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AIR TV
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Animation - 9.5 |
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Sound - 9.3 |
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Story - 8.5 |
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Character - 8.8 |
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Value - 8.7 |
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Enjoyment - 8.8 |
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Average - 8.9 |
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brynolf |
(2009-04-15 17:31:40) 2009-04-07 20:27:31 |
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| It's like I've always said; anime should be kept short. 13 episodes is plenty enough to tell any story, no matter how complicated and ambitious. Make that 12, by the way. Episode 13 is just a quick fast-forward recap of the whole series. Episode 12 is really the last one.
A very interesting setting with great characters, good graphics and told in a wonderful way.
I loved the mood throughout the series. It reminded me of Haibane Renmei or the old PC game Sanitarium; A light and innocent approach, but with an undertone of hopelessness and doom. I don't know how they did it, but it truly was great.
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| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| AIR is one of those uber-popular animes that just about everyone who's into anime—from the casual watcher to the straight up otaku—seems to know about, and I think that the level of recognition that it has is well deserved. Whether or not you are into shoujo [girly] animes, subject matter aside, this is still an anime is worth taking a look at, it has: excellent art, good music and all the key elements for a good story, drama, romance, comedy and a bit of action.
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Hukko |
2008-01-18 18:16:00 |
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| Average |
6.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| This is the only show where I havent understood it but still cried.
This is a very confusing show. I havent played the game and I dont intend to either. Maybe thats why it is so confusing.
You will get the main concept and plot. but there is so many loose ends. It is a hard show to review since I both hate and love it at the same time.
Watch it if you like weird sad drama.
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WiL |
(2007-12-28 03:07:47) 2007-12-27 01:46:14 |
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| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| I wanted to get out of my comedy-romance routine and try something different. Someone recommended this anime and so I checked things out.
The animation was pretty awesome. They had a couple of studios working on it so I wasn't surprise. I didn't like the male characters hair style. That's the only bad thing I see about the animation. Everyone else is drawn well. Actually I think the auntie is drawn a little too young. The background were pretty, and the skies were awesome. My favorite scene was the ocean.
Sound was ok. They didn't added anything that would effect some of the mood when the drama parts kicked in. The opening was cute. I didn't like the ED as much. According to some people the music in this anime is the exact music in the game. I haven't played the game so I wouldn't know if it fits the anime.
The story was a bit confusing. Something about the world's memories being pass down into girls in which everytime they dream they see memories from the world. Then we got this winged beings who resemble angles, but apperantly are not. There's also this guy with some kind of puppet ability. Yeah, this anime gets weird. To tell you the truth I didn't get much of the story. I did like some parts of it in which they say a nice message to the watcher and such. There's only two episode that I think that were heart breaking. One of them got me to the point of wanting to cry, and the other was the last episode. Now for the last episode I knew what was going to happen. You can tell. It's odvious so it wasn't as hard to take in as the previous episodes. The story line I didn't like as much. They give you all this confusing information, then try to explain it by going to the past, then somehow go back to the present and change everything. It was really weird.
The characters are all lovable. I enjoyed every single one of them. There was an amazing character development in this anime. You can see people grow from all the expirience, even though they were sort of too dramatic. That's how you learn I guess.
This anime is a nice little series. I did like some of it. Although I don't get some of the story line the anime itself is pretty good. I would say go watch it. Try not to cry when the time comes. It might be a little though. The last episode is probably going to be the hardest one of them all. Like I've said before the anime is weird, so the ending is also a little weird. It does; however, give a nice message before ending.
Vui!
"V"
By the way read the manga. There storyline is more focused on Misuzu and Yukito, but the ending is actually better in my opinion. Less dramatic and it looks like Yukito's sacrafice actually worked. Instead of this depressing ending. =P The manga ending made me happier about this anime.
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Zaku88 |
(2008-05-28 20:49:56) 2007-11-14 13:43:45 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| A wandering puppet performer meets a mysterious girl who dreams about flying into the past. A low class samurai meets a flying winged-beast. In Air, these two stories are merged into one very complete and compelling package. This is a remarkable masterpiece in terms of art, sound, as well as thematic development.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| I absolutely loved this anime. I think its definately among the best ive seen. The story can seem quite strange, but the characters grow on you in no time and you find yourself hooked till the end.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Key Studios along with Visual Arts start their debut with this anime, and it's a great one at that! I don't understand why the rating is so low, but regardless, I will express my rating as honestly and thoughtfully as possible. Please read on for the full review!
