Hidan no Aria AA – 12 [END]

Aria and Akari bring you their last shots….

We are at the end of the second of the four shows I covered this season. So, after all is said and done, just how much damage did this show do to me?

Le Boss Grande Finally

By all means, don’t let revenge time impinge on snack time…

Well, that was one heck of a pretty pointless, but non the less pretty interesting looking, fight that last weeks cliffhanger lead into. Next time she should, perhaps, leaves the potato chips behind when seeking revenge. Or, bring a better mech, or face less opposition. But hey, when you anger the entire retinue, the entire retinue is going to come calling with all they have to bear.

I rather liked the strategy at the outset, but soon realized that it was going be be fairly quick scripted and done, as the key weapons didn’t even get a proper Chekhov act one introduction. We don’t know who the LOLi in the mech is, but hey, she has this rivalry with Aria so that means she’s invited to the meltdown all that pink twin-tailed rivals seem to be keen on getting to.

Do mechs even come with windshield wipers? If not, then why not?

…it looks like they caught one of the Strike Witches…

How Akari Got Her Gun/Groove Back

Fighting, dancing, tis the same thing!

But no matter what happens, we have to have the real happy ending. And this is Akari finally wearing down the ever so aloof, ever so alone (unless she’s with Kinjii, I guess) Aria and making a proper Amica big sister of her. This is really where the show should have gone for the most part. None of the fakey tournements, none of this outside goofy rivalries and power plays. It should have just been a story of one girl trying to win the love of another girl. One distinct rule at a time. The guns and explosions would just be that, the funny and funk extra bits.

Butei is an interesting concept, and I think it changed from show to show. In the original it felt like they were building serious soldiers for a serious world, and then made it into a goofy Bond playground, and then goofier still yet. In AA I get the feeling they were going more for White Knights in a serious world, but goofier still yet. I think I like the later the best, as both execution and result are goofy and you really should have the match set. Regardless, it builds a good nakama, and some good friends, and that’s the point of the show.

Look at that pout! Poor Nonoka, I wish you would have had a real story…

…and then they all realized they would be “busy” later…

…coming to a doujinshii near you…

…maybe less of these three?

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Well, all in all this was a pretty wack-a-doodle of a show. So much identity crisis so little time! Doga Kobo is a good studio, and they’ve made better out of less potential, so this was somewhat surprising by the end, but only somewhat. By the time the fifth episode ran aground, it looked like they didn’t really have it in the bag, and that they possibly never would. But I have to admit the entire thing has a lulzy little charm to it. It didn’t really take itself all that seriously, so it got away with a great deal in the end.  But darn, this was some potential wasted.

I would have liked to see it streamlined. Losing some characters probably would have been best. I would have liked the backstory of the Mamiya girls to have been developed more, and let what drama would have unfolded from that come out naturally. They had some good pieces in there to mix it up with comedy, and still keep that drama I mentioned going, as well as a good deal of action, which maybe should have taken the back most seat they could give it and still call it an Aria spin off. Speaking of that, I still like this world, and look forward to them doing it better at some point in the future.

Thanks for Watching!

About skylion

All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion