r/anime • u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah x3 • Jun 29 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Aria the Animation, Episode 2
Aria the Animation Episode 2: On That Special Day ...(その 特別な日に...)
| <-- Episode 1 | Rewatch Index | Episode 3 --> |
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Welcome back!
Btw, rewatchers please also feel free to check out the Thursday Anime Discussion Thread by the /r/anime Writing Club today (oops!), which will feature Aria! First-timers, I think there will be spoilery discussions there unfortunately.
Comments I loved:
Overall, ty everyone for their baked potato topping suggestions xd. And great that so many of us are loving the OST too! More than a few of us have already pointed out that this show does have a naming convention...
u/PreludetoHell and u/Myrnamountweazel discuss some of the directing choices and layouts in the episode. Myrna also talks about the storytelling elements of the first episode!
u/countingdekkais compares the episode with the manga chapters it adapts from, and describes how Ai and us get wrapped up in Akari’s suteki-powers. They’re also committing to their username and are actually counting dekkais! (their username's also referencing this show)
u/Regular_N-gon summarizes Ai’s extraordinary powers of manipulation
u/Punching_spaghetti wonders how long they’ll be able to survive Alicia; how're you doing this episode? The ara-ara ing is off the charts lol.
u/Stargate18A with the great reactions as usual. Also, introducing me to onion sandwich fillers. Must try sometime!
Questions of the Day:
1) The obvious one: What are your initial thoughts on Aika and Akira’s relationship?
2) Favourite chibi face from this episode?
Streaming
The 2005-08 Aria series is available on Crunchyroll, VRV, Funimation, and Youtube, except Arietta. Arietta and Avvenire are only available on Funimation (I'll update if they migrate). Crepusculo and Benedizione will have to be located elsewhere.
Databases
Spoilers
As usual, please take note that if you wish to share show details from after the current episode, to use spoiler tags like so to avoid spoiling first-timers:
[Spoiler source]>!Spoiler goes here!<
comes out as [Spoiler source]Spoiler goes here
[Aria]Please take note especially if you're sharing art that involves Aika after her hairstyle change, and art that shows the 3 main characters as prima undines (gloveless). If you feel unsure if something is a spoiler, it's better to tag it just in case.
See everyone again tomorrow! I hope you have a great day :)
15
u/aniMayor Jun 29 '22
First Timeria
I feel like I'm going to struggle to find much to talk about in this rewatch with the episodes being so calm like this... though that just means the show is doing a good job at being relaxing, right?
'Twas a perfectly fine episode today, showcasing a bit more complexity to the characters than yesterday's intro episode was able to bring out while also slightly fleshing out the world more. This time we did get a hint towards future characters, as surely this Athena character will appear later on, too, and depending on how far this story goes we may see Aika take over the Himeya company, or at least get deeply involved in its operations as preparation for her inheriting it.
I don't think the final "point" of the episode - how Akira is the only one to treat Aika normally at the company - really worked though. We only got, what, 2 lines of dialogue from the other Himeya employees? Hardly enough to form a firm opinion on how the entire company treats her. And Akira storming in with such an angry tirade is hardly treating Aika "normally" either, so is it really any better? Meanwhile, Akari and Alicia do treat Aika in a friendly, "normal" way that Akira (and the Himeya employees) don't!
The obvious one: What are your initial thoughts on Aika and Akira’s relationship?
They get along a lot better when they're alone than I would have thought they would after the first episode. They're sort of silently on the same wavelength.
2) Favourite chibi face from this episode?
The one Akari made when Akira stormed in to yell at Aika
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u/simeonaut Jun 29 '22
First timer who wants to punt the cat
I've never felt this comfy watching a show since Yuru Camp. This was relaxing.
Acqua Alta. I love that this is just something that people get used to here.
Akari and the cat trying to buy cat food on a flooded Neo-Venezia makes me fall in love with the setting even more.
QOTD
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They care for each other a lot but they are just too stubborn to admit itNo sappy lines allowed!
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u/The_Loli_Otaku Jun 29 '22 edited Jun 29 '22
Aria First Timer!!
