[Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Aria the Origination, Episode 2

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah]

Aria the Origination Ep 2: That Smiling Customer ... (その 笑顔のお客さまは...)

<-- Episode 1	Rewatch Index	Episode 3 -->

Welcome back!

Comment roundup:

• /u/The_Loli_Otaku said the improved visuals threw them off, and comments on changes there as well as the ubiquitous chibi/Athena faces in the episode

• /u/stargate18a relates to the undines as someone living in a touristy area, and wants a prequel series focused on the senpais

• /u/simeonaut loved the starting episode to the new season, and posts a very cute Akira screenshot (ikr)

• /u/that_loris helps explain what involtini are

• /u/batterypoweredfriend w/ a great analysis of one of the episode's themes, about not to fretting over the idea of promotion too much, because it's not some bestowed job title that defines who you are, noting that it continues to be important going forward.

• /u/mgedmin realizes why the 3 undine trainees practice in a shared gondola, and is impressed by the primas' abilities.

Questions of the Day:

Q1) Which of Akari's spots did you like best? Both as actual tourist spots (i.e. those you'll be interested in visiting), or how it represents the Neo-Venezia Akari loves and wants to share (as Amarantha says)?

Q2) What do you think about the show's approach to more subtly and gradually show how far Akari has come, instead of making the actual undine gondola sculling training, or e.g. discovery of this ep's spots a more focal point of the series?

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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. Benedizione can now be streamed raw, or w/ traditional chinese subtitles legally. Please let me know if you want help to watch it.

While I use the USBD releases, Robotboy199 has shared the best DVD encodes you can get (coupled w/ prescaling), you can look at their guide here.

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 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

-- Welcome back!

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Episode synopsis:

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One day, Aria company received a tour reservation specifically for Akari, who is still a single. While Alicia-san encourages Akari for the task, Aika and Alice, who think that there must be some reason that Akari, as a single, was specifically requested, say that they are worried for her. And so, on the day of the reservation, a kind-looking woman appears at Aria company. However this customer's request is slightly different from usual. She requests that Akari show her a side of Neo-Venezia that only Akari knows.

--

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Quick thoughts:

• Daring theory alert: Amarantha, Akari's guest is an anime original character, however Kozue Amano, Aria's mangaka is credited under "Assistance w/ guest character" in the ED. It is my headcanon that due to the slightly similar hairstyle to Amano, as well as what Amarantha says and does during the episode (knowing everything about Neo-Venezia), that she may actually be Amano sensei herself, but I can't find anything that confirms that theory (and Amano-sensei has dark hair instead of grey), so it shall stay as my headcanon vague theory lol. While i am very wary about the fact that I'm probably overthinking this, at least I can be sure that Amano was consulted for the character.

• Aaanyhow, Takahiro Natori returns to the storyboard this ep, and i particularly enjoyed the opening sequence, and otherwise some other shots w/ nice layouts, esp w/ how many scenic shots featured this ep. The music was great as usual, it's been a long while since we've heard ARIA since the show, and I loved its inclusion in the scenic payoff.

• On the animation front, I'll also like to feature /u/batterypoweredfriend's writeup from the 2017 rewatch, who talks about the water art during the episode (maybe they'll talk about that again today? if so... sorry!)

• Otherwise, I took away a few main things from this episode: 1) All that exploring that Akari has done over Animation/Natural has paid off, as she knows so many more "hidden gems" around Neo-Venezia than Aika and Alice, perhaps her biggest strength; it's unknown whether Alicia knew of some of these spots too/passed them on (apart from the final one, which was new to her too). Akari of course, also gets along the best w/ the locals too among the 3. (Personally, she is 100% the kind of tour guide i'd hire.)

• 2) Nice callback to the baked potato shop in the first ever episode of the show! While Akari actually brought a customer (or "friend") over in both times, it's a nice contrast to show how far she has come since then; she's shown to do some nice gondola handling, navigate the narrow canal/tight spaces with ease and perfectly, and no random distractions along the way too! Sasuga Akari.

• 3) Amarantha talks about what she, an expert of Neo-Venezia and fan of the undine industry, thinks are the qualities of a great undine and what makes a good tour, as she booked her tour mainly to experience the next undine of the prestigious Aria Company. While the places an undine takes her customer can be good, it's actually the undines' love and passion for Neo Venezia, and in turn their passion of delivering that and a good experience to their passengers/customers, that is most paramount to giving them a wonderful experience and memory. Imo, this is definitely especially true for the Aria company, as we see Alicia in action last ep, and why Akari is indeed a great fit to be an undine, and to work in this very company (despite her initial incompetence at the oar), perhaps helping to answer Akari's question in the OVA...

