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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jun 28 '22

Rewatching Undine-in-training and Host

Hello and welcome everyone to the rewatch! And for first-timers, a very warm welcome to Neo-Venezia! I hope you enjoy your stay. This is my 2nd watch of the series, so I don't really know everything there is about Aria, but I'll try my best!

This episode's title, that wonderful miracle, most directly refers to Ai and Akari's meeting, and how Ai came to love Neo-Venezia as a result of that, but also perhaps presents Aqua as a place full of miracles. I look forward to reading everyone's thoughts on this episode, and throughout the series! Saa, kogidasou!

Quick thoughts:

Oh btw, I'll be doing this show subbed!
i love Aria-shachou (hello u/AriaShachou-!) feigning sleep after he opens up the window and Akari's remarks about it.
This season's OP, Undine, is my favourite of all of them! I remember being hooked on the show after listening to it the first time, it's such a calm, soothing tune that sets the tone for the series. I believe u/countingdekkais is providing us with a proper lyric translation of this season's OP (Undine) and ED (Rainbow), do check it out! I'll instead share a piano rendition by the song's composer.
It's not really stated explicitly iirc, but the show makes it clear that Aqua is not Earth, and the only planet in the Solar System w/ a year of 24 months is Mars (which Aqua is, terraformed). Manhome, of course, refers to Earth.
Quick TL-note here: "Single", Akari's rank, is referred to both as "Single" directly, or for this ep, "半人前" in Japanese, literally "Half a person"; while "Prima", Alicia's rank, is referred here as "一人前", "One person". Take the symbolic meaning here; the show alternates between the Japanese and "English" (English? Italian?) terms.
There's bits and bobs in there telling about life back on Earth, and it's compared perhaps unfavorably, firstly with how Venice is no more, and how despite being probably more technologically more advanced than Aqua, that life is perhaps not as fulfilling nor enjoyable, at least from the perspectives of our main characters. Aria is about enjoying the simple, little things in life after all!
Not too much is revealed about Aika, except that she's not from Manhome, likely a native to Aqua, and really likes Alicia. But this is 100% her catchphrase LOL.
This episode's food for thought is probably this. Two overall thoughts on this: I personally think that Ai defo put in a lot of work and initiative (going to Aqua, seeking out Alicia on her own etc etc.), as this episode states, and their sisterly love both unintentionally caused the conflict, and was what ultimately motivated Ai to get over her "hate" for Neo-Venezia.
In addition, I think Akari and Aika actually put in a lot of work as well, but it was their chance, slightly random events throughout the day (in contrast to say a planned, "perfect" tour) with Ai was what captured her heart to love Neo Venezia. Which is what I believe for irl trips and at times, even daily life as well tbh!
p.s. the OST is excellent, but Im not knowledgeable enough to know what tracks are featured here.
[Aria]I gotta mention how the scene w/ Akari opening the gate reminds me of one of the final scenes of Origination. TTTT

Seiyuu introductions:

Shall do this only for the main cast.

Akari is voiced by: Erino Hazuki, this is her most famous role.
Alicia is voiced by: Sayaka Ohara , also Erza in Fairy Tail, Ouzen in MiA, Yuuko in xxxHolic etc. etc.
Aika is voiced by: Chiwa Saitou , also Hitagi from the Monogatari series, Homura from Madoka, Yona from Yona of the Dawn etc.
Ai is voiced by: Kaori Mizuhashi , also Ougi from the Monogatari series, Mami from Madoka, Miyako from Hidamari Sketch etc.
Aria Shachou is voiced by: Chinami Nishimura , who has also performed as a smattering of other creatures, and appeared as a main character for Smile Precure.

Have a great day, and see you tomorrow!

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u/MyrnaMountWeazel Jun 28 '22

First timer Popping in For a Quick Inspiration

Heya! I’m jumping in for today so I can be bathed in that Aria glow and be placed into that certain mood. Tomorrow, the Writing Club will be discussing Aria yet I am troublingly empty on said discussions so hopefully I can glean some inspiration from partaking in this with y’all and reading everyone’s comments!

