Aria (manga)

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ARIA
アリア (ARIA)
Genre	Seinen, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction, Slice of life
Manga
Authored by	Kozue Amano (天野 こずえ, Amano Kozue?)
Publisher	Mag Garden Bongkoch Comics ADV Manga (former) Starcomics
Serialized in	Comic Blade
Original run	10 November 2002 –
No. of volumes	9
TV anime : ARIA The ANIMATION
Directed by	Junichi Sato
Studio	Hal Film Maker
Network	TV Tokyo, TV Osaka
Original run	5 October 2005 – 28 December 2005
No. of episodes	13
TV anime : ARIA The NATURAL
Directed by	Junichi Sato
Studio	Hal Film Maker
Network	TV Tokyo, TV Osaka
Original run	2 April 2006 – 26 September 2006
No. of episodes	26[1]

ARIA (アリア, ARIA^?) is an ongoing manga by Kozue Amano. It is serialized in Mag Garden's monthly magazine Comic Blade, and has been collected into nine tankōbon volumes to date with more releases planned in 2006. It is actually a sequel series to the two volume series, AQUA, which is an introductory series to Aria and tells of how Akari comes to AQUA.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Characters 2.1 The Undines 2.2 The Cats 2.3 Other Characters of Note 3 Anime 3.1 Episodes 3.2 Theme songs 4 Terms 5 Trivia 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Plot

ARIA takes place in the twenty-fourth century, on the planet Aqua (formerly Mars), which has been terraformed into a habitable planet covered in oceans and seas. The town of Neo-Venezia, where the story occurs, is based on Venice both in terms of art and feel, and despite the futuristic time period, there is very little science-fiction to the manga at all.

The manga stars Akari, who is an apprentice gondolier with ARIA Company, one of the three most popular gondola companies in the city. She is training to become a full-time gondolier (or undine, as they are called in Neo-Venezia).

The style of ARIA is very laid-back, taking a "slice of life" approach to the story and is not plot driven. Most of it is devoted to the lush expansive art, as Kozue Amano frequently will take pages and pages to draw an environment, showing the wonder of both everyday activities in Neo-Venezia as well as one-of-a-kind events. It is very similar in tone to Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō.

The first three volumes of ARIA were released by ADV Manga in 2003 and 2004; however, the series appears to be on permanent hiatus. In 2006, Tokyopop announced it acquired the licensing for both Aqua and ARIA; the first three volumes of ARIA are to be republished before Tokyopop publishes further unreleased English volumes of the manga.

[edit] Characters

[edit] The Undines

Akari Mizunashi (水無 灯里, Mizunashi Akari^?) Voiced by: Erino Hazuki

A native of Man-Home, Akari is a happy and easy-going person, who we rarely see angry or upset, a quality which she shares with her supervisor. She is best described as a romantic, and seems to find enjoyment in things or events that other people might think humdrum and mundane.

While she is not quite as skilled in rowing as Alice, nor is as familiar with the history of the city as Aika, her carefree and laid-back manner often endears her to the many people she encounters.As such she seems to make friends very easily, and can hold a warm conversation even with complete strangers, a fact that causes her to be labeled as 'mysterious' by her closest friends Aika and Alice. She also accidentally learned how to row backwards on the gondola back when she was at Man-Home, which Aika states, "Akari is almost invincible when she rows backwards" (from the anime).

Alicia Florence (アリシア・フローレンス, Arishia Furōrensu^?) Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara

The only other undine with ARIA company, and is the most popular undine in the entire city, which explains why ARIA is so popular even though it has only two employees. Her talent is well known and she is one of the three "Water Fairies" of Neo-Venezia. Like Akari, she is relaxed and easy-going, but also has a very playful side that comes out from time to time. Her favorite words are "ara, ara" and she giggles quite often.

In the manga, she is also a heavy drinker, although Akira comments once that she holds her liquor extremely well. Ironically enough, she is only 19, which would make her underage in some countries.

