Aria

Akari Mizunashi, at the age of 15, has left everything behind to travel to Aqua, a sparkling planet covered in water. More than anything, Akari wants to be an "undine" - a female gondolier who navigates the canals of the Aquan city of Neo-Venezia. As she begins her training with the prestigious Aria Company, will she be up to the challenges that await her on the path to achieve her dream?

One morning, Akari wakes up to find the entire city flooded with water! It's the Acqua Alta, a once-a-year phenomenon where the water levels rise, causing all of Neo-Venezia to shut down for a day. But while most people spend the day relaxing, Aika's mentor Akira is as strict as ever, and yells at her to get back to training. Aika has just the solution to get her mentor off her back: she's running away to the Aria Company!

While training in a particularly tough stretch of water, Akari and Aika meet girl from Orange Planet who seems to be having no trouble at all. Her name is Alice, and she's famous for being one of the youngest yet most talented Undines in Neo Venezia. There's just one problem... she never seems to smile. What could she learn from a day spent with the unlikely pair of Akari and Akatsuki?

Akari and President Aria are wandering through the marketplace one evening, when President Aria suddenly leads Akari to a plaza she's never seen before. There, a little girl with a bell around her neck gives Akari a letter, and asks her to deliver it. It seems very important. But if Akari's going to have any chance of keeping her promise, she'll have to enlist the help of flying messengers known as Sylphs!

When Akari was little, she was certain that Neverland was a real place. As she grew up, she understood that it was fantasy... But now, she's received a mysterious, hand-written invitation to visit Neverland for herself! What awaits her as she follows her map toward a quiet, deserted island?

Alice is in a pretty bad mood. Her dorm doesn't allow pets but she's secretly taking care of a kitten; her mentor Athena is an absolute clutz; and to top it all off, she has decided that her left hand isn't as skilled as her right hand, and is therefore useless. Though Alice certainly does have a strange set of problems, and they all seem separate from each other, she's certain to discover that the answers to each all are connected.

Two wonderful things have happened: it's time for Neo-Venezia's annual Carnevale, and Ai has come back to Aqua for a visit! As Akari and Ai wander through streets full of bright colors and beautiful masks, they catch a glimpse of Casanova, the mysterious master of ceremonies. Who is the man behind the mask? The two are curious, but they'll need to be careful. You know what they say about curiosity and the cat, after all...

Spring is beginning to bloom in Neo-Venezia, bringing with it sunshine and warm breezes. Akari, Aika and Alice are out practicing their sculling when they find a small treasure box hidden by a statue. Inside there's a a simple little riddle that sends them off on a treasure hunt that spans the entire city! What sort of riches await them at the finish line?

There's going to be a meteor shower, and Akari, Aika and Alice have made plans to watch it together. But this time, there's a little twist - Al, one of Neo-Venezia's gravity-controlling Gnomes, will be there as well. Even though he's shorter than the girls, he's actually three years their senior; and he knows all about physics, planets, and the beauty of the universe. What he doesn't seem to know, however, is how Aika feels whenever she's with him.

The mailman's gondola is being repaired, so just for today, Akari is making the rounds with him to get the job done. As she learns the ins and outs of what it means to be a mail carrier, she meets a boy who needs his letter delivered at any cost. Whatever the envelope he's holding contains, it's very close to his heart.

Akari and Alicia are visiting a shrine that looks just like the old Japanese shrines on Manhome. Though the grounds are beautiful, there's also a hint of mystery and danger in the air... Later, they are wandering on a different island, looking for a beautiful spot that Alicia once saw. But the farther they go, the less certain their path becomes. How do you reach your destination when you don't know the way there?

Something's strange about Alice... Athena has noticed that Alice doesn't really seem to have any friends her own age. If she's not with Akari and Aika, she's simply alone. In fact, when Alice receives an invitation to a party with other Orange Planet Pairs, she flatly rejects it. It's up to Aika and Akari to get to the bottom of Alice's puzzling behavior.

As winter melts into spring, Akari, Aika and Alice all continue to practice and set new goals for themselves. But Akari still feels like she isn't good enough to become a Prima. Will she or any of the girls ever be truly satisfied with their talents?

Someone has requested Akari for a gondola tour! An old woman with a kind smile says that she'd like to see a side of Neo-Venezia that only Akari can show her. Akari takes her to many unique spots, but the woman already seems familiar with them all...

A new vendor has opened up shop in Piazza San Marco, selling heart-shaped chocolates in glass bottles. Akari buys a bottle, and later goes to buy another, but by then, the patissier has mysteriously disappeared. Where did he go, and will he ever return?

Akari wants to help out more around the Aria Company, but she's only a Single. So Alicia suggests she try her hand at working on a Traghetto! A Traghetto is a ferry-style gondola run exclusively by Singles. Will Akari be up to the challenge?

Athena and Alicia both have wonderful talents, but what about Akira? For that matter, what about Aika? Aika gets discouraged, thinking that maybe she doesn't have any natural talent, but Akira has an old story to tell that might lift Aika's spirits.

Akari can be a bit clumsy and makes plenty of mistakes, but it seems like Alicia never gets angry with her. Alice makes it her mission to see how Alicia handles Akari's faults, and to see if it's true that no matter what, she never scolds Akari.