Air (visual novel)
Air
Air original visual novel cover.
Genre
Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Game
Developer
Key
Publisher
Visual Art’s (PC)
NEC Interchannel (DC/PS2)
Prototype (SoftBank 3G/PSP/FOMA)
Genre
Eroge, Visual novel
Rating
18+ (Original PC), 15+ (PS2)
Platform
PC, Dreamcast, PS2, SB 3G, PSP, FOMA
Released
September 8, 2000 (PC-limited)
Other releases:
July 19, 2001 (PC-regular)
July 27, 2001 (PC All Ages)
September 20, 2001 (Dreamcast)
August 8, 2002 (Original PS2)
April 8, 2005 (PC Standard Edition)
September 1, 2005 (PS2 re-release)
May 1, 2007 (SoftBank 3G)
November 22, 2007 (PSP)
February 5, 2008 (FOMA)
Manga
Author
Key
Illustrator
Yukimaru Katsura
Demographic
Seinen
Magazine
Comptiq
Original run
August 10, 2004 – February 10, 2006
Volumes
2
TV anime
Director
Tatsuya Ishihara
Original run
January 6, 2005 – March 31, 2005
Episodes
13
Animated film
Director
Osamu Dezaki
Producer
Iriya Azuma, Mamoru Yokota
Composer
Yoshikazu Suo
Released
February 5, 2005
December 11, 2007
Runtime
91 minutes
TV anime: Air in Summer
Director
Tatsuya Ishihara
Original run
August 28, 2005 – September 4, 2005
Episodes
2
Air is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key which was originally released as an adult game on September 8, 2000 playable on the PC as a CD-ROM. Subsequent versions with the adult content removed were sold playable on the PC, Dreamcast, and PlayStation 2. The PC version with adult content was re-released with added support for Windows 2000/XP under the name Air Standard Edition on April 8, 2005. The last releases of Air were made available to play on the PlayStation Portable, and SoftBank 3G and FOMA cell phones.
The gameplay in Air follows a plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the differing scenarios of the three female main characters. The game is divided into three segments—Dream, Summer, and Air—which serve as different phases in the overall story. The title of the game is meant to reflect the prominent themes of the air, skies, and use of wings throughout gameplay.
Air has made transitions into other media. A manga series based on the visual novel was first serialized in the Japanese magazine Comptiq and published by Kadokawa Shoten; the manga ran between August 2004 and February 2006 and was illustrated by Japanese artist Yukimaru Katsura. A thirteen-episode anime series created by Kyoto Animation aired in Japan between January and March 2005. A subsequent release of two episodes entitled Air in Summer aired in August and September 2005. While the anime was still airing, an Air movie by the animation studio Toei Animation hit theaters in Japan in February 2005. The anime series, plus the two-episode Air in Summer and the movie were licensed and released in North America by ADV Films. A set of nine drama CDs were also released, published by Lantis between August 2005 and January 2006.
Contents
- 1 Gameplay
- 2 Plot
- 3 Development
- 4 Adaptations
- 5 Music
- 6 Reception and sales
- 7 Notes and references
- 8 External links
//
Gameplay
An average conversation in Air featuring the main character talking to Misuzu.
The Air visual novel is divided into three segments—Dream, Summer, and Air—which serve as different phases in the overall story. The player assumes the role of Sora, a crow Misuzu befriends and brings home.
Air’s gameplay requires little interaction from the player as most of the game’s duration is spent reading the text that appears on the game screen, which represents either dialogue between the various characters or the inner thoughts of the protagonist. After progressing through the text, the player will come to a “decision point” where he or she must choose from multiple options. With the consumer ports, if an undesired choice was selected, there would be an option to rewind the story to correct the mistake. However, if the player reaches a bad end to a storyline, the player does not have this option and must reload the game at the last saved point.
There are three main plot lines the player experiences—one for each heroine. The player must replay the game multiple times and make different choices during decision points to view all three plot lines.
Plot
Air takes place in a town modeled on Kami, Japan.
Setting and themes
There are important locations featured in Air that are based on places in the city Kami in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.
