The summer brings about different feelings within people, like the rainbow after the rain.
*note: I got feedback that I should split the images a little to reduce the monotony of words from Alkan. Will do that for ep 2, 3 and the next few episodes! Do comment on anyway to improve my review other than the fact that my grammar is horrendous. I wonder if it is >_>;;; Dont tell me, i know it’s good. bwhahahaha (self-justification for the win!)
Summer time has finally arrived to our peaceful little town. It was also a good time for training, as it was a good time to break some sweat. They were travelling along a harder route, where they reminisced about the time when they were still “two gloves” (trainee). It was definitely a harder route due to the currents and it was there that they met a new character, a 14 year old middle school girl who was from Orange Planet that went through the route very fast. Aika, with her competitive spirit, started a mini competition with the girl to teach her that “single” (one glove) was definitely much faster than just a simple trainee.
The girl was actually Alice and she was actually scouted from the middle school’s Gondola club as one of the best undine, with great speed in the oar. Aika wanted to race the girl but was stopped by Akari as they found a field of beautiful yellow flowers. Akari remarked that it was nice to pick up the flowers, not only for the scent but also to give Alicia some of them. With that, we see Akari offering to eat breakfast together with Alice but was refuted with a “You’re so nosy”.
Alice left and went over to school. It was then at the entrance that a fangirl of hers appeared. With a stone face, she rejected the girl, stating that she was just a trainee. In class, her friend told her that it would definitely be better if she smiled and declined the offer. As the lesson ended, she went to eat her lunch at a fountain while trying very hard to smile. She did not understand why Akari could smile so happily while she was struggling so hard to.
The next scene then came to Akari buying snacks. She was then stopped by Akatsuki (the annoying guy who calls her pigtails). Akatsuki was her very first customer and she had a rather bad experience as she gazed the gondola against the wall and Akatsuki complained about her attempt to boat the Gondola. A few words from Alicia did the wonders and it was clear that he was a fanboy of Alicia too (too because i am as well >_>;;).
Back to reality, Akatsuki was actually waiting for someone to appear but the person seemed to be late. Akatsuki then asked Akari to drive him around to waste some time and he also used the lame “we’re friends” reason to get into the boat. While getting the boat off the dock, Akatsuki was continuing to tease Akari as pigtails and Alice arrived to the scene, thinking that Akatsuki was harrassing our poor Akari (he is btw, that bastard!). Akari simply smiled and said that it was not and invited Alice to join them in the fun ride.
They went through some public tourist spots, like the Spaceport for Immigration. Akari patiently explained about the places that they went through, with Alice providing some good back up when Akari forgot about the details. They also went around San Marco. Marco was actually a saint and it was represented by a lion that was like one of the beasts in the Old Testament. The lion figure with open scriptures was a personification of justice and was a symbol to protect peace in the region, as explained by Akari during their little trip.
As they continued on their little travel, Akari smiled and commended that Akatsuki was like one of the guardian deities of the town, cooling and regulating the weather of the town in Ukijima (the floating town). He was a flame keeper or a weatherman up there, to spread heat and the likes when required. Alice now could understand a little why Akari’s smile was not really for the sake of courtesy but simply a part of how she was as a person.
As they waited along the bridge to rest for a moment, Akari mentioned that a good way to spend some time was to simply observe people walking around. She then commented about an old man and was actively commenting whether he was able to get to his destination in time with comedic effect. Akatsuki was not impressed by it but Alice smiled. She was really cute when she smiled and I personally liked a lot. Ok, that was a digression. So Akari said that it was the first time she had ever seen Alice smile like that.
Finally, Akatsuki’s older brother arrived to the scene with money to give to Akatsuki and he praised that Akari was definitely a superior undine. She definitely was, since she was able to tolerate that bloody annoying person that kept calling her pigtails. They continued onto their trip to finish the journey. It was clear to Alice now why Akari was able to smile that way because she was one with the wind and she had opened her heart in the Gondola. When you allowed yourself to flow with the world, you would feel that way in alignment with nature.
The journey ended, with Akatsuki offering to give them two residential tickets to visit Ukijima. They accepted and they enjoyed a great view of the town. Alice realised the beautiful scenery and felt that she was closer to the wind just being there. She finally understood and was glad. The feeling was good.
A beautiful and nice episode. The scenery was well done and the interactions between Akari and Akatsuki were pretty funny. Alice was there for the moe factor, with her cute little blushes along the way. I really liked the mood of this anime. It’s comfortable, relaxing and definitely something you can watch while sapping some nice afternoon tea. I love it.
Moral of this episode: Love what you do and you show in how you do it.
Screenshots below:
