ARIA the OVA ~Arietta~

Information of Anime

Akari Mizunashi has a dream of being a Prima & coaching a new Undine.  This dream makes her a bit nervous.  Alicia Florence tells her a story of how she became as a Prima to ARIA Company.

ARIA the Natural is the direct sequel of ARIA the Natural.

Storyline (CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Below is a summary of the storyline I've seen.  This section does contain some spoilers.  If you haven't seen the series yet & don't want to be spoiled, skip this section.  If you want to know the story & want to see how I viewed it, read on.

It picks off where the second season left off.  Akari thinks about how things would be different & lonely when she becomes a Prima & Alicia is gone.  Aika & Alice has similiar dreams about it as well.  To ease Akari, Alicia tells her how & what she did when she became a Prima.  The OVA ends with Alicia taking Akari to the Campanile, the very place that Alicia became relaxed in becoming a Prima.

My Personal Review

ARIA the OVA ~Arietta~ really picks up where ARIA the NATURAL left off.  It still retains its pure drama with no true love story involved.  Like the previous seasons, this show isn't for everyone as it moves at a very slow pace.  Also, I think the show is targeted towards a female audience once again.

Animation

The drawings are the same as the previous season.  However, it's somewhat different.  Alicia looks a bit more older & mature looking.  Also, she seems bolder. Overall, it's the same; just a bit.

The backgrounds are pretty good.  I think it's the best one out of the three seasons up to this point.  The dull colour tones are still in use, which is a good thing.  Plus, the details seem to be of higher quality.

Animation flow seem to be better this time.  There is no heavy loop breaks now as everything seems to be moving smoothly.  The water effects are still good as it gives off some realistic visuals.  However the animation movements seem to be a bit sloppy this time when things & people are viewed from a distance.  It's hard to imagine a gondola move so much distance with one paddle stoke.

One thing to note about the show is that it doesn't have an opening theme animation scene again.  There is an opening theme song, but it's played as the story is progressing.  It's like how some anime shows start off with their first episodes with the credits rolling on the screen as viewers continue to see what's going on in the show.

Sound

The sound effect are ok.  Sounded quite natural.  The volume is pretty low.  I assume it was to set a calm mood.  The same as the previous seasons.

The background music is excellent.  It really help set that mood & draws you into the OVA's sceneries.  Plus, there are some new songs.  Some of the old songs seems to be here.  The opening & ending themes have changed in style from the first season & the artists are totally different this time.  It still has some jazz, but more softer.  The themes aren't bad.  As much as I enjoyed the music, it only sounds good when you watch the show.  When I listen to them while doing other things, I couldn't get that calm feeling is has when it's played during the OVA.

The seiyuus are back in this show, which is a good thing.  I've gotten use to the voices from the other seasons & I really believed they fit with their characters very well.

Story

It's still very slow moving like the previous seasons.  However, this OVA is pretty much a normal episode.  This is mainly because almost all of the episodes from the ARIA anime shows are standalone episodes.  The only different is pretty much the running time being a bit longer & the quality of the animation being better.  It still has that ARIA feeling though.  Plus, the OVA is more into Alicia than Akira this time.

Overall Conclusion

ARIA the OVA ~Arietta~  is a delightful OVA to relax to.  It still has the relaxing & gentle feeling that made me like the ARIA shows.  Although it's more of a standalone episode, it's still great to watch.  If you haven't seen the first two seasons yet, I would recommend watching those first before this.  You can get confused & miss out on some of the character backgrounds.  And that's an important part for this series.

ARIA the OVA ~Arietta~  receives a grade of nine out of ten from me.  The show displays its art beautifully with great music to set the mood.  As an OVA, the quality is much better.  Plus, it's still filled with a lot of soft & gentle feelings in it.  However, the show pace may not be for everyone.  This anime is targeted to a small audience than a mass one.  This OVA would lead to the third season, ARIA the ORIGINATION.

Last updated on May 6, 2008