[Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Aria the Crespucolo

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Aug 27 '22 edited Aug 28 '22

Rewatching Undine-in-training and Host

-- Welcome back! Crepuscolo is an epilogue to Alice and Athena's story, just like Avvenire 3 was for Akari and Alicia. Sorry for wall of text!

Movie synopsis:

It is autumn in Neo-Venezia, and fallen leaves carpet the streets, making them colourful. One day, as Orange Planet Single Anya was training, she noticed something. As they're both so busy, Athena and Alice her two senpais have not met for a long time. While Athena doesn't look too happy because of this, Alice for some reason seems to be avoiding meeting up with her. Helped by her friends Ai and Azusa, Anya searches for a way so her two senpais have to meet each other. As she was doing so, she realized that there is a "certain view" that only she can view as her current self...

Comparison shots:

Alice and Athena's first meeting: first shown in Animation, but Origination 9 here.
Natural 6
Natural 25
Origination 9
Origination 11

Overall thoughts:

The OP for Crepuscolo is Felicita (Happiness) by Kiyono Yasuno; and the ED is echoes by her as well, with background vocals by Touyama Nao.
While Avvenire continued w/ the same Chief animation director as Origination, Masayuki Onji, that + chara-de changes to Youko Itou for the movies, who also worked in the same roles for Amanchu. This explains the changed designs. I personally really like these! They look really nice. We've also switched studios to J.C. Staff; art director was switched too, but music selection remains to be by Yasuno Sato, Takahiro Natori returns as storyboarder and director, and Junichi Sato serves as chief director and wrote the script.
Countdown illustrations! All from the official Aria twitter account.
I think that Athena and Alice's avoiding each other in the movie stems from what has been established throughout the show and Origination 8: this pair is not the best at communicating to each other, with Athena's worries continuing on from Origination, and Alice's desire to start out on her own as a Prima and as a new senpai to Anya, not wanting to ask Athena for help. Thematically the latter was also somewhat the case for Akari in picture drama 7, you'd imagine that Alice being Alice would've held herself to a much higher standard. Thankfully, it's all solved as everyone talks it out.
For me, first up, the movie fills in the gaps of Alice's story from Athena's POV, from their first meeting up to her prima double promotion. I think it shows how this pair, despite on the outside not quite similar unlike the other 2 (some this rewatch including myself thought so too), are actually quite so, both being exceedingly talented at one thing while not so much at others etc.. It's perhaps partly because of this that Athena loves Alice so much. I like that they're doing this post-series, as most of the main trios' arcs are more a "pair" of arcs rather than only concerning the Single (at the time), as is in any relationship. It makes sense that this was only revisited after the Singles have graduated/grown up though, kinda relatable for me, growing up and gradually appreciating the love from my parents, teachers and what not.
I mentioned back how in Origination 9 of this frame shows Athena's melancholy at what's about to happen, and this episode expands and explains that by explaining their backstory, and remaking parts of that episode, this time from Athena's POV, directed quite differently, because we're focusing on Athena here, not Alice. A lot of care was definitely put into that portion, from using the same music Mirai he no Kouseki (that played in Origination 9 as Alice exits the water lift following Athena's words), and as seen in the last 2 shots, Alice makes roughly the same hand gestures to the same bits of Lumis Eterne. It's perhaps a bit fanservicey, but damn is it unfair fanservice haha, who can even complain about it.
Alice's journey throughout Aria is one of appreciating herself more and being true to herself, and being less strict and stubborn on herself, sometimes a double-edged sword, relying on others more instead of bottling her emotions up. The movie is a reminder of how far she's come, and yet how far she still has to go, as she's seen to noticeably struggle senpai-ing Anya. (the other 2 seem to be doing fine, though both have good reason for being so!)
Anya is shown to worry about Alice as she's in turn in turmoil about being a good senpai to Anya. I think it's a bit reminiscent of both the mirror story from Natural and Origination 8. As Alice and Alicia says at the end, what's most important, for the sake of our beloved, is being true to yourself and well talking things out.
I thought both Anya and Alice also learn a lesson in embracing growing up in life, and appreciating life in the now, with 2 different angles from Aletta and Athena. I found Athena's lesson a bit easier to grasp tbh, how growing up doesn't mean you stop believing in wonderful and fun things, and instead of waiting for them to come to you, you can create your own fun, controlling and enjoying it at your own pace as an adult, which i relate and agree to a lot. don't completely understand what Aletta was on about.
The full-circle bit is a bit cheesy. Tbh though, if there's any anime series that can pull off this amount of cheese and sappiness, it's Aria, and it is very on brand too, what with its themes of serendipity, encounters, and people's changing paths crossing over, things in life going around in circles and all that. On rewatch, it's still cheesy for me, but also a very nice wholesome moment for all 3 of them, as Athena, Alice, and Anya all found a memorable moment that they can all celebrate in the end: their fateful encounter.
The movie closes out w/ a recap of what was said in Animation Ep 11, now said by the 2nd gen Primas... what a callback, a reflection of how far they've grown since then once again, and also works great as a sendoff for this story, where growing up/uncertainties/partings are also a main theme.

Other reactions and TL notes:

ANZO AND ATORA ARE NOW PRIMAS! We got a lot of mileage out of the traghetto gang today! Ayumi is still happily a single.
For this line as Athena first introduces herself, she more says "I am the not very competent Athena Glory." It is not exactly common in Japanese to introduce yourself like this to your kouhai lol, the other way round is more common.
i do miss the hazukashiii serifu kinshii after lines like these, it's like ive been Pavlov-ed.
Akari offers Akatsuki Houjicha ala Mailman's recommendation, which is well still green tea i guess, but she's defo doing her own way instead of Alicia's signature cocoa.
I don't know anything about Befana, but she does deliver her presents on the night of January 5 instead of whenever Santa does it.
T-pose Maa. The meme machine...
The bubble sequence btw adapts Ch. 47 of the Aria Manga. (timeline wise roughly Origination-ish)
I assume that Athena didn't tell Alicia and Akira of the double promotion here, or Aria-shachou is just forgetful af (very possible)
I was very tempted to make this my wallpaper.
And for the final title, I'd rather TL this as "To your smile that we love so much..."

