2006 AIR Calendar

Product Information/Specifications

Introduction

I preordered this 2006 AIR calendar from YesAsia.  I knew it was a tear away type of calendar based on its size, but I didn't know what designs it uses.  Was it the game's, movie's, or the TV's?  I took the risk & pre-ordered it since AIR products are considered rare & hard to get.  When I received it, it had the "AIR on TV" symbol on it.  But I couldn't tell if it was the TV designs since it was tightly wrapped up in plastic wrapping & it was rolled up.  Opening it, I was relieved that it was the TV designs which I like a lot.

Some of the pictures aren't clear & good.  If I have time, I'll redo the bad ones & repost them.

The Review

2006 AIR Calendar Cover

You gonna have to excuse me for the bad photo jobs on the calendar.  It was hard to get good pictures out of it.  I was aiming to get the whole sheets with the best quality possible & I'm not a professional photographer.  They were taken from the floor.

As mentioned, the 2006 AIR calendar was rolled up in a tightly sealed plastic wrapping.  You need to flatten the calendar with some weight to get it straight & an overnight job won't do.  It's rolled up really good.

There are seven sheets, including the cover, to this calendar.  It covers the entire year of 2006 from January to December.  Each sheet covers two months, so it's a bimonthly calendar.  All the sheets are bind together by a metal bar containing a small hole on the back where you fold it up & use it as a hook.  You need a nail to hang the calendar to the wall.

All the sheets of the calendar

As you can see, the character designs are the TV version.  About 67% of the calendar contains Misuzu; probably because she's the most popular one.  Kanna only gets one shot because she's considered the least favourite & the months she's on is considered summer; most appropriate based on the theme.  Personally, I like the drawings very much.  They have the same feel & visual effects that the TV show had; especially the background.

Looking at the calendar, I initially thought these are all original artworks & not re-produced copies.  However, I recognize Kanna's pose.  For sure, the backgrounds are original but the poses aren't .  I probably saw these character poses from the game's designs.  I think a small portion of the calendar contain new drawings.

Overall Conclusion

The 2006 AIR calendar is pretty nice as it captures that feeling that I got from the TV show.  The drawings are quite colourful & soft.  However, I don't like the idea that each sheet contains two months.  Maybe I asking for too much for having more artwork.

On a scale of ten, I give the 2006 AIR calendar a nine.  The high score comes from the beautiful artwork in terms of the designs & background.  The lost point is from how the calendar uses the cheap approach being printed on normal big glossy paper.  Also, I'm thinking most of it has reused artwork.

If you are an AIRhead, this is a calendar that you should get.  Even if you don't like using calendars, I would suggest keeping it as artwork.  Of course, this calendar is most likely produced on the first production run & is out of print.  Aside from where I got it from, this calendar is quite hard to find.

Photos were taken using Sony DSC-F828 digital still camera.

Last updated on February 12, 2008