DO NOT discuss the source material beyond this episode. If you want to discuss future events or theories, please use separate threads.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
DO NOT ask where to watch/download this episode or give links to copyrighted, non-fair use material.
DO NOT troll/bait/harass/abuse other users for liking or disliking the series/characters.
DO read the Anime Discussion Rules and Site & Forum Guidelines.
| ALICE TOO GOOD. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| i smell shoujo ai xD |
| Well... I guess Aria is still not my thing. After the disappointment of the first two episodes, I tried the 3rd and 4th, and while I have enjoyed them more, as more or less I know the weak spots of each character and what the series is meant to create, there are still scenes I can't come to love. I liked, to a point, the inner conflict of Alice, but then again the whole wording about the smiles and happiness somehow manages to take me away from the tone of the episodes... It seems I'm enjoying this show more in its quiet moments than when the characters interact. Specially with Akari, yes she's happy and positive, but hearing why she's happy and positive from her own mouth implies tons of cringeworthy metaphors and cheesy talking that, instead of reinforcing the feelings of the show, in some way damage them. And I guess I'll have this problem for the whole series. This one gets 6.5 points. The other more or less 7, because of a more interesting and evocative story; so they are both an improvement on the first two. But I'm still waiting to see what makes this series specially good. |
| ^This. |
| While parts of the exposition was handled well, others...not so much. I liked the episode though, relaxing as ever. The new girl looks alright. What's with everybody's name starting with A though? The episode pretty much makes us learn sideburns in Japanese, you always learn something new. 4/5. |
| Aw, there weren't any ara ara ara's this episode. I like how there's so many big machines flying around in the sky, but to get to Ukijima, they have to take a ski lift. |
 |
| I thought this episode was an improvement on the first two, more interesting. And the city really is like another character to the show. In terms of personality Alice reminds me of Azusa from K-On. |
FantasyHeaven said: Why is this so pointless and good at the same time? Exactly. Akari's so sweet, Alice such a good character. |
 |
| Too many A's, how about a Z character next. |
 |
| Alice's monologue when they were with Akatsuki sounded lame. :( And the sunset scenery was not pretty at all... Hm. I guess I'll watch a while longer. Not sure if it's something I like though. Very nice music, however. |
| Awesome new character introduction and once more a super relaxed episode! |
 |
| That president cat thing annoys the hell of out of me, looks like Mugi from K-On. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| akari why are you so perfect |
  |
| Waiting for the sex scene. Anyways, good episode. Hopefully it doesn't get boring. |
 |
| What the hell, Alice is in 8th grade? Anyways I enjoyed this episode! Plan on watching 1 episode a night right before I go to bed. I feel like that is the best way to watch it since marathoning this would be a drag. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
WolfWood37 said: Too many A's, how about a Z character next. the truth is every charaters except minor supporting one has letter A for name. |
     |
| Wahhh~ this was so relaxing~ i was smiling through the whole episode. Just what i needed before bed (─‿‿─) |
| I almost fell asleep. |
 |
| Alicia is easy remember considering her Ara, Ara, Ara catchphrase. This A letter anime is very relaxing. Take a shower, get some instant ramen, and chow down while watching the relaxing Aria series. Nice episode, and interesting to see a floating city on top. |
 |
| Finally I'm enjoying this show. |
 |
| Oh Alice. Your sweetness is overflowing in this episode. This anime is beautiful. |
 |
| The atmosphere and everything else is just beautiful. Alice and Akari are so adorable. |
 "Be wary - triumphant pride precipitates a dizzying fall..." Three circles make a triangle ▲, four a square ■ and five a star ★ Click the circles ...to the beat  http://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Hotchy.gif  [center] |
| This is such a lovely and relaxing show. The slow pace really helps bring out the atmosphere as well as "show, not tell". |
| -Nothing can stay unchanged. Even so, can you still keep on loving this place? -Be still my soul; when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last. |
| I'm am being pleasantly surprised with every episode so far. The word "relax" seems to really resonate with fans regarding this show, and I agree. Alice seems like a lovely character who I would really like to see more of. That preview was very interesting in the idea that something climactic might occur. That's cool, as long I feel relaxed by the end of it. |