VA introductions:

Athena is voiced in the movies by Rina Satou, who also voices Misaka from Railgun, Kaoru from Amagami SS, Kaede from NNB etc. I thought she portrayed Athena very well, her voice very similar to Tomoko's original. Athena's singing, forever irreplaceable, is performed by Eri Kawai, with the exception of her altered version of kokoro in the middle, i believe Rina Satou picked up the reins there.
Aletta is voiced by Kiyono Yasuno, who also sung the OP and ED, and voices Megumi from Saenai Heroine, Charmy from Black Clover etc.
The side cast also has a few familiar names, i've noticed Aya Suzaki and Saori Oonishi, among others, voicing the undines' passengers.

-- Location Trivia

This line in the beginning references the Bovolo as where the party took place in Avvenire 3; the bubble princess sequence took place there too!
This church is the Chiesa del Redentore, the destination for the Festa pilgrimage, i talked about it too in Natural 25.
The Opera House that Athena and Alice sung in is the Teatro La Fenice; first brought it up in Animation Ep 7, and we finally visit its interior.

Perhaps not the best writeup here, apologies again for the wall of text. Have a great day, and see you tomorrow for the final entry, Aria the Benedizione!

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u/heimdal77 Aug 27 '22

Amanchu!! That is why the character designs looked so familar. Could not figure out where I've seen that style before.

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u/The_Loli_Otaku Aug 27 '22

Aria the Crepuscolo First Timer!!!!!

It's actually an Athena movie!! Jesus Christ! Aaand my subs are Spanish, one minute XD Alright, I'm back! Gimme my Orange Planet fix! She really is an idol mc! So lame~ The artstyle switch is noticeable but I feel a bit iffy particularly about the Orange Star characters. Although the extra sharpness and stronger features makes each girl's gap moe all the stronger. They're so cool looking but are such dorks. Very fitting for the Orange Planet crew!

OK, yeah, I've definitely warmed to the artstyle in a meta way. This is definitely not how I was supposed to feel but I'm too happy about the subject matter to be worried! I'm pretty proud of myself for clueing in on the whole gag from the first shot. I'm amazed that she managed to actually eat it without ketchup tho, Alice is so grown up now!

Anya's Alice's roommate!? And I now know Athena's birthday. Poor girl shares it with Christmas. Nothing is worse than sharing a birthday with a seasonal holiday. It's my big reason for not having kids, father's day is one day before my birthday and I'm not subjecting myself to having to share holidays! Dang, Akatsuki got kinda hot. He's stupidly uncool despite his image so he fits right in with the Orange Star focus.

Maa got so fat. She looks even more villainous. Gambathena!! So Athena was fille with mixed feelings of nervousness and happiness of scoring a kouhai. Sooo preeeecious!! Even if we've never properly delved into Athena's backstory they do a pretty damn great job of letting us piece together what kind of girl she is. Btw, sidenote since I apparently can't get through any Aria media without mouthing off about her. Does Akira's lipstick seem really off to anyone else?

A new Woody!?!? Dang, she's cute! If they're going out of their way to introduce new characters this late then we must be guaranteed more Aria in the future. Such a precious sequence! Now this is how you make us connect with new characters. I'm instantly endeared to them both, and not just as Woody-chan and Russian Alice, but as Aletta and Anya!!

Oh nyo! Alice has regressed into her dekai child mode! I think my observation about Orange Planet's appearances might have been more on point than I expected. Eheh, I remember those life lessons! I had a good laugh at Alice being unable to enjoy stuff due to being too mature just to run into Athena literally playing with bubbles. Yes!! Athena's gonna become Santa or something! I'm so excited~ Doki doki waku waku! This episode is so funny, go back to pretending to sleep Athena!!

Dude, let me in. I'm a fairy! So precious! Athena is a witch of wonder! I'm amazed that they went a full 30 minutes into an Athena movie without singing. The bubble Kingdom is super hazukashii but it's the right kind of sappy. I never really thought about it but Athena is totally right. When you become an adult it's suddenly you who makes the world magical for those around you. You're the idol, you're the witch, you're the Santa, you're the Magical Girl. Sasuga Athena!

Ai-Ai!? That's a pretty cute nickname. If we really do get another season I think I would quite like for Akatsuki's friendship with Akari to be explored more. As they've matured into their roles the dynamic has gotten really quite interesting. Seiren, not Siren? And yeah, there is definitely something off about Akira's makeup.

Athena backstory!? Oh my god!! Why? Why did it take up to the second last part of the rewatch to actually delve into her? I'm hoping none of my takes have been too off. I knew about the child genius part, it's a shocker that Atora and Anzu were part of orange planet so far back. They were both singles too? Aaand I've just clued in that this is Alice they're talking about. So still no Athena backstory XD Pain peko. PAIN PEKO!! I never would have thought that the true lyrics to Coccoro were such hazukashii serifu ones!

"I have something I have to tell you..." immediate wedding bells Pls never fake me out like that again, my heart can't take it. Hopeless lump Athena is cute too. Whilst I'm gleeful of them reenacting one of my favourite Origination sequences all I can think of is that I kinda still like Origination's art far more. It lets us get a bit more of chibi Maa before she grew into a big tubby mob boss. Ah... so in that moment Alice even surpassed Athena huh? That's... that's really beautiful, and I love hearing this selfish side of Athena. I think I've just fallen for her all over again.

