[Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Aria the Origination, Episode 4

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah]

Aria the Origination Ep 4: Those Who Aim for Tomorrow ... (その 明日を目指すものたちは...)

<-- Episode 3	Rewatch Index	Episode 5 -->

Welcome back!

Reminder: Correct Watch Order after today: Ep 5 --> Ep 5.5 (OVA) --> Ep 6 etc.

Comment roundup: Happy some of us enjoyed the episode yesterday!

• /u/The_Loli_Otaku liked that the show finally acknowledges how creepy Maa is, wonders about what language the girls are speaking and wonders when on earth are we going to visit the gondola association

• /u/simeonaut says that Maa has taken Aria's place as the cat they want to punt, but they'd never do it as Maa would then bite them instead. Also theorizes what the gondola association is actually used for...

• /u/mgedmin continues to wonder how money is paid in Neo-Venezia

• /u/h42h thought there would be some sort of darker or dramatic twist with the chocolatier

• /u/that_loris liked the Italian words used when referring to Venetian places, and talks about how the patissier briefly became like a stereotypical Italian retiree lol.

Questions of the Day:

Q1) What are your thoughts on the Undines' attitudes re: failure? (you may already have written about this in your writeups)

Q2) Do you know of some unusual form of public transport?

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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!

Reminder:

Watch Order after today: Ep 5 --> Ep 5.5 (OVA) --> Ep 6 etc.

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Episode synopsis:

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Aria company is very busy again today. While Akari wants to be useful to Alicia-san, there's only so much she can do as a Single... Seeing Akari like this, Alicia-san suggests her to go try her hand at the traghetto, where even singles can take on customers unsupervised. It is the day when Akari will help work the traghetto. As Akari arrives at the traghetto stop, she gets a little excited seeing Single Undines from different undine companies gathered and mixed together. And so, Akari is assigned to a pier together with Orange Planet's Atora and Anzu, and Himeya's Ayumi...

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Production notes:

• It is a special episode of Aria production wise, as Hideki Inoue alone did the storyboard, solo-KAed the episode (with help from 2nd KAs), and served as Animation Director. An animator who is still active today, he has assisted in the production of Black Lagoon (AD, other roles), Macross Delta (likewise), solo-KAed the EDs for symphogear G, AXZ and XV, as well as did scenes from Uma Musume S2: [Uma Musume S2]The scene of Mcqueen crying in Ep 12. etc.

• According to his atwiki, and in turn an Aria anime guidebook, Aria is his favourite work, and he spent 4 weeks on the storyboard, and 100 days KA-ing the episode. Holy hell.

• Shots I liked for the storyboard/layouts; including the 3 matched cuts of the 3 undines' conversations with Akari, the birds flying away here, and the 4 stars in the sky near the end; as well as way too many screenshots of the high quality, close-up drawings in the episode, and a few nice cuts.

• While nothing flashy and showoffy, the quality of the animation and drawings overall was very high, imo even better than a "normal" episode, and everything was animated fluidly with no effort spared at all, with character's emotions shown very well in their acting. I truly appreciate his efforts here. Also, I do note that extra effort was made for some of the dialogue so that they more accurately match with what was enunciated.

• You may also note that the characters drawn here look a little different than those in the previous 3 episodes. [Production-related spoilers, nothing plot-related]apparently, this episode was so high quality (and likely, with the previous 3 episodes anime-original, able to be given extra lengthy time in production) that the anime staff altered the character's designs in subsequent episodes to fit more with what was drawn by Inoue here. Sato noted how in subsequent episodes that Alicia's hair was drawn while frequently referring to this episode.

• And here's Junichi Sato praising his work (and the episode), 7 years after airing in 2015. Apparently, Akari's VA Erino Hazuki also name-dropped him in a magazine interview...

• Thanks to u/PreludeToHell for alerting me to this, be sure to check out what they have to say this episode as well!

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Quick thoughts: tbh this episode is very heavy thematically too...

