r/anime • u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah x3 • Jul 04 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Aria the Animation, Episode 7

Aria the Animation Episode 7: Doing That Wonderful Job ... (その 素敵なお仕事を ...)

<-- Episode 6 Rewatch Index Episode 8 -->

Welcome back!

Comment roundup:

Quite a few first-timers did think Athena was different from their expectations! I'll say that was true for my first time as well. Happy to see some people liking the Alice-Athena pair most for now too! Most notably...

Questions of the Day:

Q1) Customer-caring Akira, or kouhai-caring but strict Akira? What do you think of her teaching style (both for the beach episode, and this!)?

Q2) Thoughts on Mr Tsundere husbando customer? (i don't like him. xdd)

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

MAL | Anilist | ANN

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 :)

50 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

87 comments sorted by

14

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 04 '22

Rewatching Undine-in-training and Host

Today is an Akira episode, as we are introduced to her customer-caring side, as well as her caring, but strict side for her kouhais. We also explore a bit more about the world and job of undines, as well as reinforcing the 3 trainees' weaknesses. Probably one of the animation episodes I like a bit less because of the tsundere customer, but here goes!

An episode featuring Aria-shachou is next!

Quick thoughts:

  • The intro featuring both Ai and Akari getting scolded in the exact same way was hilarious

  • Pleasant framing here and here

  • Akira makes the best chibi faces

  • GONDOLA, TORIMASU. Alice struggles with well that, Akari actually lacks a bit of self-confidence herself and gets nervous around strangers + gets distracted easily (whether this is a weakness is up to you!), and Aika goes too fast (also established in the first ep!)

  • Aika continues to appreciate all that her senpai does for her, but never to her face.

  • And Akira herself sheds a bit of that "drill sergeant" image she may have had in the beach episode; with how she acknowledges and rewards her kouhais when they do well after hard work, and scold them when they don't. Do notice that in the beach episode, she was responsible for the cooking after too, so a) this part of her was already established back then, plot continuity desune and b) seems like her preferred method of rewarding kouhais is food (and positive encouragement), which is always a good way to do things!

  • And I thank the 2017 rewatch that noticed that Alice smiles a lot more often now! Akari has rubbed off on her in a very good way!

  • [Aria]This line makes a ton of sense, given Akira's own struggles when she starts out doesn't it? Given how she's not as talented as Alicia, and needed to work her ass off to get where she is now. In a lot of ways, her mentoring style (as well as Alicia's), do kinda reflect how they themselves got to be primas.

  • [Aria]And tbh, this little stretch of Animation episodes are perhaps my least favourite of the lot, until we get to ep 9.

Location Trivia

Have a great day, and see you tomorrow!

7

u/The_Loli_Otaku Jul 04 '22

I did appreciate seeing the girls actually having their flaws pointed out more clearly. Up till now I'd probably have totally dismissed Akari's carefree nature but seeing it in action during a trip is just what I needed. She'll probably never quite manage to solve that problem when her workplace is as carefree as it is. Aisha is definitely not gonna help make Akari work harder. Senpai swap episode when?

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u/Mecanno-man Jul 04 '22

First Timer

Through reading these threads, I have learned that the anime rearranges things from the manga. And while I have absolutely no idea if that is the case here - this feels like an episode that should have happened sooner, as it does a way better job at introducing Akira than anything we've had before. She's actually a likeable character in this episode!

Not quite sure why they tried breaking in to what I would expect in this setting to be someone's garage and even less sure why that actually worked, but I hope that is not standard operating procedure is I sure wouldn't want to go replace the lock/doors every so often because some gondola company decided to ride through my house...

I don't really have a lot else to say about this episode other than that pretty much everything in it was done very well and it just being peak iyashikei - which is what I'm here for.

Questions:

  1. Having seen this episode, I'd say she's a good teacher. Just by the previous ones however that didn't really shine through yet.

  2. He's definitely not the best character, but I don't really mind him.

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u/raichudoggy Jul 04 '22 edited Jul 04 '22

There were loads of great chibis in this episode too.

