ARIA [Archive] - Gotwoot Forums

Ryllharu

Fri, 12-09-2005, 06:44 AM

I thought I would hate it, because the premise seemed really boring, but I sat down and watched an eps (because I was getting pretty bored during releases on the other series) and was really suprised. Later I tracked down the manga (Aqua), and now I'm thinking about picking up the Aria ADV books. It's a really relaxing series to watch. There are times in it that it gets pretty funny too.

I'd say that if you liked Honey and Clover, you'll like Aria. Nobody quite as funny as Morita, but the President has his moments.

The music really fits well with whatever is going on the screen, its considerably well drawn, the characters are well done and each have their own quirks, and the whole thing really meshes into a "my pace" kind of series. (A little more on that in my post above).

You never feel tense watching or after finishing an eps. You just feel good and refreshed.

As for a continuing plot, not really. I suspect there might be some important things that happen along the way, that's how they did it in the Aqua manga, as Akari learned about her new home, she found friends, got promoted to the single glove, etc. But it just really doesn't matter.

Mashux7

Mon, 12-12-2005, 11:08 PM

You re right Ryllharu!

I think it really relaxing to watch Aria and especially the numberous time that President Aria tries impress Himeya Hime LOL!

aznroyale

Mon, 12-12-2005, 11:14 PM

this series gets me relax
releases my tense for school shit

FelixZeroAlastor

Fri, 12-16-2005, 05:08 AM

I knew everybody would love this series and the manga. It is the most relaxing and refreshing anime ever.

Munsu

Mon, 12-19-2005, 09:05 AM

9 is out...

http://tracker.crystalnova.net...6EF15F2%5D.avi.torrent (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_ANIMATION_-_09_%5B96EF15F2%5D.avi.torrent)

Watched the first episode... it was fairly nice... I'll keep watching...

FelixZeroAlastor

Sun, 01-08-2006, 01:34 PM

Aria 10 (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_ANIMATION_-_10_%5B20210FBC%5D.avi.torrent)

Aria 11 (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_ANIMATION_-_11_%5B3E4D9C3F%5D.avi.torrent)

All Right!!!

Kraco

Mon, 01-09-2006, 11:45 AM

It looks like Anime-Shrine picked this series as well. Here are the links, if somebody's interested

Episode 1 - ASH (http://tracker2.khimhoe.fivio.net/torrents/%5BASH%5D_Aria_The_Animation_-_01_%5B54158B6D%5D.avi.torrent)
Episode 2 - ASH (http://tracker2.khimhoe.fivio.net/torrents/%5BASH%5D_Aria_The_Animation_-_02_%5BD84E83D0%5D.avi.torrent)

I might start to watch this series, after all and after all the nice comments posted lately. I haven't watched calm series lately, so it could be good.

Are the old CrystalNova subs good? I don't believe I have heard that group name before.

Ryllharu

Mon, 01-09-2006, 02:07 PM

CrystalNova claims to be a new group of old members. I recognize a couple of the names on the credits so I can verify that. (IceAlchemist and silverfire in particular, though I forgot what groups they initally belonged to).

They're excellent subs as far as I'm concerned. Their version of the first eps was much better in visual and translational quality than the other group that had briefly also started Aria.

11 was a really good eps. Spoilers are kind of pointless on a series like this because the eps are basically separate storylines. Definitely, Athena stole the spotlight during this eps. The end of the eps was a little sad, but watching Akari cry about it was really funny. This is by far one of my favorite series this season.

Kraco

Mon, 01-09-2006, 02:54 PM

Ah, thanks for the info, Ryllharu. With 11 episodes already released, I think I'll head for their tracker...

I watched the first episode, and I liked this quite a lot. It's indeed calm, and not only because of the plot (of the first episode). The whole atmospere, dynamics, music, colours... Everything was relaxing. The characters were also quite calm, especially if you compare to anime characters in general.

Edit: An excellent series. Having now watched all the eps subbed so far, I have to say I like this a lot. It's a series quite unlike any other I've seen before. This truly demostrates brilliantly that anime can work wonderfully without any action whatsoever.

Kraco

Mon, 01-23-2006, 08:28 AM

At last! I suffered so much waiting for this. Even more so than waiting for the usual Bleach ep. I don't know exactly why, but this series was so different and so warm in the middle of the winter that I really like this.

Episode 12 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_ANIMATION_-_12_%5BB5A2AB65%5D.avi.torrent)

Ryllharu

Mon, 01-23-2006, 11:40 AM

A lot of really weird things happen to Akari.

Does anyone know the title of the insert song in eps 11 and 12 right at the end? I know it's by Makino Yui though.

Kraco

Sun, 02-26-2006, 04:22 AM

After a month the final episode to Aria is here:

Episode 13 (Final) - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_ANIMATION_-_13_Final_%5BC2306688%5D.avi.torrent)

Here's also a batch torrent to the whole series, if somebody wants:
All 13 eps batch - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_ANIMATION_-_01-13_(COMPLETE).torrent)

Needless to say, this series was unique. It contained close to zero action, zero fanservice, trace amounts of romance, little to no dangerous situations... You get the picture. What it did contain was a strange warm feeling. Aria had lots of really good characters, and that was the point of the whole series. It's simply amazing how well the show worked with the few basic elements it was solely relying on.

There seems to be also a second season in the making for Aria. Time will tell how that turns out, but CrystalNova has announced it will continue subbing Aria.

Ryllharu

Sun, 02-26-2006, 07:37 AM

Originally posted by: KracoNeedless to say, this series was unique. It contained close to zero action, zero fanservice, trace amounts of romance, little to no dangerous situations... You get the picture. What it did contain was a strange warm feeling. Aria had lots of really good characters, and that was the point of the whole series. It's simply amazing how well the show worked with the few basic elements it was solely relying on.

There seems to be also a second season in the making for Aria. Time will tell how that turns out, but CrystalNova has announced it will continue subbing Aria.

My thoughts exactly, said perfectly. I'm ashamed to say that before it came out I called it boring and said I wouldn't watch it. I'm very glad to have been wrong.

The sequel should turn out fine. There are something like 10 volumes of manga, Aqua (just the first two, labeled Aria in the US) and Aria combined, and its still ongoing. There is plenty of material to take from.

I'll be looking forward to it.

Ryllharu

Wed, 04-05-2006, 08:07 PM

Post Edited because everything is contained in post below

Munsu

Wed, 04-05-2006, 09:03 PM

You guys can create a new thread for the second series if you want.

Ryllharu

Wed, 04-05-2006, 09:55 PM

Well, back into a consolidated thread.

Description of the first series (off AniDB): On the planet Aqua lies the watery city of Neo Venezia, a tourist hub in which people travel around in gondolas. Professional gondoliers known as Undines are well-revered as they act as tour guides for the people. Akari Mizunashi is a gondolier in training and also an employee of Aria Company. She gets to meet all sorts of people as she takes them on the gondola rides, from friendly mentors to special individuals, all this admidst the beautiful scenic backdrop of the entire city.

This is the best description of the overall effect of the series:

Here's also a batch torrent to the whole series, if somebody wants:
All 13 eps batch - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_ANIMATION_-_01-13_(COMPLETE).torrent)

Needless to say, this series was unique. It contained close to zero action, zero fanservice, trace amounts of romance, little to no dangerous situations... You get the picture. What it did contain was a strange warm feeling. Aria had lots of really good characters, and that was the point of the whole series. It's simply amazing how well the show worked with the few basic elements it was solely relying on.

