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Having qualified as a Meister, the Galatica Aquamarine Akari Mizunashi takes over as Otome of the Aria Kingdom from the Snow White Alicia Carroll who gets kicked upstairs to the Gondola Association and definitively gives up her OAR by getting married. (I wish the last part was an April Fool's joke but it's not. It's not! T_T)

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The end is nigh! But this Easter, always look on the bright side of life~~

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First part dealt with Akira finding out Aika's true feelings about Alice's double promotion. Second part was the strain starting to show on the Orange Princess.

BTW I thought that 'Gachapen' should have gone on the list of possible Prima titles for Aika that Akira was drafting. 'Selfish Princess' and 'Crybaby (something)' were great, on the other hand, Otome Princess and Rozen Queen make me think of other series...

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The Alice apotheosis episode. I was chuckling at how her fangirl asked for her second button; isn't that a confession of love? Perhaps yuri isn't as big a deal on Aqua as in Japan.

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Lots of Athena-senpai in this episode. I SO HAPPY.

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Ah, glorious singing by Athena-senpai is always good, even if it's probably recycled sound work. And peerless Alice boat(wo)manship getting the hat oh so effortlessly and returning it like it was no big deal. Loved the comedy of Aika and the market stall girl going into akogare mode simultaneously as well as Akari and Alice alternating into super-deformed mode in awe of their respective senpais. And there I was going, 'Eh?', when there wasn't a Demonstration Alpha of Awesomeness by Akira - only to realize later that this was all a setup for a truly wonderful episode.

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This was a surprisingly SERIOUS BUSINESS (TM - Kurogane) episode without the usual A/B side narratives and no Aika or Alice.

I think this was an important episode in building towards a conclusion where Akari eventually becomes a prima on two levels. Firstly, Alicia's intervention subtly addresses Akari's own lack of self-confidence and self-awareness regarding her suitability to be a prima undine. Secondly, Alicia also represents the author/studio preparing us, the viewers, for Akari's teleological apotheosis, so to speak.

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ARIA company has received a specific request for Akari to give a gondola tour even though (and precisely because) she is a still a Single apprentice. LOL as her friends speculate on worst case scenarios: Aika suggesting that customers who think that Singles are easy to take advantage of or bully while Alice speculates that she may be a legendary investigator who may demote Singles back down to Pairs if they don't perform. As this is ARIA, no mention of serial killers.

The customer, Amaranda, seems kindly enough but seems to be able to one-up Akari at every special spot that she's introduced to. Akari ends up being distressed that she was not able to show Amaranda-san anything new but Amaranda will still treasure the memories made today, memories that are made up of sharing Akari's enthusiasm and love for Neo Venezia. She deliberately chooses Singles precisely because their n00bness is innocent and refreshing and maybe because she enjoys embarrassing statements. Alicia reveals that she also gave Amaranda a tour when she was a Single; Akira and Athena too - that's the trick, get 'em while they're young! Suitably inspired without resorting to motivation posters, the junior trio resolve to work hard to achieve the status of prima. [See Totali's summary.]

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Among other things, deftoned Orion notes the pulling power of green haired, tsundere loli which will definitely get the shima-shima tanuki paw-stamp of approval. Even though Alice gets some of the best lines of the series, my preference is still for her senpai (Orion also has an animated gif of her AWESOME 'Subdue Crying Brat' waza).

And now that Totali has pointed out Alice's seiyuu's other big role in a current series, I do find that she does sound like a less tsundere version of Tama-chan. Will be totally LOL if Alice waves her oar and shouts *say it with me folks*: MEN!