Anime Review: Air
- Thread starter JoshV
- Start date
I'd only seen the first 2 episodes before, and liked it, but unfortunately was too lazy to watch the rest (Too many games and whatnot). Will watch it to the end now.
I guess I do have a rare mental condition. I enjoyed this series to a degree but a lot of it just came off as terribly boring. Although I did like the fact that it didn't overdo it's stay and drag on the plot for several seasons. And it actually had a decent story.
It just couldn't hold my interest enough to go back and watch it again.
It just couldn't hold my interest enough to go back and watch it again.
I watched this some time ago, actually. My friend, Jessie, who advised it to me, said, and I quote, "Just watch the first three episodes. It's a great show, but it gets really depressing." I ignored this advice, and watched everything. It gets really depressing, but ends implying something more (not a sequel, just something more), so I was okay with it. Kind of like the ending to ICO, depressing, unless you watch the true ending (after the credits), and suddenly it's not so depressing anymore.
I've been wanting to play the original game for a while. It doesn't look like it has an English translation, though. ...you know, I'll take you up on your offer, good sir. I need to seek this anime out. I've had good experiences with Key works before, and you've certainly convinced me regarding this one.
Besides, your first paragraph really struck me!
I remember expressing that same sentiment myself about something, <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.135672>not long ago. I'm glad I'm not just paranoid!
I keep hearing wonderful things about the anime adaptations of Key's big three games (Kanon, Clannad, and Air). <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.163769>Kanon was an excellent game, and I've heard it made a wonderful anime, as well (the second time, at least).
Besides, your first paragraph really struck me!
"As a reviewer, in my own (admittedly limited) experience, I've found that the hardest reviews to write aren't about the series that I hated, or the series I was indifferent towards, but the series that I really liked. And not because I'm short on words, or can't work in humor in a way that I like, but because, really, it's hard to write a positive review that doesn't end up reading like a badly-disguised advertisement. Of course, to a degree I suppose that's what a positive review is; it encourages people to go out and get something. Even so, I've always had this nagging instinct to restrain myself from being too enthusiastic, lest I start to sound like a bad salesman. But you know what, in this case? Screw it. Air is great, and you should watch it."
I remember expressing that same sentiment myself about something, <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.135672>not long ago. I'm glad I'm not just paranoid!
I'm kind of surprised as well, though probably for a different reason! I keep getting the impression that the original games are usually better, especially with the ones I have experience with; of TYPE-MOON's works, Tsukihime's anime adaptation was <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.142352>not very good and Fate/Stay Night's was only middling.tthor said:
I keep hearing wonderful things about the anime adaptations of Key's big three games (Kanon, Clannad, and Air). <url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.163769>Kanon was an excellent game, and I've heard it made a wonderful anime, as well (the second time, at least).
I feel that there should have been a warning in the recommendations as to how depressing the ending is.
More emotional (not me) anime watchers could be put off by it.
In general people looking for action (not just head exploding levels) could be put off, but it is an anime fans should definitely check out at the least.
More emotional (not me) anime watchers could be put off by it.
In general people looking for action (not just head exploding levels) could be put off, but it is an anime fans should definitely check out at the least.
I enjoyed Air, but it paled in comparison to Clannad and Clannad After Story, especially since I watched them first. I would seriously reccommend Clannad to anyone, go watch it. Right now. It will make you laugh and make you cry like a baby, no matter how emotionless or strong willed you think you are.
And don't wait around for it to be dubbed ( http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2010-03-15/sentai-filmworks-announces-clannad-english-dub ), it sounds so much better in Japanese with subtitles, there's no way english voice actors can pull off something like this. I'd reccommend getting it from bakabt.com, the fansubs look better and read better than the DVD subs.
And don't wait around for it to be dubbed ( http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2010-03-15/sentai-filmworks-announces-clannad-english-dub ), it sounds so much better in Japanese with subtitles, there's no way english voice actors can pull off something like this. I'd reccommend getting it from bakabt.com, the fansubs look better and read better than the DVD subs.
I'm sorry. I'm just not going to put this out there as one of my favorites. Air had all the elements of a compelling story, but I'm going to go on record in saying that I don't think it was well executed. You had two sets of stories that were completely irrelevant to the overall storyline. I understand this was adapted from a Visual Novel. But I feel like the other girls were placed in the series as a means to torture Yukito.