The first eps of ARIA -the Natural- has aired, and here's a sub of it.
ARIA -the Natural eps 1 (Hnk) (http://torrents.hikarinokiseki.com/ARIA_The_NATURAL_-_Ep_01_(HnK).XviD.avi.torrent)

The quality is fine, though I will be waiting for CrystalNova's releases from now on. (I'm assuming they are doing it since they released the promo.)

Time for more of that warm feeling.

Kraco

Thu, 04-06-2006, 02:50 AM

Aye... I have also been waiting for CrystalNova sub. They will sub it for sure, they have indeed told that much a few times. But considering how it took them sometimes weeks to sub an episode of the first season, I'm not surprised if they take their sweet time to sub also the eps of this second season. But I'll keep waiting...

Ryllharu

Wed, 04-19-2006, 12:41 PM

Crystal Nova is a bit on the slow side, they released eps 1 earlier, and are well worth it, but if you want to watch the eps anyway

(HnK) Aria -the Natural- eps 2 (http://torrents.hikarinokiseki.com/ARIA_The_NATURAL_-_Ep_02_(HnK).XviD.avi.torrent)

(HnK) Aria -the Natural- eps 3 (http://torrents.hikarinokiseki.com/ARIA_The_NATURAL_-_Ep_03_(HnK).XviD.avi.torrent)

I liked eps two a lot, there was a really nice feel to it, and it had an even more relaxing feel to it than usual.

HnK quality is fine, comparable to Crystal Nova.

Kraco

Wed, 04-19-2006, 03:54 PM

I watched the CrystalNova subbed episode 1 (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_01_%5BB7528075%5D.avi.torrent), and it left me with very mixed feelings. It was clearly one of the mystery episodes. We had a couple of those in the first season as well. Now, it could be just my opinion, but this series seems to be divided in two: Totally realistic episodes and then more unusual episodes with heavy mystery feeling. I liked the realistic ones bettew, as they tended to concentrate solely on the characters, whereas the mysteries didn't really hit my tastes that well.

And then there were some graphical peculirities as well. I'm not at all one of those people who have very keen eyes for graphical details in anime, and who spot immediately if the budget has been slightly smaller or other things like that. But now with vastly different camera work, long still shots and other changes it didn't quite feel the same as the eps in the first season.

Well, I hope the second ep will turn things back to normal. I will personally stick to CrystalNova just for the sake of consistency, so I'll not be seeing the new eps all that quickly, I suppose.

Ryllharu

Wed, 04-19-2006, 04:22 PM

I always liked the mystery eps. They bring up the idea that Aqua (the planet itself) is accepting Akari (and recently Ai). The two of them are the only ones who have these experiences in the show, though in the first season Grandma seemed to give the impression that some of her experiences may have been similar. The time travel elements are really weird, but that is because of her close relationship with President Aria. (The idea that cats connect the past and present.)

It sets up Akari with unique attitude (as all the Undine's have). It makes her parallel Alicia more, who also shows a deep love for Aqua and Neo Venicia as a whole.

After that explaination, all I can say to myself is, "Embarrasing lines are prohibited!"

There have been some good character development moments though, don't worry.

I'll be archiving the CrystalNova subs, but HnK are fine for watching.

Kraco

Fri, 04-21-2006, 10:43 AM

Episode 2 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_02_%5BD98C722C%5D.avi.torrent)

Alright! The second episode was once again of the type that originally made me like this series. And once again made me think, in vain, what kind of series this actually is and why I like it so much. I said in my previous post that I don't prefer the mystery episodes, but in truth this whole series is one mystery in itself...

Kraco

Tue, 05-02-2006, 03:11 AM

Well, it looks like nobody but me and Ryllharu are watching this series here, but here's the link to the third episode sub by CrystalNova, just for old time's sake...

Episode 3 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_03_%5B351DC9E5%5D.avi.torrent)

Lucifus

Tue, 05-02-2006, 06:54 AM

Well, Looking for more anime,woould you guys recommend picking this series up? When I get home I'll download the first ep and judge for myself.

Kraco

Tue, 05-02-2006, 07:18 AM

I can certainly recommend this. It's anime of the highest quality. However, it's a peculiar series, and it's 100% sure it appeals to a lot smaller audience than the titles you have listed in your sig. Aye, considering your current top list, I have to note Aria contains close to 0% action. Of any kind. It's hard to imagine what a series like that could be, but have a look, and you will see.

Ryllharu

Tue, 05-02-2006, 08:00 AM

Definitely recommended. As Kraco said, it is a peculiar genre. It doesn't really fit into anything other than Slice of Life, but its fairly different from many of those as well. No action, no consistent plot, no significant character development beyond a couple of episodes at a time. It's more like you are getting a better image of each of the character's personalities, but they don't really change (since each eps is basically stand alone).

Its very relaxing. To me, its more unwinding to watch an eps of Aria than drink a beer after a tough day. (Proven on three separate occasions.)

You get really caught up in the laid back feel of the city, the series, and generally it just makes you feel good.

I cannot recommend this series enough, everything about it is good in its own way. (And to think I didn't initially want to watch the first season because I thought it was going to be boring)

Lucifus

Tue, 05-02-2006, 12:38 PM

Well, can't turn down those recommendations.:cool: Downloading now. =)
Which group is better?

But seriously, an anime with no plot, action, or ...anything.........really hard to imagine its any good, but i'll take you word for it.

Ryllharu

Tue, 05-02-2006, 01:11 PM

CrystalNova has better subs overall, the raws and encoding are slightly better quality, but translation wise they are pretty much equal, minor differences in word choice, but the meanings are still equal.

ex. "Embarrasing Remarks" vs "Embarrasing Lines"

HnK is fine for watching, but I'm only archiving CrystalNova.

Kraco

Tue, 05-02-2006, 01:22 PM

I have only watched the CrystalNova subs, so I can't really compare them. I have been very satisfied with the quality of subbing. The CrystalNova release schedule has been somewhat irregular, though, so when/if you catch up with the season 2, you may need to consider it anew, if you don't occasionally feel like waiting an extra week (or two...).

Lucifus

Tue, 05-02-2006, 03:22 PM

Well....Here are my thoughts. :rolleyes:
At some parts..I taught was completly ridiculous and found myself laughing. The animations pretty decent. I found the lack of music weird at first. But, never the less, you guyswere right, its pretty calming, even though it lacks everything I like in an anime, I'll watch the entire series. Its ridiculous, but pretty sweet.:D

Thanks for recommendation Kraco, your right as usual, and same the Ryllharu, your info pretty much right on the ball with everything anime.:cool:

Kraco

Tue, 05-09-2006, 04:59 AM

Let's continue with the Naturalism, shall we?

Episode 4 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_04_%5B6ED0B14E%5D.avi.torrent)

Lucifus

Tue, 05-09-2006, 07:04 AM

So..they're only 13 episodes to Aria right? If so, that sucks, this series is really different from anything I've seen and I like it.....=S

Ryllharu

Tue, 05-09-2006, 07:06 AM

13 eps to the first season, yes. There are 13 more to the Natural.

I'm already hoping they make a third season.

Lucifus

Tue, 05-09-2006, 07:09 AM

Wait huh? Whats natural? So....theres 26 episodes?
Btw if i havn't said it yet, thakns to you and Kraco for recommending the series. Its seriously pretty sweet.

Ryllharu

Tue, 05-09-2006, 07:11 AM

I figured you knew from Kraco and my discussions. There are two seasons of ARIA. The first season ARIA -the Animation- and the second, ARIA -the Natural- both are 13 eps each. Natural is currently airing. The higher quality version of the 4th eps is 4 posts up.