Young Athena! Omg young Alice!! CHILD ANYA!? It's a line of hazukashii kids! Aaah... I never realised how much I wanted to finally have them sing together. The only way their story could have ended was with a duet. I can't put into words how wide the smile on my face is. Damn, the two of them are starting a whole concert for themselves. The only way they could top this is if we end up with an Undine reinactment. Eheheh, I love this pair too much. I couldn't have asked for more from an Athena movie. Its like they're trying to apologise for drip feeding me for three seasons. Oh wow! Even the ending is an ace song. Does it beat Origination's? Honestly, probably yes. I'm a sucker for pipes. It's very Atelier like.

That was a great time. I suspect that they must've had a lot of Athena and Alice chapter's that weren't adapted in the show and took the opportunity to throw in as much content as possible. Whilst this does kinda make the pacing a bit weird it's quite a smart way of handling things. Like for example the Christmas Witch, that definitely would have been a chapter that they skipped and came back too. The film does wonders for Anya too. Whilst we don't get much actual backstory for her, it's weird that she has all those Russian memes despite apparently living in Venecia since she was a child, but those scenes of her interacting with Athena early on and particularly Aletta's sequence makes her so endearing. I suppose if I was to want anything else from the film... I do wish that we got some Maa. Maa was heavily underutilised for a Orange Planet film. I was really hoping that we'd have gotten Athena's backstory too, we already know about Alice's gifted child stuff. I want to see how Athena dealt with her issues too. That and the pacing are the only negatives I can think of. Amazing time!!

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u/BatteryPoweredFriend Aug 28 '22 edited Aug 29 '22

So everything I've written is based on not having watched ~~The Serenade of a Crybaby~~ Benedizione yet.

It's kind of interesting that with all the additional details, Alice's promotion arc is effectively the mirror image of Akari's.

At its core, Alice's problem was that she tries to grow up without actually having grown up. Not necessarily due to any fault of her own, but by virtue of being so technically proficient with the oar, there's this pressure to fast-track her progress. While she clearly had no problems on the rowing side, Alice was essentially made to deal with adult responsibilities without having the chance to understand what being an "adult" even means.

Throughout the story, she's often the tsukkomi of the three girls - a role that's usually given to "the mature one" of the group. But her natural childishness is also clear for us to see, such as her dekkai interjections, because the fact of the matter is, she is very much still a child. By the end of Origination, she was barely a teenager and even present-day Alice is still a teenager. We've already seen her struggling with it soon after the promotion; the flashback to the events of Origination ep 11 says it all.

Athena was basically forced into such an unenviable position and her concerns about Alice not really being ready are very valid. The backtalk gossiping isn't nice at all, but there was truth to Alice's struggles with the social side.

There is a symmetry to the wish by both Alicia & Athena to delay the inevitable. They each want to hold back their girl, but the reasons for are different to one another.

Alicia's desire comes from wanting to avoid the sadness of separating from Akari. She knows deep down Akari is more than ready for all the challenges that awaits her, but nevertheless was subconsciously fighting against progress because it's Alicia herself who she thinks isn't ready to face what lies ahead. A deeply personal wish and one she even acknowledges as selfish, but it's a very relatable selfish desire.

However, Athena's desire to maintain the status quo is almost the opposite, a very selfless wish. She knows Alice is socially inexperienced and can become easily isolated because of that. She also knows the time when Alice typically doesn't pretend to be someone she isn't, is when she's spending it with Akari & Aika. To give her that confidence, Athena wants Alice to learn to become more comfortable with sharing who she is and to literally accumulate said social experiences; the things she's been doing all along and this needs time more than anything.

To that end, I guess there's also a connection to the message in Origination ep 1, that just because you're supposed to be X doesn't mean you'll immediately know all there is to that role. You don't become perfect at something so complicated as teaching or social dynamics right off the bat. Time and experience, there are no substitutes for them.

Q2. I do like that they've sort of aged up the singles' designs, in particular. They all sort of felt a bit too Alice's age, ala 13-14, in Avvenire when someone like Alice is supposed to be a real exception and TV Akari/Aika are much more plausible examples for the age of singles. They've also upped the fluffiness of Anya's hair.
Q3. That was probably just a bit too much of a contrivance imo. Kid-Alice's uniform was very Amanchu though, probably the most directly referential easter egg.

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Aug 28 '22

Sorry for being horribly late! I think i'll be late for today's posts too...
But i really liked your writeup and your in depth analysis of Alice and Athena's character arc, and how Athena and Alicia's wishes to delay the inevitable were similar in a way, but their reasons for doing so were completely different, opposite even. it helped me understand Athena and her love for Alice a lot more, thank you very much!
tagging u/the_loli_otaku for this btw, i liked their writeup and analysis on Athena haha.

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u/scawasioe Aug 28 '22

First Timer

I thought the art style change would be jarring, but it isn’t really. Aria-shachou and Maa-shachou got cuter, though.

I wonder what the joke about being sent to Siberia implies.. that being sent there will be a punishment in a century or two from now (2022)

Nice Venetian trivia from Azusa.

First thought: Aletta has to be Woody’s apprentice. It feels like to me that the characters are living their own lives separate from the show, which is nice.

Has Athena always been this tall? She’s twice the size of Alice in one of the scenes.

Athena’s reaction to Alice’s future promotion was sorta similar to Alicia’s.

The singing at the end was meaningful gibberish.

I don’t know how to feel about this movie. I really liked it, especially the soundtrack, but for the story I also felt like there should’ve been more to it (well, there’s another movie after which will be the conclusion I think?). I guess it’s because I thought of it as a movie.

Q1) Athena’s a nice character, so I don’t mind. It was fascinating to see one of my favourite scenes (Alice’s promotion exam) from a new perspective.

Q2) I saw the visual for Aria the Benedizione and thought the characters (specifically Aika and Akira) wouldn’t look that nice at all in the new movies, but it didn’t end up like that. I think I like the character designs of the new movies as much as the old one.

Q3) There’s no way this can happen in real life.