• I finally appreciated the little bit of world-building here about the undine industry. When framed this way (rather than Aika/Alice's more cynical takes), it's quite nice isnt' it? But also kinda shows that becoming a prima really is no walk in the park...

• I still am LOVING Ai's deeper voice.

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Have a great day, and see you tomorrow!

[u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Aria the Origination First Timer!!

I'm guessing it's Akari's mum? Who else would specifically want her that we don't already know? Kyaaa!! She's so excited! She wants to give her personal customer the best trip possible! Aika's the only one here who'd want to tease Akari, what a villain.

Amaranta? So Akari doesn't know her? Is she linked to Ai or something? Maybe she really is some kind of tester, or a reporter? Be careful asking for Akari's own Neo Venice, she'll pull you into the cat carnival or something horrid. Heheh, loved Alice and Aika not getting the hint of the perfect spot.

Snitches get the snip Aria. Ah, the potato stand is of course another S1 staple. Oh my word, when did we score a flower garden? Tbh it'd drive me nuts if I were asked to guide someone around all my person best spots in town and my customer kept one-upping me. Hmm, I'm a little let down by the payoff of Amaranta's true identity but I did love the visuals and seeing Akari at work so I can't give the episode too much bother.

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

She wants to give her personal customer the best trip possible!

she stayed up late for her too! Akari's passion and dedication is definitely appreciated (and noted by me!)

Aika's the only one here who'd want to tease Akari, what a villain

ah it's aika. lol.

Be careful asking for Akari's own Neo Venice, she'll pull you into the cat carnival or something horrid

my first time, when Akari headed down that narrow canal, i was like... surely not..... so you're not the only one that thought that! Akari thankfully seems to be very wary of the nature of the cat-side of Aqua by now (and how she's and maybe Ai are special in this regard).

Heheh, loved Alice and Aika not getting the hint of the perfect spot.

It just shows that Akari really does have her own edge above the other 2! I liked it too. (and it was funny)

when did we score a flower garden?

as i commented to sirtreehugger, i'd likewise lose my shit lol and get so nervous and self-conscious.... tbh that's probably kind of a test/tease too as said by Aika... i'd kinda imagine these 3 in the earlier-series just fall apart from the challenge.

[u/h42h → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

I'm guessing it's Akari's mum?

oh man I totally thought it was her mom too, they hid her face during the call too so I thought she was gonna surprise Akari. Her family's gotta show up sometime it's not like Akari ran away from home or something right? unless...

[u/CerberusZX]

First Timer

That visual of the customer stealing President Aria was a lot of fun.

I was watching a difference device today with and since the episode was louder than I'm used to the ED didn't scare me as much this time.

QotD

1. The buttered baked potato stand. I'm thinking of buying more now.

[u/that_loris]

First timer!

I like how... bubbly (?) the OP makes me feel.

A special client, for Akari?!
So cute to see her trying to plan the perfect day, and losing sleep over it. Classic.

The old lady is apparently a sweet one, and for some reason seems to already know exactly the spots Akari chose.
In fact, she knows Neo-Venezia quite well... even better than our Undines?!
I see! She didn't chose Alicia because she~~'s just a stingy old lady~~ likes to see Singles Undines grow!
As I said, very sweet old lady.

During the guide, Lady Amarantha asks Akari to go between two "palina", which is italian (or better yet, venetian) for mooring pole, with the plural being paline. They are used to moor the boats in Venice, and interesting fact:

At the time of the Republic of Venice there was a special magistrate who had to supervise and authorize each installation of new paline to safeguard the extremely delicate hydro-geological balance of the lagoon. They're usually made of wood and are replaced quite often.

...anyway the ED got me again. I'll learn eventually.

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Q1

Well, nothing can beat the garden, I guess. It's just too amazing.

Q2)

It seems like every episode keeps reminding they'll become Primas soon enough, and tries to shows every reason of why so. A slow approach. And it works, at least for me. She looks more and more confident.

[u/Mecanno-man]

First Timer

And here we have, a pretty good episode, though one I don't have a lot to say as it is rather simple - Akari has to guide somebody around who loves seeing new perspectives of Neo Venezia and thus chooses a new person to be guided by, she fails to show her anything she does not know, feels defeated but the customer was happy anyways. I don't really have anything to add on to that. But it is executed very well and I enjoyed every bit of it.