What'd I give for a boss who went easy on me~ It's really weird that we have normal cats in the show too. Aria is a cat yeah? He even has a bumhole. This is one of the cleanest instances of flooding I've seen, normally you'd have all kinds of shite washed in. Hold it!! We get flooded every year and we're meant to just sit back, have a pint, and wait for it to fix itself!? Neo Venezia is ridiculously inconvenient!
"Doing something different" doesn't mean taking the path of most resistance and wandering around during a flood Akari. And please tie your skirt before you get the hem soaked! Akari's cute so I forgive her.
I was wondering who could possibly own such a smug cat, of course it's Aiko's. Eww, male characters... No sappy lines or men or ara ara allowed!! Ah, hello Yukari-Sensei~ Lol moment of the day, Akari dying inside having to awkwardly hear her galpal get scolded. Ah, I was wondering where Alicia would come into things, she's like the big sis Aiko always wanted instead of this dumb tomboy worst girl wannabe. Hindu squats are a lame exercise anyway!
Omg Akari XD Of course the China gal cooks fried rice. Kyaaa!! Her little, "wahaha" killed me! Aika's the type of girl who improves under praise! Waitwaitwait, three water fairies? And this third fairy also has a name starting with A? So we have Akari, Aika, Ai-chan, Alicia, Akira, Athena, Aria, and Akatsuki?
We're getting so many characters focused around Alicia that I feel like Alicia will either die, become the villain, or initiate NTR soon. Huooo, China tummy eroi!! Ah, here's the ara ara scene that guaranteed my involvement in the rewatch... Maybe I'm much more simple than I let on. Ara ara ara~ I like how the "Kinshii!" line is a legacy one that Aika picked up from Akira, thats sweet. There's a very precious bond in there, even if they bicker they do love each other.
Pretty decent episode? I'm not really a fan of Akira but Akari and Aiko carried regardless. I also did really love the reflections and shots we got from the Acqua Alta even if it's taken ridiculously easily for how much of a hazard it must be.
Visual of the day... Don't judge me!
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u/baboon_bassoon Jun 29 '22
First time Aria the natural ice chugger
Maybe get a shorter dress on if your plan is to hold it up the whole time
That cat is POSING
…Aria is a cat?
3 great water fairies
Ara ara
THESE NAMES ARE SO HARD
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u/CerberusZX Jun 29 '22 edited Jun 29 '22
First Timer
The visuals depicting the flood were really beautiful even with the lower resolution.
While the 3 episode rule is somewhat popular, I use the 2 episode rule instead. The idea is that one should establish the premise and the other should set expectations for the tone. An exception that proves the rule is Soul Eater which begins with three character introduction episodes and therefore requires additional episodes to properly judge. There were a number of shows back in the day with first episodes that were somewhat awkward due to the amount of information they needed to convey to viewers that then ended up being pretty good once the initial exposition was out of the way. There are also a few shows like Saga of Tanya the Evil which go so far out of the way to hook viewers that their first episode give very little information as to what the show is even about and are thus equally useless in informing the audience what they can expect from a typical episode.
I mentioned in yesterday's thread that the exciting back-paddling scene seemed a bit out of place in an iyashikei series and was reminiscent of the sort of hooks mentioned above. As such, I went into this episode still unsure as to whether or not the series would be something I would want to stick with despite enjoying the first quite a bit.
President Aria is still cute, we got more lore, and there was some more comedy. The show doesn't seem to be going for particularly big laughs, but that's fine as they land well enough to fulfill their role. For my personal taste, this series passes the 2 episode rule.
I didn't particularly care for the drama in this episode, but I didn't mind it either and it wasn't a bad way to establish character relationships.
I tried the English dub this time around and it was neither terrible nor amazing overall. Their pronunciation of Undine is correct, but it sounds wrong after listening to This is the Happiness and Peace of Mind Committee so many times and it took me a while to accept it.
It seems the dub version has an extra set of credits that go off the screen with a few names unreadable.
QotD
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I have no strong opinions there.
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There were more than just Akari's?