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| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| An anime similar to Kanon in almost every way! Not really a surprise seeing that Key made both games! This is a harem anime altho most would consider this a soap opera due to its tragic ending!
Very sad anime that should leave tears in the hearts of many viewers..."sniff".
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Andy |
(2007-04-30 19:29:03) 2007-04-22 22:42:29 |
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| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| *please note that there are spoilers ahead*
*also know that this review is based on the Japanese original and not related/influenced by the US licenced version by ADV (licenced announced around April 27th of 2007)*
AIR (TV anime series) is the television interpretation of AIR the PC game/visual novel. It tells the story fairly close to the game- from what i know and could tell- though restricting it to 13 episodes will mean some parts gets shortened or left out. (there were also two summer specials *see/search Air in Summer* a movie adaptation/re-interpretation of the story-line *see/search AIR the Movie*)
The story follows the male character Yukito Kunisaki. He is a drifter who tries to make a living off of puppet shows *he is able to manipulate a puppet without using any strings*. However, he is also on a quest: to find the "girl in the sky" who is crying and waiting for him. He would encounter 3 main girls *Misuzu Kamio, Kano Kirishima, Minagi Tohno* while progressing through the episodes where each one of the girl had a "problem"/mystery that contributed to his quest of finding the sad girl of the sky when solved. Overall, this story blends elements of magic, mystery, tragedy, and love in order to make a very touching and memorable story (as it was for me, even if i dont proudly admit it).
*suggested watching order: episode 1-13 and summer specials or -more interestingly- watch the summer specials FIRST then 1-13*
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| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Air TV is about Yukito Kunisaki who is searching for the girl in the sky that his mother sought for and failed to find. This search has gone in generations and and everytime failed to find or save the girls in the sky. In a town Yukito finds a strange girl that offers him shelter and weird juices. The story starts here and I hope you will get emotional because I did first time I saw it.
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|
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Air is a magical tale of the relationships between a wanderer, Yukito and the strange group of girls he meet passing through a sea side town. This anime is eerily dreamlike throughout and you're left with an odd mixture of wonderment after each episode. Being only 12 episodes, this series is wonderfully paced and devoid of any fillers.
On first notice, I almost wet myself when I saw the animation (OMG!) The style is bright and cheerful and the character move and speak fluently, the occasional CG is impressive as well.
Sound is excellent, fans of the Onegai Series will be please because Takase Kazuya, once again does the sound, and it is very recognisable and beautifully done. It can at no surprise when I found out that Air is done by the people whom brought us Kanon, both are games and both are magical tales.
All I can say is that this series is AMA-zing, it left me in tears after some of the episodes and you feel a genuine connection with the characters as both you and they, grow throughout this anime.
WATCH IT NOW!
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|
|
| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| It's a dramatic anime, but the pacing was fast; it did not drag or dawdle. There were a bare minimum of flashbacks... even the beginning scenes from each episode almost never repeated the previous episode.
But to hell with all that technical crap... I bawled my eyes out every other episode it seems... while I cry easily, never before has a story caught me so strongly with so many different characters. This anime is a tearjerker of the strongest sort, and it has few of the flaws common in anime. I loved it.
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Mueti |
2007-01-19 06:40:52 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| The first thing striking me about this show was, quite obviously, the absolutely awesome animation. It outclassed everything I had seen so far. Also, the soundtrack, while nothing extraordinary by itself, just fits the series perfectly and highlights the emotions conveyed in this anime.
The story takes place in a world quite similar to ours, there are just small differences here and there, giving it a magical touch. It wasn't at all confusing as I had heard from some people.
A wonderful and mystic tale which, due to it's omnipresent symbolism, can be about just everything you want it to be.
Give it a serious try and you might just understand that I am not exaggerating when stating this:
Fascinating is merely an understatement. This is the most beautiful and touching story ever banned on film.
