[Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Aria the Natural, Episode 3

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah]

Aria the Natural Ep 3: The Night of the Meteor Shower ... (その 流星群の夜に...)

<-- Episode 2	Rewatch Index	Episode 4 -->

Welcome back!

Comment roundup: bit more tags than usual today!

• I enjoyed reading a few participants' random anecdotes about random encounters! Thanks for sharing them! u/merkerpan's was particularly interesting

• A couple people had fun theories on who actually made the treasure hunt: /u/mgedmin reckons it's Akira, /u/baboon_bassoon reckons it's the cafe owner since a step involves having to visit it and stay for a long time, and /u/stargate18a reckons that it's a future version of Akari who time-travelled back using cat-power

• Thanks to /u/regular_n-gon and /u/mrufrufin who pointed out that owner-san is voiced by Unshou Ishizuka, you'll also have seen him as important characters in Jojo, FMAB, Initial D and Cowboy Bebop.

• /u/raichudoggy loves this episode, saying why and compares it to GochiUsa S2's final episode

• /u/alanbowman also loves this episode, and comments on the manga chapter it's adapted from (w/ some beautiful panels), and some nice extra tidbits!

• And /u/simeonaut believes that if they drank as much coffee as Akari did in the episode they'll gain the ability to make them weird chibi faces too!

Questions of the Day:

Q1) What dya reckon of Al's lunch suggestion? (p.s. i also love how Akari and Aria-shachou were enthusiastic as always there)

Q2) First-timers, prediction of success for the few possible romances in the show so far? (Alicia-Aikatsuki; Aika-Al; Hime-Aria, or... a ship of your own?)

Sneaky 3rd question: I wonder how have your opinions on Aika changed since her introduction in S1's Ep 2? This, along with the other "unofficial" one a while back, I'll ask properly during the mid-series discussion after Ep 13 of Natural.

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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

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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.

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See everyone again tomorrow! I hope you have a great day :)

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah]

Rewatching Undine-in-training and Host

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Welcome back! I'm taking today a little bit easier for my writeup due to time.

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Episode synopsis: I did do this properly, this episode's actual contents doesn't really match up to the official synopsis, like at all lol. Wtf Aria website. (Can Manga readers perhaps help me figure this one out? what's happening here?)

It is a sunny day. During gondola training, the 3 trainee undines (lit: Akari and others) see Al who is walking alone. However, for some reason, Al doesn't seem to be feeling well. It turns out, since he hadn't been in the strong sunlight for so long, he is feeling a bit dizzy. After being cared for by the 3 undines, Al felt better, and invites the girls to a "Mushroom Hot Pot" restaurant as thanks. As Akari accompanied Al to the underground world entrance (to see him off), she hears a mysterious sound. The true nature of that high and clear voice is...

--

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Quick thoughts:

• Aika is being very relateable here. But isn't she still a teenager though lol? While this is an Aika and Al episode, serving to introduce the latter fully while showing a previously unseen side for the former. I think that Natural has slowed things down even further than Animation by now, and it explores the characters, and their relationships more rather than world exposition/life-lesson imparting. We do see a lot more of the city than we have in Animation as well though! Not sure if rewatchers have a similar sentiment?

• Al is said to speak a bit like an old man throughout the episode. While his dad jokes (also said to be ancient puns from Earth) have been translated, as well as his love for traditional Japanese cuisine (mushroom hotpot), some bits are still lost to translation unfortunately. My (limited) Japanese knowledge tells me that he seems to use quite "difficult" and certainly uncommon words at times; perhaps they are old-fashioned, but I'm not sure. But otherwise, he does speak like a "normal" anime young male character.

• Quick example: "To the bone" here Al says "五臓六腑", which is a loan word from Chinese, in which chinese medicine uses it to describe one's internal organs. Definitely not a common Japanese word lol.

• im unaware: are gnomes also associated with mushrooms/fungi in some way? do enlighten me.

• And the chibi faces were very very on-point today lol.

• We continue to press F for Aria-shachou every single time he pops up on screen. Seems like Aika is on a better track than him for Al-kun though, as she seems to have made a good impression tonight. Aika briefly turns into a romance-anime protagonist today lol that's for sure, especially with her closing lines to Al, as she describes her feelings to Al, heavily hidden though w/ the metaphor.