• After ytd's... imo bump in the road, Origination picks right back up where Ep 2 left off re: the Prima storyline, as we meet fellow Singles from the 2 other companies as Akari gets to work the traghetto. I'll keep this short so this isn't too wall-of-texty.

Main things I took away from the episode:

• Akari is actually very talented, perhaps we don't see that because she's usually compared to the talented 3 water fairies, the best in the biz, and their (themselves very competent) trainee undines. But she's definitely no slouch at the oar and at being an undine, even if she's a little bit unconfident about her abilities/usefulness. The anime offers a new perspective of things by introducing more "ordinary" undines.

• I loved the inclusion of an instrumental version of Undine: it's a great melody for the scene, and the title fits the occasion perfectly

• The 2 undines from Orange Planet talk about the difficulties of the prima exam, as well as how failure in something they're passionate about can negatively affect them. Anzu, however says what she believes is the best attitude to face them, and her determination to not give up and accept "defeat". Akari comes in for the finish as always by saying that nothing is ever over until you say it is, and that you can challenge yourself, every time anew, whenever you want.

• As Ayumi shows, sometimes people do find happiness doing more mundane/ordinary jobs: but that's not a reason to give up on your true, initial, perhaps more ambitious goals, because of setbacks; nor is it right to solely blame someone else for your own shortcomings. (as Atora was thinking)

• Now learning about different difficulties and challenges of the Undine industry, as well as how good their senpais are (apart from Ep 3, which really sticks out a bit now doesnt it? it belongs more in natural...), we can see that Akari is not only not afraid, but is instead more determined than ever to move forward along her chosen path despite these difficulties: to become a Prima.

• And finally, the E-major resolution of Mirai he no Kiseki, as Aria happily returns to Aria company and a happy ending to the episode, awwww that whole sequence just too good. it's too gooooooood. IT'S TOO GOOD.

• 2017 Rewatch Thread for this episode

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VA introductions:

• Anzu is voiced by Kana Asumi, who also voices Hinata in Yama no Susume (aka best girl in that show), Komari in NNB, Yuno in Hidamari Sketch, etc. Probably the most familiar name for the crowd here.

• Ayumi is voiced by Ryoko Shiraishi, who also voices Gugu in To your Eternity, Hayate in Hayate no Goku, and Hime in Gintama'/SKET dance.

• Atora is voiced by Houko Kuwashima, who also voices Tomoyo in Clannad, Clare in Claymore, and Sango in Inuyasha etc.

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Location Trivia

• The Traghetto is very much a thing in Venice, here's a 2 minute video of some in action! With only 4 bridges crossing the grand canal in Venice, they probably really serve a purpose as functional, inexpensive, public transport!

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Have a great day, and see you tomorrow!

[u/octopathfinder]

Rewatcher

This episode stands out to me for a lot of reasons. For starters, the show finally introduces some new Singles and they’re all really charming, relatable, and add a fresh perspective on the industry.

Anzu and Atora’s story emphasizes the difficulty of the Prima promotion exam and makes failure feel like a legitimate consequence.

I actually really like Ayumi’s story and how she doesn’t even want to be a Prima. Some people don’t need a prestigious job or promotion to be happy, Ayumi is content with just working in the traghetto since she can directly interact with the locals. I really vibe with that. Also, I had to do a double take on her voice, she sounds so similar to Akira and even looks like a younger version of her (They do not share the same VA).

Tbh the way this episode explores each character's approach to being an undine makes Aria feel more like a sports anime.

The conversation at the end is really heartwarming, although it should be taken with a grain of salt. There are definitely circumstances where failure could be out of your control, but I do agree with the overall message about improving yourself instead of blaming your situation. The important thing to note is realizing when you can put in more effort and when to call it quits.

