# Air (2005)

> A wandering puppeteer searching for a legendary winged maiden finds himself drawn into a seaside town and a bond with an unusual girl.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/24132

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, drama, fantasy
- Network: BS-TBS
- Cast: Tomoko Kawakami, Aya Hisakawa, Asami Okamoto, Ryoka Yuzuki, Yukari Tamura, Yuuki Kodaira, Atsuko Bungo, Yurika Ochiai
- TMDB rating: 7.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0940874/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melancholic, dreamy, wistful, tender, sorrowful

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series as mixed, with its emotional story and lush animation admired while its melancholy, sometimes slow-paced drama divides opinion.

## Synopsis

Air (2005) is a Japanese animated supernatural romance series created for BS-TBS, produced by Kyoto Animation and VISUAL ARTS/Key, and made up of a single twelve-episode season. Yukito Kunisaki, a wandering puppeteer who performs puppet shows to earn his way, sets out in search of the Winged Maiden, a figure bound to the sky centuries ago, after hearing the legend from his mother as a child. His journey stalls in a small seaside town when he meets Misuzu Kamio (voiced by Tomoko Kawakami), an unusual girl who invites him to stay with her. The engine of the story is the slow pull between his quest and the people who begin to matter to him, with each episode built around everyday town life, quiet gatherings, and fragments of the old legend. Set in a sleepy summer coastal town, the series has a dreamy, wistful and melancholic register, with a tender and sorrowful emotional core rooted in memory and fate. Its visual mood is soft and lyrical, and its bittersweet atmosphere will appeal to viewers who enjoy the emotional restraint of Clannad and the tender supernatural romance of Kanon. The series offers a contained, emotionally intense viewing experience that rewards patience.

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- [Waiting in the Summer (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/38820)
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- [Aria (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/48215)
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- [SUPER LOVERS (2016)](https://ember.film/tv/58337)
- [Children of the Whales (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/63607)

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