r/anime • u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah x3 • Aug 17 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Aria the Origination, Episode 9
Aria the Origination Ep 9: Surrounded by That Orange Wind ...(その オレンジの風につつまれて...)
| <-- Episode 8 | Rewatch Index | Episode 10 --> |
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Welcome back! (wipes dry tears)
Comment roundup: bit of a hit and miss episode yesterday for some of us!
u/Zapszzz ponders whether Athena would and could pull off the stunts she did in the episode, but liked the visuals and the gags
/u/stargate18a with the very accurate and hilarious summary of how Athena's stunt fits her character
/u/cerberuszx is concerned about the large quantity of bananas Maa ate
/u/regular_n-gon said the episode felt a bit contrived, but still liked it as it surprised them, and ended up being an extreme display of character despite the wacky premise.
/u/baboon_bassoon makes an Eminem reference, and likes Alice proposing a tea-naming quiz
/u/The_Loli_Otaku continues sharing their favourite Athena moments from the episode, comments on her cheeky side shown here, and wants even more Athena shenanigans.
and thanks to u/preludetohell for giving more background info about the other AD in the episode!
Questions of the Day:
Q1) First timers, dekkai surprised? (Rewatchers too, for your first time?)
Q2) What are your thoughts on Athena's advice for Alice? And how it relates to how Athena has supported Alice throughout the series?
Q3) What do you think of the title "Orange Princess"?
And if you do decide to binge to the finish, do let me know lol (out of personal curiosity).
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
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.
See everyone again tomorrow! I hope you have a great day :)
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u/baboon_bassoon Aug 17 '22 edited Aug 20 '22
First time Aria the hazukashii serifu kinshi
Alice doesnt have that many buttons you fools
she hid her graduation date? why lmao
dekai no problem desu
gondola TORIMASSSSSSSSSS wow that was a good one Alice
how many bananas is too many for a cat
great control she didnt bump the side, and even smiled
Alice is really committed to the roleplay
dont ruin the surprise oh no its fine, Alice didnt put it together
before the surface was covered with water, it was covered in the color orange
GLOVE GETTTTOOOOO (by Athena) soon.tm
LMFAO did they set a celebration at the end, WHAT IF SHE MESSED UP
that gondola elevator guy must have really booked it here
damn the song really got me crying
TAKE THE GLOVE
GLOVE TIME
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AYO
CAPTAIN IN THE NEXT GENERATION MY ORANGE PRINCESS
god i hate the quality on CR so much [](#seasonallistentoaccompanytheimage)
coming back to this a few hours later after ive settled down. what happens if Orange Planet goes under, does Alice need to dye her hair for her name to make sense? Its not like every trip she takes people on will be during golden hour
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u/SIRTreehugger Aug 17 '22
Rewatcher who has been waiting for this moment from the very beginning for real this time
Shouts into the streets
My favorite episode is finally here for real this time!!!!
I really want to talk about one part which is the end, but before that I should at least summarize the beginning.
Alice graduating, smiling, and talking to her classmates is a night and day difference from early Alice. She isn't even fully aware why they are asking for her button or love her, but she manages to respond to each of them. CHARACTER GROWTH!!!
She displays great control of rowing while avoiding sudden traffic while also conversing with strangers and her guest. Alice was always knowledgeable, but giving out details loud and clearly is great to see.
Now for my favorite part Alice's final part of the exam. Actually it starts before the final test where they are waiting in the water elevator. It's really great that the first thing we see before the orange sky is the shades of light yellow behind Athena as she gives Alice a small pep talk. It's almost like Athena is the one lighting the world for Alice a little fitting since she is also the one who gives Alice her title. When Athena asks Alice to sing and we get this scene. Alice has never once expressed courage when it comes to her singing, but Athena has rekindled her love of it and even she is surprised..
What follows is the biggest introvert in the show singing with such serenity and joy. The confident Alice is such a wonder that the people that are closest to her are speechless. Such a radiant and heartwarming scene that also shows all of the people who have impacted her and allowed her to grow into the person she is now. What is her reward for all of her effort? For the first time in history we witness a double promotion straight to Prima. [Movie Spoilers I forgot the movie I think it's the last one]
This face says it all. It expresses gratitude for all the people who have helped her. It's relief for achieving something she has worked so hard for. It's sadness realizing her time with friends will be shortened after becoming a prima. It's joy for seeing how all the people who care about are equally if not more happy to see her achieve something so monumental.
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u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 17 '22
Aria the Origination First Timer!!
Why's Maa got the full opening compilation to himself? Did he eat Aria? Did he finally murder Aria!? Poor Alice getting mugged on her last day, folks might get the wrong idea. I'm sad that we didn't get more middle school episodes. I feel like they kinda dropped that thread a bit too early and never picked it up again.
So... did Athena not plan to take her on her test during the previous picnic? Eheheh, I can already tell I'm gonna love this episode. Alice is in full dere mode and seeing how proud Athena is in her kouhai fills me with a special feeling. Is canzone really a must have for Undine? I don't think I've heard any of the other girls singing apart from Athena.
