Note that this review will be rather spoilery. Seeing as its only one episode its hard to abstract stuff away and this could very well get into more detail than you would like. Proceed with caution if you wish to go in blind.

Aria The OVA ~ Arietta ~ reinforces everything about Aria that I love.

Its cold open when watching directly after Aria The Natural can really throw you thinking that time has genuinely jumped ahead. While time skips are common in Aria they are not that extreme - from a few weeks to a month or so.

Once we return to the present we see another occasion Akari being uncertain of herself (and everyone taking notice that talk to her that day) and Alicia comes to the rescue with a story. Alicia faced similar fears as Akari, hindering her until Akira and Athena came to push Alicia forward again.

I always enjoy moments in Aria where we are thrown back into the past with the mentors. Its always a chance to see them with a different aura to them than normal. Being the Three Great Water Fairies hypes them up and has them on pedestals during most of the show. These moments, such as in this episode, give us a chance to see them as just another human (or Undine) with their flaws.

This is something I love with Aria - it shows us things may be different but all the same. Akari faces the same challenge that Alicia did, and what better way to fix it then to recreate the moment Alicia went through. A good teacher knows how to teach; a fantastic teacher will not only teach but connect with their students. Alicia is a fantastic teacher in this episode. She understands how Akari thinks and views the world and is able to shape the lesson in a way that reinforces the message to Akari herself.

The passing of a torch of sorts is always something that is touch on and something we experience all the time. The most common example is work where a co-worker must take the reigns of tasks left by a leaving employee. The concept of apprenticeship has long since fallen out of style, their really isn't such things as heirs anymore (unless we talk royalty).

Family also has a similar feel to it. For sons in a family (especially a lone son) it can sometimes feel like you are taking on the mantle of the family name to continue on in the next generation - and this usually happens at the worst time (a family members death). This feeling can be a burden to those who feel not worthy of such a task - and apprenticeships and trades that followed heir like structures felt just like family.

To Akari the Aria Company (consisting of her, President Aria and Alicia) is like family to her. Eventually Alicia, a beloved family member must leave, and Akari must take her place. For Akari (and probably many apprentices before this) it would feel like their parent is dying - never to return. To be at someones side for so long it can be hard to fathom even living without that pillar of support beside you. For Akari (and coincidentally Alicia in a way) the thing that drives them forward to continue towards this inevitable sadness is the prospect of sharing the joy of Aqua to someone else before they too must follow the cycle and leave that new generation behind.

While the story of the episode is somewhat somber in nature it sets the ground work, affirming without a doubt that sooner, rather than later Akari will become a Prima and Alicia will leave. The way this episode felt and flowed tricked me into thinking it was going to happen - but alas no. However the seeds have been planted and I am sure that when the time comes for Akari to no longer be a Single I will cry my eyes out.