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|
| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| AIR is yet another game adaption from Key, known for producing H-games with supernatural elements and tragic plotlines. No difference here - KyoAni has made a great adaption of the game, but can it show that they excel at storytelling in addition to the already-no-brainer excellent animation and music choices?
AIR is divided into 5 arcs: 3 arcs for each of the girls for the first 7 episodes, 2 episodes for the Summer arc, and the final Air arc for the last 3 episodes. (And a wasted episode on a recap.) Each arc emphasizes on the idea of the lonely girl with wings in the sky - to save her, they must bring her happy memories in the form of the feathers that reoccur throughout the series. However they insist on talking about the dreams, the linkage between the arcs are vague, with no clear connection that is left for interpretation (and naturally, spawning the strings of bad reviews bashing if only on this aspect XD). If I didn't read up on any FAQs, I would have been confused at the end, with only the sad parts to ponder about in depression.
The atmosphere plays a HUGE part in this anime. The summeresque animation and melancholic music tracks fills their roles perfectly. CG feathers, plants, and water effects are candy for eyes as well as the LIGHTING EFFECTS for the skies and sunsets. It balances tragedy and happiness in equilibrium, and may make you want to visit the real-world location it is based on for the hell of it.
And for the record, I cried twice on my first viewing. Extremely enjoyable anime only if you haven't read on the bad reviews or can stand Key/H-game stuff.
Click for my thoughts and interpretations (minor spoilers).
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|
| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| After AIR finally came out in January of 2005, I literally hounded this series like no other. I would calculate the time AIR aired (pun not intended) in Japan and get the Anime as soon as I could afterwards. Needless to say, I had really high expectations for AIR (thanks to the trailers). Many of these expectations were met. The animation, for example, I considered Anime art. The budget must have been huge taking into account the collaboration of two animation studios and three story/art companies. Everything from the fluid animation to close to flawless integration of CG to the backgrounds resembling oil paintings, AIR’s animation was simply visual eye candy, unmatched in the year of 2005 (not to mention setting the bar for Animes to come). The soundtrack for AIR comes from the original game, which not only fits the Anime perfectly in my opinion, but quite a few tracks that truly stand out in a good way. Voice acting was great, as they brought the personalities out of the characters, though some disagree (well, some people hate cute voices). Many of the characters had their own little quirks and I must say, I grew quite attached to many of them taking into account that AIR is a 13 episode series.
AIR is fairly light-hearted with comedy scattered about, until the crux of the story hits. This is in my opinion where the major flaw in AIR arises. The storyline was rather vague, leaving me to go research on my own the original story as well as just attempting to analyze the storyline as a whole. The ending was a bit confusing and the side stories that were supposed tie together and make a complete story didn’t fair too well. Some things were left unexplained and certain dialogue that seemed a bit out there. However, I suppose that is to be expected because AIR tries to parallel a mythological story/legend with the present day, leaving many things up to viewer interpretation, which was something the animation studio tried to put out there and I give them credit for their efforts. However, this means the story will be a hit or miss for people who watch it.
AIR could be analyzed at many levels, with subtle messages/themes scattered about such as mother to child “love,” innocence, or living a meaningful life. Whether these themes were intentional or are a result of personal interpretations, thinking about it adds to the complexity of a seemingly simple anime. Though AIR starts at a snail’s pace in the beginning, as a whole, AIR did not seem to drag at all. I caution people who need action/fighting/death (though there is some of it) in Anime to be considered a “good” Anime as you won’t find much of that in AIR and those type of watchers are better off watching some generic Shounen series. Overall, I recommend AIR to anime watchers who like a little bit more meaning in the Anime they watch. Even if it fails in all other categories in your standards, AIR is at the very least visual eye-candy. AIR to me, will always remain as one of those animes that got close to perfection.
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|
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| AIR TV which seems to be child-like & Innocently Light hearted in the beginning, showed later throughout the anime how sad and melancholic it really was. It proved to be a Great Anime, with potential to do even better. Even if it has done very well, It Hasn't Excelled as Much as It Could...