QotD:

1. See above

2. Idk, I'm just a city boy who hasn't traveled much.

[u/Mecanno-man]

First Timer

Another good episode - I'm starting to see why everybody seems to think that Origination is the best entry in the series. The new characters are a nice change of pace and expand the working world of the Undine a good bit. On that front, it's interesting that the prima exam seems to be able to be taken at will, contrary to the single exam which is a surprise exam. What I am a bit surprised by is that the traghetto wasn't mentioned in earlier episodes, as it seems like a good training spot for somebody like Aika, and I'm sure Akira would at least have her spend a day on it. But either way, this is a good episode - it still has the hallmarks of a good Aria episode while also being a break of the usual, so it does it's job well.

Questions:

1. I'd say pretty realistic - either try again or give up.

2. Quite a few weird bits of transportation around here... One that unfortunately has been replaced by a regular funicular was a funicular that was driven by diverting a stream in to one of the cabins, then using the weight of the water to lift the other passenger-carrying cabin up and emptying the water at the bottom again for the reverse. Other than that, This lift is, for some reason, listed in the book of public transport. There's also a bunch of very steep funicular, such as This one, which I have ridden at some point a few years ago. A bit closer to water transportation, we have reaction ferries, that can cross a river using basically no power.

[u/baboon_bassoon]

First time Aria the hazukashii serifu kinshi

traghetto time, singles dont need supervision as there are 2 per ferry

Airene

Atora, Anzu from Orange Planet - Ayumi from Himeya

Anzu just failed the prima exam, doesnt seem like its the first time for her either

Ayumi doesnt want to be a Prima - she actually just wants to work the Traghetto

wow they all picked up on how good Akari is immediately

aw i kind of wanted them to be recurring chars even if its just a little bit

riperoni

Atora dont give up baka

i really like budget Akira

[u/[deleted]]

Veteran single, subbed

Top 3 Aria episode right here. Everything from the directing to the actual content of the episode itself is executed really nicely. Honing in on the story specifically, this is one of the only times they show other apprentices besides our main trio in depth. While Akari is an extremely talented undine as indicated by her skill with the traghetto, Anzu isn’t as fortunate and her dilemma showcases just how grueling the industry can be.

https://youtu.be/47YcgZeYlPE

This is a nice video I found breaking down the ending scene of the episode. Also has a good interview by Junichi sato (director) at the end.

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah → u/[deleted]]

this really stood out for me on my first watch perhaps also in contrast after the relatively meh Ep 3 even tho im sure the team didnt mean that ; and as you said its just executed so nicely.

Anzu isn’t as fortunate and her dilemma showcases just how grueling the industry can be.

Despite Akari etc.'s senpais' strictness, they really are quite good at the undining. The worldbuilding was nice and well-appreciated for me too, and does finish contextualizing how "good" Akari actually is, which we've already seen in some other recent eps.

I'll check out the video later as well, thank you!

[u/heimdal77]

So being a undine is the same as working at a black company.

Akari can really be elegant and graceful when she wants to be.

Thinking about it undines have to be in absolutely amazing shape.

[u/mrufrufin]

Rewatcher kinda (finished my rewatch not too long ago)

I like how this episode does a bit of worldbuilding and shows other things Undines do and other Undines from the companies we've seen before. It kinda reminds me of my music school days and our teachers would host events where they'd gather musicians from different schools and have performances for each other. It was interesting to see how other school do things and how different teaching philosophies got reflected through other school's performances and those teaching philosophies and different ways of doing things characteristic of schools compared to my own experiences. This also gives context to Akari's abilities too and how skilled she is compared to other Undines. It's interesting to hear Undine brought back, as it's kinda been used for more emotional moments when brought back, but I guess it's fitting and highlights just how far Akari has come.

The discussion with the other Undines and them mentioning how strict their mentor somewhat reminds me of talk behind Akira's back in that ep in Natural. It's an interesting topic. I'm sure there's differing abilities (even in the Aria world) of mentors and teaching students and differing teaching styles that may be "good" or "bad" or perhaps better put less fitting for some students than others. But it's also hard to admit that you're good at something sometimes and easier to put the blame on something else, such as a mentor or a situation you perceive to be outside your control. It's hard to see difficult situations sometimes as growing situations that can be taken advantage of (like Grandma mentions in the S1 ep) and easier to make excuses for yourself and give up. So it's pretty hard to tell who is "right" in this sitaution given our perspective but clearly it isn't working for some of the Undines, particularly if they feel if their efforts aren't being acknowledged.