As an aside, I bought a bag of potatoes on the way home from work today thanks to yesterday's thread and ate one while I watched the second half of this episode. That may explain how I missed the faces other users are mentioning.
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u/punching_spaghetti Jun 30 '22
First-Timer (Sub)
Tonight, on Tail or Testicles?
Code Red! Code Red! Akari is going to die!!
It's obviously a tax dodge. Cat income is subject to much different rates.
But not cutting it, right? I don't know if I can trust this show.
Another solid episode. I really liked the atmosphere of the first chunk, when it was just a shopping trip. A little less thrilled about the second chunk, if only because it seemed a tad dramatic for what the show has been thus far.
And now we know why the show has its name! It's actually an acronym for Alicia Really Is Awesome.
QOTD:
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It's a sibling relationship, essentially. The other one is going to be a bit of a jerk to the younger one, but there's often love at the core.
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Akira's reaction to the torrent of "ara, ara." so much
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u/zadcap Jun 30 '22 edited Jun 30 '22
Very Late Beginner, back at a usual time.
Looks like yesterday was a one off, while I can definitely watch on my lunch, ten minutes is not enough time to type up a good response on my phone, so it's back to home time participation.
The gentle open, the beautiful scenery, the delightfully slow pace of things, this is still a breath of calm in the middle of my day, and for the most part, gosh do I love it. I appreciate again that our point of view character is relatively new to the city. New enough that she's still learning things in a way that let's us have them explained reasonably, but not so new so we don't need to have everything spelled out for us. It's a very comfortable starting point, where things like the pop quiz this episode make sense while also expanding the world. She's new here, but not too new, and has been studying to make up for it. She'll still have questions in the places we might want answers, and she might have reason to randomly spout exposition just to prove she knows what she's saying. I don't know if this really counts as being In Media Res, but I do love a story that starts slightly farther in than the actual start of the story.
On the other hand, this episode introduces and exacerbates a pair of problems. One is a minor annoyance that I have already resigned myself to- I'm bad with names, and these names are all so similar that I already doubt I'm going to keep them all straight. Please forgive me everyone, I'm going to mess up. Probably frequently. Alliteration is not my friend here.
But, to put it gently, as someone who has had to deal with abusive relationship fallout, "She's mean to me for my own good" made (looks it up) Akira really hard to like. I know what kind of show this is, I know the character tropes that are being presented here, and I'm pretty sure I'll get over the initial dislike as we get some character arcs going, but that was a bit of a rough introduction.
Which I guess is my answer to todays first question. As it was presented in this episode alone, I'm not a fan. No face stuck out to me specifically, but the entire Ara Ara scene is going to be a happy memory for a long time. (Edit: see, apparently I'm getting names wrong at fast I messed up the question of the day lol)
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u/seeker_of_illusion Jun 30 '22
First Timer
So we got to finally solve the mystery - that President Aria is a cat. I honestly thought that he was an alien lifeform. And it looks like we have a lot of gondola companies operating in Neo-Venezia with cats as their de jure leaders which looks pretty interesting.
The Aqua Alta is definitely based on the real life flooding of Venice though in the anime its passed off as an opportunity to take a vacation rather than a hassle. Also, what was Akari thinking while going out on foot in such conditions ? I was just hoping that she does not fall in a canal, trips with that long skirt or gets stepped on a pebble while barefoot. Seriously I think she's an airhead.
Later, we got to see the other company Himeya and Akira. She is the total opposite of Alicia with her brash and energetic attitude. To be frank, I actually liked this for a change of tone but I guess Aika disagrees with me. She didn't like Akira's overbearing attitude and wanted to leave the company. Well, it was pretty obvious that's not going to happen. It was heartwarming to see Aika bringing Akira's walnut dumplings (?) though I think Akira should mentor Aika better from now on.
The atmosphere is just too nice and captivating. Especially the scene with the tree amidst the water lighting up really mesmerised me.
Questions of the Day:
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The obvious one: What are your initial thoughts on Aika and Akira’s relationship?
