Aria the Animation #13 & #12: That White Morning…/That Soft Wish…

The year ends with a surprise visit from a friend. Ai is excited to meet the people she had read about in Akari’s letters. Her tour of Neo-Venezia even includes a visit to one of the mysterious alleys that’s hidden to most people where they meet a ghost from the past. The cat that appeared as a human had asked Akari to deliver a letter for her. She also had to receive the message, because it’s original had died long ago. But it still had meaning to her as someone living in the world they created. Each year that goes by is a page in a letter written for future generations to read.

Akari wrote her so Ai would understand how much she loved Neo-Venezia. Because Ai will become an apprentice undine herself one day, and follow in Akari’s footsteps, it’s as if she’s been reading her own future. Unlike the messages of history, Ai is able to meet the people who are preparing her place in the city. The people of the past are separated by time. But by the magic of Aqua, Akari is allowed to cross an unpassable bridge.

Alicia tells her that the bridge used to be a place people visit out of nostalgia. There are prettier landmarks in Neo-Venezia. Why would a visitor want to see a run-down bridge? A covered bridge doesn’t fit the image of Venice. What it provides is a reminder of the ambition of the people who built Neo-Venezia. The excitement Akiko feels is in seeing the young children who are watching the city be born. It also comes from the patience of the older settlers. They won’t live to see their creation fulfilled, but are happy knowing that the next generation will take what they started and carry it for a time before passing to their grand-children.

The story of Aqua is the story of Aria Company. What Grandma began was continued by Alicia who leaves it in Akari’s care. Even Ai, having learned from Akari’s letters, will think of the child Aqua as she takes her place in this continuing saga. And if we turn the pages backward to before there was an Aqua then it must have started when someone on planet Earth looked to the sky and thought, “What letter can I write for future generations to read?”

Or perhaps she just said, “Happy New Year.” It means the same thing.

This is the last week in my year of Aria. The experiment to watch the series out-of-order was not as successful as I thought it might be. I admit to forcing this week’s two episodes to be the last. But Aria is enjoyable no matter how you approach it. This way I could see contrast between the earlier and later episodes, and also the similarities or when an event had been set-up by something that happened earlier.

The staff and cast of Aria have reason to be proud. Although there will not be any more Aria, Kozue Amano continues to write the charming and uplifting manga Amanchu!. Satou Junichi has gone on to direct many other “healing” anime such as Tamayura. (A story I describe as being about Akari’s great-great-great-great grandmother.) It seems to me that everywhere I look I hear Chiwa Saitou’s voice. And who cannot help but think of Alicia whenever Sayaka Oohara laughs?

But most of all I remember Tomoko Kawakami and Eri Kawai. The time we’ve been given can be taken from us easier than we’d like. As you turn the calendar to a new year, do your best to treat every day as wonderful encounter.

Thank you for reading.

Aria the Animation #1: That Wonderful Miracle…

Leaving Manhome by herself must have been inconvenient for Akari. But it was necessary to achieve her dream of becoming an undine. Ai’s childish mind dislikes inconveniences and is annoyed when she can’t do what she wants. Or she becomes jealous instead of sharing the happiness of her sister’s trip to Neo-Venezia. So she forces her way onto Akari’s gondola then complains about it.

Ai is acting selfishly, but simply saying “no” to her and forcing her to do things she doesn’t like will increase her bitterness. Akari and Aika treat Ai as a friend so they can give her something nice to associate with the “inconvenient” gondola. In this way they server their customer not by giving her what she wants but what she needs. The memories Ai takes from her first visit to Neo-Venezia are a result of Akari’s cheerfulness. The mails they’ll write to each other will help them both grow.

The theme of this episode was turning unpleasant things into pleasant things. Much like the dry and barren Mars was transformed into Aqua. The planet now has its own environment and lifestyle that isn’t as convenient as the mature world of Manhome. Just as Akari’s new life is more difficult than if she had never left. We each have to set comforts aside so we can create a new world just for ourselves.

Just two more weeks left. Next week I’ll watch Aria the Natural #17: After That Rainy Night… and also the last Aria the Origination picture drama. That leaves two more episodes to end the year with.

