“How should I say this… If you look at the through the Akari filter, you see things that you never saw before.” Aika declares after a long quest of uncovering the mystery behind Akari’s personality.
“Things that seemed to be nothing special begin to shine brightly.” Alice adds, confident that she also found the mystery that envelops Akari.
Aika and Alice, curious of what makes Akari special, embarked on a quest – a stalking quest – to know the secret behind their best friend’s ability to effortlessly make friends with complete strangers (Reference to Aria: The Natural episode 10). To their disappointment, they found nothing special at first. Akari was just sightseeing in the transport boat (vaporetto) doing nothing out of the ordinary, besides quickly breaking the ice with strangers. But at a time that Akari speaks with a man sitting beside her – that seems to be a corpse carrier to Alice’s eyes and a dangerous man to Aika’s taste – the stalker girls became a little worried. Unfortunately, the girls bump into a crowd of people which made them lost sight of Akari. To their surprise, Akari was gone from her seat along with the suspicious man. Searching frantically, they got a glimpse of Akari from a far walking along with this “dangerous corpse carrier.” Worried how the childlike Akari can trust about anyone – even a criminal – they hurriedly chase after her. But what they found was not what their worried minds expected.
Surrounded by smiling children, Akari was playing with dolls along with this “dangerous corpse carrier.” This supposed “dangerous corpse carrier” was actually a puppeteer that entertains children in their planet: Aqua. It was a familiar sight for Aika and Alice. The moment they saw the puppets dancing, they remembered a nostalgic and happy memory from childhood: The puppeteer in front of them is the same puppeteer that made them smile and laugh with puppet shows when they were just kids. Alice and Aika were surprised by the turn of events, but they finally understood. The irony of situation made them understand the secret behind Akari’s personality. The quest was to find the secret of their friend but Aika and Alice ended up finding a lost memory within themselves instead. This ironic situation made them realize that Akari’s unconditional trust for strangers and her childlike curiosity led them to this catharsis.
Now, they realized what was special about Akari: There is this value that Akari puts in each and every encounter she faces, and each and every person she meets. Thus, they complete their quest; they receive an answer, not through some decisive and clear event, but by experiencing how Akari’s personality brought back their magical and nostalgic memory from childhood. The man, who appeared to be a “dangerous corpse carrier” to Aika and Alice, appeared differently in Akari’s filter. This difference in perspective, made them realize the mystery of Akari’s personality; they finally recognized Akari’s childlike eyes.
Indeed, Aika was right when she said that the “Akari filter” lets you see things that you never saw before, things that are already there but cannot be seen by people who do not possess the childlike eyes. As Alice remarks: In Akari’s filter, things that are ordinary show a hidden shine of brightness. Akari’s innocent childlike eyes, those eyes that seem to possess a filter that lets you see the sublime in mundane things. This is one of the secrets behind Akari’s mysterious personality. This “Akari filter” is what makes Akari so optimistic, light hearted and loving. This filter is one of the most important traits that make Akari Akari.
If you like this post you can read more on this Tribute to Mizunashi Akari, here:
http://howanimechangedmylife.wordpress.com/category/how-aria-changed-my-life/tribute-to-mizunashi-akari/
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