AIR

One of Key's first VNs and Maeda's first major solo venture in KEY, this is an important story and pivotal in the seasn trilogy, The beginning of this VN and its individual routes were each really slow but had amazing foreshadowing and continuity. Whilst the routes feel distant, there's a narrative importance in the individual lives and separation of these heroines, it's a very lonely work. Summer had fantastic atmosphere and the true route "Air" was packed with meaning, heart, and inspiration. AIR is a story about the inevitability of hardships in life, but our purpose as people is to find our own small happiness in spite of them. I don't think I've ever cried harder at something in my life.

"Isn’t happiness a good thing because there isn’t all that much of it? I mean, the more precious something is, the stronger your emotions are when you obtain it.” - Kunisaki Yukito Air tells the story of the 1000th Summer, a tale woven with emotional highs and lows. Sometimes you'll cry, other times you'll laugh, but more than anything, you'll feel. It's a journey more than a visual novel and if it is a journey that means it'll have an end. A warm, heartfelt, and meaningful end is what awaits. Amid these emotional moments, cryptic elements quietly unfold. So there's a mistery to unravel, a significance to discover at every moment. To all of this, u have to add that it has a hellish good OST and lovable moe characters. What u obtain when u mix all of this, is an unique experience. You wont forget this VN no matter what. I never did It since I watched the anime seven years ago and neither I'll do now after I finished this, the original work. Air comes to u, and then it stands t...

While not being as good as Clannad and Kanon in my opinion, this is still an absolute classic visual novel with some Amazing routes. Some parts didn't really engage me too much, but the large majority of it absolutely did. I also really enjoy the fantasy elements involved, it really feels like you're playing through a Ghibli movie once you get to a certain Route. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this as long as you already have an interest in visual novels.

I can't put into words the wholeness of my experience with this story, but I can certainly say that, it greatly impacted me on a emotional level and psychological one. Speaking of psychology, this game treads subtly on it, in an exquisite manner, although impactful on whoever comprehends it. The comedy is superb, the characters are interesting, all in all, I heavily recommend it.