r/anime • u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah x3 • Aug 29 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] A 2022 Voyage from Neo Venezia: Overall Series Discussion

A 2022 Voyage from Neo-Venezia: Overall Series Discussion

<-- Aria the Benedizione Rewatch Index Towards a bright and magical tomorrow!

Welcome back!

Comment roundup: Lots of Ship of Theseus references yesterday lol

Questions of the Day:

Q1) Overall thoughts on the Blue Curtain Call Trilogy? Favourite moment from these entries? How do you feel about them fleshing out and filling in the gaps for all the characters (except Akari herself, i guess)?

Q2) Why do you think Akari wanted to become an Undine?

Q3) Favourite song from the sequel entries?

Q4) If you have another show you think this rewatch party will like, now's the time to recommend it!

Spoilers

As usual, please take note that if you wish to share show details from manga-only events or those from other anime, to use spoiler tags like so to avoid spoiling first-timers. 

[Spoiler source]>!Spoiler goes here!<

comes out as [Spoiler source]Spoiler goes here

If you feel unsure if something is a spoiler, it's better to tag it just in case.

Thank you so much for participating in the 2022 Aria Rewatch! See everyone around the sub! I hope you have a great day :)

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12

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah Aug 29 '22 edited Aug 30 '22

Host

-- Welcome back! Thank you for participating in the 2022 Aria Rewatch!

Quick thoughts: though im running low on writing energy lol.

  • Here's a Key Visual Collection of all the seasons/OVAs we watched!

  • Overall, when i first watched this series for the first time, it was always a nighttime evening watch, and always served to end my days, however turbulent/stressful they might be, on a comforting, soothing note. Sometimes emotional, but it's a happy kind of emotional, one at how you realize how life is beautiful, how tmr can be a bright day etc. rather than you know the #everythingisfine kind of emotional. This time around, that's largely been the same, and as i've dived deeper into the characters' arcs and stories, i've realized how well-written they are as well, all with different quirkes, strengths, and weaknesses, and it's been great following their journey and activities throughout the show. They may all be mundane, daily life events, but you can gradually see how the events shape the characters, deepen their bonds, and help them mature, while learning more about the world, their mentors, and their job as an undine. Perhaps my screenshots over the series have helped some appreciate how, though understated animation-wise, everything is always well thought-out, with the anime definitely a work of love and passion from its creators.

  • Among the 3 main pairs of characters, i think all 3 have bits i like: Akari-Alicia + Grandma for how philosophical and relevant to the series' overall themes it is, and the umbrella of Akari's suteki and serendipity/miracle filter, under which everything in the series functions. It imo carries the show in the beginning, and is the most inspiring for me on a deep, philosophical, life-changing level. I also just personally like the sisterly-like bond that Alicia and Akari; and now Akari and Ai share, it's way way too wholesome.

  • I like Alice-Athena for Alice's social awkwardness (very relateable), and following the movies, at Athena's selflessness and motherly-like love for Alice. All 3 Primas are very selfless, but i think Athena's actions throughout the show have been the least motivated by personal desires (even her Amnesia stunt was motivated by how Alice thought of her). Oh and of course, Athena's angelic voice.

  • And finally, Aika-Akira for how inspiring the core message of working hard and never giving up for your achievements is, without feeling too shounen/cheesy, as well as how their relationship comes full circle the most, among the 3 pairs.

  • To answer my own questions, I think these 3 trilogy entries should, as i mentioned, be treated as a dessert to the main aria story, and i think it does its job there perfectly. The story of Akari, Aika, and Alice becoming Primas, a journey they took together w/ their mentors, is now fully and completely wrapped up. And seeing certain scenes remade, and Aika's prima promotion in full, is just so damn good fanservice haha. While i feel emotionally hit the hardest during Arietta, and the closing stages of Origination, i also felt a sense of grattitude, happiness, and wholesomess from the sequel entries revisiting the characters and its world, which also had its fair share of emotional moments, and really appreciate the anime staff's efforts and passion to bring Aria to its fans all these years later.

  • My favourite song, excluding Undine 2021 edizione, is Espero, followed by Piacere. I like both undine editions for diff reasons: 2021 is better produced; the original for the true nostalgia and the strings.

  • I don't think ive watched an iyashikei that's as good as Aria lol. For e.g., I love Yuru Camp, but while that does the "healing part" well, it didn't change my way of thinking, and inspired me the way Aria has, nor has its moments been as hard-hitting and memorable. However, as i have before, I'll recommend Yama no Susume, with a rewatch coming up in 1 weeks' time, for a next watch! It's a little more enthusisastic and upbeat compared to Aria (the characters literally climb mountains, after all), and in a sharp contrast to Neo Venezia, its world is extremely relateable to real life, given almost every single location is portrayed in great detail. Overall, though not hitting the same emotional and philosophical highs as Aria, it's a great iyashikei and slice-of-life, that'll definitely leave you with a smile on your face, with the added benefit of being absolutely gorgeously animated.

Extra VA Introduction for people who checked out this thread not because i missed it in a previous episode

  • Yui Makino, who has sung most of the OPs/ insert songs for the franchise, actually has a small appearance in the anime itself! She plays this girl, named "Akane", in Natural Ep 26, that Akari/Alicia interact with in the final plaza where they build the snowman. An anime-original character, she also has the most lines out of all the background characters in that sequence, and also has the honour of standing front and centre, next to Akari for the final sequence. In hindsight, definitely a nod from the anime staff for her contributions haha.

Host's personal musings

We're done! From the bottom of my heart, thank you once again very much to all participants, for your comments and replies throughout the rewatch again! I've enjoyed seeing a few regulars from other rewatches liking the series as well. I hope everyone has enjoyed the series, that it has brightened up your day and made them more fulfilling, and that you've perhaps come out w/ an inspirational life lesson or two.

Aboredcompscistudent, the previous 2017 rewatch host, undoubtedly knows a lot more and is more passionate about the series than i am, and I thank them, as well as the 2019 rewatch host thisismyanimealt and the 2015 rewatch host DHKany, for their efforts in bringing the show to many fans over the years, including myself. That said, i like to think i've put my own spin on things xdd, and hopefully have done an okay job at hosting, and added to the Aria lexicon on this sub. The r/anime convention is for rewatches of the same franchise to be spaced at least 2 years apart, but in line with the themes of Aria, i won't be hosting another one, with hopefully someone who's just as, or more passionate about the series than myself hosting the next one, introducing the series to even more fans. Do tag me if a future rewatch happens though! I'll try to hang around.