Aika S. Granzchesta (藍華・S・グランチェスタ, Aika S. Guranschesuta^?) Voiced by: Chiwa Saito

The first friend Akari ever made on Aqua, Aika is an undine for Himeya, the oldest and currently second-ranking water-guide company in Neo-Venezia. As the only daughter of its owners, she is also Himeya's heir, but does not enjoy the distinction that much, as she feels that she is fawned upon too much by the company's employees.

Aika often speaks in an open and blunt manner, and goes out of her way to cut off Akari's many idealistic comments with a preemptive "Embarrassing remarks are not allowed!" (恥ずかしいセリフ禁止！, Hazukashii serifu kinshi!^?). Despite their contrasting personalities, she gets along quite well with Akari, and later with Alice. She is very proud of her undine abilities, and tends to be very competitive in this aspect. She also worships Alicia, and finds any excuse to go over to ARIA company and spend time with her. Aika once said that if it was not for the obligation to her family, she would join ARIA company.

Akira E. Ferrari (晃・E・フェラーリ, Akira E. Fērāri^?) Voiced by: Junko Minagawa

Akira is one of Neo Venezia's three Water Fairies, and is Aika's supervisor with the Himeya company. She is nicknamed the Demon Instructor for her strict training regimen as well as her loud and brusque personality. She is particularly harsh with Aika, in spite of the fact that the girl is her employers' heir, though she does so since she honestly thinks that there is potential in her. As such, she is the only Himeya employee who does not fawn on Aika, though even the latter admits that it is only due to Akira's strictness (and honesty) that she has been able to become a good undine.

Akira is famous for her conversational skills as well as her intimate knowledge of the sights to be seen in Neo Venezia. She has a lot of admirers among her customers, though surprisingly enough these are more female than male (which seems to bother her a little, as she considers herself very feminine).

Akira and Alicia's relationship mirrors Akari and Aika's, though Alicia is far more teasing when Akira is around. This isn't that much of a surprise, as Akira and Alicia are childhood friends. However, Akira is still galled that Alicia became a Prima earlier than her, despite the fact that Alicia initially became an undine to tag along with her.

Alice Carroll (アリス・キャロル, Arisu Kyaroru^?) Voiced by: Ryou Hirohashi

A girl introduced in Volume 3, Alice is a trainee for Orange Planet, a company who currently holds the first place in the water guide business. She first appears as a very standoffish, snotty young girl; however, exposure to Akari's mood begins to lighten her up as the series progresses. This does not stop her from telling the other girls to be quiet when they argue, however.

She is just a trainee when Akari and Aika are apprentices, but is already showing a talent for rowing that might surpass both of them (in fact, this is the reason why she was scouted by Orange Planet despite her age). Despite this (and the fact that Akari and Aika are from rival businesses), she often joins the two in joint practice sessions, and she sincerely enjoys their company.

Alice speaks in a very deadpan manner, and tends to use the word dekkai (でっかい - meaning "huge") often in the course of speaking. Aika also commonly addresses her as "Kohai-chan" (後輩ちゃん - or "junior" said in a friendly manner).

Athena Glory (アテナ・グローリィ, Atena Gurōrī^?) Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami

The third "Water Fairy", who works for Orange Planet and acts as Alice's mentor. She tends to be a total airhead who does not really pay attention to anything (in the anime, she once rowed under a bridge and forgot to duck), but genuinely cares about Alice. She was a trainee undine with Alicia and Akira, and often joined them in joint practice sessions much like Akari, Aika, and Alice do now. Athena has a beautiful singing voice, which she uses to entertain her customers and also to help Alice when she in some kind of trouble. Athena has a strange laugh, it usually comes out sounding as though she is angry.