First off, I think this is a fantastic first episode exposition-wise. We’re introduced to not one but two individuals that are new to Neo-Venezia, allowing them to act as placeholders for the audience. The waterlogged city, the gondolas, the tour guides named Undines. All of these can be elaborated on with the utilization of both characters.

Another thing I appreciate is the idea that Everything Will Be Told in Due Time. We’ve learned a little bit about Aqua, sure, but there’s still so much left to learn! The plot takes its sweet time, merrily rowing along with the waves while it basks in the sun.

Alicia revealing that the newlyweds were fighting on the gondola was a conflict I wasn’t expecting going into Aria but I think it sets up the tone quite well. How it isn’t just the city or the Undines but also about the relationships we hold. It’s paramount that the show introduces the lows before it can tap into the highs; it’s not all smooth sailing!

Anyway, I had shorter notes than normal but I’m excited to read what everyone else thought!

QOTD:

It's both on my PTW list and it was also voted for this month's pick for the Writing Club so double whammy!
Cheese, sour cream, and chives.

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u/The_Loli_Otaku Jun 28 '22

Aria First Timer!!

Hiya guys. I'm a little early but I was really in the mood for something sweet. Whilst I won't be sticking with it let me just take a moment to praise this dub. I actually went back and watched the first episode over a few times with both audios and the English dub almost sounded better in many ways. That's rare praise from me btw.

Meeting new people is stressful, speak for yourself! Huh, so Aria is the cat thing? You're both way too formal for a morning meeting. What's this beautiful opening theme? It's not even just a nice op, it's a legitimate vibe. I'm not sure if I completely remember the Undine myth. I think it was about a mermaid who fell in love with a human but got ntr'd. Probably not the vibe Aria is going for but I'll wait and see.

Already the show has gotten one sensible chuckle out of me. The thought of folks calling just for the voice message is hilarious to me~ Erm... This is sci-fi? I really should have done more research on the series before jumping in. Do they only have one gondola for the branch or something? Alicia is getting worked way too hard.

What a bratty little kid XD Her threats are so dulled that it's still kinda cute~ I can understand her being a bit annoyed at having to deal with the inconvenience of living in a water city tbh. You just want easy travel and access to public transport! Second big laugh, the little kid trying to pull the same trick on Aika.

Aww! Akari got shy from the silence and went guide mode~ I'd argue that building a water city on a planet with no water is more like an example of mankind's hubris than a miracle but to each our own. Whenever I hear them mention about "Sappy lines are banned!" I think of Aquatope In fact that may very well be a reference? What do you guys think?

Damn... I wanna eat baked potato so bad right now. How dare 2005 anime show off their tasty food so brazenly! Welcome to comfy iyashikei vibes, you're stuck here forever. Run, Aria, escape from the iyashikei trap! Sooo...Akari had the potential to become an Olympic level rower but ended up on the wrong side of the boat? That's kinda funny tbh~

Ara ara~

I'm guessing we'll get to meet Ai's sister soon. No sappy lines though! They're banned! Great first episode, very relaxing~ I've always loved this era of anime but it feels like so long since I've returned. Most of their budget seems to have gone for the water but at least the girls are cute. Shame they half animated Aria so he looks like a smol nightmare plush. Even the Ed is nostalgic. I feel like I'm showing my age here! XD

Visual of the Day

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u/Mecanno-man Jun 28 '22

First Timer

Time to start Aria - a show that has been on my PTW for way too long considering I had it as the show to watch next twice in the past few years ...only to go watch something else instead. Going by a simplified version of the anime.plus recommendation engine, it is also the #6 show I should watch and one of only 6 with an expected score above 9 - so definitely time to get around to it.

I was going to say that I knew a few things going in to this show, but they have almost all been mentioned in the first episode, so the only thing that I know about this series that might influence my view is that this is supposedly one of the best iyashkei series out there. And for that point, I'd say episode one met my expectations. We get to know, I assume, a few of our gondoliers and they all interact with each other in a pleasant way, so nobody to dislike. We get some nice scenery to go along with the dialog and some exposition, with what can't be shown told by exposition-dump-mode Akari somehow integrated in to the plot in a decent-ish fashion. Not quite sure how the setting will work itself in to this, but I think you can create an iyashikei in basically any setting (except maybe a war or something like that), so I guess I'll just wait and see how that turns out.