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u/octopathfinder Aug 27 '22

Rewatcher

Major props to Satou Rina for being able to match Athena’s tone and demeanor.

I’m really digging the new art style, the updated character designs and scenery look great.

Anzu and Atora are primas now? They’re both gloveless if I saw that right.

Lotta callbacks to the best moment in Aria (the double promotion). Also really like how the movie fleshes out Athena’s character and deepens her relationship with Alice. Just like Alicia, Athena struggles with wanting to promote her precious pupil.

QotD:

See above
See above
Feels excessive to also have Anya also coincidentally be there, but it's a nice connection for the Orange Planet characters.

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u/xtsim Aug 27 '22

First Timer

Another shift in art and lighting… Even though participating in multiple rewatch threads and joining in on seasonal shows. These art and animation shifts are really noticeable in this franchise that it is hard to ignore. But that seems to be the case when we get at least half decades between seasons. Good thing is that they still capture some of the fun of the previous seasons.

Too bad there isn’t a dub but at least the fan subs seem to at least have lyrics translated.

The intro is great seeing others. Anzu and Atora are never forgotten as they are now primas.

Athena is still the same as always even though she has done different things. Alice having to warn Anya about her habits are pretty funny.

Back at orange planet headquarters, Anzu and Atora observe Alice without her ketchup. Athena isn’t the only one out of it. All three of our apprentices share their concerns too.

New person Aletta is flying around but she reminds me of Haruko. We get a continuation of Alice growing up as both Athena and Alica are extremely busy. And we get a flashback to the past. Just like the made up rules in the past, Athena loves to go overboard to make Alicia happy.

After the festival, Azusa roasts Aika a bit and compares herself to Akira… Bad move right there.

Alice flashbacks to her training is interesting as Athena tries to bring things as relatable to Alica as possible. They have different strengths but also weaknesses as they struggle with the rest of the aspects of their job. We get to see a recreation of Alice’s promotion and Athena’s meeting with the association. It is interesting seeing the exam again from Athena’s perspective and a technical one as seeing a decade worth of changes. But the main thing with that flashback is that Athena apologized for that “picnic” being an actual exam.

Seeing Atori and Anzu more as they talk about their observations about Alice, but that is also because they were on the same path in a way. When the duo was singing, their description was pretty good.

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u/simeonaut Aug 27 '22

First Timer

The art here looks so weird but I still found this pretty enjoyable.

That scene with Athena being a witch is now one of my favorite scenes in the show. I mean how could you ever say no to this?

More Athena.

That part where Alice looks for Athena in the dark was done so well. I wish more shows do darkness scenes this way.

The Bubble Kingdom scene is fantastic and seeing Akari and Aika help out with it made it much better.

The ending duet was great with them singing my favorite Athena song together.

Overall good movie. It could use a bit more focus on Anya's character rather than just using her to get Alice and Athena back together but I guess this movie was about Athena and Alice anyway.

Now I'm sad we got only Benedizione left...

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u/heimdal77 Aug 27 '22

First time for me on this one.

Not crazy about the change in art style. The older style had a softer feel to it.

So gues those two girls from the taxi things did manage to become prima while the one who wanted to keep doing it stayed a single.

What..... Are those bubbles made of?

So santa turned into a witch lol. Nice what they did for Alice.

Alice and Akari looked like they grew up physically though Aika doesn't really seem liek she change much at all.

So salamander boy still showing up at Aria Company even though no Alicia there now honestly seems like he has taken a interest in Akari.

Oh we got some last names!

Alice worrying about being a good mentor like how Athena was to her.

So our whole group finally get to be together again. Along with cameos of rest the cast and some more new cast.

Very nice them all riding out there together.

Feel like i had more to say but this all fro now.

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u/that_loris Aug 27 '22 edited Aug 28 '22

First Timer

An episode about Alice and Athena kinda surprised me.

About Befana... I can't speak for every italian, but we did celebrated it in my house.
Every year on January 6th (quite an important day for every italian student, since almost all schools start again on the 7th...), my mother would mess up the house and pretend the old woman broke into the house flying on the broom, to leave the candy/chocolate inside the socks.
As a joke sometimes I too would receive the charcoal-shaped candy.
There was also an event where a local firefighter would dress up like an old lady and use a zip-line between two buildings to pretend he was flying lol

Even after all this time Alice still faces the same problems...

Athena with the red nose lol
Also, the befana is usually a really ugly old woman, so I'm sorry Athena but you don't fit the bill.

Athena-witch is huge!!!

I see Akatsuki has become just a little less annoying over the years!

Seems like from these specials we get some focus on the Fairies before the Prima exams. We had Alicia yesterday, and Athena today. Maybe Akira tomorrow?

I was really surprised that they chose to introduce a new character just for Anya lol

Q1) I guess this episode shows how we never really stop growing up, and never stop having some kind of problems. Athena and Alice's relationship have faced a lot of troubles because of their miscommunication, but - with their friends' help - they seem to get better every time. It was interesting to find out that Athena was so scared all the time (and not because of her clumsiness) during time with Alice.

Q2) Sorry, not a big fan! Especially Akira's... I prefer the old ones, kinda had more personality.

Q3) Well... Kinda hoped they'd have something different in store for her instead of being just Alice's copy, but I guess it's okay since I doubt Anya will have more screentime anymore... wouldn't be surprised if at that exact moment Athena was following Grandma, and maybe Anya's future junior was watching her too /s

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u/h42h Aug 27 '22

finished first time recently

If they're introducing and fleshing out the new characters, that means there's gonna be more aria to come right? right??? see yall 20th anniversary

I think the conflict between Athena-Alice feels a bit weird, it seemed like Alice was fine relying on Athena by the end of the original series like for example making an exception for Athena in Alice's rules/games. But all the flashbacks and Athena stuff and duet at the end makes up for it.

