This anime, although based on a hentai (Japanese animated porn) video game that was never released anywhere other than Japan, is actually a cutesy and very tame anime. There is little to no nudity or any such thing, and the animation is all very beautiful and cute.

The story to this anime follows many different points of view, which can sometimes make it hard to follow, unless you can remember what happened in past episodes quite well, and make all the connections between characters and things that happened. Since it bounces around between the different plots from character to character, and also from time to time (since it has many flashbacks and even jumps back in time about 1000 years for a couple episodes) it doesn't seem to have a full story that flows very well. However, if you can make all the connections, and make sense of all the things that the story trails off and tells you, it really does make alot of sense, and is actually a very good plot.

By far, my favourite part of this anime was the animation and artwork. The character design was all soft, and very pretty. Misuzu, and all the other girls, are all very cute, each having different features that set them apart from each other. One of the things that accents the beauty of the characters, though, is the art of the scenery and backgrounds. Since it is an anime that follows a storyline about a girl in the sky, there are many beautiful scenes of the sky - from starry nights, to cloud figures, to colourful sunsets and sunrises. Not only is the sky animated beautifully, but the land scenery is very majestic - true to the beauty of pure nature.

Since the theme of the anime - Air - obviously revolves alot around the sky and such, the movements of the characters, and the scenery around them, also had to flow. The animators did an impeccable job on creating the "feel" that pretty much made the anime as loveable as it was. If not for the animations and breathtaking scenery, I doubt I would have enjoyed watching it quite as much as I did.

The character development was quite different from most anime, since there wasn't much back story on the specific characters that needed it, but there were many links to them in "past lives", which almost compensated for the lack of description of the modern-day characters. They all had very interesting personalities, though, which made things quite interesting. From the airheaded and adorably lovable Misuzu, to the withdrawn and mysterious Minagi, to the hyper and violent Michiru, every character had a definite set of characteristics that created a contrast within the cast.

Since Air was only a 12-episode series (with a 13th recap episode), there was alot that was left wide open that needed to be at the very least a little more defined. At the end of the short series, I was left needing "closure" on alot of the things that had taken place. There was alot that needed to be explained that wasn't, and things that didn't make much sense to me. I'm assuming that since it is an anime based off a video game, perhaps it doesn't tell the entire story (such as in Star Ocean EX - which is only the first disc of the Star Ocean video game) so that it leaves you to find the game and try figuring out what actually happens by playing it. Either way, that was what caused the grade of this anime to drop from being a potential A.

Even with the ending left wide open, and the feeling of disappointment in the ending left with me, I would still recommend this anime to anyone who appreciates the art of the anime, and not just the story or other aspects. Even if this anime were a horrible flop in all other aspects, the beauty of the art shown in Air won me over, and still places this anime in my list of favourites.

~Reviewed By Lunaki