Lucifus

Tue, 05-09-2006, 07:15 AM

Awesome! That makes me feel al warm inside, and the possibility of a thrid season is kool.

I'll start downloading when I get home.:D Thanks for the info.

Kraco

Tue, 05-09-2006, 07:24 AM

Yeah, sorry about the vague episode posting. This thread started with the first season (Aria the Animation), then just continued with the second (the Natural). The episodes of the second season thus share the same numbers with the first season (1-13), they just suddenly began again from one. It might have been wise to mark them as second season episodes, but I didn't think of it back then...

This episode continued with the old tradition of simple exploration of Neo-Venezia. And there certainly was an invasion of men! I earlier said to somebody there's like 2 men in the whole series and a host of girls. In this episode there were as many men as girls. How twisted!

Yet I hope we will still see Akatsuki again some time (the dude in my avatar image). He's one of the most interesting characters. Heh. You could say Akatsuki is the person who feels the most dangerous in the whole Aria world (although that's not saying much...). But I always see a kind of ripple in the silky smooth fabric of Aria whenever he's participating in a scene.

Kraco

Wed, 05-17-2006, 12:48 PM

An ARIA episode with a life-threatening situation? What has the world come to? Well, perhaps it wasn't quite that dramatic, after all...

Episode 5 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_05_%5BE3FF7DB2%5D.avi.torrent)

Ryllharu

Wed, 05-17-2006, 07:31 PM

I'll be honest, I didn't really like this eps. I like Akari and I like Alicia, but the show really shines with Aika and Alice (or Akira and Athena, and the various combinations of all of them). It dragged on a bit, and for once it had a hard time holding my interest. The train scene was really nice, and Aria frying the powerline while eating grapes off the vine. The first half of the eps, I could do without.

But eps 6 is all about Alice with Athena prominently featured. Look forward to it when CrystalNova makes their release, unless you get impatient and watch HnK versions.

Kraco

Wed, 05-24-2006, 06:20 PM

You are reflected in the mirror, Alice-chan.

Episode 6 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_06_%5BA0475400%5D.avi.torrent)

This was an interesting episode for a few reasons, but mainly because of the character development. Or perhaps character characterization. While this series as a whole relies on characters heavily, I don't feel there actually is huge amounts of character development. Just like was said in this episode, the basic natures of the main characters play the major role. This episode, however, seemed to develop Alice quite a lot. Positive is also how much time Athena got. Even if she didn't sing, which was something I was expecting and hoping for...

But this was quite a shot of Alice-chan!
http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/330/aliceradiant7uy.jpg

Ryllharu

Wed, 05-24-2006, 07:46 PM

It was a bit creepy for me to see quiet, reserved Alice get particularly cheery and the end of the eps. Quite the turn for her.

With a change this big, I was actually expecting to see Alice become a Single. She's got the rowing talent, her attitude and shyness (making her come off cold) was what I thought was holding her back from what we could see in the first season.

I really liked the parts where Maa attempted to munch on Aria's chubby blubber and couldn't get onto bed. Athena's speech as well.

And especially the card game with Aika.

*realized now while scanning through the eps that I apparently missed the entire middle of of the eps when I watched it. (From about 5:20 to 11:54!!) Must have been getting a sandwich or something and forgot to pause it*

EDIT: Amazingly, the eps still made total sense forgetting that chunk of time, but now it makes the picture somewhat more complete.

Kraco

Sun, 05-28-2006, 05:46 AM

I found this pic following a link from the CrystalNova forums, and think it's too funny not to post here:

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/2676/ariastaynight0it.jpg

Kraco

Tue, 06-06-2006, 10:24 AM

Revenge of the Caith Sith:

Episode 7 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_07_%5BC2070707%5D.avi.torrent)

A very calm episode, as usual. Actually not a whole lot happened either, except for heavy gondoling (if you can use that as a verb). And some cat business once again. Not the strongest episode of Aria, for sure, but not bad either.

However, I'm really looking forward to the next episode, because Akatsuki appeared in the preview.

Ryllharu

Tue, 06-27-2006, 02:29 PM

I just found out that the Natural is a 26 eps series. I don't think I'll be able to get the smile off my face.

http://anidb.info/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=2659

16 eps titles are already listed.

Kraco

Tue, 06-27-2006, 02:33 PM

Yes, indeed. Somebody mentioned it over at the CrystalNova forums some time ago. It's jolly good news indeed. Too bad CrystalNova is taking more than 3 weeks to release episodes... Somebody must be having a vacation, or something.

Ryllharu

Tue, 06-27-2006, 02:49 PM

You could always switch over to Hnk. Their quality is equal to CrystalNova, despite what anyone says. Only video encoding is lower. I think their translation is superior in terms of fitting the character image (specifically Alice). "Totally" instead of "really" is her key phrase, fitting better with her young and somewhat ditzy image. I'm saving the CrystalNova versions for archiving.

I really loved eps 10 by the way. It was hilarious, and added a huge amount to Akari's character without ever really focusing on her. (Aika and Alice follow her through the city). My favorite so far of this season.

Kraco

Wed, 06-28-2006, 10:59 AM

Hmm... I watched ep 8 from HnK, and while the translation was pretty similar, like you said, the video quality was so much lower that it's indeed essential to archive CrystalNova. Well, having received my Aria fix now, I'll wait and see if CrystalNova decides to release 8 and 9 back to back. You never know...

Edit: Episode 8 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_08_%5BDA460886%5D.avi.torrent)

Ryllharu

Thu, 07-27-2006, 05:20 AM

[CrystalNova]ARIA_The_NATURAL_-_09 (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_09_%5B147C079E%5D.avi.torrent)
[CrystalNova]ARIA_The_NATURAL_-_10 (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_10_%5B47E0150A%5D.avi.torrent)

10 was definitely one of my favorites this season. I really like how they were able to develope Akari's character without once actually making her the focus of the eps (besides, the whole...stalking thing). Aika's fear of the ferry and Alice mocking her for never riding one was great.

Kraco

Tue, 08-01-2006, 06:31 AM

Aye, episode 10 was great. I was disappointed with episode 8, so it was good ep 10 offered so much goodness.

. . .

The gondolas keep floating and the girls rowing:

Episode 11 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_11_%5BCDC75538%5D.avi.torrent)

Ryllharu

Tue, 08-01-2006, 06:40 AM

For some reason this eps made me sad. I'm not really sure why. But Akari's avoidance skills have gotten better. I wonder if they will ever show how she got promoted to Single or if they'll show Alice do it sometime.

If we're really lucky, at the end of the series Akari will become a full fledged Undine.

Kraco

Tue, 08-01-2006, 10:36 AM

I liked this ep. One strong reason is how similar Akatsuki's brother was to Akatsuki himself. It's easy to believe they are brothers. Both treated Akari pretty much identically. The conversation between Akari and Akatsuki's brother was just hilarious, especially how the brother reacter to Akari's usual "Huh?". And the reason why he chose Akari...

"I need them to be carried very carefully, even if it's slow. And according to my brother your gondola is number one in Neo-Venezia for being "so damn slow you almost go to sleep", so that's why I came to ask you."

And Akari looked extremely happy and thrilled even after that...

Too bad the episode 8 mostly wasted such a great opportunity for more stuff like this.

Kraco

Sun, 08-20-2006, 04:15 AM

Chiming and crystal shining:

Episode 12 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_12_%5B93815374%5D.avi.torrent)

I liked this episode quite a lot. Especially the second part. The first part was somewhat trippy, and honestly I could take a break from the mysterious cats theme. But the second part more than made up for that. It had some really good scenes.