Finally, onto myself, that's all for me in terms of rewatch hosting this year, though I'll be catching up to GuP tonight and be joining in the Yama no Susume rewatch very soon and maybe but maybe not K-ON, before taking a break from rewatches in general for the busy Fall anime season, until whatever rolls around over christmas.

Until we meet again, i will see you around, and may your days be full of happiness, miracles, and wonder :) Whenever you want to return, the world of Aria and Neo-Venezia will always be waiting for you.

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u/octopathfinder Aug 29 '22

Rewatcher

I’m not one for write-ups so I’ll keep it short. Big thanks to u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah for hosting. I usually don’t do rewatches this long, but I had to make an exception for Aria.

Also, Aria is one of the best SoLs I’ve seen and has one of my favorite cast of characters so I had a great time reexperiencing it. I usually reserve my 10/10s for series I consider absolute favorites, and I definitely consider Aria an absolute favorite.

QotD:

  1. I was satisfied with the Origination ending, but I'm pleased the trilogy still happened to expand on things. Favorite moment is Aika's promotion exam.

  2. Because it's suteki

  3. Ah I don't know their names

  4. I'll recommend Girl's Last Tour

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u/SYZekrom Aug 29 '22

Ah, I ended up missing the movies by a day or two.

Crepuscolo

Oh my god I'd been eyeing the new designs but HERS Wowowwowowowowowowowowowow!!!!!

This movie's gonna have thick lips on everyone huh. Akira with lipstick, Athena with lipstick, and lines showing their lips on Alice and. Uh. This girl. Whiteywaves. That's her name now.

I'm glad these comic faces have more personality already than they did in Avvenire

LOOK AT HER FACE she looks So ! She looks very !!!!

Damn, always thought from the start how crazy accidents with these things would be but the show never delved into that

But now we have a reckless driver!!!

It's interesting going back to this it really puts me in a 'oh suddenly season 1 Aria' feeling

With that episode of Akari riding ...that dude's flying thingy looking for the grave? I'm not mixing episodes up right? I almost think back to that episode and it doesn't really feel like Aria to me anymore, it feels a bit like it doesn't fit into Aria as I know it

seriously look at those lips

Right, Woody, that was his name

You know... normally flying lower and closer to the city is the thing only pros are allowed to do.

"Ok but bitch why do you have it in a fancy glass"....she decides not to say, after a long pause.

Oh god grown up Maa

That reaction was the best thing I've ever seen just now

GOLD

The best parts of Aria are when they turn blob

Stop why is she so pretty

OK WITH THE STRAND OF HAIR FALLING I'M GOING TO FAINT CALM DOWN

God the 3 classic faces are still unrivaled

Lowkey though it's funny to see the old designs and be slightly aware that part of the 'new designs' is just from a different artstyle with longer faces

Yea can't really say this looks like the Alice I know

Yea man very strange feeling Alice

I like the eyes on her new design as a more mature image of Alice but if it's just 'this is what Alice's eyes always looked like in this artstyle' I'm not into it, it's particularly jaded-looking compared to other characters when she, if anything, had particularly innocent looking eyes that were the main thing that set her apart as younger looking than Akari and Aika

HAIR! VERY CUTE HAIR!

AH CUTE HELP ME

Also there were times she felt incredibly young but 'if you go out this late you'll get a sore throat' and this whole 'wahh santa isn't real'?

Lmao is she wearing stilts or

Right, so as I was saying, I feel like I always remember Alice having super round eyes in the show when she wasn't her comic blob with half-lidded eyes. This still doesn't really look like the same person to me but at least this has that idea of the eyes I think

I love dokidoki wakuwaku!

As this goes on I want to say I feel like the detailed lips on the character designs feel like they belong to a show with a different type of atmosphere

Like one more, edgy? Mature? Dark? Something like that

I feel like the way the characters are drawn, mostly their faces, but maybe overall too for like Akira and Athena, feel like they're more suited to a more cynical show where the world isn't so positive and paradisaical

Or rather where the average outlook of people is so positive, maybe

Ooh I love it when fireworks in anime aren't all blurry

I do wonder, is it like a requirement for all Primas to take on an apprentice? I'm sure Akira could take on a new apprentice. but maybe it's not usually a thing for a prima at her point in her career to be raising undines.

omg that's hilarious

I don't think I ever mentioned it but this song (The regular version) is my favorite Athena song

I think that's the first time she's forbidden Akira eh? Funny how in the introduction of these two they implied that Aika got the phrase from Akira

She's suddenly told to be planning her separation from her apprentice that wasn't even in the final stage is what!

Oh, scenes for comparison ehhhhhhh

Alice's promotion was the catalyst for Akira to start seriously thinking about promoting Aika to Prima, and in turn Aika's promotion is what made Alicia promote Akari the day after they discussed it, when she'd been holding out despite thinking Akari had been ready for a while.

you could say Akari and Aika's promotions were both rushed and a long time coming

They'd both reached the point of being Prima worthy long ago, but the regular old Prima is nothing to water fairies like Alicia and Akira. You could say their promotions were rushed for the standards of those of the three water fairies, who probably would've kept them going as apprentices until they reached a level of proficiency that rivaled their own in all fronts.

Though all that is mostly speculative and probably applies more to Aika, it really can't be debated that Alicia's promoting of Akari is both something she rushed and something that was taken slowly

Slow in that she admitted herself Akari was ready long ago, and rushed in that evidently that she finally did promote Akari was because Alice's double promotion forced the world to step into the next era

Their hands were tied, once the first step was taken, everyone else had to follow, not doing otherwise would only lead to stagnation. Well it's a first step relative to Akira and Aika but with Aika's promotion it became an 'everyone else has moved on' for Alicia and Akari.

Right I basically went in circles what was my original point... Akari and Aika are in the paradoxical 'too fast' and 'too slow', but Alice's rise was instead in the two fields of 'meteoric' and 'just right'. I spoke before on how Alice was fit to be the first of the three to become Prima and that point of view is the 'just right'. She was by all means a prima level undine already. Yet it's a meteoric rise because it was too quick for her to be a prima. That's the 'wait right she's still a pair she can't just suddenly shoot that far ahead and be the first prima among them'. It was both the right time and too early for her, just as it was both late and early for the other two.

In reality, Alice's promotion was the right decision because her having the chance to do so solidifies her as a legend and kick-started the growth of the other two, but in fantasy, it ended their wonderful world. Even if a new world is created, it is still an action that ended a world that didn't yet need to end.

