On the planet Aqua lies the watery city of Neo Venezia, a tourist hub in which people travel around in gondolas. Professional gondoliers known as Undines are well-revered as they act as tour guides for the people. Akari Mizunashi is a gondolier in training and also an employee of Aria Company. She gets to meet all sorts of people as she takes them on the gondola rides, from friendly mentors to special individuals, all this admidst the beautiful scenic backdrop of the entire city.
The best thing about "Aria the Animation" is how relaxed and happy I am after watching an episode. This rather slowpaced anime makes you forget your worries and go with the flow. Most episodes also have some kind of moral which usually is a good leason to make life more enjoyable.
The story is pretty original. It's science-fiction but it feels more like fantasy or even history.
The conversations aren't especially funny (what I'm usually looking for) but soothing.
This series does look a bit old but don't let that hold you back.
Aria wasn't one of those animes which made me want to see the next episode as soon as possible. There wasn't much suspense or even connection between the episodes but one episode was always enough to change my mood.