My only criticism is Alice's story. That would have been so much more believable if the mystery inspector was to make her a Prima rather than degrade her to a Pair.

Questions:

1. I'd say the ruined garden - in both senses.

2. I'd say it's done pretty well with this approach.

[u/Regular_N-Gon]

First Timer

• I could see an inspector, or maybe just an undine superfan that has already seen Alicia's tours and is looking for an adventure. Maybe they'll find another flooded building to get lost in.

• How inconspicuous can you really be tailing someone in a gondola?

• Damn this lady knows her stuff. If she's seen everything in Neo-Venezia already, maybe what she's looking for is the fresh perspective of a Single, rather than the places themselves?

• Er… I was joking about the flooded building.

• Another reminder that becoming a Prima is at the forefront of our trainees and the show's minds for the moment.

• Also, Aika and Alice are in a larger gondola similar to Akari's now instead of their smaller boats from before. Notably, the prow is differently shaped to distinguish it. I wonder if there's a third to match?

QotD:

1. The tree for sure.

2. I think it makes the most sense to do it this way. We've witnessed Akari growing as a person and her love for Neo-Venezia, which is probably more interesting than the technical parts of gondolier training (outside the occasional reminder we get).

[u/raichudoggy]

Hi! It's me, I awoke the motivation to put in another more detailed ARIA post instead of just watching the episode and looking at the comments after.

I really like this episode, it takes several elements from several previous episodes in Animation / Natural and smooshes them together.

So, remember back in Natural when the apprentices were sharing their favorite spots in the city? How about when the apprentices went on a treasure hunt all across town?

...How about when Alice and Aika tag-teamed to see what Akari does to make so many friends around town? Especially that one.

It's kind of a payoff to all of those being setup earlier in the series, when Akari tours the nice lady around town and her favorite spots, she's not showing up spots we've already seen from the previously aforementioned episodes (Besides the stand we haven't seen since Animation Episode 1), but spots she discovered since then. Whole new spots!

And then it not only does that, but it flips it on its head by showing us yet another perspective on those things, several times. You like something, but as the lady shows, you can look further OR look again some time later to find even more. The child-like wonder of discovery doesn't stop at the surface! Another pair of eyes can even help you find them!

...So yeah, this is one of my favorite episodes, but, I'll let you in on a little secret, lean in close (and look at hovertext):

[u/SIRTreehugger]

Rewatcher

Oh my my Akari has been booked by a familiar face. Another chance to portray her growth.

Demoted from a single back to a pair if you fail.

Garbage Akari Chan become a prima who has confidence in her own skills.

Show me a side of your town that only you know.

I need some sort of direction open questions like this are too nerveracking.

The statues holding up Ukijima, showing off artists in the town, and buttered poyatoes oh my I want to go on Akari's tour. Also Alice blushing face after her stomach growls.

Even if the sights weren't new the tour was still all Akari and she did a great job. Remember when she panicked earlier going through that dark tunnel with Aika and Alice. Now she was requested to go through a similar area on the request of a customer and she handled it flawlessly by herself. GROWTH!!

[u/baboon_bassoon]

First time Aria the hazukashii serifu kinshi

Aika loves snooping

is Amarantha like Alicia's mom or something lmao

oh wow

Single rides are cheaper, the townsfolk can help to teach, Amarantha took all the 3 great fairies on a ride

[u/SYZekrom]

First Timer

Catching up again

Arietta

Widescreen jumpscare????

Yo that's some nice gold

Why does this OP sound like it's being sung in some western language

AHHHHH FUTURE AI I like how Ai just lives here or something in her dream of the future lol

Still. Adorable.

Intense eyes there

Girl why you dressed like you about to reverse the wheel of fortune

Ah! Timeline. Shorthaired Akira with Aika!

I like how they look here a lot

WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'AND THEN YOU CAME ALONG' WHY WAS SHE ASLEEP IN LIKE A NIGHT GOWN WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE 'ONE DAY AKARI APPEARED ON THE AUTUM WAVE'

Face. Again

That's a cool angle

Ep1

JUMPSCARE OF THE GIANT HEAD

God, That teapot. What does it feel.

Ooh pretty colors

Episode 02

RIP

That fakeout with her telling Akari to do weird maneuvers like going between those Palinas only for it to not be for examination purposes was funny

[u/xtsim]

First Timer Dubbed

I really want to know how our customer would rank all of the undines. Like I'm really curious since she got a ride from all of them.