As indicated by the title, air, skies and wings are important themes: Yukito is searching for the “girl in the sky”, have the ability to use magic, though Yukito is the least skilled among them. Kano was told by her sister that when she grows up and takes off her yellow ribbon, she will gain the power to do magic.
Main characters
Main article: List of Air characters
The player assumes the role of Yukito Kunisaki, the protagonist of Air. He lives a poor life going from town to town with little money, and is not trusting of people he first meets. Kano, like Misuzu, exhibits an immature personality, and still believes in things she was told by her older sister Hijiri as a child. The third and final heroine Yukito meets is a girl in Misuzu’s class at school named Minagi Tohno, a top student in the school who is very shy and quiet, which isolates her from others. Until she met Yukito, her only friend was Michiru, with whom she often blows bubbles at the abandoned train station in town.
Story
Air’s story revolves around three girls whose lives are connected to the same man. In the first story arc, Dream, Yukito Kunisaki is a showman traveling across Japan, continuing his late mother’s search for the “girl in the sky”.
The next day, Yukito meets girl named Kano Kirishima and a stray dog named Potato; Kano and Misuzu go to the same high school. Later that day, Yukito meets a third girl named Minagi Tohno, Misuzu’s classmate, and her friend Michiru. Like Misuzu, both Kano and Minagi have strange personalities connected with mysterious pasts. Before long, a legend of “one thousand summers” begins to unfold where the mysteries of the past are framed primarily by the relationship between Yukito and Misuzu. The cursed “girl in the sky” Yukito has been searching for turns out to be Misuzu. By the time he figures this out, she has already grown to love him and has passed her fifteenth birthday. Once these things have come to pass, the “girl in the sky” is cursed to die. The remainder of this arc is dedicated to Yukito’s attempt to save her, trying to effectively break the curse.
The next arc, Summer, reveals events that occurred in the summer of one thousand years before the Dream arc, taking place in the Heian period. Kannabi no mikoto, or Kanna, is one of the last winged beings in Air’s fictional setting and is held as a prisoner in her own castle. Since she bears wings on her back, she is not permitted to leave the castle walls or see her mother, who is in a similar situation elsewhere. With Ryūya, a member of her samurai guard, and Uraha, a fledgling telekinetic, Kanna escapes and traverses feudal Japan to find her mother. However, the rest of the guard and a sect of Buddhist monks follow them. After catching up, they place a curse on Kanna where she must endure constant reincarnation and death whenever she finds love; Misuzu is one such reincarnation.
In the last arc, Air, Yukito’s final wish to save Misuzu’s life is heard. The story starts over from the Dream arc, although it is seen through the view point of a crow Misuzu finds and names Sora. New things are revealed that were not seen following Yukito in the Dream arc. After Misuzu finds Sora and brings him back home, her condition worsens and eventually she forgets even who Haruko is. Misuzu’s father shows up during this arc wanting to take Misuzu back to his home, but Haruko pleads with him to grant her more time, and they agree on extending the time for three more days. The remainder of this arc has Misuzu and Haruko spending time together like mother and daughter.
Development
After the completion of Kanon, the Key staff started production on Air and expanded the number of people involved in this project compared to Kanon. The executive producer for Air was Takahiro Baba from Visual Art’s, the publishing company that Key is under.
Jun Maeda, the main scenario writer of Air, commented that in the early stages of Air’s production, it was already decided that it was to be an adult game, and he further assumes that if it was not at least first released with adult content, that it would not have as commercially successful. Maeda also commented that he wanted to write Air to give players the chance to experience the entire story as a whole rather than just a sum of differing parts as typical bishōjo games do, including Kanon. While attempting to do this, Maeda also tried to simultaneously make it seem similar to typical visual novels in the same genre as Air to give the game appeal to the players who often play such games. As such, while the game incorporates stories from several characters, they are all of varying lengths.
Release history
Air was released on September 8, 2000, playable only for the PC as a limited edition package containing two CD-ROMs for the game, and the music album Ornithopter. The DC version also included new scenes not viewable in the original release.
The second consumer port for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) was released on August 8, 2002. After the PS2 game sold enough units, three years later on September 1, 2005, a cheaper version for the PS2 also known as the “Best Version” went on sale for about half the price as the first PS2 release.
