As I thought, Alicia started out with the same gondola as Akari now used. It’s nice to see Alica’s start with the gondola, having seen Akari’s, and this story really lead well into another episode around Alicia and the others in their youth. Watching both Alicia’s experiences and Akari’s same experiences with the gondola worked well together. I can picture Akari over-watching Ai with the new gondola, one Akari will have properly broken in as an experienced Undine.

Alicia was still fairly young when she became a Prima. I hadn’t noticed that she uses a white gondola rather than a brown one. It’s also answered what will become of Akari’s new gondola when Akari becomes a Prima, as it will wait for the next new Undine.

The man who places the umbrella over Akari likely is the person who made the gondola, considering how long it’s been with Aria company. It’s good for him to have seen the final moments of his work as a passenger gondola. As for Akari, she’ll still see the gondola from time to time.

I never really put any thought into the designs of the gondolas, and comparing them. There are so many little details put into this series, and it’s impossible to catch all of them. Even the opening themes alone give so many things to look at.

Akari’s gondola may have been her parter all this time Akari has worked as an Undine, but she’s only work with it during the end of its life. If anything, Alicia may have many more memories of it. Akari’s new gondola, however, will carry her through much of her career as an Undine.

Seeing Akari’s first moments on a gondola at Aria Company was nice, as well as her beginning as a “back-peddler”. Akatsuki’s first ride as Akari’s customer, and her return as her final customer, really helped pull things together, and gave a nice scene with Akatsuki bidding farewell to the gondola. From these, seeing all the people Akari’s met along the way made for a nice “final episode” for the gondola. The exam course and its water elevator, along with scenes of Hope Hill (a place seen previously with no information given prior), and then Akari becoming a Single, completed the setting, the mood. The gondola was by Akari’s side during many beginnings, many meetings, many events.

My first thought of the man in the gondola was trying to recall what the man in the cat’s café looked like. If he’s actually the “spirit” of the gondola, it simply adds to the number of unexplained things that Akari has seen in her time on Aqua. Such events find that girl much like cases find Conan in Detective Conan and paranormal would find Fi in Disney’s So Weird.

It’s nice to see an encounter between Akari and Akira, two often not seen together, even if only for a moment. Akatsuki and Akira’s interactions nice to see, as well. Likewise Akatsuri’s embarrassment after Akari offers him a part of her lunch. Add in Al (he always seems to sneak in unnoticed, doesn’t he?), and the group is definitely not a common one to the series.

I’d wondered previously if Al had lived most of his life underground, but it’s said now that he’s from Ukijima.

I actually expected a scene with Akari’s childhood from the episodes opening portion, but seeing the guys as children was quite nice. Al had a very nice sweater back then. Seeing the ladies in their youth was nice, too.

Akari, Akatsuki, Al, and Alicia. Athena, Aika, and Alice. The marionette man, the glass maker, Akatsuki’s brother, Woody. Part of it is her position as an Undine, and part of it is her personality. Akari brings people within that circle around her. She needn’t be alone, no matter where she goes, even if she is surrounded by people she’s never met before. That’s one of the things that makes http://thepinksylphide.com/?p=693 Sometimes, it’s nice to go out early, when the world is still asleep, and the sun has yet to appear. Traveling, perhaps with no location planned, then watching as the sun comes up from a location you’ve never seen the sunrise, it’s something everyone should enjoy from time to time, such a relaxing event.

Finding plans for a palina is more than coincidental. Add Grandma’s visit, and the coincidences are thick to set the episode up. Things might have flowed a little smoother had Grandma visited, heard from Akari about having trouble designing a palina, then took Akari up to help look for that old photo album where the old attempts at a palina design were kept. That would have removed all coincidences.

Another complaint is that after all that went into figuring a design and the meaning behind its colors, the palina is basically a copy of the design and colors of the Aria company uniform. Perhaps that’s a testament to the original uniform’s design and colors?

That said, this was a very nice episode. Alicia always says wonderful, insightful, thoughtful things to Akari at times like this. The episode as a whole is something you can just sit back, relax, and enjoy. Considering this show aired at roughly 1 or 2AM in Japan, I can definitely see people relaxing after a hard day of work, and then reminiscing with this episode before falling asleep. Well, except for the part where they probably have to be up by 6AM, not giving much time for sleep…

I’ll be watching for that palina in future episodes.