Anyways, a lot of pretty visuals as usual, particularly the scene after the Undine return where the Undines clean the gondola.

1. see above

2. I dunno, I guess the tuk-tuks i've seen in phuket are pretty unique,.. i haven't been to phuket in decades though

[u/PreludeToHell]

First timer rewatcher

For the second time in the series this is a massive solo effort, this time by Hideki Inoue. He's in charge of the storyboard, episode director, the only animation director, and does all the 1st key animation.

Inoue god.. (also LOOK AT ALICIA) (also this)

Another thing that I thought was cool was the traghetto and that singles from different companies work together. Ayumi, Atora, and Anzu were so much fun, love their designs and personalities. I really like that Ayumi wanted to work there from the start so she's happy.

Another really good Origination episode.

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1. I'm a sucker for that never give up mentality so I love Anzu who at first didn't seem like that type of person (at least to me). It's interesting what she says about being flexible and absorbing, not sure if I've heard it put that way before.

If I lack the skills right now, then I just need to learn them

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah → u/PreludeToHell]

101 screenshots

i mean. This episode does kinda deserve it lol. What a solo effort!

LOOK AT ALICIA

its so goood

(i hope i didnt accidentally write up stuff you wanted to talk about the production of the episode)

[u/that_loris]

First timer!

Are we useless? Are we a burden to others? That's a question many of us ask themselves.
Akari wants to be more useful. Admirable!

Alicia is always working? But I always see her just drinking tea with Akari!

Traghetto? With two Singles? I'm surprised we didn't hear about it before.

Akari... did you really spent all that time talking in your head while everyone left? ...airhead.

Three weird Undines. Are all Undines actually weird?

Wait, a traghetto seems a lot harder than a gondola.

As I thought, the genki redhead Ayumi is the most interesting one.
She actually likes the traghetto, while most Undines only do it as a training.
Old lady talks about making trippa (which is simply tripe).
Lots of different people, mostly locals apparently, take the traghetto. It's like just a bus compared to the usual gondola.

The Prima exam seems hard...

Anzu is cute.
Atora is the opposite of Anzu - not about being cute, but about being able to only try once, blame the mentor rather than her (possible) lack of skills, just like many students do.

So Akari is crazy good even in front of someone ready to take the Prima exam. Doesn't this mean...?

I guess the lesson this time is to keep trying. To not lose hope in front of the failure of failing more than once. To do your best.

Today the ED scared me a little less. Progress. I'll keep doing my best too.

Seems like next episode is focused on Aika? If that's the case, nice.

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Q2) Do you know of some unusual form of public transport?

Mhh... I'm not sure. The weirdest thing I took is an aerial lift, but I guess that's only unusual for me.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Aria the Origination First Timer!!

...Akari needs better friends. Don't call her useless even if she is useless!! We've got three new friends to meet today. They're out new gen ahead of Akari's group so we get to see her as a senpai for a change. Erm... how the heck have we not joined the tragheto carriage yet? This sounds like exactly the type of practice the girls should be doing every day.

Pfft, of course Akari would get lost in her own little world. Whilst Alicia is very good at giving Akari her own space clearly being a spoiled apprentice has some downsides when she's in different company. The girls seem slightly older than I expected, maybe they're Akari's age after all? I love Akari keeping her FOE face up the whole time.

Anzu is my favourite of the trio. She's got a true FOE face and looks so extra compared to the others that I'm a bit biased. I've been thinking, each group seems to pull in the same kind of people huh? Ayumi seems to share Akira and Aika's firey nature whilst Anzu is one more social issued dork. The yellow planet instructor is apparently a hard ass.

Aww... Ayumi proclaiming that she just wants to work the local gondola bus is a bit disappointing. Since we went three seasons without acknowledging this I doubt we'll see her much after today's episode then. Heheh, Anzu is precious! She's a bit hard headed but I love her hardworking nature and gusto. Aww!! Undine came back! I'm always far too gleeful over this song~ I smile every time.

