Anime Fix

Air : 7.1/10

TV Series; 12+1 episodes
Jan 7/2005 – Apr 1/2005

Genre: Drama, Romance, Shounen, Slice of Life, Supernatural

Original Authors: Jun Maeda, Fumihiko Shimo
Production: Kyoto Animation, Key, Pony Canyon, TBS
Director: Tatsuya Ishihara
Music Composition: Jun Maeda

Plot
Yukito Kunisaki is a vagabond, traveling from place to place, in attempts to make money entertaining children with his unique brand of puppetry. He abruptly awakes from a dream and finds himself located on a seawall at the edge of the beach. Next to him, staring off at the horizon is Misuzu Kamio. Misuzu judges him to be a nice person, and takes him home to stay with her and her mother. The story that follows centers around the short summer Yukito and Misuzu spend together, and Yukito’s prolonged search for a girl with wings who lives in the sky.

Conclusion
Air is a touching story, filled with heartache. There are severe deficiencies in explanation that are simply described as supernatural happenings. This hole, does little to prevent the strength of the actors and the dramatic events they encounter from having a powerful effect. Although some connections are tied loosely and the resulting reactions of characters seem melodramatic, the viewer is still able to gain strong feelings of sympathy and identify with the emotion from scene to scene. The three arc sequence, centering on the story’s two main characters, could be transitioned more smoothly. But the themes and great acting allow this series to stand out as an impressive and spiritually moving creation.

Characters

Yukito Kunisaki: acted by Daisuke Ono
A young traveler, lost on the journey bequeathed to him by his mother. He seeks to end the sadness for the tragic girl with wings, and is tied by fate to this task. Ono does well to define the abrupt and confused Yukito. His ability to generate emotion, especially volume increases when startled makes for a comical and interesting protagonist.

Misuzu Kamio: acted by Tomoko Kawakami
As she nears her 15th birthday, she finds herself making her way through life without much support. She has no friends to call upon, and is often described as a strange child. She has an unusual fondness for dinosaurs, and often displays the emotional intelligence of a four year old. Kawakami’s soft voice is perfect for this character, she is required strong emotional displays at times, and pulls off each flawlessly.

Haruko Kamio: acted by Aya Hisakawa
A single working woman, she is in the position of raising her niece by default. For a multitude of reasons, she rarely acts as a mother would, as she doesn’t fully understand her role and connection to Misuzu. By the final arc of the anime, she is forced to confront a number of her weaknesses and seeks a chance at redemption for years of mistakes. Hisakawa similar to all the other characters in this series has emotionally charged scenes. She does well to display a range in her emotions and gives depth to a character that complements the story perfectly.

Genre
The significance of this series genres are severely hindered by its short storyline. Its supernatural element is ever-present, but described vaguely at best. A lot is asked of the viewer as far as assuming detail and accepting its inexplicable occurrences. The romance aspect is brief and requires a significant increase in the depth of the characters it centers around. There is slightly more success as this series explores itself as a Slice of Life anime. Unique characters stand out well, and their intricacies are displayed prominently throughout. Though each character is defined well, the compact storyline makes it difficult for the viewer to fully identify with them.

Themes
There is an overwhelming emotional background to the development of this anime. It explores the significance of dreams and wishes as its characters struggle in their lives to move past their lingering tragedies. The use of supernatural occurrences to forward the lives of those struggling with loss is extremely compelling, and makes for a number of dramatic scenes. It seems this series asks its characters to find memories of happiness to concentrate on, as those will be inherited by the world they are a part of and the future. Tragedy and despair are passed down throughout generations, and the ability of those in the story to create happiness in their lives is essential. Reincarnation of the spirit is all that remains, as humanity has diminished its ability to be fully connected with the planet, though there is still hope for future generations to reconnect, in thanks to the ability of previous ones to add comfort to their tragic fates.

Style
Character design for this series does little for its realism. Extremely wide-eyed characters are prominent, and little about the animation is stunning, though the second arc does manage to create some unique and interesting sequences. Backgrounds are incredibly done; skies, oceans, and cityscape are all beautifully detailed and add to the dream-like state of the storyline. The sonatas and requiems make for a solid soundtrack, and are weaved well into the plot, highlighting the countless dramatic scenes that unfold throughout.

Opening Theme
“Tori no Uta” by Lia

Ending Theme
“Farewell Song” by Lia