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 Love the music. Love the atmosphere. Love the city. This episode threw me for a slight bit of a loop, as I didn't expect supernatural elements to pop up in this, relatively speaking, down-to-earth anime. Though, because the anime never bothers to question the probability of spirits existing, it's taken as another charm of the city. I'm reminded of an argument I've heard in a particular mystery series, where the concept of magic can seem just as real as reality, if not more real, so long as the magic is not uncovered. For the purposes of Aria, the world itself seems magical for even existing, and therefore, magical occurances don't seem too far fetched, especially since the characters never bother to question them. So, as a viewer, while I may ponder as to how Akari could have received a letter to deliver from what appears to be the spirit of a cat-turned child of this old couple, it's not important to the episode's story. Once again, we have another opportunity to explore the city, where the locales Aria takes us shows a different face of Neo-Venezia. We're also introduced to the Sylphs, whose fast-moving occupations contrast with the slow nature of the Undines' job. That being said, they both, as was explained in a super cheesy, poetic manner, deal with the concept of feelings. Undines create them, and Sylphs deliver them. We also get to see how Sylphs move in the sky, showing a different way to experience Neo-Venezia. Thus far, we've traveled on land, sea, and now air, moving and variable speeds and altitudes. Slowly, but surely, the world of Aria is being developed through the narrative, and it's amazing how a seemingly mundane anime could feature a city so rich in history and culture. I find it fascinating how the episode highlights the people whom allowed Aqua to exist, where their sacrifices paved the way for the Visionary rendition of Venice. There's a drama to the city's backstory, but it's treated as a bittersweet memory in a far away time, much too far to really relate to. The exact date isn't even given for when Allen passed away, making for a greater disconnect between ourselves, the present characters, and the characters of the past. However, in doing so, the anime becomes capable of highlighting not the death itself, but how the world still continues forward, carrying the feelings of the past into the present and future. It's a nice saving grace from making the episode feel depressing. That, and it further develops the city, as if it were a character in and of itself. If anything, the city of Neo-Venezia may make for one of the most colorful, well-developed character I've seen in all of anime by the end of this series. There are just so many stories, sights, sounds, and feelings distributed throughout the city. I really, really love this place. |
| I don't care about the little girl. This episode was sentimental without enough basis and I'm starting to assume things are not going to change so soon. I'm not quite sure what's Aria about so far and also not sure on what to feel when I come across such moments. The simplistic 'feels good' is not hitting as hard as it's supposed I guess. 3/5 |
LumsiNov 9, 2017 11:09 PM
| 2/5 for too much cat(?) butthole. |
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Ulquiorra said: That was depressing, the letter never got to him when he was alive, and his wife is still waiting on Earth for a response. That girl was the cat, I figured that from the start because she was wearing that bell. The planet was terraformed 150 years prior to the story, so she's probably gone as well. Most likely she got word eventually though. Also, the girl has to be the cat. She's called Ami in both the scene at the house and in the video. |
| Okay last episode was great, and this was too. Definitely en route to becoming one of my favourite series. I wasn't expecting something supernatural though. What I can glean from this episode is that the little girl is Ami, the cat in the video. I thought it was just a girl who found an old letter, but that line about "overcome time and space" made me think if this was something beyond normal The little girl is the cat because: same name, same colour scheme (black fur and dark grey clothing), silver bell on necklace (both cat and girl have it), and the first time President Aria borught Akari to her was in a place filled with cats. And I guess that place where the sun was so bright with the wind turbines doesn't exist anymore. I think the reference to how bright and hot it was was because it was before Mars was terraformed into the water-filled Aqua of today. And that place felt so mysterious. I guess it was like a trip overcoming time and space too. Lovely episode. Didn't expect it at all. And loved how subtle it was. Nobody ever said that the girl was the cat or that it really was supernatural or from the past or something, just the realisation on Akari's face and how Akari told Ai-chan that after that she couldn't go there anymore. Ulquiorra said: That was depressing, the letter never got to him when he was alive, and his wife is still waiting on Earth for a response. His wife was on Aqua too because she kept talking about the water he was excavating that would soon reach the waterways in front of their house. Also, she mentioned them moving to Aqua. LeeTailor said: This episode put me in a melancholic mood, starting from the moment Akari and the courier arrived at the graveyard. That graveyard caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting something associated with death or tragedy to be in this so-far chill and heartwarming anime lol. |