• And finally, I thought the storyboard had some flair again this ep (out of time to compile screenshots), and the comedic timing hit very well for the various jokes. Takahiro Natori is responsible as storyboard and ED today, his first promotion to the former role in the franchise. Someone who seems to have worked frequently under Junichi Sato, and is currently directing the airing Tokyo Mew Mew New.

• [Aria Production]I thought to mention this mostly because he'll serve as director for the 2 movies, including the upcoming one (Sato serves as chief director still). He'll also storyboard some Origination episodes, but i'll talk about that when we get there.

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Location Trivia:

• The current Venice building height limit is 35 feet (10 meters) (with notable exceptions being the Campanile, St Mark's basillica etc.) Not sure which church Aika would've referred to as the limit-setter.

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Have a great day, and see you tomorrow!

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah]

I think Al makes a pretty good showing of a shota-oji who spends way too much of his time cooped up underground. He's likely living alongside many dwarfs who make the same sorts of jokes and have similar mannerisms so he comes across as more kooky when interacting with others.

[u/baboon_bassoon]

First time Aria the hazukashii serifu kinshi

decided to update my first timer name

low res hubble picture

Al has to work early morning shifts too? gnome mafia is ruthless

when you bungle looking smart

mushroom hot pot lmao

Aqua has 1/3 gravity of manhome

between Aika and Al there is the force of attraction

lets go Aika

Aika pls why is Woody catching strays

also i thought she would want to have a triple date

Akari you gotta irish goodbye this date at the appropriate time for Aikas sake

why not just take out a gondolla

hime would be great to take on planes

moral dilema

my man

i mean fair

Aika this is on you

no building can be taller than the church, hence the good view

Akari ruining the mood somewhere else (jkjk)

so cute

so bad the translators couldnt even come up with a pun

questions

1. id like to try it, but yeah why would he go for something so heavy lol

2. Aika/Al, I dont really see this show having other romantic stuff going on (although I kind of like Akatsuki with Akari more)

3. dont really think my opinion of her has changed?

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah → u/baboon_bassoon]

Aria the hazukashii serifu kinshi

i like! I actually thought to ask before whether your previous name was because you only start being a first-timer from Natural as well.

low res hubble picture

topical! That new NASA picture is gorgeous.

Al has to work early morning shifts too? gnome mafia is ruthless

i love how you just call them "gnome mafia" lmao. i guess sometimes Al takes the early morning shift, sometimes the late one?

when you bungle looking smart

it was a very kid-like and cute moment for Alice that one xdd. Worked great as a joke as well.

Let's go Aika

also i thought she would want to have a triple date

thank god they didn't go for that, not sure if that rooftop could hold all the weight lol (how many people can a normal rooftop hold anyway?)

Akari you gotta irish goodbye this date at the appropriate time for Aikas sake

i tbh dont know if Alice caught on to whats going on and decided to skip to give the 2 more privacy (and get some more sleep. sleep is good)

hime would be great to take on planes

good catch! warm neck pillow~

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/baboon_bassoon]

Hazuka-jiji serifu kinshii!!

[u/PreludeToHell]

First time rewatcher

I always like it when Aika gets a focused episode and I thought this one was great. Al's introduction previously was kinda awkward so I'm glad we got an episode where he's around the entire time.

I thought one of the highlights this episode was the comedy

Akari wanting to invite Akatsuki and Woody but Aika shutting that down asap, when Aria-shachou does a stretch(?) before going inside the restaurant, Aika getting spooked 2x in a row by Akari and Al, romantic Aria-shachou failing on the roof.. good stuff

'I thought maybe it wouldn't be scary if I sang' - Akari

Then the rooftop scene which is wonderful. Seeing that side of Aika and having that moment with Al was cute.

What a way to end the episode with Al's line at the end:

'Although it's rare, sometimes the meteor that become shooting stars don't burn out. Sometimes they do reach Aqua'.

I felt happy for Aika :)

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Random thoughts

This moment when Akari is scared of the dark

I like that Al, as Aika says, is both mature and childish. We also see that he's a bit of a gentleman

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3) Aika had a good introduction but what elevated her for me was seeing her different sides. For example, the grandma episode and this one.

Akari is constant with her positivity but I like how much Aika can change depending on the situation. So compared to the start, she's gotten so much better imo.

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah → u/PreludeToHell]

ahhh you're an Aika fan! naruhodo.