The Air Standard Edition was released on April 8, 2005 with added support for Windows 2000/XP as a DVD-ROM. Only this version, the original limited edition release, and the regular edition release contained pornographic scenes.
Adaptations
Manga
An Air manga was serialized in the Japanese computer game magazine Comptiq between August 10, 2004 and February 10, 2006.
There are also five sets of manga anthologies produced by different companies and drawn by a multitude of different artists. The first volume of the earliest anthology series, released by Ichijinsha under the title Air Comic Anthology, was released on January 25, 2001 under their DNA Media Comics label. Volumes for this series continued to be released until December 25, 2001 with the seventh volume. The second anthology,Air Anthology Comic, was released in a single volume by Softgarage on December 20, 2002. On April 17, 2004, Ohzora released an anthology comprising of works based on both Kanon and Air entitled Haru Urara: Kanon & Air. Ohzora also released three other anthologies under the title Air, the last of which came out on March 24, 2005.
Drama CDs
There were nine drama CDs released based on Air released by Lantis.
The cover of the first DVD compilation volume for the Air anime series.
Anime
See also: List of Air episodes
On November 17, 2004, a teaser DVD named “Air prelude” was produced containing interviews with the anime’s cast, clean opening and ending theme video sequences, and promotional footage of the anime itself; it was a limited edition DVD, with only 20,000 copies produced. The anime television series is produced by Kyoto Animation, directed by Tatsuya Ishihara, written by Fumihiko Shimo, and features character design by Tomoe Aratani who based the designs on Itaru Hinoue’s original concept. Thirteen episodes were produced by Kyoto Animation: twelve regular episodes, and a final recap episode which summarizes Misuzu’s story arc. The anime also follows the game by splitting the series into three parts; Dream (episodes one through seven), Summer (episodes eight and nine), and Air (episodes ten through twelve), with the recap episode (episode thirteen) following. The episodes aired between January 6, 2005 and March 31, 2005 on the BS-i Japanese television network. The theme songs from the Air visual novel are used for the anime’s opening theme, ending theme and soundtrack. After the conclusion of the anime series, a mini-series which added to the Summer arc of the story called Air in Summer aired on August 28, 2005 and September 4, 2005 a week later on BS-i. Air in Summer consisted of two episodes and was produced by the same staff as the anime series.
A DVD released on March 31, 2005 called “Air Memories” contained promotional commercials for the series, staff commentaries, and clean ending sequences from the twelfth and thirteenth episodes, lasting ninety-two minutes in total.
On April 27, 2007, ADV Films co-founder and executive Matt Greenfield announced the acquisition of both the anime series and the movie during a panel at Anime Matsuri, South Texas’ anime convention. The episodes were released on four DVD compilations between August 14, 2007 and November 27, 2007. The second DVD volume was sold in two editions, with the difference between the two being a series box all four DVDs could fit inside.
Movie
Main article: Air (film)
An Air animated film directed by Osamu Dezaki premiered in Japanese theaters on February 5, 2005.
Music
Main article: List of Air soundtracks
The visual novel has three main theme songs: “Bird’s Poem” (鳥の詩, Tori no Uta?), the opening theme; “Farewell song”, the ending theme; and “Blue Skies” (青空, Aozora?), the insert song. Each song is sung by Lia of I’ve Sound and the lyrics were written by Jun Maeda.
The first album, Ornithopter, came bundled with the original release of Air in September 2000.
Reception and sales
According to a national ranking of how well bishōjo games sold nationally in Japan, the original Air PC release premiered at number one in the rankings.
“Air took the bishōjo gaming world by storm,” as states a review of the Dreamcast game by MobyGames.
Notes and references
- ^ a b Air cell phone game official website (Japanese). Prototype. Retrieved on 2007-01-12.
- ^ a b Air PSP official website (Japanese). Prototype. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g Air art works, Paradigm, April 2001, pp. 224
- ^ a b c d Air visual novel official website (Japanese). Key. Retrieved on 2007-11-30.
- ^ Summer arc playthrough chart (Japanese). Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
- ^ a b c d e f Air information and synopsis. Hentai.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-01-12.
