hontou ni
17May/0714

AIR DVD Boxset 1

The guiding principle in all my purchases has always been "value for money". Of course the value of any mechandise varies widely, even among folks of similar passions. For example, some figure-collectors think it's madness to fork out 7000 yen for Alter Fate Testarossa, I thought it a bargain and bought 3. Others retch at the mention of a Da Capo rewatch. I flew to Taiwan to get the DVDs. Yes, it's always about the worth one ascribes. But the perception of any value is inadvertently tied to its associated passion, as many hobbyists found out, waking up one chilly morning to suddenly lament what possessed them to dump a good chunk of their hard-earned moolah into a dying love.

Ahh but my love for AIR is true! 2 years after its run, my love for Misuzu, Kano and Minagi burns ever so bright. 24 months after, AIR still top my chart for the "highest production values in anime". 104 weeks after, AIR ep 1 remains a primary choice in my arsenal of "episodes-to-pimp" when non-anime-believing friends drop by. 730 days after, I still drool at aweomse AIR art. So when I finally bought this AIR DVD boxset after 17520 hours, I knew instantly I was thousands of hours late.

The hallmark of any KyoAni production is its rewatchability. Going through AIR 01-08 again was no less exhilarating and breath-taking than my virginal exposure to this series 1051200 mins ago. The graphically stunning scenes still elevates me to anime heaven and the angelic cast remains incredibly endearing. I risk offending but really in my humble opinion, those who write AIR off as an otaku-pandering-harem series, in spite of the spectacular artwork/the loveable characters/inspiring cinematography/impeccable music, would not be able to fully appreciate many finer things in life. At this juncture, I have to be fair and say that AIR is not the most coherent of stories though in every other aspect, it overflows with such affecting beauty that it'd be a sin to ignore.

Anyhow, I digress. The true purpose of this post is to highlight my rapturous purchase and to encourage those who are considering of getting the AIR DVDs (be it the upcoming R1s, exisiting R3s or even the higher end R2s) to hesitate no more. If there's one way to anime nirvana, AIR is it. Now to get the 2nd boxset and I would have attain 1 of my 50 life goals.

Related posts:

  1. The Joy of DVD Boxset Bargains

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Filed under: AIR, Anime DVD Leave a comment
Comments (14) Trackbacks (1)
  1. CCYoshi
    May 17th, 2007 - 13:58

    Personally I preferred Kanon over AIR, character-wise anyway. Misuzu has a great story and all, but it gets sort of predictable honestly (if I remember right they lay it out for you about halfway?), while most of the Kanon characters have enough twists to leaving you reeling and an emotional wreck.

    Not to mention the cute factor of Shiori, Mai, and Nayuki in Kanon ’06 really trumps anything AIR can dish out – although it did have it’s moments (see: Misuzu cooking).

    AIR’s a good anime, but I’d put it below Shuffle! and Kanon on the eroge awesome-list.

    Maybe this view just suffers from watching AIR first and Kanon next (two times in a row also). I’m planning to rewatch AIR another time, perhaps I’ll get it and like it more this time XD

    Also, how was the price of this compared to your Haruhi steal? I’m beginning to get jealous of the anime retail business over there in…not-America-place. :P

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  2. Adun
    May 17th, 2007 - 16:52

    That’s a rather nice looking boxset. Though i already have the entire set of the R2 DVDs as I bought them when they first came out. Keep in mind I’ve only watched the first two DVDs, the rest are left untouched, lol.

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  3. Mizumi
    May 17th, 2007 - 18:22

    Very nice purchase!

    Being the insane Air(and Key in general) fangirl I am, getting my hands on the R1 DVDs is my highest priority at the moment. I’m REALLY hoping that the DVD covers and artbox take full advantage of the beautiful artwork of the show. Although I’ve been hesitant to watch the movie, I won’t be able to pass up the opportunity once it gets released. A limited edition release would also be wonderful. ^-^

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  4. TedFox
    May 17th, 2007 - 18:54

    Damn. I want!

    Thinking of waiting and asking my friend to help me buy the blu-ray set from japan. gah! it’s very pretty!

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  5. moyism
    May 17th, 2007 - 19:11

    What, no Blue-Ray version? j/k Good purchase man, which reminds me yet again I still have yet to get the OVAs for the series. Then again, with the series coming out in R1 guess I can wait til then.

    …SPEND MORE! LOL

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  6. CherylHew
    May 17th, 2007 - 23:04

    PRETTY BOX~ TT__TT I love AIR to bits. I can’t understand why people associate AIR with HAREM. I mean, yes, it’s an eroge, you get to choose from THREE girls, but it’s glaringly obvious that AIR isn’t about trying to knock up as many girls as possible or even to discover all their storylines, because MISUZU IS WHAT MATTERS!! >__

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  7. Tess
    May 18th, 2007 - 00:21

    Whoo! Yet again I wholeheartedly agree with Stripey! AIR! Misuzu! Yaaay.

