Forum - View topicREVIEW: Aria The Natural Sub.DVD Part 1
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here-and-faraway
 Posts: 1529 Location: Sunny California |
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Couldn't agree with you more. Your review did such a great job of pinning down the reasons why I love this show so much. |
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icepick314
 Posts: 486 Location: Back in the Good Ol' US of A |
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for some reason, i love the graphic novels but the anime is sometimes hard to watch....
do NOT watch the series in marathon session...instead watch one episode every other day.... i made a mistake of watching first season in one sitting and by the end, i wanted those dammed gondolas sunk by cannon fires from a pirate ship... |
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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That's not the anime. That's just you. - abunai |
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Gewürtztraminer
 Posts: 1028 Location: Texas - Its like whole other country. |
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The most importent characters in this series are not the three trainees, but rather the city of Neo-Venezia and the planet Aqua.
Despite the extremely laid back presentation that requires you to kick all of your cynicism to the curb, it holds up excellently under repeated viewings due to the strength of the two characters mentioned above. I can see how it is not for some people, but for me it is magic. This is why I watch anime. |
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SongstressCela
 Posts: 615 Location: Pennsylvania |
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I really like the Aria manga, and the whole style in general...Really would like to pick this up knowing it's good too. =\
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Quark
 Posts: 710 Location: British Columbia, Canada |
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My boyfriend refers to this series as 'Waking Coma' and his friend constantly asks me what the point is in watching a show where nothing happens.
The point for me, is that Aria is incredibly cute, and relaxing, and well, it makes a person happy to watch it. That and I absolutely LOVE President Aria. Not only that, but after having watched about five minutes of the show, I had this longing to live in Neo-Venezia. No other anime has given me that feeling. But I have to agree with one of the other posters, a person really can't watch too much of this show in one sitting. For me, this show is like a little buffer in between the shows that I am devoting full attention to. If I get sick of the show that I'm currently watching, I'll watch an episode or two of Aria. |
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abunai
Old Regular
Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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You haven't seen the two OVAs based off Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, then? I can see wanting to live in Neo-Venezia, but what I really want is a cup of coffee at Café Alpha. - abunai |
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SongstressCela
Posts: 615 Location: Pennsylvania |
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Truth! I would kill to see YKK licensed, either the manga or the animation.  It is so good. u_u
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Furudanuki
 Posts: 1874 |
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Then you got the point Junichi Sato was aiming for.  In the director interviews he repeatedly refers to the series as a "healing anime" - designed to soothe and relax the viewer after a brutal day at work or school; to let them visit a beautiful and peaceful world if only for a little while.
Tell him that if he ever does it again you are going to make him cosplay as President Aria for your birthday. 
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TheBigN
 Posts: 62 Location: Somewhere in DC |
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True that. Though I could see Akari traveling to the café and having a great time with Alpha there. 
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commieneko
Posts: 2 |
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It's a crime that neither the manga or anime of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou are licensed. (I read the manga online and then hunted down the Japanese editions at Sasuga Books.) Why has Aria been licensed and not Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou? It's a mystery...
I find that Aria works best of I watch an episode every week or so. The narrative impact is pretty minimal, which is the whole point of the series. In a lot of ways I consider Aria to be Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou lite
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kadian1364
 Posts: 60 Location: Indiana |
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After a day's usual stresses of school and part-time work, right before I head to bed, I take a warm shower, prepare a mug of hot cocoa, and I watch an episode of Aria. It has become my nightly routine, one where the anime's slow, hypnotic pacing is a welcome retreat from the grind and pell-mell activity of the day. It really is magical healing, centering my emotional balance, and being neither too demanding nor too obnoxious. I think there are right and wrong ways to watch some anime series, and I recommend to anyone who seeks the peaceful moments, soft palettes, and soothing melodies of Aria to savor the experience, little by little. I guarantee you'll enjoy it so much more. |
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tankerboy
 Posts: 81 Location: Chicago |
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I truly grateful the point was made about Neo-Venezia and Aqua. The girls are important, yes, but the city and the planet in The Natural and how they affect Akari (and us by extension) is what makes this really special.
The Natural is even more interactive than The Animation you are forced to invest yourself in order to catch the nuances in art, music and story. To say "nothing happens" in Aria is basically admitting that you don't know how to pay attention. |
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divinemango
Posts: 19 |
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While I'm also angry that ykk has not yet been licensed and the two have some things in common, Aria and YKK are simply too different to consider Aria a "YKK lite". Aria never evoked that feeling of deep nostalgia for an era at its end, while YKK never delivered those heartwarming moments in a world filled with countless wonders in Aria. YKK makes you think about the human race as a whole (the characters are just there to represent them, and Alpha is an observer), while in Aria you're probably more concerned about Akari and the people she knows. In Aria, people are happy because the world's already a utopia, while in YKK, people are happy because they have already accepted their fate... |
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capt_cardor
Posts: 14 |
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If you consider "Aria" from an Asian perspective, two things become clear. One is that "Aria" is a visual Haiku. It is carefully structured and invites the listener/viewer to think about its deeper meanings, rather than hand them to you by means of narrative.
Two is that in Taoism, "by doing nothing, nothing will not be done". The lack of vigorous action in "Aria" allows the viewer to focus on the things that really matter. Aqua is a world made by people that is at once beautiful and functional. It is a visual statement that people can create beauty, without the current horrors of our sadly sick environment. It is an affirmation of people's essential goodness. I find this very comforting at a time when it is easy to become very cynical about humanity's ability to survive its own greed and ignorance. Sigh!javascript:emoticon('  ')
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