AIR: THE MOVIE : This reinterpretation of the AIR series sheds a new light on the small town of Kami, as traveler Yukito arrives at the seaside town looking for a way to make money. There he meets Misuzu, a young school girl, who upon finding out that Yukito has nowhere to stay, allows him to stay with her. As Yukito and Misuzu become friends, a legend begins to unfold that tells of a winged being falling in love with her human guardian while in captivity, against the laws of her people. Consequently, she is punished with a mysterious illness, which will inflict all of her reincarnations until the curse can be broken. When Misuzu becomes deathly ill with a sickness that cannot be diagnosed, Yukito fears that Misuzu may be the reincarnation of the winged being from the legend.
AIR: The Movie is not a continuation of the anime, but the same story told through a different viewpoint. The animation for AIR is different than that of the movie, and Yukito's seemingly cold personality from the anime is less obvious in the movie.
AIR, though a beautiful anime, is a tear-jerker. You can feel your heart go out to Misuzu, who despite her weaknesses maintains a sunny disposition. We do not get the comic relief from Potato that we do in the series, as Potato only appears once as a character Misuzu is watching on TV.
The theme of the movie is a lot softer; Yukito is not hesitant about a relationship with Misuzu and treats her with more kindness. The two are seen doing more friendly things together, as opposed to the anime where Yukito grumbles throughout whenever Misuzu takes him anywhere. Misuzu, however, does not spend as much of the quality time with her mother figure aunt Haruko as she did in the anime.
This interpretation of the AIR story is every bit as beautiful as the anime it parallels, and every fan of the AIR series will definitely want to catch it.
Overall Rating:
/ 5
