Aria the Natural #2: Looking For That Treasure…

April 25th is the birthday of Tomoko Kawakami, the voice of Athena Glory. In interviews, she would compare her own clumsiness to Athena’s and suggest that Junichi Satō gave her the role because of it. Tomoko described working on Aria as being in a family. She felt that the spirit of the show was to appreciate your friends and the love you receive from them. Happiness comes when you open your heart to the people you encounter in your life.

The treasure hunt in this week’s episode is a lesson in not taking anything for granted. Wonderful things happen all around us every day, we just have to be open to the experience. And when you reach the end of your adventure, the treasure that awaits isn’t a pot of gold, but your memories of the journey.

The experience doesn’t even need to be extraordinary. Akari and company weren’t travelling to very exotic places, but merely wandering the streets of Neo Venezia. Even though they had been to those places before, this time they were looking for excitement and were able to see the city in a way that seemed new. Or there is the café owner. He spends his time in Piazza San Marco just watching people pass by. The most adventurous part of his day is when he has to walk a few yards to the east as the shadow from the bell tower moves. Sipping on milk coffee doesn’t sound exciting, but by being receptive to the uniqueness of life, the café owner is able to find his own treasure.

When it was over, Alice returned the clues to their hiding places. The most satisfying part of the journey was being able to share it with others. The treasure hunt is a silent tradition of the city. Its value isn’t limited to one person’s experience, but began long ago and will continue as long as there are people to find it. Alicia seemed to understand this. Had she once discovered the treasure map herself? Isn’t it odd how Aria, though it looked like he was just being playful, was able to find the hidden staircase.

We may not always have a map, in fact we rarely do. In life, we have to find our own way without the benefit of clues telling us where to go. But if we treat life as an adventure, it can be just as rewarding. And then we can pass the treasure on to the next generation.

Tomoko reached the end of her treasure hunt on June 9, 2011.

The next clue leads to Aria the Origination #9: Surrounded by That Orange Wind…

Aria the Natural #3: The Night Of The Meteor Shower…

Where else but Aria does a discussion of astrophysics turn into a love story? The metaphor is effective, though. Gravity is a mysterious thing that’s readily apparent everywhere in the universe, but difficult to explain in detail. It’s a force that is easily counteracted, but impossible to ignore. So as Al and Aika talk about the effects of gravity on Aqua, you wonder if they are still referring to attraction between planetary bodies.

Aika spends much of the evening looking not up at the sky, but at Al, and also inside her own heart. Of course she loves him, but she can’t explain why. Because she’s easily embarrassed and often hides behind a strict demeanor, to say this directly to Al is out of the question. The meteor shower gives her a chance to share her thoughts, and maybe get him to understand her feelings. It doesn’t seem, at first, that Al knows what she means. Men tend to interpret words literally. If you say you want to hear about meteors, he’ll talk to you about meteors. But Al is pretty smart, so he tells Aika that not all meteors burn up in the atmosphere. Sometimes they reach the surface after all.

Of course, as much as Aika tries to hide her emotions, she doesn’t realize how obvious she is to others. She insists that saying embarrassing things is forbidden, but the most embarrassing line of the night was said by her. (“Once you become enchanted by Aqua, it’s over. It draws you in and burns you out.”) It’s good that she has Akari to show her how to set her worries aside and sing a silly tune, even if the path she’s walking is pitch black.

What a nice coincidence to get such a romantic story on Valentine’s Day.

Next week will be Aria the Origination #6: That Wonderful Extracurricular Lesson…

Bonus Aika-being-cute picture just ’cuz.

Aria the Origination #3: Those Feelings Within…

Cats that can read. President Aria must be smarter than I give him credit for.

On second thought…

Neo-Venezia, though called “New,” is an old city. But it’s not merely a museum relic kept frozen in time. The city grows and changes, creating new traditions such as Anri’s chocolate stand. (Not unlike the actual Caffè Florian, with its displays of contemporary art.) The undines themselves are a recent addition. Gondoliers have traditionally been men. The gender barrier was finally broken in 2009, but it’ll be quite a while yet before we see water fairies plying the canals on white boats.

Because of the restorations highlighted in this episode, many of the buildings are surrounded by scaffolding or draped in dust-tarps. It brings to mind the wrapping of presents. An image not lost on Anri who is inspired to sell his candies in decorative cloth. There is a peculiar appeal to wrapping paper that makes receiving a gift more exciting than if it was simply handed to you. It’s not only the design of it, for plain paper and even re-purposed newsprint can evoke the thrill of discovery as you peel back the layers of an unknown treasure. No, that’s not quite right. I’ve received gifts where I knew what was being given beforehand, yet having it presented to me wrapped felt more suited to the occasion. Placing something in a wrapped box, or gift bag, or simply tying a bow on is a ritual that signifies the generosity of the giver. This is something that does not belong to me because I paid for or created it; rather because someone else cared enough to give it to me. That sentiment is enclosed within the wrapping and delivered to me with the message, “I am thinking of you.” It is a thought that, as the adage goes, counts.

Aika is not pleased with my embarrassing remarks.

Next week’s episode is my favorite, Aria the Natural #3: The Night Of The Meteor Shower…