duchessliz

Aria is an anime with a very calming, laid-back atmosphere. It's soothing and relaxing to watch, but not something to marathon. Aria is the type of anime where you watch only two or three episodes at a time or else that calming, slow pace may come back to bite you in the ass as you will assuredly start to fidget ... wanting a faster pace. I, personally, enjoyed the slower tempo. I took my time with it and enjoyed the growing friendship between Akari, Aika, and Alice as they worked towards becoming Prima's and ultimately well known Undine's.

The plot, while episodic, was tied together by the overall main story. I enjoyed each and every episode ... from the carefree ones, to the sad ones, to the mysterious ones, to the ones that deepened the friendship between the girls, etc. The animation, while slightly outdated, was still very lovely and fit Aria admirably. The soundtrack though was absolutely gorgeous! I loved the soft, soothing, breathtakingly lovely OST. It was wonderful! The characters were very endearing! You had the bubbly, slightly clutsy Akari, the very talented but rather blunt and shy Alice who could also be sweet and was definitely adorable, and the upfront, somewhat abrasive, incredibly lively Aika. There were also the Presidents of each company; Presidents Aria, Hime, and Maa whose added warmth and comedy never failed to make me smile. Alicia, Akira, and Athena were the girls wonderful teachers who each had a different style of teaching. Alicia had a very sweet and calming personality and tended to just go with the flow of what was happening around her. Akira was very hands on, strict, brash, and slightly abrasive ... but her heart was in the right place and really only wanted what was best for the girls. Athena was a bit of an airhead who did everything at her own pace, but she had a sweet personality and an incredible singing voice ... the voice of an angel, really. All in all, a wonderful cast of characters.

Overall, I had a great time watching Aria. While the slow pace makes it an anime that wouldn't suit everyone ... I, personally, found it suited my taste rather well.