Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Impala
You know how some shows are just… cozy? Like a warm blanket and a cup of tea on a rainy day? That’s the whole Aria series in a nutshell, but this final season is special. It’s the one where all that slow, gentle buildup finally pays off in the most satisfying way possible.
If you’ve seen the earlier seasons, you’ve basically been on a relaxing gondola ride through the beautiful, Venice-inspired city of Neo-Venezia. It’s been all about tiny moments, soft-spoken life lessons, and the kind of vibe that just makes you sigh happily. The Origination doesn’t throw that out the window—instead, it uses that foundation to tell a story about dreams actually coming true.
This is the season where the three main girls—Akari, Aika, and Alice—are staring down their final exams to become full-fledged Pri…
Read at the sourceTrMin228
When I first watched S1, I couldn’t understand why the final season of Aria was rated as high as 8.47 on MAL. I honestly thought it was an “overrated” series. But the more I watched, the more I grew attached to this world. And by the time I reached the end of season three, I finally understood why people hold it so dearly.
If season one was an invitation into the tranquil world of Neo-Venezia, then season two was a journey of growth, not only skill, but in heart. As we live long enough in that world, we begin to feel its quiet rhythm. The bonds between people deepen, and Neo-Venezia slowly becomes a true home. Season three, then, is a gentle farewell. Here, joy and sadness, parting and maturity, blend together in a strangely beautiful harmony. The city remains as poetic and serene as ever…
Read at the sourcehan044
Origination is as the name suggests: it delves deeper into the connections of this world & setup, personally the art style is a HUGE upgrade and the amount of development to witness is unparalleled, the music connects very well to the scene and syncs to emotions, as I teared up several times while I was watching this show I KID YOU NOT. This setting has a deeper connection than the previous two parts, mainly because of the character building, it was much faster than the usual pace of Aria. Aria Pokoteng also has more screen time than EVER, we are also more closely tied to akari and others far more than before.
The music is something that carries the show, it flows with the character and is an integral part of aria, previously I said that I enjoyed aria the animation because it was a slow…
Read at the sourceAngeVNs
After the slight disappointment of Aria the Natural (season 2), Aria the Origination (season 3) came back strong.
Despite the fact that the season actually starts with a few anime-original episodes (yes, I’ve read the manga in full—love this series), it sets the tone really well. The Origination, despite the goofy name, shifts the focus much more onto emotions and the inevitability of moving on in life.
More specifically, this is the season where the payoff of the character development of the main trio—Akari, Aika, and Alice—reaches its climax. And oh boy, for a so-called relaxing, chill slice of life series, these are some of the most emotional episodes I’ve seen in any anime. Not every anime needs random, shocking twists or out-of-nowhere deaths to convey real emotion.
In fact, it’s b…
Read at the sourceBrittaman12
To be honest, I still don't know how to define the genre, slife-of-life. I think it can sometimes be characterized by its more mundane qualities. Typically, the setting is somewhat average, the conflict of the story is more laid back, and the characters are also very average. There are obviously going to be other aspects, but those are typically what I think of when I think of Slice-of-life as a type of story. The Aria series definitely has most of the qualities, consequently, it has been tagged as a slice-of-life. I would also say that the Aria series is a Slice-of-life. But twice now (First with Clannad) I have watched a show with that tag and been completely blindsided by what I found.
When I began watching the Aria series, I had some good expectations. I was hoping to see a relaxing s…
Read at the sourceGravenER
This is what anime ought to be - this and other masterpieces make the medium of anime worth existing.
Miyazaki once said that anime was a mistake, and anime like Aria, K-ON, Violet Evergarden, and a few selected others are there to prove him wrong. Aria is the kind of adventure you can go back to at any point in your life and still find new meanings, feeling like you're meeting an old friend after many years apart. Said in less embarrassing terms: it gets better at every rewatch, and that is arguably rare for a SOL.
Some people might find it boring because it's not an action-packed combat shounen and doesn't have heap tons of fanservice, but there's beauty, intensity, and care in every scene, every music/soundtrack, every dialogue, every background, every interaction within this anime, a…
Read at the sourceKlegs
I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY I LIKE THIS
watching Aria was like going down a calming foggy boat ride. I was never captivated to watch episode after episode. "This show is good for me to fall asleep to" was my thought. Matter of fact it took me 1+ year to get to Origination. Yet at the same time, as the final episodes of Origination came in at the end it was as if the fog finally lifted .I realized I had been stabbed 30 times ,my body on the boat in a wreck , emotional wounds. WHY I WAS CRYING? HOW CAN A CHARACTER TAKING OFF A GLOVE MAKE ME CRY? HOW CAN ALLICIA PROMOTING MAKE ME SO SAD? WHEN DID I EMOTIONAL CARE ABOUT THESE CHARACTERS? I just don't understand when this all happened.
