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ARIA THE Animation
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Animation - 8.5 |
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Sound - 8.9 |
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Story - 7.6 |
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Character - 8.3 |
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Value - 8.3 |
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Enjoyment - 8.7 |
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Average - 8.4 |
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Kaj |
(2009-08-19 22:33:19) 2009-08-19 18:17:04 |
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| If I were to describe this anime with a single word, the word would probably be "boring". Surprising perhaps, given that it lies in the "Good" region of my rating scales, but that's what this anime is. In this case, "boring" isn't used so much to label "Aria" as an unwatchably dull anime (though to some it probably is) as to describe what actually happens in it, which is absolutely nothing. For "Aria", in many ways, represents the very essence of a slice-of-life anime.
In "Aria", there are no evil villains to fight, no complicated plots to untangle, no philosophical conundrums to contemplate... just about the only interesting detail in "Aria" is that it's set on Mars, a Mars of the future that resembles Venice with its abundance of water and gondolas. But don't let this Mars bit fool you into thinking this is a setting for a futuristic sci-fi anime, because you'll be sorely disappointed. That detail is pretty much restricted to being background information - as far as the anime itself is concerned, it may as well be set in Venice, as it doesn't really do much with the Mars setting.
Beyond its settings, "Aria" is plain to such an extent that no measurable aspect of this anime stands out in any way: the animation is ok... in a boring way; the music... is boringly good; as for the content... it's virtually non-existent, because it's pretty much a case of the unremarkable characters going about their mundane daily tasks every time - they barely even qualify for the adventure-of-the-week description. But then, this is what the slice-of-life genre is all about, right? Yes, "Aria" may not be the most interesting of anime, but it does deliver in the department where this kind of anime is expected to deliver, and that is in"heart" of the show- the part that gives it that indescribable feel good factor. This is epitomised by the last episode, which is a very typical slice-of-life open ending where there's a vague sense of temporary closure even though nothing really happens. But it does leave you bursting with a glowing, wonderful feeling inside, with a tinge of sadness that you've reached the end of the series. It's this that allows "Aria" to soar above the sum of its very plain parts.
Even though I have a soft sport for Aria, I'd hesitate to recommend it to many people. A lot of them would probably fall asleep watching it. Other slice-of-life anime have other things in addition to their slice-of-lifeness - Genshiken has its comedy and entertainment values, Planetes has its humble (and also not so humble) heroics and intense drama. "Aria" doesn't have any of these things, and instead offers the viewer a simple, hard to quantify pleasure that comes from being distilled down to a slice-of-life show in its purest form. It's something for the connoisseurs of the genre to slowly enjoy. And if you ask them why it's good, their response would probably be the same as mine: it... just is!
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quamp |
(2008-06-24 15:50:15) 2008-06-24 15:40:28 |
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Aria the animation is the tale of Akari, a young undine in training. She works for the Aria company rowing a gondola in Neo-Venezia. Her teacher is the sweet Alicia. Aika also has two fellow students join her as well. All three of them train under the three "prima fairies" and a woman named "Grandma." Grandma was once known as the best undine in Neo-Venezia. She also founded the Aria company. It's all part of becoming an undine for Akari.
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| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Firstly, I must say that my Rating is probably very biased Because Aria the Animation is truly a splendid anime that just amazed me. It is My Kind of Genre, & Everything about It Was Great To Me... Why? Well, I shall explain in this review...
