"Air" (2005) TV series

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

6 January 2005 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Plot:

Yukito Kunisaki is on a journey, seeking a girl with wings who flies in the sky, as mentioned in a childhood tale...

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | Wings | Ren'ai | Japan | Anime

Cast

Monica Rial	...	Misuzu Kamio (13 episodes, 2005)
Daisuke Ono	...	Yukito Kunisaki / ... (12 episodes, 2005)
Tomoko Kawakami	...	Misuzu Kamio (12 episodes, 2005)
Luci Christian	...	Haruko Kamio (12 episodes, 2005)
Aya Hisakawa	...	Haruko Kamio (9 episodes, 2005)
Hiromi Konno	...	Potato / ... (9 episodes, 2005)
Ryôka Yuzuki	...	Minagi Tohno (8 episodes, 2005)
Vic Mignogna	...	Yukito Kunisaki (8 episodes, 2005)
Yumi Tôma	...	Hijiri Kirishima (7 episodes, 2005)
Yukari Tamura	...	Michiru (7 episodes, 2005)
Serena Varghese	...	Michiru (7 episodes, 2005)
Asami Okamoto	...	Kano Kirishima (6 episodes, 2005)
Kaori Tanaka	...	Boy / ... (6 episodes, 2005)
Stephanie Wittels	...	Kano Kirishima (6 episodes, 2005)

Runtime:

24 min (13 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:TV-14 (DVD) | South Korea:15

Company:

ADV Films

Trivia:

AIR TV was made after an adult game of the same name. However, there is also an all ages version released for PC, Dreamcast (DC), and PS2.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Misuzu Kamio: Gao.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Air (2005)

Bring a Hanky

At times, Air felt dangerously close to "emotional pornography," but I think I'm OK with that because it rarely was cloying or saccharine. Even the basic concept of the story itself seems designed to choke you up. While some series ply you with ultra-violence, giant robots, unrequited love, or fan service, Air's stock in trade is a weepy assault of inevitable sadness on its unsuspecting victim-viewers.

That said, when inevitability strikes, it's about as sad as they come. The series is too short to cause you to be completely invested in the characters the "natural" way (although it's thankfully lacking in the kind of filler episodes you normally see in a run of 24), but the characters are well-written, likable, and three-dimensional enough to make up for it.

What I liked the most about the story was how open it was to interpretation. Depending on who you are, what your view on the supernatural elements might be (don't want to give too much away here), that will determine what the story actually means to you. But the central themes, largely about the nature of families, will resonate no matter what your opinion of the plot.

Technically, the show is top notch, no complaints. The art style is endearing, though you may find it overly "cute" at first, and the animation is smooth. The colors and style make Air dreamlike at times, which is appropriate. I've watched it dubbed and subtitled, and this may be heresy to say but I find ADV's dub to be very well done. Air is very nice to look at, and having to keep reading subtitles was distracting to me. Plus, this is all about character and there's something far easier about relating to characters speaking your language.

If you're ready to get a little choked up, this might be a good choice for you. There is no action, no real romantic love story, and little in the way of comic relief after the first few episodes. But there's plenty of good character-driven, emotionally striking story.