 I REMEMBER TOUCH. PICTURES CAME WITH TOUCH. A PAINTER IN MY MIND. |
| Seriously why every character's name starts with 'A' ? .. It's confusing. |
| Great episode featuring the introduction of Alice-chan. She is one of my favorite characters in Aria. |
| This is genius work. I am loving it a lot! Alice reminds me of Ai. And yup, I ship Akatsuki x Akari. It reminds me of Mamoru x Usagi. |
 |
| To those annoyed by Akari's statements: Don't expect it to end anytime soon. That's just a part of her character. At least we have Aika to keep her in check, lol. |
 |
| akari is very sweet :> |
| the official MAL hall of fame/cursed comments is now open for business - you are welcome to PM me any potential quotes to include |
| ara ara ara... ^______________^ so cute. the anime is so good. Calm and peaceful, just brilliant. |
| Im liking Alice so far. |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| They're are so many A's in this show! Alice seems cool so far. |
 |
| Haha Akatsuki seems like amazing guy. Enjoying the series so far! And OST is sooo good. These guitar songs are so relaxing. |
| "Even when our eyes are closed, there's a whole world out there, that lives outside of ourselves and our dreams." |
Hazuk4shii said: Seriously why every character's name starts with 'A' ? .. It's confusing. Indeed it is. I suppose they simply decided that everyone's name should start with the same letter as the title. |
 |
RUN-GFB said: To those annoyed by Akari's statements: Don't expect it to end anytime soon. That's just a part of her character. At least we have Aika to keep her in check, lol. Annoyed, seriously? :D She is great. And this world is amazing. |
| Dub = fake crap. Always. |
| Great episode again. I love how chill this anime is lol. Alice was cute. Lol at ever characters names starting with A. |
| Smiling Alice is so cute.. and lovely xD I can already imagine the conversation of Alice & Aika Alice said something sweet & embarrassing "Embarrassing remarks aren't allowed!" xD |
"Signature removed"   |
| Another kawaii girl appears. |
 |
| It's time for some more gratuitous "analysis" no one asked for! |
LeeTailorMar 27, 2017 7:46 AM
| What an entrance for a character. The fact that a character has just been introduced then instantly got development in the second half of an episode doesn't work out well all the time, since it may cause some confusion and feel rushed, and of course, a bit of pretense. However, this episode doesn't fall into such case, in fact, it far more surpassed my expectation for the show ever since the beginning. At first glance, Alice appeared to us viewers and the 2 other girls to be adept at rowing Gondola, despite her status as being a pair. Still, one of the most common rules of introducing a genius character is "with great power talent comes great responsibility arrogance", and Alice is no exception. While, objectively, she seems to be disrespecting her senior through her attitude, I personally think there's no problem with that. You can't force your opinion on someone, she has the right to do what she wants and she has always been ready to pay the price: being a loner, isolated. She doesn't want to make friend and earn respect for being humble, as it feels forced and fake. Furthermore, she is fully aware of her situation, yet decided to stay true to herself. That said, she does possess some intriguing trait like being skeptical of many things around her, like how she didn't fully fall for Akari's smile. And just as I thought she's going to be like this for the rest of the show (well it's a slice of life show so development is little to non-existence, at least that is what I thought), she immediately surprises me in the mid and final part of this episode. After her first encounter with Akari, Alice must have been suspicious of her carefree and cheerful nature, I meant, even I feel like Akari is just faking her smile all the time, but it turns out to be something completely on the opposite and perhaps, a wonderful "gift" for Alice. As the episode progresses, Alice begins to doubt her own opinion on Akari a moment ago, thus developing a curiosity towards Akari's smile. She thought Akari was just being polite to Akatsuki after being teased, but the truth is far simpler than she thought. since Alice is the type who stands up and voice back her opinion, disregarding the cost it might cause to other, she can't understand Akari that easily. Step by step, she gradually unravels the secret behind the female protagonist of the show, what makes her so cheerful all the time, why isn't she ever feel irritated, and so the young girl discovered a new lesson in life: that is to follow the current, become one with the wind and you can practically enjoy everything in the world (and this is perhaps one of the main themes of Aria as well). I really love the moment when the bell from the church rang as Alice realized the secret behind Akari's smile. It's just simply magnificent: a wake-up