Aria the Benedizione

Hedgie★ 8

“If one feels it is fun now, one will be able to enjoy life the most. Everything will change over time, so we must treasure the happy moments before us.” – Akari Mizunashi All's well that ends well. When I watch Aria it's for that compassion of sitting back and enjoying the scenery, not having to think too profoundly of things. That's what it's always been about taking in the moment and enjoying the small moments that life has to offer. So being this the final installment of the series, we begin our journey with the next generation of undies. Ai, Anya and Azusa uncover thesecret as to why Aika won't inherit Akira's Gandola. Only to go on the journey and discover the depths of Akira's and Aika's relationship two very ordinary undies that had to strive and work harder than the rest. Since they never had any special talent to call their own. A wonderful tale of hard work and persistence can sometimes be more than enough to make worth a title or task that you wish to accomplish. Much like the rest of the series, its calming and slice-of-life aspects do wonders for the show. Ever since the release of these trilogy installments of movies the animation has taken a turn, not for the worst I'd say. Although different and vibrant it still has that heart and care of the world Neo-Venezia and brings our cast in a different light we hadn't seen before. As much as I'd prefer the series to go full circle and end with an Akari story we got this one. However, this ending is just as pleasant and more than fitting enough. As we finally say our last goodbye to the world of Neo-Veniza with all its wonders and most importantly its cast of characters. “Lots of things change with the flow of time. But there are things that never change. Things that are precious because they change, and things that are precious because they don’t change… Both are precious. Don’t you feel the same?” – Akari Mizunashi

TCTriangle★ 8

A very fitting conclusion to send-off the series with, and I was at emotional peace at the end of the movie. Unlike the previous movie and (what I remember of) the original series, this movie only focuses on the development of 2 characters and has a good bit of a story going on, so it is not exactly like the usual casual slice-of-life in previous entries. Animation was crisp and the background scenery in the city was gorgeous as always. Soundtrack fit the animation perfectly and was very relaxing, while the ending was a nostalgic new version of the original series' opening. Overall, I verysatisfied with the movie overall, and I felt the hour went by really quickly. Some very minor criticisms: This movie focuses mainly on 2 Himeya girls, Akira and Aika, and their relationship over the years. The other undine girls make their appearances in the movie, but don't get much screentime at all. If you have a favorite who's not Akira or Aika, you might be disappointed that the series ends with this story arc. Also, there was a TON OF YURI in this movie, so if you are turned off by that, you might not like it. Finally, I personally still have trouble getting into the new Shoujo manga-like art style of these new ones and much prefer the original 2005-style animation, but this is entirely just personal preference. All these were very minor issues for me and barely affected my enjoyment, so overall, a solid 8/10.