Kraco

Sat, 09-02-2006, 01:31 PM

Like baleful ninjas in the night the CrystalNova staffers snuck in and released episode 13 with no forewarning.

Episode 13 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_13_%5B264E3616%5D.avi.torrent)

Kraco

Tue, 10-03-2006, 01:56 PM

It has been a month without an Aria episode, but according to CrystalNova they haven't yet kicked the bucket. So, to pass the time, they released a small extra episode thing:

Aria The Natural special 1 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_Special_1_%5BDVD%5D%5B712A90E2%5D.avi.torrent)

I can't honestly say this would be something to adore. It was like a trailer, or something. Less than 6 minutes in lenght and with practically no plot. Well, at least embarrasing remarks aren't still allowed...

Ryllharu

Tue, 10-03-2006, 02:36 PM

Now if I can wait a little longer for someone to sub eps 15...

The special is pretty much like a trailer. HnK subbed this back in May, and that's pretty much what I took it as. CrystalNova's video quality is vastly superior on this, so I'll keep this version.

Maybe we'll be seeing dvd releases of ARIA The Natural from now on?

Kraco

Sun, 10-22-2006, 03:19 AM

Well, who would have had the spirit to believe in Aria after almost a two months pause... But here it is, nonetheless, as bright as ever under the blue sky of Neo Venezia:

Episode 14 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_14_%5B5F9AFD1C%5D.avi.torrent)

Zati

Sun, 11-05-2006, 04:00 AM

Just released and still need to catch up i'm behind. Don't see much people discussing about ARIA such a great enjoyable refreshing feel good anime but only see Kraco and Ryllharu discussing mostly :)

Episode 15 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5bCrystalNova%5dARIA_The_NATURAL_-_15_%5bB5B8FC39%5d.avi.torrent)

Kraco

Thu, 11-16-2006, 06:11 PM

A double release, which is very fitting since it was a two episodes miniarc!

Episode 16 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_16_%5BEFFC51F4%5D.avi.torrent)
Episode 17 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_17_%5BB6F36CC7%5D.avi.torrent)

Edit: A miniarc of two episodes, and quite an interesting plot with 100% Aria theme. I honestly have no idea how they can build two episodes around an idea like that and not have it be boring as hell and corny and dumb, but the miracle of Aria just made it work wonderfully. Goddam... I can even confess during the second ep I started to feel sad for the gondola, myself... During the ~28 past episodes of Aria I had never even paid any attention to the boats that much. I supposed they were the same gondolas they used all the time, but that's about it. And now it almost felt like some character had died.

Ryllharu

Thu, 11-16-2006, 07:38 PM

Yeah, same here. I felt pretty sad when she slept the night in the gondola. Really touching was the part where Akari mentioned that the gondola had taken her through all those wonderful experiences. As soon as she says it, you realize it really has been everywhere with her.

I have to admit, even though I know she's not even close to it in terms of experience, I half expected Akari's new gondola to be white. I sorta got this vibe she was going to be promoted to Prima, which would parallel her to Alicia, getting it before her respective friend who works at Himemiya.

Looking back at eps 15, it never clicked with me that of the major cast of characters, only Akari isn't a native. It kinda makes all the weird experiences she's had with the past and the cats more important. She's been folded into the main cast's circle and even accepted by the planet itself.

Kraco

Fri, 11-17-2006, 03:39 AM

Aye, indeed. Episode 15 was excellent. One of them best of Natural episodes. And just like you said, it brought quite suddenly the revelation that only Akari had been, in that sense, outsider. But no more. That scene where they told her she's not was very good and with a strong atmosphere.

It was pretty funny how Akatsuki, Alicia, and Akira were as kids so similar to what they are as adults now. Akatsuki and Akira were quite incompatible... That detail felt a bit like invented just for this episode, but in the end it does make perfect sense.

Kraco

Mon, 01-01-2007, 07:14 AM

Aria releases might not be quite as punctual as train timetables, but they are all the more welcome because of that (although trains are also welcome, if you intend to travel by train...).

Episode 18 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_18_%5BE6AC6368%5D.avi.torrent)
Episode 19 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_19_%5B7EB95EE6%5D.avi.torrent)

These two episodes, while not actually forming any mini-arc, go well hand in hand nevertheless. Thus, it wasn't a bad decision CrystalNova decided to release them simultaneously. They are like a cause and a consequence in a certain sense, story wise.

But I have to say the new Aika looks pretty splendid in episode 19, in the casual clothes...
http://img487.imageshack.us/img487/291/aikasnewlooksqw5.jpg

Kraco

Sun, 03-11-2007, 01:23 PM

Out of the blue (or grave) CrystalNova suddenly came back alive, and released two episodes of Aria! It only took them two and a half months, or so. Blessed necromancy; where would we be without your unholy arts?

Episode 20 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5bCrystalNova%5dARIA_The_NATURAL_-_20_%5bDVD%5d%5b29BFBD40%5d.avi.torrent)
Episode 21 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5bCrystalNova%5dARIA_The_NATURAL_-_21_%5bDVD%5d%5bA253F2F3%5d.avi.torrent)

Kraco

Tue, 04-10-2007, 11:23 AM

It's like some sort of sad miracle that the waits for Aria episodes are more often than not more than a month yet when you finally watch them, you forget how long you waited. But nevertheless, this time it wasn't even that long. And with two episodes released at once, like previously, you could argue it's halved time.

Episode 22 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5bCrystalNova%5dARIA_The_NATURAL_-_22_%5bDVD%5d%5b647ABFEC%5d.avi.torrent)
Episode 23 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5bCrystalNova%5dARIA_The_NATURAL_-_23_%5bDVD%5d%5b992B5A8C%5d.avi.torrent)

Ryllharu

Tue, 04-10-2007, 11:46 AM

I really liked eps 22. The parallel worlds was a little creepy, especially Akatsuki-chan. But seeing Aria flustered over it was well worth it.

The second half was amazing though. It did seem to be an episode where Akatsuki was singled out for embarrassment. Having done something down the same lines to a younger neighbor like his older brother did (without the resulting crying, I just received a really funny look for a while), I really enjoyed it. It was definitely great to see Akatsuki so freaked out by it. Aria's mocking pose at the end clinched it.

More importantly, his mother was really young looking. She looked barely older than Athena is now, notable considering his brother is a lot older than he is. No wonder Akatsuki's standards in women are high. I loved her seiyuu too. Mayumi Iizuka, more well known for Makoto in Kanon and Kasumi in pokemon.

I'll save 23 for later this week. I have a feeling I'm going to need it to wind down.

Kraco

Wed, 04-11-2007, 06:41 AM

Yeah, #22 was certainly interesting. The parallel work was surely freaky, like you said. When Akatsuki-chan appeared for the first time, I though I didn't see it quite correctly, and even after his... her second appearance I had real troubles accepting her. Man, that was gross.

The second part was interesting, for sure. It was just like what you could imagine for Akatsuki. Funny fellow, and no wonder he's still somewhat twisted. They surely keep drawing amusement from the source called Akatsuki, much to his embarrassment...

Kraco

Tue, 05-15-2007, 02:52 AM

Long did we wait, but finally it's here:

Episode 24 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_24_%5BDVD%5D%5B54251E94%5D.avi.torrent)

Only a couple of episodes left after this, though... Grief.

Ryllharu

Tue, 05-15-2007, 06:34 AM

Not quite. Browsing Anidb for the total number of episodes in -the Natural-, I stumbled upon this.