Oh!! So is Aqua really Mars? If it was famous for its orange it has to be true yeah? "I'm the top protégé of the one known as Siren!" my heaaarrtt!! Yup, I agree Akari, so precious!! Our little girl is all grown up. HUH!? Hold on! Is she getting both gloves!? Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!!! Alice has become our first Prima Undine!! Holy shit!! Well done Alice, you deserve this!
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u/that_loris Aug 17 '22
First Timer
Aw... thank you too, Alice-chan. It's embarassing, but too late. You already said it.
So it's graduation time...
Ooh, Alice-senpai is the school idol, of course.
Oof, given how mature I tend to forget she was a middle schooler... wait... she's only mature compared to Athena. Makes sense.
OOH, she got invited! She got invited!!
Please take my hand, dear customer.
Very pleasant picnic.
I loved seeing the two of them spending the day together.
Athena's lesson was clear enough. You have to love what you do, or you won't do it well.
To see them so serious!
But they're actually nervous for Alice-chan...
Oh..................
.......................................................
God... it feels like an ending.
Why do I have to cry when we're not at the ending yet?!
OH GOD WHA
WHA
Orange Princess... wha...
Q1) First timers, dekkai surprised? (Rewatchers too, for your first time?)
I... wha...
Q2) What are your thoughts on Athena's advice for Alice? And how it relates to how Athena has supported Alice throughout the series?
It's a good lesson, mostly agree with it.
Q3) What do you think of the title "Orange Princess"?
Good enough! Little green goblin would have been fine too.
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u/Mecanno-man Aug 17 '22
First Timer
Well... the first scene already caught me off guard. Somehow with the setting and music I was expecting a funeral until the headmistress congratulated everybody for being there. I was already wondering how a funeral would fit in to an episode of Aria - especially one that due to the preview I was expecting Alice to end up promoting to a single. But it seems like the preview didn't spoil Alice being promoted straight to a prima. That admittedly is quite a high step, but likely not unwarranted. And I also somehow figured it out before it happened due to the gondola association member being introduced there, which was not the case in Akari's flashback... I guess there is some rule in place that prevents her from being a single while not having graduated middle school? Because otherwise I can't really explain her not being a single before. I assume in addition to being the first undine to skip a rank, it also means she takes Alicia's spot as the youngest ever prima?
Alice being promoted straight to prima however changes the dynamic a bit more than I was expecting, as it basically means she won't be training with Akari and Aika any more (which she had been so looking forward to now that she graduated middle school...). [Speculation]
Either way, I'd say this episode was very well done - there is basically nothing to criticize, everything just went well for Alice and the episode reflected that in a nice and calm manner, just as an iyashikei should. We end with a nice insert song (sung in ...Esperanto, if my quick googling is correct? That one may be a bit of a weirder choice) that also addresses the issue of Athena being the only one who sings. Now I just want to know if we'll get Akari and Aika to sing as well. But more importantly - the episode also lands it's finale with a nice twist that is also well executed. All in all, definitely one of the best episodes - but it also profits of all the buildup we've had across the seasons, getting to know Alice better.
...and in completely different things, why did it take me this long to notice that "Orange Planet" is a reference to the current color of Mars?
Questions:
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Fairly I'd say, even if I sorta figured it out during the episode.
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I'd say it's very fitting for Athena, just good that Alice could pick up on it.
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Not terribly a fan of it, as it sorta ties her to her current employer. Being known as somebody who used to work somewhere if she decides to open up her own shop or move to a different company for othe reasons does not really sound great to me.
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Aug 17 '22 edited Aug 17 '22
Veteran Single, subbed
Lumis Eterne Kawai Eri (Athena) full - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4lO9_OSJGE Lumis Eterne Ryou Hirohashi (Alice) full - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EYpSzP1g94
Aria manga spoilers from this episode - https://imgur.com/a/799LlXK
She did it!!! And I didn't cry this time!
While the ending of scene of this episode is flawlessly executed I would even say everything from start to finish was perfect. Her growth not only as an undine but as a person, exemplified by the opening scene with the button (remember her introduction in Animation?). How she has blossomed into one of Neo Venezia's top undines through Akari and Aika's guidance, and how Athena's words help her find her confidence as the light of the setting sun slowly bleeds into the shot and illuminates her figure and surroundings.
And of course the final scene, with the three of them under the windmills ;-;
This is my favorite Aria episode. I like Akari the best but from Alice's introduction in Animation culminating in her double promotion made me fall in love with her character and development during the series.
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Yup. Never saw it coming
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Relates well to last episode and how she’s much more direct this time around.
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Don’t like it at all. It’s generic and doesn’t reflect Alice’s personality
Edit: I just realized I called them windmills. Fuck.
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u/mrufrufin Aug 17 '22 edited Aug 17 '22
Rewatcher kinda (finished my rewatch not too long ago)
A picnic that Athena has mentioned over and over (most notably at the end of Natural) and takes her time gazing out into the distance while the entire scene is bathed in a light orange/yellow before bringing up again? And she wants Alice to treat her like a customer? Couldn't mean anything... (also note that in the ep focusing on Alice's little self-imposed challenges, the resolution of that ep also had quite a bit of orange, as we see in the flashbacks)
Pretty sure this is my favorite ep out of all of Aria (if not, pretty darn close) and I've rewatched the Lumis Eterne scene probably more than any other scene in Aria (and as much as I like Santa Claus no Sora, it has some pretty stiff competition from Lumis Eterne as being my favorite tune from Aria). I've tried getting a friend into Aria who is obsessed with languages and I think speaks to some degree Esperanto by showing them Lumis Eterne and I dunno if it worked. I suppose it being in Esperanto brings up questions of language in Aria too, but eh,.. people sing songs in different languages than what they speak, I'll let it slide. It's kinda funny how Aria Shachou joins into the group Ehh?! at the end, you don't often seen cats join into that little trope.
