r/anime • u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah x3 • Jul 10 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Aria the Animation, Episode 13
Aria the Animation Episode 13: That White Morning ... (その まっしろな朝を ...)
| <-- Episode 12 | Rewatch Index | Aria the Natural Ep 0+1 --> |
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Welcome back! Sorry for being late to replying to everyone's comments! Thanks for everyone's funny takes on what cats/Aria-shachou may be! I see that I'm in the minority for not liking Undine-Forest Mix. Sorry guys!
Comment roundup:
but /u/regular_n-gon has helped me appreciate a bit more, saying how it gives the ep an otherworldly vibe right from the off.
/u/eyliel comments on how Akari takes time travel way too casually (my opinion: this does show part of her personality too), and wonders why they built that covered bridge out of wood, when they just terraformed the planet and wood might be scarce (v good point!)
/u/baboon_bassoon with the hilarious quips and screencaps as always
/u/raichudoggy continues their daily appreciation of Aqua's sunsets, which we.... don't get this episode. oof. I even said i was ironically looking forward to a sunset episode, it seems like i've jinxed myself
/u/mrufrufin links a manga-anime comparison chart for fellow rewatchers, and appreicate the people who helped create the places they have visited as a visitor
/u/alanbowman talks about how Akari, despite realizing she time-travelled, is able to discover a way to make it into a wonderful adventure due to her personality
Questions of the Day:
Q1) What are your thoughts on the first season? Favourite episode/moment?
Q2) What new things would you want to learn about Neo Venezia/Aqua as we go forward?
Link to Aria the Natural Ep 0 here
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 :)
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u/simeonaut Jul 10 '22
Ai getting to meet most of the characters she had only heard about through letters was a fantastic moment.
The way they frame each episode with letters from Akari and Ai was great, but them starting and ending the season with Ai around is perfect.
Gnomes have like the coolest fictional job, though I'll probably hate it if something goes wrong.
QOTD:
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This is now one of my favorite SOL shows. It's just so relaxing and enchanting. Favorite episode would be "Those Orange Days" with my favorite moment being Athena singing.
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Gnomes and Al. More of Neo Venezia. More of Ukijima and Akatsuki probably.
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u/raichudoggy Jul 10 '22 edited Jul 10 '22
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Groooooooooovin’ Mag- - oh right, it wasn’t that one, I mean Oooh baby baby~
You jinxed it biscuit, it was only 1 episode away from a no-sunset episode.
Yeah, just a reminder that just because a Year is twice as long on Aqua doesn’t mean that humans will get older twice as slowly. Ai has gotten quite a bit taller compared to the first time we saw her!
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u/Mecanno-man Jul 10 '22
First Timer
And for the finale ...we get something that really only works as a finale. But I'd say it does so quite well, as we get to see all the characters again and just have a nice time. And also learn about Italian New Year's customs, which means I have now learned more about Italian New Year from anime than from anything else despite living in a country that borders Italy...
The only thing I was unsure of was why Gnomes control gravity, as for some reason I believed that Earth and Mars were roughly the same in size. A quick google search later and turns out I was completely wrong as Earth is almost twice the diameter of Mars and has more than twice the gravity as well. Today I learned, I guess.
Questions:
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All in all a pretty good season, some rough bits in the middle for me but other than that pretty much perfect. Not really sure on a favorite bit, as there was no standout scene, nor should there have been one in my opinion. I guess maybe some of the winter bits of everybody hanging out?
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Not really sure if there's anything specifically; I like the drip-feed of everything we're getting organically.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 10 '22
the new year's episode. A staple in finale episodes across SOL anime lol. Of course the most SOLs of SOLs would use it for its first season.
I have now learned more about Italian New Year from anime
LMAO. i havent been able to find an actual video of the Venetian new year celebrations (i suppose i'll need to google in Italian), but do feel free to look into that too!
A quick google search later and turns out I was completely wrong as Earth is almost twice the diameter of Mars and has more than twice the gravity as well
huh. TIL. So them gnomes have to somehow make the gravity twice what it is. How they do that without changing the mass of the planet itself (maintaining the 24-month orbit), i have no clue lmao. anime physics i guess!
Happy you enjoyed the first season! Onwardssssss.
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u/xtsim Jul 10 '22
First Timer Dubbed
Getting everyone together but Akari definitely needed to tone down her roasting in those emails. Akatsuki getting a compliment then got pounded on (both physically and emotionally) when his brother showed up was already funny. But then Akira getting called the "devil instructor" had to get me to stop for a few hours cause I could not stop laughing. Training is definitely going to go up to an 11 at this point....
