Aqua is a great manga that takes place in literally a new world. It would be a good choice for people that wish to visit Italy, expecially Venice in particular.

STORY~

I gave this story a 10 for a couple reasons. The first reason is because I really thought it had a unique plot. It's not often that you find a manga taking place on Mars (now called "Aqua" after 150 years of terraforming) in a city called Neo-Venezia, a replica of "Manhome's" (earth) city of Venice. It follows Akari Mizunashi, who is a teen girl coming from Manhome to find a job as an undine in Neo-Venezia. She trains under the guidance of Alicia, a famous undine, and meets friends such as Aika. I'll discuss more about the characters later.

The story is remarkable, also, because of my love for Venice. As I said earlier, anybody with a fascination of Venice, or Italy in general, would enjoy this manga. It mixes Italian culture (such as Venetian festivals and customs) with the foods and names of Japan.

ART~

The art in this manga is amazing. The way Kozue Amano draws her characters might not be too spectacular, but the backgrounds are incredibly detailed, as if you're really seeing Venice. You can see the buildings and gondolas with detail that most manga leave out. If you're looking for a manga because of the art, this might be the one for you. However, I'm not saying the characters are bad. They aren't spectacular, but the characters are also very well drawn.

CHARACTER~

The characters in the manga are quite enjoyable. They all have unique personalities and don't share the same traits. For example, not all the characters are running around making sure the house is clean and that everyone is happy.

Akari Mizunashi is the main character, who is easy-going and likes to enjoy the gondola rather then take it too seriously. Akari often stops to help people when they need it, such as helping a lost tourist.

Next is Alicia, a famous gondolier who is training Akari. She is often helping sitting in Akari's gondola, offering her advice. Also, if Akari wants a passenger, Alicia is required to be present in the gondola, so you see a lot of Alicia during the story.

Finally is Aika, a stubborn and hot-tempered girl who can be kind at times, too. Aika works for a sister company of undines, and she meets Akari when she comes to visit Alicia, her "idol". Aika is often chastising Akari when Akari gets distracted from a task.

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Overall, this manga is amazing. It might be because I dream of living in Venice someday, and that caused me to love the art even more. I think I would've still loved this manga even if I didn't like Venice so much. It's a must-read for people who like light and easy-going manga.