Air: Deep and stunningly sad yet beautiful plot - an amazing work

Written by Little_Wolf-18 on November 30, 2011 at 5:06 AM

After my utter fail in converting and uploading video files (see the movie to this =>> I managed to convert it but for some silly reason the file up here has only three minutes =.= and the same with another file, too) I’ve constricted myself to just reviewing again. Better leave the uploads to someone who knows how to deal with the server XD
Anyway, sorry for the distraction and on to the review!

“Air” has a great storyline, definitely among the top five I’ve seen on here so far (and I’ve watched about 30-something series >.<) Although if you only watch the anime without OVAs and movie, you might find yourself confused; I personally needed the two parts of the OVA to understand it fully, and the movie still adds a lot.

Btw, the “specials” and “OVA” provided here are the same – just saying.

The story moves quite slowly, focusing on character development, and despite it being a deep and even surreal story it’s easy to follow. Tragic fates mix with heartwarming scenes; different perspectives make the story even deeper than it is; it’ll truly make you tear up. And the story is quite individual, nothing at all like the generic anime found out there. Once you learn about the whole story, and see all the relations between characters, scenes, and fates, you’ll be amazed – and about to cry. The story is really deep, and even has an actual message if you take the time to interpret it a little.

The only minus to the plotline would be that one of the main characters kind of disappears during the storyline, and you don’t really have a clue as to what happens to him. If you understand the back story, it’s not as bad, but it was confusing at first. The plot speeds up for the last episodes after that though, focusing mostly on Misuzu’s further story.

The characters are a decent job; even if you might recognize some designs from other Key animes, they are individual with personalities.

The dialogue is a pretty decent job. There are still jokes in this so even if it’s sad, you won’t miss your dose of humour and heartwarming entertainment.

Animation? This is Key we’re talking about, it’s almost always perfect. It’s nothing special, but then again special effects probably would’ve ruined the experience. It fits the anime quite well, and is beautifully contradicting the tragedy in its summer-y colourfulness.

The music’s definitely fitting. The opening song got so stuck in my ears – I’m still listening to it ^^
Full opening on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1VgsMESKKU

For entertainment, this is a great job. The plot is slow, but emotional and, like a few Key productions (Angel Beats! or Clannad) a little surreal even. There might be people saying there’s too many tragic fates in here, but since it’s heartwarming as well, I personally was okay with that. Although the combination of tragedy and cuteness has one literally crashing down to earth.

“Air” is overall a beautiful work; a definitely recommended watch if you want something amazing, a sad slice-of-life story with deep plot, or even just a change from the generic anime. Also: Great for people who love good OSTs. ^_^