Snow, apparently.
I’m sure you’ve heard the news by now, but Aria has been licensed for North American release. For some reason, I’m not surprised. Right Stuf has gotten into the habit of licensing a lot of my favorite shows.
What’s interesting, however, is that the distributor held off on making their licensing announcement until a month after the show’s final season finished airing in Japan. I can’t help but wonder if they’re acknowledging the fact that many, if not most, of their buyers have been following the series in fansub format over the years, and would have been disappointed in a licensing announcement immediately prior to the series actually ending. It could just be a coincidence, of course, but the timing sure is suspicious.
Anyway, Aria is one of those rare shows that I’m always in the mood to watch an episode (or sixteen) of, so you can bet I’m looking forward to owning it on DVD. And I know I’m not alone. There’s an Aria fan born every minute, after all.
You know, it never really occurred to me until now, but the cast of Aria is young. They’re all teenagers, if not a few years past twenty by the end of the series. The funny thing is, with the exception of Alice, whose great talent despite her young age is an ongoing plot point, the series doesn’t make much fuss about the age of its characters. Without the appropriate background, one could just as well assume that Akari and Aika are both several years older than they actually are.
Even more surprising is the fact that the Water Fairies are just as young. This, despite being the premier Undines in Neo-Venezia and mentors to three girls only a few years their junior. We know from Grandma’s long career that Undines aren’t exactly the Martian tourist trade’s version of the Japanese office lady, keeping busy until they can find a man to marry. But I can’t think of a single instance in the entire series where we meet an Undine who is clearly over the age of twenty-five. I guess they all moved up to middle management.
Of course, this is par for the course when it comes to anime. Even anime series that address the lives of adults, such as Patlabor and You’re Under Arrest, are stocked with characters younger than myself. And many of their viewers. An appeal to nostalgia is fine, too… I guess.
Now get your giant robot off my damn lawn, you little punk.
Like a lot of anime fans, I keep a list of my all time favorite anime series. It’s only on rare occasion that I add a show to the list. And it’s a pretty exclusive grouping. Even though I enjoy most of the shows I watch, getting a spot on that list is no easy task.
For years, I’ve broken the list into two parts: Favorites, and Other Favorites. In other words, “the shows I’ll love until the day I die,” and, “the shows I’ll love until… the day before.” The former list is essentially static, frozen in time and fixed at three entries. I like it that way. Those shows will never be challenged. And three is a nice, clean number, don’t you think?
Lately, however, I’ve been thinking something is missing from that list. There’s a certain show in the “Other Favorites” list that deserves a promotion. And even though I like my existing list of three, I don’t like not having that particular show included. So, four shows it shall be.
Congratulations, Aria. You’re a Prima now.
I’ve been using this image as my desktop wallpaper for a week or so now, and every time I look at it, I’m reminded of how attractive the Aria character designs are. Like many female artists, Amano Kozue really knows how to draw beautiful women. Funny how that works.
And since I can never pass up an opportunity to talk about Aria, let me say this: the third season is incredible. While there’s no such thing as a “bad” episode of Aria, there were episodes in the first and second seasons that were especially memorable and a cut above the rest. So far, the third season has been nothing but episodes of that quality. The fourth episode alone is one of the best of the entire franchise, if you ask me.
I’m also happy to see Hal Film Maker pouring a lot of sweat and tears into the production. Aria has always been a pretty show, but as I’ve mentioned in the past, the animation has never been particularly extravagant. That changed somewhat with last year’s OAV, however, and continues now with the third season. It’s not flashy, but it looks great. There’s some sparkle and polish that was never there before.
It’s a shame Amano Kozue will soon be putting Aria to rest, but I’m sure I’ll be rewatching the anime series for years and years to come. Next time you hear someone say, “there’s nothing good coming out of Japan anymore,” tell ‘em to put a sock in it.
In the middle of a root canal yesterday, a thought occurred to me: I’m just as guilty as anyone else in describing shows like Aria, Maria-sama ga Miteru and Hidamari Sketch as having “limited appeal”, and yet, these shows keep getting multiple seasons. Meanwhile, a lot of seemingly popular shows get one season and nothing more.
I’d be curious to know what the story is behind this. Is it because these sorts of show often cater to a core group of dedicated fans, whereas most everything else is left to fight over a bunch of fans who couldn’t care less what they’re watching from one season to the next? Perhaps there are lucrative merchandising tie-ins at work? I know the Aria manga has long been a hot seller in Japan. Same with the Marimite novels. No idea about Hidamari Sketch.
Of course, these titles most likely appeal to mainstream, non-otaku audiences with a lot of yen to spend. Perhaps it just highlights how difficult it is to gauge what’s truly popular in the world of anime and manga from the inside looking out. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the trivialities of the subculture that you forget there are millions of “normal” people out there who dig this stuff, too.
As for why this all came to mind while a guy shoved metal files up my tooth, all I can say is that I had to keep myself entertained somehow.
You know, as much as I love both Nino and Makino Yui’s work on Aria, I’m glad they tapped Arai Akino for the ED this time around, because she sounds absolutely incredible. What a great song.
By the way, has anyone else noticed that Ai sounds a bit older in her replies to Akari at the end of each episode? I wonder if that’s intentional…
Yes, you can has third season.
