Name: Air Gear
Genre: Action, Sports
Year: 2006
Rating: Enjoyable
Itsuki Minami is an ordinary delinquent at a high school. Nicknamed Ikki by his friends he is known as the leader of a small gang named the East Side Gunz. Unknown to Ikki his sisters form the renowned Sleeping Forest Storm Riders, a team that competes in the world of Air Treck battles. Air Trecks (AT’s) are a special type of motorized inline skates. AT’s are much like ordinary roller blades but have motors which allow its user to perform maneuvers that would not ordinarily be possible with normal inline skates. After learning of his sister’s secret Ikki’s fascination in experiencing flight becomes a catalyst in forming his determination and journey towards mastering Air Trecks. However Ikki soon learns that sheer determination alone isn’t enough to achieve the ultimate dream of any Storm Rider of reaching the top of Trophaeum Tower.
Air Gear is a very entertaining series. As you may realize the creator of the Air Gear manga Ito Ogure (Oh! great) also made Tenjou Tenge. There are quite a few similarities in the two, obviously the same art style is used but also the themes and plot are almost identical. Both are based around a type of sport and both tell the story of delinquents engaging in that sport in order to win the ultimate tournament. Though I found that Air gear is a little more consistent when it comes to enjoyment levels. The battle’s itself runs much like a trading card game where the winner takes possession of the opponents parts, and of course there are rules within battles and with rules there are those who break them. The series itself provides enough spins and tricks to keep you entertained. Though I have to say don’t expect much from the ending, like Tenjou Tenge the ending is very incomplete. In both cases the end is literally only the beginning but I guess thats what the manga is there for.