This is a good episode because it shows Alice’s determination — even if her rules are a bit silly. She’s trying to push herself to do things she hasn’t done before, to prove to herself what she’s capable of.

It’s nice to take a break from the world building and the magic for one episode. Athena’s offer of a shadow was foreseeable, but it’s good to see her manners of help backfired. There’s no reason for it to be so easy. In the end, however, Athena’s help is what gets Alice through, no matter how easy the course may be. It’s all right for her to depend on someone, and Athena is there for her.

No matter how much Athena spaces out and klutzes out because of it, she’s always there for Alice, watching Alice grow, watching Alice overcome limits, watching Alice try new things, watching Alice enjoy her time with her friends.

The letter at the end from Ai really seems to be setting up a future for her and Akari to be much like Alice and Athena. There’s something special about Akari where she’s able to speak with Ai on the same level without dumbing down her speech like is common with adults talking to children.

I figured first thing that Cait Sith was the one sitting inside the café when Akari entered, but isn’t it a bit much with all that she’s seeing? Does Cait Sith want to introduce Akari to the world of cats that much?

I get that there was an effort to show the time Akari spent with the chime before the light started to dim out, but wasn’t it a bit obsessive on her part?

This was another “two short episodes” episode. I found the mirage episode to be so-so (all the Cait Sith visits are starting to lose their magic and mystery with me due to their frequency). The chime episode was above so-so, but not by much (probably due to that obsession thing Akari had going on with the chime).

I did like the ending where everyone let the chimes fall into the water. Both the vanishing lights in the night and the idea of a festivity, a tradition upheld by so many people gives that good feeling that is common to Aria.

Looking at it as a matter of tradition and history, neither the glass from Neo-Venezia or Venice would match that of historic Venice, even of both used the same methods and process. Each individual will have their own take on it, their own personality, and that they will pass on those those who apprentice under them. The apprentice will put their own uniqueness into what they learn.

Likewise, the heart of soul of Neo-Venezia are not that of Venice. The city is its own place, with its own history, even if it is built upon what Venice used to be, in detail, in spirit. The city may be a replica, but it’s also its own place. It embraces what Venice once was, and it carries on a tradition in its own way.

During Festa Del Bòcolo, Akatsuki gave Akari a rose for her help. This was after Alicia mistook the roses as being a gift to Akari from Akatsuki. Now, Akatsuki’s brother suggests that Anton (I figure the name from the credits matches up with the apprentice) likes Akari, making him a rival for for Akatsuki. I can see what the writers are doing here, but that this leaves me with a question: Do Akatsuki never talk about Alicia when his brother is around?

I can see Akatsuki making an offhanded remark along the lines of, “You need to transport fragile cargo? Try Sideburns from Aria Company. She’s the slowest Undine I’ve ever known. It should have been an insult, even though Akatsuki likely meant no ill will by it.

Actually, I think I can see it. With the relationship the brothers have, why would Akatsuki talk about the wonderfulness that he sees in Alicia to his brother, of all people? Complaining about the trouble Akari gives him would be a much livelier conversation piece for Akatsuki, without the opportunity for his brother trying to embarrass him over it.

Looking at the world-building aspect, Venice is no more. It’s sunk. Is this a case of the city simply no longer being able to sustain itself, or did something happen causing the water level to rise? This goes back to my determination that something happened on Earth, something that has left the planet less habitable. Humans have a way of surviving, and they have made Earth–Manhome–a place where they are able to continue to live. At the same time, they used their technology to begin an effort to make Mars a place where they could live without all the mistakes made on Manhome.

That mask isn’t going to keep the flu out. It’s meant to keep a sick person from spreading things when they cough or sneeze. If you’re not sick, you can still catch the flu while wearing one of these.

Let the unnecessary pandemonium resume.

This is a powerful episode for me. The way Akari goes around making friends so easily is really something to see. It’s a warm feeling to see everyone get along so well. No one’s in a rush. No one’s in a hurry. People have time to talk with one another. It’s not that, though. It’s Akari’s ability to start a conversation with anyone. It’s something I’m unable to do, and that’s one reason I like Akari so much as a character.