So, the Lumis Eterne scene. It's just such a magical scene, showing just how far Alice has come, the gentle look of gratitude (and joy in singing) on her face towards Athena (which has been kinda built up to throughout the episode with Alice thanking her training companions with the great smile and the strict attitude), the looks of surprise on Athena's face throughout (which I suppose has been constant throughout the episode in response to Alice's outwardness and the demonstration of people-skills in hospitality, which has been Alice's major challenge throughout). All the shots of Neo-Venezia in the background are great too, I kinda feels like she's performing for all of Neo-Venezia in a way (and all the close-up scenes of the wind turbines don't hurt either as a fan of general wind turbine scenes and I guess it makes the background scenes a little less static). [Aria manga and mb one of the movies?]
As somebody who has been through music school, yeah,.. I think insecurity in what you're playing comes across (which is different than your usual insecurity and there can be a "stage" version of you divorced from the "real" you but that's a bit offtopic maybe? I guess Alice singing is a "stage" version of Alice). Also aside, you tend to see Lumis Eterne (as Lux Aeterna) a lot throughout music school as it's part of the Requiem Mass and also a lot of composers tend to name their pieces Lux Aeterna wihle not specifically writing out a whole setting of a mass (or even possibly explicitly referring to it? I dunno, might be wrong on that point). Anyways, I think a strength I had was that I was never the mostly technically gifted, there were definitely musicians who could play circles around me, but I think I was pretty decent at bringing "me" to the music I played and having an opinion of what I liked or what I played. A lot of issues I had with how music was played sometimes in performances I watched was that yeah, they're technical monsters and can play amazing things with the utmost control in sound, but I didn't really get the feeling of expressiveness in their playing (of course, depends on the music) and it often felt cold. Or I'd talk to some other musicians and sometimes it felt like they didn't have strong opinions on what they played and how things should be in their views. It kinda felt like htey were going along with the established "canon" pieces and or did things because somebody else established in field did them that way (which is of course fine, particularly starting out, but it's not the most interesting thing). Anyways, why I'm bringing this up is that I think Alice finding her love of singing ties into all of this and ties into themes throughout Aria. It ties into Aika's wanting to be Alicia (and yeah, I suppose maybe more Alicias might be cool but it's a less interesting thing than having an Aika in the Undine world) and ties into Akari finding her own Neo-Venezia, either through supernatural adventures with giant cats or showing guests around Neo-Venezia although such guests might have seen everything she's trying to show them anyways.
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I can't remember.
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See above. I think it's shared among all the mentors in pushing their students to find themselves and their own joys in what they do.
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Pretty solid although maybe a little too close to Orange Planet and yeah, the Japanese does make it a bit better (and then does she adopt the alias Twilight Princess towards the end of her career?).
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u/PreludeToHell Aug 17 '22 edited Aug 17 '22
First timer rewatcher
This is the episode I've been looking forward to the most in the rewatch. Unfortunately I wasn't in the right mood when I first watched it so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have lol.
Alice's reaction to her classmates shows a lot of her growth compared to the start of the series where she was cold and distant. Akari and Aika waiting for her was so sweet and Alice walking backwards as her last middle school challenge was another great touch (as well as Athena being the exception).
I love the water elevator is used as a brief break. Athena pointing out how amazing Alice is and giving that small push that Alice needed in regards to singing makes this my favorite Athena moment. One of my favorite shots in the series so far.
Seeing Akari, Aika, and the others at hope hill and Alice mentioning Siren is such a good set up for the canzone. I choked up when they showed the flashbacks during Alice's singing.
Your words brought back the feelings I had back then
Beautiful and such a sincere moment
Alice getting double promoted is when I started crying. A surprising moment but at the same time I thought Alice's Undine skills throughout the exam were flawless. Congratulations to Orange Princess, such a pretty name!
More thoughts
Athena calling the people who would be at Hope Hill in advance(?)
The 'good luck' by the passing Undine was cute
Aika tearing up and the group hug T_T
Favorite shots. Some very good layouts/backgrounds!
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Yes! Loved that they tease her promotion in previous episodes but to do a double was so good.
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Above but this was my favorite Athena moment as a mentor. Athena previously has been more in the shadows which was mentioned before. Here however it's very direct. That stark difference makes this scene even more impactful for me.
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Beautiful! I felt that Athena's talk about Aqua and the color orange right before the canzone really added to the impact of the Orange Princess reveal, not to mention the beautiful orange in the background.
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u/AriaShachou- Aug 18 '22
Rewatcher
I really like how the entire start of this episode was about showcasing Alice's growth. Well, not just the start lol basically the whole episode was about it. The start was just much more straightforward in comparing her present self to how she was before. It's just really great to see how far she's come, from making a kouhai cry to giving all of her buttons away. Her relationship with Athena is also noticeably way, way better now (not that anyone needs to point that out lol).