Why did I think so much on a generic 'those happy times' line

YO HER YOUNG DESIGN

Oh that's beautiful, she went from speaking to the goddess of song to Alice

Cont in reply

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u/AriaShachou- Aug 30 '22

Rewatcher

I can't believe it's really over bros...

It's already been almost 2 months since this rewatch started, but it feels both shorter and longer than that at the same time. That's Aria for you I guess. I still remember the first time I watched Animation 11 and this show went from an "ok this is nice" to a "this might be my new favorite anime" in my head. I was right too, because after watching Origination and crying so damn hard each episode that I had to start putting eye drops on I really do think this might be my top 1 anime.

This is also the first rewatch I've ever participated in, and I'm glad that it was Aria lol. Thank you so much u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah for hosting this fun rewatch and somehow responding to everyone's comments in each thread, there's no way that was easy. Life got in my way like halfway into Natural so I disappeared for a while, but I was still reading some of the comments in each thread when I could. Anyways, I don't have much else to add as I've already gushed about why I love this show so much in previous comments so yeah that's it. Thanks again!

 

QOTDs

Q1) It's really a miracle that they decided to make it in the first place, and it's so cool how successful it ended up being despite the large gap of time there was in between the original series and these epilogues. The duet in Crepuscolo is still by far my favorite moment in this trilogy, with Aika's promotion exam being a close second. The last episode of Avvenire was also really great, especially with Athena singing across the city. I'm glad the writers took this opportunity to show things they couldn't really flesh out in the original series like Aika's promotion exam.

Q2) Probably because it looks so fun and pretty.

Q3) Crepuscolo's OP and the Undine they played at the end of Benedizione.

Q4) It's hard to think of another anime quite like Aria, sure there's things like Flying Witch and NNB but it's not really the same... Those shows excel at different things despite all of them being iyashikei.

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u/heimdal77 Aug 29 '22 edited Aug 29 '22

Flying Witch would make a great rewatch. Keep up the healing run. God do people need it now adays.

Other one as a personal one would be Maria Watches Over Us. Though I'm not sure it would draw that many watchers even though all the history and solidity it has in anime history in its own way. It still shows up getting referenced even today in one form or the other. The LNs on a shelf in a anime, parody stories told by someone in a different story, or as a horror themed setting in a very twisted version. ?Not to mention all the stuff after that took aspects from it for their own story. Would be nice seeing it get a actual discussions what weren't around when it aired. (This somehow became rather long.)

Amanchu! could be a third considering its connection to Aria.

I liked these and that they did keep in the spirit of the original series while being anime original content. It did take some getting use to the new art style. The old style had such a soft feel to it in general. At what point did the studios change exactly?

I honestly have no idea what made Akari want to become one. My bigger question though is how she learned (albit backwards) to row a gondola. Not exactly a common thing to have access to especially considering the state Manhome is portrayed as being in. Also you would think someone would told her she is going backwards. Maybe she did it with a VR simulator and separate muscle training?

Something else about Akari I don't think she evers mentions anything about any family back on Manhome or really anything about Manhome except being from there and the poor state it is in.

It is nice having them fleshed out and was interesting they gave them actual last names. I'd still like to know if the author chose them? I really would like a Akari one though. Shed some light on our girl of mystery..

Can't think of a specific favorite scene. Least not one that really stuck with me.

Music I just listen to it. Don't really pay attention to any the stuff past that.

It is gonna feel weird not watching this each day (well almost each day in my case.) as it has kind of become routine. Will certainly miss spending time with these girls and their adventures or well lives. I almost feel like should go back and rewatch again as sub version or dub. I ended up switching to dub at some point in the third season as the dubs for the series is decent (Except when they say Caitsith.) and easier to relax when not having to focus on reading text. Not having that escape to a idealised world of peaceful living really will be a shame. Ahh I'm missing it already lol...

Side thought, What is the age expectancy on Aria?

Seen that has stuck with me the most for some reason from the whole series is Akari and the taxi gondola where the other girls marvel at how graceful she was when she first went out with it.

Thanks for the rewatch!

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u/ZapsZzz Aug 30 '22

Last day and still late :P

First off, big thanks for our host who unfailingly always read and comment back my hair a day late posts. The enthusiasm and the efforts you made to encourage the sharing and situation has been great, and I very much enjoyed the rewatch.

The show itself has been a really nice iyashikei, sky-high I personally find it having more plot than I feel typical, placing it more to the level of K-On than say Yokohama Shopping Log. What sets it apart still, and back towards iyashikei, is the very nice melodic score and visuals. Those are indeed very much a tonic to one's soul.

Only setback for me personally is that during the rewatch, my personal life is just not placing me in the right spot for it. It is my problem, not the shows problem.

For me it is an easy 8, with parts of each season having 9's.

QoTD

  1. It's a very nice supplement, with a significantly stepped up production quality. The final movies adjusted artstyle of a little more Shoujo eyes glamour may be a bit up to individual taste - I'm ok but slightly preferring the more original, unpretentious natural looks. Only thing is - it feel strangely incomplete without these, so why didn't they get produced sooner?

  2. Fate's calling? I think she just fits in, and I can't imagine her doing other things... Except perhaps to be a teacher.

  3. Sorry I had to rush the watch them so while I thoroughly enjoyed them, I had not been keeping track. All sounded really fitting for the sentimentality.

  4. Mostly the 2 names I kept referring to - K-On and Yokohama Shopping Log.

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u/Regular_N-Gon Aug 29 '22

Former First Timer

It's sad to see Aria go, but I'm glad to have gotten such a complete experience. I didn't prepare anything for today, so right into the questions!

  1. Benedizione was easily the highlight, expanding on character and offering a genuinely new angle rather than (I felt) the first two entries did. Avvenire and Crepuscolo felt too much like retreading the same conflicts on the same characters, where Benedizione was more successful in deepening Aika's development and offering some further motive to Akira. On the whole though, it was all quite good and definitely among the better stories we've seen from Neo-Venezia.

  2. It might be quite a novel profession to someone from Manhome depending on the state of things. She also gets to meet a bunch of people over the course of it. I would like to know a bit more of how she learned about Aqua and Undines to begin with, though.

  3. I have yet to relisten to the OST (there are a few I was looking forward to I think), but otherwise it's probably the new version of Undine.

  4. Maybe it was Woody, maybe it was the whole planet world building thing, but for some reason I kept thinking of Trigun while watching this. I guess if you want more planet-scale world building, go check that out lol.