Animation, Definitely Magnificent. Beautiful, Clear, Magnificently Done, the Sceneries, The Blue Sky, the Sun, The Horizon, Everything was Beautiful... This anime has Such Amazing Graphics, If only this kind of animation could be in the Great animes as well...
The Sounds are Great! The Opening theme, is So Wonderful. It has the feeling of the anime, like flying in the sky, like flying over the ocean, but with a modern remixed feel. I'm Hooked onto the Opening Theme. The Seiyuus did a Great Job too. Unfortunately, I think the story causes the seiyuus effort to not be able to go as far as it could, which i will explain later. I Seriously would have given the Sounds a 10, but the ending theme just somehow doesn't fit the mood, and I just don't really like it, for some reason. So Sounds got a 9...
About the Story & Characters, Where should I Start. The Story has Expanded Very Much over the course of only 13 episodes. I think the Storyline is GREAT! When it started to go back to the history, I was scared that it will be bad, effects due to the boring ones from Tenjou Tenge, I was thinking, Oh No, Don't Let a Great Anime like this be spoiled. Well, Thank goodness, The History that the anime ventured into was fascinating, Relevant and it interested me. Then it went back to where it stopped in the Present. I was also thinking, this anime talks a lot about dreaming and fate, Unfortunately, that idea was in X TV, and i didn't enjoy X a lot. I was also hoping this anime wouldn't be that bad. But Air proves to be a Good Anime.
The Characters are Great as well. AIR TV has Gone So Deep into the Character's Lives, and it has done quite a good job in trying to get me to grow attached to the characters. The characters all seem to have some hidden scars, and pains from the past. They have all suffered a misfortunate past and some are even suffering in the present. We See their sufferings, and Yukito help them. That's a Great Job Done by AIR TV.
I Think that the Characters have Really Unique Characteristics, and their scars of the past and the way they Act right now are all unique. There are a variety of them and they all proved to be unique, and weird, in their own way. The Seemingly Happy & Innocent Misuzu, but she suffers soo mcuh deep inside. Not to forget mentioning her Classmates/school mates... Etc. Etc. The Characters were Each given time to tell their story and their true characters. This is a Good Point & a Bad Point.
There are a Number of Flaws in AIR TV, in my Opinion, and the Bad point of the characters' screen time is that, the supporting characters are given the time to show their characters and their story. But what turned me off was, After resolving their problem, They were left alone and never seen throughout the anime ever again until the Last Episode?! & throughout the Arc where Misuzu and her Guardian is involved, We Don't Even See a Shadow of Those Characters?! I find that disturbing, because, if Characters are Made & Created, they Should not be Left Alone or Idle throughout the Rest of the Anime, & should have a part getting involved or something.
The Other Flaw was the Character Design. All the Character's Faces were Distinctively Alike, the only difference between the characters' faces is the difference of the guy's and girl's face. But as this anime involves a lot of girls, All the Girl's Faces were Cute, EVEN THE ADULTS?! I Mean, It's all right if the Students had those Cute Faces, but Even the Guardian & the Doctor have Those Kind of Faces??? Though it might be a big flaw to some people, i didn't think it was too big of a deal, just something worth mentioning, so i still think the animation should remain a 10.
Now I shall go to the Flaws of the Story. The Story which seemed so Happy & Joyful at First, Proves to be Very Sad & Melancholic deep inside. At First, the Big, Blue Sky Seems So Pretty & Wonderful. Throughout the Anime, The Big, Blue Sky turns into a Boring, Place which Stretches Forever, & the Blue only Reminds you of Sadness & Loneliness, which is not a good thing anymore. =( Very Depressing, i must say. Speaking of Depressing, It Was EXTREMELY Sad To Lose So Many Characters Who Played Such Big Parts? I'm trying to not spread any spoilers. But It's Seriously Sad that All the Characters that play the Big Parts had to Disappear or Suffer So Much before this anime even ended. Even in the History, The Main Character of the History was in Such a Sad Situation...