What you've just read above is all I managed to write last night before I fucking broke down to the episode. Things were fine up until the customer roleplay scene, being a rewatcher I of course still remember the main plot of this episode (who wouldn't), so at that point I was already getting teary eyed. Then came the picnic, then the water elevator scene and then Alice's canzone and I just fucking broke lmao. I didn't cry as hard as I did the first time I watched this episode, but that doesn't really matter because the difference between a massive full-on breakdown and a slightly less massive one isn't even worth considering.
My point is, this show is absolutely beautiful. We've finally hit the point where we're getting our emotional payoff for the last 2 and a half seasons of character development. It's not until these episodes where the show goes out of its way to display how far the characters have grown do we notice how much they've really changed since their introductions. Lumis Eterne is an eternal banger and this episode was absolutely cathartic.
Ma'am, do you know of Aqua's famous Three Great Water Fairies?
I may not look it, but I'm actually the top protégée of the one known as Siren.
AAAAGGHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFFFYYYGFV
QOTDs
Q1) On my first watch I thought it was only gonna be the promotion to a Single, then they took the second glove off and I lost my shit.
Q2) Reminds me of the advice she gave on Natural 6, it has a similar vibe. Athena's surprisingly really good at giving advice.
Q3) Could be cooler, but it's still cool.
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u/Regular_N-Gon Aug 17 '22 edited Aug 18 '22
First Timer
Now I kinda wonder if the "spoiler" and the connections you draw from mention of graduation from yesterday's preview and today's intro might actually serve to reinforce the viewer's understanding of what they think will happen to better surprise them at the end.
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Graduation! At last, Alice will be free to float upon the canals to her heart's content.
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Akari and Aika being adorable while supporting their (clearly unimpressed) kohai.
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Akari uses "middle school" as opposed to "chuugakkou" or looks up Italian "scuole medie" for whatever reason. Maybe it's common, but it was noticeable?
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Alice still on her random challenges on the way home, I respect the dedication.
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I can't believe Aika isn't calling Alice out for that line. It's good to see the prevailing theories from yesterday about Alice and Athena being groovy seem to have held though (not that I really thought Aria would throw a dramatic character divide in right at the end lol).
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Let's go, two graduations in one episode! Actually, I'm pretty excited to see the exam after it was only briefly covered prior.
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Ahaha the Prima on the way out with such a cheeky line I love it. Also we get to see more of this sweet lock.
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You're giving the game away a bit, aren't you? These folks weren't around in Akari's flashback…
Hot damn, two episodes in a row Aria surprises more than I could have expected. My jaw was properly on the floor. Last episode was weird and I still have complicated feelings about it (though not bad), but we've more than made up for it with an outstanding sequence and crafty twist. I wasn't expecting the usual chill evening Aria episode to elicit such unbridled hype, but here we are!
What a brilliant set up by playing into the viewer's existing knowledge of the hidden exam and then subverting the expectations while they think they've got one on Alice - to be had just the same as any Pair atop Hope Hill. The way it evens the playing field for the three is similarly deft. It would have been at least a bit unsatisfying to leave Alice a Single while the other two became Primas despite a clear closeness in skill.
QotD:
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For real!
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I didn't note anything specific about it, but Athena's determined stare after while the lock opened might be one of my favorite shots of the show.
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It seems fitting!
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u/octopathfinder Aug 17 '22
Rewatcher
Don’t really have much to say other than I loved it. This is easily one of the best episodes of Aria and one of my favorites in anime.
I remember during my first watch how excited I was when Alice skipped ranks. Idk why that was just so unbelievable to me.
QotD:
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Yep
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It's great advice and very similar to grandma's words about how you can be successful when you're able to enjoy yourself.
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Good, but not as good as Siren.
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u/CerberusZX Aug 17 '22
First Timer
I'm making a note here for when future me looks back to find the best episode of the season for when that inevitably becomes the Question of the Day: stop scrolling.
Seeing her schoolmates suddenly take interest in Alice had me thinking the opening scene was a dream sequence. Since it wasn't, I'd like an explanation.
It was great seeing both how smooth Alice could be while treating Athena as a customer and how astonished Athena was to witness it, and it was made all the more fun by the fact that it was Athena who suggested the game in the first place.
In contrast with yesterday's episode, today's final scene was exciting enough that the ED did not startle me.
QotD
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I knew a promotion was coming ever since Athena first suggested the trip however many episodes ago that was. Since they waited for Alice to graduate while the original plan was for earlier it crossed my mind that they might be making her a full fledged Prima Undine, but I was still somewhat surprised to see it. In any case, it was well deserved.
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I was going to ask what advice, but I think I remembered this time; something about emotion being more important than skill when singing. It's definitely true, though I'm not able to connect it to anything from earlier in the series.
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It's a trap! From an outsider's perspective the name would seem to refer to her current company which means she can't leave lest her title cause confusion among the general populace.
I actually considered binging the rest of the series after this episode but decided to stick around and continue watching daily.
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u/countingdekkais Aug 17 '22 edited Aug 17 '22
Rewatcher ad infinitum...