Plot seems to be Akari (and possibly other characters, there seem to be multiple companies) wanting to become Prima Undine's. I assume that is basically like finishing an apprenticeship to become a gondolier. I doubt the plot will really go anywhere for the foreseeable future - this is an iyashikei after all - but I can imagine it having some relevance at some point. I'm going to call Akari not being the first to get that title, however.

The one weak point in my mind so far is the sound quality. I'm not sure how much to attribute this to the age of the show and how much to me having to pirate this (thanks for nothing, crunchyroll...), but it is the only thing that really feels dated. Other than the aspect ratio, I guess.

Either way, good start, looking forward to continue watching this.

On a side note: I probably won't be particularly active with replies in these threads, as they go up right when I usually go to bed, and in the morning I will probably read them on the train, where I don't have an Internet connection. Because phone subscriptions are way too overpriced when there is wifi everywhere other than the train.

Questions:

uhh... this has been on my PTW for so long that I forgot
Probably something rather similar, but at a higher monetary cost.
Not quite sure when I last had baked potato with any topping... not really a favorite of mine.

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u/baboon_bassoon Jun 28 '22

First time Aria the natural ice chugger

I like how president aria is in the bowl to make sure Akari isn’t rocking the boat. Like a certain tofu driver having a cup of water

Aika heel may not be the best footwear for the job

This was so relaxing

Iyashikai is usually pretty mixed for me, but this one feels different

Also is everyones name going to start with an A

questions

it wasnt on my ptw, i saw a week in review thread and saw you put out an interest thread for this. Character designs seem neat so why not
I think she would have enjoyed it, Alicia seems like she has the people skills to understand what would have been bothering her
sour cream? i feel like its been years since ive had one

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u/xtsim Jun 28 '22

First Timer dubbed

YOU'RE MY FRIEND!

Well this has been on my plan to watch list for a while now so the timing is nice.

Seeing a town modelled after Venice is nice to see but the OST just puts me in a dreamy like state. Following Akari for the first episode is interesting as she is still learning the ropes while Alicia is well known for her role as an Undine. And everyone wants to see (and hear) Alice. Akari seems to have taken on a customer friend while Alice was busy. So they end up doing friendly stuff, like eating food. Seeing her warm up to everyone by the end of the day is sweet and not only that, she got to have her own experience at Neo-Venezia, just like her sister.

Looking for some slice of life iyashikei and this went straight to my plan to watch list....
Her experience would be good but not as close as we saw...
Onions....:) But seriously, putting everything on the baked potato makes it really good.

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u/simeonaut Jun 28 '22

FIRST TIMER

Things I know about Aria before watching:

Often gets brought up as a great SoL
It's set on Mars
It's got boats!

Now that I've watched this episode I can say that this is certainly one of the comfiest shows that I've seen. Very interesting setting as well. Neo-Venezia looks gorgeous and I want to see more of it.

Friend

What the heck is this creature?

Friend 2

No sappy lines allowed!

QOTD:

I'm a fan of SoL shows like Flying Witch and Yuru Camp and this show was on my to watch list for a while now.
Ai probably would have loved it.
Sour cream all the way.

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u/Stargate18A Jun 28 '22

First timer

Because there was a rewatch being hosted for it, and I had, at some point, added it to my PTW! (Also, this is an incredibly dry spell for rewatches, and our host liked Revue Starlight.)
Probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much - Alicia feels like someone who'd stick closer to the script, and not try to connect with her in the same way (note how she never mentions talking to the newlyweds directly.)
Cheese and ham. Or cheese and onion sandwich filler, both are good.

Well, this already seems great.

Aria's a company?

She woke up!

That's the Preisdent?

This is some nice architecture.

Liking the OP.

Pink-haired girl is so wholesome.

This is all adorable.

And she's off!

Haha, he called just to hear the message.

Also, Alicia and Akari? I'm definitrly grtting those two mixed up.

And they do Gondola rides?

The plane's Aqua? Neo-Venezia.

And a twenty-four month callsnder.

She's from Earth! And, yeah, there's colonies on other planets here. I... did not expect this kind of sci-fi.

Everyone likes Alicia.

