Air Gear focuses around a 13 year old delinquent boy named Minami Itsuki or know by his friends as "Ikki", he lives with his sisters, (well they're not really his sisters but they have that kind of relationship and he lives with them due to his parents death) and he's the leader of a weak, three-man gang named "East Side Gunz". In the world of Air Gear the gangs don't just fight using fists. Nope that would be too easy for an anime, instead they take it to a completely different level. How do they do it?......skates. No I didn't spell it wrong, your computer didn't block any letters, they fight using skates. But these aren't ordinary skates (again too easy for an anime) they fight using jet-powered rocket skates known as Air Treks or AT's for short, and gangs who fight sin AT's are know as storm riders.
Our story begins when our hero, Ikki, challenges the leader of a gang of storm riders and, well...gets his ass kicked. He challenges them without AT's because he, or should I say his sister who he lives with, can't afford them. But as it turns out his sisters, were actually apart of a legendary storm rider gang called "Sleeping Forest" and have a hidden stash of AT's and all sorts of memorabilia from their past. Of course it goes without saying our knuckle-headed, foul mouthed, hero not only takes the AT's but the Sleeping Forest sticker (I'll tell you about it in a minute)...and the story begins!!
Before finding the AT's Ikki always watched a girl named Simca practice on hers. He never talked to her he just watched. But after finding the AT's he also (by means of two old, crazy people) finds the secret storm rider meeting, or something like that, where he finally meets the girl in person and learns there is an entire underground organization of storm riders. When he arrives he sees guys posting stickers onto Simca for whatever reason, so he decides Hey! Why not? and so after a playful chase scene finally posts the sticker onto Simca, except he puts it over another gang's sticker. Apparently in the storm rider world placing your emblem on another gang's is a challenge. But not just any gang, the same gang that kicked his ass!! Oh, the irony.
Of course this is the perfect time for the police to show up. Countdown to our big hero rematch moment and the po po's show up. But does that stop them? Nope! They still want to settle the score but not a lot of time to fight with the police there so its a race to the shop (remember, the two crazy old people? yea their shop). And on cue the sisters show up ready to defend their gang emblem in a rather impressive way emphasizing their strength. They take out some lackeys and leave the leader for Ikki. As if almost by instinct Ikki catches up to the leader (grinding on some power lines might I add) and discovers something called the "Sky Road" later in the series and ends the episode flying through the air in his AT's and I cant end this review without showing this legendary photo.
All in all I'd say Air Gear is a pretty worth-while anime. I don't give anime scores I believe each is unique. But if you're looking for an action-packed, midget pervert, fat muscle-man, sexy sailor, split personality homo anime that breaks away from the norm and don't mind (or prefer) a little ecchi here and there then you will enjoy Air Gear.
You can watch the full series english dub here.
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