Series Review >> Air Gear
Air Gear
Animation:
While the animation is consistent throughout the series, the quality and sharpness of the picture do not seem to meet the standards of what you would expect of a 2006 series. One thing in particular that may not sit well with fans is the constant usage of the "crow" censoring. During any scenes of fanservice, a single or multiple flapping crows would be used to ccensor any nudity or partial nudity. It really begs the question of why put so many fanservice scenes in to begin with if they don't serve any purpose of fanservice.
Story:
The story centers around a sport called Air-Trek (AT), which involves the user to wear something along the lines of suped-up roller blades. In typical shounen fashion, the protaganist is a hard-nosed, cocky young boy who discovers the sport and instantly falls in love with it. The sport of AT is competed by teams through various competitions usually involving racing or combating. Following the prototypical shounen formula, the protaganist, Ikki, forms his own AT team and aims to fight his way up the AT hierarchy to eventually become the "King". Although the premise is an interesting one, what ultimately led to its downfall is the fact that 25 episodes are simply not enough to bring the storyline to fruition. By the second half of the series, the pacing basically sped up exponentially just so there would be enough development to create a makeshift ending that unfortunately ends the series, but does not end the story. It's one of those endings that leaves the audience wondering if there's supposed to be a second season.
Sound:
The soundtrack is one of the few positives of this series. It consists of a combination of fast-paced techno/hip-pop style tracks that fits the setting and mood of the story nicely.
Overall:
Fans of the manga will probably find this anime adaptation to be severely lacking. Viewers who have not read the manga will be left frustrated and unsatisfied at the incomplete storyline. Those who enjoyed the anime series should check out the manga so they could continue to follow the storyline. While mildly entertaining, Air Gear suffers from a myriad of flaws and will most likely be remembered as just another series in a long list of mediocre shounen series.
Rating:
6.5/10
Review By : T. Sasaki (valkyriex22 @ hotmail.com)