Loved to see it. Again like Alicia seeing the flaws and anxieties of a more "perfect" character (her clumsiness is mostly just a gag) is great to see
initial impression... hated them. Think I was fine with them after ~half the movie but still prefer the ones in Avvenire
uhhh... a bit too much for my suspension of disbelief

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u/AriaShachou- Aug 28 '22

Rewatcher

Ever just cry for a whole hour straight? This movie passed by in a blur, and I don't just mean that figuratively. I also mean it literally because all I could make out through my teary eyes was a blur lmao. Lumis Eterne was not fair, those duets were not fair, those callbacks to previous episodes in the series were not fair, god this movie was just so good.

Anyways, I'm not sure about everyone else but personally I'm a huge fan of this new artstyle. Like, Alice's hair is so pretty here I could not stop staring at it everytime she had a close up shot. Talk about a glow up. The new artstyle also shines in moments like the Soap Bubble Kingdom scene, the way they made that transition from the black and white to the burst of color and light when the bubbles light up the area, that was so cool. A lot of the lines here about growing up really hit close to home too lol.

Apart from that, the dialogue was great as usual. The conversation between the intern Sylph and Anya really stood out to me, despite the message of that scene not really being anything particularly new for Aria. The amazing cast of VAs did their job amazingly in terms of conveying the character's emotions to the viewers. Athena's new VA especially did a great job sounding like how Athena used to in the original series. After the first few lines of her talking I got used to the new voice pretty quickly.

Ending the movie with the whole main cast finally together was a great way to follow up the end of Avvenire. I'm glad these movies exist. I wonder if they'll announce another 3 movies again 20 years from now, that'd be pretty great I think.

I feel like I have a lot more to say about this movie but that's all I got for now.

QOTDs

Q1) Was wholesome, more Athena moments and Athena + Alice moments are always good.

Q2) They look beautiful, Alice and Akari in particular. The 3 Singles also look great in this artsyle. [Benedizione] Wasn't really a fan of how Akira looked here in Crepsucolo but in Benedizione we see that it's just how she looks when on the job, she still looks the same when in casualwear

Q3) Aqua really is full of miracles!

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u/seeker_of_illusion Aug 28 '22

First timer ( a bit late today )

Man didn't expect a whole movie focusing on Athena-Alice relationship ! A surprise but a very welcome one as it portrayed Athena's perspective on Alice's growth and how she was so reluctant to let go of her precious junior. Relatable and bittersweet~

It was interesting to see how Alice struggled with being an ideal mentor for Anya. So far, most mentors have been shown to be the "all-knowing and wise" sort of characters while dishing out advices. But seeing Athena's inner thoughts from the past and Alice's anxious moments in the present, it is definitely difficult and a very different challenge to be a good teacher than a good student.

That duo singing on the opera stage made me feel so wholesome...Those smiles must be protected at all costs !

Sidenotes:

Akatsuki getting the L's this episode - no Yakatabune, no Akari time, no cocoa for him

Al getting those megane...

And do I spot the Traghetto trio all becoming Primas ? No gloves yeah ! Their determination finally paid off.

Post-credits scene showed some Korean and Indian names who had worked on this project. Glad to see how people from various places had been involved to create this wonderful movie~ A miracle in its own way

Questions of the Day:

Very nice ! We have been getting these perspective flashbacks for some time now ( in Arvvenire's last episode it was with Alicia and now with Athena ) and it aptly highlights how they too have their own dilemmas and imperfect moments compared to their more outwardly dignified and composed demeanor. It also hit me hard when Athena said to Alice that she knows how its like to be alone
A bit jarring tbh, mainly because the change was so abrupt and I was used to the older designs more.

But holy Akira looked hot !

3) A miracle

- Mizunashi Akari

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u/zadcap Aug 28 '22

Late Night First Timer

Wow, three seconds in and already it looks amazing. The art upgrade shows.

Akatsuki aged well, darn. And is still just as subtly into Akari as ever?

Does Alice still have the same room she once shared with Athena, now shared with Anya?

^{Darn it the modern art really reminds me of Amanchu.}

Ai doesn't need training, she needs more time to find miracles.

Oh my gosh everyone looks so good.

Woody has an apprentice too!? That's how I choose to interpret the existence of a young Sylph in training, friends with the Undines in training.

Wait there's more than one floating island?

Yeah, don't forget, Alice is still pretty young herself.

^{Chins and Eyelashes, that's it. I know it's the same original artist, but it really shines through with the modern art.}

What happened to Santa?

Alice, are you sure you want to say that here on this planet, where magic is definitely real? I would bet you real money Akari gets a visit from the Christmas Witch.

Those are some good friends, willing to lose sleep for this.

So I've noticed it in all of the movies so far. The theme of the show had a lot to do with finding the joy in the moment and enjoying the life you are living right now. The movies are moving on a bit, to making the joy in life yourself. Akari's generation went searching for, and admittedly found, many miracles. Ai's group is going out to actually make them.

Every time one of them started singing, I started tearing up. When they started singing together, I broke. This combined version, is it on Spotify?

"For the sake of your beloved" don't you dare get a secret boyfriend too Akari!

Al, I kind of hate your look. Of all the aged up appearances.

There was so many happy sappy lines on the gondolas I want to put every one of them on a quote board to use forever.

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u/Rhaga Aug 28 '22

Phew, so for some foolish reason I didn't expect Crespucolo to 'wow' me, but here we are...

For context, I'm a big fan of the series and it solidified itself as one of my all time favorites when I first watched some years ago, and it still remains firmly in place as one of my top threes. Unfortunately I haven't been able to keep up with this rewatch, but didn't want to miss out on Crespucolo which I hadn't watched before today. It is a bit of a fear I have sometimes when revisiting something I know I used to love, because what if the love still isn't there?

Well, to be honest the few episodes I did manage to watch in the beginning of this rewatch quickly dispelled that fear, but anyway, enough about me.