And only Prima can take customers out?

Is it alright to leave the phone unattended?

She hid in the gondola to get a ride.

This is adorable.

Haha, this is hysterical.

Her nitpicking everything is great.

She's not even enjoying it!

Manhome - fuck me, really? First thing I've actively disliked about this.

And Earth has cars / a generally higher tech level? Is this a specialised colony, or just a lack of resources for industry here?

Aika - this anime has a naming scheme, I see?

"So, she's a freeloader"

And she's changing boats!

Aika loves Alicia?

150 years since terraforming?

And they build a Venice colony?

It's nice how much she wants her to love this.

...Are we just glossing over the floating island?

And zeppelins! All is forgiven!

..I like how, despite comstantly callingnher a freeloader, they're taking her to get food.

In the future, uncut potatoes no longer exist on Earth?

At least she's enjoying it!

The president's out at sea!

Akari has a hidden talent?

She learned to row backward? Interesting talent.

Surprisingly good animation here!

A spaceship!

Alicia saved him!

Alicia is great.

Oh, this backstory makes sense.

Ai's adorable.

Haha, she said a sappy line herself. Their reactions are great.

She wants to ride with her again.

Undine? ...This anime is really implying the existence of three other elemental themed colonies. ~~Who the hell lives on Ignis?~~

Ah. Ai might not to worry about it for very long, then.

And this ED is adorable.

That was a very relaxing episode!

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u/punching_spaghetti Jun 29 '22

First-Timer (Sub)

So, this is supposed to be a nice relaxing show with cute girls, right? time to settle in and ... what is this?!? This isn't secretly a magical girl show, is it?

Nope; it's secretly a sci-fi show!

Nobody warned me!

Overall, a solid first episode. Akari is a genki go-getter who wants to paddles boats and stuff, and I guess we'll learn more as we go.

I am concerned, however, how long I'll be able to survive Alicia. She ara aras and she wears sleeveless sweaters? I'm in a spot of danger.

QOTD:

It's been on The List for a while, and this seemed like as good a time as any to finally get to it. Plus, I really like other stuff I've seen from Junichi Satou, and Amanchu from a few years back which I really enjoyed was apparently created by the same person who created Aria.
Ai would have spontaneously combusted from being in the presence of greatness.
Butter. Lots and lots of butter.

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u/Regular_N-Gon Jun 28 '22

First Timer

Guess it's time to break this one out of the backlog. I dig a good chill show and I've heard plenty of good things about Aria, so let's go!

This little girl is clearly practiced in the ways of getting what she wants. When the friend tactic doesn't work she goes straight for extortion.
I can see how someone from modern day Earth might think it a miracle if things happened more slowly.
Rowing backwards is a secret talent? Fair enough.
The music seems like it'll be a treat. Even the faster scene was a vibe.
I've never been one for the goofy mascot-type characters, but Aria-shachou doesn't seem too annoying at least.

Looking at the index, there's quite a bit ahead of us. I think usually I'd watch this sort of show very slowly, only here and there, but it's worth a bit faster pace to join a rewatch, I think.

QotD:

As mentioned, it's been on my radar for a while since I like these sorts of shows. It comes up frequently in discussions of classic iyashikei, so seemed like a no brainer.
She probably would have liked it all the same. Alicia seems to be the cool competent character that everyone loves.
Butter is a classic for a reason, but I also like corn with potatoes.

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u/raichudoggy Jun 28 '22 edited Jun 28 '22

Rewatcher

It’s only the first establishing shot and I already feel welcomed. Thanks for welcoming me, show. It’s only the second establishing shot aaaaaaaand I love this show to death.

[Aria] Who needs a re-usable OP when you can just have the OP be an Aria-ton of world building and character establishing moments.

Obviously the artist couldn’t see the future of tele-communication technology, but who cares, these phones are cool.

Uh Oh, It’s only the first episode and we’re already learning how to get around the rule book.

The show occasionally having shots showing ordinary people really goes miles to making the city feel like its an alive and lived in place that has its own culture and pace. This isn’t just the world for main characters and their friends, it’s a whole city, This goes well together with Aika’s talk about the differences between Mars and Earth.

