There's another me in the sky: let's talk about AIR

Growing up, I remember seeing many pictures of anime girls whenever I went online. They all had big, sparkling eyes, and my favorite ones stood against blue skies and wore white dresses that floated against a breeze. Many years later, I got into anime, and subsequently visual novels, wanting to experience stories that felt the same as those pictures I used to browse through.

When I booted up AIR and saw the story about the girl in the sky, along with the cg of Misuzu opening her arms to feel the wind, I felt a deep sense of nostalgia. That was the story I had been looking for all this time.

This was also my first Key VN. I knew about them from watching the Clannad anime back in highschool(one of my fondest memories from that time) so I went in expecting a lot of drama, and boy, they delivered. I love stories like this. I'm a noted crybaby, but it had been a while since something made me cry that much. It's genuinely heartbreaking. They don't call it a nakige for nothing, I guess...

So, what can I say about Air? I'll admit that at first, the artstyle was a bit jarring, but it really grew on me after a while, and now I love it to bits. The soundtrack was very nice—I ended up just leaving the game on for hours on the background while chilling to the music, oops. The characters' stories were engaging—the main girls were all very lovely.

Whether it was Misuzu's gooey juice and 1000-year old tragedy, or Kano and Potato's shenanigans and tragic spirit-possession, or Minagi and Michiru's familiar happiness and unhappiness, or even Kanna's ultimately failed escape along with Ryuuya and Uraha, each route is equal parts funny and sad...or so I say, but for Misuzu and Kanna, the sad moments probably outnumber the happy ones...even then, I wanted to believe that it would all be all right in the end. That a miracle would happen. Maybe it did, in a way.

All in all, AIR had a deep sense of magic. I feel like I'll remember that ending for the rest of my life.