I don't know whether this anime is trying to make us emotional by showing us how depressing it is, or showing us how depressing Reality & Life is through this anime?! What I'm Saying, When the Sad Things Happen, The Things that You NEVER WANTED to Happen.... They Happen Anyway, & It's Extremely Sad, in a bad way. I HATED How the Storyline was SoOoO Sad & Melancholic, Why Couldn't we See a Happy Ending? Why??? WHY??? Why Did the Creators even Make this Anime if It was SoOoO DepREssSing? I'm Gonna Feel extremely down for the next week... =(
That was the Major Flaw in my eyes, Probably because I Can't Accept that Kind of Storyline Whole-Heartedly... The Last Flaw i can think of is that, The Anime was Emotional, I was Sad, I was Touched, But then, i guess, it wasn't Elaborated enough? I've watched a number of Emotional Animes, & What made me cry was seeing the Heartwarming Memories or Flashbacks that were Emotional or Important & Special Throughout the series. AIR TV didn't elaborate too much on that. If it had Shown MORE Memories & Flashbacks, I Probably would Start Crying, & Would CRY a LOT!!! Well, That's one reason why, This Anime had potential, but couldn't reach as far as it could. Even though it's good and satisfying, I've been touched, But it hadn't Excelled enough to Make Me Cry like those Animes that I've given 10s to...
With all that said, AIR TV has Quite a Number of Flaws, & It's Utterly Depressing & Melancholic, But then, It isn't all too Bad, It had a Good Storyline, It has Great Sounds & Wonderful Animation, It Deserves a 9, for being able to Reach this Far to touching me. But if AIR TV had Gone Farther, & Improved the Flaws I Mentioned, There is Definitely NO DOUBT, that AIR TV Would be ONE OF THE GREATEST ANIMES OUT THERE!!! But for now, this Anime deserves a Place from the Top 15 - Top 30, in my opinion.
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coins |
2006-09-20 17:59:03 |
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| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This review as all reviews are is my very personal opinion. With that I will say that for me AIR is a masterpiece in visual storytelling. It is also an anime that everytime I watch it...still is able to stir up emotions...even when I know what's going to happen. One of the saddest/happiest/beautiful series I have ever seen. An extremely emotional ride that never seems to dull.
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|
Saya77 |
(2006-09-12 08:39:56) 2006-09-12 08:39:33 |
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| Average |
4.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
4 |
| Value |
3 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
| Without a doubt, this anime did not live up to its' potential and drowned itself in its' many subplots and underlying themes. It tried to be so complex and deep that it completely lost itself and answered few of the questions viewers developed over the course of watching the anime.
The animation is good; the animation is detailed and colorful: the paradigm for which are the water scenes, especially the ocean scenes. However, the characters all seemed fairly similar, especially the girls, who all had the same face and similar builds; the only thing to differentiate between them is their hair color and length. Also, the "crying" animation in this anime is terrible; it's as if the Amazon river is coming out of their eyes: it ruins every crying scene for me.
The soundtrack was great; the wistful and hauntingly beautiful opening and ending songs were terrific and really represented the "wish for the happiness of the sky" very well. The only voice actor who I did not enjoy was Tohno's, who spoke so slowly and unemotionally that even though I liked her character I found it hard to truly care for the character.
Air TV attempts to be a deeply moving angelic tragedy with an ultimately happy ending. However, with the many arcs and subplots, the main story (Yukito searching for the girl with wings to give her happiness) is completely lost by around episode 7, and then is seemingly discarded in favor of another "mom and daughter" arc to finish off the story. In fact, Yukito, the main character for more than 90% of the series, is actually pretty much elminated from the story later in the series!
How someone decided that a 13 epsiode anime should be seperated into "arcs" I will never know. Well, 12 episodes, the last was merely a recap episode.
The story in AIR is nothing more than a series of "mom and daughter" subplots; Tohno, Misuzu, and Kano each have problems with their mother figures that Yukito helps to resolve. The ending also degenerates into this theme, though in the last 3 minutes or so the writers attempt to recover their forgotten plot and add in a monologue by Yukito in a failed attempt to help to resolve the story.
Truly, at the end of this series, we have no idea why we have sat and watched the series; there is no real resolution, the whole "girl with wings" seems to be merely a metaphor for death and the magical powers exhibited in the series have no impact on the plot whatsoever. The whole concept of magical powers in this series seems contrived and pointless; magic in this anime is merely a way to cover up plot holes.