Even though she didn’t get her shopping done, Akari helped to make memories with the Cait Sith marionette. The puppeteer would have made memories with the one doll alone, as evidenced by Aika and Alice remember the one doll, but the girls who watched this show will have two dolls to recall.

It’s too soon to say for certain, but Akari may be one of my overall favorite characters, from any series. I typically have a favorite character from each series I watch, but if I took all of them and determined which are my top favorites, it’d be a difficult task, because so many would fall short. Actually, giving thought to favorite characters, the only one I can think of who comes out on top is Scrooge McDuck, based on the life he’s lived, and what he’s done with it. Akari Mizunashi and Scrooge McDuck. What an interesting pair to be top favorites.

Still, it’s too soon to say whether Akari will stand atop that pedestal.

As I final thought, I smiled ever time Alice said, “Aye-aye, Sir.” Somehow, it felt out of character and in character for her at he same time. She places herself in a rivalry with Aika, but when they’re interested in the same goal, she’ll follow along with enthusiasm. She’ll never be that favorite character material for me that I expected when I saw the first episode for her, but I like the direction she’s taken this series.

I have a huge list of “posts to write”, but never time to write them. If I want to write something, the best place for me to go is my fiction writing. With the time spent on photography, my anime hobby leaves me with time to watch, but not time to write. (It doesn’t help with the number of Nintendo DS games I’ve been playing recently, either.) Include the time I’ve spent watching through seasons of Gummi Bears, Rescue Rangers, and DuckTales, and the anime section of my to-watch DVD cabinet isn’t getting empty any quicker. I’m holding off until I have time to both watch and write, but I’ve failed to make the time. I’m also a good month behind on checking out any recent posts on other anime blogs.

I’ll likely continue my Aria posts, under my pre-existing condition that if I have nothing to say on an episode, I simply won’t post on it. I really do need to get together my unfinished Haibane Renmei drafts that I never completed. I have a number of other drafts and things-started (such as posts on Princess Tutu’s music) that I’d like to continue, but I know I’ll never make time for.

The flower garden Akari never noticed follows in line with a common theme of the series, which was brought up in episode 8: seeing things we never noticed. Another episode is when Akari noticed all the mailboxes after helping with the mail route. It’s seeing things that were there, but never noticed.

This time around, however, it goes a step further. Akari doesn’t see things she didn’t notice before; she sees things she knows in a new way. It’s just as Alicia’s story about the flowers, about how returning to that spot in a different condition (after a rainfall) presenting the same thing differently. It follows with the starry sky lighting up Akari’s bedroom, something that might not happen as much when there are lights on within the city.

Speaking of lights, did I miss an explanation as to why there was a pre-planned blackout? I’m going to guess it was planned maintenance, and leave it at that.

In a prior episode, I determined that Alicia might live outside of Aria company, but goes there in the morning for breakfast (well, that, and for work). I don’t recall what specifically made me think this (I could easily look it up, I’m sure), but this episode suggests otherwise. It does make more sense for her to live there, of course.

This was a very feel-good episode, and that makes it a good episode.

This season is leaving an even greater impression on me than the first.

The scene with Alice and her rose is another example of character building done right. Her believing that a rose from her to Athena would be just another rose, with Akari saying it would make Athena happy, is simply a minor progressions for Alice. It’s her path to learning more about people, the way they act and react. It’s Alice learning what she means to Athena, and what Akari and Aika mean to her, as friends. For such a small portion of the episode (including Alice giving Athena the rose), it carried a lot of weight in what it conveyed.

Beyond that, the slight story-building for Akatsuki and Woody, and Al, worked well. Things are going as smoothly as they have for Aika and Al, with nothing being certain about Al’s potential feelings for Aika.