Well, the Animation... I have to say that the sceneries were really beautiful. The Character Designs were Nicely Done as well as The Elegance of the Undine's Uniforms. For a 2005 anime, more would be expected. I thought this anime might have been from around 2002, but with the technology of 2005, i just felt that they could have done a much cleaner animation... Or maybe it's just the ones that i'm watching which isn't exactly quality. =/
The Sounds? Were Beautiful. Truly Calm Melodious Music With GREAT Female Vocals, Singing at the Top Pitches SoOo Naturally & Gracefully. The Opening Theme was a Very Melodious Song by Makino Yui. The Ending Theme is a Sweet Peaceful Song By Round Table Feat. Nino. There were a couple of Insert Songs which were Really Beautiful in Sounds... The Seiyuus Did their Jobs Really Well... Everything felt Natural, & I Must Praise the Seiyuus Even MORE~! Because this anime would probably not have its Full Best Effect if the characters' lines weren't said with the right emotions the right way. =)
The Story? Well, it doesn't seem to contain much of a story, and this genre would probably annoy many people. ARIA the Animation is Basically a Slow, Peaceful, Relaxing Anime which takes a brighter happier look at the events in our lives. Yes, I agree when some reviewers said that this anime should be watched at the end of a day. After School/Work or Just Any Tiring Day, & Relaxing by Watching ARIA, the sceneries are pretty, The Jokes are Shojo-ish & Cute-sy, But Every Episode Contains A Really Deep Meaning & Very Beautiful Thoughts within itself.
I would say... To Truly Enjoy ARIA the Animation, Don't Expect Anything. Don't Expect any Action, Romance, Laughter or Anything... Just Let It Flow... Smoothly & Slowly, the Emotions & Thoughts Start Filling you up, & these Beautiful Thoughts that are embedded within each episode will be realised at the end, & the viewer will then realise how Wonderful These Meanings & Thoughts Are...
& This is Probably the First 13 Episode Anime that could make me cry in more than 2 Episodes. I Think I Cried while Watching 4 or 5 Episodes out of the 13 of them. What's Even better is That, I Didn't Cry of Sadness like Most animes which have those dramatic and sad heart-breaking climaxes... I Cried out of the Happiness & Joy, Because of these Really Beautiful Meanings & Wonderful Emotions & Thoughts...
ARIA the Animation Is Truly Amazing in this Way. Let's See, For Example. I used to hate Time. With Time, everything changes, you lose your previous connections with your friends, it's so darn sad to see you can't have the same fun with the same people forever... I usually get depressed by the thought of how cruel time is... BUT ARIA the Animation, brings the Viewers to Look at this Cruel Thing in a Different Point of View... & By the End of that Very Episode, My Heart Felt Full, & I Just Couldn't Hold Back my Tears at How Beautifully They had Presented their Thoughts & These Emotions Out So Darn GOOD!!!
The Characters Of Course were Unique in their own way, and we grow attached to them naturally. It is the Character of Akari that Truly Brings out the Beauty of ARIA the Animation's Story... Her Bright, Optimistic Personality which is really likable and definitely amazing really made this anime GREAT~!
Also, A New Character is Met or Relationships with past Acquaintances are improved in every episode. But The Characters that are seen in most of the episodes are well developed. I Really Liked the way that the producers of ARIA didn't use the character for 1 episode, and forgot about them after that.Even after the first episode, as Akari has her First Customer, & they promise to exchange emails. I Really Admired at How Creative the Idea was to End Every Episode with the Words & Comments from the character of the first episode. Showing that they aren't forgotten, unlike how most animes forget its previous characters that it has used.
However, a flaw is that... sometimes Alicia's "Ara Ara" could get annoying. =/ I think they already overdid the "Ara Ara" in the very first episode. They probably should have cut down on that.=/ But then again, I believe that the "Ara Ara" were meant to be Heartwarming Words That would always make you feel at home when you hear them, so i guess i have to say that the producers kinda didn't do this part well. >_<"""
But Otherwise, I Really Truly Enjoyed ARIA The Animation... How Long has it BEEN?! Since I Have Came Across Such a Beautiful Anime with Such a Nice, Beautiful, Optimistic Look at Life... =)
For those Negative People Like Me who Enjoyed Animes like Fruits Basket, I'm pretty sure that ARIA the Animation would Definitely Interest you... =)
However, If you're the kind of anime viewer that just wants lots of action or lots of romance or lots of drama or lots of comedy or anything. Stay away from this anime. Cause ARIA the Animation isn't the kind of anime that shoves all of that into your face in one go. It just slowly fills you up, like how the planet was first slowly filled up with water... & finally reached the stage where the world was full of this beautiful water and sceneries...
