Well I won't agree with that note. For me it was good at the beginning, but... Later it was crap. There was no real
end. The movie did not make anything more clear.
I would rate it 7/10. (and yes I know this anime was made from a H-game).
Air tv Review
When he was young, Yukito Kunisaki's mother told him of a winged girl in the sky. Yukito's family has been searching for this girl for generations. Finally, Yukito's journey takes him to a small seaside town where he meets Misuzu Kamio, a girl who is eager to make friends with Yukito. Yukito ends up staying with Misuzu and her mother, Haruka, while he searches for the girl in the sky. In the town, however, there are strange occurences, and as the days pass by, Misuzu starts to have strange dreams.
What is the truth behind Misuzu's dreams and her failing health? And how is everything connected to Yukito and his journey?
The manga adapted from the game is illustrated by Yukimaru Katsura.
Story & Characters
Air is a really gentle anime full of love, a thousand year old legends, drama, and the strength to face up to death no matter what. The story, to me, sounded very simple and romantic at first, but then i realized just how important it was and the whole structure of the anime was based on the story. It was unlike any other anime i have ever seen which get a bit carried away with the development of each character, whereas in Air, it is the total opposite.
The only "bad" thing i can say is that Air doesn't have enough time for the characters to develop proper relationships and to connect to each other. Otherwise, Air is probably one of the best animes i have ever seen as well as Kanon. I especially liked the 'Summer Arc' where it shows how the story came to be. The ending was a really sad but ironically appropriate (i watched on the computer but the disc wouldn't work -_-) so sad that i nearly cried even though the stupid disc ruined it for me *_* so that i only saw what happened and that was it. I didn't even get to see the two children everyone was talking about! Oh well...
Rating:
Art
I reckon the artwork in Air was the best thing about it! The first thing i noticed were the eyes which gave the characters the soulful look that matched the story perfectly. The art in the scenery gave the anime its beauty and life that other animes lack. I was astounded (literally) to find an anime of such quality artwork that contributed to and emphasised the story so profoundly.
My favourite character is Misuzu (of course ^^) but what led me into liking her was not her personality (that came later) but my first impression of her looking so peaceful and longingly at the beautiful horizon with the wind in her face. The artwork did just that. Another feature of the character/s is their hair, it gives them their personality and makes them lively. Watching it again, it skill of the artworks still amazes me.
Rating:
Sound
The music in this anime is simply unforgettable. So much that i now have them on my MP3 ^^. The opening song, which is Tori no Uta or Song of the Bird, is a very emotional song that provides the appropriate themes feelings to the listener. The lyrics also gave slight hints at the story and of what was to come.
I really loved the background music, especially Natsukage or Summer Lights, (yes, yes it is also the part where we first see Misuzu) really got to me. It really was played at the right place and right time and i marvelled at the skill of the producers of the anime.
The voice acting, as expected, suited all the characters extremely well giving us the first impressions of what they are like and how they act. I also liked Minagi's voice, it was so calm and quiet yet perhaps it was the loudest voice of all (woops i'm talking in riddles). Anyway, the voicing was very well done indeed but as always, the girls tend to sound too child-like for their age but i guess that's why people like them in the first place and on the other hand, it makes them sound cuter as well.
Rating:
Presentation
Overall i think the anime is just fantastic and recommend anyone to watch it. The story is very original and very traditional in its own way (i mean, even the legend is original!). I really enjoyed the relationship between the characters especially between Misuzu and Haruko in the end even though it was short but it was still happy.
In this anime, you really get attached to the characters and actually feel for them when they are going through hard times. It is in the Summer Arc where we get to meet Kana and the others that we begin to understand what pain the winged girl in the sky had gone through. But it is also in this arc that there are the most humorous parts. It still makes me laugh even when i think about it. The little accidents with Misuzu also lighten the serious mood and is used very well in Air.
As i said, Air is really a fantastic anime and i think everyone should try watching it.
