Print Review: Review Air Gear volumes 1-5

Review Air Gear Volumes 1-5Written by WarpshadowRating very good

I found Air Gear to be the equivalent to gourmet Junk Food. It is basically a pile of shonen stuff with a bunch of fan service but it is done better than just about any manga that attempts that.

Ikki Minami was a tough cookie in Shininome Junior Hish as the leader of the Eastside guns. That was until he crossed the Skullsaders who beat him down like a punk with their Airtrek moves. Airtreks are motorized roller skates that allow their users, people called storm riders, to pull off amazing maneuvers. Ikki lives with the four Noyamano sisters who unbeknownst to Ikki are also the storm rider team known as Sleeping Forest. The sisters not only dish out some pain on the Skullsaders but also give Ikki his own pair of Airtreks so he can face down the Skullsader’s leader. So begins the legend of a new storm rider.

Air gear is a good example of the sports genre of manga even though Air Trek isn't a real sport but an exaggeration of of inline skating. The main differences is that there is a made up framework for contests and that there is a technological upgrade that allows it's players to pull off amazing stunts that would probably be impossible in real life. The artwork for this manga is very good especially for a weekly action oriented manga. There is also a good amount of fan service in this manga but that also benefits from before mentioned great artwork. I consider Air Gear to be something of a guilty pleasure but I also believe that one should seek quality in all things and this manga is a high quality guilty pleasure.