Air Gear, Vol. 1

エア・ギア [Air Gear] #1

by Oh! Great

WANNA FLY?

Itsuki Minami needs no introduction–everybody’s heard of the “Babyface” of the Eastside. He’s the toughest kid at Higashi Junior High School, easy on the eyes but dangerously tough when he needs to be. Plus, Itsuki lives with the mysterious and sexy Noyamano sisters. Life is never dull, but it becomes dangerous when Itsuki leads his school to victory over some vindictive Westside punks with gangster connections. Now he stands to lose his school, his friends, and everything he cares about. But in his darkest hour, the Noyamano girls come to Itsuki’s aid. They can teach him a powerful skill that will save their school from the gangsters’ siege–and introduce Itsuki to a thrilling and terrifying new world.

Genres: Manga, Comics, Sports, Action, Shonen, Science Fiction, Comics Manga

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 2003

About the author

Oh! great, whose real name is Ito Ōgure (大暮維人 Ōgure Ito) is a Japanese manga artist most recognized for the manga series Tenjho Tenge and Air Gear. In 2006, he received the Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen for Air Gear. Apart from working with manga, he designed some of the alternate character outfits in the PlayStation 2 version of Namco's 3D fighting game Tekken 5, and a guest character in Soul Calibur IV named Ashlotte.

His pseudonym "Oh! great" is a play on words. His pen name, written in Japanese order, is "Ōgure Ito", which is pronounced similarly to and can be romanized the same as the Japanese rendering of the English words "Oh great," ōgurēto. Furthermore, "Oh" can mean "king" in Japanese, making it possible to read the name as "the great king".

Reviews

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually a re-read for me from ~my youth~. I need all the comfort (reads) I can get right now, plus I'll get to mark the volumes as read (I mostly record my reading in real time, I've read toooons of comics and manga I haven't marked as 'Read' here because it was before I joined GR), AND I'll finally get to know the ending of the series. Wins all around, but mostly the comfort thing.

Actual rating is between a 3 and a 4, gonna round down for now. A very promising beginning.

[Monsour · Rating 4 out of 5]

OVERALL RATING 3.5 STARS

Art is Great.
The Urban Jungle Genre is Great.
The Plot is Good until it fall downs to newest arc.

I've been reading "Air Gear" since I was highschool but for some reason I cant express my feeling on this, so no review what so ever.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ume was literally the only good thing about this. Thank fuck I only own one other volume besides this one.

[Liam Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sports shonen elements here are exactly as fun and high-octane as promised but I feel that the explicit content adds nothing to this one.

[Radiantbeni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bro What???????

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating: B
Synopsis: Air Gear is a shonen manga by Oh! great. The story follows Ikki, who is the toughest kid in his school and the leader of a gang. One night, Ikki bites off more than he can chew when he runs into the Skull Sabers Storm Riders. We're also introduced at this point to the concept of Air Treks, special skates that let the wearer "fly" (it's really more the sensation of flight). Ikki gets his ass kicked, and learns that his "sisters" (three women that Ikki lives with) are the legendary Storm Riders, the Sleeping Forest. They give Ikki his first pair of Air Treks and help him get revenge on the Skull Sabers.

I picked up the manga because it looked interesting. I kept reading because it reminded me of the game Jet Set Radio on the Dreamcast. If you've never played the game, check it out. It may get it's own review someday. Regardless, Air Gear is a pretty fun manga with an interesting concept. If you are in to fan service, there's plenty of that too, but it's pretty gratuitous (fair warning).

All in all, I enjoyed checking out the first volume, and will probably read the second one as well to see how the series holds up. It reads like it could go either way, building on the setting and becoming even better, or falling short and becoming a vehicle for more fan service. Let's hope it's the former. There's nothing wrong with a few panty shots or nude scenes, but I usually like a little plot in my manga.

For more manga and anime reviews, please check out Hobotaku.

[Fugo Feedback · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este primer tomo no me pareció espectacular ni nada demasiado especial. Pero en su momento tampoco me gustó tanto el #1 de TenTen, y el correr de los tomos me terminaría haciendo cambiar de opinión. Algo me dice que hay altas probabilidades de que me termine pasando lo mismo con esta serie. Ogure tiene mi voto de confianza, y las recomendaciones de aquellos que leyeron más allá de este tomo no hacen más que afianzarlo. A ver si para el #2 tengo algo más interesante que decir.

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Oh! Great's art, but I find his stories a little lacking. Violence for the sake of violence to try and move a story forward just doesn't really work for me.

[Rosenblue(retro comics & classic literature deserve more love on GR) · Rating 3 out of 5]

⚠️ Warning ⚠️ fan service,gross humor and some violence.

Full review soon.