Like I Said, this anime should probably be watched at night, at the end of a tiring day, where you wanna relax, this slow peaceful anime should be just right. =)
For those people who had expected a lot from this anime, and felt unsatisfied and as though they had wasted their time after watching ARIA, they'd definitely disagree with my opinions. But it can't be helped that this genre isn't for everyone, and there are bound to be people out there who won't enjoy ARIA the Animation. But otherwise, It's Truly a Beautiful Anime with Wonderful Thoughts~!
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|
trung |
2007-03-03 21:36:25 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| There isn't a thing here I don't like. It is a slowpaced anime with a relaxing theme takes place in a Venice-like city. A mind looking for action and romance you wont find much enjoyment here; this late night anime is made for a purpose of sitting down and relaxing after a long day.
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petran79 |
(2007-11-23 14:42:33) 2007-02-28 11:35:43 |
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| Average |
6.7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| (Crystall Nova fansubs. Good translation and karaoke)
Sometimes I felt whether it would have been better to read some of the manga the anime was based on first and then delve into watching this title, as I did with YKK. But then I thought the anime doesnt need a manga for a crib so I decided to watch the effort the anime producers made.
Animation was very good, depicting Neo-Venezia very accurately. Colours were vibrant and soothing, the various backgrounds were also spendid. Character design was simple though but reflecting the animes calm mood.
Sound was also of high quality with various sfx and bgm adding to the atmosphere a calm feeling. Even the characters voices complemented that.
The story focus on individual episodes and after the middle it gets better. Slice of life animes are extremely difficult to be interesting for 13 episodes but the producers did a decent job. It could have been 2 OVAs as in YKK and as good
Characters (mostly female) were very good and I actually liked the episodes with Aria the cat and didnt found him so annoying as the repetitive ara-ara-ara of Alicia. Very good for the animes genre.
Only problem is that you have to be in the right mood to watch this title. If you have various anxieties to think of, better go out for a walk or to sleep and try to rewatch this. It will look completely different. Thats why I didnt like episodes 1-7 that much, but found ep. 8-13 very interesting. I felt a little sad it had to end since I began to like the series by ep. 13. whenever the fansubbing of season 2 is complete I'll watch this too.
For slice of life fans recommended. But not as an introduction to the genre. Or else it can become very boring
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| I will state this out first, this anime isn't for everyone. If you have a mindset of expecting something to happen in this anime then go look some where else now.
When watching Aria, just relax, enjoy it and let Aria bring you to the world of Aqua. Its something you would like to watch after a stressful day.
Theres not much to say about it really i enjoy it because this is the type of anime i would love to watch, this is either hit or miss. Depending what you would expect, analyze what you want to watch and if this is what you like to watch then go ahead, but be sure to have the mindset I've mention above before watching Aria.
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Animation was pretty decent. Background consisted of painting like scenes which made it blotchy looking and sometimes really detailed scenes. A lot of effort was put into the water, giving it great reflection and refraction. Character models are to be expected: color, lighting, and shading.
The sound is calm and relaxing. Music is slow paced, which does go with the mood of this anime. The opening isn't bad, and the ending is song by Round Table feat. Nino. They're the same people who made the opening song for Chobits. And so, I've become a fan of Round Table and Nino, thus I enjoyed the ending. There's not a lot of sound effects, but the in-anime music makes up for that.
The story has no confronting goal. It's supposed to be Akari, Aika, and Alice working towards being professionals, but not a lot of focus is on that. Instead, the story is mainly composed of their day to day experiences and obstacles. It was nice watching the pleasant and calm episodes, but there wasn't anything to get from it. It wasn't original as well. The ending was grandiose and left a good impression. Basically, the story is slow and not exciting, and each episode had a small amount of relation to the next.
