Pure serenity in album form, pulled straight from the canals of Neo Venezia. This is the soundtrack to the PS2 visual novel ARIA The NATURAL: Tooi Yume no Mirage, based on Kozue Amano's beloved manga and anime about undine gondoliers on a terraformed Mars.
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"BLUE BLUE WAVE" opens in its short version with that signature ARIA warmth, and the piano arrangement of "Koko wa Tokubetsu na Basho" strips the original down to something even more tender. "Namioto ni Yurarete" (Swaying with the Waves) and "Yuugure no Yasashii Umikaze" (Gentle Evening Sea Breeze) are the kind of tracks that make you physically slow down.
"Nigiyaka na Bansankai" brings welcome energy with its festive dinner party atmosphere, and "Niji-iro Gondola" (Rainbow Gondola) captures that feeling of gliding through sunlit water. The orgel version of "BLUE BLUE WAVE" is a music box lullaby that could put anyone to sleep in the best possible way.
"Hoshi no Utagoe" (Song of the Stars) and "Ryuuseigun no Yoru" in its piano version are nighttime highlights -- quiet, contemplative, achingly pretty. "Youkoso ARIA Company e!" brings the found-family warmth that defines the whole series.
If you've ever watched a single episode of ARIA, you already know this soundtrack is going to feel like a warm blanket. If you haven't, this is a perfect introduction to why people love this world so much.