Aria the Origination #12: Embraced by That Blue Sea and Wind…

Why are Akari and Aika friends? They couldn’t be more different. Akari’s cheerful optimism clashes with Aika’s emotional outbursts. Aika was born on Aqua and is supported by a wealthy family. Akari left Manhome to pursue an uncertain future by herself. Although they have both chosen to become undines, even their career paths are opposites. Himeya has grown large enough to open branch offices, of which Aika will begin her professional life as the manager of.

When Alicia asked Akari what kind of prima she would be, Akari turned her gondola to home. Akari wants to preserve the Aria Company that Grandma envisioned. While Aika is growing and evolving Himeya (to compete with Orange Planet), Aria Company will remain the same as it was under Alicia.

Yet despite these opposing and contradictory viewpoints, they’re the closest of friends who support and encourage each other. So much that the proud Aika feels guilty for having become a prima before Akari. She recognizes that Akari deserved to be the first to be promoted. Even Alice must have realized it. Speaking of Alice, isn’t it unfair that she was able to skip the narrow canal that other primas are tested with?

As I enter the final month of the year, I bid a happy birthday to Sayaka Oohara on Friday the 6th. Next week’s episode is Aria the Animation #1: That Wonderful Miracle…

Aria the Natural #26: That White, Kind City… & Aria the Animation #10: That Warm Holiday…

Alicia is using her zen teaching technique again. Akari is thinking about her hopes and dreams, so Alicia begins making a snowball. She doesn’t say, “I want to make a snowman,” or even “I want to make a big ball.” All she does is add a little more snow, then a little more, and keeps trying to grow it one step at a time. Eventually it becomes larger because of her own patient effort and also by the kindness of people she meets.

That snowman was the result of a community working together, supporting each other, and can accomplishing something that a single person couldn’t do. But someone had to start the snowball rolling. If Alicia hadn’t stopped at that courtyard, the people who lived there would have remained inside their houses. Her arrival caused the neighborhood to gather for an afternoon party.

Humans don’t get to hibernate during the winter, even though we sometimes wish to. On pleasant days people will find ways to enjoy the weather, such as building a snowman. Other days it’s better to avoid the cold by seeking out a natural hot bath. Harsh weather also drives us to consider practical matters. When a storm threatens, people congregate at markets to buy the food they’ll need in the coming days. Much like the aphids who sense the impending snowfall and seek out a tree for their wintering egg.

The desire for warmth and light is the motivation for having festivals during the winter. Today is Halloween, the start of the cold season. At mid-winter we will celebrate Christmas. And when the nights begin to shorten and Spring nears, there is Carnival.

Next week’s episode is Aria the Natural #7: To The Kingdom Of Cats…

Aria the Natural #1: That Encounter At The Carnevale…

The fairy standing in the doorway holds up his hand. Behind him, Akari can see figures moving about as jasmine petals drift in the warm breeze. It’s a world off-limits to her. That morning, she was looking through a different doorway and seeing a different vision. “I’m a member of Aria Company today,” Ai proudly proclaimed as Alicia served her breakfast. One day she’ll be able to say that while wearing the gloves of an apprentice as Akari stands in Alicia’s place. This is their future, but like the kingdom of the cats they can only look through the doorway.

The Carnival, as is well known, is the time leading up to the Lenten fast. Carnival-goers spend two weeks indulging in food, wine, and each other to prepare themselves for the month and a half they will have to go without. The first Carnivals of Venice were held to celebrate the victory over Aquileia in 1162. The patriarch Ulrich II was made to give 12 pigs and a bull as tribute. This may be why during the 17th century the city would host a running of the bulls during Carnival. Thankfully, this is a tradition that has not been carried into modern times.

Putting on a mask is like becoming a different person. It gives you the courage to try things you might not normally do. As her friends gathered together, we saw Akari standing back and looking at them as an outsider. We learned in The Center Of That Large Circle that she has the habit of excluding herself that way. The invitation from Cait Sith was to become part of the Carnival celebration; run through the streets of Neo-Venetia, singing and dancing. He is urging Akari to see herself as part of the city, and part of the group of friends who surround her.