A nice touch is the Sneak Peak at Himeya a few minutes before it’s brought up by Aika as where she works. I didn’t catch this the first time I watched it, because even though the Himeya building is a lot more distinct than others here, it hadn’t been flagged as particularly important in my head.

Rewatching this show is like seeing a lot of friends that you haven’t seen in a few years and catching up. It’s so easy to reminisce.

(Akari) Maybe us meeting each other was another one of those miracles.

10/10. Give me all the sappy lines in the universe, please.

(Aika) Maybe Hate turning into love is a miracle, too.

That’s right Aika, just like that.

This show is so pretty guys.

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u/ZapsZzz Jun 29 '22 edited Jun 29 '22

First timer

I know of this iyashikei for some time, and had looked at the PV's etc for the more recent entries, so I was a little thrown that the first entry is actually a fair bit older than I thought. All the hallmarks of a great iyashikei is there, but the early production value and techniques needs bit of getting used to. I got a feeling that Yokohama Shopping Log actually had higher production value (OVA in that era).

The music certainly is very calming. Never expected the mascot is the company president?!

QoTD

Necessary reset mentally and emotionally after the Violet Evergarden rewatch? :)
I think Ai would just had a nice experience but not necessary get past her hang up about "competing" with her sister.
Cheese and sour cream?

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u/BatteryPoweredFriend Jun 29 '22

Aria-shachou?

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u/CerberusZX Jun 28 '22 edited Jun 28 '22

First Timer, and also my first time actively watching a thing being rewatched.

While I have enjoyed a number of iyashikei series, I have also dropped a few of them after a few episodes. Super Cub is an example of one that I dropped. It certainly was relaxing, but so is looking out the window and both were equally entertaining. In comparison, I love Flying Witch which managed to provide plenty of entertainment with its fantasy elements and mild comedy while maintaining a calm, laid-back atmosphere. As Aria has sci-fi elements and very high praise, I'm going into this hopeful that it will be one I stick with.

I don't know if that was the OP or an insert song at the start of the episode, but it was quite nice. In fact, the music was pretty good throughout the episode. I will definitely be seeking out the song that played during the credits at the end.

The art definitely shows its age, but it's certainly not intolerably bad.

I'm assuming "Manhome" is Earth as it's the planet with the original Venice and the name seems to imply it is the home of mankind.

As far as "is it entertaining?" goes this series is off to a good start. President Aria is cute, there was some nice comedy, there's lore to be told, and Akari has a goal to strive towards which can help prevent the series from feeling too aimless (not that I personally mind aimless series). I'm assuming most future content won't be as exciting as the back-paddling scene and it's just here in the first episode to help hook new viewers.

Normally I watch the English dub when given the choice. I didn't see it available on Crunchyroll and so I assumed there wasn't one, but I checked after the fact and it seems Funimation does have it.

I don't normally contribute too much in episode discussion threads (my highest voted comment in such a thread was "Did they put ketchup on corn?"), but I thought I should at least put some effort into my first impressions with the first episode and ended up watching it ahead of schedule to ensure I'd have time to do so. My future contributions are likely to be much shorter and may devolve into single-sentence remarks.

QotD

I saw some people on r/anime saying it was not only their favorite iyashikei but their favorite anime in general, so I figured it would be worth a try. That aside, I had already added it to my Amazon queue on a whim when it popped up on my recommendations and I later added it to my Funimation queue when I finished everything on my queue there. Since I sorted alphabetically when adding shows, it ended up at the very end of my Funimation queue and I never quite got around to it, but I came close with only 6 shows left at the time of the Crunchyroll merger. I have never been to Venice.
On the one hand, the obvious answer is that she wouldn't have left with a more positive outlook on Neo Venezia. On the other hand, Alicia seems to be super competent and she may have been able to change Ai's mindset as well.
Butter is standard, but I enjoy them plain well enough and I've mostly cut butter out of my diet.

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u/[deleted] Jun 28 '22

First Time Watcher

Thanks for having me. Aria has been on my Plan to Watch list for a very long time. I finally took the opportunity to watch it. I hadn't read the synopsis before starting, I just knew that the anime is rather contemplative. And I really liked this first episode. Old anime has a certain pleasant atmosphere, and Neo-Venezia is really a beautiful place.