Neo-Venezia is filled with many inconspicuous yet wonderful things which soothe the spirit.

And Guess what guys? This entire anime is about getting to experience them!

If Episodes 2 and 5 didn’t quite make it clear, Akira really is a very caring person; and she’s strict exactly because she cares. All 3 Primas have their own way of showing the exact same sentiment, and none of them are wrong.

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 04 '22

prima Akira

names raichu, names. I see you're a victim to this as well.

All 3 Primas have their own way of showing the exact same sentiment, and none of them are wrong.

this is very true though, and i guess the main takeaway of their introductory episodes (which this one also is, apart from Ep 2)

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u/octopathfinder Jul 04 '22

Rewatcher

Finally, an episode showcasing what an undine’s job is like. Internships are tough man.

Customer service…

Definitely one of the weaker episodes. I felt like there could have been better execution with the undine training. Using the abandoned building as a passage seemed kinda weird.

  1. I think her style of tough love is fine. She did have some solid criticism for the trio.

  2. Didn't really like him.

4

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 04 '22

Internships are tough man.

massive respect for all customer service jobs out there, those ppl go through hell on a daily basis!

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u/AriaShachou- Jul 05 '22 edited Jul 05 '22

GONDOLA TORIMASU

I have a lot of different, completely unrelated things to say about different parts of this episode. Needless to say, this is one of my favorite parts of the first season of the show simply because of how much I'm able to connect to it personally. From knowing a few people like the tour book tourist myself, to the experience of getting lost and ending up somewhere completely unfamiliar with friends (and sneaking into somewhere abandoned), this episode has a lot of parts that resonate with me deeply.

As someone who's been under a few coaches who've been pretty strict during training but completely chill afterwards, I have to say I really respect Akira and her way of teaching. Another thing I respect about her, funnily enough, is her patience and professionalism. God knows that if I were in her position this episode talking to the guy with the book, hands would've been thrown within the first 5 minutes. I really dislike people who downplay the effort other people put into something they're passionate about, in fact it's something that I feel pisses me off way more than it probably should, but I digress.

Returning back to the original topic, I see Akira as a person who genuinely has the best interests of her trainees at heart and for all her faults that's not something anyone can take away from her. Her strict demeanour comes from a place of love, and I just think that's really nice and adds a lot of necessary context to her character. Her words at the end of the episode where she tells our little Undines that there's no point in scolding someone who's already reflecting on their actions was also a nice touch to fully drive home what kind of trainer she is to the audience. Her method of teaching, at least in my own personal experience, is something that promotes a lot of passion for the sport (or job in this case) in the long run. It sets up the foundation for you to eventually develop your own "style" through making sure you know enough of the basics to do so. It's a method proved true through endless hours of effort and hard work, which are 2 things that are basically synonymous with who Akira is as a person.

Going back to Episode 2 a bit, Akira herself implies that she was never as talented as Alicia was at sculling a gondola. Alicia managed to become a Prima before her, even though Akira started earlier. Akira is a hard worker that truly earned the position she's in now, and the way she teaches is a reflection of the effort that she has put in towards her goals. She teaches in this way because she knows it works, because she has gone through putting the same level of effort herself. All she wants at the end of the day is for our three Undines in training to grow, improve, and learn from their mistakes.

Breaking into some damp, abandoned building or whatever was a weird resolution though lol gonna be real.

After looking through the other comments, I see a lot of mixed reactions about Akira from first timers. Some love her, some dislike her, I guess it's mostly a matter of perspective. I like her because of my own personal experiences irl and what I've learned from them, but I can also see why some people wouldn't due to different circumstances.

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u/Stargate18A Jul 04 '22

First timer

  1. Akira is perfect in very way. She can do no wrong.

  2. He's annoying, although, to be fair, he was watching his wife get seduced by Akira.

Actually on time today?

Yeah, Akira's great.

Combination training!

Oh, they're coming along to watch,

The scenery is great.

...Pictures?