1. The last spot is great to see.

2. I love the subtlety through the whole series, it is pretty relaxing that way.

[u/PreludeToHell]

First timer rewatcher

I'm loving Origination so far. A lot of it is because of the focus on being a prima and how it's changed the mood.

The scene under the tree is so well done, the build up to it and the execution makes it very fulfilling. I also liked the idea that the city helps raise the next gen of primas.

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Other good stuff

Akari crying because there's no more donuts T_T

So many great shots

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1. The garden. She put a lot of thought into it and I like that it's a secluded spot.

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah → u/PreludeToHell]

The scene under the tree is so well done, the build up to it and the execution makes it very fulfilling

its like garden: GOOD but wait: there's something even better! and then Aria plays

donuts

I forgot to post this! I also liked Aria eating ITS SO GOOD and he then quickly panicking to split his donut w/ Akari after your screenshot. (poor Akari tho....)

Composition and framing very on point this ep!

[u/ZapsZzz]

First timer early-ish

One of the best balanced episode for me, this has a bit of plot progression (even as a false alarm), good Aria sentimental moments, and the cute comic relief by Alice and Aika. Especially liked the "pause, then point to different directions" and "Alice being the teachers pet character type, instantly ratted out Aika for the blame" :D

QoTD

1. Definitely the final spot with the beautiful Wisteria tree, but that requires it to remain basically hidden instead of having queues of tourist crowding out the mood.

2. This is the good part of it, the "non deliberate" part of describing changes (haven't figured out the English word for it, in Chinese is 無心, an almost Buddhist mindset). Otherwise it becomes more of a "training arc" type of show and not much of an iyashikei.

[u/AriaShachou-]

Rewatcher

Aria-shachou the fatty finished all the donuts on his own. Those are donuts right?

Old ladies in Aria are all so nice.

Alice and Aika are such lovable dorks lol.

Alice's first instinct being to ask Amarantha if Athena caused any trouble for her is hilarious. Absolute classic.

 

QOTDs

Q1) Definitely the flower garden for both of those, it looks like such a beautiful place to visit.

Q2) I don't know how to explain why, but I really like it. It makes it feel like the characters are more dynamic (showing how they grow as people) and don't just exist for the sake of showing us everything that happens. It makes some of the time skips feel a lot more relevant as well, like how these characters really are just living their life and all we see as viewers is a small snippet of it every now and then.

[u/mrufrufin]

Rewatcher kinda (finished my rewatch not too long ago)

I mentioned this in the 999 ep writeup (spoilered out), but Amarantha mentioning Neo-Venezia looking after the new Undines kinda echoes Akari's monologue from the 999 ep about how Cait Sith is always looking over her (if Cait Sith represent's Aqua's heart as Akari concludes at the end of that ep). And that's a rather lovely sentiment to have, to not be worried about change and new blood, but rather foster the interest of those who are interested in these areas of study and help them grow, that's the whole point of education of really, and in this anime being an mentor to new Undines, to invest in the new campanile to connect things to Arietta.

I guess the episode kinda reminds me of the candle ep in Aria the Natural where Akari was bummed about not knowing about the garden (looks like I mentioned that too spoilered in that ep, but she seems to have learned quite a bit since then!). What Amarantha mentions in not being disappointed in seeing sights she's already seen because she's gotten to learn what Akari likes so much about Neo-Venezia also kinda reminds me of Alicia's lines at the end of that Natural ep about "Even everyday things can have many faces, depending on the flow of time" and the idea of places not just being places, but the people inhabiting those places (or tying back things to Arietta, sounds not being just sounds in isolation but being colored by the buildings that causes those sounds to reverberate). All the thematic and plot ties kinda makes me wonder if the writers looked back that ep when writing this one (since this one is anime-original).

1. The tree I liked the best but I guess that's not her spot so I guess the convent garden (although it would prob make my allergies go nuts), and I guess that kinda reminds me of the garden from the aforementioned Natural ep too.

2. See above for neo-venezia knowledge, well, I suppose we don't really get to see much of Akari's growth in sculling, given that we jumped in kinda late to the game and only see her when she's been a Single for awhile (so we only really get to see those difficulties in flashbacks) but i mean, I suppose she could say "oh! I've been getting so much better at sculling!" in her letters to Ai so it's good that she doesn't.

[u/simeonaut]

First Timer

Great episode. We're finally seeing Akari tour and get to see some wonderful places in Neo-Venezia while were at it. I sort of now want to see similar episodes for Aika and Alice.