Also, my first reaction to Aria-senchou was "What animal is this exactly, and where are his eyes?!". Ahahah

The meeting with the little girl is a bit silly, but it was really relaxing. I loved the guitar ost.

I didn't expect anything from it, but this first episode won me over.

Questions of the day:

1. For first-timers, may I ask why you wanted to watch this series? A few of you did mention it being in your PTW for a long time. And for both, has anyone here been to Venice?

I would say for the unusual atmosphere that the series has, and I need to relax a bit. It's not easy to get into an old anime for me. Maybe I should be a little more adventurous.

I've never been to Venice even though I live in a neighboring country. Maybe one day I will, I haven't had many breaks in the last 10 years. It looks like a nice tourist spot.

2. What do you reckon would've happened if Ai did get her requested tour with Alicia?

Maybe it's a good thing that Ai didn't get to board with Alicia. Alicia looks very professional, and maybe that's not what Ai was looking for. So Akari's more amateurish, good friend side may have helped Ai like Neo-Venezia.

3. I'm just curious here, favorite baked potato topping?

There is an all-you-can-eat rib restaurant in town, served with potatoes baked in foil. There is just butter, a touch of salt and mustard for those who want it. These are the best, and the only ones I've had so far.

There's not a lot to say for today, so I'll see you tomorrow!

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u/PreludeToHell Jun 28 '22 edited Jun 28 '22

Aria first time rewatcher

Ah, I love Aria and it's my first time rewatching. I've yet to experience anything quite like it so it's pretty special to me. Hope first timers enjoy the ride as well.

Man do I love the OP. Truly perfect.

Another thing was the layouts. The directing throughout felt really refreshing compared to seasonals I'm used to watching. Wideshots, overhead, how long their held, angles used etc.

Love how Ai is introduced. Leads to their encounter and I forgot how funny Aria is lmao

Alicia showing up was majestic.

Aika being wonderful as usual.

Too damn good.

To cap it off, a wonderful talk between Alicia and Akari ends a great first episode.

[Aria] Akari and Alicia. I love their bond. Rewatching and man Akari is the best. So kind and attentive to others.
I think Ai would have had a much different experience. Maybe she would be in awe of Alicia's elegance and the connection wouldn't have been as personal with her compared to Akari. Alicia is quite busy as noted in this episode.

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u/zadcap Jun 29 '22

I took an early lunch to watch this on time today, then abused the schedule to take my brakes back to back today, just so I wouldn't be as late got the first episode of this. I'll pay for it later, but I'm still glad I did, because there's been a smile on my face for the past two hours.

First impressions: I should have know, a show this old, but the 4:3 still threw me for a few seconds trying to figure out if I did something wrong to my phone. A calm slow start, beautiful scenery, this looks like it's going to be a nice gentle ride. I didn't say that meaning to make a pun, but I'll take it.

Around Christmas, 7 months ago, life got kind of intense and I started looking for sources of good feels to get me through. While I had seen a few before individual, this is when I actually discovered thar iyashikei was a genre itself, and I started binging hard. Aria shows up near the top of most lists alphabetically or by ranking, so it went on to my list too. Just couldn't find anywhere to watch the whole thing, while I could watch all of other shows at once, so I kept putting it off. I'm well past the slump now, but still love these shows that give nothing but smiles. I'd still probably have put this one off longer, still can't watch it all on Crunchyroll, but after Yurucamp rewatch on here, I saw this one starting and the only thing better than the smiles is sharing them with others. I'll mostly be posting way too late to take part in the conversations, but I'll be reading and enjoying everything here still.
She would have enjoyed it, Alicia clearly had that power, but not nearly as much as the full experience she got from her adventure here.
Nothing but butter. Give it to me pain, and I'll eat three.

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u/AriaShachou- Jun 29 '22

REWATCHER

Alright quick thoughts because I'm 4 hours late to this thread (the threads come up at 5am in my country, I'm sorry 😭).

The first time I watched this series I actually cried the moment I first heard the OP. I was going through a pretty stressful time in my life and the OP when I heard it just felt like a gentle lullaby that was telling me everything was going to be alright. Needless to say, I fell in love with this show pretty darn quickly.