Ai is the only human other than Akari to have seen Cait Sith. Why did he allow her into this hidden side of Neo-Venezia? Cuteness needs no excuse.

Because I want to finish watching all the episodes this year, I’m doubling-up next week. Aria the Natural #26: That White, Kind City… and Aria the Animation #10: That Warm Holiday…

Aria the Natural #15: The Center Of That Large Circle…

Akari feels left out as these old friends share a story from their past. She should learn from the young Akatsuki that friendship doesn’t care if you look cool or if you fall flat on your face. The important thing is daring to try. Akari took that leap when she left Manhome for Aqua. Without realizing it, she’s become part of many new memories. Some day she and her friends will reminisce about these days when she was a single, and maybe there will be a young apprentice listening to them and feeling left out of their stories.

The story created from our memories is one that never ends. There are many chapters, with many surprises along the way. For Akatsuki, they boy he met on that playground was just a memory. Who would have guessed that he, who was really a she, would appear back in his life many years later? This surprising turn of events might not have happened if Akari had not been sitting alone that afternoon. An ordinary moment in time became a surprising new chapter of many peoples’ lives. This story of friends who met once and parted ways only to meet again later on is something Akari should keep in mind when she becomes a prima. Her time as an apprentice will end, but no one knows what will happen later, or when someone you thought was just a memory will enter into your life again.

With this light-hearted episode, I’ll watch another Aria the Origination picture drama #3: Aiming for that Glorious Victory.

Aika gets Akari and Alice to play “the beautiful game.” For her to decide this in just one day makes me think that she got the idea from reading a manga. It’s cute how the uniform has the three company colors in it.

This leaves one more picture drama, and 12 more episodes for the last 10 weeks of the year. The next one will be Aria the Natural #1: That Encounter At The Carnevale…

Aria the Origination #13: To That New Beginning…

Akari has a question about the account book for Aria Company, but when she turns around, Alicia isn’t there. She’s retired now, and Akari is alone. This time, it’s not a dream. The sadness of having to say goodbye is mixed with the joy of a hopeful future. Akari now feels that she is a person Alicia can rely on.

Then Alicia confesses that she is already relying on Akari. When a mentor teaches an apprentice, or a parent to a child, the student will necessarily take on some of her instructor’s personality. Akari was afraid to let go of Alicia because Alicia didn’t want to be alone.

Akari was never at risk of feeling lonely. Now that she’s a prima, her days are full of customers, talking with other undines and business owners, and the many friends she’s made in Neo-Venezia. Alicia, although newlywed and working full time in the Gondola Association, still goes out of her way to drop by Aria Company. In time, she’ll visit less often. But then Akari will be busy teaching her own apprentice. That young pair will grow up under the influence of Akari’s personality, as Akari had grown under Alicia’s.

That concludes three weeks all about Alicia. Next week is a lighter episode, Aria the Natural #11: That Precious Sparkle…

Aria the OVA: Arietta

Akari is again feeling anxious about her future. Not an uncertain future, but one that she knows what’s to come. She see’s it as a big change in her life and is worried that she isn’t ready. Alicia shares her own worries and shows that Akari is closer to her than she realizes.

Akari’s loneliness is easily cured by the many people she encounters during the day. Not only her close friends, but the other people who work and live in Neo-Venezia, and the customers who come to visit. One day Akari will have Aria Company to herself, but she won’t be alone. Just as Akira and Athena were there to support Alicia after Grandma left.

Alicia then, as Akari is now, felt the next stage of her life as a looming presence. She hesitated to move on because it seemed too big for her to handle. She needed to look at her life from a different perspective, one that made her problems appear smaller. Like the view from the top of the Campanile. Seeing the city from that height put her worries in perspective. For Akari, she didn’t need to see it but just hearing the quiet pulsing of Neo-Venezia at night was enough to put her at ease.

We’ll see just how at ease Akari is next week when I watch Aria the Origination #13: To That New Beginning… The very last episode of Aria.

