Air TV

Reviewed By: Carla Land

ADV Films DVD 2004

Review based on volume 1 (episodes 1-4)

Rating NR

What it’s (basically) all about: Yukino, a traveling puppeteer, rolls into a little town searching for a girl with wings. Who he meets is Misuzu, a little girl with a dysfunctional mother and Kano, another girl who lives with her over protective big sister. Instead of moving on, Yukino stays for the summer, which ends up being strange and mysterious.  What is the secret that Kano is hiding, and could Yukino’s search for the girl with wings be over?

Nitty Gritty:  Brief moment of stylized nudity in episode two when Yukino is talking about the girl with wings to Misuzu, and the opening credits has a brief ( and I mean split second) moment, but you have to look for both and neither is sexual in nature or all that revealing.

Misuzu’s mom drinks after work. A lot. But for all that she’s not a model mother she really cares about her daughter, even if she does let a drifter (Yukino) sleep in her garage and keep an eye on Misuzu.

There are scenes of war and famine, and a mother commits suicide in a flashback, but there is no blood and nothing happens on screen. It’s a moving scene but not graphic.

Special features include clean opening/ closing animation; previews for Best Student Council, Le Chevaier D’Eon, Kurau Phantom Memory, Kaleido Star: New Wings, Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy, and Utawarerumono; and DVD credits. Opens with promo for Anime Network and Newtype-USA magazine (which as of this writing is now PIQ magazine.)

Survey says: This will be good in YA collections.

Personal Ad: Though it’s hard to describe, this series is really a good one. The animation is well done, there is no bad language, and it’s got that  “What happens next?” feel that keeps you tuned in. I really like this one.