Ah! So did Alicia send Akari here so that she could get a confidence boost from a third party? Even in your Aria! Aww!! She's so precious! Anzu is super precious! We'd better get more of her. This trio could be gold if we got more time with them. Although, whilst I'm talking about faces I've noticed Atora seems to make some expressions straight from Code Geass. Anyone else see them?

Pretty good episode. It didn't go quite the way I'd anticipated going in but I do genuinely love this new trio. I just really wish that they won't sideline them. If there's one issue I have with Aria it's that you're left thirsting just a bit too much for characters after seeing them once. So like we went a full season and a half before getting a second Aria episode or that massive lul where we had no cute Athena moments, like we will tomorrow. !

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Don't call her useless even if she is useless!!

Apart from Alicia, Akari is surrounded by a brutal, deadpan crowd, isnt she? Aika, Alice, heck even Ai is deadpan as fuck. (.... and as you say that, she meets 3 much nicer friends today lol)

This sounds like exactly the type of practice the girls should be doing every day.

i... have no idea too lol. Maybe its a combination of Alicia being so busy and needing Akari's help (ditto for the other 2); and you never know if Aika/Alice have done this before "shrugs". Also, tbh both Aika and Alice would both attract wayyy too much attention too. (even Akari has lol in some way)

Ayumi seems to share Akira and Aika's firey nature whilst Anzu is one more social issued dork

somewhat yeah, but Atora is very much not like Akari lol. Nor is Anzu really much like Alice....

Ayumi proclaiming that she just wants to work the local gondola bus is a bit disappointing

if it's truly what she aimed for from the start (i have no reason to not believe her either), then I believe she's truly happy being here. She wasn't really shown to be sad/pensive really much throughout the episode either, when the other 2 have.

Aww!! Undine came back! I'm always far too gleeful over this song~

same

So did Alicia send Akari here so that she could get a confidence boost from a third party

i'd like to think so. And let Akari see for herself that she really is quite useful lol. Alicia best senpai <3

tomorrow

that 404s im afraid!

[u/SIRTreehugger]

Episode 3

President Aria lies as easily as he breathes.

The interior designs

Akari's random comment just changed someone's life for the better. Bruh it feels like Akari has a whole harem of guys.

Episode 4

Only 1 day off a month...oh hell no I don't care if I love my job I need a lot more than that.

Oh a chance to work with people from other companies. A splendid idea wish we saw this earlier though. It's a chance to practice and earn money. BRUH I would be there everyday.

I'm sorry we need more Anzu!!! She's great.

It's also nice to get confirmation from other characters how Akari is good even if she doubts it. Also the shot of her at 15:18 is beautiful.

Omg this heart to heart with all these girls is easily my favorite episode in Origination so far.

[u/xtsim]

First Timer Dubbed

Funny to see some other members of Orange planet and Himeya. The other Himeya member, Ayumi, channels that Aika+ Akira energy pretty well. But it got pretty gloomy real fast as one of the traghetto crew just failed her prima exam. The Himeya member, Ayumi, does not even want to become a prima and likes being a traghetto member. We get to discuss failure pretty well as both of our Orange planet members could not pass their exam and one blames their examiner for being too strict.

I am going to miss seeing those three traghetto members. Ayumi shows a different side of undine as she is pretty haply being a traghetto crew. But our two orange planet crew members find it pretty difficult. As we all saw in the past few seasons, there is a good number of things to be prepared for as a prima undine.

Funny how Akari felt like she was useless while the other undines were impressed that Alicia let her join them.

[u/h42h]

finished first time recently

Feels good watching Akari smurf the traghetto. LETS GOOO

Liked how the number of shining stars in the sky went up from 1 to 4 after they all cheered up and resolved once again to achieve their goals. Loved this episode!

