Aria

ARIA (a.k.a. Aqua)
Season 1: Aria the Animation (13 episodes, 2005)
Season 2: Aria the Natural (26 episodes, 2006)
OVA: Aria the OVA ~Arietta~ (30 minutes, 2007)
Season 3: Aria the Origination (14 episodes, 2008)

To start things off, I'll say this: Aria is not for everyone. Being a "slice of life" series, it doesn't have the action or deep story of many series out there these days. Rather than that, the show follows a simple, calm story. It requires a particular kind of taste to enjoy. If you can get into it, though, I can almost guarantee that you won't regret it. Now, if you're still interested, do read on...

(Side-note: Just to clear up the "a.k.a. Aqua" note I made next to the title, the series was known as Aqua when it was being published by Enix in the Monthly Stencil magazine, but was renamed to Aria when it moved to Mag Garden's magazine.)

Synopsis

Aria takes place on a terraformed Mars, known then as Aqua. The series specifically takes place in the city of Neo-Venezia, a city modeled (as well as named) after Venice, a city of Italy on Earth (called Manhome in the series). The main attraction here is the gondolier service, which the main character, Akari Mizunashi, takes part in. Akari comes from Manhome, and aspires to become a great Undine. This said, the story follows Akari and her friends as they work toward their goals.

Main Characters (click names for images)

Aria Company

• Akari Mizunashi: Main character of Aria. She's a very optimistic person, and a bit ditzy at times.
  
  
• Alicia Florence: One the the three great "Water Fairies," and Prima-class Undine of Aria Company. Very popular; admired by pretty much everyone. Known by the nickname, "Snow White."
  
  
• President Aria: Chubby mascot cat of Aria Company. Has a thing for President Hime. Hilarity ensues in most of his scenes.

Himeya Company

• Aika S. Granzchesta: Close friend of Akari's, and heir to the Himeya Company from birth. Adores and idolizes Alicia of Aria Company.
  
  
• Akira E. Ferrari: One of the three "Water Fairies" of Neo-Venezia, and Prima-class Undine of Himeya Company. A strict teacher to her juniors, but really a caring person behind her tough image. Known as the "Crimson Rose."
  
  
• President Hime: Mascot cat of Himeya Company. Continually ignores President Aria's attempts to get her attention.

Orange Planet

• Alice Carroll: Friend of Akari and Aika. Also junior to them in rank, but an able Undine nonetheless. Considered somewhat of a prodigal child in the Undine business. Seems a bit snobbish early on, but lightens up as time passes.
  
  
• Athena Glory: Third "Water Fairy" of Neo-Venezia, and Prima of Orange Planet. Very clumsy, but very capable as an Undine. Known as "Siren," for her beautiful singing.
  
  
• President Maa: Young mascot kitten. Chases President Aria and bites his flabby belly every chance she gets.

Others

• Ai: Introduced in the first episode, Ai is a young girl who becomes close friends with Akari after riding in her gondola. Although Ai lives on Manhome, she keeps in touch with Akari through frequent e-mail messages.
  
  
• Akatsuki Izumo: An apprentice "Salamander" (someone who helps to regulate Aqua's climate). Lives and works on the aerial island that hovers over Neo-Venezia, but occasionally takes trips to the surface. Claims to be madly in love with Alicia Florence.
  
  
• Udo Ayanakohji the 51st: A "Sylph" (messenger/delivery man) occasionally seen throughout the series. Better known as "Woody."
  
  
• Albert "Al" Pitt: A "Gnome" (someone who helps to regulate Aqua's gravity), working and living underground, only occasionally seen on the surface when shopping or on other special occasions. Al is rather short, but is actually older than Akari and Aika.
  

Other Notes

• Soundtrack: Nothing short of amazing, the soundtracks to the series play a pretty major role in the enjoyment of the series. Composed by Choro Club feat. Senoo Takeshi, the soundtracks cover a nice range of soft jazz, piano, and even some Italian folk-esque pieces. Yui Makino does the opening themes for all three seasons, all of which are very soothing and give a great introduction to each episode. (By the way, opening themes play in the background while the episodes are introduced, rather than playing as separate parts of each episode.) The first two seasons' ending themes are done by Round Table feat. Nino, and the third is performed by Akino Arai. All three bring each episode to a very nice conclusion, just as effectively as the opening themes start things off. The soundtrack as a whole very much sets the mood for every occasion, and brings forth just the right amount of emotion. It really helps to make you feel included in the world of Aqua.
  
  Oh, right, there are also piano collections for the series, which are full of very relaxing tunes. There is also a vocal collection album, including vocals by the original voice actresses, among others. Another very nice addition to the soundtrack collection.

• Cultural References: Not only is Neo-Venezia named after the real-life city of Venice, but everything about it takes after Venice and Italian culture in general, from the gondola services to annual festivals. Even the buildings are modeled after the architecture of Venice, and some of the buildings and other structures have even been carried and rebuilt directly from Manhome. Several other things take influence from the original city and culture (and language), which is a very nice feature of the series.
  

Conclusion

While this kind of series may not appeal to everyone, I very much hope that some of you are able to gain interest in it from the information I've provided (plus whatever else you might look up), and if you decide to check it out, I hope you are able to enjoy it as much as I have. It's a very nice series to just unwind and get lost in for a while, and with the characters, setting, and soundtrack, it's pretty easy to do so.