. Even if she has to blackmail a rookie to get the chance...   2 - On That Special Day Akari wakes up to find Aria's offices flooded - seems New Venezia suffers from Aqua Alta every so often, just like the original. Not a disaster, then - just an inconvenience of life in the city, and an excuse for Akari to take the day off. With waterproof boots on she heads out to see what the city looks like underwater, with President Aria (the company's cat) in tow. While out, though, the President sees an aristocratic cat that catches his eye - the president of Himeya, Aika's company, so Akari stops past to say hello. However a run-in with her trainer, Akira, soon leads Aika to start looking for a new employer...   What is it with slow shows and girls called 'Akari'? First To Heart, now this. ARIA's Akari seems a much more rounded character, though, and is equally cute. She's originally from Earth (this Man-Home business just doesn't sound right to me - sorry) and has come to New Venezia to become an undine - although since her trainer Alicia is in such high demand you have to wonder if it'll ever actually happen. Also introduced so far are Alicia herself, and their counterparts at Himeya, a rival undine company, Akira and Aika (yes, all the names begin with 'A'), and the feline mascots / company presidents, Aria and Hime. What to expect, then. This is 'day in the life' stuff in every sense of the word - both episodes just take a fairly typical day in the girls' lives, and play it out. They work, they play, they usually meet people who may or may not have a story to tell, and then the day and episode end. Rinse, repeat. What stops this from becoming as boring as hell? Ask me later when I've worked it out. A few pointers, though. The setting is superb - having been to Venice myself a few times, New Venezia as depicted here is a damn good facsimilie, just without the huge crowds, dirty water and dubious smells. The atmosphere around the show brings back memories of your favourite lazy holiday, while the sun always shines - and that brings a smile to your face from just seeing it. The characters are all slightly dysfunctional - their lives may be normal, but they're not, quite - and that brings a certain amount of humour into most situations that just stops the laid-back feel from completely taking over and adds to the interest. Past that, there's not much I can say. ARIA is a genuine feel-good show, with no higher purpose than that. Its appeal will be limited - if you're looking for any sort of action at all, you won't find it here, but for relaxation it's truly hard to beat. |