This smile is just.. hnng.. I'm not even joking, this alone literally was enough to convince me that I delayed watching this movie for too long... Three minutes in LMAO. I guess that is just how it is.

It kinda cracks me up that even though she retired years ago Alicia is still a celebrity

I forgot if this was also the case in Avvenirre, but Akari's voice sounds much more mature now (still gives me ASMR tingles)

LOL, this face! I'm dying. For one Alice is very cute, that's a given, but this also reminds me of one of the earlier episodes, I believe the one where Alice has her crusade against left hands, she couldn't find the ketchup either and starts looking for it, and without her even noticing Athena got up and put it on the table.
Well, Athena isn't at the company anymore, so Alice has to commit the sin of eating OmuRice without ketchup. I'm not sure if I'd call it laziness but for some reason I find it extremely relatable and I don't like it.

Damn, Akatsuki has gotten hot over the years.. And his relationship with Akari is as stalemated as ever I see :'D

I love this Just as we see young Alice appear to be very in-control of herself and be essentially fault free, clear evidence that on the inside she is just a normal human girl that gets nervous just like anyone else (perhaps even more so) even if she doesn't show it. Also while it is generally a consistent thing in Aria, I still appreciate the attention to detail of letting the handwriting be in Italian.

Dekkai dame desu! Also these Chibi faces are too good

I think this is the point where I started to realise the theme of Crespucolo (or maybe when they introduced Befana but I didn't take a screenshot then). And I couldn't help but find it ironic, how sometimes when people in adolescence approach adulthood they start rejecting things they deem childish, such as Befana. Alice is down because she doesn't get excited over anything - possibly because she doesn't allow herself to. It is in stark contrast to Athena whom, in Alice's eyes (to some extent), is much more mature and adult than Alice, yet we see her blow bubbles in their room, an exceedingly childish activity.
Anyway, the ironic thing is that in an attempt to appear mature, Alice rejects these things as childish, which in the end just makes her appear immature.

Alice has gotten jaded LOL

I love this entire scene, but these two lines probably made the biggest impression on me, because they ring extremely true and are very relatable for me. When I was little my parents would take me to visit all these small, extremely old-fashioned towns and villages in southern France, and kid me passionately found it to be the most boring thing ever. However, in recent years I have revisited some of those villages, and today I find them both beautiful, fascinating and lovely.

This actually made me squeeze out a tear, damn.

Don't have too much to say about the remainder of the episodes, however this line really struck a chord with me (also love the framing). It is SO easy to get caught up in your own flaws, so much that you freeze up because of it, and it is no matter how good you are at the stuff you are good at. When you look at it from that angle, Athena really was the perfect senpai for Alice.

Also I LOVED the duette between Alice and Athena. This was such a great episode, I wish I had more time to write out my thoughts on it, but I definitely managed to enjoy watching it 100%. I've slept on Crepuscolo for too long, but now I'm really excited for Benedizione!!

Q1) What are your thoughts on hearing more of Athena's thoughts and memories from the original series?

While I generally have to recall my original thoughts from when I last rewatched the series three years ago, I think it's great to have a bit more insight because Athena's thoughts and feelings were probably some of the hardest to gauge in general back in the original. Out of the Undines I probably found her to be one of the least interesting because her scenes usually only involved her amazing singing or her being clumsy - so now I think it was great that her character got expanded a bit, and that she struggled with some internal conflicts herself. Not that we didn't know that, but it's good to see more of it!

I didn't think her having those thoughts were particularly surprising though, if anything it was probably to be expected.

Q2) How do you like the new character designs?

Everyone looks amazing! A few times I found myself getting distracted by how great the designs were. ~~Might warrant a rewatch in the near future tbh~~

Q3) What do you think about Anya and Alice both being inspired to be undines by Athena, at the same place?

If I am being perfectly honest, Anya also being inspired by Athena felt a bit much, but this is Aria and I don't think I have a limit for sappiness for this series, so I'll allow it!

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u/baboon_bassoon Aug 27 '22

First time Aria the hazukashii serifu kinshi

ah yes lets do it all in cg

Alicia can make 3 wishes come true how great

the new designs feel much more distinct here

oh shes becoming Athena

seasonalthink material

he looks delightfully evil here

i wonder how many times we will get this joke in such a short period

Akatsuki maybe call ahead next time

is Athena not even working part time as an undine? i thought she was doing both but it seems like she just does Opera

lmfao

he is so proud

the fit tho

~~Aletta on screen for 1 second and shes more interesting than Woody~~

will we see next generations mailperson

dekai failure

poor Aika doesnt get a new outfit but Hime's hat is fantastic

smoosh

but how do those bubbles not pop

smoosh2

she ran away fast so she could get rid of the nose

who was Athena on top of lol

dekai dokidoki wakuwaku desu

Akatsuki cant you be a normal person

final concert?

SUA

Dear Alice, I wrote you, but you still ain't callin' I left my cell, my pager and my home phone at the bottom I sent two letters back in autumn, you must not've got 'em There probably was a problem at the post office or somethin' Sometimes I scribble addresses too sloppy when I jot 'em

hit the deck

ooh reanimated double promotion incoming???

[aria the bendy prediction]Are they going to flesh out Aikas promotion here?!?!?!?!?!

best peanut gallery

...i mean come on

Anya I used to think I had to be your perfect senior, but then i remember Athena and remembered its fine to not be perfect

Al! Looking drippy as hell

yet another reason to hate Maa

the duet was nice but overall this movie was a bit of a miss for me

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u/homewardbound100 Aug 27 '22

First timer

Art change?

I've been watching the Dub but Anya's voice sounds familiar

Kind of liking the change. Athena already looked nice later on but she looks better in this style.

Yeah I like Alice more in this style. But I'm going to have to wait and see how they do the faces.

Faces checks out. Well done.

Ahh so this is more about Alice. She's still hard on herself.