Characters from each company are varied, but only from each company. Characters from the same company are similar, but different enough to see they each have their own personalities. Although characters aren't very unique, each character shows their personalities clearly. Thus I was able to understand each and everyone of them.
Aria the Animation isn't one of the great or revolutionary animes out there, but it takes a good approach to being different. It has a calm, slow paced, and relaxing setting throughout the series. I like it for that. Even so, many will find this boring and won't get anything out of this. This anime is a nice side show for those tired of the usual action or (very) dramatic ones.
BTW, there's a continuation called "Aria the Natural". So if you like this, go watch that. It's on air now.
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isokana |
(2006-04-04 13:00:04) 2006-04-04 12:47:07 |
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Considering how the world is, it's obvious that it needs more anime like Aria. With this much of feel-good bursting from the screen it's hard to be really angry.
What Aria is all about is Akari, a young undine studying the art of gondolas, and her everyday life. That includes mostly friends and training. The series includes 13 episodes of just that. I can hear people snoring already.
WAKE UP! What Aria and her friends do is far from drowsy boredom. Every day brings them something new and amazing that's worth 25 minutes of exploring. Whether it's depressed cats, baths, strange girls, time travel, seniors or letters from past, Aria delivers them with a huge dose of warmth and humor. I felt as Aria was ripping my eyelids open to show me things in new light. It's also a reassuring series: you know that there's not going to happen anything truly terrible that wouldn't have a positive side. A break from reality, something I look in entertainment. Another great point of the series is that it doesn't bother with logic. Nobody question or ponders why there are ghosts or why someone just goes a hundred years back in time. The viewer is left to find justification for all this in Akari's eyes as she gains another valuable experience.
So the story doesn't really evolve but every episode tells a different story. But the episodes are still very much linked: nothing that happens is forgotten and new characters either stay as main cast or visit back from time to time. In addition to Akari, the life-is-wonderful character, we have her friends Aika and Alice. The former is a more selfconcious undine in training. She takes things more seriously than Akari and they have a lot of fun conflicts during the series. The latter is a younger, skilled student of shy character. As she meets the duo after the series begins, we can see how Akari's influence changes her to a more open person, who can enjoy life little pleasures. They all have their seniors, who surprisingly enough, have also been friends back in the days. Each a bit more extreme personality than their underlings. Various other people also drop by to enrichen Akari's life. All in all, the cast works wonderfully bringing out different aspects of different situations. And having a lot of fun moments.
People who have watched Kaleido Star may notice that character designs are a bit familiar. There are some same people behind the series. Liking Kaleido Star like madman of porridge, I can only repeat that animation is sufficient (there's no fancy circus shows here) and the characters look and act lovely. The background architechture is beautifully drawn. Music is not in a big role. More of the series mood comes from silence as one amazes things with Akari. There is subtle music that I didn't notice much. Opening and ending songs weren't quite for my liking. Voice actors fit their roles well.
Aria requires an open mind that is not too deeply set in logic and sarcasm of adult world. When the world is dark and unjust, Aria offers an escape path to someplace where unsolvable worries don't exist. Thumbs up for the second season!
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edit:
nauXolo has written a couple of reviews down that Aria's themes feel childish and corny. I think that's about right. Aria is childish hoping that the viewer will learn to watch things like a child and forget about corniness.
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Fyrefox |
(2006-03-28 23:11:41) 2006-03-28 23:09:03 |
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| The anime takes place somewhere in the future on Aqua, and it takes us into the everyday lives of the undine.
At first I thought I was in for some action type of anime. But it seems like it was more slow paced than I had expected. The focus is on Akari, who is training to become a prima, and her interactions with her senpais and her friends. There isn't any heavy drama or suspense involved, just plain chill and relax.
The setting is a rather peaceful Neo-Venezia, fashioned after Italy. With its awesome architecture and surroundings. This anime scores in the way it brings out the mood. Tranquil, positive, cheerful are some of the words to describe my feelings when watching. Background music enhances the experience even more so.