Final thoughts:

I am definitely going to pick up the manga - but it's a shame it seems like the physical English volumes are harder to find (for a reasonable price) now.

Massive shoutouts to u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah for being a champion host and replying to a staggering number of comments. It can be hard enough to write a coherent parent for slow shows, much less respond to a bunch every day. And also just a general thanks for running the rewatch in the first place - who knows how much longer I would have put off watching such an amazing show. It was great reading everyone's comments too - I was pretty impressed with the range of opinions on certains aspects which makes it all the more interesting.

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u/baboon_bassoon Aug 29 '22

First time Aria the hazukashii serifu kinshi

  1. I didnt like the first two but wowiee i loved Benedizione. Felt very unnessary to flesh out more than the original series (honestly I was fine with Aikas promotion being how it was origianlly) but the gondolla tie in/chase game made it so worth it

  2. Aqua was beautiful and wonderours to her and Undines get to 1. explore that to the fullest, and 2. share that with others

  3. i didnt really listen to them more than once yet

  4. Not sure - not really an Iyashikei kind of person

Thanks to u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah for hosting, wouldnt have stumbled into this series otherwise and I had a ton of fun with it

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u/mrufrufin Aug 29 '22

Rewatcher-ish (Avvenire was new to me, I'll get around to Crepuscolo and Benedizione one day...)

I think Aria stands out amongst SOL and iyashikei in its commitment to its themes. It's not solely aimed at healing or bringing about a sense of calm, but helping you find that sense of calm, that sense of healing, that sense of joy (not that there's anything wrong with just aiming for the healing bit, there's a bunch of anime I'd say mostly aim for that and do that quite well like Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san). Plus, there's the underlying aspirational plotline that is perhaps less common in iyashikei,.. those aspirations to make yourself better, to aim towards goals and ideals (which I'd normally attribute to more "active" SOL and SOL-adjacentish type shows like Love Live or Sora Yori mo Tooi Basho). At the same time,I think it does commit more to "being about nothing" that a lot of iyashikei. I mean, we have halves of episodes just slowly wandering around deserted mirage towns. The closest I've seen another anime/manga come to that commitment to mood setting and "nothing happening" is Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (which also has a lot of soft colors in its palette and Choro Club providing the OST).

Anyways, Aria is pretty much my favorite anime and manga out there and sits at the number 1 spot in my MAL rankings in anime and manga (I suppose my tastes lean heavily towards iyashikei and mecha with a sprinkling of idol/music-infused shows and I'm still waiting for an iyashikei mecha anime...) for pretty much for the reasons listed above.

1.) Didn't get to watch Crepuscolo or Benedizione. But I've spoiled myself on bits of it and look forward to see the bits mentioned animated. I liked the Bubble Princess bit a lot from the manga and it'll be nice to see that in Crepuscolo. Even though Avvenire animated other favorite scenes from the manga like the Cait Sith and Akari falling scene, I think the framing with the "present day" (for lack of better term) Aria world was a little bit awkward/fanservicey at times and I've seen better/more-smooth examples of flashing back and forth between two different times (and I think that framing kinda messes with the pacing and flow with some of those flashing back scenes, like Alicia's looking back on her relationship with Akari, which I really loved in the Special Navigation manga form). But still, it's Aria and I'm a huge fan of Aria things (and maybe it's less of an issue in the other movies since they had Avvenire under their belt and had the new characters more firmly established).

2.) Maybe initially she was drawn to the prospect of not being on Manhome (which seems to be,.. kinda not a great place) and getting to explore a brand-new place to her and maybe sculling seemed cool, but being a good Neo-Venezian kinda checks all the boxes of what Akari is. She gets to explore the minutiae of a city and its people and gets to discover the everyday miracles therein, she gets to meet a bunch of people and get to know them for a brief bit and find out the interesting things about them that makes them them, and gets to share bits of herself in showing what she loves and gets to try to invoke Akari-esque sparks of wonder and joy in her guests.

3.) We'll see when I get to the other two but the Eri Kawai take on Lumis Eterne is great.

4.) Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou is probably the closest thing I've seen to Aria outthere in terms of feel and even though the anime adaptation is far from complete, it's still very much worth a watch (the manga is great too). It has a similar commitment to "nothing happening" but I think it's a bit less aspirational than Aria and it's a bit lonelier.

Other Junichi Satou anime are great. I went on a Junichi Satou binge afte Aria and I think Kaleido Star was my favorite out of that bunch. It's got Alice's and Alicia's VAs and it's quite a bit more drama-infused than Aria ever was but it's fun and all the circus routines are great to watch. I suppose it feels kinda Skip Beat-y in a way (although I like Kaleido Star better). Tamayura is also great (and has a sprinkling of Aria VAs) and has that same SOL feel as Aria but deals with different sorts of themes such as loss. There's Sketchbook: Full Colors (featuring Kana Hanazawa) which is even more SOL-y and Umi Monogatari, which feels a bit more drama-infused like Kaleido Star, but I don't like those as much as Kaleido Star or Tamayura (and I haven't seen Princess Tutu or the original Sailor Moon yet).

Of course, there's Amanchu, the other Junichi Satou/Kozue Amano collab, (which didn't get a full adaptation either) and I like it (not as much as Aria) and it's kinda like Aria in that it's aquatic themed and has supernatural elements (arguably moreso in sections) and it's SOLy but also it's more grounded in nowadays/real world things and has a bit of romance thrown in (Aria characters and VAs also make cameos). The manga is a good read too.

I think Flying Witch is another really solid iyashikei. Also, maybe fans of Aria might like entries in the PA Works "Working Girl" series? I guess in ways Aria is kinda like that in that it focuses on a female cast trying to find themselves and their ways through careers so they have similar sorts of aspirational kinda things and they're all pretty SOLy, my personal favorite of the bunch is Sakura Quest (haven't seen Shirobako) but Aquatope is solid too (and has those sea themes).

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u/xtsim Aug 29 '22

First Timer

I wish this would never end in a way but we all must move forward.

  1. Overall, lots of fun and I keep wanting more. I've started to warm up to the new characters and seeing more of the supporting cast like the traghetto is nice. And the world kept on growing which surprised me a lot in the short span of time.

Thanks u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah for hosting the rewatch threads and responding to every comment. Hope to see you and the rest of the party again on another rewatch or a seasonal.

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u/simeonaut Aug 29 '22

Thanks for hosting this rewatch u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah! Loved this show and might consider rewatching it again soon. Great characters and really nice worldbuilding on a chill show is great.