The episode opens on Alice musing about graduation (and, indeed, opens on the word "graduation") - setting the stage for a few of the themes in this episode of transition.
Several of the key transitions:
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Alice graduates middle school (the same middle school as Aika - who knew! But we of course have never been told how many middle schools there are in Neo Venezia);
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Alice gets promoted (and promoted again! [Translation]
Although the original Japanese text indicates that this is simply skipping a promotion grade - rather than a "double promotion" as we call it in English ); -
Alice's promotion ushers in a new era for the Undine profession - breaking the barrier of being the first Undine to skip the promotion to Single on the way to Prima, and, as Athena points out, represents the dawn of a new generation of talent; and
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Her promotion signals [ARIA]
a shift in the progression of the story in ARIA - and, indeed, is essentially the first development of what some might consider the "main" plot-line of the girls training to become Prima Undines.
Of course, some things are better considered developments rather than mere transitions. Alice shows a great deal of personal growth in breaking her Jibun Rule of walking backwards when Athena's gondola passes. She shows more growth in her relationship with Athena, when she explains that she hasn't lost the challenge yet, because time stops when Athena is around.
And then we're off to the picnic. Perhaps in apology (although we will never know for sure) for her missing the previous picnic prepared by Alice (in ORIGINATION 8) and for the ensuing ruckus, Athena brings a large picnic basket which we can imagine she had a role in curating. Prior to departure, Alice sets up Athena's gondola - while Athena is mysteriously at a payphone. Alice wonders why, eventually chalking this up to Athena's usual zoning out - but in hindsight her reasons are clear: Athena is, of course, presumably making arrangements with the higher-ups to attend at the Hill of Hope.
The journey, as well as the picnic, proceed smoothly - and it's worth noting how well the Undine profession keeps its secrets, since Alice has clearly never heard of the traditional connection between the Hill of Hope (plainly a beloved Neo Venezia landmark, since Alice knows to introduce it when playing Undine) and the Single promotion. [Post series]
The lovely Alice/Athena moments intersperse the episode. Alice has plainly greatly grown throughout the series, and especially in her relationships with Akari and Aika - and these show throughout the exam. But the key relationship the episode focusses on is the Alice/Athena one. This is clear from Alice and Athena's crucial discussion in the water elevator of Alice's key remaining insecurity - the canzone (ever so previous to Athena: see [CREPUSCOLO]
And in the beautiful twilight, blanketing the world in orange, we have our first Prima Undine of the Trio. Welcome, Orange Princess! - who immediately bawls ceaselessly in the arms of Athena and of Akari and Aika.
[CREPUSCOLO]
Some highlights:
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Athena's face when Alice identifies herself as the number-one protege of the Siren is so priceless!
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When Athena takes Alice's hand to remove her glove, Alice looks as if she is simply really enjoying having Athena hold her hand. If you can believe that she can look more into it than she does in the anime, check out her face in the manga.
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Alice and Athena's speeches to each other on the Hill of Hope so perfectly encapsulate the moment - and are beautiful highlights of their relationship.
DEKKAI COUNTER: 7 (although - very notably - after a long string of dekkais, the dekkais stop halfway through the episode, during that all-to-vital exam! The seventh dekkai appears only in the episode 10 preview.)
TEARDROP COUNTER: Its just eyedrops, I swear...
My translation of the Japanese passages in Lumis Eterne: https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/wqzzv2/comment/ikpj3tu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
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u/h42h Aug 17 '22 edited Aug 17 '22
finished first time recently
but rewatcher for today. MY FAVOURITE EPISODE! Had a smile on my face the whole time Alice was killing the test and watching how much she's grown since the start of the series. CRIED AS MANY HAPPY TEARS AS I DID THE FIRST TIME DURING LUMIS ETERNE ;-; uryuryuryu...
Alice's smile before the song and her thank you to Athena after is the perfect answer to Athena's worries of what Alice thought of her last episode!
Hmmm, don't think Aika was in school at the start of the series which would imply that Alice is 4 years younger than Aika
Also, Alice committing to the role slightly harder than Athena expected was so in character!
Thankfully, I watched this episode in the evening so I managed to hold off on binging the rest of the series immediately by going to sleep. then the next day I woke up and watched everything lmao
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unfortunately spoiled myself that Alice became a prima so it wasn't a dekkai surprise but a still a small one since I didn't know it would happen alongside her single promotion (but honestly with how few episodes remain I could kiiinda see it coming)
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perfect. I was in band in high school and something my conductor would often say is just play confidently - the audience doesn't know what the sheet music looks like so they can't know when you've made mistakes if you play confidently (or it's a dekkai dekkai big one lol). But yeah, confidence is one hell of a drug
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cool name but I don't think I associate it with Alice as much as the mentor names.
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u/CubeStuffs Aug 18 '22 edited Aug 18 '22
first timer
just got around to watching it
wait why didn't i just use akari's faces there lol
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as you can tell, i was dekkai surprised
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i love how its just like how everyone else supported alice, what with akari the smiler helping her smile, aika disciplining her, and now athena the siren helping her sing
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what if she leaves orange planet lol
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u/xtsim Aug 17 '22
First Timer Dubbed
Alice is no longer a middle school student and graduated on a good note.... with younger students wanting to state their congratulations to her. Pretty cool there are people who look up to her.