ARIA The OVA: Arietta (http://anidb.info/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=5115)

No idea when it's coming out, but more Aria always makes me happy.

Kraco

Tue, 05-15-2007, 06:37 AM

Yeah. It should be coming out later this year, according to CrystalNova.

Kraco

Mon, 06-25-2007, 03:11 AM

It seems almost unbelievable, but Aria is finished (apart from the ova):

Episode 25 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_25_%5BDVD%5D%5B1331AB44%5D.avi.torrent)
Episode 26 Final - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_26_Final_%5BDVD%5D%5B53BC146F%5D.avi.torrent)

Aria The Natural 1-26 batch (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_NATURAL_-_01-26_(COMPLETE).torrent)

Ryllharu

Mon, 06-25-2007, 09:27 AM

What a perfect way to end a truly wonderful series. I haven't been this completely satisfied with a series in a long time.

Kraco

Mon, 06-25-2007, 10:10 AM

Aye. It was a wonderful ending. These two last episodes formed a good combination for the end, in my opinion. It was a good decision from CrystalNova to release them both at once and not far apart.

I was somehow expecting Aika and Akari to leave their remaining glove behind before the end, but in the end I don't think that was any great point in the story, even though their daily life was aiming for that, on the surface. Well, these last episodes for sure reminded what their daily life was for, deep down.

Ryllharu

Mon, 06-25-2007, 10:46 AM

I was waiting for that too, but the epilogue turned out to be enough for me. It indicated that Alice will become a Single once it gets warm, and that perhaps sooner than Aika, Akari will become a Prima.

Alicia really got to shine in the last episode. She just ignored Akari's question and happily showed her instead.

Ryllharu

Thu, 08-09-2007, 11:28 AM

Bump with info on the OVA.

It has a definitive release date according to the official site. 9/21/07
Not too long a wait, and it also appears to give a story synopsis and a couple of screen shots. I can't read it, but that's fine with me. The animation looks really good though.

Even if Kraco and I are the only ones who care.

Kraco

Wed, 08-29-2007, 01:31 AM

Well, well:

Aria TV Anime's 3rd Season Greenlit for Production
The October issue (on sale August 30) of Mag Garden's Comic Blade magazine will announce that a third animated television season based on Kozue Amano's Aria surreal slice-of-life manga was greenlit. Director Junichi Sato (Gate Keepers, Pretear, Princess Tutu) will return after overseeing both of the previous Aria television seasons and the OVA. The staff will largely be the same as the OVA version's. The broadcast date has not been set yet, but the third season has been in production since this past spring. Source: Moon Phase (http://www.moonphase.cc/)

Quite a news item. And one I certainly wasn't expecting for some unexplained reason. I blame CrystalNova: They gave me the feeling it was all over with the OVA...

Ryllharu

Wed, 08-29-2007, 06:10 AM

That's fantastic news. I'm a bit wary of a third series installments. I haven't seen many good ones in the past, since production values tends to plummet (see Nanoha StrikerS, Dragonball GT). Aria isn't an action series though, so I don't see a problem.

I also thought the series would end with the OVA, as the website shows what looks to be a rather telling image. Perhaps it's intentionally deceptive, but then again, I didn't know about a third season.
Left as a url for spoiler prevention.
http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/1525/zzakasa8.jpg

The anidb description changed since I last checked. The OVA is a flashback of the Aria Company before Akari joined.

Kraco

Wed, 08-29-2007, 08:34 AM

The anidb description changed since I last checked. The OVA is a flashback of the Aria Company before Akari joined.

Oh, that's interesting. I never expected the OVA to conclude the story, so in that sense a flashback would make sense as it would have allowed them to use material freely for the third season and not ponder what arcs to use in the ova or what kind of (filler) material invent for it. A history lesson, however, gives them somewhat free reign. I just hope Akatsuki will make an appearance.

Ryllharu

Wed, 08-29-2007, 01:44 PM

Akatsuki already had his flashbacks. The crying to mama, the Hero of Aqua. He didn't even recognize that Alicia was one of the girls he met then. She really hadn't changed in appearance at all (unlike someone else).

I'm hoping for an Athena filled flashback. It'd mostly be her being as Alice puts it, "totally spaced-out," but still fun none the less. Then again, perhaps my earlier guess isn't so far off, Alicia did become a Prima fairly young.

Kraco

Wed, 08-29-2007, 01:58 PM

Aye. I didn't mean the whole thing would be about Akatsuki. I just meant he would make an appearance, no matter how short. He's a funny character, after all.

Kraco

Thu, 11-15-2007, 11:52 AM

I finally had to admit to myself that CrystalNova is dead, and so I went and downloaded the OVA from Hochuuami. The torrent (http://a.scarywater.net/spu/%5BHochuuami%5D%20ARIA%20The%20OVA%20ARIETTA%20%5B DVD%5D.mkv.torrent) already had one leg in a grave and the remaining fast slipping, but in hours it finally downloaded.

It was a very nice OVA. Filled with Aria feeling for sure (and embarrassing remarks). Pretty much everybody made an appearance as well, and it even managed to include a good length of Athena's singing. Some parts of the ova were also quite moving...

No complaints whatsoever.

Ryllharu

Mon, 11-19-2007, 10:05 PM

That's why you shouldn't be impatient. Good things come to those who wait.

[CrystalNova]ARIA The OVA ~Arietta~ (H264 Vorbis) (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5bCrystalNova%5dARIA_The_OVA_~Arietta~_%28H264_Vo rbis%29%5bC00FAB8A%5d.mkv.torrent)

Not that I hadn't watched the other version long ago when it first came out. Now we wait for Origination to start. Who knows when that will be.

Kraco

Tue, 11-20-2007, 02:44 AM

It figures I wait two months and when I finally give up, they release it a few days later.

They must have done it on purpose... >_>

Kraco

Mon, 01-28-2008, 06:25 PM

Behold you heretics of little faith!

Origination Episode 1 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_ORIGINATION_-_01_%5B880F0DA0%5D.mkv.torrent)

Ryllharu

Mon, 01-28-2008, 07:34 PM

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I prefer HnK's translation and I always have. "totally" instead of "really" for Alice's trademark phrase flows a lot better, and it also has the proper feeling and emphasis. But, CrystalNova always has better visual quality from non-dvd releases.

Do I sense a little bit more confidence in Alice's voice? Could it be character development, or is Clannad's Kyou seeping into my Alice-chan?

All in all, I'm very happy to have my ARIA back.

Ryllharu

Fri, 02-08-2008, 07:11 PM

[HnK] Aria -The Origination- Eps 4 (http://torrents.hikarinokiseki.com/ARIA_The_ORIGINATION_-_Ep_04_(HnK).XviD.avi.torrent)

Now, you and I are both quite fond of ARIA. There are many episodes I like more than others, particularly ones where Alice and Aika follow Akari by some means of transportation in the city. Then they always try to be stealthy and fail.

However, this episode floored me. Not just in terms of its always-gentle feel, or how much I needed ARIA after a really shitty commute today. Even visually, this episode was also superior in many ways.

[comment containing spoilers follows below]

No, this episode was probably the most advancing in terms of overall plot...in all of ARIA. In the past, we've only been exposed to Aika, Alice, and Akari. They also happen to be direct pupils of the three Water Fairies. So, unbeknownst to the viewers, we've been given a fairly skewed version of where the three of them stand. Akari has frequently mentioned in the Arietta OVA, the end of -the Natural- and the first few episodes of Origination that she's nowhere near ready to become a Prima. Everyone around her disagrees (except Alicia, patiently teaching her) and the viewers sort of leave it to Akari's lack of confidence, and believe her for the most part.