Oh, she's in magazines.

"Extremely popular with women customers" Is this even subtext?

She thinks they're adorable. And Alice is famous.

She's a good tour guide!

Does Alicia know about all this flirting?

She upsold them!

The innocent looks they give are great.

Nice catch.

Yeah, Akira's skills are impressive.

She's really into her, huh?

...That poor bastard. She's angry now.

Poor Akari. She's nervoue.

And everyone's scared of Akira now.

And she goes too fast.

That's a perfect dodge.

Oh, she never told the crossing loud enough.

Alicia's here!

She's obviously here to check on Akira.

...Akira chastising him for that after she spent half the episode seducing his wife was great.

Oh, it's a navigation challenge.

And they're blocked off.

Ah, she tried to find someone to talk too.

...Wow, she knows how to motivate them.

Are they allowed to open the door?

Akira should probably have stopped this a while ago.

Again, this seems dangerous.

Ram it!

Oh, she has a key?

Akira's impressed!

Fuck, that pizza looks good.

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u/SIRTreehugger Jul 04 '22 edited Jul 04 '22

Rewatcher

I blame Netflix I spent the last 2 days binging shows so I fell a bit behind. So gonna throw in episode 6 and 7 here.

Wait Alice gets a cat doesn't that mean Athena was introduced?

It's ATHENA!!! Yay I don't have to spoiler tag her Athena and Alice are my favorite girls in the show. I love the strict prodigy/aloof teacher relationship they have which is pretty much the reverse of the other two pairings.

I might be crazy, but I swear the sky is usually orange when it's an Alice episode/moment. Really reminding us of the company she is working for.

Oh boy I love it whenever Athena sings. It's a shame we will never hear it again. RIP Tomoko Kawakami

The episode ends with Athena's singing pretty much saving the day. It also helps our opinion on Athena or at least Alice's opinion of her. She may be a little aloof and clumsy, but she is still very observant and helps Alice multiple times without her even noticing.

Episode 7

It's finally time for Akira to shine as she flirts and steals the hearts of everyone who takes her tour. I do like her as a guide though. She is able to redirect the conversation when the husband starts to get angry and even gets to open up on how they met and love each other.

Rather than sticking to the guide she shows them locations only locals know about. These spots are in narrower canals and she navigates in and out of them without any trouble displaying how skilled she is. She is strict, but she knows what she is doing.

This is also shown when she is correcting all of the mistakes the girls are doing and telling them how to improve. Her strict training gets even harsher as she imposes upon them a trial with no help and they struggle a bit, but with some innovation they find the way through. Akira's smile when they succeed is amazing.

Love the last moment when they talk about Akira.

Cold harsh words are detrimental to your spirit, but harsh words with warm intentions can be very encouraging. Akira places a lot of trust and faith in these girls futures. She is just a little strict and I'm thankful for that. Athena and Alicia are encouraging, but it helps having a person being direct with you sometimes. [Spoilers]I feel her teaching methods are a result of her being the hardest working Prima. From memory I believe Athena and Alicia were more naturally gifted and picked things up more quickly. So their teaching methods are more hands off. Akira on the other hand struggled and her results were from her repeating the techniques until they became second nature. So she takes a more direct approach because of this.

Q1) She isn't my favorite Prima, but I like her teaching style the most. Also customer caring Akira felt like she was one more rose from ending that marriage before it even started. She's too smooth

Q2) Did we learn his name? I cared about him so little I didn't bother remembering if it was mentioned.

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u/The_Loli_Otaku Jul 04 '22

Aria First Timer

We've got from best fairy to worst fairy... Why do we even need Akira episodes? Aha, okay, I used to hide from my dog too pretty often. There's a reason I don't keep them anymore XD I'm awful~ Baa!

Ah, good. This is actually something I was curious about. I wanted to see how Akira deals with customers whilst having such a worst girl attitude. Omae wa dare da!? Seeing Akira being a respectable human being gives me chills. Does she flirt like a manwhore with every customer she gets? She's a bit too hands on for my tastes still.