This episode went far to expand upon Akatsuki. It’s already been known that he has trouble with money, but there’s more to it than that. There’s his conversation with Woody. There’s his decision to use the “no sappy lines allowed”. There’s his removing his boots the same as Akari decided to. (Akari should really get some taller boots, so they won’t be full of water when she’s walking in a deeper area.) He even had a scene to play with the viewers as he blushes when Akari says his rose to her is the first she’s ever received from a man. Hopefully he understands Akari’s view of his roses floating away, through town on the current. Although, I must say, I am surprised that he didn’t take Akari by the hair and demand that she explain things to Alicia.

As far as building characters and history, this was a good episode.

If I wrote episode commentaries for all 54 episodes, I could easily jump around through them and relive my experiences of first watching the series. It also would have wreaked havoc on my viewing, making my five-hour/five-episode watching sessions impossible. That’s an abolutely horrible trade-off. To that end, what I do have written for this series is very precious to me, a combination of recalling episode and the nostaligia linked with my first impressions of events.

I’d like to rewatch the series (and its animated counterpart) very much, but finding the time is just difficult. With another Korean historic drama waiting for some time now to be watched, Disney cartoons (TaleSpin, etc.) on my to-watch list, and a cabinet full of anime DVDs to watch (Kamichu!, Last Exile, Princess Nine, as so on), it’s impossible to find the time to re-watch a series that’s more than five hours long in total.

So, it’s been some four months since I finished Jewel in the Palace. What did I think of it overall?

It was awesome.

There were some parts early on where I wasn’t certain about the direction the show was heading, but overall the writing was done right. Jang-Geum and the Choi family keep taking turns being in the lead. It was a wonderful execution of something good happening only to have something bad happen, then something bad being turned into something good. Each good for Jang-Geum was a strike agsinst the Choi family. Each strike against the Choi family caused them to rise up, and strike back at Lady Han and Jang-Geum

The back and forth did start to wear a little in execution, and things were mixed up from there, taking the series even further along with Jang-Geum’s interactions with Jung-Ho, and her time on the island.

There’s simply no way I could watch all of Jang-Geum’s trials without feeling inspired each time she inspired the people around her. Even when she failed to do so, it was only a matter of time that her hard work would come to be noticed, and appreciated, and joined in by those who had felt their lives were without hope.

The biggest surprise for me was losing Han. It took me completely off guard, and had me feeling the effect of it for a while yet. Not only that, but what happened to Young-Ro had me in denial for a couple of episodes before I finally was willing to accept it. I kept telling myself, “She’s not dead. She wasn’t killed. She wanted to do the right thing for once in her life. Jung-Ho or someone had to have saved her. It’s all a trick that she’s dead.” Finally, I’m glad Lady Choi was able to reconcile things at Myeong’s grave. It’s a bittersweet ending for her to have finally decided to stand up to the negatives of the Choi family that she felt she could do nothing be embrace for all these years, only to lose her life with everyone thinking she either committed suicide or died trying to run away from justice. Finally, Lady Jung’d death was expected, but sad considering it was hurried along by the Choi family. She is missed.

The “drama” series doesn’t interest me, but Jewel in the Palace was so well written and so well played out that I couldn’t put it down. It’s really too bad that its length makes it hard to recommend to others. Well, that and it being subtitled. I’m not asking for a dub here, but depending on who’s looking for something to watch, having to read along can be a negative factor.

Did I like the live action Yeun-Seng as much as her animated self? No, not really. It’s all right, though. I really liked the portrayal of Young-Ro. I didn’t care for Keum-young as much, either, but her feelings for Jung-Ho felt very strong compared with the animation. And Jung-Ho is made of many layers of wonderful and awesome intertwined in Jewel in the Palace. I forget the name of the Court Lady who becomes the next Highest Kitchen Lady (was it Jo-Bang?), but I loved her and Chang-Yee’s personalities, and they both had cute actresses. Were I to re-watch the series, I’d pay more attention to who they are early on, during episodes where I couldn’t keep track of one character from another very well.

It’s a bit long, but the story is very well written and the characters are nicely developed. Everything has an overall feel be being done right.

Maybe I’ll re-watch episodes three through five sometime. Three hours, following young Jang-Geum’s story. Skipping past the death of her mother, this gets right into the mini-era of “feel sorry for the bad things happening to Jang-Geum, a girl who is only a little child”, that makes it all the more fun to see the good that happens for her. The only problem is it would leave me watching even more to re-watch the entire series. Still, it’d be worth it to see the “soldier in the fire and light department” guy again!