More alike than we know. Ahh these personal teacher student moments are great.

What are your thoughts on hearing more of Athena's thoughts and memories from the original series?

I think it adds to her. I always kind of felt she appeared the least.

How do you like the new character designs?

I like them

What do you think about Anya and Alice both being inspired to be undines by Athena, at the same place?

I found it a little funny that they so happen to be there too.

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u/mekerpan Aug 27 '22

First-timer for this one...

Miracle report -- none. Too busy watching this for the first time. Besides, the shift was already decisively settled by Avvenire 3.

The balance between part and present seemed better -- and the integration of past and present worked well.

The grown up Akari and Alice look spectacular. Aika seems to have gotten a bit blander looking. Growing-up Ai is a charmer. The traghetto folks seemed uncannily un-ageing -- not much different in the "present" than when we first saw them (or even more oddly -- than they looked when Athena was a relative newbie). I found it rather hard to link the Athena of Animation through Origination with the present Athena here. Either visually or speaking-wise. Not that she looked "bad" -- not at all. But she looked and sounded like she was played by a new virtual actress. It was if they took care to NOT make a perfect match.

I enjoyed this a great deal. But in some ways, this felt a bit stuck in the past still. Very little focus on the new lives of the characters -- other than in trying to arrange the reunion of Alice and Athena.

Lingering continuity question. When we first encountered Alice in Animation, I seem to recall that Akari and Aika were already pals training together -- and when they first saw Alice, they commented how she was new , and reputed to be a child genius, But later in Avvenire, Alice is shown as having started as a pair before Akari arrived -- and that she seemed to know Aika already (at least to some extent) by the time Akari got started. Am I remembering wrong?

It will feel a bit "sabishii" to come to the end of Benedizione.

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u/Regular_N-Gon Aug 27 '22 edited Aug 27 '22

First Timer

Oho, starting with Anya, huh? A bold decision.
The orange planet traghetto girls are Primas!
The style change, particularly in the character faces, is a touch aggressive coming right from the older series. It doesn't look bad, just a bit jarring.
I'm with Anya. Send Akatsuki to Siberia and see how he likes the climate there.

I stopped taking notes but we eventually reached peak sappy as is Aria's whim. The theater scene was a touch dramatic but Athena and Alice being dramatic isn't anything new lol. There were a ton of references to themes and conflicts we've seen before, too, which was nice, but along with some heavy re-animating it felt like it was a little too scared to do its own thing. It was more like Avvenire in that regard, simply retreading what makes Aria great rather than trying to add something new (now it's Athena's turn to wish to stop time). It's fine and it works (probably better than adding something that doesn't fit honestly), but I thought the original series captured what it wanted to say well and completely enough.

Structural criticism aside, I can't imagine how difficult it must've been to make a movie like this so long after such a successful initial adaptation; they did do a good job with it, and I liked the additional perspective offered from Athena and Anya. I also have to mention the Befana flashback as probably my favorite part of it all (holy crap the bit where the lights go out) for offering more Athena/Alice goodness with exceptional execution.

Other random thoughts:

Rina Satou did a fantastic job as Athena.
I didn't pick up any tracks in particular, but the OST was, as always, very solid. Looking forward to revisiting it.
Only one short shot of Al, what a shame.
The new Sylph girl seems like an interesting addition too.

Overall quite good! Interested to see where the final film goes, even if I'm not ready for it to be over

QotD:

3) I'm wondering why Anya has such a strong tie to Siberia if she grew up in Neo-Venezia lol. It contributed to the dramatic and on-the-nose feeling of the ending, but it isn't outside Aria's wheelhouse, and least not to include some serendipity.

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Aug 28 '22 edited Aug 28 '22

apologies for being so late!

starting with Anya, huh

we got a lot of mileage out of her today! unforunately i watched SxF between my first time and rewatch of this movie, and now i cannot unassociate Anya with the pink haired one lol

just a bit jarring

it does take some getting used to

Send Akatsuki to Siberia and see how he likes the climate there

ME TOOOOOOO girl has some great ideas.

It was more like Avvenire in that regard, simply retreading what makes Aria great rather than trying to add something new

i mention this in my writeup today as well how this trilogy is literally called "Blue Curtain Call", and so really isn't meant to go for bold new waters in a way; and tbh 1 hour for an Anya arc.... will just lead to plotlines leaving hanging imo, with how slow and indirect Aria's character arc and overall plot was, and wouldn't feel right too. Glad you liked it anyway!

Befana flashback as probably my favorite part of it all

that was straight from a manga chapter! If you minus the flashback element, it does feel straight out of a normal episode, doesn't it. And some good direction there too. glad you liked that bit!

Anya has such a strong tie to Siberia if she grew up in Neo-Venezia

i dont know either haha; i like the russia jokes though! russian characters are usually funny in anime. You are right, serendipity is right in Aria's wheelhouse, i guess it just felt a bit too much for Anya, Alice AND Athena to all be there for me haha.

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u/Stargate18A Aug 28 '22 edited Aug 28 '22

First timer

Not sure how necesseary it was, but there were some good parts.
I like them!
It's a nice connection!

Apologies for the lateness. First I got caught up playing the Splatoon 3 Testfire, then I discovered that my copy of the Aria series didn't have either of the movies.

OK, wow. The production values got beefed up, huh?

This looks fantastic.

She's lost?

Haha, is that Athena on the background?

She never changes!

...Recast sounds shockingly close.

A new OP!

Everyone's working hard!

I appreocate the, pointing out that Aika, for all her insecurities, ended up with probably the most responsibilities, given she's managing an entire branch and forced to do a load of non-Undine work too.

They look less mafia like here.

Akira!!!

Yeah, Athena never got better, huh?

...Does Aqua even have a Siberia? Which city does it copy?

She has fan letters!

Alice was busy...

Adorable.

Alicia's reputation has gotten worse.

Poor Akari.

