Air Gear
| Company type | Manga series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing, Entertainment |
| Founded | November 6, 2002 |
| Founder | Oh! great |
| Headquarters | Japan |
| Products | Manga, anime, OVA, musical |
| Parent | Kodansha (publisher) |
Air Gear is a Japanese manga series created by Oh! great, which was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from November 2002 through May 2012 and collected into 37 volumes. The plot revolves around Itsuki Minami, also known as "Ikki" or "Crow," and his companions as they engage with Air Gear, a cutting-edge inline skate technology. The storyline focuses on their identities as Storm Riders and their ambition to conquer the Trophaeum Tower, regarded as the pinnacle achievement for Storm Riders.
The manga was adapted into a 25-episode anime series by Toei Animation, which aired on TV Tokyo between April and September 2006. Additionally, a three-episode OVA titled Air Gear: Break on the Sky, produced by Satelight, was released from November 2010 to June 2011.
By August 2020, Air Gear had achieved over 18 million copies in circulation and was honored with the 31st Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category in 2006.
Plot
The phenomenon of "Air Treks," an advanced form of aggressive skating, has swept across Japan’s youth culture, leading to the rise of various gangs competing in A-T battles. Ikki, a resilient middle schooler affiliated with "The East-Side Gunz," lives alongside four adopted sisters who secretly belong to the infamous A-T faction "Sleeping Forest." Upon encountering the universe of Air Treks, Ikki embarks on a transformative journey that reveals his history and forges vital alliances within the storm riding community.
Manga
Created by Oh! Great, Air Gear ran in Kodansha's shōnen publication Weekly Shōnen Magazine from November 6, 2002, until May 23, 2012. Kodansha compiled all 357 chapters into 37 volumes under the Shōnen Magazine Comics label between May 16, 2003, and July 17, 2012. A one-shot chapter was later published on December 22, 2015.
In North America, the manga was licensed by Del Rey Manga, which launched the first volume on July 25, 2006, eventually releasing up to volume 17. Following Del Rey’s shutdown, Kodansha USA took over publication under its Kodansha Comics imprint.
Anime
The anime adaptation covers content from the first 12 volumes of the manga and was produced by Toei Animation, Marvelous, and Avex Entertainment. Directed by Hajime Kamegaki, the series composition and scripts were handled by Chiaki J. Konaka, with character designs by Masayuki Satō. The soundtrack features compositions by skankfunk, Wall5 Project, and Masaki Sakamoto. In 2006, ADV Films acquired licensing rights for U.S. distribution; production expenses reportedly totaled $780,000. The initial volume was released on February 6, 2007, presenting the uncensored Japanese home video edition rather than the broadcast version. An English dub preview of Episode 1 debuted via IGN in January 2007. By 2008, Air Gear was among more than thirty ADV titles transferred to Funimation. In Australia and New Zealand, licensing rights are held by Madman Entertainment.
Music associated with the anime was released through Avex, including one single and two soundtrack albums. The opening theme single "Chain" by Back-on came out on June 7, 2006, reaching number 139 on the Oricon singles chart. The albums Air Gear original soundtrack: What a Groovy Tricks!! and Air Gear original soundtrack 2: Who wants more Groovy Trick!!?? were issued on August 23, 2006, and February 28, 2007, respectively.
Original video animation
In July 2010, an Air Gear original video animation (OVA) was revealed as a special release alongside the limited edition of the manga's 30th volume. The OVA was produced by Satelight, taking over from Toei, with Shinji Ishihira serving as director, Atsushi Maekawa handling the script, Osamu Horiuchi responsible for character designs, and Stanislas Brunet contributing mechanical design. The voice cast featured Nobuhiko Okamoto as Ikki, Haruka Tomatsu portraying Ringo, and Yukari Fukui voicing Kururu.
The initial OVA installment, released on November 17, 2010, adapted the Ikki-Ringo showdown from volume 16 of the manga. Subsequent OVAs debuted on March 17 and June 17, 2011, respectively, illustrating the pivotal clash between Kogarasumaru and Sleeping Forest taken from volumes 24 and 25.
Musical
Air Gear was transformed into a stage production titled Musical Air Gear, which premiered from January 7 to 21, 2007. This adaptation loosely followed the manga's storyline but notably excluded all female characters. The cast included Kenta Kamakari, KENN, and Kenjiro Tsuda reprising their anime roles as Ikki, Kazu, and Spitfire, alongside performers such as Masaki Kaji and members of Run&Gun.
Within the musical narrative, team Kogarasumaru competes against team Bacchus, whose members bear names inspired by Shakespearean figures (Romeo, Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Puck).
Following its initial success, a revival performance took place in May 2007 with most of the original cast returning. Due to illness, Kamakari was replaced by Ryuji Kamiyama, which resulted in further cast adjustments.
A third iteration titled Musical Air Gear vs. Bacchus Top Gear Remix was staged in April 2010, featuring many returning actors including Kamakari reprising Ikki. Noteworthy changes included recasting Agito with a younger performer while the original actor assumed the role of Juliet; additionally, Aeon Clock took over Spitfire’s part.
Reception
By August 2020, Air Gear had achieved circulation exceeding 18 million copies. It was honored with the 2006 Kodansha Manga Award in the category.
Critiques from Anime News Network commended the artwork in the first manga volume but expressed reservations about its narrative. BlogCritics praised the series for effectively blending action and comedy alongside a captivating plot. The anime adaptation encountered criticism for diverging from the manga source material and omitting certain elements but garnered acclaim for its musical score. The English-language dub has received favorable evaluations. AnimeOnDVD observed that the series’ concept is distinctly anime-centric and visually impressive; however, despite generally positive feedback, its conclusion was regarded as somewhat disappointing.