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AIR GEAR: EAST SIDE SHOWDOWN (VOL. 1) [ADVANCE REVIEW] |
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Wednesday, 24 January 2007 |
 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | ADV FILMS | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 4:3 FULL FRAME | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH DD 5.1 AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 100 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | TV MA | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 02/06/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 01/25/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
Have you ever wanted to fly? Itsuki dreams of it. A two-bit thug, the young guy often looks for fights where he shouldn’t. He protects his turf, but when a group of Storm Riders with some unusual aerial abilities thrash him, he is set on a path to a whole new world. A world where Air Trecks, special motorized roller blades, can give a person the power to move fast, fight furiously and even fly.
Based on the breakout hit manga from Oh! Great, this is a scintillating anime of incredible aerial martial arts, sassy women and dangerous foes. It should come as no surprise that this is a sexy action packed series as Oh! Great is also the creator of another titillating martial arts saga called Tenjho Tenge. Just like that first series, Air Gear has a brash young hero who fights first and thinks later but his heart is always in the right spot. Itsuki is taken care of by four sisters who are each very different. Their living arrangements provide much of the racy comedy of the series with red-blooded Itsuki trying to peek in on the cute and sexy women he lives with.
The series is eye catching right away with the opening animation. The wide blue skies and fast-paced music set the tone for this show about creative fighting and a boy’s wish to become stronger. In Itsuki’s pursuit to become a Storm Rider, he not only learns new skills with his Air Trecks, but also more about himself and the people around him. He also ends up getting some unwanted attention from more than one dastardly or conspicuous type who want to either put him in his place or see what he’s made of. This first volume ends on a brutal cliff-hanger.
The show does hit some of the underlying deeper emotional currents of the original manga, but not until the latter episodes on the first disc. It just hints at some of the pain that sits heavy in Itsuki’s heart. It’s those undercurrents that have the potential to raise the anime from merely a fan service laden martial arts romp, to a story that is a touch more serious and more moving.
The animation is stellar. Whether it’s the amazing fight sequences or the humorous fan service, the art is vibrant. It has yet to capture the astonishing art style of Oh! Great completely, but it comes really close. Being able to get that near to hitting the mark dead on is an accomplishment animation wise in and of itself.
EXTRAS:
Bonus features include clean opening and closing animation, and ADV previews.
IN SUMMARY:
Air Gear is an electrifying and pulse-pounding anime with fiesty beauties and incredible aerial martial arts. |
