Aria the Origination #8: The Memories of That Precious Person…

Greetings from Comic Market 84

Two weeks ago, we saw Athena helping Alice build her confidence. This time, it’s Athena’s turn to feel unsure of herself. She knows that Alice’s graduation from pair is close at hand. She may already be thinking about advancing her immediately to prima. Then they would be peers instead of teacher and student. If Alice doesn’t trust Athena, that could be a problem for their relationship. Perhaps it would be better for Athena to change into someone Alice would like better. So after their argument, a fortuitous bump to the head gives her an idea.

Alicia knows Athena too well to be fooled. She uses her “goddess smile” to draw out the truth, but doesn’t reveal what she knows to the younger girls. Just as Alice walked through the shadows, Alicia allows Athena to play her game long enough for those two to come to terms. She understands their feelings both as a friend, and as someone who also worries about her apprentice’s future.

After this is Alice’s promotion. We know that Athena mentioned going on a picnic a while ago. This is the code word for promoting someone from pair to single. Why did she wait so long? Well, at the end of this episode, and the beginning of the next, the sun sets with an orange glow. I don’t know if she meant for it to be that way from the start, but her patience made a spectacular backdrop for the Orange Princess.

Next week I’ll be watching Aria the Natural #24: Those Undines of Tomorrow…, and also Aria the Origination Picture Drama #4.

Aria the Natural #18: That New Me…

It’s barbecue time!

In a food processor, blend 1 cup cilantro, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp. lime zest, and 3 tbsp. lime juice. Mix this with 2 tsp. of combination salt, cumin, and ground red pepper. Rub this mixture into a 2 lbs. boneless top sirloin, 1¼ inches thick. Let the steak set for 2 hours.

Grill 6 ears of corn. Cut the corn from the cob into a bowl. Stir in half a teaspoon of lime zest, quarter cup lime juice, 2 tsp. olive oil, a minced jalapeño pepper, and half a teaspoon of the salt/cumin/pepper mix.

Grill the steak to your preferred doneness, then serve with the corn dressing.

Something else may have happened in this episode. I don’t think it was anything important. My best wishes and lots of joy to Chiwa Saito on her wedding this week.

Sorry for the delay last week. I can type again, but awkwardly while wearing a wrist brace. Next is Aria the Natural #13: Those Really Self-Imposed Rules…

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 Origination #9: Surrounded by That Orange Wind…

Lewis Carroll’s follow-up to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was Through the Looking Glass. When Alice Carroll is asked to assess her strengths and weaknesses, she looks at her reflection in the water. Something we’ve seen many times in the Aria series. Here she is in With That Transparent Young Girl…

And in the second season, The Smile Reflected In that Mirror…

Finally, this episode…

Although she says she’s worried about her singing, truthfully it’s her self-image that Alice has the most difficulty with. She hesitates to look into the mirror because she doesn’t want to see something she won’t like. So when she was able to answer Athena’s questions honestly and confidently, that proved she had matured to not be afraid of her own shortcomings.

And we see many other examples of how far Alice has come. There was a time when she was embarrassed to be seen next to Athena. Now there’s nothing but admiration in her voice as she states, “time stands still when Athena is around.” After the graduation ceremony, she warmly smiles as she gives away her second button. Those girls once asked her for an autograph but were turned down because Alice didn’t understand their feelings. The girl we see in this episode is much more positive, outgoing, and good-natured than in any other episode. Even if Akari is the star of Aria, the most satisfying part of the show has been watching Alice blossom.

Graduation time is approaching for the students reading this, too. Good luck!

Next week I’ll be watching Aria the Origination #4: Those Who Aim for Tomorrow… and also picture drama #2.

Aria the Natural #5: The Wonder Of That Rainy Day…/The Discoveries On That Spring Day…

This episode could have been titled “Wherever you go, there you are.”

In two short stories that take place away from Neo-Venezia, we see Akari come across diverging paths. Because she isn’t a cranky old man living in New England, she doesn’t spend much time in thought, but chooses one then goes along with it. The ability to live in the moment is Akari’s gift. When she makes a decision, it’s with little hesitation and no regret afterwards. If you look too far into the future, or are not able to leave the past behind, you’ll miss the world around you right now.

The fox’s wedding can be attributed to this. We see the boy the whole time, playing with President Aria, then following Akari. At first, Akari isn’t aware of him because Alicia is with her. But when left alone, Akari’s clear vision allows her to see the spirits that surround her. A similar thing happens when she meets Cat Sith. Most people are wrapped-up in themselves and ignore such fascinating creatures. It is more difficult to see them because they are unusual and unexpected. That Akari is able to see them is just as fascinating to the spirits. In a more metaphorical sense, these “spirits” represent the fascination of ordinary things that often go unnoticed. When your mind is filled with thoughts about what was, what will be, or what you think should be, you lose the ability to see things for what they really are.

Cherry blossoms are commonplace throughout anime, and so are quaint railroad cars. This isn’t the only time I’ve seen a scene like this. Unlike an American show where a broken-down machine is a symbol of neglect and misery, the lone rail car here has a sense of peace to it. It looks more like a retired horse idly living out its last care-free days in a breezy pasture. The young undines come to visit and reflect on the past efforts that led to the world they’re living in now. It fills them with hopeful ambition to work just as hard as the people who built that railroad. Then, far in the future, they’ll be able to retire to their own pasture. This also makes me think of another breezy hilltop that overlooks Neo-Venezia. But there’ll be time for that later.

Spell Card: Undine Sign “Suteki”

No Aika in this episode. But we’ll more than make up for it next week with Aria the Natural #19: That Crybaby…/That Young Girl’s Heart…