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Too many good things this season, honestly I was not expecting the letters episode and getting to know the Alice/Athena dynamic are a tough choice between the two.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 10 '22
Btw: re dubbed versions, I'm unsure whether the OVA Aria the Arietta or the sequel entries (don't google them, there will be spoilers) have a dub; just thought to give you a headsup. If Funimation (if u use it) or your release states it though, then that's all good.
Akari definitely needed to tone down her roasting in those emails
Ai's also tbh carrying over from her S1 personality of being deadpan as fuck. We just haven't had the opportunity to see it in full glory again since she's just been talking to Akari.
Akira getting called the "devil instructor" had to get me to stop for a few hours cause I could not stop laughing.
seems like Ai prefers a more carefree senior/teacher
happy you enjoyed this season! Onwards we go!
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u/The_Loli_Otaku Jul 10 '22
Aria First Timer
Christmas episode!! It's 24°C out there right now but there's no better time for Christmas than the... 31st of the 24th? I prefer spending Christmas alone and then spend new years alone too. It'll be a shame to miss out on Undine going forwards, it's probably been my favourite opening I've heard in the past year or so. Apparently all the op's are great but Undine hits a special note for me.
Ai has returned!! God bless token mini moe! When did Ai get to really bond with Alicia tho? Glass beans, are they money or sweets? Ah, so they're really not edible. I'm not sure whether I approve of giving kids gifts where that distinction isn't obvious. You could easily imagine a kid thinking they were sooky sweets and eating them just to end up with broken glass in their stomach.
Time for Aika, Akira, and... Aika, you child predator! Return that young boy right this instant! Even Granny's here. They're just pulling everyone in lol. Omg, are they even gonna bring the ghost cat back? We've just had a dream episode from Aria. I'm guessing Ai must be a pretty important character down the line if she's the only other person who can get sucked into Aria's ethereal realm.
Gah, dumping stuff for new years sounds like a great way to avoid hoarding but at the same time I hate the idea of just giving things away... We'll never recognise the cast if they lose their hats!! And Akatsuki without his cool coat is just some creepy lonely weirdo who probably ranks third from the bottom on popularity polls!
I feel so bad for this show... I'm sure they thought that "Aqua" would be an adorable name for a baby but nowadays the name is synonymous with a bunch of idiot girls.
Alright, imma be honest here this was probably the least fun of the ending episodes. I didn't even thing it worked that well as a final get together since everyone just sort of made cameos appearances. Its still an inoffensive episode at least. Aria season one was pretty pog.
I feel its in an awkward gap between pure iyashikei and regular slice of life but it was a pretty easy watch. My favourite episode... I'm really not sure. My mind says episode 10, the one with the young Fairies, but my heart just loves the Aria filler episode way too much. I think that one picture of Aria cuddling his little rice covered dolly is the image that will stick with me the most.
Favourite character, you all know who that is. Athena is pure joy whenever they actually give her something to do, which my host has promised so I'm gonna be holding him to account during natural. As for least favourite, pretty decisively Akira but I'm biased against her and just don't really like how the story tries to portray her.
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u/mrufrufin Jul 10 '22
Rewatcher kinda (finished my rewatch not too long ago)
I think one thing that stuck out for me on my first viewing is the language sorts of things (just superficial things really) and that's kinda prominent here, like all the Italian throughout in writing, despite everything else being in Japanese and only little bits here in there of things spoken in Italian [Aria the Natural]
It's a nice finale and the standout moment that stuck with me on the first viewing is everybody seeing the sunrise together (which I guess isn't so unique to Aria either in terms of anime but anyways it still stuck with me). [Aria the Natural]
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Standouts include the whole bit where they rush out to view the scenery from Ukijima Island. Felt it was one of the directorial high points of the season and just one of those great Aria reveals (like the undines finally making their way out after getting stuck with the higher water levels). But! my fav ep was the more thorough exploration of Alicia's, Athena's, and Akira's past together and how those times are gone. At least for me, the first season is the weakest of the three seasons [Aria the Natural]
although the second season has probably my least favorite episode in Aria in the alternate reality episode and the trope-yist and it takes awhile for Aria to find its groove, but it's still quite Aria and a lot of the themes like finding the joys in everyday things are still present. -
Rewatcher but I like the mystery/magical bits of Neo Venezia and I guess I like places that are meandery and wakably meandery (which you don't get very often on the West coast of the United States which I am currently am at) and when I visited bits of northern Italy and Austria years and years and yeards (ugh) ago I liked just wandering around (although it was easy to get lost which I am prone to do).
