Aria The Origination
Aria The Origination is probably the best conclusion you can give the Aria series. The emotional payoff that comes from watching the first two seasons and getting attached to both this world and characters is unmatched in anime. This is one of the many reasons why Aria stands above most slice of life anime out there. It actually had an endpoint, and once it reached it, it had already built enough investment from the audience to end in a blaze of glory.
The Origination fixes my two problems from The Natural, which were the supernatural elements, and the lack of an episode that stood above the rest.
The supernatural elements aren't explored at all in The Origination. They completely forget about them, and it's definitely for the better, since this series focuses on exactly what makes it great in the first place, the characters. Every main character gets just the right amount of focus this season for them to shine. The episodes approaching the ending of the series do an amazing job helping me remember just why I love these characters as much as I do, and how much I will end up missing them when it's over. The side characters don't get as much screentime in this season, but it's not too big of a loss, since while the side characters are a strength of the show, they aren't the biggest one. It's not as if they even get shafted too much on screentime anyway, even if they don't appear as much. Could have used more Ai-chan though because even if she doesn't show up that much anyway, Ai-chan is precious and more of her is something that every show needs to make it instantly better.
Unlike The Natural, there is an episode that stands above the rest. Well, it doesn't just stand above the rest of the episodes in this season, or in the other seasons, but most likely any anime episode I've ever watched. Episode 9 of Origination is a 20/10 episode. Just a perfect episode from start to finish. The conclusion to that episode is possibly the happiest an anime episode has ever made me feel. I'd say the entirety Aria is worth it for that episode alone. The directing of that episode and the build up are just too strong for me not to absolutely fall in love with it, and not shed that single manly tear off the side of my face when I watch it. The atmosphere and the music are also the best Aria's ever had and *rambles on and on about Episode 9s amazingness*
The only flaws I can find with The Origination are that Episode 3 is rather boring, and I find that Episode 10 is kind of weak (this episode isn't really bad, I just don't have too much of an investment in the two characters it focused on).
I give Aria The Origination a 9.90/10. It really pains me that the rule I have of not rounding to 10 exists because I have to give it a 9/10 now. It's either in the spot of #7 or #8 in my top 10 anime, I don't know where to put it just yet. Should rewatch Gurren Lagaan to try to justify putting it lower on my list just to move this show up.
Aria Series
I love this series so so so so so so much. It's a lovely franchise that I was very invested in while I watched it. The characters, world, lessons, and overall stories are just so powerful. Aria is just a series that likes to exceed my expectations. Many episodes of this show are usually just great and overall entertaining slice of life, but very frequently the ending of an episode just hits the viewer like a brick. Lots of episodes while they start off rather normal usually end up having a hidden meaning, and when everything comes together in the end they usually do it in a way that just maximizes the impact.
Characters:
Akari - The main protagonist of Aria, and one of the best characters. Akari's sense of curiosity and wonder really helps to tie the series together. A main part of Aria is seeing the many different locations in Neo Venezia, and really making it feel like a rich and inviting world, and Akari really helps to bring that together. She's constantly trying to find new and interesting things about Neo Venezia and as she grows to the love the town more and more, so does the audience. I think that a nickname she got breifly in the beginning of Natural fits her very well. She was called the "Expert of Happiness." She is able to find the beauty in the world, and she is very open with others, causing her to make many friends wherever she goes. This isn't to say that she is happy all the time, because she does show quite a range of emotions. She can get depressed, unsure of herself, afraid, or sentimental at points in the story, and her personality doesn't feel like it just leans toward the trait of her happy nature. She interacts like an actual person, and not an archetype, so she never felt annoying.
Alicia - One of the 3 water fairies and Akari's mentor. While not one of my favorites, I still like her character. Alicia is the character that the majority of the cast look up to, since she's probably the best Undine in the show. For a lot of the series she is portrayed almost perfect. She never gets mad, she is very nice, she is beautiful, she is who others strive to be like. She is usually with Akari and a lot of lessons are either told by her, or she learns alongside Akari. This is what her character mostly consists of for most of the series, but starting with the OVA bridging Natural and Origination that she really starts to be more interesting. We start to see a bit more a flawed and somewhat selfish side to her that we didn't see before. That's not to say that she is a completely transformed character, but seeing more sides of her personality is good to see. Origination and the OVA also give her a bit more backstory, which only help her character more.
Aria - The main mascot of the series, and the main comic relief. Can't say much on Aria other than I like him. He's usually doesn't distract from the main plot of the episodes he's in, and just goes along with the events while doing cute and interesting things with the environment they're in. He's just fun little guy that I can't imagine the show without. Aria also has amazing taste in fashion.
Aika - Akari's friend, and heir to the Himeya company. She's a character I'm very neutral on. She does have some good moments, and I like her personality, but I find that the best parts of her character are carried by the character I'm going to talk about next. A lot of her character development mainly comes about because of that character, and her best moments are carried by that character. The only thing aside from that that she has going for her is her romantic subplot, which I honestly didn't find that interesting. It doesn't feel unique, and I think that the relationship presented wasn't very strong.
Akira - The 2nd Water Fairy and Aika's mentor. She is one of my favorites in the cast. As said before, she helps Aika's character a lot. Akira's relationship with Aika is handled really well, and by the end you can see just how much they care for each other, and by looking at how they interact with one another you get to see Aika's own personal growth. Pretty much all of Aika's best scenes involve Akira in one way or another. That isn't to say that this Akira's character is solely reliant on her dominance in her relationship with Aika. She actually has a very entertaining personality. She's very tomboyish and harsh in what she says, so it's interesting to see how she interacts with the cast. She gets a lot of great lines this way. She also has the best and most relatable backstory among the water fairies, which helps her character feel a lot more human.
Alice - Can I get a Best Girl!? Alice is the best handled character in the show. I find that when an episode focuses on her and the next character that she it tends to be top quality. Her relationship with her mentor (if you can really call it that) is what Aika's should have been like. They both carry it together rather than just having it be one sided.
