Comedy isn’t one of my favorite genres in anime, although I do like comedy. I usually have a hard time finding one that isn’t fan service driven or tedious and mindless. I don’t know if Air Gear is supposed to be a comedy, but it made me laugh more often than not. Air Gear isn’t a straight up comedy in any way, I don’t think, but the style and delivery of many of the lines are damn funny at times.
Air Gear Volume One DVD: The Uncensored Version
Ikki is a down on his luck high schooler who lives with the Noyamano sisters in the Tokyo suburbs. He has a rough time living with the three sisters and an even rougher time getting banged around at school by rival gang members. He narrowly escapes being body slammed to his doom by the leader of the Air Trek gang (shortened to AT to those in the know) known as the Skull Saders.
Air Trek is the latest craze with the youth in Tokyo. Resembling nothing more than glorified roller skates, AT is in fact a technological wonder. AT makes roller blading seem like riding a tricycle in comparison. This new craze let’s its users achieve fantastic heights and perform aerobatic tricks. Inside each of the AT are bits of technology which let the riders kiss the sky.
After his degrading humiliation at the hands of the Skull Saders, Ikki discovers that his “family†has been hiding a very tasty secret from him: the three sisters are in fact members of the legendary AT team Sleeping Forest. Sneaking away into the night with a pair of the sisters’ AT, he stumbles upon a group meeting of Tokyo’s AT users, aka Storm Riders.
Unbeknown to him, Ikki proceeds to commit a fatal error by slapping Sleeping Forest’s emblem over another Storm Rider’s team emblem. The emblem in question just happened to be located on the booty of the toothsome Storm Rider, Samica. Sadly, the rival team’s emblem belonged to, you guessed it, the Skull Saders The result is a head on confrontation with the Skull Saders in an AT battle.
After trouncing the Skull Saders’ leader with his exquiste beginners luck, Ikki becomes addicted to the rush AT gives him and vows to start his own team of Storm Riders. Ikki still has a lot to learn about AT but he’s not alone on that journey and what he lacks in experience he more than makes up for in passion and sheer stubbornness.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a particular fan of sports anime. I’ve always detested sports in real life and have never seen the appeal of doing that one worse by sitting on my butt and watching it. Sports anime seems anathema to me. Yet, Air Gear was actually really, really good in the sense that it transcended its genre and seemed to be more of an action/ battle oriented anime rather than a sports oriented one. But then again, roller skating/blading or skateboarding looks like too much fun to me to ever really be a sport. Air Gear made me want to rush out, buy some roller blades, and dash madly around Forest Park in an attempt to get the same high Ikki captures his first time using AT. That, to me, pardons Air Gear of any association with sports anime.
Aside from the rush and the adrenaline AG gives its viewers, Air Gear also offers up some really funny gags in the deliveries of the lines and in the scenes. I had a good laugh when Ikki was challenged by the head canine of the Rez-Boa-Dogs team. I laughed some more when Ikki was being terrorized by the tank-like leader of the Yaohs and I about wet myself when Ikki’s slutty looking homeroom teacher says out loud what she deserves to have done to her for being so stupid.
The animation for Air Gear is 100% shonen. The overall designs hail back to the original manga which was run in Weekly Shounen Magazine, starting from 2003 to the present. Actual characters in AG can be very stylized at times and almost brutish and violent in appearance. Then, when you start to think the anime has taken a decidedly mature turn, expressions soften and melt back to their original boyish charm. It’s enough to make a person think that AG has multiple personalities.
I really liked the soundtrack for Air Gear, not so much because I like hip hop (I’m no fan, really) but because it goes so frick’n well with the fast paced action. The music, like the story, keeps coming at you like the inevitability of death and taxes. I like that. I don’t think I would ever listen to the soundtrack by itself for itself but whoever produced the soundtrack knows what they’re doing.
Watch Air Gear with the subs. Do not press dub, do not stop at go or collect $200. Do it in subs and you’ll appreciate this anime all the more because of it.