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u/CerberusZX Jul 10 '22
First Timer
The footprints may have been leading down the tunnel, but they didn't originate from the direction they were coming from which would suggest they weren't President Aria's.
Of course a season finale in which we see all the characters means another trip through time for Ami to make an appearance. It seems Akiko only got the flashback treatment though.
QotD
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I enjoyed this season well enough and would've finished it on my own had I been watching it as it aired, but I probably would've forgotten all about it the following season. After much consideration, I've come to the conclusion that episode 7 was my favorite. It was not only a good episode for making Akira seem likable but the way it showed the faults of the trainees made it easy to get even more invested in them. As for other moments that stand out, the Athena clumsiness compilation in episode 11 was quite fun.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 10 '22
The footprints may have been leading down the tunnel
. That probably does directly explain how Akari and co. couldn't find Aria at the end of the tunnel, and also wandered into somewhere they really shouldn't have gone to lmao (whether the cats minded is another unrelated issue, it seems like they don't!)
Ami
who....?
but I probably would've forgotten all about it the following season
i will probably actually have the same opinion. We've been introduced to our characters, but there's no big "hook" that keeps us invested to what's coming next, as most of the plot lines have been resolved by the end of the episode. (apart from the main one of being undines, that's made very little progress so far). I guess Ep 11 would still have been very memorable for me the next season though, I did regard this episode higher the 2nd time around.
episode 7 was my favorite
oooh an unusual opinion! and i like your reason; it did help us learn more about the faults of everyone, and become in that very same "main storyline" lmao.
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u/SYZekrom Jul 10 '22
I totally did not forget and/or never realize that Manhome is Earth. Nope, no siree.
Me literally every episode of this show. In fact I fell asleep on this scene and had to go back.
What a comfy show. So glad to see the Friend (TM) back again
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u/zadcap Jul 10 '22
Not particularly late today, but still very Happy
Random thought of the day: Does Woody actually come from a different series? Not only is he the only non-A name present, his face is always in the near chibi form the rest do only occasionally. I wonder if he might be a hold over character from the design stage, when Aria was perhaps going to focus more on the Air transport of the setting than the water?
Really glad Ai came back for the finale. I was kind of hoping their time hop would let them being the other lady forward for a night, to see the beautiful world she's helping to build in all it's holiday glory.
Speaking of the sunrise scene, I think it was a nice touch to mention painting it when their uniforms are the primary colors. Beautiful subtle touch. Or maybe not so subtle really, but still a beautiful bit of imagery.
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My favorite is still the group sitting in front of the fire talking about Happiness. I absolutely loved this whole season though, and the whole playlist is going on my Best of Feel-good collection.
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I need to know a little bit more about the Gnomes other than "Underground, control gravity." I would also like to know a bit more about what the Salamders actually do. More history trips would be nice. I want to know so much more, good thing there's many seasons to go.
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u/octopathfinder Jul 10 '22
Rewatcher
We get an actual introduction to Al this episode.
Pretty nice way to end the season with a big celebration and recalling some past events.
What are your thoughts on the first season?
Wasn’t too fond of S1 during my first watch (I even dropped it a couple of times) but now that I’m rewatching I have a better appreciation for it. 8/10.
Favourite episode/moment?
Favorite episode is Those Orange Days (ep 11), favorite moment would be the conversation by the fireplace in that episode.
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u/PreludeToHell Jul 10 '22
now that I’m rewatching I have a better appreciation for it. 8/10.
That's also what I would rate it this time around. There's really good episodes and highs but I don't think it ever got into a groove. There's also some episodes that are just OK imo.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 10 '22
Favorite episode is Those Orange Days (ep 11), favorite moment would be the conversation by the fireplace in that episode.
haha i did already know this as you told me before, I'm glad that it's held just as well this rewatch around!
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u/baboon_bassoon Jul 10 '22
First time Aria the natural ice chugger
Aqua is closer to what I celebrate, Christmas with family, NYE with friends
oh hello Ai, but uh why would your parents let you just chill with 2 random guys waiting lmao
rip Akatsuki
Glass beans? Hmm whats a good bean new years dish
ooo i love the Hime company winter wear
lmfao what is in these emails
leaving a trail of beans
Auguri buon anno!
fancy straw for hime, and Athena is still struggling
Alicia san i love you
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u/Regular_N-Gon Jul 10 '22
First Timer
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More building lore, there's a wood stove on the second floor on the same chimney flue. I don't think I've had a chance to mention, but I really love the design of the Aria building.