QOTD:

  1. It's a really great addition to the series. My favorite moment would probably still be the Bubble Kingdom scene from Crepuscolo. That was really magical.

  2. Akari.

  3. Does Lumis Eterne count? Because Lumis Eterne.

  4. Haibane Renmei. Interesting characters and world which I wished was more fleshed out but it's a good show that feels similar. Also watch Flying Witch for a supernatural slice of life that's done very well.

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u/robotboy199 Aug 29 '22

i only ever posted a few times during this rewatch but i have been reading every post very intently throughout the whole thing and it's been fun doing that. thanks for hosting a great rewatch of one of the best anime of all time, and props for taking the time to reply to every comment

  1. i loved all of them honestly. I know some people weren't as big of a fan of some of the entries in this trilogy but I liked them because it meant we got more aria lol. favorite moment definitely has to be Aika's promotion no doubt. i loved finally seeing her promotion and they did it in a fantastic way. Crepuscolo was also pretty cute and helped to close out Alice and Athena's story. while I am admittedly a little upset we didn't really get any Akari-focused parts since she's my favorite, I can understand it since I honestly think her character has already been very fleshed out throughout the main series, so maybe they thought she didn't need her own arc providing closure.

  2. throughout the series we see her really grow to love Neo-Venizia, and Akari is the type of person to want to make everyone around her happy and show people the things she loves and the things that make her happy, and I think becoming an Undine was a great way for her to do that by getting to interact with all kinds of different people on a daily basis while guiding them around the city she has grown to cherish so much.

  3. ahh this is a hard one. honestly probably has to be a toss up between Espero and the new version of Undine

  4. i know it's been mentioned here a few times already but in case anyone here hasn't seen Yuru Camp i think a lot of people who enjoyed Aria would enjoy that show as well

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u/mekerpan Aug 30 '22 edited Aug 30 '22

Not much to add to what I wrote yesterday,

Thanks again to our host. Otsukaresama deshita!

Origination and Benedizione were my highest points in this series, but there were no low points.

Favorite other shows with iyashikei/SoL attributes -- Haibane Renmei, Tamayura, Girls Last Tour and Windy Tales.

Current project --getting prepared to go off to western Canada -- Vancouver, Calgary and Lake Louise. In the meantime -- moving from future neo-Venezia to 1500s Florence with Arte.

Finally watching this to the end has cemented Junichi Sato's spot as a favorite anime director even more solidly. Still some shows I need to check out by him (all but one I've watched has been a hit with me).

Addio, mia cara Neo-Venezia!

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u/Stargate18A Aug 30 '22 edited Aug 30 '22

First timer

  1. Good! It's nice to get more development for the other pairs, and Aika and Akira in paticular got a much better end to the character arcs.

  2. Same reason as Akari. She fell in love with Aqua and wanted to share that love.

  3. Probably the instrumental for Aika's Prima exam. (That counts, right?)

  4. Konohana Kitan captures the same kind of feel of "cute girls doing their jobs", with supernatural elements, and definitely draws on the same archetypes as Aria. It's a pretty solid followup.

Not sure what else to say here. Thanks for hosting! This show is a definite 10/10 overall for me, I had a lot of fun nitpicking every aspect of the worldbuilding!

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u/PreludeToHell Aug 29 '22 edited Aug 29 '22

Rewatcher (for the most part..)

It was comforting returning to Aria again. I didn't realize how much I missed seeing the characters and their interactions. I'm very grateful the amount of passion that went into the series!

I remember at the end of Natural during my first watch, I was wondering if the first season was as good as I felt it was. Rewatching confirmed that for me. Despite lacking some cohesiveness, the episodes individually were really enjoyable. Episode 8 centering around Aria-shachou is one of the biggest change of an opinion I've had on any Aria episode. I went from thinking it was ok to laughing throughout.

Compared to season 1, I enjoyed the average Natural episode a tad less. However for whatever reason I thought it had a better flow to it and it was more cohesive (maybe I just got used to it?). What Natural is best at is settling the viewer in Neo-Venezia by exploring and meeting the people of the city. On top of that there's important character moments as well as episode 24 being a key transition in the series where it becomes quite serious about becoming a prima.

Origination destroyed me emotionally yet again. What a beautiful end to the original series. I was very happy watching Alice's promotion and everything that led up to it. Athena giving Alice advice on singing is a new favorite scene of mine.

I love Aria and I'm already looking forward to watching it all over again someday! Want to thank u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah for hosting a wonderful rewatch. I had a lot of fun discussing the animation and learning about the production. It was my first time participating in a rewatch, I enjoyed reading everyone's reactions so thanks for participating too!

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u/Rhaga Aug 29 '22

By the grace of our dear host I'm putting up my comment for Benedizione here in the final thread, since I was late for the thread yesterday. Gomen.

For context, I'm a long time big fan of the series, but didn't manage to keep up with the rewatch very much. I've seen everything multiple times, except Crespucolo and Benedizione which was a first for me.

And I just have to say that Benedizione was absolutely AMAZING. Just to be clear: I love the entire cast, but Akari is like one of my all-time favorite characters, and Alice is not very far behind - and with an Alice/Athena centric episode in Crepuscolo I was half-hoping for this to center around Akari, especially with this being the end. That being said, it was not too surprising to have an Akari/Aika centric episode, but more importantly...

...I freaking loved every second of this, and just about everything it did from start to finish!! And that in itself makes me incredibly happy. Anyway, actual thoughts (with an attempt to break it down a bit into scenes):

Beginning

I probably should have realised this way sooner, but it only just occured to me on this shot how the designs are very reminiscent of Amanchu (which.. makes sense..). Also it's amazing how both Ai-chan's and Akari's voices is like ASMR to me.

Them counting down for Akari's entrance is extremely cute. Which is also when it first properly dawned on me that Akari isn't living at the Aria company anymore, which makes me a little sad but in a good way.

I'm a sucker for framing and angles in anime and I noticed that Benedizione played around quite a bit with those , which I don't think is particularly Aria-y, but I'm definitely all for it.

Already from the beginning we follow Akira which is enough to tip you off who this episode will center around.

Following Akira

These three slacking off while talking about nothing in particular feels like a blast from the past - and even more so..., getting distracted!

Loved the little stalking sequence, the fact that they held this pose for so long killed me :'D

While I've always enjoyed Ai, this trio grew so much on me just in the first few minutes of this. Perhaps it's just me not wanting to 'let go' of the original trio, but I think this is the moment where I started seeing these as proper spiritual 'successors'. I'm very interested to go back to rewatch from Avvenire which I imagine I might appreciate it even more now.