Emotions aside this final season focused so much on developing the characters. Understanding their flaws for what f…
Read at the sourceCerealGuy65
Ready for an epic adventure? Don’t be. Aria was a beautiful series. The animation, despite being older is beautiful. This anime also has a beautiful sound track, probably one of the best I’ve heard. This a a very relaxing anime, has great pacing, and a great setting.
The characters are well developed. You feel a bond with these characters as they go about their lives.
It’s not a high school romance or a shonen, just a heart warming story. Personally, I really enjoyed watching this anime in the morning while drinking a cup of coffee. I can’t say that about any other anime.
If you’re interested, watch it. I understand it’s not for everyone, but to those just looking for something nice to watch, this anime is the one.
Read at the sourceDoofenheimer
Wow, what an improvement. I gave Animation and Natural both 6's and now I give Origination an 8. I was very unimpressed in this anime, thinking it was just another episodic slice of life with a unique setting. And honestly, I would agree with that statement for the entire show until the last 5 episodes of Origination, where somehow everything just comes together perfectly. Think like a present that has horrible wrapping and is all beat up but has the most perfect red bow on top of it, and that was my experience with Aria. But now that I've watched the conclusion, I feel that the entire build up of those episodic slice of life episodes is why the ending was so perfect. Anywho, let's begin.
The story is easily the weakest part of this show, because it didn't really need one. Aria is a chara…
Read at the sourceDeadlyChuck314
(P.S. This is my first review, don't be too harsh on me)
In simple words, Aria is an anime series about life. I had fallen in love with Animation and Natural, and seeing that Origination had a significantly higher score and number of favorites, I assumed this was a departure from the episodic, light-hearted tales from the prior seasons. I assumed that there would be more drama, perhaps a tone shift, perhaps more elaborate themes. But I was mistaken. The tone didn't shift. Aria remained just as heart-warming and beautiful as it always was.
After completing origination, the only word I could think of to describe it was 'wonderful', after all, I had never seen anything so full of wonders as it. Origination presents a significant spike of quality within the series, in terms of both producti…
Read at the sourceDuckSenpai86
This show has quickly jumped to one of my favorites of all time, The character development, charm, character dynamic, amazing soundtrack, amazing artwork, wonderfully written story, amazing ending, and so much more makes this show a must watch. I highly recommend it to anyone who is into slice of life, or wants to get into it, you will not be disappointed with this amazing show. There is just something so special about this show that I can't explain, it feels real, I get extremely excited over the characters accomplishments, there personalities are so good it adds to the enjoyable so much, and with the amazing art and sound track harmonizing perfectly, it never leaves me bored at all, I also believe there voice acting was done extremely well. I'm not one to re-watch a lot of shows, but I k…
Read at the sourcepaintpixie
I went into this series not really knowing anything about it, not really caring for "slice of life" anime so much, but mildly interested. At first, I didn't really care about it much one way or another, I even kinda found it boring...but I found myself coming back to it day after day for those few quiet, peaceful moments that it gave me. And eventually this anime really grew on me and I started really enjoying it. I liked it more and more as the series went on, and I'm really glad that I stuck with it.
The story is rather simple, but it does have some depth to it. There is a bit of mystery surrounding the planet where the story takes place, and that made for a few fun episodes. The characters are pretty simple too, but they are all enjoyable. There aren't any characters that I found to be…
Read at the sourceMioSakomoto
Where to start it. Story i guess?
If you want some action or fast stories look somwhere else, Aria is not that. It is kind and gentle story that will slowly lead you into the magnificent Neo Venice. It is relaxing and i really can say amazing story.
Both art and sound are good, relaxing to eye and ears and that is all i will say.
Characters. There is tons of series where many even main characters were forgottable, boring, even annoying. That is not case here. Each character is unique and all of them you will remember for long. From three fairies Alicia (my personal favorite), Akira and Athena which were all different, to the main characters Akari, Aika and Alice. Each of them different, unique, loveable. You will never feel any of them boring or annoying. To the rest of the characters o…
Read at the sourceyuunjac
I was just a schoolboy when this series first came out. I recall at that time, there were so many other great series like Shuffle!, Shana, Mai-Otome and the epic Nanoha series. Still, ARIA The Animation is the one I would settle down in a calm quiet night, and let the series bring me to Neo Venezia.
