The first episode of the all new three part “Aria the Avvenire” anime that was previously screened at select events in Japan, “Aria the Avvenire ~capitolo 1~ その 逢いたかったあなたに…” is now out, bundled with the “Aria The Animation” BluRay box set that has just been released.
Absolutely adored this first episode of “Aria the Avvenire”. A heavenly treat for any Aria fan, from the first image and music note it is a magical voyage filled with the enchanting scenery, soothing music, familiar faces and heartwarming tales this franchise is loved for.
Especially appreciated how they cleverly linked the newest generation of undine with the timelines of the previous generations by using an existing chapter from the manga. Starting off in the latest era at Aria Company when Ai is an apprentice under prima undine Akari, a chance encounter with Alice and Aika’s gondolas during Ai’s practice prompts Akari to tell her the tale of a fateful day years ago.
This tale, chapter 46 from volume 10 of the “Aria” manga which had not been adapted into anime form yet, tells the story of how Akira tries to deliver a birthday present to Alicia. Unable to meet Alicia due to their busy schedules, Akira is ultimately able to hand over the present with Akari’s help following a lucky encounter with Alicia and Athena’s gondolas.
Akira confesses to Akari she did not merely want to deliver the birthday present, but she wanted to meet her treasured friends Alicia and Athena as they have all been so busy after becoming prima undine they hardly meet each other. The undine from Himeya company reminisces how their time together as apprentices should be cherished.
Hearing Akari tell this heartwarming story, Ai wonders if she too will be able to make friends that she can one day create such cherished memories with.
While they understandably made some slight changes to the manga’s story to fit better with the flow of the episode, they perfectly captured the typical enchanting atmosphere of this lovely manga that Kozue Amano created.
No doubt because “Aria the Avvenire ~capitolo 1~” is bundled with “Aria The Animation”, they used that anime’s opening track ‘Undine’ which increases the nostalgia and makes me long to watch this amazing anime again.
This is a beautiful new chapter in this franchise where the passing of time, cherishing each day and the circle of repetition that accompanies each generation are core elements brought in an enchanting manner. I can’t wait for “Aria the Avvenire ~capitolo 2~” to be out next year and am sure that I will long for more after “Aria the Avvenire” is done.
