Aria

I have recently found out that a bunch of people on the internet think "utopia" genre is bad because you can't create meaningful conflicts. How can that be true when works like Aqua/Aria exist? The thing is, you don't need to have external threats to progress the plot and keep the reader engaged. This story does just fine exploring subjects such as: beauty and wonder in little things around us; insecurities, their reasons to be and how to overcome them; why comparison is the thief of joy; search of one's place in society and life; and many more. It's brimming with positivity, and maybe a bitof bittersweet nostalgia. What makes the story work is its amazing set of characters. I may be biased because from Japanese media I mostly consume works from male authors (they often reduce female characters to their looks/sexual appeal). But in my opinion this story has some of the best female characters I have seen in anime/manga/LNs/VNs. It's hard to pick out objectively better ones among them, because so much of the fun in the story happens as a result of the interactions between quirks unique to each of the characters. Author has managed to find a sweet spot in a number of characters as well. The art is absolutely gorgeous — the city, clothes, nature, character designs all look stellar. Author has made a brilliant decision of giving each of the characters a silly face that is basically an exaggerated manifestation of their personality traits. Not only it puts a smile on your face, but also probably allows to cut costs when drawing. The only downside I have found is that I have grown slightly tired of main character's and her mentor's personalities. Yes, story wouldn't be what it is without them. But they're both almost too perfect with only minor issues, and that's why in my view some of the characters begin to outshine them once they get enough time to show their depth.