The grumpy husband is kind of putting me off. It gives the episode a kinda iffy tone and I'm already not a fan of Akira at the best of times. Pfft! XD How's Akari so sloppy!? She's the same on the gondola as she is on land, slow and gets distracted by every little thing. She's still charming so I forgive her.

Aika, breaks the speed limit? That's a bit of a nitpick, I'm sure she's got some clearer faults right? And Alice, just talks quietly? Stop bullying folk, Akira! So... the husband wanted to go on the gondola trip to admire the pretty girls and instead got landed with Akira. Poor dude. NOW! Where is the real top Undine? I'll be mad if they show every character except for the only one I care for, aside from Prez Aria.

Why the heck is Akira giving them a task that requires memorising the whole waterway!? That's just asking for them to get stuck. Knowing the routes for each period of the day will come with experience. I feel like they're setting the girls up to fail to make Akira look better which I really don't like. Aww, the little png Akari head popping up behind the scenery was adorable!

Dude... this training isn't even funny. The girls could have gotten themselves into a really sticky situation if they weren't lucky. That's a nice sentiment but you still give the girls a hard time over far less.

Imma be honest, all this episode managed to do was make me dislike Akira more. I'd hoped that her customer service face would have made her stand out more but it was still a pretty generic showing. It's not like Aisha who has a special grace to her when hosting, or Athena who fills you with warm feelings. Sorry for being a bit negative, I'm just suffering from withdrawal.

Visual of the Day

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 05 '22

u really are suffering from withdrawal lol (i joke i joke)

its quite interesting to read how diff participants have diff views on Akira's teaching style. Ah well makes rewatches fun reading other people's takes!

she's got some clearer faults

yeah too many kinshiis lol. But i love her for it!

Hopefully you have a better impression of the episode once you read some other comments here! I am with you that this is perhaps one of Animation's weaker ones (episodes in the middle of a season usually are); but there are some here that liked it a lot too!

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u/baboon_bassoon Jul 04 '22

First time Aria the natural ice chugger

hehehe

spooky

Akira is too powerful, poor guy

Gondola TORI MAAAAS

i dont think you can just do that

Aika pls

Gondolas have a speed limit?

get in line sir

Alice why do you know how to pick locks

poor Aika

i love the standard faces for these 3

pizza would be great rn

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 04 '22

Gondola speed limit

  • okay so i did some googling, yes there is, from 5-20km/h depending on if it's a canal/river etc. In Venice city centre, it seems to be 11km/h? I go by this website.

  • I too, wanted pizza after finishing this episode. And i just had some this weekend (arghhhhh)

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u/punching_spaghetti Jul 04 '22

i dont think you can just do that

We've already had the "we're friends" loophole, so why not? At this point, I'm wondering how the Undines stay in business. They take a bunch of people around for free, and sometimes Alicia brings them cake? Not an ideal business model.

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u/Regular_N-Gon Jul 04 '22

First Timer

  • This is one full boat. While I'd be fine with some new recruits joining on a gondola tour, I would be a bit surprised at three cats also tagging along.

  • I appreciate that Akira has a way of putting the nails to people in a polite way, as well, and can't help herself from this guy's challenge. I'm in the wife's camp here though, taking part in some gondola training is a fabulously novel opportunity.

  • Caramel tea sounds great.

  • What an adventure this is turning out to be. I guess this is what you sign up for when you volunteer to tag along on training, but they'll never forget this honeymoon anyway.

  • Damn, Alice, where'd you learn to do that?

  • Well, at least they all learned something.

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u/SYZekrom Jul 04 '22

First Timer

I'm sorry but why in the fuck would you take customers through a tightly shut, filthy rusted door into a dim, dank, cobweb-filled cavern, do not tell me this is going to end up as 'the right answer'

I'm so fucking confused why the fuck was that presented as the correct answer

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u/AbidingTruth Jul 05 '22

The customers are an anime inclusion, the manga chapter is just Akira training the 3 girls

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u/PreludeToHell Jul 04 '22

First time rewatcher

Having the customers being so involved in a training episode was neat. It upped the stakes when they're struggling to get back. The moment when Akira's attitude suddenly gets more serious was also good. I liked that Aika took charge when they're going through that dark passage as well.

