AIR

So begins AIR, an H-game by Key Visual Arts with a clean version that spawned two anime, a movie by Toei Animation and a TV series by Kyoto Animation. (It was actually the first of three Key games that were animated separately by these two studios, although the Toei version of Kanon came out first.) It is seen as and marketed as a companion to Kanon; both deal with a young man with little to go on who begins living with a girl upon arrival and meets various other girls while sorting out the supernatural mystery of the town. The themes of fate and miracles also run deeply in both series.

Kunisaki Yukito is a traveler running low on money who lives day-to-day by performing a telekinetic puppet show. His travels, however, have a deeper meaning, one he's been trying to push away: for a thousand years now, his family has been searching for a girl with a curse upon her. A series of girls in town - cute, immature Misuzu, sly, friendly Kano, and quiet, peaceful Minagi - present themselves as suspects to be this girl in the sky, as they all have mysterious dreams of flying and connections to the spirit world that unfold along with their problems in the present day. If the girl isn't found and somehow saved, once she reaches a certain age or finds someone dear to her heart, she will become very ill, lose her memories, and die...

Not to be confused with the French electronica duo, the graphic novel, or the stuff you're breathing.

This program provides examples of

 * Achey Scars: Yukito was born with a scar that suddenly relives the time that his past life received the same scar, causing Yukito to collapse to the floor.
 * Adaptation Distillation: Watch the movie or the anime, then watch the other and note how different the main characters' personalities are.
 * Against The Setting Sun: several scenes take place by the sea, against a sundown scenario. Especially relevant is the scene in which.
 * All There in the Manual: Due to time constraints, the explanation of Yukito's past exists only in the game, and much of the medieval journey is relegated to an OVA. Also,.
 * Aya Hisakawa (Haruko)
 * Bird Run: Misuzu does this a lot.
 * Bishoujo Series
 * Bittersweet Ending:.
 * Downer Ending:
 * Earn Your Happy Ending:
 * Bleached Underpants: The original game was an H-game, but the anime adaptation and PS 2 port have the sex scenes removed.
 * Breathe On The Fan: Yukito does this in an early episode.
 * But Now I Must Go:.
 * Chekhov's Gun:
 * Children Raise You: Played with in Haruko's subplot -- she's an immature and irresponsible woman raising her dead sister's child, but she behaves the way she does for a good reason. She does become a loving and responsible mother figure at the end, though.
 * Continuity Cameo: Kano, Minagi and Michiru briefly appear as background characters in the movie. Also, Ayu, Nayuki and Makoto appear at Misuzu's school, and they would later appear in Kanon.
 * Continuity Nod
 * Corner Of Woe: Uraha and Ryuuya in episode 8, when Kanna tells them to get away from her.
 * Cowboy Bebop at His Computer: DVD advertisements describe Kanon as a prequel to AIR, featuring the same characters. No, and no, despite the Continuity Cameo above. Speaking of the ads, Hurai Suzumiya, anyone?
 * And then there's Anime News Network's official review, which messes up the character names.
 * Dating Sim
 * Decoy Protagonist: In the anime, at least, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is Yukito's story.
 * Deus Sex Machina: Kano No wonder Hijiri's so overprotective of her.
 * Died In Your Arms Tonight:
 * Disproportionate Retribution: Note to any winged beings: Leaving the temple, even if it's just to see your mother, will result in you being killed and cursed by Buddhist Monks. Said curse will haunt you in your reincarnations also. The curse? Die when you fall in love or if you feel love.
 * Disney Dog Fight
 * Dojikko
 * Dropped a Bridge on Him:
 * Precious Puppies: Potato. To quote Jesu Otaku's Red Snark Titles, Cutest fuzzy tuber ever!^_^.
 * Eyes Always Shut: Uraha. Well, almost always.
 * Eyes Of Gold: Yukito and Ryuuya
 * Festival Episode
 * First Girl Wins: Sort of.
 * Fond Memories That Could Have Been:
 * The Gadfly: Uraha and Ryuuya love nothing more than teasing Kanna.
 * Giant Poofy Sleeves: The school uniforms.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Misuzu is played by Monica Rial, who uses a similar-sounding, but more solemn, voice for Lumiere, and very much avoids typecasting as Super Soldier Jo in Burst Angel and vampire-like Ninja Okoi in Basilisk. She's been in lots of stuff.