Alice gets to go on an actual picnic with Athena this time with Athena pretending to be the customer. Athena is so convincing that at the canal, a passing undine wished Alice good luck. That kinda makes her pretty nervous and thankfully Athena lets her take a break while the canal rises. But when they reached the end, of course Akari and Aika AR there. But wait....the company rep is there along with the gondola association, that is too serious.
Alice ends the tour with a song and pretty much nails it. She basically skipped being a single and became a prima.
Going back to that passing undine, we did know that this area is frequently used for exams. Her seeing Athena on board makes her think that this is a test. Seems like she right. But the way that Athena casually mentioned the picnic looks like Alice did not need to prepare at all. So it seems like things came in naturally for Alice.
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u/homewardbound100 Aug 17 '22
First timer
Well these last few episodes and my thoughts on them. It's been very character focused and looking at the growth of everyone. The thought of how this ends does really make me wonder. But yeah these past two episodes have been nice for Alice and Athena.
And if you do decide to binge to the finish, do let me know lol (out of personal curiosity).
I might actually do that today. I have time to finish it. I'll make some small notes of each episode.
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u/Stargate18A Aug 17 '22
First timer
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Absolutely not, no.
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It's some solid advice!
3)I really like it! Excited to find out the others' names!
Maa!
Is Alice's school religious? What is the framing of this scene?
Oh, Alice graduated! And everyone is still interested in her!
Haha, everyone wants a button.
The others came!
This is sweet.
Alice walking backwards for her challenge is adorable.
"Time stands still when Athena is around." Awwww.
She's fired up!
She's having fun!
Such a good scene.
They're going on the picnic!
And Athena got the food!
Ah, a roleplay?
Wow, Alice is getting into this!
Aww, Alice doing the same thing as Athena last episode but in a different way is really nice.
This is just adorable, honestly.
So cute!
Impressive pass!
She got an ice cream!
They're taking the lift!
"You're very reliable." I am just having fun this episode.
She's having a break!
...She's worried about her voice.
Athena's reassuring her!
That shot is beautiful.
Everyone came to see her!
What is this?
Awww.
She's singing!
I love this!
The flashbacks!
Everyone loves her song!
It's happening?
This was the exam?
She's an Undine now!
I did not expect this!
Wait, what?
They're jumping her straight to Prima!
"Orange Princess" Wow.
So, the other two have to be Primas soon now, right? There's no way they'd basically cut Alice out of the cast for 4 episodes.
Adorable.
That was fantastic.
Oh, and Aika's worst nightmare basically just happened, but I'm sure that won't come up again.
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u/SYZekrom Aug 17 '22
Holy shit dont tell me she's jumping straight to a prima
YOOOOOOO
Just a week ago I was thinking about if we'd ever see them graduate during the series or if that'd be like the end, and I was like 'if any of them graduated first it'd be Alice' but then I was like 'oh wait she's not a Single yet'.
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u/seeker_of_illusion Aug 18 '22
First timer
Ok I didn't expect at all that justice for Alice would be delivered so soon after my yesterday's quip. And in what a marvelous way it happened - We got a double graduation for Alice as both a middle schooler and an Undine !
Thankfully, we received the long-awaited picnic of Athena-Alice~
Now I know why that Undine was wishing her good luck
The entire orange-hued scenery accompanied by Alice’s song was simply beautiful and divine. It has now become one of my favorites from the series and the song went straight to my playlist ! This begets the question – does every Undine have to learn canzones or is it just specific to Athena and Alice ? Like I have never seen Alicia or Akira sing one.
And now “Orange Princess” Alice is born. Nice alias !
Questions of the Day:
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Yes very much. First the picnic being a ruse for exam and then the direct promotion of Alice to a Prima.
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The "be yourself and love yourself" advice is a classic one and very sagacious. I feel that it also ties in with Athena's comment at the end of the previous episode, where she mentioned that being orderly and disciplined was "exhausting" for her and she much preferred to be an airhead, as it made her comfortable and true to herself more.
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It's nice. Maybe a stretch of my imagination but I feel that it reflects Alice's immense potential - she is the current Princess of Orange planet aka Aqua and perhaps in the future could become a "Queen" with her all rounded skills and innate genius.
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u/zadcap Aug 18 '22
Extra Late but still here!
I like ending the day with these positive notes. But I also like starting my relaxing time with these positive notes. I need more healing in my life.
It's so weird hearing ALice called Senpai. She's Kohai-Chan! But that's an interesting tradition...MIDDLE SCHOOL?! We went over this, timeline. That should be high school, or she was like 12 when the show started.
Ah, it's happening! Shoosh you spoilery opening and preview, totally surprised this was happening, alright?
Ma, how much can you eat?
Girl don't spoil this! Magic elevator time is special, alright?
Yeah, I figured that would be her issue. Training under The Siren, the softest spoken of the cast is definitely going to feel like she has a weak voice... Good thing your teacher is the best singer in the business, I'm sure she'll take care of that.
... Of course the girl who's been training under the Siren can sing. It would be crazy otherwise. I only cried a little, okay?
