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ARIA the Franchise

by Mappy » Wed Oct 10, 2007 5:15 am

First there was ARIA the ANIMATION.
Then there was ARIA the NATURAL.
Followed by ARIA the OVA: Arietta.
Now a third full tv series has been announced: ARIA the ORIGINATION.

This would make ARIA one of the longest-running series amongst the current crop of post-midnight madness. Certainly the only one still running from 2005. This show is so slow, soporific, pretty to look at, mind-numbing and, most of all, nice (so much so that any more criticism would just make me look like a thug), that it is remarkable that it has become such a franchise.
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by Last Exile » Fri Oct 12, 2007 12:02 pm

If it's pretty to look at, it sells. End of story, unfortunately. -_-
Disgusting...
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by Mappy » Fri Oct 12, 2007 11:05 pm

The setting and concept of ARIA is reasonably unique for anime.... A city sitting half-submerged on tiny islands and sandbars in the middle of a watery ocean on Mars hasn't really been used before. Kenran Butoh Sai notwithstanding. They then spend much of the series having the characters (mostly Akari) explore the city of Neo Venezia and all of its natural and supernatural elements pretty thoroughly, a bit like a tourist's guide through the eyes of a trainee gondalier. It's all so pretty that you tend to forget there really isn't any plot, or even much in the way of character conflict. Just lots of slice of lifeness, cute characters and scenery. It isn't any surprise this airs at some ungodly hour in the morning, because it really helps put one in the mood for sleeping.... 8)
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