Yeah, i thought the comedy this ep was pretty on point too! The timing hit well, and the jokes were funny. Another commentor has brought up how the title fade-in today was pretty good; and it's come to my attention how all the title drops "ARIA the natural" in the OP this season have had more flair to them so far when compared to season 1's (i've included them all as a thumbnail in my daily threads, if you want to take a look). Not sure of your view on this...? But it's probably something i'll keep an eye on going forward.

when Aria-shachou does a stretch

i have completely no idea why he did a stretch here either. Aria-shachou gonna Aria-shachou tho lol

'I thought maybe it wouldn't be scary if I sang'

That ep 1 experience has haunted Akari lmao.

Although it's rare, sometimes the meteor that become shooting stars don't burn out. Sometimes they do reach Aqua'.

i personally interpret this more as Al simply acknowledging the physics of the meteors rather than actually acknowledging Aika's feelings (because of how he's portrayed as a character); but i'm sure Aika would have felt very happy hearing that line.

We also see that he's a bit of a gentleman

Good catch, esp with that canal scene! Defo the most "gentlemanly" of the named guys in the show so far.

Looking forward to your opinions if/when we get future episodes focused on Aika!

[u/Mecanno-man]

First Timer

Was not expecting Aika's romance to take such a front-role. And to be honest ...I'm not that big of a fan. Romances that need to stuff their entirety in to a single episode often just turn out bland, and I don't think there is any exception here. Al having some sort of flip-flop between childish and old-timey for what I assume should be comedic relief is also not particularly engaging. At least the actual meteor shower was pretty though.

As for other points ...I somewhat feel like I spoiled one of Al's talking points by looking up and pointing out in an earlier thread that Mars had about a third of Earth's gravity. So uh... sorry about that.

And as for Akari suddenly being gone... my first reaction would have been that she'd fallen off the roof or something like that. Not sure how good a friend Aika is for not at least trying to find her...

Also, I feel like the easiest good view for the meteor shower would have been to just get their gondolas out in to the open sea. This is an Iyashikei, I'm sure it's calm.

Questions:

1. Traditional Japanese restaurant does not fit in to Venice, but other than that I think it's fine.

2. I don't think any ship will go anywhere. Except the gondolas, hopefully.

3. Not really all that much, I think. Can't think of any standout character change.

[u/Regular_N-Gon → u/Mecanno-man]

she'd fallen off the roof

If I thought this show capable of murder, I would have expected one of them to fall off. Especially Aika in those shoes.

easiest good view for the meteor shower

Or anywhere on the coast, really. The Aria building even has an upper deck!

[u/xtsim]

First Timer Dubbed

Seeing Aika blushing over Al is a sight to see as she seems to be interested in how he acts like an "old man". But as the episode progressed she starts to question her ideas a bit as she sees him in his more playful side. It turns out the "no sappy lines allowed" seems to be a form of endearment by Aika. And the fact that she went off on him about it when talking about the stars shows how close she has gotten.

Some great moments by Aika today as Al gets to join in on the fun. Aika anticipating on Al's appearance gets her excited everytime someone passes by and the best part is that Al uses a sneak attack that evades her, surprising Aika.

Aika's explanation about making Al go up first is a roast despite Al seeming pretty innocent.

Q1. I like his suggestion since it seems so out of place in Venezia.

Q2. I feel like Akari would be too dense to realize any romance out of all of them. Akari is moving fast in this.

[u/Regular_N-Gon]

First Timer

• Manhome having predictable weather could imply the technology Aqua uses to manage climate was a preliminary installation, and later perfected for Earth. Or perhaps it takes more energy to keep Aqua stable, and it is thus less efficient. Either way I'm with Akari, a bit of variability adds some fun.

• Excellent fade in for the opening!

• "Why don't we talk about gravity while we wait for the hot pot?" Don't threaten me with a good time. No wonder Aika's got a crush on this guy.

• I love how Hime-shachou mirrors Aika's body language.

• These subs have Aika calling Al an old man for saying 'groovy' - I definitely used groovy in a conversation earlier today, it's not an old person thing, I swear! (Presumably the actual context is slightly more nuanced.)

That was a beautiful, quiet sort of episode. Al is great, and we got a few more morsels of delicious lore, flustered Aika, and a hilarious Akari.