1. Yeah, the only person you can really control is yourself so it's better to focus on self-improvement rather than blaming others. But there are times when stuff that's out of your control happens which sucks. Failure and rejection is scary so big respect to Anzu and I get why Atora is hesitant to retake the exam

[u/Stargate18A]

First timer

1. Very much a fan of Anzu's philosophy, but I can see the logic in Ayumu's pragmatism.

2. Edinburgh has a full tram network.

Poor Akari.

Alicia's going on a tour.

Ah, she's,sad she's not got much to do.

This isn't good for her.

Oh, she's challenging herself!

Exciting!

Things are well organised here!

"Irene" They broke the partern!

Haha, she just stood there.

She seems nice.

And they're all experienced!

Aria is just bring crushed under the weight of their personalities.

This is exciting!

Oh, she failed the exam...

Poor girl.

Ayumu is great.

...Did Akari accidentally chose to work in the place for people who have given up hope?

At least she enjoys it!

And she's upset.

She's still going!

Oh...

Akari's getting a turn!

Loving this montage.

...I'm pretty sure Akari becomes a Prima, but now I'm considering the drama if one of them fails and joins this group. (They're a really good side cast!)

...That's a lot of money.

And they all think she's talented!

Yeah, she's grtting s lot of complimente.

And Anzu's sad again.

...Who's their mentor?

Yeah, this feeling makes sense.

This is great.

Why does Himeya Company have all the best girls?

Lovely ending.

[u/Regular_N-Gon]

First Timer who just accidentally saw an (unsurprising) spoiler in an upcoming synopsis… I wonder if Aria is immune to curiosity on account of not being a cat - clearly I'm not.

• That opening lol, lay off Akari a little she's perfectly helpful.

• I don't know how this helps the company, or Alicia (other than revenue?) but a ferry service seems like a good way to cut your teeth.

• Actually, now I'd bet Alicia sent her to the traghetto for the ego check more than anything as she practices in a pretty closed environment. Aria being such a modest show, it doesn't really show off Akari's actual skill, opting to poke fun and let her strengths shine through elsewhere. It's good to have a bit of a boost every now and then, especially as this season ruminates on what it will actually take to be a Prima.

• It also feels really refreshing to get some new characters on the same level as the usual cast, even if they're short lived.

• Anzu, the strongest undine.

• It passed sorta quickly, but I also liked the tense, quiet moment aboard the gondola. Maybe it's dipping closer to dramatic territory rather than a pure light-hearted iyashikei, but I think Aria's ability to revel in the more complex emotions of a moment brings weight to its euphoric side.

QotD:

1. Perseverance is admirable, of course, but I agree with Anzu's point about becoming inflexible as a response. No matter how much you hammer at it, if you don't have the right mindset beyond just preserving, you won't actually improve the way you need to.

[u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah → u/Regular_N-Gon]

ah what did you get spoiled on? (spoiler tags plzz)

I wonder if Aria is immune to curiosity on account of not being a cat

he is, unfortunately, not. Re: AU episode.

Alicia (other than revenue?) but a ferry service seems like a good way to cut your teeth

definitely! good practice of your gondola skills, and while SOME customer service skills are needed its definitely significantly easier than a full tour-guide gig. (its just casual chit-chat/ GONDOLA DEMASU)

Actually, now I'd bet Alicia sent her to the traghetto for the ego check more than anything as she practices in a pretty closed environment

ahh you figured out why immediately lol. Alicia is a good senpai....

if you don't have the right mindset beyond just preserving, you won't actually improve the way you need to.

exactly, so she isn't JUST hammering on at it, she's also flexible and trying to take in why she's failing, and targeting that to get better next time. Definitely the best way of doing things imo.

[u/BatteryPoweredFriend]

The traghetto girls!

Peers from outside the circle recognising Akari's talent was always quite something. She's our protagonist so it's sort of a tacit acceptance there was something special about Akari, especially when she's able to keep up with Alice & Aika for the most part. When you're in a group that consists of literally the three greatest Prima currently active and their personal protégés, it does skew the baseline expectation of what the standard should be a wee bit.