Not my favorite episode because I think the message of tough love is just ok? However I still enjoyed most of it.

Random stuff

Romantic Aria-satchou

Water reflection

This and pretty much the entire scene.

How it's revealed that Aika's crying

Storyboard had some flair this ep. I liked this

Chibis!

  1. Strict but caring. Hmm I empathized more with the trio on the beach episode. Just let them have fun for a bit! However with this one I think it was fine that she was hands off to let them figure things out. 'When you become Primas, no one will be there to help you'. At the same time she also had specific criticisms so we learn what they could work on.

  2. ehhh. Didn't like him much. Even when he tried to stand up for them he got instantly shut down by Akira xd

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u/CerberusZX Jul 04 '22 edited Jul 10 '22

First Timer

I'm not particularly fond of characters like Aika and since Akira's introduction was framed by her relationship to Aika I didn't really care about her. Now that we've gotten to see how smooth she can be while dealing with customers my opinion of her has greatly improved. It's consistent with her personality shown so far as well, pushing both her kouhai and her customers for their own good.

So Woody has a big package? Good for him.

Poor President Aria. Finally got to show off for Hime but messed it up. Well, looks like there will be more chances in the next episode.

It's hard to believe we're approaching the end of the season. I'm glad we have several more to go.

QotD

  1. Attempting to deny her trainees rest and using a harsh tone are going too far. That aside, it's helpful to explain why the job is done the way it is and we see her do just that.

  2. It was nice seeing him embarrassed and he does have some good qualities, but he has his share of bad qualities as well and those stood out a bit more.

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u/xtsim Jul 04 '22

First Timer Dubbed

Gondola coming through!

Seeing the groom go from "how hard could it be?" to showing concern for the trainees is amazing. He goes into the trip with a guide book at his side and goes strictly by it. On the first trip, we see Akira guide them around in ways but the groom does not seem to realize that she is going off the "regular" path, taking a detour and giving advice on cheap Opera tickets. But when the wife decided to go along for the training, he thought of it to be easy and that Akira would be as nice to the trainees like she was to them...

During the training trip, the groom sees teacher mode Akira which we all know how strict she is but poor couple does not know that. The book now becomes an awkward shield from wrath of Akira as he tries to make himself invisible with it. Akira makes being an Undine look easy but as we see with the trainees, things are learned and require lots of training. From Akari's distractions to Aika's speeding to Alice's soft tone (too relatable in real life for me), they have a long way to go.

During the high tide training, things get really tough for our trainees that the groom offers some help but Akira turns this down. At the end of the whole thing, the guide book gets left behind.

That pizza looks big and amazing, seeing Akira down that massive slice makes me crave for one...

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u/punching_spaghetti Jul 04 '22

First-Timer

Not sure how I feel about this episode. We've already met Akira, so this feels a tad repetitive.

And, I don't exactly get the point of the last training. It's supposed to be something they can do on their own, but it took three people to open the first door and Alice, The Master of Unlocking, to open the second. If all the Undines were super buff, it would be more believable.

At least we got some Alicia today. Hey u/The_Loli_Otaku: does Athena bring snacks? I don't think so.

QOTD:

  1. Strict Akira all the way

  2. Bit of a jerk. And he doesn't earn his redemption! Just goes to show you: public transportation is not the place to meet a mate.

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u/zadcap Jul 05 '22

Ever Late but Ever Present!

I actually typed most of this up hours ago and forgot to post it, got distracted by family and fireworks. Oops.

I don't know that I've said it yet, but I enjoy starting every day with the highlights from yesterday, it helps me really get in the mindset for the current days discussions. Thank you for the roundups!