The characters are fairly stereotypical; the wanderer on a mission, the innocent girl with powers, the cheery girl with inner-problems, etc. Due to the fact that the series is broken up into arcs, no character except Yukito and Misuzu are given very much screentime, and thus very little development beyond a bit of emotional trauma. The characters are given plenty of background; but this is mainly because without that background their "mother-daughter" storyline would lack emotion or context. "Magic" is contrived as the factor which is emphasized in these arcs; the relationships are "magically" fixed (pretty much literally).
Even Yukito, the main character, is left without much development beyond his care for Misuzu; I still don't understand why he dissapeared from the series (oh wait, I don't have to question why in this anime: it's magic!)
Make no mistake, despite these vast flaws the characters are interesting and the stories are tragic enough to make you care for the characters despite their flaws; indeed it is only this trait that prevents me from giving the overall character score lower than it already is.
I would not reccomend this anime to anyone; there is really no main plot to be found and no purpose to watching this anime besides seeing a few Soap Opera family drama and tragedy. I won't be rewatching this anime; I had high hopes after the first few episodes but was extremely dissapointed in the end.
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AxioM |
2006-08-03 03:14:58 |
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| Average |
4.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
2 |
| Character |
2 |
| Value |
2 |
| Enjoyment |
1 |
| (NOTE TO READER: If you happen to read this review, whether in-full, or just a skim, please rate the review. I will appreciate the feedback, negative or positive, and will return the gesture if you have made your own review.)
AIR is a sad story. It`s a tragedy really, I mean this not in the sense of the story and events of the anime itself, but quite literally.
To be fair, AIR is a show that had great potential, but this story is more full of holes than a brick of swiss cheese, characters that are beyond lackluster, and leaves the viewer with a total lack of understanding almost the entire time. Based on the great reviews I`d seen for the show on various sites, I`d expected much more.
Animation:
The art style is a bit unusual, but the majority of the characters look anorexic. Some are so skinny and lanky that you find yourself wondering how the weight of their bodies could be supported by their stick legs. The art here is inconsistant: The characters have hyper-detailed eyes with polish, full of life and color, but their faces are completely bland. I will give it credit for a fairly unique style.
The Animation itself is quite good, coming out in `sunset` situations, where the lighting becomes more gold because of the sun going down. Also noteworthy, is the animation in situations where water is involved, like character walking/playing in it, or even in a rainstorm.
Sound:
Thank whatever diety is out there that the Opening was so good, or I might not have been able to find it in myself to watch the next episode I`d just started. Tori no Uta by Lia was probably the best part of AIR. No, seriously, it`s animated so well, and gives you a sense that the characters are truly important, and that the events going on are really going to be epic and moving. Unfortunately, this isn`t the case.
The ending theme, also by Lia, is an uplifting melody showing a winged being flying in the sky. This is quite contrary to the actual theme of the show, which is sorrow and misery, so I suppose that`s a nice change of pace.
The one redeeming voice in this cast, that matched their character perfectly, was Aya Hisakawa`s character, Haruko.
Story:
What, the, hell, happened in this show?
Instead of AIR, the title should be "Let`s see how many short stories we can cram together to confuse everyone as much as we possibly can."
I suppose the gist of the show, is that an innocent girl born with the wings of an angel, is to live a life of misery and solitude, to bear the sins of her cursed ancestors. This prohibits the winged girl from making any friends, because anyone who becomes close to this person will lose their memory, or they could even die.
The formula for a successful melodramatic tragedy was tainted by some really bad foreign elements, that instead made the recipe for disaster. In the end, we have some really half-hearted, incomplete stories of girls with mom-drama.
AIR tells less of a complete story, and more of a really spotty tale of a bunch of different characters. In most cases, after the story shifts, you should pretty much plan on forgetting about anyone you were introduced to before.
Finally, by the final few episodes, AIR takes a stand, and decides it wants to be about Haruko making an honest effort to connect to her daughter, Misuzu. These last couple episodes actually maintain quite a charm, and have a slightly moving effect in some portions, but it`s too little, too late.
