First off, I was expecting a generic anime filled with voluptuous girls flying around, so the only reason I watched it was because a friend recommended it. Forunately, my assumption was incorrect, as I was soon immersed in a vivid tale of friendship, legends, and tragedy that I wasn't to forget for some time.

The plot, for one, was interesting. Maybe it wasn't the freshest, most original plot created, but I must give it credit for keeping me hooked. Sure, you have your generic "journey to find some angel thing," but the subplots, twists, and general direction of events is dramatic enough to commend at least some applause and perhaps even a tear or two in pathos. Despite this, there was one problem I couldn't overlook: the plot, at times, got ridiculously boggy, slow, and irritating.

Aside from the plot, one of the strongest points of this anime lies in the characters. They're well-fleshed out, while leaving some gray areas that are open to interpretation. The relationships between the characters is also commendable. While these relationships and interactions fall far short of the best, they still constitute a decent effort. Part of this mild success in the characters stems from the slice-of-life nature of the anime, which lends some reality and depth to these characters.

In terms of visuals and music, Air passes. The art is vivid and clean, although for some, I can see how the colors may be a bit too lively. The style of art is pretty generic, although the quality and animation are rather nice, as can be seen in the fluid motion of Misuzu's hair as she is standing on the wall by the beach. The music, like the art, is rather nice. For the most part, gentle, pretty tunes are weaved into the story. While some pieces fall on the generic side a bit, a couple of them do stand out as great ones.

The verdict: Air, in general, is a pretty good anime. While it seems to be aimed toward the female population, I guess males might enjoy it as well, depending on their tastes. Filled with heartfelt scenes that really do arouse some sense of sympathy for the characters, I'd definitely recommend this anime to the sentimental. It's not a must-see, but it's worth the visit.

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Shounen-ai doesn't need to be disturbing, as Gravitation proves. Upon watching this series, I was a bit worried about possible uber-yaoi-death, but in the end, I was pleasantly surprised. Free from anything that your pro-gay grandmother wouldn't approve of (i.e. nothing overly-graphic), Gravitation turned out to be a very enjoyable anime, with its fair share of hilarity and "awww" moments.

The plot Gravitation is as generic as plots can get, aside from the situation between the two male protagonists. You have a band stuggling to reach fame, yadayadada, etc. Then, there's a RIVAL band (oh noes!) that seeks to completely destroy the good guy's band. And then, if that isn't enough, there's that band that everybody looks up to. Interesting, no? Well, the high point of the plot lies behind another generic development--the dark past of Yuki. Forunately enough, Gravitation's story isn't as bad as I may be making it seem. Trite, yes, but the execution of the plot is sufficient enough to create an enjoyable viewing experience. Besides, the comedic elements in this series are enough to make up for its shortcomings.

Luckily, Gravitation has a truckload of interesting characters. With all "spoof" characters aside, you'll encounter a wide variety of people, from the rational to the crazed, the Godly to the Satanic. With this wide array of characters, the show producers have done an amazing thing uncommon in comedies with bishounen characters. Somehow, among the non-sensical humor and generic plot, intriguing character-character relationships are created. And through this, character depth, to some degree, is achieved, so props to the Gravitation team! While this isn't anywhere near sheer brilliance, it's enough to prevent Gravitation from being a pure reel of chuckles and "awww, how cute" moments.

Now, let's get to the arts--visuals and music. Visually speaking, Gravitation falls short of masterpiece, but the art isn't all that bad. I guess generically good is what I'd call it. The music, on the other hand, was quite impressive, although I shouldn't have been surprised. After all, the main character is a musician, and the series revoles quite a bit around music. Composed by Daisuke Asakura, Gravitation's music should remind you of T.M. Revolution or "Heart of Sword," the third ED for Rurouni Kenshin. Well, this guy is, after all, the producer behind T.M., who also sung "Heart of Sword." With that aside, the music here is top-notch--if you're a fan of dancey-psuedotechno songs. Most of the pieces are very catchy and hummable, which inevitably caused me to get the Vocal Collections soundtrack, which includes a many songs not featured in the anime.

All in all, Gravitation was very fun to watch. Sure, it wans't anything groundbreaking or memorable, but it was very good while it lasted. I'd definitely recommend this, unless you're a bit uncomfortable with the fact that the two main characters are gay. With its added cutesiness, I'm assuming that Gravitation was created with the female viewer in mind, but I don't see why guys can't watch it. But then again, I can see why the majority of guys would want to skip this! Anyways, I gave Gravitation a 4.3 because it was enjoyable. If I were to rate the series on the "masterpiece scale," I'd probably give it a 2. There you go!

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