Late April, I blogged that the anime series "Air" was going to be released here in the States.
A breath of fresh Air: Coming soon to USA!
It is now out!
This weekend I will be running around to my anime sources trying to find the first volume.
I have already seen the very first episode on a DVD insert in this month's issue of Newtype USA.
Free Air Episode!
If you want to see what the fuss is about, act quick (before September 6th) and you can view the entire first episode of AIR over the Net from ADV films. It's 25 minutes long, so grab a beverage and some snacks.
I was really looking forward to seeing this anime series just from the reviews on the artwork; particularly the backgrounds. However I was really blown away by the quality and detail. I almost swooned!
It reminded me a lot of those done in the Onegai! (Please Teacher! / Please Twins!) anime series Lavie and I fell in love with. The colors in Air seem a bit more saturated, however (in a good way).
This is going to be a four-disk run so the cost should be reasonable (unlike those 7-10+ volume sets released for some titles!
Free Air Movie (2004)
If you are really a hard-core fan of Air, Animate.tv website is offering a streaming video of the 2004 Air movie (Japanese language only). No word how long it will be available.
Requires Microsoft Windows, with Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player. You will likely have to download and install an additional component (probably for DRM management). Abandon Firefox all those who hope to tread there!
The streaming quality isn't nearly as good as the Air TV episode mentioned above, and if you don't understand Japanese, you might be quite confused, but it is still pretty to watch.
If you like what you see, ADV Films is going to release the movie in the States (dubbed) in late 2007. So be patient a while longer. Many fans thought this series would never see a State-side release at all.
Yes, I suppose some folks are clever and know where to find these things on torrents, but I personally don't look for and watch anime via torrents/etc. I just buy the DVD's if I am interested. I might watch some clips on YouTube if I can find them for a new series just to get a feel. That's just my thing.
September Anime Shopping
Besides Air, I need to hunt down the Ah! My Goddess TV (2nd season) volumes and I think I am at least two or three episodes of Eureka Seven DVD's behind as well.
There have been some other series that looked good as well, but besides getting a box-set of Maburaho for Lavie a few months ago, I haven't really been picking up anime titles.
Links some more:
Air (movie) - official Japanese webpage.
Air (TV) - official Japanese webpage.
Air TV - great review via bluemist anime blog
Air (anime) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (plot and spoilers)
The Air is looking very beautiful right now!
--Claus
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