Aria the Animation

Drift peacefully into Neo Venezia, a city on the planet Aqua (formerly known as Mars). By the 24th century, humans have found a way to colonize the previously uninhabitable planet. As futuristic as that sounds, Neo Venezia is still teeming with rustic beauty; gondolas on wide canals and waterways are the main mode of transportation. The city itself is a faithful replication of Manhome's (the planet formerly known as Earth) Venice.

To make sure that residents and tourists alike get the most from Neo Venezia's many wonders, companies offering guided tours via gondola were formed, one of which is named Aria Company.

This is the workplace of Akari Mizunashi, a free spirited teenager from Manhome who is now a novice Undine (the title given to tour guides). Join Akari as she becomes intimately acquainted with other Undine, tourists, Neo Venezia's residents, and even the city itself, learning many valuable life lessons along the way, such as the wonderful truth that there are such things as manmade miracles.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Mizunashi, Akari Main

Hazuki, Erino Japanese

Carroll, Alice Main

Hirohashi, Ryou Japanese

Florence, Alicia Main

Ohara, Sayaka Japanese

Granzchesta, Aika S. Main

Saitou, Chiwa Japanese

Pokoteng, Aria Main

Nishimura, Chinami Japanese

Glory, Athena Main

Kawakami, Tomoko Japanese

Ferrari, Akira E. Main

Minagawa, Junko Japanese

Aino, Ai Supporting

Mizuhashi, Kaori Japanese

Maa Supporting

Watanabe, Akeno Japanese

Izumo, Akatsuki Supporting

Nojima, Hirofumi Japanese

Tateishi, Shigeru Producer

Uchida, Tetsuo Producer

Hyuuga, Yasutaka Producer

Ichii, Miho Assistant Producer

Reviews

Feb 16, 2026

emberreviews

Recommended

Aria the Animation is the first, and perhaps most seminal, of Junichi Satou’s multiple ventures into the iyashikei subgenre of anime, and his multiple decades of experience are on full display in how well the aesthetic of this series is realized. The architecture bearing vague hallmarks of stereotypically Venetian characteristics combined with a light blending of sci-fi trappings makes Neo Venezia one of the most memorable settings I’ve seen in animation, and the unbelievably gorgeous color design and lighting have seared its beauty into my brain in a way that feels almost fantastical. This team has mastered mood and tone down to the most minute ... degree on a visual level, with episode 11 in particular deeply moving me with its blend of welcoming art design and a warm and inviting narrative atmosphere.
Admittedly, it did take me a bit to get fully immersed in the character interactions amongst our gondola drivers-in-training, as is often the case with shows from this genre, and some of the repeated gags are less funny than the show seems to think they are, but the sheer earnestness and sincerity with which conversations and character emotions are written is simply charming and easily had me hooked from the word go. Even the inexplicable supernatural elements that pop up from time to time mesh neatly with the constant evocations of nostalgia, community connections, and the happiness formed through the many bonds we create with others. There is a wealth of complexity to the emotions our central characters experience despite the surface-level simplicity of the story, and I have a good feeling that this is only the beginning, making me exceedingly eager to jump right into the next installment and see how much more of life our Undines will get to take in.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Sep 17, 2023

RESOLVING_POWER

Mixed Feelings

I watched Aria the Animation, also known as season 1 of the Aria anime series. Here are my thoughts:

I like how sci-fi elements were mixed into a comfy SoL show, although this aspect could have been made more prominent. I think I would have found a stronger sci-fi theme more interesting than the generic SoL episodic plots I've seen many iterations of before.

A lot of the characters have catchphrases that don't take long to become annoying, and result in a lot of seemingly repetitive dialogue. The script in general is mediocre and, although there are occasional sentimental moments, it's nothing beyond what I'd ... expect from a typical SoL show.

If nothing else, this anime is fairly relaxing. The setting is unique, and the atmosphere is relaxing and otherworldly in some ways.

I don't value visuals too much, but there is room for improvement in this regard. The lack of visual detail is truly a missed opportunity. I would have been fine with just a powerpoint presentation if there were more care put into the backgrounds and visual environment.

Aside from its unique setting and atmosphere, this is a mediocre SoL show. The characters are completely forgettable, the writing is not particularly creative, the visuals are poor, the OST is nothing special; there's just not a lot here to appreciate. On one hand, this anime is relaxing. However, framed another way, it is fairly dull, even by my SoL-loving standards. I pretty much had to watch it before bedtime because it would inevitably lull me to sleep — this could be a desirable feature, depending on the viewer's expectations.

This anime started airing before SoL really took off as a genre, so it may have received more praise at its time of origination than a theoretical contemporary equivalent might have. This anime is not exceptional by contemporary standards of the genre, aside from its setting.


My overall rating for Aria the Animation (first season): 5/10
It was an adequate show to lull me to sleep at the end of the day, but nothing about it particularly impressed me.

It's unlikely that I'll be watching the sequels any time in the near future. Maybe I'll revisit it in a few years to see if my viewpoint changes.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jan 10, 2020

Batena

Not Recommended

Preliminary (3/13 eps)

When i saw that this show has sequels and good ratings I thought it something deserve to be watched but it wasn't
First episode was boring and slowwww, funny i thought that my life is boring!
I said to myself it's just the first one give it a chance but... the other ones were slow and boring as well
Any conversation in the world would be more interesting than watching these female characters being nice, gentle and kind while having tea with cakes 😩
Character design is beautiful but i am ready to watch stick figures doing interesting things more than them

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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