The undines have signature expressions that can help to tell them apart when they are not pictured in the frame they are talking in. Akari's signature expression is slit eyes and a square mouth, while Alicia's expression in eyes is a curve often associated with happiness in manga, and a grin. Aika's signature expression is more noticeable, with an upside-down "V" over a "U" for the mouth, and some angry looking eyes, while Akira's is a pair of wide, angry eyes and a wide, downturned mouth. Finally, Alice's signature expression is half-closed eyes with large pupils and an upside-down "V" for the mouth (which matches her deadpan personality), while Athena's is a spaced-out look with almost-squinting eyes.

[edit] The Cats

Because blue-eyed cats are considered lucky on Aqua, all undine companies have a blue-eyed cat as a mascot and as "President".

President Aria Pokoteng (アリア・ポコテン, Aria Pokoten^?) Voiced by: Chinami Nishimura

ARIA Company's mascot and namesake. He is a cat from the planet Aqua, and tends to get a lot of the comic relief situations in the manga. Aria is large and fat. He is quite attracted to President Hime.

President Hime

A small, female cat named "President Hime", appropriately enough. (On a side note, "Hime" means princess in Japanese.) President Hime is the Hime-ya President.

President Maa

Second President of Orange Planet. President Maa is named "Maa" because she always says "Maa~". President Maa is a female cat, but Alice called her "Maa-kun" before she became the Orange Planet President.

[edit] Other Characters of Note

Akatsuki Izumo (出雲 暁, Izumo Akatsuki^?) Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima

Akari's first customer. He's a tall, impatient young man and is also an apprentice salamander, who is someone who helps maintain the weather on Aqua by working in the floating buildings that hover overhead. Akatsuki has a tendency to tug on Akari's hair and call her "Pigtails" (or momiko). Though it may seem mean, it's obviously just his way of teasing Akari, and Akari doesn't seem to hold it against him. Although his character design is nominally that of a bishonen, his constant scowl, combined with a loose-fitting robe, usually covers up his more "attractive" features, which he rarely displays.

Akatsuki isn't on the ground much, so every visit to the surface is an adventure for him. Although, in one issue, he claims to be in love with Alicia, the other female characters (including Alicia) voice the opinion that he's really attracted to Akari, but is either unable or unwilling to express this (no matter what his "official business" in Neo-Venezia is, he always ends up spending the entire visit with Akari). He also has an older brother, who seems to be quite mean to him in a joking way.

Albert Pitt (アルバート・ピット, Arubāto Pitto^?) Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe

Al is a gnome, a person who lives in the underground cities beneath the surface of Aqua. Gnomes rarely leave their city except to do shopping. His job is to help regulate the gravity of Aqua so that it is the same as Earth's. He looks younger than Akari and Aika, but is actually nineteen.

[edit] Anime

[edit] Episodes

ARIA The ANIMATION

No.	Title Translation	Original Title
1.	That Lovely Miracle...	その 素敵な奇跡を・・・
2.	On That Special Day...	その 特別な日に・・・
3.	With That Transparent Girl...	その 透明な少女と・・・
4.	That Undeliverable Letter...	その 届かない手紙は・・・
5.	To That Impossibly Existing Island...	その あるはずのない島へ・・・
6.	Things That We Want to Protect...	その 守りたいものに・・・
7.	That Wonderful Job...	その 素敵なお仕事・・・
8.	That Dejected President... + That Cool Hero...	その 憂鬱な社長ったら・・・ + その イケてるヒーローってば・・・
9.	That Star-like Fairy...	その 星のような妖精は・・・
10.	During That Warm Holiday...	その ほかほかな休日は・・・
11.	On Those Orange Days...	その オレンジの日々を・・・
12.	That Gentle Wish...	その やわらかな願いは・・・
13.	That White Morning...	その まっしろな朝を・・・

