ARIA is the story of the everyday life of Akari Mizunashi, who rows a gondola for a living in the city of Neo-Venezia on the water planet Aqua, formerly known as Mars. This manga has no giant robots, no cutsey magical-girl transformations, no zombies or vampires, and no superpowers. This manga barely has electricity in its homes. But what ARIA does have that most other mangas lack is a good, strong plot that revolves almost entirely around women. At this point, anyone who so much as THINKS the phrase "Sailor Moon" must go and jump off their roof. In fact, there are less than five notable males in the entire series, one of which is a cat, and a second that doesn't even have a name. The only heterosexual relationship openly expressed is the one between Aika and Al (whom I'll tell you about in a minute, so chill!), and the other, between Akari and Akatsuki, is mostly implied. Now, on to the cast!

Akari Mizunashi- The main character. Pink-haried, bubble-headed, and eternally cheerful, Akari is a newcomer to both the Aria Company where she works and the planet Aqua itself. Akari is a ver nice girl and gets along well with everyone.

Alicia Florence- Prima, and the only other Undine with the Aria company. Ohhhh, what to say about Miss Alicia! She's gorgeous, for starters, and is one of the three most popular Prima Undines on Aqua, the water fairy Snow White. She's a heavy drinker, and loves to laugh. Her main phrase is "ara ara" (my, my). She's a very kind person, with many admirers, both male and female.

Aika S. Granzchesta- The heiress to Hime-Ya. Aika is the first friend Akari makes on Aqua, mainly because the girl had been stalking Alicia. In fact, up until Aika meets Al, you could almost say that she was in love with Alicia. Aika's main role is being Akari's spirit of competition, the person that brings her back down to Aqua when she spaces out.

Akira E. Ferrari- The bitch. Well, not really. Akira has got a firey, clashing personality and the looks of a model, which may make her seem bitchier than she really is. Akira is a Prima Undine working for Hime-Ya and is Aika's mentor. Akira is also Alicia's childhood friend, but Alicia got promoted to Prima before she did. Akira is one of the three water fairies, the Crimson Rose.

Alice Carrol- The genius. Alice is the youngest Undine in the series, being only 14 when she is first introduced, but she's also one of the best gondola rowers on Aqua, and already works for the largest company, Orange Planet.

Athena Glory- The Space-case. Athena is my favorite character in the entire ARIA series. Athena is one of the biggest airheads in the history of manga, but that doesn't mean she's stupid. Drugged, possibly, but not stupid. She's a brilliant singer, and is one of the three water fairies along with Akira and Alicia. Athena is the Prima mentor to Alice and works at Orange Planet under the Prima name Heavenly Voice (Siren in english).

Akatsuki Izumo- The jerk. Akatsuki was Akari's first customer. Akatsuki works on the floating city as a Salamander, someone that controls weather patterns.

Albert Pitt- The old man. Al lives underground with the other Gnomes, people that keep the gravity of Aqua balanced. While he appears to be 12, Al is actually 19, but he acts like an old man. Aika really likes him and I'm happy for her, because Al really is a nice guy.

Then there are the Presidents; blue-eyed cats that are a good luck guardian for undine companies. President Aria watches over Akari and Alicia at Aria Company, President Hime watches over Aika and Akira at Hime-Ya, and President Maa-kun watches out for Alice and Athena at Orange Planet. Maa-kun is actually Alice's pet as well as company mascot.

ARIA is a very good manga, though it is only 12 volumes long. You can pick up the first three volumes from ADV, or the first four volumes from Tokyopop. The two volumes of Aqua, ARIA's previous incarnation, are also available from Tokyopop. I hope that those reading this actually take the time to go out and read the series, as it is quite good. Thank you for your time and have a nice day.

I've only seen a few episodes of the anime, but I really love it so far. I wish I could find the manga.

I freaking LOVE this manga. And it makes me rage so hard that I might not ever get to finish it. I bought the first 3 volumes when ADV manga had the rights... and then they went under. So I was really excited with Tokyopop picked it up. But now they've gotten to volume 4... and there are no more updates on the site. *shakes fist*

I love how totally quiet and unassuming the story is. Not much happens, but it's peaceful and beautiful. And that's all it needs.