Product: Air TV: The Complete Series S.A.V.E.
Rating: 2.0
2.5 stars
I do like Air. Just barely.This could have been a good series if it had kept its 12 episodes focused on Misuzu's arc. Instead, the first five or six episodes deal with a couple of other girls in the seaside town where Air's story takes place. That wouldn't be a problem had these other girls meant something to the story or the two main characters, but ultimately they don't. After episode six, you never see or hear of these girls again, and when the series ends you're left wondering what point they served being there. The other major problem I had was with a certain character turning into a certain animal, with little explanation given. Wha...? But that's something you'll have to see for yourself.This show has some goods things to it, though. If you love tragic stories, you'll have a higher chance of liking Air, as it's more tragic than Kanon and Clannad. Like Kanon, it has an awesome English dub. The first five or six episodes, while largely meaningless to the overall plot, had some nice comedy moments, and the episodes taking place in feudal era Japan served as a refreshing and cool change of pace. I also liked how the character Haruko developed over the course of the series. The omake episodes, Air In Summer, were nice, but I need to add that it has a creepy scene that really, really wasn't necessary. It involves a girl offering her virginity, and it just feels awkward and "why?" in an otherwise PG show. What else... well, I guess one of the best things about Air is that it's the most unique of the three Kyoto Animation/Key series. Kanon and Clannad have a lot in common; Air, not so much.The structure of this show feels haphazardly put together, but when you look at each episode individually, there's some good stuff here. I would recommend this show to huge fans of Kanon and Clannad, but only if you're crazy about Kyoto Animation's style. Air isn't as well put together as Kanon or Clannad, so you need to really love Kyoto's brand of animation to enjoy this. Or maybe not. I've seen people online say they prefer Air to Kanon and Clannad. These people tend to be pretty rare, but they are out there. Who knows, you may end up being one of them.