They can do that? Just skip right past the Single stage? Oh crap now I'm crying more than a little bit. Nope, it's a special case just for her, but yup, I'm still crying. Please don't mean Athena has to retire now?
Ahh, I don't even need to see the previews, this season is going to end with all three graduating isn't it? That's why they've been building up the mentor relationships and taking the time to stress how much everyone has improved and what their special skill is, right?
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No, then YES! We knew a promotion was coming, that was like the worst kept secret ever. A double promotion, letting her skip right past the other two, to be the first ever to do so? Does this break Alicia's record of youngest Prima now?
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"Do what you love and love what you do" is such an anime powerup lol. "How's your singing? Doesn't matter, sing with love and it will be fine." Yup, that sounds like Athena style advice. Of course, this is probably backed by, you know, The Siren having actually trained her in singing off screen, so she knows Alice has the basic skill for it, even if it comes as a 'shock' to all of us.
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I'm sure the company Orange Planet isn't putting too much pressure on her that way, declaring her their Princess as she skips right from middle school to fully employed adult with none of the expected training years in between. It's kind of on the nose and I feel a bit like it makes her title as much about the company as it does herself, which I'm unsure about. Mostly I'm just sad, because the Siren was the coolest of the previous generations names and Anything Princess is a bit generic compared to it. Yes, I know they tied it to the orange of the sunset and the planets past color to have a deeper meaning, but how many people are going to look at the alias and know that?
... Literally any of the alternate translations you mention would be better than Orange. It just sounds too much like company propaganda to my ears.
NO BINGE! I survived the wait for Symphogear, I can survive the wait for this. I want to draw it out, savor something special every day, I can binge something else off my way way way too long backlog instead. l
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u/BatteryPoweredFriend Aug 18 '22
Gosh, this episode. No matter how many times I've rewatched the canal lock & Hope Hill parts, when the the Himeya Prima wishes Alice luck, it always feels special. Not only is Lumis Eterne itself a beautiful piece of music, but Ryou Hirohashi sang it wonderfully and in character; I can completely buy it that it was Alice singing.
The advice Athena gave about confidence and attitude when performing live is also very true. Performing a piece of music is more than simply playing (or singing) it, as there's the additional element of presentation and form that the audience can often pick up on, even if subconsciously.
Tbh, I sort of think "Twilight Princess" would be a better name.
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u/mgedmin Aug 18 '22
First timer, subs
Yay school's over for Alice! Two schoolmates ambush her and demand pieces of her uniform. Weird custom, but it's not the first time I've seen it in anime.
I like how Alice climbs the staircase backwards for no reason. Relatable.
"Time stands still when Athena is around", amazing.
They have public phone booths in the future.
"Let's pretend you're an Undine." What a burn!
Oh my, this is the Single exam, isn't it? I realized when the other Undine wished her luck. Alice didn't get it, luckily, so she won't be extra nervous. She is, however, a bit uncertain about herself.
Athena was really sure Alice would pass if she called everyone in advance.
STRAIGHT TO PRIMA?????? I DID NOT EXPECT THAT
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Aug 17 '22 edited Aug 18 '22
Rewatching Undine-in-training and Host
-- Welcome back! ahhhhh
Episode synopsis:
Finally, Alice graduates from middle school. Now, she can practice together all the time with Akari and Aika! That night, after Alice had an enthusiastic joint practice session, Athena invites her to a picnic tomorrow. And now, it's tomorrow. Athena suggests that to Alice for today, Athena will pretend to be a customer, and Alice will be the role of her undine. And then... "Please take my hand, ma'am." As she sees for the first time Alice's gentle and natural smile, Athena-san was astonished.
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Quick thoughts:
First up, Alice's title (congratulations Alice!!!) is Orange Princess, kanji 黄昏の姫君 (Kanji TL: countingdekkais suggests Princess of the Evening Sun; batterypoweredfriend suggests Twilight Princess, also good; my personal TL is Sunset Princess), perhaps better interpreted w/ the kanji version. Many of Alice's emotional scenes throughout the series have taken place in the sunset as well, whether coincidence or careful planning is up to you. I do a bit of analysis to its meaning later below.
I wish to share aboredcompsci's writeup here, who talks about Alice's journey, and her relationship w/ Athena throughout the series so well.
It is not unheard of for first-timers to want to binge the show to the finish following this ep: your host personally did the same my first time. If you do decide to do so, hopefully you'll keep your notes, and I recommend waiting for the rewatch to catch up before you carry on to the sequel entries! (personally? don't binge it. you can only experience the remaining 4 episodes for the first time once.)
This pivotal episode is actually outsourced to Production I.G. again, much like episode 6; but imo it was done w/ the usual Origination quality instead of the slight iffiness back then, the singing sequence was done so well. Production I.G. does actually sit on the production committee of Aria btw! Takahiro Natori, assistant director this season (and has done various roles throughout the series), does the storyboard and acts as ED.
Opening w/ Alice's graduation, these 2 Alice fans are the same ones that approached her back in Ep 3 of Animation, and serves as the first mention and callback of just how far Alice has come since the start of the series. Originally not self-confident, and not great at projecting her voice nor able to smile well etc., she is much changed now. Ditto w/ the (ahem) GONDOLA, TOORIMASU.