Air Gear, so far, is another anime that’s surprised me with how well done it is. Anything that makes me sit up and pay attention in the first five minutes deserves the additional devotion to finishing the series. I’m praying to the god of Good Endings and Sound Plot Lines that all goes well in the next 22 episodes, because lord knows that a lot can happen in 22 episodes!
Volume One gets
outta a possible four gummies.
We’d like to give a shout out to ADV for letting us screen Air Gear! Thanks guys!
I guess I might well have to take up your advice and watch more than one episode… for some reason after that first one I just stopped watching the anime and just searched up the soundtrack instead :p
I can see why some people wouldn’t like Air Gear, -Flick. To be honest, I figured I would hate it since I don’t like shonen and sports anime. I was surprised that I liked it. I think I liked AG because the anime didn’t take itself seriously. There’s also the fact that I needed a good laugh at the time and I allowed myself to laugh.
I think the way to watch AG is to relax and take it with a grain of salt. The characters are having fun, why can’t we?
DO YOU NOW WHAT CHAPTER Akito COMES IN?
Air Gear’s cool! I’m crazy about it now. X33 And I think Agito/AKito comes in volume 5?
Mew-2, I honestly couldn’t tell you.
@Anime Fan, good to see another fan of AG.
#Anime Fan, Agito/Akito comes in volume 4. not 5.
@Cool lil Dude, thanks for the heads up!
Some people have convinced me to watch to at least episode 3 hehe so I’m going to try and get into it after I finish off one or two hanging ones.
Flick, lemme know how that viewing experience treats ya.
I love air gear^^ it even has shounen-ai inserts (yay!)
Anyone know where to watch the the episodes online without downloads? Youtube deleted most the stuff so i can’t watch there anymore…i got 16 and up left to finish…e-mail me at erickhcz@hotmail.com if you want…
P.S. I’m crazy about Air Gear lol…i just can’t go through without watching the whole dang thing…
@Zlaze
Sorry, can’t help you with any online viewing sources. But I can tell you why YouTube deleted the episodes…copyright issues and the fact they were purchased by Google (which made them an attractive target for lawsuits). Also, ADV licensed the series for the US market in Oct. 2006 with the first volume released in Feb. 2007 (hence this review)…and licensing makes lawsuits an even greater risk.
If you have the money, I would suggest either purchasing or renting the series. One bonus is that ADV is releasing the uncensored version rather than the broadcast version. Currently the first two volumes are out and the third will be released June 5, 2007. All volumes appear to have 4 episodes each. If ADV holds to this release schedule, then Vol. 4 should be released in Aug.; Vol. 5 should be released in Oct.; and Vol. 6 (with the last 5 episodes) should be released in time for Christmas in Dec.
If you can’t afford to buy or rent, see if your local library has the series or if they can borrow the series from another library.
Since it sounds like you left off at episode 15, you’ll have to wait until Vol. 4 is released…of course you can use some of that extra time to re-watch those earlier episodes.
Almost forgot…ADV is currently holding their “Golden Week” sale, so you can get pretty good prices on Air Gear and their other anime selections from now through May 6th.
i’ll have to disagree about watching it subbed…i watched it. and found the lead voice for Ikki…terrible. probably because it his first anime role…but he was just bad! and he doesnt really improve. i have selective likes for the Japanese version. the series (anime wise) is fun to watch…but i prefer the manga.
and Toei seems to be in a rut with animation…Oh Great seems to have been ripped off with his work twice. lol like Ken Aku
can anyone tell me where can i download air gear episode/…..pls….
@redgie
You may want to read my comment to zlase above (Apr 30th, 2007 at 8:54 am). If you live in the US, then downloading (especially licensed) anime is illegal. Your current options are to purchase the DVDs, rent the DVDs, or borrow the DVDs from your local public library.
