Air: The Motion Picture

I had the very unique opportunity to view Air the Motion Picture literally directly after having finished watching The Complete Series. As such, the emotions left behind from the original telling of this tale were yet burning bright.

The Motion Picture, for those who don't know, is essentially the retelling of the Complete TV series in condensed form. Now as a general rule, I usually shy away from motion picture adaptations of beloved series due to their tendency to omit critical details of the story to meet strict time restrictions.

I am very pleased to report that Air the Motion Picture is perhaps the first time in history where I actually appreciated the condensed story over the original. Die-hard fans of the Air mythos may disagree, but in my opinion the original television series seemed muddled after having viewed the Motion Picture.

The core of the story retains all of the important attributes that make the television incarnation so well respected: A mysterious traveler arrives to a small coastal village in modern-day Japan and meets up with a slightly abnormal (but adorably innocent) young girl.

His personal haunting prophecy, it turns out, is intertwined with the sickly girl's dreams and their love perseveres throughout space and time. However, where the original fails with poor transitions and way too many irrelevant characters along the way, the Motion Picture puts the prose on an extreme and very appreciated diet.

Let me begin this review by taking a moment to discuss the surface differences between the two incarnations of the shows. Where the television series used anime character models so intense that they bordered on caricatures, the Motion Picture presents character art that is a bit more realistically proportioned. The backgrounds, however, are definitely more impressive in the television version. Additionally, where the television version made it a habit to keep its animation quality consistent, the Motion Picture features prevalent manga-panel style freeze frames.

Beyond the superfluous differences, the beauty of the Motion Picture is that it isn't afraid to make several much-needed commitments between the lead characters. Not only is Yukito and Misuzu's meeting more realistic, it simply feels more "chance". Additionally (and much to the viewer's delight), they are portrayed as being closer to the same age this time around. Misuzu's illness is much better fleshed out in the Motion Picture as is her lack of social contact (since, after all, she misses a lot of school).

The Motion Picture moves away from the supernatural overtones that the television series constantly flirted with (but never fully explained) in favor of a more fluid flashback sequence based on Misuzu's reading of a history book. In other words, here we are given the tale of a haunted traveler, a terminally ill girl, and their love for one another. Shallow viewers can take the story at face value and still feel fulfilled. For those seeking a bit more prolific prose, the Motion Picture presents a much cleaner flashback-driven back-story that draws many parallels with the lead characters. However, it is not nearly as forced or as muddled as it is in the television version.

About the only complaint I can find in the Motion Picture is that those who haven't seen the television version first will not understand the significance of many of the smaller references made throughout (namely the black crow and little dog that appears on Misuzu's own television). These are small references that pay homage to the source material but are not openly explained.

In all, I am simply blown away by Air the Motion Picture. Perhaps because I had just concluded the Complete (television) Series literally minutes prior and it had left me feeling like there was a lot of potential within the prose that never came into fruition. The Motion Picture felt almost as if someone had said "look, let's cut out all of the fluff and keep only the elements that contribute toward the ultimate goal." Unnecessary side characters and their odd little tangents are axed and in their place is a much stronger connection between the lead cast.

Of course there always will be those that feel like a story as rich and deep as Air cannot be condensed down to 85 minutes and retain all of its charm. I agree that there is some logic here, however the Motion Picture ends up feeling like a breath of fresh air given the circumstances. The true beauty of the Motion Picture is that it is a must for fans of the show whether they own the Complete Series or not. I'm quite grateful to have discovered this gem as it did a wonderful job of increasing my appreciation for the franchise as a whole rather than take away from the well regarded source material (as I needlessly feared it might).

This is my first review on Amazon. I hope you find this useful.

I found the movie Air as a recommendation from Amazon and decided to give it a try. I did see the movie before the series and I can't help but but compare the movie and TV series. I do admit that I prefer the movie over the TV series. I have seen the movie once before watching the TV series and once after. I usually never, ever cry because of a movie but the first time I watched Air I teared up a little at the end. The second time the tears came running down. So prepare yourself.

A Brief Summary:
Air is about the cheerful, kind, thoughtful beauty named Misuzu Kamio, a traveling puppeteer named Yukito Kunisaki, and a 1000 year old legend that unfolds again in the small town of Kami, Japan. Misuzu has not been to school for the past year because of a mysterious illness that no doctor can treat. She asks for a summer project which leads her to the legend of Kannabi no Mikoto, or Kanna for short, the last of the winged people. Yukito is in the town of Kami for a summer festival to make some money with his puppet business. He meets the beauty Misuzu and assists in her research of the town, her summer project topic. Through narration by Misuzu, Kanna's story is told as Misuzu and Yukito become closer.

Before Watching The TV Series:
If you are going to watch the movie before the series, don't worry about being confused. You won't be. Unless, you are not following the storyline.

After Watching the TV Series:
If you want all the background information about the storyline and decide to watch the series before the movie, you will just understand some references to the series that pop through the movie. For expamle, Sky the crow, the dog on the anime that Misuzu watches, and the glimpse of Kano and Minagi with Michiru at the summer festival. The TV series left me with some questions, but the movie tied everything together in the end so you are not left wondering about something. I would tell you what left me confused in the TV series, but I don't want to give anything away.

Differences Between the Movie and TV Series:
Of course, I noticed these differences after watching the TV series then the movie.
1. Ryuuya in the series resembles Yukito, but in the movie he has darker hair.
2. Kanna seems older in the movie than in the series.
3. In the movie, Uraha has a very small role unlike the series.
4. You never met Kano, Minagi, and Michiru in the movie, just only see a glimpse of them.
5. Misuzu and Haruko have a closer relationship in the movie than the series.
6. Misuzu says "gao" only one time in the whole movie.
8. Misuzu has not gone to school for the past school year.
9. Yukito is really her only friend through the whole movie.
There are a few more differences, but I don't want to give everything away.

Hopefully, you found my review to be helpful. I have tried to keep this review spoiler-free, but if I slipped up a few times, I hope I didn't ruin the movie for you. I wouldn't want someone to tell me what happened and ruin it for me.

This is one of the best anime movies out there. Even if you are not into anime but somehow stumbled across this review, please give Misuzu and Yukito a chance. You will fall in love with the characters, laugh at Haruko's antics, and feel like you have known Misuzu and Yukito your entire life. If Air doesn't do something to our insides, then leave me a comment.

Note: This is more of a comparison to the TV Series than an actual review. It's mainly meant for those wondering if the Air movie is worth a purchase after having seen the series. Spoiler-free.

I liked the story of the Air movie a LOT more than the series. All the plot elements that I thought were silly and/or convoluted in the TV series were removed in the movie. Everything was explained clearly, and the story just made more sense. To me, it was a lot more believable and much more touching. I'm glad I didn't just dismiss it just because I wasn't crazy about the series.

If you enjoyed the series, however, I see no reason why you wouldn't also enjoy the movie. It's a completely new story, but the characters' personalities are left more or less in tact.