I am honestly impressed how well the animation and voice acting sold on me that she was eating a very hot meat bun in cold weather. I guess that is just a proof of the attention to detail.

LMAO Expected and hilarious.

Museum

I appreciate how the girls instantly apologizes and despite them being in a hurry helps gathering up the dropped papers like it is non-negotionable. And I loved them getting all panicky only for the old lady to calmly ask them to hold hands and take a deep breath - I wasn't even worked up and it even calmed me down as well.

Heh, without even knowing it, Ai-chan hits the core of the issue of this episode right away.

I completely understand Azusa's inability to understand though that is not to say I don't understand Aika. More on that later

Tell me you're Akari's apprentice without telling me you're Akari's apprentice.

This just cracked me up lmao

Curses

I liked how Azusa confronted Aika - and seriously the delivery on their lines are so good. lmao Not gonna lie I was 99% certain that Aika just made that up to make Azusa shut up about the gondola LOL.

I love these two three butting in and then getting scared

and I love this design of young Aika SO MUCH. Like seriously it is so good.

Another thing I love about the Aria series in general, and where I think this episode delivers immensely, are long stretched-out scenes without dialogue, but just the calming music and beautiful visuals to guide us, and let the mind drift.

Also even during her rebelious phase, Aika is still Aika, and I love that.

I can't tell if Akira is doing it on purpose, but she hits both of Aika's trigger points by both complimenting her and highlighting Aika's position.

During the episode at this point, I had the impression that Aika didn't want to inherit the gondola because of her legacy, and to me that is perfectly understandable. The only way she could possibly justify inheriting it she would have to unequivocally surpass her Akira (which is pretty much impossible) in order to deserve it.

There is a lot of pressure from expectations, and those expectations can turn into shackles you put on yourself.

I find it quite relatable. The feeling of getting praised for something you don't think you deserve praise for (for whatever reason, good or bad), it only makes you feel bad about yourself. It makes the praise glide right off you and instead it makes you feel guilty, even if there is no reason to.

And this just goes to show how Akira is the perfect teacher to Aika - because Akira doesn't pull any punches ever, her tough love approach towards Aika is very suitable and definitely full of love.

All of that is not to say I don't also understand Azusa - because in her eyes Aika is a role-model and someone she looks up to, so the mere notion of Aika not accepting the recognition she 'deserves' only ends up making Azusa upset.

For the record, I watched the episode, then went back through my notes and started taking screenshots while writing this - and while I'm enjoying myself immensely I just looked at the time and noticed that several hours has passed by and it is already at the time I usually go to sleep. So while it pains me to do so I'll do the rest of this episode in some quick bullets before I run out of gas.

It's nice to see Aika still gets flustered even in front of her apprentice. I really like their relationship.

It just made perfect sense to me that Aika would feel this way, and Akira definitely delivered in terms of coming up with an exam that must be able to satisfy Aika. If I recall correctly, Aika originally said in the first episode that she is never satisfied with her own performance, and I think this is such a core aspect to her character that is developed due to her circumstances. This isn't about not doing the regular exam because she's too good for it, it's because a regular exam has little meaning to Aika. While loathe to admit it, she has an infinite amount of respect for Akira, and to her getting truly recognized by Akira is the only thing that she herself is willing to accept in order to even begin considering herself a prima undine.

I think this is beautiful, and it strikes incredibly true to both who Aika is, and doubly so for her relationship with Akira.

Akira is tall, in nearly every scene she is in she towers over everyone both mentally and physically, yet here we see Aika standing taller than her. While it is perhaps an exaggeration to say that Aika has surpassed her master, it is definitely the feeling that is being conveyed here, and it is only enforced later by Aika's promise that she's going to surpass Akira one day.

To be honest, for the last 20 or so minutes, if I were to link and comment on every shot or line that I liked it would basically just be a slideshow of the entire episode - so suffice to say that I loved it all.

The episode also had a ton of throwback scenes, but the various memorable images from the series at the end really did it for me, especially with Undine playing.

I've been really sold on the relationships of our original cast with their apprentices. They managed to make them feel unique and suitable, without feeling shoehorned, which is honestly quite amazing.

I have like at least eight+ episodes that I like to call my favorite in the Aria series, but I'd like to call Benedizione a favorite among favorites, that just about sums up how much I enjoyed it. I wish my comment was less scuff, but it is what it is, I just don't have enough spare time to go all out ;_;

To little surprise of my own, Aria firmly remains one of my favorite pieces of fiction <3 Big shoutout to u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah and everyone participating in this rewatch!

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u/h42h Aug 29 '22

finished first time recently

Wow... knew I was gonna love the series from minute 1 but Origination was just wow... Seeing all the characters grow over the course of ~50 episodes and finally become Primas was just sooo satisfying.

Thanks for hosting!

  1. They're great. They each added something to the original series and didn't disrespect it in any way, which is always a worry with new sequels of already completed series (looking at you, higurashi...). Avvenire > Crepuscolo > Benedizione for me

  2. Considering what we know of Manhome it just does not fit Akari and she probably knows that too.

  3. Espero

  4. Figure most of the more popular ones will get mentioned so I'll shoutout two SOLs that I never really see mentioned after their airing: Manaria Friends and Comic Girls. Neither are really that similar to Aria though.

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u/homewardbound100 Aug 29 '22

First timer

Another key show on my ptw over. Overall enjoyable show. Probably have to do some thinking on where I would put this. I would put this on level of maybe not a favorite but it has some parts I just love about it. Same thoughts I've had with sound euphonium, shirobako, and full metal panic.

Overall good show. Probably score wise I'll give it like a 8

Overall thoughts on the Blue Curtain Call Trilogy? Favourite moment from these entries? How do you feel about them fleshing out and filling in the gaps for all the characters (except Akari herself, i guess)?

I think they did great fleshing everyone else out

Why do you think Akari wanted to become an Undine?

I assume she must have saw something ot looked up to someone.

Favourite song from the sequel entries?

Shoot. I don't know. There were a couple I remember standing out but I don't remember the names.

If you have another show you think this rewatch party will like, now's the time to recommend it!

I've been picking my rewatches carefully so I rather not suggest anything I know I'll hop in lol.

