AIR REVIEW - FInished 3/11/2024

SPOILER REVIEW

I’ve just finished Air, originally a visual novel produced by KEY famous for other similar works such as Clannad and Kanon. Anime adaptation is by Kyoto Animation, and I watched it as a part of my complete “kyoani watch party” as I’m calling it where I watch all of the anime produced by them in order of production year.

Adapting a visual novel into an anime is something that has to be done skillfully and strategically, and I think that kyoani, even this early in their career, proved that they can add something to such an adaptation to leave it feeling somewhat original and have worth as a standalone project. That being said, any adaptation of Air and similar works is going to have the same problem: how to handle differing routes and their associated characters. While watching, you do very much feel the clunkiness that accompanies following these three characters in their obviously separate routes. The three main girls Kano, Misuzu, and Minagi hardly if at all speak to each other which lends to the feeling of disjointedness you get from it. However, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t like their character and development, and in particular I found the main heroine Misuzu to be very charming and likable. Her use of “Gao” and “V” were so cute I couldn’t help but smile. Maybe this is because as the face of Air she got the most screen time but regardless I enjoyed her time on screen. Aside from the criticism I gave, I honestly have nothing bad to say about most of the characters.

Another problem you face with this kind of adaptation is the protagonist who is meant to be a self insert. I feel like this is a good time to mention that I appreciate a lot the fact that even though Air was originally released as an eroge, there is very, very little in the likes of fanservice, and the protagonist Kunisaki Yukito isn’t just a cringe horndog. You definitely do get the sense of a VN protag though, and when Yukito forsakes Misuzu in moments for the other girls routes, it kinda feels like he has no loyalties despite the emotional buildup. Aside from that though, they have done a great job to make him likable enough and I loved the fact that he could control that doll. There are a lot of bits that stick the landing between him, Misuzu, and Haruko.

From an art and animation standpoint, kyoani is just kyoani; a league of their own. Had this show had subpar animation and visuals I think I would have a worse impression of it for sure, but kyoani does not fail to meet and exceed expectations, especially for its time. The scenic town featured in Air is brought to life in this adaptation, and is one of the main selling points that I have for the anime. In total kyoani style, I found the bits and jokes to be that much more funny with the nuanced animation in their expressions and actions like Misuzu falling down and Yukito’s begrudging expression of disbelief that always followed.

The pacing is probably where the show lacks the most, and I largely don’t fault kyoani for this, due to the difficulty of adapting visual novels. However, I must admit despite how interesting the historical tie-in was, I think it went on for too long, nearly 3 of the 12 episodes, which left it feeling out of focus a bit. I may just be stupid, but I also felt the plot and connection to the main story was just too hard to follow completely at that point.

I think the show left me on a highlight though, which really lends credit to it in my book. Haruko was probably my favorite character, and I was sure that she was going to simply be an afterthought by the end of it. So, to see them ditch the self insert for the last arc and focus on Misuzu and Haruko and their relationship was really touching and I liked the ending. I thought while watching that Haruko should work at an elementary school or something and then she’s like, “I’m gonna work at a daycare facility,” and I thought that felt so fitting for her.

Overall, an enjoyable enough ride due to Kyoani's touch that had me feeling fuzzy and laughing here and there. If you go in expecting the sense of a visual novel and are fine with that then you can have a good time, with the plus of having a better than average protagonist in my opinion. I found some characters better than others, but overall not much bad to say about them. Oh yeah, make sure you’re ok with those eyes though…

I didn’t mention it earlier but I’m also a fan of the OST that absolutely CHANNELS early 2000’s anime/VN aesthetic.

Thanks for reading if you did!

SCORE: 65