Character
I`d like to say that AIR is about Misuzu Kamio, and Yukito Kunisaki, who appear to be the main characters at the beginning, but forget about trying to figure out a favorite character, or even establishing a connection with one at all.
Misuzu is less innocent, and more ignorant. Truly, it would have been nice if one of the other more colorful characters (if you can even say that much) had been the focus of the show. Yukito is someone I wanted to like, but AIR didn`t let me. He was bland, boring, and flakey. He controlled a puppet to entertain for money, and we start to catch a glimpse of his true feelings (which he changes his resolve on in the blink of an eye) and then, poof, he`s no longer important whatsoever.
Around episode 8, we finally get a bit of backstory, and a break from the bleak, pathetically advancing `story` in this show. Unfortunately, there`s no real complete explanation of what went on in these episodes either, and I find myself not giving a damn about any of these characters either.
Haruko Kamio is the sole reason I didn`t give this show a `1`. She is actually a very believable character, who allows her true feelings of love for her daughter to surface, after surpressing them for so long. When things finally climax, it`s actually touching, and her character is the only reason it was able to be so.
Value:
Rewatching AIR would only be an option to see if perhaps I missed something, but even then, at this point, I don`t really care anymore.
I truly don`t recommend it to anyone, I can`t put it anymore simplistic. The [Koi] Version I watched has good explanations for things that occur in the episodes, and could serve as a good reference guide for any questions a viewer might have.
Enjoyment:
Disappointment is a sore understatement. I was constantly irritated by finding myself trying to care about a scenario that was occuring, only to be confused by a lack of development in the story or characters, and alot of unanswered questions. What in the world happened to over half of the cast?
Aside from the horrendous development, the dialogue (even for an anime) is overly cheesy, and laughably bad at times. AIR shouldn`t have taken itself so seriously. If you want to enjoy AIR, try watching episodes 11, 12, and 13, and forget about the rest.
It might be salvagable to pretend this is a mini-series Mother/Daughter drama. Also pretend that Misuzu is simply an Alzheimer`s patient with mood swings, and that the supernatural undertones in the story don`t exist, and you might end the show without being too confused.
A true waste of potential, AIR left me feeling apathetic, and even spiteful, for having believed it might be worth it to finish this overhyped mess.
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Budding |
(2006-07-24 07:44:20) 2006-07-24 07:38:19 |
|
| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Air is a 13 episode long anime which has the impression of being something much longer and complex.
The animation in Air is so well drawn, detailed and animated that it has a dream like quality to it. Combined with the wonderfully attractive music, this anime is a brilliant piece to watch. In terms of animation quality, this has to be the best non computer generated anime currently in existance. KyoAni has done a masterful job once again.
The music in the anime enhances the quality of the anime greatly. The theme songs and background music makes one feel as if they are going through an enchanted dream. The voice overs also do a fabulous job, making usually boring characters sound amusing, and cute characters sound absolutely adorable.
The storyline starts off very promisingly. The first few episodes are funny, entertaining and presents the viewer with plenty of fascinating questions. However, as the anime progresses, the questions already presented are rarely answered, while new questions continue to pile up, spoiling the quality of the storyline. The occasional humour also vanishes, replaced by non stop drama and sadness (not necessarily a bad thing, but does take a way a bit of variation from the anime). There also seems to be an unecessary and uninteresting number of sub plots, which does nothing than to confuse and disappoint the viewer.
The viewer is represented with several extremely interesting characters at the start. However, some of these characters only appear for 2 to 3 episodes before their uninteresting subplot concludes and they vanish from the anime altogether. What makes this worse is that the interesting male lead character also vanishes (transforms into a mute unimportant being in the background) from the anime half way through, leaving a character void which was never filled and a dozen questions which were never answered.
Nevertheless, the few characters who remain are still interesting, and the wonderful voice overs make them much more fun, and cuter, to watch.
In my opinion, the artistic quality of this anime alone is reason enough for Air to be a must watch anime. My overall enjoyment of Air was let down quite a lot by the confusing storyline and the sudden disappearance of the male lead. Still, the first few episodes are definitely worth rewatching, if you become as captivated by the marvelous animation and music like I was.
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