Aria the Natural #25: The Fruits Of That Encounter…

As a story that takes place in the future, Aria has a message of hope running throughout. This is brought to the forefront in this closing episode to the second TV broadcast. The apprentices have to host a party. It’s something they’ve never done on their own, but not something they aren’t ready for. The confidence and maturity of these young girls is not lost on their mentors. The older undines may be the “Three Fairies,” but watching Akari, Aika, and Alice row together, it’s apparent that they will one day take that title for themselves. Which is just what they’ve been training for as the successors to Alicia, Akira, and Athena. When they become primas, it’ll be the realization of the hopes that have been passed down from their seniors.

Wishing alone won’t make anything happen, though. It takes work to turn hope into reality. So the first half of this episode shows the girls preparing for the party. It’s a reflection of their life as apprentice undines. The preparation required to become a prima is a difficult ordeal. Aria tells the story of this time and how Akari remains cheerful because of her hope that she will be able to succeed.

The uncertainty of the future means that we sometimes have to hope for something when there is no assurance that it will happen. Akari invites Ai to the party even though she hasn’t been receiving her emails recently. It almost doesn’t happen, but Ai is able to arrive just in time. She and Akari are bound by destiny, it seems. Much like Akari’s ability to attract the supernatural forces of Aqua.

The Redentore festival ends with a display of fireworks. And on that note, we turn to Aria the Origination Picture Drama #5: Alice’s Ghost Story. This also occurs during a summer festival. Alice shows valiant patience as she tries to tell her story with so many interruptions by Aika and Akari. Or she was just that committed to finishing because she put a lot of effort into the story. Like how she made those Redentore invitations “during a lunch break.” (Or so she claimed.)

Seeing fireworks seems fitting for this time of year. Next Thursday is the 4th of July, after all. I’ll be watching Aria the Origination #5: That Keepsake Clover…

Aria the Origination #5.5: That Little Secret Place…

As Akari explores the back-roads of Neo Venezia, she remarks on how the city is changing. Some are large changes, like the renovation of Caffè Florian. Other changes happen quickly and quietly, such as a street blossoming into a field of laundry on a sunny day. But while noticing these things about the city, she becomes aware of how much of it remains the same. The excitement of an evolving landscape is best seen against the backdrop of reassuring permanence.

Cities are not built for their own sake, but to house people and give them a place to reside, work, and enjoy their lives. Even if Akari notices how the scenery of Neo Venezia is the same as always, she can’t ignore a significant change in the city. What she sees may be the same as when she first arrived on Aqua, but Akari herself is not the same. The buildings and ocean may be the same, but the one doing the looking has grown over the years. It’s her unique experiences, along with everyone else’s, that are the heartbeat of this living city.

Akari asks the silent watcher on the balcony what it is that he sees. It’s not just at the unchanging vista of Piazza San Marco with the ocean beyond. He also sees the growing and thriving people who make up Neo Venezia. He’s looking at Akari.

The food featured in this episode is chitarra pasta and polenta, a cornmeal porridge. I can’t imagine what kind of sauce was used on that polenta. Myself, I enjoy a creamy spoonbread with lots of butter.

Birthday wishes this Saturday to Yuuji Ueda, the voice of Ayanokouji Udo the 51^st, better known as Woody. Next week, if I remember on time, I’ll watch Aria the Origination #10: The Excitement on That Moon-Gazing Night…

Aria the Natural #8: The Day Of Festa Del Bòcolo…

Traditions are said to be a way of connecting with the past. But really, it’s more about connecting with the people around you. You’re celebrating your common heritage and the feelings you share. The story of the dying soldier’s wish may not even be true. That’s not the point. When you see red roses spread throughout the city, you realize that you are surrounded by like-minded people. The tradition is a visible sign of the community you live in.

The affinity for traditions on Aqua goes as far as recreating the annual flooding of Neo Venezia. On a terraformed planet where the weather is regulated, what good is it to allow a city to be inundated by the tide? In Venice, the acqua alta is a minor nuisance that can even be dangerous. (It is also not particularly impressive, as the high tide only persists for an hour or so.) But because it was a characteristic of the city on Manhome, the architects of Neo Venezia insisted on maintaining the tradition.