Over the years, The Origination and the manga concluded. Sending me off with the mesmerizing yet a state of disbelief that all good things must come to an end. This is one of those really few anime that I would rewatch again and again.
Fast forward 16 years, today. As an adult married man. I was rejoiced to see the release of Aria the Crepuscolo. I revisited Aria The Origination again, and once again, I was blown away and tears flow down my eyes. How much nostalgia this was and how much it h…
Read at the sourcesonicflash703
The rustling wind chime signals an imminent spring breeze. A steaming cup of coffee, its fragrance a medley of caramel, citrus, and seasoned wood, suffuses Caffè Florian with the wistful aroma of a time slowly passing. Soft patches of moonlight tinge the aquamarine canal with the pale white luster of a solitary gondola, oar cutting through water to leave faint cascades.
This is ARIA's melody. Its calm does not and will not appeal to everyone, but to those of you who cherish that brief lull that comes with falling face-flat on a soft mattress after a hard day's work, doing and thinking nothing as you listen to the taps on the windowpane from the outside, there is no show I would recommend more.
Put simply, ARIA, like the cute cat that shares the same name, is a slow-creeping whimsical f…
Read at the sourcegoknarlufy
This is my personal opinion on the whole aria series including all the ova.
If you dont want to read the fullll reviewwww then i can sum it up for you in a sentence whether to watch it or not
""""""" "If you have time then start watching it right now if not then make some damn time bcz it is heart healingly awesome""""".
Aria is a show which i wanted to see but it first episodes doesn't leave a very strong impression as comparrison to similarly good shows in the same genere like mushishi and natsume, at first i was not interested to invest my time on aria
and dropped it,after dropping it i watched all type of anime and at some point aria reappear and i was very curious to why it is so popular,then i decided to give it a second chance and i am glad that i did.It was mesmerizing bewitchin…
Read at the sourceTeKSMeLater
[DISCLAIMER] As I want to get all my points across, as well as bring this show the justice it deserves, the following review is a lengthily-detailed breakdown of every factor ranging from the story to the overall experience. You may look for other reviews to find a more concise criticism of the show.
Introduction
When we usually talk about things we truly love, it becomes hard to explain why. Most people would not understand the appeal one would get from something—this is especially hard when trying to relay why your favorite book is your favorite book, or why your favorite film is your favorite film.
In cases, the often reasons for this are because one, we might sound too forceful and biased, and two, we feel that our recommendations are not doing our experiences with the said medium a…
Read at the sourceCzeroC
What makes an ideal life? That question has been wandering in my mind for a while. Is it one where I can get anything I want without being bothered by the limit of the wallet? Is it one where I can have lots of friends to party all day long and pay no heed to the daily chore and my parent’s rants? Is it one where I can lead lots of people and have their respect? Honestly, they all seem too abstract for me. I want something more tangible, something that can be achieved through a simple method yet requires a handful of effort.
When it comes to slice of life anime, many people will usually downright assume that the story is shallow or having poor pacing, .etc. While I’m not going to argue with that overstatement, Aria is not your mere slice of life show. It can indeed get super slow at some…
Read at the source-TACHYON-
In this season the anime took a rather large turn trading much of its atmosphere, which I really loved, for story but, from my perspective, in a very hurried fashion. It pretty much cast off its tranquility and mundanity, which actually defined the anime, only to show several events which although helped the story to proceed but totally lacked foreshadowing and were in too close a proximity. All this gave me several unpleasant surprises creating in me a feeling of inconsistency towards the end.
For the purposes of the story supernatural events were also omitted resulting in even bigger split between this season and the rest of the series.
What I did like, though, was the still very good use of music and the fact that the unique use of opening was still retained, perhaps even more skillf…
Read at the sourcewillingscapegoat
"The future always has a worried look on its face. So let's greet it with a smile, together." ~ Akari Mizunashi
Whenever I begin to immerse myself in a piece of fiction, especially one of considerable length, there's always a nagging doubt in the back of my mind which only becomes more pronounced as I near its conclusion: will this be worth my time? Will there be a send-off that makes me feel that all the time spent in this world, with these characters, has been worthwhile?
Judged on these terms, Aria is nothing less than a masterpiece.
I'm reminded of the age-old journey vs. destination debate. Anytime a story has a weak conclusion or--as is the case in many slice of life series--a non-conclusion, we tell ourselves that it was all about the journey. It didn't matter how it ended, beca…
Read at the source