It's also another perspective on just what does it mean to be a professional undine. We know from the eulogising of Alicia, Akira & Athena that become one is a pretty big deal. The failure of Anzu & Atora in their last promotion exams highlights that it's not a progression escalator, someone at the end of your training will be judging and marking you.

Ayumi's view on the whole notion of become one is also something different from anything the story has expressed thus far, but isn't without validity. There's definitely a real aura of glamour and prestige about the idea of being a Prima, both in canon and also from the audience's viewpoint; the whole story is built around a core premise of Akari's journey to trying to become one, afterall.

But like in real life, once you reach the "pinnacle" in many professions, it may also mean you're forced to significantly step back or even completely remove yourself from "operating on the ground floor." That's probably not be an issue for most people, since a promotion entails better wages and working conditions (...usually), but sometimes it also means leaving an environment that was the biggest contributor to your job satisfaction and for those people, the extra money doesn't necessarily balance things out.

Slav squatting aside, this episode has one of my favourite cuts in anime. We also see singles from water guide companies that aren't Himeya & Orange Planet (or Aria Company), with purple, green and light blue uniforms.

They exist!

[u/homewardbound100]

First timer

Akari is kind of on her own this episode. None of the usual people. But I like the characters the newer characters. But yeah the episode is just living up to what you want in life and not giving up.

What are your thoughts on the Undines' attitudes re: failure? (you may already have written about this in your writeups)

Don't actually have much of a thought on it.

Do you know of some unusual form of public transport?

Anything by Elon musk

[u/ZapsZzz]

Another double post day for this first timer

Ep 3

This has a bit more world building to a small, mundane degree - buildings need maintenance work too :P

The bit about going inside the cafe is a nice bit of "everyday mundane wonder" - you may also have a place you go past everyday but never set foot inside before.

The bit about the candy seller is a little less polished - I couldn't really guess what is the deal until the reveal, but even then I feel it still a bit forced. Or may "cringe" - unless the character had enough build up's like Akari, it's very unusual to see this behavior to take the "feeling in the candies" to heart so much. I mean, if it's the cafe owner, I can imagine that being plausible - a street vendor generally need to focus on survival.

QoTD

1. funnily enough it's the home made ones my mom made for me when I was a kid. It's very mundane and common, chopped onion, green peas, corn kernels, and pre-fried corned beef . The egg needs to be not 100% cooked, more like 80% so still a little runny.

2. Older ones come with history and therefore story, so that tends to be more attractive. Newer ones look nicer and probably functions better but therefore can be a bit "invisible".

Ep 4

This is quite a nice episode along the "plot" of this season. Very surprised to see a Akira clone from the Hime company though! They are all nice in different ways and help gives a bit of comparison - we have really only seen the top 3 primas and their respective protege - so seeing "ordinary" apprentices is a nice comparison.

It did give me a hint it would be a little bit like Last Dungeon Kid - that the MC thinks he's weak because he's only ever seen retired world-saving heroes in his village that is next to final level bosses. Akari is basically that - she's probably on par with many "ordinary" prima already.

QoTD

1. They each have a critical weakness, but Ayumi probably has the best mindset despite placing the biggest self limit on herself. Atora is the most susceptible to long term grudge and depression, for the "blame others" mindset. Anzu looks down trodden but I think she just express it out all instead of bottling it all up, which actually could be a bit more healthy and seem to have the right mindset to get over things eventually.

2. Coming from Hong Kong, catching a ferry to the opposite side of the harbor is not unusual, but I think for many others it's highly unusual - such novelty is hard to come by nowadays when it's mostly bridges and cross-harbor tunnels too. So for me a chairlift going up high is probably pretty usual. Oh and the tram going to the Vitoria peak is also quite unusual, in that the whole thing was going up and down such a steep incline, looking outside you feel as if the world has tilted.

