Kimagure Anime Blog

Air’s last episode. There’s not much to say that won’t spoil the ending so if you really don’t want to know then look at the pretty pictures, but don’t read on. Misuzu and mom are getting along famously, they’re happy as can be. Misuzu still has pains, that seem to be coming from her wings. According to Yukito’s prophecy she will die after her last dream. On the last day Misuzu pains herself to get up and walk to mom, which she does, and then passes on. The gist of this is not that she really dies, of course, but the spirit of Kanna from episodes seven and eight, returns to the winged girl in the sky. There’s a lot of speculation about this, and I can’t honestly begin to understand the metaphysical portion of this show after one viewing, I’ve taken four days just to digest this episode. It hits hard, and doesn’t pull any of its emotional punches. The end shows a young boy and girl “beginning” something, and maybe it’s the beginning Yukito was talking about, maybe they can bring the happiness Kanna has been searching for all those years.

For a final review it’s hard to say what I really thought about this. I’m in the process of re-watching this on my DLP TV. To tell the truth it only brings out the stunning qualities of this show. Vivid colors, spectacular animation, and likeable characters that really draw you into this surreal portrait of this small Japanese town. The summer arc, where we went back to feudal Japan, seemed like an odd misstep, because of the apparent lightheartedness of the two episodes they gave to it. I speculate that on a re-watch I will feel better about these two episodes and their place in the story. Could they have spared the budget and cut back on things so they could have more episodes, sure, but I think that would detract from the drawing power of the visuals. Slight missteps aside, I’m very happy with the outcome of this show, I like the story it told and the people it introduced. While we could have had a little more time getting to know them all, I’m not all that sure we needed it. Overall an excellent piece of work.