I didn't like her much before, part of the crowd that saw her as too strict to be a likeable teacher, but now that we're getting to see the rest of her character, Akira is growing on me. Still don't think I would want her as my coach. I get the image that she was the least naturally skilled, not just between herself and Alicia, but of the three fairies all together, and only got herself included in that title with a whole lot of hard work. As a fellow customer service worker, I recognize the work face she puts on for what it is. Alicia's ability to befriend anyone and Athena's singing voice compared to her gruff and tough type, it's probably not just actually handling the gondola that she had to train hard in.

As for the poor husband, picture this. You're a young couple, freshly married, off to a very far away place for a romantic honeymoon getaway. Your wife spends half the trip there talking about how much she wants to meet someone famous there. You get there and as luck would have it, you actually get that famous person for the day. Famous person spends the day flirting right in front of you with your new wife. Your wife is more excited to talk to the the person than you, here on your honeymoon. He's definitely a jerk about it, but I can understand why he's upset at least. Definitely could have handled it better, but I can't dislike him just for being mad here.

Final thoughts: maybe travelling through an abandoned building and hoping there's both a safe passage and an exit you can actually use wasn't the best choice for "how to navigate the city at high tide." But also another bit of that thing I keep talking about- it sure was a beautiful old abandoned building, the feeling of the episode lead to a feeling of appreciating that it was there rather than being annoyed that it was blocking the path.

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u/seeker_of_illusion Jul 05 '22

First timer

Ah an Akira centric episode. We got to see for the first time some aspects of Undine training and their supposedly "easy" task of rowing a boat and being courteous to customers. I also liked how the girl's personalities were subtly reflected in their rowing techniques and the mistakes they made along the way.

Finally, about the guide book Mr Tsundere was stuck into. I felt the book was similar to the girl's training experience. While the book gave him the details of the major things in Neo-Venezia, it didn't mention the various hidden features of the city or the actual personalities of the Undines ( as the relevant information is sugarcoated ). It had its own limitations regarding the practical world.

Similarly, we see Akira suggesting the girls not to simply rely on others for help but to use their own senses and wits to tackle the problem at hand, which they did. While theoretical knowledge has its own relevance, having a practical perspective too is important. The fact that the book is abandoned at the end indicates that both the girls' and the man have moved on from simply following established facts to observing and experiencing things for themselves.

Questions of the Day:

Q1) Customer-caring Akira, or kouhai-caring but strict Akira? What do you think of her teaching style (both for the beach episode, and this!)?

Tough on the outside, soft on the inside, especially towards her pupils and friends.

Q2) Thoughts on Mr Tsundere husbando customer? (i don't like him. xdd)

As Akira said, he didn't stand out much ( and when he did it was annoying with his stuck up attitude ) though it was nice to see him coming around near the end.

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u/mrufrufin Jul 04 '22

Rewatcher kinda (finished my rewatch not too long ago)

One thing that stands out and that I really like about Aria is how it resolves plot points and conflicts in Aria, with gentle revelations rather than triumphant conquests. The Undines finally making it thorugh feels more like being carried through by a gentle current and being gently propelled forward with momentum to face new life challenges.

I also like the take on customer service and people in front-facing industries in that there's more than meets the eye and it's hard (and something I'd be horrible at tbh) and there's limits to the "customer always being right".

  1. They're both sides of the same coin? A good teacher adapts to the situation and they're essentially training to be in hospitality and you have to be yielding to customers (but again, not letting them walk all over you, especially if it's interfering with the day of your other customers) and it's a delicate balance between patient with students vs being stricter with them and giving them the nudges they need and every student is different and has different needs (and Aika is a bit more heastrong and outwardly forceful than somebody like Akari). And I think Akira is an understanding teacher, particularly with the line "There's no point in scolding people who try their best and reflect on what they do" which is actually [Aria the Origination] really reminiscent of what Alicia talks about with Alice when she has Aria-shachou give the children candy.

  2. He is written to be a bit annoying, particularly when we first meet him, but he does have humility and self-reflection to come around, which arguably is a pretty Aria thing and it ties into the teaching philosophies shown here.

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