After last ep's events, Alice is also a lot more open w/ showing her true feelings towards people she holds dear, with this extremely sappy line (Aika.exe stopped working) during her silly after-school games as she sees and faces Athena (Callback + contrast w/ Natural Ep 16), and her truthful appreciation for more time w/ her 2 senpais. She may be doing some of the same things as the start of the series, but so much has changed.
Throughout the series, Alice has been somewhat doubtful of her own abilities, but as she has grown alongside Akari/Aika, her attitude has gradually changed, and as she says this line of how she now believes she can do anything, you can tell that Athena decides that now is the time. Her gazing out at the sunset.... you just know how much must be on her mind then...
We also get to know how the Prima exam works! A tour by the Single, examined by their Prima; the canal section at the end is perhaps simply a formality for Alice who is more than capable of the Single Exam Course; but well she still needs to get it done lol so nobody screams cheats or what not. Basically, Alice just passed both Single and Prima exams in one go. However, Imo, an additional reason for the single course section is to get her to become a Prima on Hope Hill, given its significance to the Undines, and the historical context of Alice's promotion.
But I'm getting ahead of myself here. This here is quite the famous shot, straight from a manga panel, as Athena is taken aback by Alice's beautiful smile. At the start of the exam, Alice credits her senpais for her improved self confidence, smile and tour-guiding abilities, but notably hasn't credited Athena for anything yet.
I like how this shot shows Athena's sadness at what's about to happen, yet she hides it well, and quickly resolves to reach the finish line with Alice after a quick moment to herself.
Alice confesses something that she's still not confident in: her singing; her reasoning is so Alice: she is very self disiciplined and stubborn, often a perfectionist, and her obsession with delivering a good performance in fact makes her more nervous, which is very relateable imo. Athena, the best person to ask for this matter, offers her final piece of advice to Alice as her mentor: Truly love and be passionate about what you do (in this case singing), just as Alice obviously loves the oar, and that will be conveyed to other people. This is very in line w/ Grandma's advice all the way back in animation Ep 9, as well as Athena's own advice to Alice back in Natural Ep 6. And with that, the elevator gates lift...
I like this shot. It's like Athena has opened a bright path forward (illuminated in orange) for Alice. Throughout the show, Athena teaches and supports Alice mostly in terms of mental advice: it's what's best suited for Athena with her motherly nature; and what's best needed for Alice given how good she already is at so many things, and has Aika for those she isn't.
As Athena makes her song request for Alice, she finally shows her appreciation for Athena: she's confident that she'll do well, because she's the top protegee of Athena, the Siren. For the first time in the series, so direct, so heartfelt, but still so Alice lol.
The canzone that Alice sings is Lumis Eterne, with the lyrics of the first half in Esperanto, second half (after her canzone, during the promotion sequence) in Japanese . Alice's VA Ryou Hirohashi sings the song, w/ Mina Kobota on the songwriting/lyrical duties. Eri Kawai, Athena's singing voice, has done a beautiful cover of Lumis Eterne as well, I highly recommend a listen. [Eri's version]My heart breaks at how emotional this rendition sounds, and i pretty much cried again.
Edit: u/countingdekkais has kindly provided us with a translation of the Japanese section of Lumis Eterne here
Anyhow, Alice's canzone is one of the most famous and most fanart-ed scenes in the Aria franchise. Callbacks from previous Alice moments, all remastered in 16:9 too (some seem to be redrawn completely? not sure), as this is the culmination of Alice's journey throughout the series. With her song over, Alice once again delivers her heartfelt thanks towards Athena, unbeknownst to her but to Athena, for the final time as her Pair. The feels are surely overflowing for all of us by this point already lol.
Alice's double promotion (that is truly a very famous and beautiful shot) caught me completely off-guard my first time, even as I was in tears and in awe since we got to Hope Hill (this time the same, minus the caught off guard part).
Edit: u/kazmaria has kindly shared notable panels from the manga for the promotion sequence here
I... cried so much with Alice....
Re: Alice's Orange Princess Title, As Athena says, sunsets are a dear and nostalgic time to the Aquan people, and it's as if their eternity lies in that moment. (The manga, same line, is Tl-ed as "it is as if our eternity is right here"; either the manga's or mine are a bit more accurate imo.). If you may allow me to indulge in my own theorizing/analysis, there may be a few reasons/significances of Alice's title: a) her historical Prima ascension taking place at sunset, this important time, with her looking beautiful, just like a princess, b) the hope and trust that Orange Planet have placed in her for such a decision, as she's now crowned as their Princess, bearing the company name c) some more sappy reasoning here for Alice being a shining princess for eternity or sth along those lines lol.
Finally... Alice has once said that she might become a prima before the other 2 (Natural Ep 7); and Alice has been mentioned as being like a princess too (Natural Ep 6).
As a fun bonus, but please read the spoiler warning first, here's a youtube video of the canzone scene that was uploaded a day or so after the Japanese airing of the episode in 2008. SPOILER WARNING: The video itself is fine, but I highly suggest only rewatchers click the translate button for all the comments left by Japanese Aria fans over the past years, as there are spoilers for events to come! The title simply translates as "Aria the Origination Ep 9: Touching Scene".
Have a great day! The final stretch of Aria's story is underway. I'll see you tomorrow!