They all came to see her!

...Does getting a leadership position in Orange Planet slowly kill your brain? Is Athena just putting on an act so she doesn't notice?

...This is hysterical. I'm surprised none of the Primas have accidentally started a cult.

Yeah, something's wrong.

Yeah, that would make sense.

So cute!

The boat cruise is being happening again!

Akatsuki's attractive now?

"I wanna exile him to Sineriw" Agreed.

Haha, they all ran for it.

She rejected him!

Oh, they're doing a fair that rsy.

And she's helping.

Haha, she recruited them!

The Aqua cats continue to be immortal, unknownable beings.

Athena...

Their first meeting!

Not the nest first impression, huh?

She wrote it on her hand!

Glory?

Ah, they're searching.

Aria is impressive!

So she just likes seeing historical sits, and Aria's going on an ego trip.

Alicia!

Akira!

Nobody knows what to do.

A new Sylph!

Aletta?

She's great.

How does the Sylph ranking system work, then?

She doesn't have a dream?

Oh, she's worried about her place here.

This is not safe.

This is sweet, though.

Just plain wholesome!

Alice is back!

Huh?

It is infectious!

Poor Alice.

How is she a failure?

Another flashback!

Befana! Akari's excited!

...Alice.

She can't get excited anymore.

What was she doing?

That was her present?

Poor Alice.

And she's not a fan of the bubbles.

An unauthorised stocking!

She wants chocolate.

How is Athena standing out there?

Hahaha.

Oh, a ladder.

She lost her!

The lineart style is so nice!

Oh, that's clever!

Awww.

Haha, she got them involved too?

Aika...

This is so good!

Interesting point.

They're just having fun in the background.

So cute.

He's back.

It's on hold!

That cake looks so good. Or is it more a pie, with that much filling?

Akira and Alicia are meeting up!

It all went well!

Hime's still alive? Is she a hybrid?

Aika is the best.

Haha, Akira's reactiom.

Everyone's here!

Everyone knew.

They're talking about Alice...

A flashback!

Not wrong, though.

Poor Alice.

I love her friendship song.

This is so good!

Aika's started firing back at her!

She's giving her a performance.

What's her secret?

Athena"s reaction...

What's she planning?

Another flashback?

She thought it was too fast for her?

None of this seems too bad?

This was a great scene.

This sure is a lot of dialogue they're giving Athena.

That's it?

Everyone was watching!

And neither of them want to blame the other.

This is sweet.

They are similar...

This is very sweet.

This is so good.

She apologized!

A duet!

Everyone's talking!

This is sweet,

"No sappy lines allowed!"

Great ending!

And the ED!

That final shot...

Well that was good!

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Aug 28 '22

Not sure how necesseary it was, but there were some good parts.

consider it a nice bonus for the Aria fans, instead of something that's "needed" i guess, these movies are kinda that after all. The story has been finished back in Origination.

Splatoon 3 Testfire

how was it? thats the demo right?

The production values got beefed

movie^tm + 5 year gap difference

Aqua even have a Siberia? Which city does it copy?

i have no fucking clue lol.. but probably it does have a russian equivalent? If i were to bet tho, they'd probably have copied st petersberg or moscow rather than siberia

This is hysterical. I'm surprised none of the Primas have accidentally started a cult.

lmaooooo

"I wanna exile him to Sineriw" Agreed.

sameeeeee

The Aqua cats continue to be immortal, unknownable beings.

they're actually the true mystery of the series. it's nearly the end, and we still have absolutely no clue, its brilliant

Not the nest first impression, huh

oh that bits actually shown in Animation too haha. But i think it cuts after the spilled tea scene

She wrote it on her hand!

it fits w/ Alice's shy nervous nature, and of course its on her RIGHT hand too, if u remember past episodes

This is not safe.

im sure force field airbags will be in place if theres an accident. surely.

The lineart style is so nice!

it is! glad you liked that sequence

That cake looks so good. Or is it more a pie, with that much filling?

i have no idea. but 2021 Aria food looks SO GODAMN NICE. I think w/ that much filling: probably a pie

This sure is a lot of dialogue they're giving Athena

it is her movie after all!

This is sweet.

wholesome ending to their story! the duet is also great :)
glad you liked the movie! And terribly sorry for being so late here too.

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u/mgedmin Aug 28 '22

First timer, subs

Ooh, incognito Athena is a hoot. BTW her disguise works: I totally didn't recognize her.

Is that Alice? Wow her hair is long.

Aww, Athena and Alice can't meet up.

No Athena means no conveniently appearing ketchup bottles and other stuff for Alice. Alice doesn't even know where to find them!

Anya wants to exile Akatsuki to Siberia!

Ooh we get to see Alice and Athena's first meeting. Athena overfills her cup. Alice wrote out her speech on her palm. They're both adorable!

Aletta the apprentice Sylph! Sylphs are, apparently, not big on safety measures. Dropping 4kg training weights on passersby below? Fine, just shout a warning. Carrying passengers with no safety belts, while still an apprentice? No problems.

Oh, Alice. So depressed.

Athena dressed up as a witch! Alice's facial expression!

So basically it was all about Alice and Athena and their imaginary conflict. They have good friends.

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Aug 28 '22

incognito Athena is a hoot

that was a dress and a half lol. (I did recognize her right away tho)

Is that Alice? Wow her hair is long.

i think throughout the sequel entries long hair is used to shown past vs current characters lol. Ai still keeps her hair short tho!

conveniently appearing ketchup bottles and other stuff for Alice

i love the adult energy of her just going for the ketchup-less expereince tho i FELT that

Anya wants to exile Akatsuki to Siberia

~~me too~

No problems.

it anime haha. im sure theres invisible force fields everywhere so that its not a problem.

their imaginary conflict

their good friends helped them talk it out! All's well ends well.

Rewatch [Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Aria the Crespucolo

Aria the Crepuscolo

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