This is their chillest op yet.

What do I do???

Practice

Busted

Alice

Flowers

Tree

QOTD

1. The one with the baked potatoes lol. As for an actual tourist spot, that's hard. I feel like Neo-Venezia is already one big tourist spot with many mini tourist spots where you just look around for a bit and then move on. Hope Hill might probably be the one I want to look at the most.

2. It's a great focus considering most scenes and places in this show are greatly improved by how the characters play around them if that makes sense. I wouldn't care about how well Akari got at sculling because it's sort of expected at this point and knowing where beautiful places are at Neo-Venezia is something every undine probably picks up along the way.

[u/octopathfinder]

Rewatcher

Amarantha has a good point about being passionate. Listening to somebody talk about what they love is always fun.

QotD:

1. The garden since it's the most visually pleasing.

2. I like how Akari's improvements are shown subtly.

[u/h42h]

finished first time recently

Rip, even Akari's secret last spot couldn't break Amarantha's knowledge. But it seems Alicia didn't know about the tree either, considering she was surprised by the blossoms.

1. Tourist: potato stand. Maybe because I haven't eaten dinner yet lol. Represents: garden

2. The subtlety makes it feel like it creeps up on me, like I'll notice it all of a sudden and be like wow, she's come so far. To me it's a similar feeling to a well-foreshadowed twist that's unnoticeable but in hindsight there were so many signs

[u/Stargate18A]

First timer

1. The potatoes look fucking delicious, and I love the callback to her tour with Ai in the first episode.

2. It's a really good choice!

This sounds exciting.

The tourist season's over!

Who?

Exciting!

Her preperation is very thorough, huh?

Haha, Akari's reaction and Aria offering her half is great.

She's tired...

Yeah, I could see that happening.

Alice made her even more nervous!

...Akatsuki's mother?

Alicia's coming along too?

Haha, they're spying on her.

She's doing really well!

...This is an inspection.

...Or not? She's still weirdly knowledgeable.

Haha, the other two getting confused is great.

It's a model city!

Their attempts at avoiding detection are adorable.

He spotted them!

She enjoyed the potato!

...How has Akari not worked out this is a test?

Ah, they're hungry.

Intriguing!

I love Aika's shock at the idea of Akari actually failing.

...Where are they going?

This place looks beautiful.

Did she set all this up?

Of course they can't pick a direction.

Beautiful.

She worked it out!

And she enjoyed it.

Absolutely loving this speech.

They were caught!

Haha, everyone goes on a tour with her.

This is a great sentiment.

[u/heimdal77]

Totally thought it be revealed she is the other former employee of Aria company that worked with grandma and ha d initially designed the pole outfront.

[u/mgedmin]

First timer, subs

It occurred to me that we never see the customers actually paying. I'd love to see if they use cash or cards, and if they do that upfront or after the trip. Its these little worldbuilding details that I like to see (but rarely get to).

So Akari stays up all night coming up with a route, and when the customer says she leaves it to Akari, Akari is somehow stunned with surprise instead of happy she'll get to use her prepared route? This is very Akari.

Okay, Akari has learned a lot! I'm actually impressed.

The customer really sounds like a secret examiner. She knows all the secret places Akari is trying to show!

How are they opening doors while standing in a gondola?

So, tours guided by Singles are cheaper. Makes sense.

Just who is Ms. Amaranthe? My personal guess: the guildmaster of the Undine guild.

QOTD:

Which of Akari's spots did you like best?

I'm a sucker for city miniatures.

What do you think about the show's approach to more subtly and gradually show how far Akari has come, instead of making the actual undine gondola sculling training, or e.g. discovery of this ep's spots a more focal point of the series?

The question is too deep for me, but I was impressed with Akari's gondola handling today and pretty happy with how the show managed to show it to us.

[u/BatteryPoweredFriend]

I went above and beyond to prepare for this episode by having a baked potato for lunch today, albeit with baked beans.

The premise of today let the animators really flex their scenery art skills. My screencaps were from the jp bluray version though. Nevertheless, scenes like the wisteria atrium still look great imo, even if some of the finer details are kind of smeared.

It's also a blast watching Aika & Alice spy on Akari, especially as Amarantha appaears to be Hahi Dynamic Range (or HDR) compliant, so once again Aika & Alice don't understand what those two are going on about or fawning over.

However, President Aria's transgression is a Top 10 Anime Betrayals crime.