However, in this episode, we get a much better look at where Akari stands in the overall community of Undines. Three new Undines are introduced to us, Atora, Ayumi, and Anzu. We find out early on that Anzu has recently failed her test, again. Later, Atora also failed at once. Ayumi really doesn't care, and that's just fine.

So what does this mean? Akari is finally compared to two Undines who are apparently right below the level of being Prima. These two Undines are very skilled with the traghetto, since they have spent their time since failing the Prima exam practicing or running the traghetto. We finally have a baseline that we can compare Akari to.

The result? Akari masters the traghetto almost instantly. It's reportedly harder to row, and requires more skill, so two people row it. On her very first time, Anzu doesn't even need to help Akari. At all. You can even watch the scene and see that Anzu's oar never dips into the water.

This tells us only one thing. Akari is either being held to a very high standard (as expected by someone taught by Akira-sama), or the only thing holding her back is her own lack of self-confidence. Akari is already at the level of a Prima for both Orange Planet and possibly Himeya. Maybe even beyond.

That leaves me with only one conclusion. Not that it wasn't too obvious from early on, but this all but confirms it to me. If Aika and Akari are the same level, and Alice is rapidly catching up to them (she just hasn't taken the Single promotion test that she will easily pass at this point), the three of them are purposefully and specifically being trained up to the level of succeeding or surpassing their three teachers.

[spoiler content ends]

That, and the art was really phenomenal in this episode. When they focussed on any of the faces of three Undines introduced, it really looked better than we've ever seen in ARIA. Often better than many other series. Atora especially.

EDIT: Four screencaps of what I'm referring to.
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/4167/zatorarn7.png
http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/5084/zayumimu1.png
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8535/zatora2kf4.png
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/7271/zayumiandatorafa7.png

Kraco

Sat, 02-09-2008, 11:00 AM

I've decided to wait for CrystalNova's relesases, so who knows when I'll get all the way up to the fourth episode. Maybe in a couple of months.

Kraco

Wed, 02-27-2008, 02:23 AM

This wait was a bit on the long side, but oh well:

Episode 2 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_ORIGINATION_-_02_%5B701D79A3%5D.mkv.torrent)

Everon

Sun, 03-02-2008, 07:26 AM

I'm completely late to the party, so which one should I start with first? Natural or Animation?

Kraco

Sun, 03-02-2008, 08:34 AM

The Animation. Then Natural. Then the OVA Arietta, then this new third season currently airing.

Get CrystalNova's subs. Either use their own tracker or Boxtorrents. Both seem to have a decent amount of seeders.

Ryllharu

Mon, 03-17-2008, 07:49 PM

Worry not, Spoiler Free (including edits and episode number)

Holy. Shit.

That is all.

(I know you only watch the CrystalNova, and I will forever contest that HnK is just as good in everything but the most minor of visual quality due to the difference in their raws and encoding, but this episode required commenting)

This season ends at 13 episodes by the way, and judging from how far we've come and the final episode title, this will likely be the final season. Sad but true.

EDIT: Now that I've had a couple minutes, I can assess what happened. I vaguely knew that something big happened in the eleventh volume of the manga, but I held out and never learned what it was.

I can honestly say I've never been shocked by an episode of anime before. Yes, not even some of the things in Code Geass moved me in quite this manner. But here I am, furiously typing, as my heart beats out of control. Chest feels a bit tight, hands a bit shaky, and I'm still mulling it all over.

Just...wow.

Kraco

Tue, 03-18-2008, 02:38 AM

Ho... Jolly good. I'll comment on that in... October? When CrystalNova is finally that far.

Truth to be told, I don't know how long I can keep this up. As avid a supported of CN as I am, this is getting ridiculous even for me. One of these days I just might snap and go for other choices. A series loses something when you watch the episodes a month or more apart and hardly remember what happened in the previous ep.

Everon

Thu, 03-20-2008, 07:01 PM

Something about this show makes me sleepy. Thats not a bad thing per se. Like most people have said already, its got a nice relaxing pace to it. Great for winding down the day. Problem is, I can't watch more than two at a time before wanting to doze off. :)

I should finish Natural later this week.

Kraco

Wed, 03-26-2008, 04:31 AM

Hmm... Maybe I'll give CN another chance:

Episode 3 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_ORIGINATION_-_03_%5BC48353DF%5D.mkv.torrent)
Episode 4 - CrystalNova (http://tracker.crystalnova.net/torrents/%5BCrystalNova%5DARIA_The_ORIGINATION_-_04_%5BC22EE983%5D.mkv.torrent)

Ryllharu

Wed, 03-26-2008, 03:26 PM

Well, that's up to you.

Reference my own comments made to episode 4 as a reminder to you, as it was easily the best episode of the season for me until very recently.
http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=366814&postcount=100

Kraco

Wed, 03-26-2008, 05:29 PM

Reference my own comments made to episode 4 as a reminder to you, as it was easily the best episode of the season for me until very recently.
http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=366814&postcount=100

Yeah, I couldn't agree more with your conclusions. Those three must be getting special training for special purposes, yet likewise it could be reasoned their Prima test would then be especially hard as well. Naturally for Akari it makes perfect sense since Aria Company doesn't really have any extra employees yet has a very high standard of service and reputation to uphold. I can't anymore really remember if Aika had special circumstances but I seem to recall she wasn't just one of the girls in the company.

Ryllharu

Wed, 03-26-2008, 07:03 PM

Aika is the heiress to Himeya. Her family founded it, back when Mars became Aqua and Venice was moved there. She said in a much earlier episode (can't remember which season, Natural has a lot of flashbacks), that she would have joined Aria Company to be with Alicia, her greatest idol, but as the heiress she's stuck in Himeya.

...or it might be just in the manga, not 100% sure which.

Kraco

Thu, 03-27-2008, 02:32 AM

Ah. I think she said that in the anime as well. I was suspecting that was the case but my spongiform memory being what it is, I decided not to write it here as a fact lest it be a false memory and my reputation be gone forever...

Ryllharu

Thu, 05-01-2008, 04:25 PM

HnK released episode 10 after a long wait of exams and such, but I can't really post the torrent because of this horrible news.

ARIA Licensed (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-05-01/right-stuf-licenses-all-three-aria-tv-seasons-and-video)
This has been confirmed as ALL three seasons. The first release will be in September, so the series will be a long way in finishing (even assuming CrystalNova doesn't drop it).

HnK has summarily dropped the series, as most honorable subbers would, two episodes before the finale.

But there is a slight silver lining. Distributor Right Stuf and its Nozomi Entertainment production arm will be releasing the first series as a whole box set. No dub, and all 13 episodes released all at once. The other two seasons will be released in a similar manner.

Kraco

Wed, 05-07-2008, 03:15 AM

Seeing how Yakhobian, CrystalNova's translator, is stuck in Japan (that is, studies there or something) and seemingly unable to translate anything over there, I decided it's a vain effort to wait for them. However, getting HnK's subs now isn't anymore as easy as it was. Some of them I managed to get with torrents from Isohunt (their own tracker doesn't distribute them anymore, nor their irc channel, I think, according to the channel topic, at least). I'm missing eps 5 and 8, and it looks like I'll need to find some random third party bot hosting them if I want them..

Ryllharu

Wed, 05-07-2008, 03:48 AM

You can get the last three episodes from BSS, and a new group Aquamarine picked up the last two, but the translation obviously never went through QC. BSS gives the same quality work they did with Gurren Lagann, so grab theirs. I'll make an edit to this post or reply when I've seen them all.