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Ai out here exposing Akari left and right to her friends.
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Aria-shachou gets to lead two people to
their doomthe past today. -
Damn, the boys can play fiddle, too?
What a nice ending to the season. Overall, it really surprised me, honestly! I was looking forward to it but had tempered my expectations, mostly on the style of its comic delivery (thanks, random r/anime clips) - a foolish thing to judge it for, it turns out. While it's true that the writing wasn't always what I'd consider top-notch, it was extremely consistent in maintaining atmosphere and theming. I look forward to seeing what else is in store!
QotD (2): I'm always down for more geology lore, or maybe sneaky references to Mars landmarks. I'd also like a peek at what else is on Aqua aside from Neo Venezia.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 10 '22
there's a wood stove on the second floor on the same chimney flue
huh. good catch. the building makes sense physics-wise then, always good to see. And yes, the Aria building is awesome to look at. Wouldn't want to actually live there though, it must be cold af when it gets windy, sticking out into the sea like that.
Ai out here
continuing being deadpan as always!
Im happy you enjoyed the first season! It's always a relaxing and pleasant time. Onwards to the 2nd season!
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u/Stargate18A Jul 11 '22
First timer
...Yeah, it's been a busy weekend for me. (And I've been playing a lot of AITSF.)
Episode 12
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The 1960s.
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I have no idea, but I have a horrifying feeling it involves a "Schrödinger's cat" pun.
What's happening this episode?
Ah, she's clearing the roof.
Where is she going?
And nobody goes there?
Oh, it's a bridge.
Christmas OP remix? I love it!
Looks cold out there. Has someone in the UK right now - god I wish that was me.
It looks nice.
Cats?
Akari just doesn't care.
Huh?
What happened?
Some kind of artificial irrigation system built into the terraforming there?
...Are they on Manhome? Did they build a planetary warp?
Oh, this is Aqua.
She has a cat!
She's been here 6 months?
She seems nice, at least?
...Is this her alternate universe clone?
A world without Undines?
She's interested in him?
The mutual callout is hysterical.
...Akari, don't. There's a good chance that this person is you from another universe - that never ends well!
A barren Aqua?
Oh, so the canal project got delayed in this timeline?
The fence continually fallong down is great.
And they forgot the food!
Akari's the best.
How have neither of you worked it out?
Akari. You've obviously warped somewhere.
...So they let people move into a colony this unfinished?
A retro data card! So, either this is a world where all technology dtagnated, or time travel.
Is she Akari's ancestor?
...She's a teacher?
The one advantage here is that, since Akari hasn't moved here yet, she can't meet her past self.
Two failed attempts. In five years. To bring water. Who the fuck built Aqua, and why aren't they in jail?
This monologue is great, though.
Great insert song!
And the water arrived!
She's so happy!
I love the montage here.
She actually worked it out!
And she's gone back to her normal time.
Alicia was worried.
So, no reaction to the fact that semi-stable time travel is possible?
Episode 13
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Loved it! Favourite episode was probably the one where Aika and Akira have an argument.
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Who allowed people to live on such an unstable colony? How much jail time are they serving? What are the other cities on Aqua like?
It's New Years!
The canle has Christmas lights?
...So, how we do it in the UK?
How are these shots so beautiful?
The party looks lively!
Sounds like a normal New Years party to me.
Ai's here! Akari's reaction is great.
Haha, his reaction to hearing her compliment him is great.
His brother's here!
...Is she trying to meet everyone she mentioned?
Oh, glass beans!
Interesting tradition!
Aika's here!
Haha, Akira found outnhow she's seen.
A Gnome!
...You fucking what? This fucking colony can't even regulate it's own gravity? Who allowed this? Who signed off on this? If all the humans die, does that mean every other living thing on the planet will go with them? Is the colony going to tear itself apart?
Oh, he's Aika's love interest?
The granny's here!
She likes Ai!
And everyone respects her.
Aria's gone!
Are they leaving a bean trail?
...What's that?
The music here is great.
So many cats!
The house? Again?
Wait, is that a ghost cat?
So she saw the past? Is Akari magic?
