Product: Air TV: The Complete Series S.A.V.E.
Rating: 5.0
A series gone off the mainstream
This show "Air" is a true piece of art. It starts with a typical linear plot and a bit of fantasy and ends up becoming quite testing. The main issue seems to be a confusing or non-clear story as it moves on, but the real turn off for most people could be something unique by dealing with an untested domain of failure.Yes, maybe the core of this series deals with a problem, isolation/alienation or incapacity to bond with other people. This is widespread everywhere, nonetheless the American entertainment industry usually fails to portray or approach realistically. Japanese anime deals with it more often, yet still struggles with the challenge of reflecting it well. "Air" is the best approach to alienation that I've ever seen and therefore the one that has impressed me the most in all my life.This show's portrait of alienation surely uses much fantasy, but its drama and circumstances well make up for that lack of realism. This could be the saddest anime drama that I have seen (maybe 80 or so). The drama gets as deep as in classic movies like "Doctor Shivago" The central heroine, Misuzu Kamio, beats Lara Antipova from my viewpoint. Besides, the fantasy is well deployed because it's used to display a surreal atmosphere rather than the typical average situation of superheroes, superpowers, fights and more overused routines. Even the few fights in the show yield quite unexpected outcomes while keeping the art. The animation and soundtrack are also first rate as well as the English-voice actors, and I normally prefer to listen in their original language. I even bought the CD soundtrack. It seems the base of these qualities are Japanese values, like sharp elegance or work ethic shown every possible way, such as house chores.This series will make you understand why the Japanese cannot believe that Americans enjoy anime. One big reason is that they normally watch what is already very similar to Hollywood's stuff. This series, Air, is not like that at all.