[Rachel's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only got lost once or twice. XD

I admire the art, love the urban grunge feel to it.

Full review soon

[AP · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems interesting enough for me to continue for a couple of more volumes.

I never got into this when it was an actual thing. I knew of it but never got around to watch or read it. I was on the bandwagon with other series around that time and later. It's defintely very of its time and it has become very apparent to me that most of the manga I read as a tween-teen to young adult from that period around the 2000-2015 before my 10 year hiatus from manga and anime, contained a lot of fanservice and other questionable choices. That said, I still enjoyed most of the stories I read as I am and was capable of ignoring the fanservice!
That said this so far is not the worst I have read in that aspect. At least not for the first volume. I have noticed the reviews/critiques saying that there is fanservice and the story gets confusing, so I'm interested in seeing how I will feel after a few more volumes. At least mangas are easy fast reads, and with access to them from the library I am not losing too much by trying out these older series.

[Nevaeh brightful · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best show I've ever watched I mean Ikki himself has a mental place sometimes he does stupid things by himself but I think one of the best things I liked about his show is that it shows a lot of different versions of people that he knows and having respect him and simca should be together because like are there any episodes she cuts her hair because she really likes him then she wants him to take her and go really high in the sky because he is the next Sky King they called him I haven't seen in awhile but I'm going to read the book so I'm going to remember lol peace out.

[Cecillie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can conclude that I read some super weird manga as a teenager. The art style is great, just like a remembered. The concept is awesome; I remember wishing air trecks were a real thing when I first read this series. The humour is for the most part not that funny to me, never has been and never will be. It's very immature even if it uses mature themes.

[Natilin Alpaca Saurio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si si si, todo muy jiji jaja hasta que CÓMO QUE TIENE 13?! WTF?!!??? DIOS!
CÁRCEL! CÁRCEL PARA TODOS! MADRE SANTA!

Igual ta muy bueno, pero pensé que tenían como 17 o por ahí... No que recién pasaron a la secu

[Ana Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga is about people that have fights with roller skates... i know how it sounds but is actually more entertaining. I like that all the movements and special powers are explained with science. The art is also great.

[Galion Public Library Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review by M.T.: "Great series. Recommended to friends."

[b · Rating 3 out of 5]

i loved the anime, but the casual rapey and unnecessary violence that this first volume exudes (with no emotional consequences on the characters, what the hell? so... just for shock value?) ... ew

[Nehemiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun one, very stylised

[Pixie 🍜 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tw: rape, sexual assault, some dubious maybe incestuous stuff, etc. really wouldn’t recommend it if you like your manga to have any plot. The art isn’t even that nice. No thank-you.

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the style, very Jet Set Radio/Bombrush Cyberfunk. Let's see where this goes.

[Gwladys · Rating 4 out of 5]

rereading this banger after like 10 years ahah

[Arashi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Początek taki sobie, myślałam, że po tym tomie odpuszczę czytanie dalszych tomów, na szczęście końcówka uratowała wszystko.

[Coqupa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is actually fantastic.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't much care for this one. It isn't bad or anything. The setup they use to tell the story is odd and the only thing I can find that's memorable is the Air Treck techniques they use.

The story is kinda interesting but I haven't got far enough in the manga to say for certain. But the fight between rival gangs aren't really that interesting. They fight over territory and do a bunch of other crap that I can really care less about.

The other stuff that's on the okay side are the characters. Except for the main character, the others are kind of forgettable. Well . . . not all of them.



Ikki is alright. He's upbeat, eccentric, impulsive, rash, but also determined. He has this tough appearance but he's a kind person in the inside. He's very similar to the typical rash, brave hero stereotype but he has a little bit of character to him.

The sisters are okay but not really that interesting. Rika is the eldest and she is introduced with the other sisters but then she just disappears all of a sudden. Mikan is a typical tomboy that just beats the crap out of Ikki every time he does something stupid. I mean, I like a strong girl character but is it necessary for her to beat Ikki all the time? I know he's a pervert but usually it's either an accident or a misunderstanding. I'm sorry but that gets annoying, every time a guy does something that he didn't mean to but the girl keeps kicking his ass nonstop, it's not funny!!! I cringe in pain every time she beats the guy. I know that she's trying to make him stronger but really?

Ringo is likable. She's nice, smart, and polite but also can be stubborn and quick tempered. She also has the cliché of having feelings for Ikki, I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say that.

Shiraume is okay. She makes these creepy puppets and that's about it. I just wish we can see of her because she seems like she can be so interesting.

The other characters, I don't remember them.



The other thing I like in this manga is the skates. The Air Trecks are pretty cool and it seems like their using them to fight battles. The idea of turning the skating sport to a tool used for battle and flight is just fascinating and I can't wait to see more of that. The only problem is the comedy and not all the characters are really interesting. I'm going to read the rest of the other volumes but that won't be til later when I have more time to read it.