There is one exception to the download restriction…if ADV decided to offer the series as a download. However, as far as I know, they have no plans to do this. One small bit of good news is that ADV via IGN did release the first episode for free viewing. You can see it here:
http://media.tv.ign.com/media/873/873849/vids_1.html
I watched the whole Air Gear series and Full metal Alchemist series already… My friend from japan sent it to me a couple weeks ago… Im wondering… How many episodes are there in Air Gear(probably 15) and are there any sequels or movies or 2nd series?
Hey does anyone know when the new episodes are coming out?? I’m looking forward to the rest of the anime because it’s something new for a change.
@ Zlaze
There are 25 episodes in the series. To date there are no plans for any more anime projects (series, OVA, or movies). Apparently, the anime was not that popular in Japan, though the manga is still going strong. There was a musical adaptation called “Musical Air Gear”. It was performed in Japan in January, 2007. There is supposed to be a second run this month.
@Silas
If you mean, by new episodes, the ADV release schedule, then check my first comments to Zlaze above (Apr 30th, 2007 at 8:54 am). The first two volumes are out and the third will be released June 5. All have 4 episodes each.
aww man so after the 25 there won’t be any more for anime? that sucks because i can’t get any of the manga because im in switzerland and ordering would be too hard.
@Silas
Perhaps you can borrow the manga. Here in the States, public libraries have been offering manga and anime as part of their offerings. Plus, if the local library doesn’t have a selection, they can check other libraries in the state and/or country for a copy.
Also, if there is an anime club close to you, you can see if any of their members have the manga.
Of course, since you are in Switzerland, you will have the potential for a variety of translations (German, French, Italian, Romanish…and I guess English).
I’ve never been to Switzerland, though I’ve visited all around it…France, Germany, Austria, and Italy…most recently, last year in Sestriere…very nice area.
Good luck…
Hehe, the prodigal ‘daughter’ returns :p I’ve just finished watching the anime and I’m very glad I did!
Thank you, Rachel, for your previous comments!
As you said – the anime *REALLY* doesn’t take itself too seriously and that’s what makes it so enjoyable. There were some hilarious moments in some episodes that I dare anyone to not laugh out loud – they were really funny! Of course, it’s not all peaches, because I really felt that there were quite a few scenes of unnecessary fanservice (I think that’s what it’s called) for the boys that I just *had* to fast forward from, but on the whole, there are more positives than negatives, with a neat twist in the story.
Almost all the characters really grew on me, although I would have liked Ringo to take a stronger stance (she only shows off her ‘real’ talent in episode 23 or 24 I think?)
The soundtrack was awesome… (as you’ve already said
) and completely made the anime as well. If anyone wants to listen to it, Japtard.com has both OSTs available for listening on their flash player.
Favourite characters? I’m afraid to say Simca annoyed me somewhat… ^^; but I love Akito/Agito first and Ikki second. Despite the high volume of swearing, I think he has the most personality aside from Ikki imho! (oh well, he does have 2 people stuck in the same body:P) but seriously, there were some episodes where some of the guy (and girl) characters really got me into a fangirly “Kakkoii” squealing mode… *runs away*
@Flick, I’m really glad you liked the anime! I have yet to finish the series but it’s on the “list” so, one of these days…and Simca annoys me too! (talk about setting women’s lib back a few years)
yeh silas i know where you can watch it without download search air gear trick 1,2,3,4,5 etc. episode numbers basically on http://www.dailymotion.com either that or go on the anime category on http://www.tv-links.co.uk
@Rachel: It does end quite suddenly (or the speed of the storyline suddenly speeds up) so that was a bit of a surprise but I’m sure you’ll enjoy the end! They introduce some quite interesting characters as well~
Madara: I actually found the links at Tv-links were often dead, and actually watched most of my Air Gear (aside from the last 2 episodes) at
http://stage6.divx.com
The only small issue with watching at DivX (which is really good quality btwcompared to Dailymotion… in my experience the latter tends to be in French >_
ye thts why i said for the episodes on dailymotion to search instead of for example air gear
episode 1 search air gear trick 1 so basically use the word trick instead of episode
and you’ll get the english subbed ones
Ah!