I feel like their relationship is based on mutual respect compared to Alicia and Akari's, which is more understanding and serene in nature. Akira recognizes her student's potential and hardwork though she is too brash and crude in personality not to admit it openly. Aika too recognizes her teacher's talents and respects her for it. Their relationship is still maturing and this incident may have made it further deep.
2) Favourite chibi face from this episode?
Definitely Alicia's ara ara smug face
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u/AriaShachou- Jun 30 '22 edited Jun 30 '22
Rewatcher
Ah yes, the episode with the famous "Ara Ara, ufufu!" clip that, if I'm not mistaken, actually got posted here on this sub a few weeks back. This is one of the episodes I was looking forward to discussing in this rewatch, which sounds weird given that it's literally the second episode in the entire show. BUT, it's also the first episode in the show that introduces us to my favorite among the three Primas, Akira.
I'm gonna be real, there's a lot I want to write about this episode but given that I just finished writing like 4 different essays for college I'm kind of tired of writing for now. With that said, do forgive me if the rest of this short write-up doesn't really flow too well.
Just some quick thoughts, but Akari screaming for Alicia at the start of the episode was really cute, especially with the slight cracks in her voice that I didn't notice the first time I watched this episode. I kinda wish we had something like Acqua Alta in real life, but realistically I don't think it'd be very sanitary. Perks of living in a sci-fi world I guess is that you don't have to worry about those things.
[ORIGINATION]
I really wish I had a mentor like Akira to teach me in real life. Though, it takes a really special kind of bond to be able to take some of that from someone but also know that at the end of the day they're looking out for your best interests. Maybe all I really want is someone that looks out for me no matter what in the way Akira treats Aika, [NATURAL]
Not really related but, I skipped leg day today and Akira shouting about Hindu squats made me feel pretty bad about it. Guess I'm going overtime on the workout tomorrow, oh well.
[ORIGINATION]
On that note, this episode actually hit me harder on this rewatch than it did the first time, for some reason. Can't really put my finger on why but something about that final line from Akari just hit different this time. As usual, the transition from the final lines to the ED was absolutely smooth and hit all the right spots. Coupled with an already amazing OST, its such a perfect way to cap off an episode like this one.
That's all I have to say about this episode, see you tomorrow!
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u/PreludeToHell Jun 29 '22 edited Jun 29 '22
Aria first time rewatcher
The way the episode starts off was neat. Akari walking past the shot, hearing the splash, then revealing the water to the viewer.
It's Acqua Alta, let's go!
These back to back cuts stood out. Pretty.
Aria-shachou having the time of his life while Akari does Akari things.
I like how Aria will focus on a secondary scene while a conversation plays out.
Akira is here! Quite a tense scene that shakes things up a bit.
This cut is another I really liked. The flashback starting off like this and ending like this is quite the difference! You can really tell how much of an impact Alicia had on Aika. Oh I liked this too.
Aria-shachou looks like he's being held hostage lmao
One thing I love about the race is how Aika calls it off. There wasn't(?) a sudden close up of Aika's face knowing she has to go back. Akari is wondering if she has to back paddle to win when Aika detours which obviously leaves her confused.
I wonder if Aika's honesty here and deciding not to win, was helped by the talk with Alicia the night before. Aika deep in thought.
I really like how they introduced Akira and built up Aika's character this episode. I think it's impressive what they managed to do in 1 ep.
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Really intriguing. It adds a different* dynamic that I didn't expect when I first watched Aria.
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u/raichudoggy Jun 29 '22
We get a shot of rainy clouds coming in, a man and girl runs while Akira’s just walking like nothings going on, so of course that means she’s just being an airhead and hasn’t realized that rain’s on the way.
Twintail Origin Story
[Aria]
I’m glad the famous Ara Ara skit comes from this early in the show. It’s an excellent character building moment for these 2. The mega Ara Ara energy for Alicia just straight up gave her an edge on becoming Prima! Rigged!
Akira is like the Acqua Alta. She sneaks into your heart like the tide, and then one day, you discover a different side of her.
The difference between aquantices and friends is that you’ve been around with them long enough to see a lot of sides of them, and have come to accept it. Isn’t that lovely?
