Air

Synopsis

Yukito Kunisaki is on a journey in search of the Winged Maiden who was bound to the sky centuries ago, after hearing an old childhood tale from his mother. As Yukito shows his puppet show to people in an attempt to make some money, he finds himself in a small town in which he did not expect to stay very long. However, when he meets an unusual girl named Misuzu, things take a drastic turn as he is invited to stay with her.

By staying in the quaint town, Yukito soon becomes friends with the locals. As he gets to know them better, he learns of their problems and decides to help, putting his search for the Winged Maiden on hold. With his search on hold, and his growing attachment to Misuzu and the small town, will Yukito ever find the Winged Maiden, or is she closer than he thought?


Main Character

Misuzu Kamio (神尾観鈴)

Name: Misuzu Kamio
Age: 15-16
Hair Colour: Blonde
Eye Colour: Blue
Relations: Haruko Kamio (Aunt, Foster Mother then Adopted) and Kannabi no Mikoto/Kanna (Incarnation)
Favourite Animal: Dinosaur
Favourite Phrase: “Gao” (Noise of a Dinosaur)
Favourite Drink: Peach Pulp Juice

Misuzu Kamio is a slightly strange girl that is first introduced when she meets Yukito Kunisaki. With an obsession with dinosaurs (which goes back to her childhood), she finds it difficult to make friends and is constantly left alone. Because of Misuzu’s fondness of dinosaurs, she uses the word ‘Gao’ frequently, which is the noise she thought dinosaurs made when she was young. Even though Misuzu's foster mother scolds her whenever she utters it, Misuzu constantly disregards the warning and continues using it in her everyday speech. 



One day, Misuzu resolves to make a friend, and after meeting Yukito, invites him over to dinner. Although Haruko disapproves of him at first, they all eventually become friends and Yukito is invited to stay. While playing cards one night, Misuzu suddenly cries without reason. Haruko soon explains that Misuzu has a condition where she cries uncontrollably when she comes close to making friends. Misuzu’s condition begins to worsen, prompting Yukito to leave. He soon discovers that Misuzu is related to a childhood tale he heard, and that she is the descendant of the Winged-Maiden in the tale, who has been cursed to eternal pain.

Misuzu soon becomes ill; she becomes childlike and has to use a wheelchair. As a result, Haruko tries to adopt Misuzu officially. Unfortunately, before she is able to do so, Misuzu's biological father comes to take her with him. However, when he tries to leave with her, Misuzu refuses, calling Haruko ‘Mama’. 

Even though Misuzu stays with Haruko, her condition doesn’t improve, and when Yukito returns, she is in constant pain. In the final episode, Misuzu asks that they all go to the beach together and when they get there, Misuzu attempts to walk to Haruko and Yukito, calling them 'her goal.' Sadly, when Misuzu does reach them, she collapses and dies in Haruko’s arms, ending the curse placed on the Winged Maiden.

Kano Kirishima (霧島佳乃)

Name: Kano Kirishima
Age: 15
Hair Colour: Blue
Eye Colour: Green
Relations: Hijiri Kirishima (Older Sister)
Likes: Potato (A Stray Dog that is always with her), Magic, Flying

Kano Kirishima is a young girl who lives with her older sister, Hijiri Kirishima, at the local Clinic. Kano is a bit strange because of her belief in magic; however, she is an outgoing girl who loves the town’s stray dog, ‘Potato’. After learning her mother died giving birth, Kano dreams of flying to meet her mother who she believes is watching down on them. Kano constantly wears a yellow scarf around her wrist, convinced she’ll be able to use magic as an adult if she never takes it off.

Kano’s first appears when Yukito Kunisaki is hired by her sister. Soon after becoming friends with Yukito, she reveals her dreams of flying and the reasoning behind her scarf. One day, Kano disappears and Yukito finds her near the town shrine, where Kano attempts to strangle Yukito. He soon finds out from Hijiri that Kano did strange things such as muttering nonsense and trying to commit suicide when she was younger. Hijiri then explains that after Kano attempted to slit her wrists, she put the scarf around it and fabricated the story of gaining magic powers, hoping this cause Kano’s suicidal acts to subside.