I like the focus on Akari putting on the summer uniform to help introduce the new season within the series to the viewer. It’s an emphasis that would be easy to not include, and one of the small things that’s nice about Aria.

Thankfully the Pair party wasn’t forgotten. This is another point for Aria. The short conversation about it pretty much summed up how Alice’s personality is able to stay the same while being changed at the same time. She’ll remain who she is, but with an improvement that doesn’t change her personality as far as Alice and Aika are concerned. It also nicely excludes Alice from the trip to see where the cats are going.

Ai suggests that maybe Cait Sith wants to know more about Akari. This would be understandable as this is his second appearance before Akari. Cait Sith could very well have continued to hide the cats from Akari’s view, but chose to let her–and her alone–see them, and Akari guided the two down the path that would take them home. I do wonder if Alicia hasn’t met Cait Sith, and perhaps Granny as well.

I’m left in confusion as to the purpose of the pinwheels. They look computer animated, and didn’t fit into the scene very well for me, but as a story prop, I don’t know their purpose. Was it to warn Akari that she and her friend would be “going in circles” if they continued down their current path?

I enjoy comparing characters with their animated counterparts. Min Jeong-Ho is a strong character in Jewel in the Palace. In Janggeum’s Dream, I felt his relationship with Janggeum didn’t feel right somehow. Setting age differences aside completely, there didn’t seem to be much to it other than Jeong-ho saving Janggeum’s life repeatedly. The character of Jeong-Ho the scholar-official, on the other hand, is filled with an outright righteous character who acts with honor, and will put his life on the line to save unjustly accused innocents. I’m sure his animated counterpart would do the same, but that’s never shown.

A lot of events were fairly predictable within the series. Lady Jung’s death was expected. Her selecting Jang-Geum’s whale meat dish was expected because it was time for Team Han to get the next upperhand. However, episode 27 caught me offguard with Lady Han’s final moment. I was not expecting her to die. Jang-Geum needs Lady Han by her side. Without Lady Han, Jang-Geum will be unable to do anything, unable to move forward. At least, initially. But without Lady Han, where will Jang-Geum find her strength? The only place I can foresee will be in Jeong-Ho. He did ask Jang-Geum to let him share in her pain, and I don’t doubt he’ll be there to lift her up and out of slavery.

Lady Choi speaks coldly about how she hates the position she’s in. She sounds as if she doesn’t want to get Lady Han and Jang-Geum out of the way, but she must. She hates that she has to do this. Just the same, Keum-Young is in the position of acting without wanting.

This actually brings up another unexpected turn. Keum-Young’s plan of the servant having the fever worked perfectly, and no one will ever find out. How can Jang-Geum ever get back into the palace after this? And what kind of threat can she be to the Choi family when she never read her mother’s letter? I’m expecting she’ll see the letter in the future, but that would raise the question as to why Lady Choi and Pan-Sul never destroyed the letter. Because of Jang-Geum’s interactions with Jeong-Ho, Keum-Young cannot be the one to reveal the contents of the letter to Jang-Geum, and I don’t foresee her revealing anything to Jeong-Ho.

Even though Keum-Young’s intentions are that of a true member of the Choi family, I do give her credit for standing up to her aunt and uncle when it came time for harm to befall Jeong-Ho.

Early on, Jang-Geum was being punished often, but kept doing the right things to help out everyone. Later, Jang-Geum and Lady Han were playing a continuous game of one-upmanship with the Choi family. Now Keum-Young’s actions have contributed to the death of Lady Han, and Jang-Geum must learn to get by on her own all over again. The writers behind Jewel in the Palace undoubtedly knew what they were doing, and they managed a wonderful balance and pace of change to keep the series from becoming stale.

Typically dramas are not my genre of choice. My genre of choice is Cute, something which tends to be at odds with drama. Jewel in the Palace, however, combines historic culture. Add in my having watched through Janggeum’s Dream, and Jewel in the Palace easily becomes a series I’ve enjoyed until now, and I know I’ll continue to enjoy.