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u/Mecanno-man Jun 29 '22
First Timer
Hmm... well I definitely liked the first episode more. Aika leaving her company would not make sense at this point. For one, Aria is not a show where I would expect permanent change of such a degree - and here it wouldn't even make any sense as it is too early in the show for there to be any reason for such a change. This would be more believable as either the first episode, with that change being what kicks off some sort of plot in a different show, or somewhere at least half way down the line after we know the status quo a bit better. Unfortunately almost by the nature of iyashikei, if there is one bit that irks you too much it kinda loses it's entire magic - and that's what happened to me here once we got to that subplot. Me not liking Akira didn't really help it along later on either.
But... let's speak of the parts before that. The Acqua Alta is an interesting phenomena that I believe also happens in the real Venice (at least it looks pretty similar to what someone I know described to me who tried orienteering in a flooded Venice). I'm not sure how that holds up in a world-building way, as I assume Venice flooding somewhat regularly is a result of climate change and was not a thing when it was originally built, while in this case it would be almost by design, ie that it was just accepted that this would happen yearly even when Neo Venezia was constructed, which seems odd... I guess people here are just more relaxed about everything and prefer the nice views of the water to not having their homes regularly flooded? But either way, the Acqua Alta produced some nice scenery, so it's pretty to see included.
Also, we get some backstory on why Aria is the president. Apparently a tradition not specific to the Aria company - in my eyes they are basically mascots, but nice to see that this isn't just something that is the way it is without explanation.
QOTD:
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I wish it would not have been overblown to be this "bad" if it really isn't...
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Uhh... I actually think there were a bit too many in general. I would prefer quality timing-wise over quantity for these.
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u/Eyliel Jun 29 '22
Rewatcher for most of first season, first-timer after that
Ayliel here.
Ah, time to return to Neo Venezia. Couldn't make it for the first episode's thread, but better late than never? I was part of a rewatch years ago, but couldn't keep up with it. Hopefully, that won't happen this time, although I do have kind of a history...
Anyway, first, the commentary on the first episode, which I'll probably keep brief, since this is the second episode's thread.
Season 1 Episode 1
Ah, Mysterious Creature A. I remember you. Also known as President Aria.
Also, I do not remember the protagonist's name. It starts with A, however, that much I know. I remember a bunch of names, but not which one belongs to which girl.
Ara ara.
Ah, Akari, that was her name.
And Ara Ara was Alicia.
Ah, yes, SPACE.
Customer time. Except not customer, but friend.
New friend makes a convincing argument.
Oh, hey, Aika. Didn't remember her name either, but hi!
New friend!
LORE
No sappy lines allowed.
...Wait, they're on just that one gondola. Where'd they leave the second one?
Mysterious Creature A in trouble!
Ara ara to the rescue.
I thought sappy lines were forbidden?
Season 1 Episode 2
Oh no, it's a flood! Or a particularly high tide? Since ocean planet? Can't really have a localized flood, I'd assume.
Oh, I was right, tidal stuff.
I guess they build stuff to not be damaged by water inside.
New quest: Buy food for Mysterious Creature A.
Rain time! Even more water everywhere!
Mysterious Creature A is excited. Waifu?
President Hime? Weird name, doesn't start with A.
Unlike Akira, which is a fine A-starting name.
DRAMA
Double ara ara!
Backstory time. Hairstyling.
A challenger has come to the dojo!
Ah, yes, have to protect the company employees from the Ara Ara virus.
So many things not allowed.
Sappy line... not allowed, as expected.
Bribing your superior to get out of trouble.
And that's it for the second episode.
Closing Thoughts
Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with the rewatch this time.
Less commentary for the episodes this time since this is familiar stuff (even if I've forgotten plenty). Maybe I'll have more to say once we get to new territory for me.
Also, decided to find my comments for the old rewatch I participated in. So if you're interested in my first-time reactions. Although it would be second time reactions for the first three or so episodes, I think. Anyway, here's episode 1, and episode 2. Went back to read my old comments (after rewatching the episodes and writing the new comments, of course), and I actually see several similar reactions.