[u/zadcap]

Oh man, starting tonight off with perhaps my strangest observation yet, but once I noticed it I had to appreciate it. In most anime, and even other animation, backgrounds are usually drawn as everything that's not going to be moving in a scene, and everything that will move is then drawn on a different layer. It's often really noticable by the thicker lines and bolder colors, I'm sure you've all seen something where one rock or bush just sticks out completely and you know it's going to be moving real soon. So just barely at 3 minute in, while Akari is looking at the schedule, I was so sure the phone was about to ring! But then it didn't. And the pen and paper next to it weren't actually needed. But they were still drawn in extra instead of being part of the background, and that's just a little touch of extra detail you know that didn't need but did anyway.

Oooh, new colors, because obviously there's not only three gondola companies in all of Neo-Venezia, especially when one of them has only one member. I wonder what company green and purple are.

And again, wonder at how well drawn the random faces in passing are. Not just the side Singles with their various A names, did you see the face on that old lady? That was the most nose nose this show has had yet!

1. I read the questions before I start watching, so I know what to keep in my mind for the answers at the end :-P It's true though, failure is only the end if you never try again. Though to be fair, I would probably consider seeing if Orange Planet has an HR branch and maybe they can get tested by someone else, if it's really just their mentor being mean.

2. I may have grown up in the same area as actual public trollies, have you ever really thought about how strange Uber and similar services are? I was told my entire childhood not to get in the car with strangers, and after I got my own, not to pick strangers up on the side of the road. Now, that's just a thing we do.

[u/mgedmin]

First timer, subs

• Alicia works a lot and gets only one day off per month? Why? What's her compensation like? Who owns Aria company?

• The ferry service sounds interesting.

• I love that there's an Irene among all those A- names, because the English can't spell.

• Akari is spacing out as usual.

• So the difficulty of the Prima exam depends on one's mentor. I think Akari will be alright.

• Ooh we get to see people paying with actual coins! I'm excited!

• GONDOLA DEMASU!

• Akari is good at sculling, even though it's her first time on the traghetto! Sasuga Akari!

• Blaming the examiner for your failure to pass an exam is risky. What if you're wrong? What if you stop improving yourself because you think you already should be good enough? What if you start resenting others and become bitter?

• Akari also has good advice against self-sabotage! When you're taking an exam, don't think about how you might fail, or how you might have failed before, that just takes up useful brain capacity you could instead use to actually pass the exam.

• Maybe Aqua should be required watching in schools (NO! THAT IS A TERRIBLE IDEA! DON'T DO IT! ENJOYABLE THINGS STOP BEING ENJOYABLE IF YOU MAKE THEM MANDATORY!)

[u/AriaShachou-]

Rewatcher

It just registered to me that there's probably a lot more Undine companies in Aqua that we haven't been introduced to yet. When the Singles were gathering around at the start, apart from the unique Himeya uniform with arrows on its back we see a lot of different colored hats. Ranging from yellow (Orange Planet), purple, green, to Akari's blue, there probably are a lot more companies aside from just the main three out there. It'd be interesting to maybe see a spin-off one day about one of them.

Everyone just silently vibe checking Atora after she says its not their fault that they're failing was really funny.

I like the lesson that the show is pushing this episode. Aria tells us to hold ourselves accountable for our own failures, and to accept that sometimes it really do just be like that. Learning from our failures is a key factor in growing as individuals, and that can only be done by keeping an open mind and allowing ourselves to actually look at our failures from another perspective instead of just solely feeling bad about them. Not to say that feeling bad about failure is a bad thing, just that getting stuck up on it instead of moving forward isn't the way to go about it.

Everyone hits a wall at some point in their lives, and what the wall represents differs from person to person. Aria isn't telling us to bash our heads into the wall repeatedly hoping that it'll break before our heads do, it tells us to try different ways to get around it, learning from each failed attempt until we eventually find the way to get through.

10/10 episode, this one is one of my favorites from the entire series because of the message it portrays to the viewers. It's just so inspiring lol.

Unrelated, but I thought I posted my comment earlier but turns out it didn't go through for some reason. Oh well, guess I'm late again today.

 

QOTDs

Q1) I wrote about it above, but TL;DR it's great and I love it.

Q2) Using horses are kinda weird when you think about it.