The Bottom Line
It's summertime in Neo-Venezia and the undines are enjoying the simple pleasures of Aqua's extra-long summers. Unlike the Earth version of Venice, Neo-Venezia is eternally breezy, pleasant and crowd-free, even at the height of tourist season. And if festival season is any indication, it's also a lot more Japanese than Italian. Just chalk it up as another one of Aqua's quirky anachronisms and you'll be fine.
A rare male character makes an appearance, but he's not a reason for the girls to become romantic rivals. Above all, the girls are friends who share the simple pleasures of being together, and being alive.
Pros
- A sweetly sentimental tribute to the joys of a Japanese summer with a Neo-Venezia twist
- While a rare male character comes on the scene, the stories focus on the girls' friendships
- A few vignettes provide more character development of Aika and President Aria
Cons
- President Aria is a strange looking cat who acts more childlike than presidential
- Most, if not all of the Japanese sound effects are left untranslated
Description
- Original Title: Aqua (Japan)
- Author & Artist: Kozue Amano
- Publishers:
TokyoPop (US)
MAG Garden Corporation (Japan) - ISBN: 978-1-4278-0313-9
- Cover Price: $9.99 US / $12.50 CANADA / £6.99 UK
- Age Rating:
T – Teens Age 13+
for virtually no remotely offensive content
More about content ratings. - Manga Genres:
- Shojo (Girls') Manga
- Anime Tie-In
- Fantasy
- Slice of Life Comedy
- US Publication Date: February 2008
Japan Publication Date: 2003 - Book Description: 192 pages, black and white illustrations
- More Manga by Kozue Amano:
Guide Review - Aqua Volume 2
In the second volume of Aqua, Akari, Alicia and Aika enjoy the extra-long summer in Neo-Venezia. While the canals, palazzos and gondolas are inspired by Venice, the various festivals and traditions of Neo-Venezia seem more Japanese than Italian. If you think too hard about it, it doesn' t make much sense. Just chalk it up as another quirky anachronism that you'll just have to accept to enjoy the simple pleasures of this slice of life manga.
While Amano doesn't tend to delve too deeply into the inner lives of the undines (gondoliers), this volume gives us a glimpse into the softer side of usually prickly Aika, and the sillier side of President Aria, the roly-poly Martian cat.
Peevish and mischievous Aika catches a cold, then shows off her vulnerable side in an unexpected way. After so many cheerful episodes, it's almost a relief to see the girls experience a wider range of emotions than happiness, serenity, determination or annoyance.
Meanwhile, President Aria gets his time to show off his personality with two adventures where he's front and center. Whether he's dressing up like a superhero or running away from home, President Aria waddles around town, having adventures like a child on a sugar rush.
While a rare male character makes an appearance in this volume, the stories mostly focus on the girls and their friendships. Maybe that's another thing that makes Aqua special – the girls are colleagues and friends above all, and the arrival of a guy doesn't turn them against each other as romantic or scholastic rivals.
Aqua Volume 2 is a pleasant encore to Aqua Volume 1. The art is lovely as usual and while doesn't offer much by way of cliff-hangers or drama, it certainly won't disappoint readers who love Aqua and Aria. Aqua Volume 2 is like a cool ocean breeze on a sunny day – a manga mini-vacation you can enjoy in 190 pages.