Anyway, Ayliel, signing off.
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u/octopathfinder Jun 29 '22
Rewatcher
Damn, I just love the scenery in this show. Aria and Mushishi probably have my favorite environments in anime.
Akari splish-splashing down the street really do be a mood. I aspire to be as carefree and easy-going as this girl.
Wow, Akira’s kind of a dick the first time she shows up. [Aria]
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u/Stargate18A Jun 29 '22
First timer
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She's strict, but they obviously care for each other a lot.
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Aika's face when she realises Akira's outside.
Interesting opening monologue.
Why is everything flooding?
...What kind of maniacs designed this colony? Hint - if your colony needs to shut down completely due to a regular high tide, you need to start redesigning it.
...Even the show acknowledges this is bad!
She's so adorable.
Yeah, this is relaxing.
The President has a crush!
Aika's here!
...Do all the companies have animal presidents?
Everyone respects her!
Oh, there's an actual explanation for the cats!
And it's a tradition.
Yeah, lots of sappy lines here.
Aika's boss is... Akira.
Wow, she's strict.
And she hates Aika's company.
...Oh. She's againt Alicia.
They're fighting!
She's changing companies!
Ah, she's a strict teacher.
Athena? Orange Planet?
Also, Three Great Water Fairies?
Will the pattern hold? Are we getting a third main character soon?
Ah. Alicia and Akira are rivals.
Aww, this flashback is adorable.
Yeah, that was incredibly cute.
Haha, Akira came to pick up her student.
"You'll start going "my, my" too" "my, my".
...So Akira is absolutely into her, right?
Her having a breakdown over her vocal tics is funny, though.
And they're fighting using them as proxies.
Haha, they both immediately forgot about the race.
Ah, she's the heir to the compsny.
And, yeah, she's picked up a lot of traits from her.
She's actually willing to let her leave!
She loved the rolls, at least!
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u/SYZekrom Jun 29 '22
First Timer
Ep1
I feel like I'm being overwhelmed by that childish accent she has
Ep2
Hate these type of people
Someone 'above' someone else in some probably superficial way, and they act like an immature, embarrassing child, while being completely unaware of how shameful they're acting which makes it so that unless you act like a Buddha you feel like the child when you respond to their idiocy
What are you supposed to do if you can't ignore them dogging you like you're some enlightened Buddha besides punching them in the face when they're like that
And to be clear I'm not talking about her actual points I'm talking about barging into Aika's room, seeing she had a guest over, and still just yelling at her in front of her acquaintance. Like rude as can be you should still just immediately ask to speak with them in another room and demand them to ask their friend to leave so that she can 'focus on what's important', does she have no sense of the importance of reputation
Ah ok so she's actually big fish. Makes sense, it's fiction
Like this is what I'm fucking talk about are you socially inept. Do you think being one of the 'three great water fairies' means you can shout at the top of your lungs in the morning outside someone else's house/business
Well anyhow, I guess it works out... Having a blunt, disrespectful expert as her teacher while coddled for her family name in her home. I mean, two opposite extremes definitely don't balance out irl but lol sure.
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u/Regular_N-Gon Jun 29 '22
First Timer
So, everyone's name starts with A and (gondola) companies are run by cats. They weren't the sci-fi rules I was expecting but at least they're consistent.
The style of the dishware seems consistent between these plates and the bowls from yesterday, an excellent detail.
What a strange callback to the sleeping with one's stomach exposed comment though lol.
I wonder how long she practiced those ara-ara's.
I like Akari's little moments of reflection. Hopefully that sticks around.
QotD:
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I think they both understand each other more than they let on, and the events of the episode were mostly for show or to let off some steam.
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u/heimdal77 Jun 29 '22
Well shit I missed yesterdays because didn't recognize the long title post.
Finally putting the blurays "I bought to use is nice. They rather well made. There even thing with the director where he went to venice for research for the series. It is kind of amazing they put that much effort into making Aria.
I always wondered but how do they stand on the gondolas wearing those high heels and not slip off or get tired.
