"Air – The Movie" is a Japanese animated movie adaptation of the Air anime series. This is the reinterpretation of the storyline for Air but with several changes. It revolves around two characters named Misuzu Kamio and Yukio Kunisaki. For anybody that is familiar with the Air series may understand Air – The Movie. It revolves around a story within Air that is about one-thousand years old. Like the series, the Air – The Movie has a very upbeat opening and ending song. To understand the words, one must be versed in Japanese. Luckily, there are English subtitles for the opening and ending themes. Air – The Movie is classified as drama, fantasy, and romance. The series is directed by Osamu Dezaki.
It starts out with Yukito Kunisaki who is a puppeteer that travels around Japan doing puppet shows at all sorts of festivals for money. He arrives at a sea-side town to do a puppet show at the upcoming summer festival to earn some extra money. However, he runs into a girl named Misuzu Kamio leaving school. They eventually meet after crashing into each other. Yukito helps Misuzu by accompanying her around town to do her summer project. The project itself has a lot to do with the summer festival and Misuzu finds a book containing a story called "Kannabi no Mikoto." Misuzu narrates the brief story of Kanna as she reads from the book.
As they’re researching, they learn more about Kanna who is the last of these winged beings and the lover her life named Ryuuya who was her guardian. At the same time, an illness that Misuzu had as a child comes back. She has to be treated at the hospital again. However, it’s revealed that Kanna seemed to have the same symptoms that Misuzu had as a child. It is revealed that the romance between Yukito and Misuzu along with Misuzu’s illness mirrors that of Kanna and Ryuuya. It seems that the two of them are literal soul mates as they seem to be reincarnated from Kanna and Ryuuya.
The driving force of the story focuses on Yukito and Misuzu coming into grips with their past lives and trying to lift this curse off from Kanna. In many senses, this movie could be considered an emotional chick-flick as it talks about an eternal love. If you enjoy Japanese anime and if you enjoy chick flicks as well, you may very well enjoy watching Air – The Movie.
Keep in mind that Air – The Movie is a different telling of the story. It is by no means connected to the Air anime series at all. The characters are portrayed very different in the movie from their anime counterparts. Yukito is more gloomy and cynical in the movie than in the anime series. This is reminiscent of the "Escaflowne" series and movie. The main character is livelier in the series but has suicidal tendencies in the movie.
To enjoy Air – The Movie, one should view it as an anime movie and not as an extension to the series. But if you enjoyed watching the series, you may enjoy watching Air – The Movie. It is unknown if there will be a release to North American TV networks as the Texas based anime production company called ADV had already acquired the license. However, Air – The Movie is a great animated romantic tale. The most sensitive of people may enjoy this movie.
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