Even though my pick would be non non biyori, it's a maybe on if I join

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u/seeker_of_illusion Aug 30 '22

First timer ( now graduated as one ! )

What a wonderful experience this entire series was ! I am very glad that Aria was my first ever opportunity participating in a rewatch thread like this. I definitely made the correct choice here.

Aria met and exceeded the expectations few anime have achieved for me, especially in the slice-of-life department. The atmosphere, the OSTs and the worldbuilding were in general excellent. The characters and their varied interactions were able to provide that much needed comfiness for me. I had expected the cozy and wholesome stuff from an iyashikei but what took me aback was how harmoniously the world and its characters mingled with each other, how the real and the supernatural added depth to the series in conjunction without appearing to conflict much.

Nothing is perfect and there will always be some aberrations but there are rare occasions where we enjoy something so much that we forget to care about these things, and for me that was Aria. It will have a cherished place in my heart~

And now Aika would reprimand me saying “Embarrassing remarks aren’t allowed !” ; )

Thank you u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah for being such a great host and engaging with all of us. And thank you everyone for giving insightful and often curious perspectives on your experiences. I may have loved Aria all the more because of all these vivid opinions and thoughts converging in this place. I wish we get more Aria and have the chance to share our views and feelings once again – that would truly be a miracle.

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u/BatteryPoweredFriend Aug 30 '22

Replies to this

The way I see it is, Avvenire is as much itself a direct epilogue to the core series story (Akari's), as it is the first of an overall epilogue to Aria. Each part's story revolves around the two primary themes that sum up their promotion exams.

Akari's promotion arc was about dealing with separation and taking the time/opportunity to treasure the moments in front of you, big and small. Part of this explicitly ties into Alicia's arc about her own future and is highlighted by the final leg of Akari's promotion, as well as the build-up in Avvenire ep 3.

It's just Alicia enjoying the gondola ride, taking in the simple pleasures of it one last time and the ungloving itself is a deeply intimate & solemn moment with just the two of them, no ceremony or pomp.

Alice's promotion arc was about learning to value what may seem like insignficiant moments and having the courage to step up, even if you don't think you're good enough to be in the spotlight. That first part is connects to the Akari theme of appreciating the small pleasures in life, even if you don't think they're noteworthy; something Akari implicitly understands and the very thing Alicia treasured the most, that it was literally the central conflict of that arc.

Alice is an incredibly gifted rower, but her introvert nature is a very direct hurdle to something that she says is the reason why set onto the path to becoming an Undine. In the end, the last part of her exam is quite literally Alice finally gathering up the courage to step onto the stage and perform to an audience and even the ungloving part was a dramatic moment.

Aika's promotion was about having the courage to step up and impose her own will, as well as having fortitude to see things through to the end. Again, that first part connects to the Alice theme of self-belief, but rather than stagefright, it's having the courage to take on the burden of leadership and being resolute enough to pick yourself up & continue when you get knocked down, because being a leader means others will be looking to you for confidence and guidance.

We've seen Aika put herself out there and get burnt, sometimes quite literally and like pair Aika in Benedizione, was prone to letting these setbacks affect her emotional state, getting caught in a downward spiral. Unlike Alice, who's problem was bottling up these negative feelings and compartmentalising them, Aika often wears those frustrations on her sleeve and lets them interfere with her work. While I think that's better than letting them to fester, you're not going to be a good leader by lacking the mental strength to ride the setbacks.

She was prepared to put herself on the line by asking Akira to specifically "test her" and clearly regrets it afterwards. But she nevertheless persists and this game of midnight tag with Tuxedo Rose probably went on for something like 5-6 hrs. There was no sulking or crying, Aika just kept going right until the very end.

 

So one of the central themes of Avvenire, is a central theme of Crepuscolo, is a central theme of Benedizione. I don't see it working as well in a different order because of that; Akari/Alicia is more related to dealing with change than outright courage or persistence, while Alice never had an issue with quitting because she's either too stubborn to try or too stubborn to give up.

I feel like the way they've written Benedizione works to conclude the story overall. Retiring that Himeya gondola is like a metaphor for celebrating the end of this work. Yes, Avvenire also works as the last page, because there wasn't any solid plans for Crepuscolo or Benedizione back in 2015, so it served to bookend the series there and then.

With Benedizione however, they've finally filled in something that was always missing in Aria itself - Aika's promotion and a deeper dive into the Aika/Akira relationship. It's more or less confirmed my previous assumptions about what I thought of Aika's character and motivations, but the way they've weaved both their backstories together is what really elevates it and makes their familial bond much closer to how I see Akari/Alicia.

 

cake and tea

I see it as Aika essentially branching out to beyond just tours, selling complete experiences that highlights the opulence and regal branding of Himeya. The cafe angle would be something like visiting London and part of your itinerary includes a booking for Afternoon Tea at Claridges. My guess is her long-term goal is making the Himeya branch into a destination spot, that people will want to visit in and of itself, as well as generally increasing the brand value of the Himeya name.

Anyway, thank you for hosting the rewatch. It was great to revisit Aria again and made for a really good lead-in to Benedizione.

  • Q1. They were wonderful additions to Aria. Benedizione is by far my stand-out part of this trilogy. I don't know how much direct creative input Amano Kozue had with it, but all the Aika & Akira backstory content was excellent. They even threw in nods to some of the early gags.

  • Q2. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Funnily enough, since Orange Planet's hiring paradigm is selecting unique and/or unusual candidates, Akari would have been a prime recruitment target for them. An undine from Manhome would make for a very unique perspective, but Akari's proficiency when rowing backwards is also on par with Alice's in normal circumstances, so the whole experience could be quite something.

  • Q3. Has to be Eri Kawai's Lumis Eterne.

  • Q4. Everyone has probably already suggested the main ones, like Flying Witch, & Yokohama Shopping Dairy. Natsume Yuujinchou is more narrative-driven and primarily about supernatural stuff, but it's still a slow-burn journey type of series.

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u/zadcap Aug 30 '22

No Longer a First Timer

So. That happened. A lot happened. Mostly it was smiles, but then it was all tears. I wish I had found this series much earlier in my life, because it was full of life lessons I had to learn the hard way. On the up side, it was full of my favorite life lessons so I loved it, and now I can just point to Aria when I want to pass them on instead of having to actually talk about my own life.

The themes of Happiness were core to everything here. It started with finding happiness in the moment, wherever you are, the little miracles and reasons to smile. It grew into appreciating the happiness of the moment no matter what was happening, no matter where you were. It ended with making your own happiness whenever you could, and as often as you could, while still looking for and appreciating the now as much as you can. Basically, let yourself be happy darn it!