When it comes to the main plot, Minagi and Michuru were pointless; and so was Kano. They seemed to me more like filler stores moreso than anything else. It's like they were trying to make the series last 13 episodes, so they included them.
I would have preferred that the series constrain itself to telling more about Yukito and his mother, as well as Misuzu and Haruko; and then fleshing out Lady Kanna's story instead of including it in an OVA.They really didn't do a good job of fleshing out the Winged people's part in all this. I honestly feel like I wanted to spend the entire series in the past and follow winged people and then include Yukito and Misuzu in the OVA as an ending.
Questions that I feel really deserved answers were:
* Who cursed Lady Kanna?
* Why did they curse Lady Kanna?
* Why is her mother defiled for doing the will of her captors. It seems to me that you don't curse the gun --you curse its wielder.
* Why would they store all the magic in the doll just to turn Yukito into a bird, which consequently sent him back in time. Why not just send Yukito back in time in order to stop the curse from happening in the first place?
For me, this one just has way too many holes in the story. I liked the characters, except for Hakura. I found her to be completely unbelievable as she was written. I might accept it more readily if she had known about the curse and maintained her distance in order to keep Misuzu alive, but that isn't how they explained it. And I didn't really care for the insinuation that she might have cultivated a relationship in the future with Misuzu's father who was at best a deadbeat dad.
There was nothing uplifting about the ending. The two children on the sand at the end needed more than a single line of dialog if they were meant to be some kind of exposition. Like I said, this has all the elements of a great story, but it just didn't make it in my book. I can't really agree with everyone else.
When it comes to the main plot, Minagi and Michuru were pointless; and so was Kano. They seemed to me more like filler stores moreso than anything else. It's like they were trying to make the series last 13 episodes, so they included them.
I would have preferred that the series constrain itself to telling more about Yukito and his mother, as well as Misuzu and Haruko; and then fleshing out Lady Kanna's story instead of including it in an OVA.They really didn't do a good job of fleshing out the Winged people's part in all this. I honestly feel like I wanted to spend the entire series in the past and follow winged people and then include Yukito and Misuzu in the OVA as an ending.
Questions that I feel really deserved answers were:
* Who cursed Lady Kanna?
* Why did they curse Lady Kanna?
* Why is her mother defiled for doing the will of her captors. It seems to me that you don't curse the gun --you curse its wielder.
* Why would they store all the magic in the doll just to turn Yukito into a bird, which consequently sent him back in time. Why not just send Yukito back in time in order to stop the curse from happening in the first place?
For me, this one just has way too many holes in the story. I liked the characters, except for Hakura. I found her to be completely unbelievable as she was written. I might accept it more readily if she had known about the curse and maintained her distance in order to keep Misuzu alive, but that isn't how they explained it. And I didn't really care for the insinuation that she might have cultivated a relationship in the future with Misuzu's father who was at best a deadbeat dad.
There was nothing uplifting about the ending. The two children on the sand at the end needed more than a single line of dialog if they were meant to be some kind of exposition. Like I said, this has all the elements of a great story, but it just didn't make it in my book. I can't really agree with everyone else.
I read this review about a year ago but never really got around to watching Air until now and now that I just finished it I have to say I regret waiting so long. In just three short nights this has become one of my favorite animes that I have ever seen and probably will ever see. For me this is right next to Gurran Lagann and Cowboy Bebop and thats really saying something. This anime was great and I just wanted to say thanks to both the escapist and especially Josh Viel for posting this review because without it I probably would have unknowingly let this wonderful show pass me by.
It was a fair few while since I last saw Air (after the Haruhi craze, if memory serves correct) and my memory on the story was hazy, but I remember having a bad taste in my mouth afterwards. It was like eating a delicious looking sandwich which then gave you a stomach ache. As I racked my memory as to see what I was missing (or hating) of Air, I came across this quote which had a few of my questions after viewing.
'Course, it's been 8 months since this (review) was posted, and I don't expect an answer, but the story seemed to be too complex for its own good. Clannad, or even Kanon was better in that aspect.William Watson said:
