Probably better known under the name of it’s sequel, Aria. Aqua is usually held as a pillar of Slice of Life and Iyashikei with some Utopia to boot. I have yet to break into Aria, but let’s look at how the two volumes known as Aqua fares. Let’s Rock.

PLOT: or lack thereof. Taking place in 2031, the planet Mars has become covered in water and renamed to Aqua. Our tale takes place in the city of Neo Venezia, a city of water and boats. Our protagonist Akari arrives from earth to seek a job as a gondolier tour guide known as an Undine. The series follows Akari training to be an Undine and coming to know the city and world she’s moved to. There’s not much of a plot. We see a sense of progress in Akari’s Undine training, but the series is largely a relaxing read. Luckily for a series centered on tour guides, the city is an interesting tour. Learning about the intricacies and lifestyles in Neo Venezia proves to be interesting. There’s a good amount of stuff going on in our main character’s lives to keep the series from getting dull. I’d usually rail a series for tottering around doing nothing, but it really works out in Aqua’s favor as an atmosphere piece.

7/10, plot might not be the right word but the events of the series are a joy to read.

CHARACTERS: The cast is rather small. Akari is a cheerful girl who doesn’t quite have it all together just yet. Her immaturity and not being an Aqua native allow us to learn with her. She’s writing e-mails to someone, so there’s more to learn in the sequel I’d assume. She’s endearing, but rather simple. That’s the real running thing with this series. Most of the characters are simple tropes but they work. Alicia is your stereotypical nicer, skilled older girl. Aika is the girl who’s obsessed with Alicia (and also the series’ weakest character). Akatsuki is the rude guy with a good heart. There’s also the cat, President Aria. He’s a gentle comic relief with no speaking lines. They have a dynamic you’ve probably seen before, but in a “if it’s not broke don’t fix it way.”

6/10, nothing interesting but it’s all functional.

VISUALS: Once again, when the point was to be a tour guide, you need to have nice things to look at, and this manga does. Setting design is wonderful here, Neo Venezia is just a joy to look at. We get many spreads of characters just looking about the city and they’re just gorgeous. Everything comes together, the architecture, the water, the technology, the fashion. It all builds something gorgeous to look at. The city being designed in mostly white makes it work with the black and white printing. It also goes well with the water, and speaking of the artist makes good use of water. It reminds me of the train scene from spirited away but up to 11. The water always has this gentle feel to it that just makes it work. The Undine outfits the main cast wear also meld with the city near perfectly. You can tell a lot of thought was put into the aesthetic design and it works wonders. The artistry in it is also pretty solid, while I was never blown away by the skill of the artist, he managed to convey his visions and they worked wonders. The character designs themselves are pretty standard minus the Undine uniforms, but like, who cares when everything else works so well.

9/10, it’s a tour worth taking.

FINAL SCORE: 7/10

While it ended up simply being the prologue to another series, the manga Aqua is a good time on it’s own. I’ve yet to read Aria but I’m interested after what I read here. If you’re looking for a relaxing atmosphere place and some great setting design, I recommend you give this a read.