AIR GEAR 01

This manga has a great story. Other people have put a short plot-line so I won't do that here. This manga is rated for Teens. It contains some nudity, cursing and crude humor. Parents should probably read the manga before buying it to determine if they are comfortable with their kids reading it. The reason I gave this product 4 stars instead of 5 is because of some unneeded things. There's far too much nudity, which some may consider great, but I think it degrades the storyline a bit and makes a majority of the characters a poor image for the youth today. The idea of never giving up and not backing down is in the manga and probably the main positive message this manga has to offer. Other than that, read it for the action and other cool things bundled up inside.

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!

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.