 * The other leads in the dub have been in their fair share of anime -- Vic Mignogna as Yukito, and Luci Christian as Haruko.
 * A case of this in the original made it into an Actor Allusion in Lucky Star (DaisukeOno and Hiromi Konno, who played the roles of Yukito and Potato, respectively). There's also one in Haruhi Suzumiya (with Daisuke Ono, again).
 * Heck, Yukito is Heero Yuy in the game version!
 * Identical Grandson: A thousand years and lord knows how many generations later, and Yukito's mom still looks like Uraha with brown hair and Yukito himself like Ryuuya without slicked-back hair.
 * Important Haircut: Haruko cuts Misuzu's hair,.
 * Jidai Geki: The Summer arc and OVA.
 * Karma Houdini:.
 * Lazy Artist: Those from Kyoto Animation. Ever wondered whether light is a wave or a particle? Well, here's the answer: it sticks to hair.
 * Actually, that complaint should be directed at Itaru Hinoue, the original character designer. Kyoto Animation did a very good job in adapting the original character designs in fluid motion, and actually painting each of those frames, as intricately as the hair was already designed, takes a good deal of effort.
 * Mood Dissonance: Done pretty well with Kanna and her companions, misused and abused everywhere else in the series. Anyone laughed at any gag involving Haruko and Misuzu?
 * Motorcycle On The Coast Road
 * No Communities Were Harmed: The unnamed town is actually Kasumi, a small Japanese town that was absorbed into a city called Kami after the game came out.
 * Only Six Faces: In the series. One for girls, one for moms, and whoever is left...
 * The Other Darrin: The game and movie has Hikaru Midorikawa as Yukito's seiyuu, while the series uses Daisuke Ono.
 * Paper Fan Of Doom
 * Percussive Maintenance: Yukito uses this with Misuzu's TV.
 * Rage Against The Heavens: Haruko when it rains the day of the summer festival.
 * Rapunzel Hair: Rather appropriately reserved for the two high class Heian period ladies, Kanna and Uraha. Misuzu and Haruko's hair is pretty long as well, but not quite up to the standards of the trope.'
 * ...Isn't Misuzu's hair about knee length in the anime? I believe that qualifies. I think her hair is still at least below waist length in the Visual Novel.
 * Recap Episode: Episode 13.
 * Refusal Of The Call: Yukito, at first.
 * Reincarnation: The plot of the series requires it to exist, while the movie is good enough even if you don't believe in it.
 * Ridiculously Cute Critter: Potato.
 * Rule Of Cute: What else could justify the series girls' most peculiar eye placement?
 * Samurai
 * Scenery Porn: The sky and the sea play very important roles. The shots of the blue sky during the final scenes lend them a very dramatic atmosphere.
 * Shout-Out
 * "Silly Me" Gesture: Misuzu does this.
 * Sitting On The Roof
 * Someone To Remember Him By: Inverted by.
 * Something Completely Different
 * Spared By The Adaptation: in the manga, and  in the movie.
 * Story Arc: In order - episode one, Kano, Minagi, episode seven, Heian period, Sora, Misuzu, episode 12.
 * In the game, the arc with the first three scenarios involving Kano, Minagi, and Misuzu is called Dream, the Heian period arc is Summer, and the final arc with Sora, Haruko, and Misuzu is AIR.
 * Street Performer: Yukito tries to make a living performing by making his doll do tricks.
 * Supernatural Fiction
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: Played for Laughs: Near the shrine at night Yukito helps a disorientated Kano to stand after she collapsed when Hijiri suddenly appears to find her sister in the arms of the part-timer
 * It's not like I gave alcohol to an innocent girl and took her to a secluded place...
 * Together In Death:
 * Too Good For This Sinful Earth:.
 * , by extension. The monks, not the gods, were responsible for that, though.
 * Twelve-Episode Anime: Plus a Recap Episode as episode 13 and two  AIR In Summer episodes.
 * Utsuge
 * Welcome Episode
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy: Yukito and Ryuuya
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: Though it isn't explicitly stated, Uraha probably invokes and parodies this trope on purpose; her perfect-lady act is simply too over-the-top and unflappable to be entirely honest.
 * You Already Changed The Past: The series uses this trope as fuel. The movie, though, leaves some freedom of choice to the characters.
 * You Already Changed The Past: The series uses this trope as fuel. The movie, though, leaves some freedom of choice to the characters.