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Air Gear

エア・ギア

Minami Itsuki never thought about seriously riding Air Treck motorized roller blades, until he got his butt handed to him by a street gang of Storm Riders. That day, he discovered in a locked up room, a pair of AT's and a box of stickers belonging to the Sleeping Forest street gang. One thing leads to another, and Ikki dons the wheels and begins to ride. As his reputation builds in the AT street fighting/racing world, he begins to develop his own gang and participate in more fights, gaining more and more territory.

  • Type: TV
  • Age rating: Mild Nudity
  • Date aired: 2006-04-05 to 2006-09-27
  • Status: finished
  • Next release: -
  • Rating: 2603
  • In favorites: 301
  • Popularity Rank: 645
  • Episode count: 25
  • Episode duration: 24 min/ep
  • Total duration: 10 h. 0 min.
  • Genre: Action , Comedy , Sports , Racing , Ecchi
Reviews
jordan.douglas - 2015-05-24 23:36:26

One of my personal favorite series to date like I am just genuinely disappointed that it didn't have a longer lifespan considering the length of the manga like this series had fanservice but the characters were so lovable that when recommending it to other people I completely forget to mention the occasional nudity. 

wschamberger - 2014-07-17 09:44:21

Skating is an interesting sport, don't you think? I can't skate, but I always felt this interesting connection to skating. Something about the way skaters skate gives me this feeling of freedom, of ease; that they're seeing something I cannot see, and that there's something incredibly satisfying that they're accomplishing which I cannot achieve. To them, the sky's the limit, while I'm a mere admirer, staring from a distance, wistfully wishing that I can ever reach something that high.

Enter Air Gear, a shonen manga drawn and written by Oh Great! and adapted by studio Toei in 2006. The series is easily among the most enjoyable shonen I've ever had the pleasure of watching, and a relaxing series that can be watched with little to no effort on the viewer's part. The series is best watched if the viewer wants a rather flawed yet extremely entertaining shonen with love-able characters and an interesting (though incomplete unless the manga is read) story-line.

The story is interesting, no doubt about that. It follows the adventures of a charismatic high school delinquent called Ikki, who starts off his journey looking for a passion to love and something more than his rather mundane and (in his eyes) meaningless life. Enter Air Treks, this universe's version of skates. Ikki falls in love with the Air Treks at first sight, and aspires to become a leader of his own team and later even attempting to become the greatest Stormrider (what skaters are called here) there is.

What is interesting is that in spite of the story's lack of originality, the passion which went into it makes up for it, giving us a simple yet heartwarming story of friendship and passion for a sport they love. Events take place that are absurd and lack realism, yet this show is aware of what it is and what it isn't most of the time, making it easy to enjoy and simply have a great time.

Fanservice is abundant, the show takes its themes a bit too seriously and the characters are a ridiculous, yet lively as well as loveable bunch, but the charm and comedy present makes up for it as well as how Ikki and his team drive themselves forward. This show is character driven and it knows it, relying on the characters to make an otherwise mediocre plot exciting and uplifting.

The show is incomplete, however, and it is unlikely that it will get a second season at any point in time. That is to be taken with a grain of salt by anyone wishing to watch this show, and be noted that the manga is even more absurd than the anime, so approach that with caution.

Production values are pleasant to look at though far from exceptional, and the soundtrack is absolutely fantastic, fitting the atmosphere at every scene I can remember. The voice acting is top notch, with an excellent dub and a decent Japanese voice over.

The characters, as stated before, are a lively bunch yet also the core of what makes the show so easy to watch. Ikki's struggles to find something to pour his passion into are portrayed in an easy going fashion, lacking the angst normally present in shows that revolve around similar themes. Kazu attempting to live up to Ikki's shadow and the struggles of the other characters are also portrayed in a sympathetic yet refreshingly simple fashion, and while the development of most of the cast is incomplete, the development that is present is utterly fantastic. 

Ultimately, this is an extremely enjoyable shonen that doesn't bring anything new to the table yet is full of charm and humor, and I recommend giving it a shot if you want something entertaining yet relaxing to watch.

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