If you're having a lot of trouble getting 5 and 8, I'll see what I can do to help, though the upload my ISP provides is really bad.

Hawkeye32

Wed, 05-07-2008, 09:14 AM

Just finished watching this series. I'm mostly happy with the way it ended and without giving any spoilers I sort of expected that last scene. The thing with Alicia was kind of a shock though.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the series on a whole as a way to relax and mellow out.

Kraco

Wed, 05-07-2008, 02:20 PM

If you're having a lot of trouble getting 5 and 8, I'll see what I can do to help, though the upload my ISP provides is really bad.

Hmm... I managed to get #5 already, though it took its sweet time for sure, and now the troublesome #8 also has a few seeders and it's looking good. If it stays like this, I'll have it as well in no time. After that, I'll just get the fresh #13 from BSS and it's all finito.

Edit: Alright. HnK downloads finished. Jolly good.

Ryllharu

Wed, 05-07-2008, 03:19 PM

You can comment on them as you watch them Kraco, and then perhaps Hawkeye32 and I can respond to you as you go.

I've got a lot to say about the last 3-5 episodes, so it might be better to trickle them out rather than a single, *** word post.

EDIT:

***1500 words or more. I underestimated my word count in even the longest of my Code Geass posts.

Kraco

Wed, 05-07-2008, 03:43 PM

Ep 10 is the latest I've watched so far. The biggest shocku was of course episode 9. I never saw that coming. Well, I was already thinking early through the ep Alice would lose one glove, but I certainly didn't see her lose both of them. Still, in retrospect, it makes perfect sense in a special manner. She was early on called some sort of a prodigy, yet she's still only a "random" girl in the big company. So, it's actually a pretty wise business move to make her the youngest Prima ever. She will undoubtly get customers just because of that, which is good for Orange Planet.

Needless to say, Aika and Akari are in a completely different situation. Aika is the heiress of an old and big company so she can't really be any oddity as such and must be nearly perfect and fully trained before she can publicly represent the company. Akari, on the other hand, is in a tiny company which alone reveals it's not about sheer profits and growth at all. It's about very high standards and reputation, though, but you get the feeling those requirements aren't really spoken aloud. Of them all you could say she will get promoted whenever.

Ryllharu

Wed, 05-07-2008, 04:27 PM

As far as eps 10 goes, I just really enjoyed the really cute side of Aika we rarely see, and how much fun the other two made of her after she and Al finally got out.

But yes, eps 9 was the huge shock to me. It performed exactly as intended. We would have seen how Akari lost her glove, and assumed that the exact same thing would happen to Alice. But of course, there were far too many people there. Something was up, but I still assumed it just had to do with how young Alice was. Apparently, since Aika and Akari met her, the only thing lacking in her experience was confidence and proper demeanor. Her demeanor was fixed over the course of the previous two series, either from Athena or simply opening up to Akari and Aika.

So as soon as she graduated, the Gondola Association had her promoted.

As for this paragraph:

Needless to say, Aika and Akari are in a completely different situation. Aika is the heiress of an old and big company so she can't really be any oddity as such and must be nearly perfect and fully trained before she can publicly represent the company. Akari, on the other hand, is in a tiny company which alone reveals it's not about sheer profits and growth at all. It's about very high standards and reputation, though, but you get the feeling those requirements aren't really spoken aloud. Of them all you could say she will get promoted whenever.
I have to disagree with you completely. Aika will be popular for that very reason, she's the little princess of the oldest undine company on Aqua. She always seemed to have more experience than both Akari and Alice, either technically, or touring. Akira has everything to do with that. For a long time, I had expected Aika to be promoted first. She was promoted to Single first, and I was never totally sure what was lacking in her training. Perhaps like you I had thought that Akira was holding her up to absurdly higher standards.

All that changed when Alice was promoted, another reason I found it so shocking.

That's when it came to me that who I really thought should have been promoted first was actually Akari. Take a look back at eps 4 (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=372629&postcount=110), where I wrote some huge post (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?p=366814&postcount=100) about how overly skilled she was at the traghetto on her first try. Two of the Undines, Atora and Anzu, had been "ready" for the Prima tests for nearly a year by the time Akari met them. Akari has only been on Aqua for a year or three. After Alice's very rapid ascent, I went back and was sure that Akari had been ready at that time.

Akari may seem a little unconfident, and Aria Company may be small, but there is one thing that stands out about that tiny company. Alicia works there. Anyone trained by her will gain attention, just like the other two, who were well known as being apprenticed to the other two Water Fairies. Alicia brings in so much business, by reputation alone Akari should at least gain some interest. Eps 4 proved she had the skills to match up with her predecessors, in a tradition that goes back all the way to Grandma. It's not so much that it cares about high standards and reputation, that was clear enough from Grandma's flashback. It just so happens that some of the best Undine's Aqua has to offer have been trained there.

And there's even more to it than that. Everyone in the city knows Akari herself by reputation. In the couple of episodes where Aika and Alice chase after her, only to be embarrassed by all the people she knows so much about, all the places and things she goes to and has been, despite both of them having been born on Aqua.

That is what I think Akari brings to Aria Company that made her ready a long time ago. She's the warmest and brightest of the three, and certainly would live up to being a Water Fairy herself, no to even mention living up to Aria Company's reputation.

If anything, Akari would become the greatest of the three, equaling if not surpassing Alicia. While Alicia was the most technically skilled and graceful of the previous generation, Alice seems like she will hold that now. Akari is more like Athena, but a little less absent minded, warmer, and she knows more about the smallest details of the city than anyone.

She'll certainly be the most beloved Undine when she is finally ready.

(...and that was just on two episodes while connecting with two previous ones!)

Kraco

Wed, 05-07-2008, 05:06 PM

Alreydy watched up to 12...

Uhhumh. You say you disagree with me completely, but I don't disagree with what you wrote there. Nor do I see how it conflicts with what I wrote. I said it was a smart move to make Alice so young a Prima, in the younger company. Alice pretty much is a young genius. If she had taken much younger, much of what makes her special would have been lost. While there's no question of her skills, she's still a bit immature. However, experience and age will sort that out and nothing else so it would be no basis for not promoting her already; further training wouldn't really do much difference.

Aika is already older than Alice, and for all we know she might be old enough to be a Prima anyway, normally. I said she needed to be really ready before becoming one, and not like Alice who obviously is meant to still learn a lot while doing it (she's so young). And obviously we saw exactly why: Aika was moved to administration right away. That's a place where you need to know the stuff already and not just learn anymore along the way.

And last but not least, I said Akari was the one that could have become a Prima arbitrarily at any point. She might be a genius after a fashion by her own right, but otherwise she had no burden on her shoulders. She's not a publicly rumoured prodigy like Alice, she's not a heiress (well, she is but not literally like Aika), and furthermore she's in a company that's not really trying to compete in the big business. So, her promotion was only up to her skills and attitude and whenever Alicia decided to have her exam, with no external pressure of any kind as such.

All in all I think this whole promotion issue was a complicated thing. Basically there was no real reason for them to compete who gets rid of the gloves first. They worked for different companies. However, they are humans and so "losing" surely can frustrate. And furthermore, their instructors had been in a similar situation and very well knew what was going on. I think it wasn't easy for them, either. I haven't yet seen the last ep, but I think the three Fairies must have considered not only the technical formalities of the promotion and the situation of their own companies but also the situation of those three friends and what it would mean if one of them suddenly got promoted, the other two left behind. In that sense I was a little surprised it took months for Aika and Akari to graduate after Alice. That being said the fact the last two were promoted so close to each other made perfect sense.