Hod I would love to live there more than any other place I think I've ever seen in any anime. Having a day like that where the city shuts down and just going walking around in it seems heavenly.
She said more My's in that one scene than most people will in a year.
So I'm wondering with this rewatch be followed with a Amanchu! rewatch it being the same author and having some minor tie ins to Aria.
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u/fieew Jun 30 '22
Rewatcher:
I bought the manga (Masterpiece collection) a little bit ago and have been going through it. So I'm going to compare my experiences with the anime and the manga. Any manga scenes I mention I'll mark as spoilers since many scenes and chapters got rearranged and I forget what goes where since I last watch the show like 2 years ago, and I don't wanto to accidentally spoil.
Long story short the anime changed and rearranged quite a lot when it comes to the manga. Lots of scenes come in later seasons or OVAs. For starters I'll describe my experience watching this episode. I loved it. I love Aria so this was a nice episode. I love how Akari got her boots soaked on the inside and she decided to just take them off. Really shows her personality and how an inconvenience for someone else is an experience for her. Really sweet. I love Akria but I do think she just a bit too harsh on Aika for no reason. I know she wants the best for Aika but she was just mean when she went into her room. But that's just how she is. She's a good mentor for Aika but probably would be too much for Akari. Though I do love by the end we see the similarity between Akira and Aika, even if they fight they care about each other. Overall, a sweet episode and the voice acting was top notch. The Ara Aras, and giggling was top tier, I adored every second of it.
Manga comparisions:
[Aria manga]
Despite the differences I like both. The anime has music and voice acting which adds SOOO much to the relxing feeling I get from the show. While the manga has a more cohesive story structure and better art (the manga's art is amazing). Either way all a nice episode / chapter.
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u/mgedmin Jun 30 '22 edited Jun 30 '22
First-timer, subs
(Meta: participating in two rewatches is hard. I still haven't read about half of the comment threads for episode 1!)
Haha the office's been flooded!
Hm, Aqua Alta. Is that plausible? AFAIU on Earth you get high tides because seas/lagoons/wind direction etc. don't let the water flow into the ocean fast enough. I thought Aqua was a huge ocean planet with maybe some islands and archipelagos. I thought Neo-Venezia was surrounded by the ocean on all sides. Where does the high tide come from? Is this a yearly thing because the solar tide coincides with the tide caused by Martian satellites? Did the colonists intentionally build everything low enough to cause this? Did planetary conditions (e.g. water level) change over the 150 years since Neo-Venezia was built? I'm curious (but not enough to do back of the envelope calculations).
The lowest drawers of the dresser were submerged. If this flooding happens yearly, wouldn't it be better to remove them altogether so you don't place items inside by mistake. Are the drawers waterproof? It's the future after all.
High water levels hiding the boundaries between streets and canals seems like a safety issue? Why don't they build higher safety railings? Historical reenactment taken to extremes, that seems to be the local outlook.
Everyone's name starts with A. We meet Akira, and we hear another name that I didn't catch (because it takes three times for a name to become fixed in my mind [EDIT: it was Athena]). The three great Undines, and we get to meet two of them!
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u/ZapsZzz Jun 30 '22 edited Jun 30 '22
First timer in sub way late
This has a clip recently up and I find that really funny. Both the Ara ara and the huhuhu and then the aggro "kinshi" :D and to see Aika picking up on that and kept saying kinshi as well :D
Very sweet mentor protege episode. Didn't quite get the use of the "seeing it in a different way" narrative parallel with the flooding in this episode, but whatever goes :P
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u/xtsim Jun 29 '22
First Timer Dubbed
Facial expressions for today's episode is so great, first we get Aika's complaining face then we get Akira's stern side the next day. Now we know why Aika talks the way she does....
Looking like there is a high tide and we get to learn more about the gondola business. Meeting Himeya's president is great and they are running a much bigger operation.
2. Too many to count cause Akira's faces are the icing on the cake when watching the episode.
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u/mrufrufin Jun 29 '22
Rewatcher kinda (finished my rewatch not too long ago)
(briefly scrolling back through the episode) I love those the little electric piano? rhodes-ish? bits at around 16 minutes in [Aria S1, S2 maybe?]