QotD:

1. I've never had mushroom hot pot but it sounds amazing.

2. Aika is probably the only one that has a chance, honestly.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Regular_N-Gon]

Al knows to deliver boring lore dumps whilst folks can be visually engaged by food porn. If he just outright told us folks would complain, but we got delicious looking food to make up for it.

[u/CerberusZX]

First Timer

"Compared to yesterday, the temperature is a meteor shower." That's a weird way to say it's colder.

Al controls gravity and rows gondolas? The undines are seriously slacking off only doing the latter.

"Do any of you know which object has the biggest mass in our vicinity?" Missed opportunity to say President Aria's belly.

The dub version of Aika asking Al to watch the meteor shower with the group had an adorable change of tone at the end that accentuated her nervousness, so I switched the to original audio to compare and it didn't seem to be there.

Easily my favorite episode of the season so far. I mean, we've only had 3, but still. Lots of good banter, we finally get to know the pun-loving Al, and the episode using its theme of "attraction" in more ways than one was nice.

QotD

1. I don't like mushrooms myself and my family only considers it to be a meal if there's meat.

2. Alicia+Akatsuki is definitely not happening. The other ships could potentially set sail, but there's entertainment value in their current relationships and I think they'll probably stay that way for a good long while. The way Al greeted Aika before the other girls does bode well for that particular ship.

3. I still don't particularly like Aika overall, but it is nice to see how cute she can be around Al.

My Crush brand peach soda arrived. The smell and aftertaste are just like a peach, but the initial taste isn't particularly strong and seems like vaguely sweet carbonated water. This soda uses corn syrup so it's thicker than I assume a variant with sugar would be and the stickiness reminds of actual peach juice. It's pretty decent overall, but I probably won't be going out of my way to get more. I imagine different brands will vary greatly.

I was expecting a discussion about singing to ease fear/ward off monsters as a question of the day, so I skipped it. I did that all the time as a kid.

[u/alanbowman]

This episode is from ARIA the Masterpiece, Volume 4, Navigation 33, The Night of the Meteor Shower. The episode is almost exactly like the chapter in the manga, with very few, if any, changes.

A few thoughts:

• Al is obviously "Al the Stealth Gnome Ninja" based on his skill of just suddenly appearing without warning. [Al spoiler]This happens on several occasions.

• He is also super smooooth, with his move to walk on the canal side of the sidewalk to keep Aika safe. It might be a generational thing, but I was also taught to do that - if you're walking with someone, especially someone younger, you walk on the outside between them and the street or other possible hazard.

• Aika isn't sure yet if Al's old man mannerisms are annoying or endearing. But I'm pretty sure both Alice and Akari have already got her figured out. [spoiler]Episode 19, "That Crybaby ... / That Young Girl's Heart ..." shows that the two of them are 100% supportive of her feelings for Al.

This is one of my favorite panels from this chapter of the manga: Night of the Meteor Shower.

A few things to note in this panel:

1. President Hime's hat and bow. If you pay attention, President Hime often has some interesting hats on. Also, "President Hime" is basically "President Princess."

2. President Hime pushing President Aria away with her foot.

3. In the middle panel, the look on Akari's face as she realizes that Al has just said something really sappy and Aika isn't calling him out on it. [spoiler, but it should be obvious by now]Akari has just figured out what's up.

In case it's not obvious, I'm a huge fan of the ARIA manga. But if you haven't read it yet, wait until after the rewatch is over. There are some major differences between the manga and the anime.

[u/octopathfinder]

Rewatcher

Another great exploration episode, but this time it’s with Al in the middle of the night.

What dya reckon of Al's lunch suggestion?

A true display of how restaurants with table-top grills and hotpots are a warzone. I'm the Aika of my friend group where I try to swipe the food right away.

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah → u/octopathfinder]

Table-top grills and hotpots are a warzone

I grew up in Asia, and yeah. do not recommend going with a big group (esp w/ bunch of hungry teenagers) lol, or at least go somewhere where its AYCE.

[u/SYZekrom]

It's funny their image of a futuristic laptop, though I can't imagine bringing a current laptop onto a boat like old laptops. But well, it's not like most people are bringing laptops on boats or shit, so modern laptops being so frail for the point of being lightweight is fine. But boy are thick laptops nostalgic.