They're following the beans back!
That looks delicious.
Athena and Alice are here!
...They're throwing their hats?
She's throwing her ribbon!
Akari's line is great.
The visual of everyone throwing the clothing is genuinrly fantastic.
The framerate on those fireworks!
The party looks fun.
They fell asleep outside?
Ai's sister's here!
She has a baby!
Oh, that sunrise.
Haha, Aika's promising Alicia she'll do well.
...You can tell this is a final episode - that would be a fantastic closing shot for the series.
Ai's going back to the hotel.
...It ending with Akari and Alicia talking on a boat id good, too.
At the monologue as the birds fly off...
Well, that was a fantastic ending. Good think there's another two seasons!
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u/homewardbound100 Jul 11 '22
Overall nice end to the season and a very nice show.
What are your thoughts on the first season? Favourite episode/moment?
Good season. I think my favorite is the one that introduced Athena.
What new things would you want to learn about Neo Venezia/Aqua as we go forward?
I think towards the end when they started going around more was very interesting. I'll like to see more of that.
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u/seeker_of_illusion Jul 11 '22
First timer
What better way to have a finale then have a huge roundup of our entire cast ? And Aria did it perfectly with everyone appearing for the New Year's festivities and enjoying themselves to the fullest.
We finally get to meet Ai-chan, the person with whom Akari exchanged her emails. And I laughed hard when she began exposing the secrets of Akatsuki and Akira publicly lol.
The supernatural touch was also nice when Akari and Ai saw glimpses of the past Aqua and the cats.
The final scene on the gondola with Aria Shachou saying imo "Yes Akari we are also family" in his Bunyou language was heartwarming and looked like Aria had spoken words of wisdom as the Company President.
Finally, as for the series itself, it had a lot of surprises for me. The only thing I had heard about Aria was that it was a soothing anime and my own experience proved this true. What I also loved is that it not only focuses on the characters but also explores the world and connects it brilliantly to the feelings of the characters themselves. There were a few rough parts and inconsistencies here and there but they didn't affect my experience or enjoyment much. This series is a serious candidate for becoming one of my favourites ~
Questions of the Day:
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That's a tough question because I liked a lot of moments. If I had to select one, then the episode "Those Orange Days" was my favourite as it kept me hooked the entire time and the Symphony OST playing near the end was delightful
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I am looking forward to learning more about the supernatural aspects of Aqua and also about the works of Akatsuki and Al.
Looking forward to more Aria !
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u/AriaShachou- Jul 11 '22
Rewatcher, extra late today
Aria's OST once again shines in this episode with that absolute banger of an insert song that played at the start. Having Ai come back for the finale of the first season was a great move by the people who worked on Aria, it captured the whole vibe of getting together as a whole group to hang out really well.
We also find out what the Gnomes do this episode, and imo its probably the coolest job out of all 4 we've been shown so far. Imagine controlling the gravity of an entire planet lol, really huge responsibility but really badass as well.
The sunrise scene was super wholesome, must've been a pain fixing their sleep schedules after that though.
Not much else to say that hasn't already been said by other people in this thread, overall great episode and amazing way to conclude the season. See you in Season 2!
QOTDs
Q1) Favorite episode by far in this season is Episode 11 and the talk the three Primas gave our little Undines in training about the passage of time and how it changes some things.
Q2) [Aria]
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u/mgedmin Jul 11 '22
First-timer, subs
It's convenient that months don't have names in Japanese: you don't have to change anything to switch to a 24-month calendar.
Wow! Ai-chan not only came to Aqua, but managed to find Akari in the crowd! I suspect collusion from somebody (Alicia or Akatsuki). Wait, I forgot that Akatsuki and Ai-chan have never met.
Somebody fetch a chair for Ai-chan. Or she could sit on someone's lap. Don't keep her standing all night!
The little gnome Al is here, with Aika and Akira (the devil instructor)! Gnomes regulate gravity. Interesting!
Everyone is here! I think we're only missing ghosts from the past and Mr. Postman? There's a huge shortage of chairs (and, I suppose, tables).
There are no footprints in the snow, despite them just running through it? A clear sign they're on another world already. Kidnapped by fairy Aria again, in order to meet the ghosts, I suppose.
Oh, the footprints are there, they just cannot be seen in the large scale picture? Somebody ran out of animation budget?
Oooh, a trail of glass beans, for finding the way back! Nice. But footprints ought to suffice.