The characters strangely all have names starting with the letter "A". But that aside, each one has a memorable personality. If there were something to criticise about, it would be Alicia going "my, my" all the time, and Aika's "embarassing remarks are not allowed".
I think that this series would have been better if it went deeper into the friendship of the characters. I mean it's impossible to remain absolutely happy and cheerful 24/7 right?
The OP and ED are good, it helps to bring out the mood. The animation is pretty good, kind of liked the colours, blended in well.
I've not come across any anime that puts such a setting and theme which blends in so beautifully. If you like an anime to chill out on, Aria is one you should watch. Slow paced, but a sure classic.
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Donal |
(2006-04-04 16:03:01) 2006-03-25 08:47:06 |
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| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Appealing pictures of Aria the animation are quite common on the web and one with a girl on a gondola and a nice background filled with water convince me to begin Aria.
I've nearly had the idea to give up after the first two minutes. Aria first episodes begins with Akari and Aria-president (a ...cat, again) getting up. The animation of character faces was too easy to meet my high expectations of the picture.
This is an anime full of cute girls and "kawaii" flush pets and maybe nice feelings, worst, I could even expect some fan service. That's what I tought.
If I mention that there is an onsen episode, and a beach swimming session one, it seems already over.
I've bear myself to endure these 2 first minutes, and wasn't deceived at all. Aria's universe is wonderfull and I was completely under its charm.
Aria the animation is a "nice" animé which main virtue may be to cure any stress just by watching it.
It's so peacefull that some find it sleepy, but that's just a matter of taste. Try to find it out, it is worth the test.
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nauXolo |
(2006-03-21 01:46:01) 2006-03-20 23:41:10 |
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| Average |
6.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| It is kind of hard to hate an anime that is so easy-going, calm, and pretty as ARIA the animation. However, it is also really hard for someone to put all their energy into watching this without soon getting tired or falling asleep. While the combination of sweet personalities, calming, laid back music, and heartwarming (kind of corny) situations makes this anime lovable in a sense, the lack of any true pacing of events makes it kind of boring to watch.
If I had to guess the personality / life of this anime's creator, I would predict that it is most likely a new mother who just had a child. The themes of this anime are just so... childish... and corny. Either a new mother, or some really freaky male who has a fetish with sweet/naive/smiling/cute pastel-hair colored girls in sailor uniforms.
Conclusion: the lack of any real event happenings kind of makes ARIA the animation hard to watch. Some of Akari's side quest adventures are somewhat entertaining, but her personality is that of the typical happy go lucky, sweet, open minded girl that reminds me a lot like Sakura from CCS.
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| A laid back story told about gondola rowers (undine). The main character (Akari) makes a lot of friends throughout the story and makes a lot of embarrassing remarks (which aren't allowed). It doesn't really progress into something grand, but rather unfolds as a slice of life anime. There are some mysterious elements introduced towards the end that contributes to the "embarrassing remark" style of storytelling.
Be prepared for something "nice" if you want to watch this.
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|
|
| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
0 |
| Character |
0 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| (will be updated once finished)
first of all, this review as of now, based on 6 epsides of 8 subbed has an appeal to those who like slow paced, non linear storylines. i would not recommend it to everyone. with that said, the art on the otherhand can be appreciated by everyone.
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Tabris |
(2005-11-22 13:11:30) 2005-11-17 10:42:58 |
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| A lovely show. It's very soothing and relaxing to watch, the watery backdrops and simple day to day activities of the characters is a joy to watch.
It may not be the best series ever, but it's really enjoyable. A nice slice of life anime which I think is worth watching if you can find it (it's licensed, so good luck in finding subs. I'd say if it weren't illegal).
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Risa |
(2005-11-17 18:38:44) 2005-10-30 14:56:23 |
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| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| After only the watching the first episode of Aria(I'm at six at the moment that I'm writing), I just knew that it was going to be one of my favorites of it's season. The air of calmness that the show has presented just completely drew me in, and the background senery was enough to wanting to watch the next upcoming episodes.
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