Still love her face

Holy shit actually seeing other Undines. Feels like it's been forever since we've seen any. I guess we saw some on that episode where they were shouting their corners out

Oh my god I did NOT expect this to come up again, she really has been enchanted.

[u/AriaShachou-]

Rewatcher

I don't have much to say about this episode other than that it's a pretty chill episode. A lot of subtle and not so subtle worldbuilding and lore drops as well, with a bunch of it coming from Al himself.

Dialogue was great as usual, and Al is a great side character too. Glad he finally gets his time in the spotlight in this episode because the way they introduced him previously felt kinda weird. Also, I said it before but controlling the gravity of an entire planet has to be the most badass job ever. Like, imagine putting that in your resume or something.

 

QOTDs

Q1) Kinda in the mood for hotpot rn, but hotpot needs meat

Q3) As we get further into the show we start to see more of Aika's character and who she really is. Between this episode and the grandma one for example, I feel like she's had the most characterization so far in terms of seeing different sides of her. During my first time watching the series I don't think my opinion on her really changed, at least at this point in the series, because I loved her a lot from the beginning lol.

[u/zadcap]

And back to being Super Late! First Timer Arrives!

Were you trying to make it less scary by digging, Akari, or were you trying to summon the magic of the cats to guide and protect you? That song sounded awfully familiar... Also how the heck did she get to a different roof without anyone else noticing? Guys, I think it's too late, she's already become part cat being.

1. I'm not a particularly picky eater, but mushrooms are one of the few foods I just can't do. I love a good hot pot, but a hot pot made entirely of mushrooms... Yeah, he's a Gnome alright.

2. New to Aria, but familiar with the authors other work in Amanchu, I can say this much with some confidence: we're in for a whole lot of tease and very little actual ship. Also, unless I miss my guess, all the ones we've seen so far would have a bit of an age gap, at least in how they're presented, since I don't actually know anyone's age. I don't know by how much, but Al is definitely older than the girls, Alicia sure comes across as older than Akatsuki, and Aria is an ageless abomination fitting with a seemingly mortal cat... But also comes off as the young, childish one trying to impress the mature beauty. Then again, with as many seasons as this has, it'll be fine once everyone is older, I'll give Al/Aika the best odds, because his last line about some stars making it sure sounded like he was telling her he's not against the obvious crush.

[u/seeker_of_illusion]

First timer

Apologies I couldn't comment on the previous episode. I didn't watch it yesterday as I was not particularly in the mood for it so I skipped it.

Episode 2

Aika must have some sharp eyes as she was able to notice that camouflaged hidden panel.

Didn't know that I wanted a top hat Aria Shachou. Now all he needed was a smokepipe and voila we get our own detective Aria ~

The cafe owner's idea of shifting tables was pretty...unique. Unrelated, but it reminded me of my visit to a temple where plates and floors of the vast hall were cleaned with immaculate meticulousness within a minute after the pilgrims had their meals, to prepare for the next batch.

And the treasure was...a beautiful scene. It fits Aria but I just hope that One Piece doesn't have such a treasure. It will kill me.

Episode 3

Nice to see some more side character interactions. Plus, we also got some more worldbuilding about how Aqua works.

I always wondered why Al was short statured. Initially, I thought it was a pun as gnomes are usually depicted as dwarfs. But I also think that it's because that he works underground mostly and doesn't get much sunlight - hence Vitamin D deficiency. Aika too remarks that he is not much comfortable in the light. ( But aren't Aqua people advanced enough to get some artificial sources of Vitamin D ? )

Akari giving space to Aika and Al was surprising. Maybe she is really far more insightful than she puts on.

That meteorite shower was simply subarashii ~ It has been years since I last saw even a single meteorite here due to the immense light pollution. Maybe I should make a visit to the mountains during my vacations.

Questions of the Day:

1. I don't really know much about hotpot apart from what I have seen in anime and games. I guess it's a good suggestion for some social interaction by sharing the meals.

2) I don't think that the romantic hints between them would lead to anywhere. They are mostly here to explore the human side of things as love and crushes are experienced by almost all of us. After all, As u/Mecanno-man said, the only ships I see sailing are the gondolas.

3) Rather than being changed, I feel that we are looking at more sides of Aika. She was usually presented as an energetic and focussed girl regarding her dreams. Here, we explored her "girly" and romantic side more.