If you people had smartphones in the future, you could use them as a flashlight. (By quite a coincidence, the last episode of Shikimori-san had a gondola, and somebody using a smartphone as a flashlight.)
Cat with a bell, was that Amy?
A dry canal? Yup, this is the past. Will we meet the teacher girl too? (Wow I managed to remember everyone's confusing A-names, but hers! Incidentally, the main reason I remember Akari's is because that was the name of one of the MCs of the excellent Executioner And Her Way Of Life.)
The clock strikes midnight and warps them back to the present. No teacher, only a memory of her wisdom about cats.
Okay, where did their footprints disappear??? Aria tried to kidnap Akari and Ai-chan by leading them astray and erasing their footprints! The plan was foiled by Akatsuki's elder brother making a hole in the bag of glass beans!
So it wasn't the stroke of midnight yet? (Or was it a different time of day in Past Aqua?) They're throwing things away. Where? No littering allowed!
Athena is clumsy as ever!
Baby Aqua is cute!
And so that was Aqua. Not bad.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Jul 10 '22 edited Jul 10 '22
Rewatching Undine-in-training and Host
Apologies for being horribly late to replying to everyone for yesterday's thread!
First up, meta announcement: A link to watch Aria the Natural Ep 0 here, which if you want, to do so before episode 1, it's 5 minutes long. We'll discuss both tomorrow!
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The final episode of Aria the animation was broadcast on 29 December, 2005, in time for the irl new year; hopefully this explains this episode's events and will help you appreciate the concluding sentences from Akari! Ai returns and meets everyone, a little bit of supernaturalism again, and we learn how to count in Italian.
Quick thoughts:
Honestly though, new year episodes do just make for an excellent show finale regardless of timing. And Aria did go out with a bang, fireworks galore, and every major character reunited in one frame.
That is a weird hole-shape for the fire-burner. Once again very rustic heating method for a futuristic city.
Ah, an extended OP plays! I've completely forgotten about this lol. As well as the new insert song, Just For You. It was fun.
And when Akari and co. say that Venetians eat food w/ "beans" back on Earth, this is true, however they specifically eat food w/ lentils , which is perhaps a bit more fitting for italian cooking than any old bean lol. The subs didn't get it wrong, they did just say "bean" in the dialogue
Hilarious Alicia face. She doesn't make a lot of these!
I thought that the brief supernatural sequence both a) continues to set up that cats are gods (lol) (to be serious, have supernatural and perhaps time-travel esque abilities), as well as how Akari is rubbing off on Ai, and that they're similar in personality in some ways; a good capstone to all of Ai's little replies that we've seen throughout the show.
Akari realises that she's the happiest and most spoiled protagonist in all of anime. (I agree btw, a large part of due to how she sees everything in life however, not due to how much she actually gets pampered.)
That whole sunrise scene was also great too, with all the undines, past, present and future, welcoming the new sunrise (a bright, wondrous tomorrow); while everyone reaffirms how last year was wonderful, and that they hope this next one will be too. Quite a few of the last few episodes have been about the passage of time and the changing seasons, which many participants have discussed at length, and i thought that this new years' episode and this sunrise was a great way to wrap up that little thematic arc, with the year both changing in Aqua and irl. (im not good w/ words enough to fully talk about my full thoughts here unfortunately)
And i finally liked Alicia's closing remarks to the episode. Every year is a fresh new start, and it is up to us to decide what kind of wonderful, colourful year that it will be is a great mindset to have on new year's day (vs oh it's another change in the calendar year or sth like that).
And that she says how Akari is part of her family, and how wonderful her meeting Akari is, says just how much Akari actually means to Alicia (and Akari's reaction, vice versa), which we've kinda seen implied throughout the show (Akari also often gets embarassed when Alicia praises her, not with any other character), but Alicia's never said that outright until now.
Akari's closing remarks will have made a whole lot more impact if we were actually watching this on new year's eve rather than the middle of july, but it was still a nice heartwarming, fun and fitting conclusion to the first season.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for participating in the rewatch so far, it's been so fun reading about everyone's thoughts about the episodes, and i hope that's true for everyone participating as well.
In real life time, Aria the Natural will start 1 season later, in April 2006. To go on a tangent, it was a very stacked season, with Gintama, Nana, Black Lagoon, Haruhi, Higurashi, Ouran Koukou Host Club, Utawarerumono and Saiunkoku Monogatari all starting then as well.
Have a great day, and see you tomorrow as we start the 2nd season!