Rating:
Final Verdict
9.3333 (very good)
Reviewed by syeung321, May 26, 2007
Comments
-
info-0 May 26, 2007
-
jaderabbit May 26, 2007
I think u rated it a little too high as well. I didn't really like it that well, i mean it was good with pretty decent art and the storyline was mehhh =/ i think a 8.0-7.5 wouldve been a better score.
Since its ur reveiw well keep it at 9.33 >.o! Lol
-
TreeFarieAaliyah Jun 01, 2007
I love Air! I definitly agree with you syeung! At first, I hated the way it ended. It left me annoyed that the story had gotten so..."messed up." (I'm not used to sad/happy endings...they annoy me). But then, misa explained a few things to me and everything. And I really loved it after that.
Air is really original and deserves a high rating! The storyline was a little bit confusing though... But like syeung said, the legend was original. The characters were all different and had their own pasts and it was sad. But in the end, it was a happy ending...and sad too...
Overall, Air teaches peopel how to say goodbye. There's a lot of goodbyes in them and the characters learned how to smile and be happy when they said goodbye. I love everything about Air. Yeah...the ending was annoying and I got mad because of what happened...I also got confused with the bird part...but I really love Air and totally agree with your rating! ^^
-
eonir Jun 28, 2007
Yup, Air is one of the best series I saw. Of course there are lots of people that think it's boring, or even freakin' boring - like some of my friends. But I'll stay an egoist and savour this wonderful series without these laymen! XD
-
iluvprimula Jul 19, 2007
Air TV's way of the story telling has it flaws. It is too compressed that Kano's story doesn't make a real sense to me at first glance(though I did after I viewed it a 4th in my PC). Some people said that they didn't really like Air TV because they can't follow the story line, while some that like it knew the original story in the game, which is of course a lot more complex and revealing than the anime. I for one, have never played the game and yet I was able to grasp the story's moral vaguely.
The artwork in the anime is also better than in the game or manga in my opinion. I always liked this style of drawing, and with the original japanese voice actors, the scenes are made looks more alive(I was never a fan of english voice actors in the first place, maybe except for David Hayter, Liam O'Brien and some others). The jokes are also placed well and nicely presented that you can really laugh at it. One more thing I want to note is the usage of the old-japanese speech in the Summer Arc. It was so beautiful I can't express it into words.
Also, all the musics and BGMs are also a master piece. One of the reason why this anime really touched me was the the insert song when Misuzu reached her 'goal', titled 'Aozora'. It so reflects Misuzu's whole sorrowful yet meangingful life with a very pleasant and mellow melody. This one scene, although didn't make me cry, tore my heart to shreds for about a week, the same effect as when I watched Kiminozo's climax scene in the sunset between Haruka and Narumi(I'm very hard to move into tears, dunno why).
My advise to people who haven't watched this yet is to stay away from this anime until you have ability to actually grasp the story's moral. Train yourself by watching less difficult anime yet not as pointless. If you're confident with your feelings, try watching this. You're wasting some incredible feeling if you can't make some sense about it.
-
sakura1986 Sep 01, 2007
I never watched such an anime before. Starting i already feel strange about it ( around episode 2 ). But then i feel sad, and really sad. I watched the whole series alone inside my room during my holiday, yes i did cried alot of times, and very bad at the Misuzu's goal there.
I like drama anime after all like fruit basket or Mahoraba, but AIR is the best anime i ever seen. Just try to watch it inside a room alone, that have nothing disturb, distact or bother you. I believe it will have a very nice effect. xD
-
TheRoadToDeath Jan 04, 2008
AIR deserves a 9,50 ,
-
Alcyndore Nov 26, 2008
I watched AIR movie...It's great. I DON'T think the story is hard to grasp. I think it's simple, predictable, yet touching! Anybody can understand such a sensitive story if only one tries to do so...If you are open minded, watch it! It's not a waste of time. It's a wonderful anime that will become a classic. It also has beautiful graphic so...I totally loved it!
-
SchRita Jan 15, 2010
Thanks for the review!
page 1 of 1 9 total items
Only members can post replies, please register.