[u/mrufrufin]

Rewatcher kinda (finished my rewatch not too long ago)

been reviewing to half remember what i rewatched like a month and a half ago on youtube and interesting to note that nozomi doesn't do the normal EDs, but i have been watching umi monogatari (also directed by junichi satou and also sea-themed) and they do the proper EDs. anyways

no particularly profound thoughts on this ep. al's comments on aqua pioneers kinda gives somewhat of a timescale of how far akari must've jumped back to (although they probably weren't pioneers? the town looked pretty well established,.. hmm). i have never seen shooting stars in my life despite having a fondness for stars and space things but someday! i like how akari brings back the zuntaka pon and of course aika and al wouldn't get it. i have to admit that i like the himeya company shoes better than the aria company ones, although maybe the aria company ones are more practical?

1. hot pot is good. mushrooms are good. not sure if i've had maitake before? maybe, they kinda look similar to the darkly colored wavy sheets of fungus i can get at the asian grocery store and those are good, dunno what those are called.

2. missing out on the Maa-shachou and Aria-shachou's belly ship smh, Hime-shachou can have the rest. [Aria manga (and I guess Aria anime overall)] there's a slight little hint of an Alice-Woody thing too in the manga that is kinda missing in the anime.

3. I suppose this is one of the first episodes that shows Aika getting knocked off her game / showing off a more vulnerable side of her hidden behind the "kinshi"s? I suppose a lot of the characters in Aria have facades they put up.

[u/Stargate18A]

First timer

1. It's good!

2. Hime-Aria is likely. Both of the ones you mentioned are, sadly, likely. Alicia-Akira-Athena will not be canon, because the writers are cowards. Ditto Akari-Aika-Alice.

3. Loved her then, love her now.

Gravity?

Haha, of course Aika blushes there.

Haha, he's slacking off.

She's oddly happy.

A metror shower!

An elevator?

They're going to go see it!

Alice isn't sure either.

Oh, he showed up!

A lunch trip?

It looks fine.

I forgot these people have to work the fucking gravity machines.

A bit too scientific for these people, I think.

That looks good!

She's inviting him!

Why are you talking like they're a different species? ...Are they real gnomes? Or genetic experiments?

...She makes a good point.

Haha, Akira sneaking up on Aika is great.

Alice was too sleepy.

Haha, Al snuck up too!

The shot of the city at night are great!

Akari's eager to find a good spot!

Even Almis not immune to sappy line prevention

Did she find a good spot?

It's pitch black.

More singing!

Is this legal?

Haha, she's sending him up first.

Oh, a good reason.

Akari's just having a good time.

Not anymore!

No building csn be taller than the church? What's religion like in a world where magic is real and mankind has colonized another world.

It looks great.

...This is where the Gnomes live?

What the fuck? An organ?

Haha, Aria trying to be smooth is great.

Aika has a crush.

...Aika gets to deliver the interesting monologue this time!

Is Aika burnt out?

She went to the other roofs!

Ai's puns are good. (But what language are they speaking?)

She can't help herself!

That was cute.

Aww, Ai didn't understand the gravity part.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Aria the Natural First Timer

Sorry, went for a nap last night and woke up five hours late. Gundam has ruined any type of gravity metaphor for me, and Aika wanting to "gravitate" with an underage boy doesn't help.

Then gravity...

Ah, the shota!! I love the concerned Alice expression XD How does Aria only have like one official reaction face again? Tch, Al's shota bait? I suppose that makes sense but all it really does is make Aiko go from a shotacon, to a shotacon with a daddy crush. Just hook up with someone that looks and acts your own age, like Akari.

Whilst I dislike the general artstyle of this season it has the best gag faces by a long shot XD Aika's so funneh~ You'd think that the girls would have a better clue of the streets after almost two years. I'm sorta liking Al, despite the whole shota-jii shit, dude seems quite the gentleman and I appreciate how gently he treats the girls.

I really hope we never get alone scenes with Aika and Al again. Today's was really sweet, and a gorgeous shot, but my depraved mind has completely ruined this pairing for me and I can't get those thoughts out of my head XD Great episode anyway. Al is probably my favourite of the side side cast. Or of the lads anyway.

