Aria the Origination

Aria (アリア?) is a utopian science fantasy manga by Kozue Amano. The series was originally titled Aqua (アクア Akua?) when it was published by Enix in the magazine Monthly Stencil, being retitled when it moved to Mag Garden's magazine Comic Blade. Aqua was serialized in Stencil from 2001 to 2002 and collected in two tankōbon volumes. Aria was serialized in Comic Blade from November 2002 to April 2008 and collected in twelve volumes. The series has been adapted as an anime television series, with a first season broadcast in 2005, a second season in 2006, an OVA released September 2007, and a third season in 2008 that ended around the same time as the manga serialization.

ADV Manga released English translations of the first three volumes of Aria in 2004, before dropping the license. Tokyopop then acquired the English-language rights to Aqua as well as Aria. Tokyopop released the two volumes of Aqua on October 2007 and February 2008, and six volumes of Aria between January 2008 and December 2010. The anime is licensed in North America by The Right Stuf International, which released all three seasons a box sets under its Nozomi Entertainment imprint between 30 September 2008 and 2 March 2010.

The series is set in the 24th century on a terraformed Mars, now named Aqua, and follows a young woman named Akari Mizunashi as she trains as an apprentice gondolier (known as Undines). The series has been praised for its calm pacing, optimistic worldview, beautiful art, and, for the anime, the quality of the soundtrack.

Plot
In Neo Venezia, Akari, Aika, and Alice continue to work diligently toward the day they become full-fledged Prima Undine (a professional tour guide gondolier). The girls have come far since they began their training, and they are slowly forming their own distinctive styles as tour guides for the city.

On the long journey towards their goal, the girls have relied on the advice of their seniors from their respective companies: the patient and understanding Alicia from Aria Company, the strict and proper Akira from Himeya Company, and the clumsy yet caring Athena from Orange Planet Company.

Will the girls be able to blend the advice from their mentors with their personally acquired knowledge of Neo Venezia to become praiseworthy Prima Undines?

Welcome once more to Neo Venezia; the city that personifies warmth and tranquility.