The down-side to traditional events is when they become too common. What meaning does a rose have if everyone receives one? Giving a present out of a sense of obligation is not without meaning. Athena smiled most warmly at Alice’s rose. But that is because Alice herself has a special relationship with Athena. The rose was just a way of communicating their appreciation for each other. The meaning of the exchange was more than just the rose, and more than any of the other roses Athena received. If those special feelings could be given a form, what would it look like? It would have the significance of the tradition, but uniquely so. Such as giving not a rose blossom, but a gemstone in the shape of a rose.

Next week I will be watching Aria the Origination #5.5: That Little Secret Place… Also known as the season 3 OVA.

Aria the Natural #16: Parting With That Gondola…

The word used for “fate” is 縁. One of its meanings is the bond between two people, as in 縁結び, marriage. An undine is married to her gondola. This is an emotional change in Akari’s life. Like when she graduated from pair to single, and when she will one day become a prima. She spends her last day with the gondola remembering the important events of her past.

Akari’s backward rowing technique is a shock to Alicia. Her way of gently correcting Akari is evident as it was in That Wonderful Extracurricular Lesson. Before coming to Aqua, Akari practiced in rowboats on Manhome. She had never actually seen a gondola in action. How could someone like that become an apprentice at Aria Company?

She reminisces about meeting Akatsuki, who was (and still is) too poor to afford a ride from a prima. As a self-professed fan of Alicia, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he was Akari’s first customer. How excited must he have been to learn that his idol had taken an apprentice? Now he can finally ride in a gondola with Alicia, even if it’s a black one.

As she remembers meeting Alice, eating fresh baked potatoes with Ai, helping the mailman, and other experiences, she prepares herself to move on to a new gondola. Alicia also watches and thinks about Akari’s next stage in life. The bumps and scratches on the gondola represent Akari’s inexperience that is being left in the past. Now she can navigate even the most difficult canals in Neo Venezia with confidence. Alicia isn’t just seeing Akari get a new gondola, she’s seeing her future as a full-fledged prima. But not yet. The mysterious customer said to go to the fork in the canal. When he got there, though, he asked to keep going. Akari could have taken that other route, but she’ll stay on this path for just a little longer.

While looking it up in the dictionary, I also saw the phrase 縁の下の力持ち, a person who does a thankless task. What a description of the poor gondola who had to be Akari’s training partner.

This Sunday is the birthday of Kozue Amano. None of this would be possible without her. And though the book has been closed on Aria, she’s still working her magic (this time under the water) with Amanchu!. I also was remiss for forgetting Eri Kawai’s birthday on May 8th. She provided many of the wonderful music for Aria as well as being the singing voice for Athena.

The next episode is Aria the Natural #20: That Shadowless Invitation…

Aria the Animation #3: With That Transparent Young Girl…

Everyone knows that oil and water don’t mix. Hydrophobic compounds disrupt water’s hydrogen bonds. Entropy driven ordering then causes the disparate molecules to separate. Alice has a difficult time forming bonds with other people. When she’s around them, her social awkwardness is uncomfortable. It’s easier for her to practice rowing on her own, walk to school on her own, eat lunch on her own, etc.

Add an emulsifier, however, and you can mix oil in water. Egg yolk in Hollandaise sauce keeps it from separating. Alice would not have spoken to Akari if Akatsuki were not there. Normally, she’d be too self-conscious about socializing with Akari. But by being an irritant, he took the pressure off of her. She only thought about him and why Akari was being nice to such a rude person. Without realizing it, she was laughing and speaking casually with Akari. The oil and water had become friends.

Even a prodigy has things she needs to learn. Alice won’t be a Prima if she remains overly concerned with decorum. Akari already knows this as can be seen in her interaction with Akatsuki. She doesn’t worry about embarrassing herself, but neither does she worry about her customers behaving poorly towards her. She keeps smiling and finds a way to turn any situation into a positive experience. For Akatsuki, who’s angry because he’s broke and bored, she reminds him of why he became a salamander. Akari doesn’t know it now, but later she’ll hear the story of his dream to be the “protector of Aqua.”