call, indirectly from Akari and probably from Neo-Venezia as well, telling her to stop being dubious of life and start being optimistic. And the conclude the episode, Hal Film Maker gave us a very splendid view of Neo-Venzila from above, through the view of the 2 girls. This just can't get any better. Not only do we get a new character and her development, but we also get a new and extended look of the world setting, thus enhancing the show. To sum up, this episode is a great introduction to a new character but not without some "exploration". The pacing is awesome as usual, slow but effectively taken care of by the breathtaking landscape and enriched dialogue. Sound and music used are well-timed and fitting as ever. If there's anything to complain is perhaps it ended too soon, I just want more of it XD. 5/5 |
 Piazza San Marco, beautiful as I remember from architectural books and photographs. Also, this episode had moments of very well animated scenes. They were interesting moments that seemed to break away from the reliance on picturesque stills. There's not many opportunities to use swift or jerky movement in Aria, at least outside of the short comedic skits. As a result, when, for example, the show had a chance to visually express Alice's expert rowing techniques, it took full advantage of it. Aria is a slow moving anime that takes its time to emphasize the smaller moments in its world, but during faster movement scenes where the world begins to pass by in a blur, the focus then turns to the characters. I find this a facinating way to switch up the episodic narrative, if just by a little as to avoid creating some jarring alteration to the show's formula. Also, I really love how Aria romanticizes technology and how the city of Neo-Venezia is fully fabricated as a fake version of Venice. It might as well be a glorified theme park, but by this careful balance of recreating the historic city with an overlay of the convenience of technology, the city is able to maintain its facade without being ashamed of not being fully authentic. In other words, they did not feel the need to directly copy and paste the city as it once was, nor did they feel the need to appear as a parody; a caricature that attempts to overemphasize quirks of the city to turn over a profit. The city is very honest, having its technologies in full view, but aesthetisized in a manner which they blend into the city. Or, rather, the city of Neo-Venezia happened to take on its own aesthetic, where it no longer leverages weight or meaning from the original city. Instead, Neo-Venezia had become its own city, possessing its own unique culture borne from a combination of classical architectural styles and new technologies. Here, it's possible to have flying spaceships, floating islands and computers along with the archaic stone paths, brick walls and clay tile roofs. There was no need to overcompensate by having robots, holograms and all manner of spacy machines around, ensuring that the viewers know that this is, in fact, the future. It makes sense actually: tourists from Earth, or Man-Home in this case, would probably be used to how technologically advanced their world is. As such, Neo-Venezia exists as a Utopian retreat, where they are able to return to a nostalgic period far removed from their contextual setting. In fact, since Aria is set in the future, it's possible for the real Venice to have experienced some drastic change to where its idealized image only existed in historic recollections. Because of this, Neo-Venezia becomes a way to experience Venice in a controlled, choreographed, idealized way where a tourist would have all the benefits of futuristic technology while having their fill of nostalgia. The nostalgia itself isn't even for Venice, as the image of Venice portrayed would probably be hundreds, if not thousands of years old. Instead, it becomes nostalgic in a sense where the slow moving atmosphere, the little inconveniences of daily living, and this sense of pristine, magical tranquility straight out of a fairy tale help people forget their troubles and live just for the moment. As a slice of life, Aria truly excels in emphasizing the smaller moments in life, and much like a tourist's visit, our watching time of a single episode is enough to get that fill of iyashikei to last for a while. |
More topics from this board
Poll: » Aria Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 )running_lemon - Apr 6, 2007 |
129 |
by eblf2013
»»
Mar 25, 6:29 PM |
|
Poll: » Aria the Animation Episode 6 Discussion ( 1 2 )WTFwasThat - Oct 2, 2008 |
75 |
by eblf2013
»»
Mar 25, 8:37 AM |
|
» the big 3 Iyashikei Animemydaddy - Mar 8 |
9 |
by mydaddy
»»
Mar 9, 8:45 AM |
|
Poll: » Aria Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 3 )zq - Mar 23, 2008 |
108 |
by Matheus050
»»
Mar 3, 6:49 PM |
|
Poll: » Aria the Animation Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 )WTFwasThat - Sep 18, 2008 |
133 |
by WatchTillTandava
»»
Feb 12, 4:55 PM |