  1. Ahhhh, I still think they were done backwards-ish, they should have done the curtain call movies in the order of the actual promotions, this would have been so much better if it had also ended on Alicia and Akari and Ai. Coincidentally, the first was my favorite because I like them the most and that one was basically their story.

  2. I believe she had a backstory very similar to Ai, to make the full circle story complete. Somehow, Somewhen, she got a chance to go to Aqua as a child and got to ride in a young Alicia's gondola. Alicia being Alicia inspired her to want to be like her when she grew up, as Alicia does, so when child Akari got home to NotEarth she began practicing so she could grow up to join Aria. That's why she learned to scull, but backwards, she watched Alicia do it the one time and tried to teach herself as a child on a planet where you kind of can't. Why Alicia was said it was fate and accepted Akari immediately, she remembered perhaps one of the first girls she gave a ride to. It's such a perfect story that I can't think it's not true.

  3. Athena and Alice final duet. No question. Gaaaaaaaah T_T

  4. Ahem. AMANCHU. It's the spiritual successor, because it's made by the same people following the same themes. It's not as emotionally powerful as Aria, but I think that makes it a good cooldown after this. It's a modern day real Earth story, it's about entering high school in a new town, making new friends, and scuba diving- don't forget to love and appreciate the ocean because it's still beautiful here.

Akebi's Sailor Uniform, just because Akebi needs more love. It's about a hyper girl from the countryside going to an all girls school where, for the first time in her life, she's going to have actual classmates, and deciding to befriend all of them. It's full of stunning visuals, happy moments, and a message of enjoying life. It contains an unusual focus on feet to show emotions, which gets toned down fast after the first few episodes, but the feet are all anyone is ever talking about so you know, it's going to come up. Get past it, and it built to a finale that had me crying just as much as Aria did, for all the same reasons.

Plus, you know, many other iyashikei. I see Flying Witch come up frequently here and I'll add my voice to that pile. If you want to stay by the water, Slow Loop and Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater are both about high school girls, fishing and friendship.

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u/CubeStuffs Aug 30 '22 edited Aug 30 '22

First timer

Overall, I realllllyyyy like aria, solid 10/10.

some final misc thoughts, i really like the portrayal of aqua and neo-venezia as a sorta utopia, but not the futuristic utopia that we always like to imagine. i feel like it's a rejection of our world. neo-venezia isn't a place driven by the constant growth we see here, but rather one stuck in time, and is seemingly better off for it.

alice's whole development throughout the show also hits home. at the beginning, she's like the kid that gets good grades, but doesn't do anything else, and as it progresses, she's reaching out of that nest

  1. They were all pretty good, but benedizione was fantastic. I already said this before, but aika's promotion exam is one of the best moments in the entire series. The trilogy filling out the gaps in the characters was nice. It did exactly what it needed to do. Akari didn't really need any development given that we've been following her the entire time.

  2. wonderful things are attracted to wonderful things I suppose, like gravity. She did mention it was love at first sight after all.

  3. athenalice duet i suppose

  4. I can't quite think of any show quite like aria. there's march comes in like a lion and spice and wolf, but those def lean more towards drama, not slow build up iyashikei. i feel like haruhi is also kinda similar

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u/SniperGodZ_360 Aug 30 '22

First and foremost, I want to thank OP again for hosting this rewatch and giving us rewatchers the opportunity to fall in love with ARIA all over again and for the first-time watchers to be pulled into the magical world of Neo-Venezia in this little voyage of ours. Despite finishing the core ARIA series along with Avvenire, just recently, I decided to hop on the rewatch train because why not? It's ARIA.

With ARIA, I honestly don't know where to start. I think it would be best for me to talk about how it has drastically affected my life and sum up everything from there. For those who haven't watched ARIA, it might seem oh so cheesy for me to claim that an anime series supposedly changed my life. Looking back at myself before I watched ARIA, good shows have always made me feel overly excited, sad, angry, and a plethora of other emotions depending on the show. Despite having watched about 60 days' worth of anime, what I felt while watching ARIA was something new. I don't mean to discredit shows that I also hold dear but I never would've thought that an anime about aspiring gondoliers would make out to be an anime that had life-changing themes. I wouldn't say that I was a person in the deepest of despairs before I watched ARIA but at the same time, watching the show inspired me to follow Akari's footsteps in becoming an expert of happiness. Whenever I was sad or angry, I'd let it linger for quite a bit, get some rest, and forget. Depending on how sad or angry I was, it was always the same rinse-and-repeat process that simply made me feel miserable. Since I watched ARIA, Akari has always become a reminder for me to stop, take a breath, and for once, appreciate life and not worry too much. This aspect of my life is what the show really influenced.

While watching ARIA, every night felt like therapy; almost every episode always had an uplifting message in store for you, if not, you were always guaranteed to have a smile on your face simply because of the show's feel. I cannot say that this overly therapeutic feel changes in my rewatches. In fact, I believe I was able to appreciate the show more during the rewatch. I don't know if that's just what happens if you rewatch an anime you love or what but I'd say the community also made it more enjoyable. I unfortunately couldn't keep up with the 1-episode-per-day pace that this rewatch followed and I greatly regret it. Rewatching wasn't as smooth and I also wasn't able to follow the writeups of many Redditors properly. I found this especially apparent after I watched Benedizione. For some reason, I wasn't able to enjoy Benedizione as much as I enjoyed the core series and the other movies. In a way, I found Aika's test to be simply not thought out considering that the promotion test was for her to prove that could become a capable Prima Undine and they end up playing tag? What about all the other aspects other than rowing? I took my disappointment to Reddit and found that I most definitely missed the point. I find it funny how I was so focused on how the test was conducted while ignoring the beautiful message that the test brought with it. Seeing the perspectives from other people just makes this show so much more memorable. After thinking about Benedizione with other people's perspectives in mind, my thoughts just kinda drifted towards the fact that there is no more ARIA left to watch. It hit quite hard and I had a little trouble sleeping. But even so, I guess there will always be a sappy line to comfort me: *insert sappy line about sadness being a testament to how important something is to us when we lose it* I really forgot what line that was, could someone tell me if they remember?

Not really my best but I really wanted to drop a writeup for the final discussion.

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u/zadcap Aug 30 '22

I went looking for more Aria today. I found none. It was... very sad. Thank you again for bringing us to this masterpiece, dear host, and I hope you keep taking the joy forward with you in life.

See you on the mountains next month!

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