ShikkakkuOct 15, 2019 9:26 PM
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| lol why Akari didn't sit? she only ride it standing! that's dangerous! That's sad 😞 that little girl is the black cat? |
| Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. |
| Oh... I never expected something like this in Aria. I heard, that this is "Iyashikei" genre, but... The synopsis with that letter and last scene makes me cry hard. |
| Letter delivery to an old marine base, this was kinda sad, the universe is getting more and more interesting |
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| The feels were real I shed some tears along the message ;-; 5/5 |
| Wow, what a bittersweet episode. The show gives out hints that the letter and its sender is older than previously thought... The pioneers' deaths are sad, but at least the people living today are enjoying life. |
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| Very touching episode. So, the girl was a cat. |
SerafosMay 2, 2024 12:49 PM
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Shikkakku said: I wasn't expecting something supernatural though. What I can glean from this episode is that the little girl is Ami, the cat in the video. I thought it was just a girl who found an old letter, but that line about "overcome time and space" made me think if this was something beyond normal The little girl is the cat because: same name, same colour scheme (black fur and dark grey clothing), silver bell on necklace (both cat and girl have it), and the first time President Aria borught Akari to her was in a place filled with cats. I found this interesting, because in the manga it's completely up to your personal interpretation if the supernatural occurrences are Akari's (day)dreams or not. There are never other people who see and experience the same things she does. Things being supernatural (like the Cait Sith and the various spirits she meets) do lend more charm and flavor to the story, though. I'm not sure if Ai is the cat, because we hear her mother call out from inside the house asking about visitors; you wouldn't normally ask a cat that with the tone that implies you're waiting for a response, haha. Ai could be the embodiment of "what was left behind", a visual representation of everyone in her family except her father. We don't know what happened to the family: did something happen that cut their lives short? Did they move on from that place, leaving their regrets and grief behind? Shikkakku said: And I guess that place where the sun was so bright with the wind turbines doesn't exist anymore. I think the reference to how bright and hot it was was because it was before Mars was terraformed into the water-filled Aqua of today. And that place felt so mysterious. I guess it was like a trip overcoming time and space too. Interestingly enough, in the manga, Akari meets the Cait Sith on one occasion while looking for shelter from the intense sunlight. Since she presumably has heat stroke, it's easy to explain the encounter as a hallucination if you choose the not-supernatural approach, and I wonder if this part of the episode was a reference to that moment. |
| The only thing I was thinking of the whole time was how dangerous it was to basically just be standing on a small rail holding onto another small handle while flying super high and fast lol |
| Yeah.. Changing planet came with its' cost.. People dying in accidents.. |
| Akari is all heart and so tender. This show got deeper for me with this episode. Beautifully sad. |
| A pretty sweet episode as always, it really made me feel melancholic and tranquil this episode and man, this episode just hits all sorts of feelings. 4/5 |
| Almost turned into a horror with the random child popping up |
| Inhales oxygen |
| I was honestly tearing up at the same time Akari was. Kinda predicted the plot twist, but this anime is still really good so far. Definitely feel the relaxing aspect and I'm smiling without realizing, lol. |
\m/  |
| Perfect and atmospheric episode. It almost got me to tears as the video was playing. The identity of the child was not explain and they simply assumed that it was a miracle. The video felt like it was a time capsule. |
| 'I am the world's most selfish man.' (俺のわがまま世界１だ) — Ten'ouji Haru |
| unfortunately recipient was not alive to see the message, but at least it reached its destination. sad T_T |
Matheus050Jun 30, 2024 1:27 PM
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| Well that was a bittersweet episode |
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