Sorry I hadn’t realised it would make such a big difference. Thanks for the tip!
ya ive already see nthe all way back when i posted my first comment i just didnt know they would give up on the anime which kinda sucks. I was hoping for more, but now my only problem is if i want to finish it, i have to start reading the manga but i dont really feal like going out and reading that much
@ Silas.
There are two websites that I can give for you to read the manga online.
http://onemanga.com/Air_Gear/
and
http://groups.msn.com/AirGearManga
I love the anime and am now reading the manga.
air gears already out to episode 25 lol
dude can you guys help i wanna watc air gear but i wanna download it where can i get a download?
DannyNguyen – You can buy the DVDs from Best Buy, Amazon, etc. I did a really quick search and found volumes 1-4 at Best Buy’s website for you:
Air Gear Volume I DVD
Air Gear Volume II DVD
Air Gear Volume III DVD
Air Gear Volume IV DVD
You get all sorts of goodies with the DVDs, so I suggest checking them out!
@DannyNguyen
In addition to what David has said, ADV does offer Air Gear for download. You can purchase it by episode (dubbed) up to Episode 13:
http://www.advuniverse.com/default.php?cPath=64
mochi – Great tip! The ADV digital downloads site is tight!
Do any of u kno when all the eps will be released together in a series set in english?
I really like the manga which iv collected all the books in english so far but im interested
in the DVDs but dont want to pay for each one seperately iv gone to amazon to look for the
whole series and they say it exists but is not available help plz
IDK, Sakkresh, but they do have alot of sites that you can download the Subtitled version onto your computer or simply watch it on the internet, but don’t go to youtube, they wont have it.
Animax Phillippines version had an english version, it sucked. Bad.
hi guys..i am from malaysia ,can i know where can i download air gear videos? since there is no license about downloading anime..lol hmm anyway ,air gear is shown on tv in malaysia..but they only show 2 episodes a week..i am looking forward for more. crazy about it xD
Hey! Check out http://www.repeats.tv to watch anime free online
Have no fear… NightStalker is here… If you want to watch air gear w/o downloading it, here is a good site…. Its only in Jap. but it has eng subtitles. http://stage6.divx.com/videos/tag:gear/tag:trick
You can BUY Air Gear at BestBuy.com, Amazon.com and many other fine anime dvd retailers. You can also rent Air Gear from NetFlix.com too.
please dont tell me, the show ends at ep 25, im bout to go crazy
omg it cant only go to ep 25 i love the program but i havent got that far abd iv missed episodes, so it sucks lol xx haha I LUV ANIME !!!
Is their anybody in the entire universe who can tell me a website where you can watch Air Gear episodes for free and it works with a WindowLiveXP computer?????? Anybody?!?!? I HAVE TO WATCH THE EPISODES I’VE MISSED!!! And I can’t record them because my DVD’s broken T~T And we haven’t bought a new one.
Other then that I LOVE SPITFIRE and AIR GEAR ROCK!!! It’s sooooooo funny XD It’s pervertedness is hilarous but the serious times definatly sends the message.
And it’s in english! I forgot to mention that ^^’
And it’s in english and not English Subs… The Japanese voices suck ass… I forgot to mention the english part ^^’
Air gears the best eva but its realy a tie between air gear and mew mew power anyway i got vol 1 its got the first 4 episodes it rocks and its in ENGLISH!!! but the japanese voices do suck (Ringo fan)
boring,boring,so…………………………………………………..boring.
kogarusamaru is rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!But,boring.so……………………………..boring.
Truely…i hate sport anime…Do no…mayb coz it take 2 seriously…but when i watch AG in it 1st episode…I really2 like it coz it is full of joke n spirit of cuz..
WHY OH WHY DID IT HAVE TO END AT EP 25