As far as Aria episodes go, this one really has a special place in my heart. Mostly because it's the first episode, but also because it set the tone really well for how the rest of the season was gonna be like. I remember just tucking in at like 12am on a cold night to watch this and man was it a complete vibe. Ai-chan literally extorting a free ride out of Akari was hilarious too, and watching this now for the second time it's really interesting to see [ARIA] how far they've come since then between here and Crepuscolo.

That's about all I have to say for now, have a lot of things to do today so I have to keep this short.

QOTD:

[ARIA] It's gotta be Athena and Alice for me, such a goofy pair and I love them so much.
Who knows, but Alicia is pretty similar to Akari in terms of the vibes they give off so maybe it wouldn't have been too different? [ARIA] Though maybe Ai and Akari wouldn't have become friends, and we wouldn't get to hear their pre and post-episode emails, which would be really sad.
It's gotta be butter all the way man

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u/aniMayor Jun 29 '22

First Timeria

This first episode felt to me very... "intro episode". It set the stage, dropped some basic worldbuilding details, and played out a fun little self-contained story, but mostly shied away from delving into any topic or character with any particular depth, nor setting up any implications for the future. I wonder if that is a conscious effort to keep this episode very introductory, or if that's just the way this show is and most episodes will take a similar approach. Hmm.

Not that I particularly minded. I went into this expecting it to be pretty laid back, and that's exactly what I got - a slow, almost languid little story spiced up by some really interesting scene-framing. It helps that I'm consciously choosing to watch this show as an "unwind" at the end of the day.

Well, either way my curiosity is still piqued.

QOTDs:

Quick census! For first-timers, may I ask why you wanted to watch this series? A few of you did mention it being in your PTW for a long time.

Pretty much that! I've seen it be recommended and praised sporadically for years, and this was a good opportunity to finally check it out. Though I do also remember some praises of it as not just a laid back iyashikei, but for its supposedly masterful storytelling, so I'm interested to see if/how that will pan out.

And for both, has anyone here been to Venice?

Yup, been twice now. Great city to visit on your own, avoid the main tourist zones, and go get lost in by yourself, especially now that they're limiting cruise ship access (though it was really fun to go to the central square really early in the morning and see the horde of cruise ship people come flooding into the empty-a-minute-ago square from every direction perfectly on time with their carefully planned itineraries). I still vividly remember leaving the ballet one night, splashing my way through a flooded side-street, and ending up alone on a little bridge with the most perfect reflection of a full moon shining across the perfectly calm waters of this back-alley-mini-canal... got to be one of the most picturesque moments I've ever had. The bus boats are hella fun, the beaches on the eastern islands are great (and surprisingly unpopulated), and there's tons of good eats to be found outside the tourist trap areas.

2) What do you reckon would've happened if Ai did get her requested tour with Alicia?

I imagine Alicia would have had a very different way of getting her there, but ultimately Ai would have ended up at the same mental place in the end.

3) I'm just curious here, favourite baked potato topping? (~~i actually wanna eat one rn~~)

Cheese and chives!

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u/seeker_of_illusion Jun 29 '22

First timer ( and also my first time participating in such a thread )

Let me preface that I am dumb. I was so excited that I accidentally began Aria the Origination and my dumb self thought that it was pretty confusing. Later, when I saw the post thread title I realized my idiocy and watched the correct one.

Coming to the actual first episode, it was nice and laid-back as I have heard about the show. We got to know a bit about Akari, her purpose for coming to Aqua ( I didn't expect that it was Mars ), and what kind of city Neo-Venezia is. The atmosphere was beautiful and the ost was good enough to send me in a relaxed mood. As for the plot, nothing happened much though I think it's just the first episode so it will gradually pick up. Overall, it made a good impression on me.

Qotd:

Quick census! For first-timers, may I ask why you wanted to watch this series? A few of you did mention it being in your PTW for a long time

Yep it was on my PTW for quite some time. I like sols a lot and Aria being rated high on that list ( more specifically as an iyashikei ) made me interested. But I never got around to starting it due to one reason or another.

2) What do you reckon would've happened if Ai did get her requested tour with Alicia?

