Reflections on Aria the Animation, part #1: make a wish, build a world
I love iyashikei anime. It gives a fantastic warm fuzzy feeling inside and is the perfect way to unwind after a long day at the office, in my case with a mug of green tea in one hand and a half-finished box of Jaffa Cakes in the other. Rather than work my brain to a frazzle with complex plotting, trying to keep up with frenetic action or making an effort to stave off the boredom brought on by seeing the same damned tropes and clichés recycled ad infinitum, iyashikei slows it all down and gives me time to reflect and be entertained in a completely different way.
If you could create a paradise from the ground up…
Aria does this better than most but I can’t fully outline its gentle, understated brilliance in the space of one post so be warned that more of this is to follow in the coming days. It’s a very character-driven show but the setting is a significant part I think of what makes it so special. I’m a firm believer in atmosphere when delivering the message that a story like this is trying to convey to the viewer: Aria’s setting is a prime example of how the atmospherics or ‘vibe’ contribute to the show as a whole. So yeah, the characters are fantastic but they deserve a post of their own so bear with me on this one.