Later, Yukito, Misuzu and Hijiri find a letter from Kano saying she overheard the whole thing and that she’s going to fly away. They go to search for her and find her at the shrine again. This time, her scarf has been taken off and there is blood around her wrist with no visible wound. A feather then begins to glow on the shrine and Yukito gives it to Kano, invoking a hallucination where Kano sees her Mother. During this hallucination, Kano thanks her mother for giving birth to her and tells her she no longer needs the scarf. When Kano comes back, she tells everyone she saw her mother and that she is alright now. Kano then lets the scarf fly away into the wind.

Yukito Kunisaki (国崎往人)

Name: Yukito Kunisaki
Age: Unknown (Possibly between 17-20)
Hair Colour: Grey
Eye Colour: Gold / Hazel
Relations: Ryuuya and Uraha (Long Descendant)
Favourite Food: Ramen
Favourite Object: His Puppet

Yukito Kunisaki is a young man who travels around the country, searching for the Winged-Maiden he was told about by his late mother. By using a special trick, Yukito is able to move his puppet without strings. He uses this to make money as he travels, with most of it going towards food.

One day, Yukito arrives in a small town by the sea. Quickly deciding not to stay very long, he heads for the beach in an attempt to make some money. While by the beach, he meets a strange girl named Misuzu who quickly invites him to her house for dinner and, although skeptical, he accepts. Soon after meeting her mother Haruko and becoming friends with them, he is convinced into staying there. Yukito soon begins doing odd jobs for the local clinic after the doctor catches him doing his puppet show outside. It is here that Yukito becomes friends with Kano and Minagi. However after getting to know them better he learns of their problems, which convinces Yukito to stay and help.

After helping Kano and Minagi, Yukito finds out about Misuzu’s illness, which is where she is unable to make friends because she’ll begin crying uncontrollably. Yukito then leaves, deciding that if he leaves, Misuzu will get better, however as he is about to leave Yukito realizes his mistake and goes back to help. Here is when he realizes his and Misuzu’s connection to the past and that Misuzu is the re-incarnation of the Winged Maiden. When Yukito finds Misuzu, she tells him of her last dream before falling asleep. Yukito then disappears in a bright light, causing Misuzu to wake up, seemingly better.

It is implied that when Sora appears in the Anime after Yukito’s disappearance, Sora is Yukito or contains a part of Yukito’s soul.

Minagi Tohno (遠野美凪)

Name: Minagi Tohno
Age: 15
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Reddish Pink
Relations: Michiru (Younger Sister)
Likes: Astronomy

Minagi Tohno is a smart girl who is the top student in all her classes at school; however, she is very shy, with Michiru as her only friend. One of the things Minagi enjoys the most is studying the stars at night. Together, her and Michiru created the Astronomy Club, which she forces Yukito to join. Minagi’s mother and father are separated, with her mother living at home and her father away on business as a train conductor.

Yukito finds out from Hijiri, the local doctor, that Minagi’s mother has a mental illness caused by the miscarriage of her second child. When Yukito goes to see Minagi at her house, her mother appears calling Minagi, ‘Michiru’; the name she would have called her miscarried child. It is explained that Minagi was closer to her father than her mother, and because of her mother's wish that her next child be closer to her, she has delusions that Michiru was born and Minagi never existed.

When Minagi talks to Yukito, she talks of her desire to leave, prompting Yukito to take her with him on his journey. However, when they walk to her house, Minagi’s mother sees them, causing her memories of the miscarriage return and her delusions to end. With her mother's illness gone, Minagi invites Michiru to dinner, and her mother is surprised at the coincidence of her friend's name being the same as her miscarried daughter.

Soon after, Minagi and Yukito go to the school roof where they find Michiru. She explains that she was a wandering spirit who came down to Earth because she saw a sad girl that she wished to make happy. Now that Minagi is happy, she has to leave. Michiru then vanishes. When Minagi gets home, she is given a letter from her father, explaining that he has re-married and new wife has given birth to a little girl. When Minagi goes to visit, she finds that the daughter is named, and looks exactly like, Michiru.