With Aria being one of my most beloved series, it is but eventual that I would develop an aspiration extending beyond the anime. And it has lead me now to a desire to collect at least 1 figure of each member of the cast.

However, figures are rare in this country of mine and I am sort of not inclined to order from the net (as of now) so the only way for me to acquire some figs would be to ask for the help of others who are in Japan. Luckily, I have some friends/acquaintances who share general interests in anime that were willing to extend that much help.

Then it wasn’t long before I got my very first Aria figure. A friend of mine tried one of those random dispenser machines (He calls them ‘gacha2x’) and got Akari-chan :D. The figure in itself is nicely done imho and I like the fact that this pose has Akari-chan holding a paddle. I especially like the way the face has been done. :3

 
That was a few months before and the count is 1 out of 6 .. still a long way to go yes?. But not anymore because just recently, my wish has been granted. Another friend of mine was able to acquire the other characters. :D.

But I’m not one to complain. One of each is one of each :). But I fear that I may have opened a dangerous ‘Pandora’s box of wanting’ as I now also want to collect the other figures in the Alicia set. T_T. All in good time my dear Hinode .. All in good time.

There is just one thing amiss with this collection though. Care to guess? President Aria Pokoteng is not present D: … unfortunately, he was supposed to come along with the winter set Alicia-san. Guess I have a new fan-goal … secure President Aria *contacts the secret service*.

On a sidenote:
Along with the the Aria figures I was given by another friend a chibi figure of Shiraishi from Lucky Star. It just happened to pop into my mind to take a shoot of him along with the gang and it turned out quite lol :p.

My friend apparently liked the idea so she quickly made this post using an earlier take lol. I do like to point out though that I did not/was not/is not flaunting my precious Aria cast in the office as this and that pic was taken discreetly so as not to illicit any unwanted attention :D.

“May this town’s kindness reach the hearts of many people”

                        - Aria the Natural

Just finished Aria the Natural (sequel to Aria the Animation) and Aria the OVA: Arietta and I’d like to say that it really does well in what it says about reaching the hearts of people (in which I would like to call the ‘Aria experience’).

Perhaps it is more than just good storytelling, but as I have experienced Aria seems to have this sort of magic that immerses you with the world and experience it together with our main character, Mizunashi Akari . With every episode bringing new things to discover, mysterious or normal, I just can’t help but be part of it.

How can’t I? ^_^ Loads of meaningful stories with a good mix of warm, tender moments along with a gentle blend of comedy makes this anime somewhat like a pseudo-‘chicken soup for the soul’. Truly, it does adhere to an undine philosophy said in the OVA which is ‘Bringing wonders of this city to our customer’s hearts…’

Indeed I believe this is one of the best slice-of-life shows out there. It is unique, original, and aside from the picturesque settings, it also has beautiful soundtracks which not only fits but also adds to the peace and tranquility of the atmosphere. In addition, I would like to note that this is also one of those anime that I would consider as ’wholesome’ and would be good to watch with the whole family (it has a lot of good lessons/morals to teach ^_^).

Honestly, my vocabulary capacity is not enough to express my utmost appreciation for this anime. But I just would like to say that it has found a special place in my heart and will very much treasure it. Arrivederci!

[Tsk tsk tsk … what truly embarrassing remarks  . I can hear Aika-chan now saying her character-phrase: “Hazukashii serifu kinshi! / 恥ずかしいセリフ禁止！”  (Embarrasing remarks are not allowed). ]