Ryllharu

Wed, 05-07-2008, 05:24 PM

Given that you've caught up to eps 12, I guess there's not a lot I have to elaborate upon. Now that I look at it, my, "completely disagree" was too strong. I was countering your assessment of Aria Company and my perceived view that you didn't think Aika was ready at the time Alice was promoted.

But there really was no competition (even a friendly one), no envy, and by this time, no frustration. Now that you've seen up to 12, I can elaborate a bit more in regards to Aika. As we saw in both the flashback earlier this season and again in episode 11, Akira thought Aika would feel really bad about not being able to be promoted before Alice. As if she was somehow not ready. That's all because Akira felt inadequate when not only Alicia, but Athena were both promoted over her, despite her having joined an Undine company the earliest. Very similar to what we saw with Anzu and Atora, but those two had actually failed.

But Aika didn't really care at all. As 11 showed, it only fired her up more, and Akira realized how wrong she was about her apprentice. Aika may have been a little whiny, but she was already the Queen of Himeya. Her demeanor was set to run the company whenever.

I was a little surprised that Aika's exam was brushed off so simply.

But the part I really enjoyed was Alice's little lonely moment. The three had spent nearly every hour of every day with each other, and as they get promoted, there would be less time to spend with each other. Alice really doesn't have any friends her age, she only has Aika and Akari. So she got loneliest the fastest. Sort of an accelerated maturity.

However, this is where we can finally see why ARIA is such a great series. All these previously isolated moments and events in episodes begin to converge. All the way back to the end of season 1, Akari cried when she imagined that she, Alice and Aika wouldn't see much of each other when they were Primas, after hearing about Alicia, Athena and Akira's past. The three Water Fairies did not get a great deal of time to see each other.

Jump back to episode 11, and just as Alice is about to break down and not take it anymore, Akari has grabbed Aika and some bananas and headed over just to see her. Akari already felt that loneliness hearing the story two years ago, so when the time came, she was completely prepared to ensure that that didn't happen.

Once you watch episode 13, I can elaborate a little bit more on my words about Akari, and what I felt when I watched it that seemed to justify everything I had thought about episode 4, 10, and the flashback from Grandma in regards to Akari. What was nice is that ARIA actually brought everything together.

Kraco

Wed, 05-07-2008, 06:07 PM

Once you watch episode 13, I can elaborate a little bit more on my words about Akari, and what I felt when I watched it that seemed to justify everything I had thought about episode 4, 10, and the flashback from Grandma in regards to Akari. What was nice is that ARIA actually brought everything together.

I don't know what you are going to say, but I didn't buy Alicia's confession that she didn't promote Akari a long time ago simply because of selfishness. I think the prime reason was that she was also alone, in a company with not that much mechanised traditions of promotions, and not so clear company goals. Of course she had her own plans and executed them finally very swiftly, but before that I think she was just as unsure as Akari of what she should be doing, and ended up doing nothing. However, even if she chose to do nothing, she still did a huge favour to Akari by not leaving her alone even sooner.

It was a very good series, from the beginning till the end. Strong last eps, for sure. The last scene of course didn't surprise me in the slightest, it was so given, but it was good to have there nonetheless.

Fortunately the last eps also had some Akatsuki. I was missing that crazy bastard already. And it looks like he shifted his fanboyism from Alicia to Akari now that he lost the former for good.

As an added bonus we learned where Akari lived on Manhome before moving to Aqua...

http://forums.gotwoot.net/gallery/files/9/7/6/2/Akarifromfinland.jpg

Ryllharu

Wed, 05-07-2008, 06:31 PM

Reverse Finland?

Tectonic plate shift? Heh. While it's a nice thought, I always had the impression she was from...Japan. Given her name, her occasional remarks about how high-tech everything was in her part of Manhome, that's all that ever made sense to me.

Frankly, I don't buy the Alicia's reasoning either. I think she was afraid. The same way Akari was running and opening the business without her. Alicia was afraid of leaving Akari alone, and afraid of leaving the life she was obviously fond of for a new life of relative uncertainty. Marriage, more responsibilities, a very important person in the industry she would leave behind, etc. Was it completely about spending more time with Akari? No, but that was at least a little part of it.

As for the epilogue, I think it established that Akari became very prominent in the world of Undines. I liked the new, extremely complicated hair cut. I would have liked to see how Alice and Aika looked too.

All in all though, the series ended in a very predictable, but utterly relaxing way. ARIA will undoubtedly go down as one of my favorite series, if not the one.

Now to wait for the dvd box sets and the manga...

Kraco

Thu, 07-10-2008, 04:47 AM

Just when we thought it's over, there's always one more time!

Episode 5.5 - DnD (http://tracker.anirena.com/download2.php?id=9552)

It's a DVD extra episode.

- - - - - - -

Edit: A jolly good ep! Just as good as the actual aired episodes. It centered around Akari but also had lots of Akatsuki, which suits me fine since I considered the dude a funny character and quite essential in the otherwise so female filled cast. Also, the end very nicely foreshadows what I said in my previous post about Akatsuki shifting his attention from Alicia to Akari.

Kraco

Fri, 09-12-2008, 04:08 AM

A few of Picture Dramas to alleviate withdrawal symptoms:

Picture Drama 1 - BSS (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_ARIA_The_ORIGINATION_-_Picture_Drama_1_%5Bh264%5D%5B8EA60976%5D.mkv.torr ent)
Picture Drama 2 - BSS (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_ARIA_The_ORIGINATION_-_Picture_Drama_2_%5Bh264%5D%5BD2DB29FD%5D.mkv.torr ent)
Picture Drama 3 - BSS (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BBSS%5D_ARIA_The_ORIGINATION_-_Picture_Drama_3_%5Bh264%5D%5BBF22475A%5D.mkv.torr ent)

Edit: Third picture drama added.

shinta|hikari

Sat, 07-04-2009, 08:24 AM

I've been watching Aria, and I am up to the 2nd season. Does this have any romance at all? Like with the salamander dude? I am enjoying it without romance so far, but I want to know if I should expect anything, as Kraco's sig might suggest. (Winks at Kraco and Ryll to get some decent feedback)

Kraco

Sat, 07-04-2009, 10:46 AM

If you want to spoil yourself, go right ahead.

It has a strong premise for a romance between two characters (Aika & Al), but it's not like that much happened, even if it's clear enough those two like each other.

My sig, while it's based on screenshots, is more wishful than concrete, unfortunately. They would have made such a jolly good pair. If they actually do in the future, it was never shown in the anime.

Ryllharu

Thu, 07-14-2016, 05:48 PM

NECRO POST!

ARIA- The Avvenire has concluded, and with it, ARIA as a whole.

ARIA - The Avvenire 01 [Vivid] (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=781220)
ARIA - The Avvenire 02 [Doremi] (http://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=800586)
ARIA - The Avvenire 03 [Doremi] (https://www.nyaa.se/?page=download&tid=829059)

This third episode was especially bittersweet. I will openly admit that I cried a bit when the Kawai Eri (Athena's singing vocalist, who died in 2008) started that final song...and again when they had the Athena flashback where she turned Alice from a Pair to a Prima (as Kawakami Tomoko her regular VA, who died in 2011). It was a touching moment...but of course Athena looked fabulous in her opera garb.

Full to the brim of embarrassing lines and warm moments, this is truly one of my favorite series of all time. It will be missed dearly, but I will surely buy the bluray box sets when they are all available in the US.

Avvenire: 8 out of 10

Franchise: 10 out of 10. Masterpiece.