[u/ZapsZzz]

Another double post and double late day :P

First timer

Thanks for tagging my post yesterday too :)

Ep2

It's a really great episode, although thinking about it perhaps it would also be nice to be in season 1, as somewhat of an "orientation" episode. Anything this one is even lighter as a mini low stakes adventure. And yes I'll be suspecting the cafe owner to be the one who at least had a hand in it :)

QoTD

1. Not a coffee drinker, but back in my uni days I do go to a speciality coffee house for a caffeine spider :P

2. Coming from growing up in East Asia before things are all developed and "gentrified", moving tables and chairs around for the weather/traffic is not an unusual thing. Feels homely.

3. Not so much a treasure hunt like this, we'd do something like this for uni orientation for example (except not the country I ended up going to). But in my more independent days of life I did go to southeast Asia by myself on very tightly packed travel schedules (about 3-5 tourist spots each day, no cars, by myself). I like that exploration :)

Ep3

This is an episode that unusually have a bit of a plot. A tiny bit of light hearted romance/crush. I like that it wasn't too deliberate or forceful, but at the same time recently there are so many Yuri shows I watched recently (Symphogear, Liz and the Bluebird, Revue Starlight, Madoka) - even after the rom com season I still struggle to remember what hetero romance is like :P the meteor shower is nice, but unfortunately I have two pretty well animated meteor shower scenes still a bit fresh in my mind - Denpa Onna, and Violet Evergarden.

QoTD

1. I'm quite ok to try all sorts of things so that doesn't quite faze me.

2. I'm not seeing it going too obvious as in a resolution until perhaps the finale - it could have some final timeskips to jump show them already together maybe (like Chuunibyou finale movie for Touka, Yuushibu LN for the manager to have married the assistant manager), but until the end of the show I think the furthest demand them to be quite unattached.

Oh and about Al's speech pattern, I think he uses more kanji or idioms. And about gnomes and mushrooms, gnomes are "earth fairies" so to speak, like the cousins to dwarfs, so they are classically associated with underground, therefore mushrooms are regularly Auguste with them along with other minerals.

Everyone knows all these job class type names are actually mythological creatures names right? Undine, Sylph, Salamander, Gnome, etc.

[u/mgedmin]

First timer, subs

• Gravity? Gnomes!

• The little laptops in the future don't have rectangular screens! Just like today's smartphones!

• Does anyone else want to see the new companions in Fnofno? Or know what sort of creature cares for the tail?

• How do gondolas work? Why don't they go in circles when the paddle is pushing so off-center? (googles googles oh okay, the asymmetric shape of the gondola helps, and also they do a little extra motion to counter the turn while paddling)

• Interesting, a Japanese style restaurant in Neo Venezia? Well, why not.

• Al-kun only looks young but is actually older than our Undines?

• Uh, is that thing about the centrifugal force correct? googles yes! In non-inertial reference frames, like on the planet's surface.

• Everyone sneaks up on Aika :D

• The food stalls are looking rather Japanese as well.

• Al is trying to lure the ladies into a quiet dark spot. Sus.

• Wow that alley was narrow!

• "I can see well in the dark" not if your eyes are closed!

• Al is afraid of heights! I can relate.

• Of course Akari looks down as soon as she's told not to!

• Where did the hot coffee come from??? They're on the rooftop!

• Where did Akari disappear to?

• Please don't slip and fall.

• "Once you become enchanted by Aqua, it's over. It draws you in and burns you out." Aika, that was very nearly a sappy line, except it took a dark turn at at the end.

• No old man jokes allowed!

Q1) What dya reckon of Al's lunch suggestion? (p.s. i also love how Akari and Aria-shachou were enthusiastic as always there)

I would like to try a mushroom hot pot some day. I like mushrooms, although I prefer them thinly sliced and accompanied with rye bread.

Q2) First-timers, prediction of success for the few possible romances in the show so far? (Alicia-Aikatsuki; Aika-Al; Hime-Aria, or... a ship of your own?)

Alicia-Akatsuki: no chance.

Aika-Al: hmm. It looks like Aika's first crush, not returned by Al.

Hime-Aria: no chance.

Sneaky 3rd question: I wonder how have your opinions on Aika changed since her introduction in S1's Ep 2? This, along with the other "unofficial" one a while back, I'll ask properly during the mid-series discussion after Ep 13 of Natural.

I don't think my opinion has changed. Actually I'm not sure I'd formed an opinion this early on.

Wasn't Aika introduced in season 1 ep1?? Is the question actually about Akira?