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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun!, November 10, 2006
This review is from: Air Gear, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
To the previous reviewer: huh? Why'd you whip out a college-level thesaurus to write a review? It's a manga. About inline skating. Seriously, Air Gear is a fun series, and the key to enjoying it is...not taking it too seriously!
Okay, so what's Air Gear about? Like most shounen manga, there's warriors and fights, team matches and techniques and backstories and "getting stronger". Think Naruto. With more skating and boobies. "Airtrekking"is an x-treme sport where skaters wear high-tech skates and then battle in teams for territory and fame. In the first volume, Ikki Minami is a 13-year-old junior high gangleader, the hailed "Babyface" of East Side. He suffers a humiliating defeat by the Stormrider (air-trekking) gang "Skull Saders," who then go on to target the friends and classmates he can't protect. His foster family, the Namayoma sisters,(notably Ringo, Ikki's bespectcled childhood friend)mysteriously reveal themselves as the legendary "Sleeping Forest," assisting Ikki in entering the Airtrek world to redeem his pride. Meanwhile, they keep the true nature of their Stormrider identities sercret. But could Ikki be significant to the Air Trek world in a deeper way than first percieved?...
Oh!Great is an amazingly gifted mangaka, who, like his characters who hope to "fly" in the sky, does not limit himself. He is the rare talent who can appeal to a reader in every conceivable way. In Air Gear, there's comradery and friendship, fanservice that'll get both boys' and girls' attention, great fashion illustrations, and furious action scenes. Few are as skillful at anatomy as Oh!Great, who uses his skating theme to depict the human body with such fluid grace it looks like visual poetry on the page. (great for artists looking for references or inspiration.) There's plenty of hilarious cracks and sexy characters, (male and female), and it's all done with a casual good sense of fun.(Those who are utterly terrified by nudity and crude humor, stay away.)
The story only gets better and better as it goes. Each character is notable in his or her own way, and they each get more coverage in later books as Ikki discovers his own niche in the Airtrek world. The plot flows smoothly, a bit trashy at times, really heart-warming at others, and majorly entertaining throughout. Oh!Great is a master at drawing backgrounds, dynamic figures, and character design, so no worries there. Air Gear is the complete package that just aims be fun and nothing else, so those who have no pretensions about enjoying a great peice of work, don't hold yourselves back.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A blast to read, if you are willing to take a wild on the wild side, October 22, 2011
This review is from: Air Gear, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
A compelling start to a series that has grown tremendously popular both in its native Japan as well as internationally, the first volume of Air Gear demonstrates the series' incredible potential while keeping its most delightful tricks, twists, and characters tucked away for later chapters. For the moms and dads out there reading up on the series because of their child's developing interest in the franchise, or in the manga industry in general, I feel it is my duty as a fan to point out immediately that if your family has strict rules regarding the violence, language, and sexual innuendos in consumable media, you will want to consider feeding your child's interest with something a little less caustic. Air Gear is an incredible manga that utilizes elements of the "punk" subculture to add personality and flair to a premise that would otherwise be cliche collection of inked panels; however, this also renders the nature of the series grundgy and potentially offensive to the eyes of more tender readers. Just about every volume I have purchased new at the store has been kept in the very back, perched on a high shelf, and wrapped snugly in a thin veil of plastic wrap. Breasts are exposed, middle fingers fly, "F" bombs are dropped, and rectums are plugged with firecrackers. And the antics do not let up after the first volume. It's ridiculous, over the top, and not meant to be taken seriously. The author understands that this comic will never be considered anything more than disposable entertainment in the eyes of all but his most devout fans, so he is left free to let his creativity flow from his pen uninhibited. This is not a series for small children and "younger" teens. Only give this to your child if he/she is mature enough to be able to indulge in the hobby healthfully. This particular volume is composed of two hundred and twelve pages, including translation notes and character bios to help clear up any misconceptions. Inevitably, things will be lost in translation, but Del Rei does a marvelous job providing a clear, coherent translation that makes the transition from Japanese to English as fluid and natural as possible. "Volume One" contains five chapters, each spanning about twenty-five to forty pages in length. In Japan, the series was originally serialized on a weekly basis, and the early chapters are actually a little bit longer than what readers will enjoy down the road. That is not to say the quality takes a dive in later volumes, however; you simply have more chapters of about twenty pages compressed into a single volume. I found the after story extras to be quite interesting. Devout fans who have a real appetite for the Air Gear universe will eat up the goodies happily. Describing the storyline of this first volume is rather difficult. This is not because it is incoherent or unorganized, but because the premise is so stylized and outlandish. There is simply no way of pitching the story without garnering some snorts and stifled laughs as responses. I feel that the best way to enjoy a series like Air Gear is to embrace its outlandish style and predictability instead of recoiling from it. This is a comic book, after all. One does not purchase a book such as this because they seek cerebral stimulation; they buy it because it is fun! I will admit though, that volume one does not showcase the best the series has to offer, and this is only because it is the first volume in the series. If readers are willing to stick beside Ikki and his friends as they mature in their new hobby and leave their training wheels behind, they will be greatly rewarded when all hell brakes loose in later in the series. Some comments are made regarding the freedom that the skates provide for their riders and these exchanges are presented to the reader somewhat poetically. At this point in the series, these exchanges are little more than Stormrider jargon and a laughable attempt to sucker readers into actually taking what they are reading seriously. They do not really carry much weight until much, much, much later on in the series when the riders begin throwing around various mathematical equations to rationalize how a kid weighing about one hundred and forty pounds can engage in a street fight several hundred feet above an actual street. The art exhibited throughout the five chapters is top notch, arguably the best the industry has to offer. True to their upbeat and "gangsta" aesthetics, characters rebel against the four ink walls that traditionally serve as boundaries and jump off the page with a unique and inspired acrobatics. The art never dips in quality, and always remains of the highest quality. Some reviewers have described the art as somewhat invasive however, claiming that is muddies the story and at times makes certain scenes lack cohesiveness. This is a very fair criticism. Still, I think it is important not to take the comic out of its geography. In Japan, reading material traditionally is read from right to left. If the professional reviewers are unfamiliar with this format, then it is easy to find the more intense action sequences to be difficult to follow. Parents who are willing to purchase this book for their child need not worry too much, though. The early panels are large and spacious, so if the reader has even the smallest reserve of patience, he will eventually grow accustomed to the format. Manga fans looking to purchase this title will have nothing to worry about, as we have been dealing with this dilemma for years. Loud, explosive, and oozing with style, Air Gear is worth a read if you are able to appreciate all that it offers without taking it too seriously. Please do give it a shot if you feel up to it!
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Take To The Air!, September 2, 2007
This review is from: Air Gear, Vol. 1 (Paperback)
I've heard of the hype and I have heard of the series, but it's everything I expected and more! Air Gear is probably one of the best and maybe the greatest manga series to ever hit the United States since Bleach.
Itsuki Minami is a fighter for the Eastside and has earned the title Babyface. Though trouble has ensued in their city when local gangs called The Skull Saders beat up, destroys and even kill anyone who comes near them with roller skates on. Now Itsuki must fight, protect and skate his way through trouble in order to get his reputation back!
From the same company who created Burn Up and Tenjho Tenge, comes one of the crown jewels of the `Oh Great!' franchise. Though the story is very well put together, the real problem I had was trying to tell apart some of the characters! One character looks like the other in some scenes and it will make you kind of flip the pages back to see who they are.
But overall the story and characters are original and brilliant! It is a must buy for any manga fan looking for the newest great hit!
Air Gear Volume 1 gets five stars out of 5.
My name is Amone. Adios!
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