- ^ htc.moon.st on Air’s setting at the Internet Archive
- ^ Untranslated quote: その先には閉ざすものなく、空が広がっていた。遮へい物のひとつもない。陽光が揺らいだ。
Translated quote: “In front of me is an unchecked, wide open sky. No obscuring objects whatsoever. The sunlight oscillated down.”
Key. Air. Visual Art’s. (in Japanese). (2000-09-08) - ^ Katsura, Yukimaru (2004). Air manga volume 1. Kadokawa Shoten, 153.
- ^ a b c d e Key Scenario Staff Long Interview (Japanese). Colorful Pure Girl (March 2001). Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
- ^ Untranslated quote: …部活動というものがあるのです…天文部です
Translated quote: “…There’s still club activities…the astronomy club.”
Key. Air. Visual Art’s. (in Japanese). (2000-09-08) - ^ Untranslated quote: 魔法が使えたらって、思ったことないかなぁ？
Translated quote: “If you could use sorcery, what do you think would happen?”
Key. Air. Visual Art’s. (in Japanese). (2000-09-08) - ^ Untranslated quote: 俺が母親から伝えられた、手を触れずに人形を操る力。
Translated quote: “I had inherited the ability to control puppets without touching them from my mother.”
Key. Air. Visual Art’s. (in Japanese). (2000-09-08) - ^ Untranslated quote: 手を触れることなく、人形を動かす力。俺にとっては当たり前の力。この少女にわかる言葉で、それを説明するなら…「…一種の魔法だ」
Translated quote: A power that can move a puppet without touching it. To me, it’s a power that’s nothing out of the ordinary. But if I had to explain it to this girl using terminology she knew… “…it’s a kind of magic.”
Key. Air. Visual Art’s. (in Japanese). (2000-09-08) - ^ Untranslated quote: あるいは何か、下心を持っての行動だろうか。金は持っているだろうか。いくら友好的でも、こういう奴には関わらないのが無難だ。
Translated quote: “Or is it some sinister plot? Or is it just because she’s rich? Even if she’s got a friendly attitude, it’s best not to get involved with that kind of person.”
Key. Air. Visual Art’s. (in Japanese). (2000-09-08) - ^ Untranslated quote: 見事にコミュニケーションがなされている。
Translated quote: “She surprisingly seems to be able to communicate with it.”
Key. Air. Visual Art’s. (in Japanese). (2000-09-08) - ^ Untranslated quote: …この空の向こうには、翼を持った少女がいる。…それは、ずっと昔から。…そして、今、この時も。それは俺が幼い頃、母に聞かされた言葉だった。詳しいことを教えるより先に、母は死んでしまった。それ以来、俺は一人で旅を続けてきた。空にいる少女の話。
Translated quote: “…at the far end of the sky, there is a girl who has wings…from the distant past…even now, she is still there. That is what I heard from my mother when I was small. Before I could ask more clearly, my mother died. After that, I continued journeying alone. The myth of the girl in the sky.”
Key. Air. Visual Art’s. (in Japanese). (2000-09-08) - ^ Untranslated quote: …わかった。泊めたる。納屋にな。
Translated quote: “…I understand. Stay here. Sleep in the garage.”
Key. Air. Visual Art’s. (in Japanese). (2000-09-08) - ^ The Dream and Air arcs in Air are set in 2000; one thousand years prior in Japan in 1000 was during the Heian period.
- ^ “Heian period”. Encyclopedia Britannica. (2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
- ^ a b c Air staff information (Japanese). Retrieved on 2007-06-08.
- ^ a b Air staff information (Japanese). Erogamescape. Retrieved on 2007-06-08.
- ^ Clannad staff information (Japanese). Erogamescape. Retrieved on 2007-06-08.
- ^ a b c d Key Sounds Label albums with contributions by Jun Maeda (Japanese). Respect Maeda. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
- ^ Release Information on the Dreamcast version of Air. Gamespot. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
- ^ Air PS2 re-release. Rpgfan.com (2005-07-02). Retrieved on 2007-01-12.
- ^ a b Interchannel’s Air website (Japanese). Interchannel. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
- ^ Official Visual Art’s Motto blog entry for the Air VGA mobile phone release (Japanese). Visual Art’s (February 5, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
- ^ Official Key blog entry for the VGA Air mobile phone release (Japanese). Key (February 5, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
- ^ List of cell phone games playable through Visual Art’s Motto (Japanese). Visual Art’s Motto. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
- ^ Comptiq September 2004 issue (Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved on 2006-06-25.
