As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I typically let new anime episodes pile up over time, only to plow through them all at once when the opportunity arises. Or, I try, at least. In reality, if the pile is big enough, there’s no getting through it all in one sitting. When marathoning a single show, I often get so wrapped up in the story that taking a break is the least of my worries. But, when watching single episodes from an assortment of shows, it’s easy to get distracted.
So, rather than save the best for last, I prefer to get to it first - which raises the question, “What show is currently batting lead-off?” Haruhi? Nana? Ouran? School Rumble?
Aria?
Absolutely. It’s the show everyone seems to like, but no one likes to talk about - myself included. Why? I don’t have the answer, really. And as for why I love the show so much… well, I don’t have the answer for that, either. But I know it’s something special, and the fact that I always seem to watch it first isn’t particularly surprising now that I’ve realized it.
Aria is a fascinating show, however, in that it doesn’t appear to aspire to greatness. The animation is noticeably low budget for this day and age, for example. But does it matter? Not to me. Sure, I look at Amano Kozue’s amazing artwork for the original manga, and think, “Hot damn, I’d like to see that animated!”. But, then, I look at HAL Film Maker’s approach to the TV series and think, “You know, this looks pretty nice, too.”
In fact, I sometimes wonder if the simple, low-key animation of the TV series is more fitting, given the equally simple and low-key nature of the Aria universe and the stories it has to share. Had Aria gotten, say, the KyoAni treatment, would it still be Aria? And, had the studio gone all out from the very beginning and blown its budget animating every last strand of Akari’s hair floating in the Neo-Venezian breeze, would we be able to enjoy a second season of the show today? Conservative budgets aren’t always a bad thing, you know.
Consider You’re Under Arrest - and, by the way, those of you playing the “When will Jeff mention You’re Under Arrest?” drinking game can throw the whole bottle down now. The first four You’re Under Arrest OAV episodes are really something animation-wise. That’s something most people who have seen the show can agree on, I think. But the TV series? Um…
Granted, it’s not all that bad, especially for a show of late ’90s vintage, but compared to those few amazing OAV episodes, it’s quite a change. The animation remains consistent, however. Or, to be more specific, it improves somewhat as the show progresses. The important thing, however, is that it never gets worse. And, 47 episodes later, that initial shift in animation quality is a distant memory.
Now, what if you were presented with the following choice: 13 episodes of You’re Under Arrest animated at OAV quality, or 47 episodes of You’re Under Arrest at TV quality… with a 26 episode second season chaser. What would you choose?
What of Aria? 13 episodes of “ZOMG! THE HAIR!” or 39 episodes of “Hey, this looks kind of nice, too,”… with the distinct possibility of more to come?
Like I said before, “They could produce five seasons of ARIA, and I’d watch to the very end.”
So, I think you know where I stand.
Of all the new series of shows out now, only ARIA is remaining on my harddrive, or until it ever gets an R1 license. Like you, I simply adore this show, which for me, has a surprisingly high replay value.
To be honest, I believe that the animation quality doesn’t really matter all that much if the story is good. And Aria is one of those series with a really great story.
You know, I was just thinking that Aria is the series that turned me on to the slice-of-life genre.
Aria is great, but I usually let it pileup between 3-4 episodes, because it’s just so relaxing and “boring” I usually feel refreshed while watching it. The animation doesn’t have to be like ZOMG HAIR!!!111, but it just sets the mood..
:>
Aria is most certainly my favourite show airing now, and I’m sad that there are only 5 episodes (subbed) left for me to see.
And I think this animation style fits the show pretty well, it’s nice and clean, and doesn’t need extra precision or CG. It’s perfect as it is.
Yes! Aria is a delicious series that deserves much more than it seems to get in the attention category. The series is almost a direct port of the manga, with only little tidbits tossed in, but I’d feel very wrong for not watching it. I’m so glad they gave it a second season, it deserved it.
Five seasons wouldn’t be enough yet. Aria is one of those shows that I fell in love at first sight. Lack of attention you said really made me to blog whole sequel. Even if it’s just showing Akari screenshots as many as possible I had to do it, solely because no one else isn’t doing it.
I don’t want to think what happen when Aria end. It’s already on my weekly schelude and something is missing if I don’t get usual rowing fix. Maybe I should continue watching old ones weekly…
Think Sexy Commando. Low budget animation doesn’t kill a show.
