Air TV Volume 1

Product Description If ever there was sweeter, more sweeping epic fantasy anime, we'd like to know. Make way for AIR, the TV series fans have been crying for since it first aired on Japanese TV more than two years ago. Our hero is Yukito Kunisaki, a wandering puppeteer on a quest to find "the girl in the sky," a tradition his family has followed for generations. Upon arriving in a new town, Yukito must piece together the lives of three different girls - each as beautiful as they are mysterious - to unlock the truth of "the girl in they sky." Amazon.com Yukito, the hero of the shojo (girl's) fantasy Air (2004), is an itinerant puppeteer, seeking The Girl in the Sky, the heroine of a story his mother told him. His quest takes him to a seaside town, where he meets four local misfits. Bouncy blonde Misuzo acts like a case of arrested development; Kano suffers from the aftereffects of a magical encounter; astronomy club president Tohno seems to conceal secrets, including why she tolerates obnoxious Michiru. Yukito moves in with Misuzo and her drunken mother, and starts doing odd jobs for Kano's older sister, the town doctor. Each of the young women seems linked to The Girl in the Sky, but Yukito can't figure out the hidden connections. Neither can the audience. Director Tatsuya Ishihara tries to blend mystery and comedy, but the mysterious elements lack the requisite sense of urgency, and the comic moments feel forced. (Rated TV 14 V: alcohol use, comic violence, risqué humor) --Charles Solomon