ARIA The NATURAL

No.	Title Translation	Original Title
1.	That Meeting At The Carnival...	その カーニバルの出逢いは…
2.	Looking For That Treasure...	その 宝物をさがして…
3.	On That Night Of The Meteor Shower...	その 流星群の夜に…
4.	That Neo-Venezia Coloured Heart...	その ネオ・ベネツィア色の心は…
5.	The Things We Found On That Spring Day.../That Rainy Day's Honesty...	その 春の日にみつけたものは…／その 雨の日の素敵は…
6.	That Smile Reflected In The Mirror...	その 鏡にうつる笑顔は…
7.	Going To The Cats' Kingdom...	その 猫たちの王国へ…
8.	On That Day Of The Bocolo...	その ボッコロの日に…
9.	Those Untainted Stars Are...	その 素顔の星たちは…
10.	That Warm Town And The People And...	その あたたかな街と人々と…
11.	That Important Radiance...	その 大切な輝きに…
12.	Chasing That Mirage.../The Light Of That Wind Chime...	その 逃げ水を追って…/その 夜光鈴の光は…
13.	That Big Resolution...	その でっかい自分ルールを...
14.	That Newest Memory...	その いちばん新しい想い出に…
15.	In The Middle Of That Vast Circle...	その 広い輪っかの中で…
16.	The Separation From That Gondola...	その ゴンドラとの別れは…
17.	If That Rainy Night Would Become Daylight...	その 雨降る夜が明ければ…
18.	That New Me...	その 新しい自分に…
19.	That Crybaby.../That Young Girl's Heart...	その 泣き虫さんったら…／その 乙女心ってば…
20.	The Shadowless Guests...	その 影のない招くものは…
21.	That Night Of The Milky Way Railroad...	その 銀河鉄道の夜に…
22.	In That Parallel World.../The Things Aqua Wants To Protect...	その パラレルワールドで…／その アクアを守るものよ…
23.	That Sea, Love And Thoughts....	その 海と恋と想いと…
24.	That Tomorrow's Undine...	その 明日のウンディーネに…
25.	That Meeting's Crystal...	その 出逢いの結晶は…
26.	In The Middle Of That Pure White Snow...	その 真っ白な雪の中で…

[edit] Theme songs

ARIA The ANIMATION

Opening

Undine (ウンディーネ, Undine^?) by Yui Makino

Ending

Rainbow by ROUND TABLE feat. Nino

ARIA The NATURAL

Opening

Euforia (ユーフォリア, Euforia^?) by Yui Makino

Ending

Natsumachi (夏待ち, Natsumachi^?) by ROUND TABLE feat. Nino

Smile Again by Erino Hazuki

[edit] Terms

Several terms are derived from mythology such as Ondine.

The Three Water Fairies

Neo-Venezia's three most accomplished Undine's, currently consisting of Alicia Florenze, Akira E. Ferrari and Athena Glory.

Undine

Used to describe a female gondolier, acting as a refined tour guide to visitors.

Single

A apprentice gondolier who has not yet fully qualified to be an undine. Single refers to the fact the apprentice wears only one glove compared to a prima (fully qualified) undine, who does not wear any gloves.

Pair

A trainee who has just begun practising rowing a gondola. A Pair is recognized by the pair of gloves that she wears. Not only does this stand as a symbol for the Pair class, it also helps to protect the hands of the young Pair as she builds up callus while training. As the Pair graduates, she becomes a Single and one of the gloves is removed.

Salamander

A person working above Aqua to control the weather. They live in orbiting islands at the edge of Aqua's atmosphere.

Gnome

A person working underground to regulate the gravity. Most gnomes aren't very tall and have bad eyesight, because they live underground most of the time.

Sylph

A person working in the air driving his/her aircraft, sending everything throughout Neo-Venezia because most vehicles (except gondola) are not allowed to be used in the city.

[edit] Trivia

• All the main characters' first names begin with the letter A.
• There are 24 months a year in Aqua (Mars).
• No substantial waves are seen during the anime even though Aqua has two moons.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• (Japanese) Official site for ARIA The NATURAL (anime)
• (Japanese) Official site for ARIA The ANIMATION (anime)
• (Japanese) Kozue Amano's site