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  8. Asrialys
    May 18th, 2007 - 00:51

    Hm…I wonder if our R1′s will look like that. I wouldn’t mind.

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  9. Beowulf Lee
    May 18th, 2007 - 12:25

    I’ll buy it after I learn Japanese… I’ll be 458473682947 hours later than you… Gao.

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  10. Vexx
    May 18th, 2007 - 14:53

    I prefer the epic arc of the AIR series and looping time arcs and buddhist/shinto influences (though I’m still mixed about Yukito’s “solution” actually helping).

    But the Kanon2006 series appeals to me more for the comedy, tragedy, and mystery aspects.

    Both are winning shows …. and in the case of AIR it looks like I’m going to get a Region 1 release (which means I *have* to buy it since I enjoyed it, using my criteria for supporting the industry via fansubs). I may even get my Kanon now…

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  11. Sherman, the Ramni
    May 18th, 2007 - 21:53

    I take moyism’ words seriously.
    AIR deserves emptying the wallet if that means Blu-Ray’s glorious quality.
    Other series that deserve Blu-Ray are, IMHO, CODE GEASS, Da Capo, GANTZ, and some more I can’t remember right now.

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  12. Stripey
    May 20th, 2007 - 11:12

    CCYoshi: heh, Kanon was awesome alright. :) Personally I preferred Kanon’s central plot over AIR’s which seemed a little forced. But I preferred AIR’s production values over Kanon’s. I guess it being the summer theme with its azure-flamed sky, turquoise sea and rolling green hills appealed to be a great deal visually. :) Somehow I also preferred the music in AIR. That said, I thought the chars in Kanon were much better developed having more eps dedicated to them. Yeah Shiori is the ultimate moe-hime. *remembers kawaii snow throwing stance*

    AIR Boxset 1 was acquired at about 9000 yen. :P Not not a steal like Haruhi but am at least assured is not bootlegged XD

    Adun: Ah… disc 1 and 2…can I assume you are also a Kano fan? :)

    Mizumi: Thanks and look forward to your R1s! :) Indeed, it’d be a sin if the covers do not take full advantage of the gorgeous art. I suppose you’d be like me, looking out for the Kanon DVDs too? :) Heh, I think I can count Clannad DVDs in too already XD

    TedFox: wow! The blu-ray!!! *envious* :P I checked out CDjapan. The blu-ray set cost about S$400. But it’s surely worth it. Now you’ll need to get a 50 inch LCD TV to exploit fully the fabulous AIR artwork XD

    moyism: Blu*cough*ray… the flesh is willing but the wallet is weak.. XD A quick calculation showed that I could either acquire 1) FMP TSR and Mai HiME R3s or 2) 1/2 year worth of figures for the AIR bluray set…. Oh forgive me! My love for AIR is not true enough! :P

    CherylHew: Indeed! As least for AIR, the romantic element is very subdued not a major thrust of the series at all. Glad to have another fellow fan who appreciated AIR for what it really is. :)

    Tess: Yay Misuzu! Just thinking about her makes me gooey-peach-drink thirsty XD

    Asrialys: I believe it’s gonna be better. At least, I believe they would have more goodies than the R3s which I consider pretty barebones. :P

    Beowulf Lee: Haha! You don’t need to wait that long! R1s would remove the language barrier :)

    Vexx: I’m just waiting for that Kanon R1 announcement. :) As a package, I thought Kanon delivered more. But I thought many dramatic parts were nerfed for me having seen the 2002 Toei version. How I lament :P

    Sherman, the Ramni: In terms of artwork/direction, I believe almost all of KyoAni’s productions are worthy of being play from the blu-ray. In fact FMP TSR and Kanon are on my DVD to-get list. :)

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  13. FlameStrike
    May 23rd, 2007 - 23:05

    Heh Air was indeed awesome, but I liked Kanon better for a few reaons. The main thing that messed up my enjoyment of air was because for some strange reason I couldn’t get myself to care enough about Misuzu and Kano X.x Damn there must be something wrong with me lol. My favorite was Minage Yukito sorry haha. Still I love AIR too and if I had money I’d but the DVD’s though

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  14. Stripey
    May 28th, 2007 - 09:55

    Heh. yeah if one didn’t like Kano and especially Misuzu, it’d be hard to enjoy AIR :) After all Misuzu soaks up about 60% of the airtime. Nevertheless, it’s a great series to have for pimping anime. The vibrant colors and crisp images always get to my anime-uninitiated friends when I put on clips of AIR. :)

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