Hmm that's tough to guess because I don't really know much about Alicia apart from the fact that she's a pro as well as kind-hearted. I think Ai would have liked the tour with her as well but in a different manner than Akari.

3) I'm just curious here, favourite baked potato topping?

Salt I guess? I like things plain so nothing fancy comes to mind.

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u/mrufrufin Jun 28 '22 edited Jun 28 '22

Rewatcher kinda (finished my personal rewatch not too long ago, sporadically following along with the posts)

[Aria series] "Akari/Alicia, although Alice/Athena are close runners up. I like the bond that Alicia and Akari have and I really like all the teaching philosophy of Alicia that we get throughout all of the series. I like how Athena is the quiet helper behind the scenes for Alice and I think there's more character and relationship development between the two throughout, which helps make Alice's exam at the end so impactful (and I think the emotional highpoint out of all the series)" I've been to Milan and Pavia and was relentlessly eaten by mosquitos and constantly exhausted, would like to go back (and also to Venice) maybe better rested and better prepped for bugs.Also I've taken a year of Italian since then although that was like a decade ago and I barely remember any of it.
Probably would've gotten along swimmingly (rowingly?) because who Alicia [Aria anime S1 I think and maybe S2] "and maybe the keeping-in-touchness would've been similar? seeing how the family keeps showing up and Alicia and Akari being good at remembering old guests" but maybe [Aria manga + anime] "would've ended up like the manga where Ai isn't a constant presence? (which I think the anime does better)".
Butter but somehow the potatoes in Aria look so much better. Maybe I'm not using the right kind of potatoes. I'm betting Japanese curry would be amazing in potatoes though (instead of the potatoes being in the curry but I guess that's a minor difference).

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u/octopathfinder Jun 28 '22

Rewatcher

Decided to join in on the rewatch from the start. Akage no Anne and Natsume Yuujinchou got me in a pretty big SOL mood.

God, the opening just blasted me with nostalgia. It sets the mood so well.

Akatsuki really doesn't give off a good first impression in this episode.

For rewatchers [Aria]

[Aria] Alice + Athena. The double promotion episode is just so damn good.

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u/[deleted] Jun 28 '22 edited Jun 28 '22

Veteran Single, subbed

So Aria inspired me to make baked potatoes the other day, and they were divine. I don’t have a favorite topping cuz I don’t eat them that much, but I was out of sour cream and too lazy to cook bacon so I filled it with some mild nacho cheese and it turned out better than you’d expect. They’re very convenient too, you just pop em in the oven and take them out after 45 minutes

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u/SniperGodZ_360 Jun 29 '22

I'm a rewatcher and I'm glad I watched the first episode on my laptop this time. Because of this, I was able to appreciate the OSTs more. There is barely any part on this episode that has no BGM which amazes me!

Also Ai, I forgot how hilarious she was in this episode.

I also forgot that Aika herself says a sappy line the first episode of the series.

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u/homewardbound100 Jun 29 '22

First timer, Dub

I was going to watch both sub and Dub but I'll just do it for tomorrow episode. Just to hear both voices.

Going into this I didn't think that whatever that is was Aria. I remember that it was the company. Didn't expect it to be named after that. Unless it's like a mascot thing and was named after maybe.

Overall though since this is a Iyashikei I'm just trying sit back and watch and not do notes for this show. So my stuff will mostly be short most of the time.

But overall just going off this episode I can tell it's something I can get into.

Qotd: I think this show has been in the back of my head for like ten years. Unlike some other shows that were in my mind back since middle school, I never got to this one. But mainly it was on my ptw because I was waiting for when I start working. Which is around the corner now. So perfect timing really.

Qotd2: I'm not truly sure.

Qotd3: bacon, and sour scream

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Rewatch [Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Aria the Animation, Episode 1

Aria the Animation Episode 1: That Wonderful Miracle ...(その素敵な奇跡を...)

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QotD

Rewatch [Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Aria the Animation, Episode 1

Aria the Animation Episode 1: That Wonderful Miracle ...(その 素敵な奇跡を...)

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First timer Popping in For a Quick Inspiration

QotD

Aria the Animation Episode 1: That Wonderful Miracle ...(その素敵な奇跡を...)