- ^ Katsura, Yukimaru. Air manga volume 1 (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten.
- ^ a b Katsura, Yukimaru. Air manga volume 2 (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten.
- ^ a b Official listing for the third volume of the manga anthology Air (Japanese). Ohzora. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
- ^ a b c d Official listing for the nine Air drama CDs (Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved on 2008-02-18.
- ^ The ninth Air drama CD. CD Japan. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
- ^ Official website listing of all TV episodes (Japanese). BS-i. Retrieved on 2007-04-27.
- ^ Unofficial website listing of TV episodes for Air. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2007-04-27.
- ^ DVD section at the anime’s official website (Japanese). TBS. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ Blue-ray box set release information at the anime’s official website (Japanese). TBS. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ Air sells on Blu-Ray format (Japanese). Watch Impress. Retrieved on 2007-03-26.
- ^ ADV licensed the Air anime and movie. Anime News Network (April 27, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-27.
- ^ ADV Films’ official Air anime website. ADV Films. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ a b c Air (movie). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-06-25.
- ^ Air movie official website on the DVD features (Japanese). Frontier Works. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
- ^ a b c Air Original Soundtrack booklet transcribed online (Japanese). Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ a b c d Key Sounds Label discography. Key Sounds Label. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
- ^ Air Movie Soundtrack (Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
- ^ Air Plagiarisation Follow-Up. Anime News Network (September 21, 2005). Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
- ^ a b PC News national ranking for bishōjo games; Air ranks 1, 42, and 42 (Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ PC News national ranking for bishōjo games; Air ranks 20 (Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ PC News national ranking for bishōjo games; Air ranks 42 and 42 (Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ PC News ranking for bishōjo games; Air ranks 26 (Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ PC News nation ranking for bishōjo games; Air ranks 43 (Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved on 2007-06-14.
- ^ a b PC News ranking for bishōjo games; Air ranks 7 and 30 (Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ PC News ranking for bishōjo games; Air ranks 42 (Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ PC News ranking for bishōjo games; Air ranks 1 (Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ PC News ranking for bishōjo games; Air ranks 34 and 28 (Japanese). Archived from the original on 2007-02-10. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ Amazon store with ranking list for highest selling bishōjo games of 2000 (Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
- ^ Air DC game first week sales. Xmission (2001-09-28). Retrieved on 2008-05-16.
- ^ Ranking of highest selling Japanese Dreamcast games. Altervista. Retrieved on 2007-01-11.
- ^ Dreamcast review. MobyGames (2005-04-06). Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
- ^ Eternal Fighter Zero -Blue Sky Edition- (Japanese). Pirikara. Retrieved on 2006-01-12.
- ^ Dengeki G’s Magazine top fifty bishōjo games (Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Air (visual novel)
- Key’s official Air website (Japanese)
- Air anime official website (Japanese)
- ADV Films’ Air anime official website
- Air movie official website (Japanese)
- Air (anime) at Anime News Network’s Encyclopedia
Key (under Visual Art’s)
Main staff
Jun Maeda · Shinji Orito · Itaru Hinoue · Na-Ga · Yūto Tonokawa
Notable former staff
Naoki Hisaya · Yūichi Suzumoto · Magome Togoshi · OdiakeS
Pre-Key visual novels
Dōsei · Moon. · One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e
Visual novels
Kanon · Air · Clannad · Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume · Tomoyo After: It’s a Wonderful Life · Little Busters! · Rewrite
Animation
One OVA episodes · Kanon anime episodes · Air anime episodes · Air movie · Clannad anime episodes · Clannad movie
Characters
Kanon characters (Ayu Tsukimiya) · Air characters · Clannad characters · Little Busters! characters
Soundtracks
Kanon · Air (”Tori no Uta”) · Clannad · Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume · Tomoyo After: It’s a Wonderful Life · Little Busters!
Key Sounds Label
Humanity… · Birthday Song,Requiem · Spica/Hanabi/Moon · Ma-Na · Love Song · OTSU Club Music Compilation albums
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