Ahh, I just heard the song "natsukage" from the OST on Youtube, now I feel like I have to write about this show.
Gao? What the hell is "gao"? If only I had known if it meant the breaking of a painful cycle of sorrow that has lasted for 1000 summers too many it would have been so different...
Before 2006, I hadn't really watched much anime besides the random ones that would show on Cartoon network. So I came across fansubs and Haruhi, and that sparked some interest in other anime. And so I came across this little gem. Could you really have a working show without the gratuitous violence and fanservice that seems mandatory these days? Air shows that you can, and that made it really stand out. And it still does.
Air does everything in its power to draw you into a world of epic fantasy. The first episode starts out quite mudane with an interesting tidbit at the start to suggest that Yukito has been sent on some mission. But it doesn't take us long to realize what's going on. The shots of Misuzu standing on the edge with the instrumental of the theme song at the end of the first episode were unforgettable. Air manages to create a certain atmosphere that the later Key adaptations weren't able to create and thus Air was about to grab ahold of my attention much more easily. Of course, Clannad and Kanon are great in their own ways, but this is just something specific to Air and not easy to duplicate.
That being said, the storyline itself for the 1st half or so was rather garbled and aimless. Kano and Minagi are nice characters, but unfortunately aren't very interesting. Their stories have a mild heartwarming feeling at their conclusions, but ultimately aren't really that memorable. The relevance of their stories to the main plot is vague and doesn't connect very well, making me wonder what the point of all of that was about. The point of the arc in the past was to provide backstory behind winged being, Kanna, but I didn't really feel that fit into the story very well either. It's kinda just jammed in there; maybe if the scenes were more spread out it'd create some sense of revealing plot points. It's certainly entertaining in and of itself though.
The characterization is focused almost entirely on Yukito, Misuzu, and Haruko, and thus all my concerns were really towards them and not much towards anyone else. This seems to be something rather common in Kyoani's Key adaptations, creating a kind of "bubble world" where nobody else seems to exist. Part of it is necessary due to the fact that Air is based on a multiple path Visual Novel, and the other being Kyoani being very obsessed with staying true with the source material. It's a pretty double edged sword at time, but at least we get to know about Yukito's Misuzu's and Haruko's thoughts and feelings extremely well.
Yukito is definitely a very interesting protagonist-- Key tends to have rather strong male leads as opposed to your average anime one. He is incredibly apathetic at first and the first thing on his mind is food. But as the story progresses, he goes from just doing things because it's a chore to dedicating his life to helping Misuzu. Heck, how many protagonists you know sacrifice themselves 2/3d's of the way in as he takes a ridiculously huge risk to get Misuzu happiness.
And now, let's note here. He cannot save Misuzu's life. He did this to make her life a little longer so she can find peace with her mom and maybe be happy. None of this is certain which makes his sacrifice so much more saddening. He literally gave it all banking on that little bit of hope.
Misuzu is quite likable; she somehow manages to smile after all the terrible things she's been through. Literally carrying a thousand's years worth of pain on her, she gives all of her effort just to find a little bit of happiness. Her mother, Haruko, had already given up on her, but eventually Haruko comes back and is able to face reality due to Misuzu's determination.
So in the end, Air is about a struggle for happiness in the face of impossible odds. Perhaps it is foolish to simply wait on a miracle, but maybe taking action might make that miracle come true. We must certainly have a deux ex machina here, due to our characters' willpower, right? Everything will be ok in the end.
No, such is life. Some things can't be avoided. The last episodes of Air don't pull any punches. It's very hard to watch as you realize that our leads are gone and aren't coming back. The "gao" scene at the end is priceless but I don't have to explain this to anyone's that's watched the show. But Misuzu's soul has been freed; so this was not all for nothing. Thus, making the ending bittersweet as hell.
Of course, the visual and audio strengths of ths anime are pretty obvious, with the beautiful scenery and backgrounds. The song "Tori no Uta" goes without saying. The voice acting is mostly passable, though they do very well for the important scenes.
Overall Rating: 7/10 The anime is dragged down by overly complicated storytelling and confusing direction, but the emotions generated are extremely powerful and unforgettable-- I'd say one of a kind. It's the most emotional of all the Kyoani/Key works, and that is something to be proud of.
Artist
What Raven thinks of Air. :3
