AIR (The 1000th Summer)

First off, I'd like to start by stating that this is a series that crosses several media platforms. AIR was originally created as an adult-only Japanese dating simulator for PC in 2000. Don't let that fact get your panties in a bunch, though - it was hugely successful and came under high demand for an all-ages release, which the creators happily complied with. It was eventually released as an all-ages manga, anime series, and game (PS2, PSP, Dreamcast). The creators of the series, KEY, are known for their artwork and soundtracks in their productions. Most notable are their 3 biggest series - AIR, Clannad, and Kanon, which were all initially released as adult-rated dating simulators, but were later turned into all-ages products. While I have personally never played any of the games, hentai or otherwise (I'm not into dating simulators, because I know how to talk to women like a normal person and don't have a habit of trying to bone every female in sight), I found the storyline for AIR very engaging. I'm an extremely avid fan of KEY's works, and if you let me, I'll talk about them for hours on end without repeating a single fact twice.

Meet Potato, the dog. If I had played the games, I would know for certain whether or not he's a fuckable character, but I haven't, so I'm just gonna guess "yes." It is Japan, after all.

As I was saying... *ahem*

The story follows a character named Yukito, a traveling puppet arts showman who arrives in a small Japanese oceanside town one day, searching for a girl of legend that his mother told him about years earlier, known as "The Girl Who Lives in the Sky." Yukito is young and sort-of-but-not-really-handsome. He's also very untalented with the ladies, puppets, and life in general. Because it's based off of a dating simulator, you can pretty much guess that he immediately meets a girl. And then another. And another after that. And another. And I think another one again after that. You see where this is going. Regardless, the series manages to keep the love interests of Yukito to a minimum, so as not to confuse anyone about the plot, which is already kind of messed up to begin with. Yukito is taken in by a hospitable mother and daughter, where he helps out around the house and assists various townsfolk until he can make enough money with puppets to move on to the next town searching for "The Girl Who Lives in the Sky." I want to tell you more, but I honestly can't. It would ruin everything about it if I did.

What I can tell you, however, is that this is not the type of anime you want to watch if you don't want to feel like killing yourself by the end of it. It's amazingly well done, it conveys every single emotion that the creators wanted to get across, and the story is top-notch to boot. The problem is how very, very depressing the story is. If you watch the very first episode, you'd be like "Oh my god! It's so cute, and funny, and light-hearted!" And that's what they want you to think. By episode 3 you'll be wondering where you went wrong believing in love and life.

     It's so depressing that even the crows will wake you up to complain.

In fact, it almost reminds me of how Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry) started. The first couple episodes are all calm and collected, and then shit gets real pretty fucking fast. While Higurashi no Naku Koro ni has a great amount of violence and gore, AIR manages to create the same tension and anticipation that Higurashi does, without the violence. The manga for AIR definitely adds a little extra clarity to the story, if you've finished watching the anime already. There were initially many complaints about how the series ended, because there were many suggestions to how things played out, but nothing was stated outright and people felt that it was tied together rather loosely at the end. Toei Animation made a feature-length film out of AIR, but it was a reinterpretation of the series, and took a great many liberties with the story that just confused the hell out of everyone that was already confused about the series' ending to begin with. A must-see in my recommendations. If you enjoy harem-style anime, this would be right up your alley.