ARIA is for relaxation and recharging your batteries. My son likes it. This show is proof that the biggest reason for success of any TV series is the preparation you do with your hand and your choice of word processor.
I’m probably more inclined to love ARIA too, because of my personal adoration of Venice. That said, I am very glad to have discovered ARIA.
for alerting me to the fact that i have another 15 episodes of ARIA to look forward, not merely five as i thought, you’ve got my undying gratitude. i’m with you fully on the ‘what’s the first one you watch’: ARIA is just so sweet that it trumps everything, inculding Suzumiya, as the first thing in my DVD drive the evening i’ve leeched it.
as for why it’s not blogged as much as other shows: there’s just not much to say. the stregnth of ARIA is that nothing happens in Neo-Venezia. sure, i wouldn’t mind posts full of screenshots of the moe-rrific cast and the H!P-style fan-service (ie, fan-service angles and poses, but fully clothed), but there’s not a lot of plot to discuss or speculate upon - but that’s not a criticism. it’s a sweet, gentle, charming series that plays to it’s strengths and knows - as yuo opint out - it’s limitations.
and i also agree with you re: YUA OAVs. that four season mini-series is *still* one of the best anime ever made.
I thought what you might consider “low-budget” was rather a choice of style than a lack of money. The background art is very consistent and beautiful. The virtually non-existence of any other people looks a bit odd on first sight. Although this certainly adds to the calm and relaxing atmosphere. Also in South-Europe and other parts with similar climate it’s not unusual to see hardly any one outside around noon because it’s just too hot for working.
Anyway, what I really dislike about Aria is the super-deformed mode. In my opinion, those look really low-budget - I don’t have a problem with SD if well-done and appropriate - and I think it clashes horribly with the rest of the art and animation. Oh and the cats. Well you can get used to it but I believe any other kind of cat would have been better.
I don’t know. My son and I like those SD mode as well. It really accentuate the character’s personalities.
I think Aria fandom is kind of an apple-jacks situation. The story isn’t really good, the art isn’t really good, the animation quality isn’t really notable. Granted there arne’t much that stands to be criticized either, which is probably the only really good thing.
Ok I lied; the design and attention to that is probably the only other good thing. The cat-kingdom episode was a good example; when Aika navigated through the crannies with her foot, that was cool. It looked rather crappy on a cap, but it was a smart shot.
But back to Apple Jacks–Aria is just that “kind of thing” which caters to some of us. It’s not good, but it has its own flavor. We like it.
I love Aria just as much as the next guy, but I think sometimes it’s a good thing when there’s nothing to talk about. I think part of it is that the more I think about Aria, the crappier it gets :)
Haha, I like the SD-mode actually. :) I find it cute. Also, as far as I am aware, the SD-mode is lifted from the manga, so it has less to do with budget, than it is a style from ARIA.
Aww… Apple Jacks is my favourite cereal. Not joking here. I was very sad when they stopped selling it in my country. :(
While ARIA’s animation is not mind-blowingly out-of-this-world( BUT I do still consider it beautiful, VERY beautiful), it is VERY consistent. I have yet to twitch an eyebrow over this issue. ARIA is not about… glamour, or showing off. It would run against the spirit of the show. Also, like Seinfield, although it has been described as a series about nothing, it is in fact, not about nothing.
Eh… I find it hard to find the right words, but everytime I watch an episode of ARIA, I come away with something. I feel… contended.
Cheers.
Someone dare to criticise SD-mode!?! Okay, okay… I can understand that not everyone like it. For me it’s major source of awesome comedy and fairly critical for whole show too.
I don’t have problems to like President Aria, but those episode that concentrate more on cats (ep7 for example) tend to be bit decent (on Aria-scale).
I love SD mode in any comedy. I also think that the three primas (Allicia, Akira and Athena) are far more interesting than the three trainees. They should get more screentime. Athena in particular deserves her own show. Any episode that features her is guaranteed to be awesome.
Aria’s music is great and very appropriate for the setting. Somebody took great pain to get all the music right and for the singers to perform well. I do wish I could hear some real Italian songs from Athena as I believe the voice actor can handle other songs quite competently. She lists Piano as her skills & abilities, and I know many piano majors who are also good singers.