Speaking of Akatsuki, April 16 is the birthday of Hirofumi Nojima.

Next week’s episode is Aria the Natural #2: Looking For That Treasure…

Aria the Natural #22: That Mysterious World…/That Guardian Of Aqua…

The adventure continues in “Through the Looking Glass” and what President Aria found there.

This is the other side of playing make-believe. Sure, things could be better. But there are a lot of ways they could be worse. A healthy dose of fantasy can make you appreciate the world as it is.

There’s no place like home.

The differences between the girl and boy sides of Neo-Venezia are subtle. Just cutting their hair and putting on pants isn’t enough to change Akari or Alice. In Aika’s case, she gets to grow her hair back, but that’s all. And Akira, well she’s virtually a man anyway. Maybe in the parallel world he’s actually more feminine.

Shut up, Minmay.

The most stunning change is given to Akatsuki. We haven’t been properly introduced to him (he was Akari’s first customer, in fact) but the story of his childhood tells us all we need to know. As he … err, she says in the song, (s)he works on the floating island to control the weather of Aqua. The gnomes, such as Al, live underground where they generate artificial gravity. Then there is Woody the sylph, who delivers messages and cargo, and the undines. These four classes of workers are named after elemental spirits.

The salamander, gnome, sylph, and undine spirits correspond to fire, earth, air, and water. The concept was written about by the 11th century monk Michæl Psellus. In a dialogue on pagan demons, he describes six classes: those four plus the first higher than air and the last lower than earth. The name “undine” is a recent addition, first appearing in 1818 (Undine: a fairy romance by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué). It quickly replaced the older “nymph” so that it was used by Bayard Taylor in his 1872 translation of Faust.

What is probably the earliest use in English is Pope’s The Rape of the Lock. He mentions having learned of the spirits from a French book, Comte de Gabalis. But his portrayal of elemental spirits as invisible guardians of the Earth is likely the inspiration for later authors.

Some in the Fields of purest Æther play,
And bask and whiten in the Blaze of Day.
Some guide the Course of wand’ring Orbs on high,
Or roll the Planets thro’ the boundless Sky.
Some less refin’d, beneath the Moon’s pale Light
Hover, and catch the shooting Stars by Night.
Or suck the Mists in grosser Air below,
Or dip their Pinions in the painted Bow,
Or brew fierce Tempests on the wintry Main,
Or o’er the Globe distill the kindly Rain.

This image certainly sounds like Aqua. But for centuries, spirits were not viewed so brightly. The world at once provided nourishment and warmth to mankind, but simultaneously was cold and savage. The spirits of nature were often not welcome then, as when Pope mentions fierce tempests. (Although this is certainly also an allusion to the play.)

The 20th century saw a change in our relationship with the Earth. Advanced technology achieved feats that were once considered magical. The invisible world of nature that was once feared became the a place of hope and wonder. When Tolkien wrote his elves he emphasized their nobility. (Though he could not completely avoid the sinister characteristics in The Hobbit.) That’s been the dominant viewpoint since then. Along with Walt Disney’s cheerfully honest dwarves and pixies.

One does not care to acknowledge the mistakes of one’s youth.

So on Aqua, the elemental spirits are no longer invisible and mysterious tricksters. They are scientists, engineers, and technicians. The world of Aria is what happens when imagination becomes reality.

That said, I find it odd that gnomes and salamanders are doing the difficult work of terraforming. But the undines just laze about in gondolas giving sightseeing tours. Shouldn’t they be minding the vast ocean that covers Aqua? Doing biological and chemical analysis and stuff? Even the sylphs have a useful role. Not that tourism isn’t an important part of the economy. Perhaps there are true nymphs to take care of the scientific tasks.

This post was made possible by Google Books. Next week, Aria the Natural #5: The Wonder Of That Rainy Day…/The Discoveries On That Spring Day… (How fitting for the first full week of spring.)