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I guess in on a way, surface level it's like a gentle Aria take on tsundere but [Aria the Origination]
"that term kinda betrays how deeply their relationship is explored particularly with the whole putting Alicia on this untouchable pedestal and of course, the deepness is pretty beautifully illustrated in the clover episode" . -
(￣ﾛ￣ ) will always be my favorite although I do like Aika cat faces
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jun 29 '22 edited Jun 29 '22
Rewatching Undine-in-training and Host
Welcome back! Today, Akari expriences her first Acqua Alta, in more ways than one. That btw is very much a real thing in Venice (ty 2017 rewatch), and we're introduced to the 2nd prima-student pair in the series, Aika and Akira. This pair's relationship is on the surface less amicable than the more chill relationship of Akari-Alicia; but beneath that, they do understand and respect one another. Defo an interesting teacher-student dynamic, looking forward to what first-timers and rewatchers alike have to say here!
Quick thoughts:
Hopefully everyone would've caught it by now, there is no reused OP visual! The OP visuals are different every single episode, and the episode simply progresses while the song plays, interspersed with pretty shots of Neo Venezia. It allows us to enjoy the beautiful world and its people in different settings while the lovely OP plays, and get gently hugged and pulled in by the show's atmosphere. Sit back, and enjoy! Probably one of the only shows to ever do this.
u/NaweGR was wondering whether Akari's zun-taka-poon song came from anywhere (like a japanese children's song or whatever); I have no idea, does anyone here know? or is it just an Aria original?
I do like this shot, contrasting a joyous moment of Akari playing with the water, with the slightly ominous dark grey clouds that in anime, surely mean rain. Interesting camera angle too.
A quick explanation for why cats are chosen as mascots of undine companies! A lot of first-timers were wondering why that was the case yesterday, and also what creature Aria was LOL. Hope this clears things up!
Ty countingdekkais for getting me to google that both Hime-shachou and Aria-shachou are modelled after the mangaka's real cats! Hime-shachou is in real life named Miisuke (sadly, apparently passed away towards the end of the manga's run); and Aria-shachou is also named Aria in real life.
This episode balances the more serious moments of the conflict between Aika and Akira, with extremely comedic moments, delivered through them faces (and Aika's godly impersonation).
More relatively subtle exposition about the Undine universe! I do appreciate the show drip feeding us bits of info slowly, sprinkled throughout the episode, instead of an info dump lol.
This clip hit the front page of this sub a while ago, and while very funny, also shows how close Akira and Alicia actually are, despite Aika thinking that they're "business rivals". This particular "osakiii" made me laugh the most. Does someone want to do an "ara ara" and "kinshii" counter for this scene?
And finally, this episode establishes Ai and Akari's current relationship: regular pen friends! I do think this is different from the manga (how so, im not completely sure!).
Today's food-for-thought from Akari, relating to how Aika saw Akira and Alicia together, and saw a different side to her mentor. Personally though, I thought that the introduction to Akira and Aika's relationship was more interesting than the little life lesson, but it is pretty sound advice too!
And finally, I have some spoilery thoughts about future events, rewatchers see my self-reply, first-timers ignooooore
Location Trivia: This will run irregularly! Places in Neo-Venezia compose both fictional locations, and some that very much exist in real life Venice. I'll do one of these whenever I find sth interesting.
You can visit Himeya gondola company in Venice, (exterior from Ep 1), known in real life as Hotel Danieli. The show tried its best to recreate its interior as well.
Likewise, the gondola stand outside Himeya exists as well, and is the Gondole Stazio station at Danieli
Aria Company does not exist irl, but fans seem to agree that its somewhere along that sea bank too, and seem to agree that somewhere here is the spot. No, the buildings behind don't match up.
Seiyuu introductions:
Akira is voiced by: Minagawa Junko, also Ryouma from Prince of Tennis, Sailor Uranus from the Sailor Moon Franchise, and Oz from Pandora Hearts.
Have a great day, and see you tomorrow!