Air - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating
 

This thread is to be used for discussing the entire series of Air ... your thoughts about the show, overall impressions, emotional impression, etc., etc…

A few subjects you might want to ramble on about:

• General impression of the series.
• Opinions on the overall story, writing & plot devices.
• Thoughts about the animation quality.
  
  
• How did the anime compare with the game?
• Characters/Character Design
• What the show meant to you.
• What could the creators/animators/writers could have done better.

And so on.

The poll represents your total series rating. In other words, how you would rate all the episodes combined (1-10)? If you'd rather rate the whole series by technical/artistic merits, you can do so. For example:

Animation Quality: 1-10
Voice Actors: 1-10
Script: 1-10
Adaptation from Game: 1-10
Editing: 1-10
Emotional Involvement: 1-10

Average = Total Series Rating

Or a combination of the two. Or your general gut feeling.

well, i didn't ,
i dont know if you guys do?...
many people think air is very very very making people cry

I have to give it a 9, the garbled ending is a definite flaw (except in terms of being a stimualtion for forum traffic!), so it loses a point for that. Best anime of 2005 though. Isn't it a bit late in the day for a poll? Everyone's moved on in their lives now, we've finished grieving for Misuzu and Michiru et al.

I liked it a lot, but I thought it was awfully vague and very slow-paced. And though at times it was cute, there's only so many time a man can hear the word "gao" without going crazy. However, the ending made up for these little things.

Overall, I gave it a 9/10.

I gave Air a 9 due to pacing issues. The animation, music, acting and such were superb, as was the story itself. Where Air fell down though was trying to cram too much detail into too little time. Ironically enough, I don't know that there was enough to fill out a complete two cour series of 24/26 episodes, but I think that the Summer arc could have easily integrated in Air in Summer for a total of four episodes (albeit rewritten), and that the Dream arc required at least another two or three episodes to flow better. I think that the Air arc works well as is, although perhaps another episode wouldn't go too far amiss, but it'd run the risk of dragging it out.

Basically, I'd think the arcs would be better in a breakdown of 8 episodes dream, four episodes Summer, 3/4 episodes Air. Sadly, doing a 16 episode series seems highly unrealistic to me - and doing a further 8 episodes would require badly distorting the material. Yet, the way it was done does feel highly rushed, especially in the Dream arc... and hence my deduction of a point. :)


-Andiyar

Looking at the poll blurb again, I just realised I should have given Air a 1, as it is certainly painful.
(In fact I've heard a number of people compare it to Grave of the Fireflies. And I suppose Misuzu was like a firefly in a way...)

Some editing issues and pacing... but one of the more interesting (and possibly challenging to the average viewer) anime series --- quite a lot of depth for something structured around a 'erogame'.... but then Key is known for pulling their products way above the average.

I have just finished watching this really superb anime. I gave Air 10. Everything from music, animation to story and characters development was great :) But one thing was bad, why Misuzu had to die ? Hmm I was on the edge of tears. Why a superb anime like this, must have a sad end ?
However this anime is my favourite and best anime I have ever seen.

Have a nice day guys :)

Part of the essence of Buddhism is the impermanence of physical things, including people and even memories. Only souls are permament. Misuzu's soul had lived through dozens of short lives since the curse had been laid on her. The entrapment of her soul is a dramatized portrayal of the initial conflict between the arrival of Buddhism to Japan and the local Shinto beliefs. Eventually the two were reconciled, of course, but only Misuzu's two friends (or fellow souls) "remembered" her plight.

This incarnation was an important piece of the story to tell because it concluded with a major step towards (or perhaps a clearing) of her entrapment.

Obviously this is just my interpretation -- there are other variations.

I could say one of the things that *made* it a superb anime is the intensity of the emotions it evokes in most viewers.

Yeah that is right. Very strong emotions :)

Heck, I *still* can't bring myself to watch it again since the subs were out and I bought the darn series and movie.

Only piece of literature to ever make me cry (yes, movies are considered literture, and by that standard so is anime).

I give it a 9. Though the backgrounds were superb... I really hate the style of the faces (I know it's biast, but still), and they really could have made them somewhat more detailed. The other "arcs" could hav been tied in slightly better... and the ancestor thing made me yawn a little. Piko (the dog) was useless. The ending IMO was fine though. But those things knock off a point.

Air is still IMO the most emotion-envoking anime out there. Doubt that I will never be able t not cry no matter how many times I re-watch it (which I'm planning to do soon...).

Perfect 10.

I loved it all the way through and it's the first anime to make me cry :heh:

6/10

Dropped the show after 8 episodes..I didn't understand the story and where the plot or the character development is heading. In a time when I'm really bored, I will maybe re-watch it again and try harder.

Animation Quality: 8
Voice Actors: 8
Script: 5
Adaptation from Game: %
Editing: 5
Emotional Involvement: 2

Omg i love Air. So beautiful anime...sad ending. Only a bit short, i would like Air to go till ep 24 or more. Too bad.
A BIG well deserved 10 :D

If you asked me when I first saw the series, I would've gave the show an A- at the most, but most probably B+ since all that ever really interested me was the flashback to the distant past.

HOWEVER, that is because I didn't quite 'get' the overall story.

Now that I own the DVDs, I rewatched it. I don't know if it's because its my second viewing or is it because ADV did a great job with subs/dubs, but I 'got' it. From the connection with the other two heroines, to the flashback to the past, to the reincarnation to crow, to Misuzu's strength in the end of keeping her pain inside, and even to the signifigance of the two children of the beach, it was like I got a moment of revelation when it all connected in the end. Once it all clicked, all I could do was gape in awe for some time after the last episode... it was that good.

And for the record, considering I haven't seen the show for almost half a decade, I'm more inclined thinking that ADV did a great job with their translations. And I 'got' the story watching the dubs, so its a great undertaking IMO for the English VAs as well.

Animation: A+ (especially when you take into account how old the series is and compare it to other anime of that year)
Story: A+ (EPIC)
Music: A+ (If I'm stil hooked to Natsukage despite hearing it for so long...)
Pacing: A+ (Not a moment wasted, not a moment too soon)

Series Grade: A+ (A definite must watch IMO)


And for the record again, IMO the ending is anything but sad. After all...

Did i mention the opening scene of Air is the most beautiful thing i ever heard :O :D

i know rigth but the ep when Misuzu die made me cry for an hour what about you