So overall, I think that this series is ok. It's definitely nothing spectacular but it's still enjoyable while leaving some sort of impact. So yeah, I like it ok and I'll be sure to look at the other volumes in the future.

[VQ the Mangamaniacs Taufik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author : Oh Great!
Genre : Action, sport
Rating : Dewasa

Minami “Ikki” Itsuki adalah preman dan ketua geng “EastSide Gunz” yang dijuluki “Babyface”. Saat ini ia tinggal di kediaman keluarga Noyamano yang terdiri dari 3 bersaudara, perempuan semua. Pada suatu hari, ia ditantang sekelompok geng bernama “Skull Saders” yang menggunakan A.T (Air Trek). A.T adalah sepatu roda linear seperti Rollerblade bermesin yang mampu meluncur dengan kecepatan tinggi. Dengan mudah ia dipermalukan oleh Skull Saders dan pulang membawa dendam kesumat.

Malam harinya, ketika ia mengendap – endap di kamar Rika (kakak tertua Noyamano) untuk mencuri uang, ia menemukan sebuah AT. Diam – diam ia mempelajari cara menggunakan AT tersebut. Malam berikutnya, ia terkejut mengetahu bahwa keluarga Noyamano adalah tim AT terkenal yang bernama “Sleeping Forest”. Mereka mengajak Ikki untuk masuk ke dunia AT demi membalas kekalahannya dengan Skull Saders sekaligus menempatkan dirinya sebagai Sky King.

My comment
Bila ingin mencari manga yang COOL dengan gambar keren, Air Gear lah jawabannya. Gambar yang fantastis, action yang keren dan cewek yang seksi menjadikannya manga top favoritku yang sekarang selalu kutunggu update nya. Tapi jangan sampai anak, adik, kakak, atau orang tuamu membacanya, karena manga ini penuh dengan Nudity, dan cewek yang seksi nan Hot abiz.
Ke-ke-ke-keep it Cool Yo!

[dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first read of 2018!! So this manga has been sitting on my shelf for FOREVER ago and I've decided to read the whole thing now and WOW. I watched the anime when I was in highschool and then read quite a bit into the manga but, at this point, I remember nothing

And what a surprise everything was. The art is Beautiful and so far everything has been set up in such an interesting way. We get to see how storm riders fit into this world, what they do once they are in a position of power, and we meet Ikki. Not a read for the weak as there are mentions of rape in here and we do get some graphic content even when it's "censored" (by a bit). This also falls into the ecchi category so there's lots of panty shots, sexy ladies, and boobs (and then there's Ikki, a thirsty teen)

I am excited to see the rest of it as already I'm seeing so many differences to the anime!

[Arbe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Posiblemente el manga más tonto que haya leído jamás, un cúmulo de despropósitos que empieza siendo ligeramente interesante gracias a un dibujo espectacular, pero que pronto se revela como la historia más inane del mundo, llena de los topicazos clásicos del manga aderezados con los delirios "imaginativos" del autor, que van surgiendo al azar, sin que tengan sentido o cumplan una función narrativa coherente, a saber: peinados que desafían la ley de la gravedad, tías buenas desnudas en posturas imposibles, gente tocando instrumentos musicales de repente, máquinas complejas sin función clara, gente volando con patines, fanservice de todo tipo, tramas que aparecen y desaparecen porque sí, frases "épicas", batallas en las que no sabes qué pasa, y un largo etc.

Opino honestamente que sólo puedes disfrutar de esta abominación si admiras sólo los dibujos o estás colocado hasta las cejas.

[Loïc Plaire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, so, I hate what I am about to write.
I was a big fan for a long time. Really. The story was cool, the drawing amazing, and the anime adaptation was great. But suddenly the story, that was some futuristic roller gang fighting over territory, became some totally fuck up story, with modified humans, crapy story and pretended philosophy. The end of the anime, that isn't really an end, is still far more better. At the end I was just rushing to the end, hoping the story will become ok. It didn't and finished it with an ash taste in the mouth.

[Rickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stylish, cool series that has several elements that make it great in my opinion. Its art style is fantastic, the characters are both memorable and interlocking with the plot, and the references within are lovely for a knowledge nut like myself. I'm not put off by the sexual gestures in the series, nor by how many volumes make it up, but those are factors that can discourage others. I highly recommend giving it a shot for a few volumes.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

air gear is a great book. its about a teen name ikki who run's a gang called eastside guns. but when he challenges the skull's to fight they have air trecks. ikki loses the battle but learns that if he wants to win more battles and take over more territoty he would have to get a pair. but when he does he becomes a the baddest kid on the block