Anime Review - Aria Series - Like a Lullaby in the Sea

Ever want to watch an anime that is calm, funny and interesting? The Aria Series could be just for you. Even though the Aria Series is a relatively old anime, the Aria Series is still engaging, and this is reflected by three full seasons for this series. The Aria Series consists of three seasons: Aria the Animation (13 episodes), Aria the Natural (26 episodes) and Aria the Origination (13 episodes). I will evaluate a bit about each season and also evaluate the story as a whole. The story covers three students - Akari, Alice and Aika, who are learning to be "Prima Undines", and the viewers can see their journey to achieving their dreams.

Story (8/10):

The stories of this series are reminiscent of slice-of-life anime with some funny filler content, except this deals with three students becoming professionals. I can somewhat relate to these series because I am in the process of becoming a professional so it's also interesting to see another perspective of becoming a professional, even though it may not be realistic. The first season of this series introduces the three main characters and their mentors, who are the "Three Water Fairies", so the development of the story and the characters wasn't extremely strong, but this is understandable because it is only 13 episodes. The second season of this series is where the story delves deeper into each of the three main characters and their adventures.

However, I found the third and last season to have the most impact on me. The raw character development was extremely good and covered one by one, the doubts and eventually their success to become a Prima Undine. It was extremely heartwarming to see their success and the character's process of overcoming their fears and doubts. Furthermore, the anime had a time skip, showing Akari as an adult and mentor to Ai-Chan, who was a child that the three interacted with. As I stated, the story can either be a hit-or-miss. For people who appreciate a light-hearted slice-of-life about life progression, it's extremely enjoyable. 

Character (9/10):

The three main characters are overall pretty interesting and each of them are unique in their own ways - similar to real life. I also like how the three main characters also gain traits from their mentors, and this is extremely realistic. People who have mentored you usually will change how you act. The mentor characters are also very unique in their own way too, which is why they are regarded as the the Three Water Fairies. Alicia being the kind and skilful one ("Snow White"), Athena having a voice of an angel ("Siren") and Akira being a strict and hardworking one ("Crimson Rose") (Note: you will understand why she is called Crimson Rose).

The side characters are somewhat interesting too, and all of them having some connection with the Three Water Fairies and the three main characters. The side characters also have easy names to remember and some of them also have a decent amount of backstory about their relationships with the main characters and their mentors.

Sound (8/10):

The OP and EDs are not extremely memorable, but are decent to listen to. However, I usually skip over them because they aren't catchy enough. The first season's ED was probably the most catchy in my opinion.

Art (7/10):

In terms of today's standards, the art is not the best. But back then, I would regard the art as pretty good. The art can sometimes make the situation more funny (e.g. how the main characters have a unique low detail face - you know what I mean). Needless to say, the art would not dissuade anyone from watching this. That's if you look more on the story, rather than the art itself (I mean who watches something not for the story?).

Enjoyment (9/10):

Every episode was enjoyable, and the filler content were pretty enjoyable to watch too. It's definitely a good anime to relax and reflect about life, perhaps in a light-heartening way.

Overall (8/10 or 9/10 ?):

For me, it's pretty hard to come to a conclusion on a score, but I will give either a 8/9, depending on how one's focus when watching an anime. The anime is a light-hearted slice-of-life with comedic elements, so if you are an individual who just wants to relax, reflect a bit about life and is no super critical about art, I would recommend this.