Air Gear
East Side Showdown
by Pedro Rodriguez
For some time now, a craze called Air Treck (AT) has hitting the youth of Japan. By placing an extremely small motor in roller blades, the rider is given the ability to travel at high speeds, and perform stunts that were once considered unimaginable. Calling themselves Storm Riders, teens quickly adopt this technology and create groups called that challenge one another for territory and rank.
Itsuki Minami of the East Side Gunz may be able to handle your average thug, but when it came to fighting a group of Storm Riders called the Skull Saders without a pair of ATs, it was like watching a knife fighter at a gun battle. His adopted family (the Noyamano sisters) isn't showing much support either. As they feast on Yakiniku, they punish him by feeding him only rice and fish. Things change while the girls are taking a bath, Itsuki sneaks into a room that is obviously forbidden. What he finds is a closet full of Air Trek gear and an emblem with the words "Sleeping Forest". Seizing the opportunity, he grabs a pair of ATs a handful of stickers, and makes off for the night. Eventually he is led to a park where a Storm Riders are hanging out, including a hot girl who he's had his eye on. He notices that some of the guys are placing their group stickers on her, and without thinking twice he slaps a Sleeping Forest sticker on her as well. It's too bad the rookie placed it on top of another sticker, thus issuing a challenger to the other team... the Skull Saders.
If you only know Air Gear from the manga then you might find my synopsis confusing. Apparently in the spirit of adaptation, the production team omitted and rewrote some of the events. A primary example of this is Itsuki's role in his community; while you do you see him hang out from time to time with his friends and family, it doesn't play as big of a role in the show. Also in the anime series, Itsuki stumbled into the Air Trek world on his own; whereas in the manga, the Noyamano sisters are the one that sneak him in themselves after his horrific defeat. In comparison, the anime series begins with Itsuki’s growing curiosity over Air Trek and his baptism by fire, whereas the manga shows his fall from glory only to rise again from the ashes... literally. Another matter at hand is this "uncut" series is a lot tamer than the manga. Putting aside the bath scene in the first few minutes, the show features a lot less fan service throughout the DVD. Don't spill your hot coffee over it though; a lot of titles have been known hold back at the beginning.
How does this affect the viewer? Well, if you've never read the manga then none of this should matter; while there are other titles that have a more unique plot development, the series should have enough of a story line and eye candy to keep you interested. However, if you were hoping for something a bit closer to the original story line, you may have to reconsider.
Moving on to what does work for this series, the characters designs really hit the mark. Everyone looks like either they just stepped out of a second hand clothing store just off of Melrose Avenue, the Abercrombie at the Grove, or a Prop shop in Culver City (hey it’s an anime series, not a documentary). This isn’t even taking into account that the outfits are primarily based off the original work. The animation is also constant. It's a rule of thumb to see sharper animation in close-up and still shots, as opposed to wide or action shots, and while you aren't able the emblems on Itsuki's jacket as he skates up a pole, it does deliver the goods.
Music is also another important buying factor. Performed by Skankfunk, they play an assortment of music that ranges from rock, to dance, to hip hop. The style is unique to anime shows, and just fits this Air Gear like a glove. Hopefully someone will consider releasing the soundtrack here.
Speaking of adaptations, while I have heard cleaner work, the English did a modest job. Some of the better parts of the English script has to be the artistic license. It was interesting the hear the large woman at the Glum Slum speak with an Russian accent; hats off also to whoever came up with the idea to make the old man sound like Mario when he started jumping. The front cover has a cool metallic look to it with Itsuki and Ringo on the front cover. The features in the DVD are about average. The extras feature the clean opening and closing credits, and previews. Beyond the four episodes there isn’t much else to offer for an MSRP of $29.99; at least you can find at some retail stores for as little as twenty.
On its own the show does alright, but the story and fan service isn't up to the manga just yet. The series is filled with a memorable cast that has so much potential. Putting aside how loyal it is to the original work, the success of the series really depends on how well it can entertain its audience from this point on with whatever resources it has available.
Fly on little crow.
| >> To Gallery |
