Ugh.. Air..
Alright two things first :
1) Air TV could and SHOULD have been a 26+ episode series.
2) Air, had it not suffered from a goddamn awful execution, could have been a nice series maybe even close to the level of Ano Hana : The Flower We Saw That Day.
So, is this worth your time ? Is it enjoyable ?
..Meh..maybe ?
...
Air TV is a eroge/romance visual novel developed by Key. Responsible for the anime series adaption is studio Kyoto animation.
After having dropped the anime series 4 times throughout the years and driven by how enchanted I am by the music (specifically the opening song) and the whole atmosphere that surrounds the series I decided to stick with it.
Story ---> 6 ( Promising )
Okay. Guys.
Who the f knows what this show is about ?
What is the plot, really ?
Is it the romance between Yukito and Misuzu ?
Is it the problems of the surrounding cast and how Yukito helps them out ?
Is it the story of Kanna, a priestess-like winged girl and Ryura, the samurai guard ?
Is it the curse that is placed upon Kanna that causes her to suffer throughout reincarnations ?
Is it Misuzu's relationship with her mother ?
No really, what is Air about ?
A looot of plot elements were introduced and never developed, a bunch of subplots were never explained. I guess the synopsis though would be something like this :
Yukito Kunisaki is a handsome young traveler (had to add handsome cause everyone in this show fits the bishoujo/bishounen archetype which makes them gorgeous) who goes around in towns and throwing puppet shows trying to make money of that.(he fails) He has one goal in mind : to find the winged girl that is in the sky. He meets and befriends Misuzu Kamio, a naive absent minded and quite adorable girl, that soon reveals to him that she has been having weird dreams that feature a winged girl that is in the sky. Misuzu calls this girl '' the other me '' and is greatly affected by whatever is happening to her.
Do you sense supernatural ? Oooh yeaah~
The premise is interesting and when it's given proper attention it becomes even more interesting. Winged beings that carry the dream of the world, dreams that harm the dreamer, romantic elements and magic.
But its exactly in developing all those subplots that Air fails.
It just decides that it wants to achieve a little too much. It wants to develop all themes and ends up fully developing none. The show's ending doesn't answer anything BUT BUT it manages to make you cry. (if you re willing to forget the rest)
Characters ---> 5
Not a fan of moe, not a fan of series with tons of girls (dont wanna say harem cause Air is technically not a harem yay) , not a fan of cliche stereotypical characters.
But~
I did find Yukito more interesting than a typical harem lead and I think that's because I clicked with his whole '' travelling performer that fails at being entertaining '' thing. He does however try to fix everyone's problems and wow he succeeds.
Misuzu is cute, childish , naive and retarded, like what you'd expect from a moe character. She deals with psychological burden and is sort of a dramatic character. The thing that I did enjoy is how everyone treats her. Nobody is shown close to her, (apart from her mother who thinks her behavior is problematic) no one thinks her moe attitude is charming. She is truly alone and lonely and the series ,I think, succeeds in getting that across.
I also have to admit that I liked the dynamic between the two characters.
Everyone else was either boring or brought nothing new to the table.
I firmly believe that if Kano and her sister did not exist no one would have cared. They did not add anything to the overall feeling of the series.
Minagi and Michiru are not great characters but I did enjoy their backstory. I feel it was rushed though and should have developed in more episodes.
Haruko is okay, not a bad character and I think the part that focuses on the relationship between Misuzu and her is probably the one that shines most from the whole story. It should have definitely been longer, or been introduced earlier in the series. It does make you emotional but it also manages to make you confused as to why this relationship between the two was not introduced earlier on. It seems important enough.
Art -->7
What can I say, I liked the art. At times it was gorgeous and other times simplistic af. Yes, the huge eyes become hard to take seriously at times. It did however fit in the series' setting and atmosphere. Very few complains about that part of the show. I realize some people may find the art not very appealing and I understand it I guess.
Sound --> 9
I cant even begin to explain how much I love this show's opening theme. It has become an all time favorite. The soundtrack over all is great, compliments the show well.
Overall
I appreciate how the show did not end up being a harem show, even though the harem elements are evident, Yukito shows clear preference for Misuzu and quite early on I might add. I also think the last few episodes that focus on Misuzu and Haruko were nicely done and they should have been more of a main focus of the series. Air TV seems to be able to do drama/tragedy right only if it decides that that's what it wants to do. Soundtrack is a huge plus to this series overall enjoyment. The plot elements that Air introduces are not bad , in fact they re quite decent and if developed correctly would have made a beautiful series that fans of the genre would come to appreciate.
However,
Bad pacing, plot holes, unnecessary characters, not enough screen time, unexpected plot changes derive a lot from this show's enjoyment. I definitely understand people that give Air a lower score than 6 cause quite honestly, the flaws that it has are not easy to forget or forgive.
I must say though that I do not hate this show, in fact I liked some aspects of it such as the setting, the atmosphere and the melancholic/nostalgic/tragic feeling that surrounds it. I could say this is a guilty pleasure of mine. I might even rewatch it in the future , who knows.
So, is Air TV worth your time?
Yes -> if you like moe, romance, drama, supernatural elements in your romance, simple characters and an overall soothing feeling in your series.
No -> if you hate any of the above + unexpected plot twists, unexplained stories + endings and if poor execution annoys the hell out of you.
(Im new at reviews! Please do contact me if you wanna discuss the series or give some kind of feedback! )
All (2)FriendsRSS Feeds |
Oct 19, 2016
Ugh.. Air..
Alright two things first : 1) Air TV could and SHOULD have been a 26+ episode series. 2) Air, had it not suffered from a goddamn awful execution, could have been a nice series maybe even close to the level of Ano Hana : The Flower We Saw That Day. So, is this worth your time ? Is it enjoyable ? ..Meh..maybe ? ... 
Oct 14, 2016
Aight , so , have you guys seen this movie called '' Blue is the warmest colour '' ?
No? Sweet. Well to put it simply, Aoi Hana is what this movie wishes it could have become. My feelings about this one are fairly positive and since it's closest I ve ever come to a yuri series, I gotta say the genre left a good impression on me. For some people it might deserve an 8 and I can kind of understand why. Aoi Hana deals with romance and sexuality in a very mature way. ... |
