Prism Power>>Air>>Air: The Movie
Unlike the TV series and the Special, Air: The Movie was animated by Toei, which resulted in changes regarding the character designs, being now more similar to what everyone's used to. This may please many who found the original character designs a little too odd and difficult to relate to... but I must say that wasn't my case at all and I would have liked for toei to respect the original designs by Key. Of course this does not mean I dislike the movie or the designs, since both of those are very neat and good-looking.
The story is sort of a summary of the anime, but easier to uinderstand: Yukito doesn't turn into a crow, Minagi and Kano have almost no participation, and the focus is on Misuzu's romance with Yukito and how this leads to her illness. Just like in the TV series, everything begins with Yukito coming to Misuzu's town to perform his puppet show, and he and Misuzu meet by chance. She asks him to help her with her summer assignment for school and invites him to stay at her house while he works at her town.
For those out there who like romantic stories, the movie is much more romantic than the anime series... and just as touching and deep. The plot remained almost unaltered, though there are some differences I'd like to point out (besides the ones I've already mentioned).
To begin with, the legend of the winged beings told in the movie is a little different from the one that unfolds from the TV series and the Summer Special (you'll find the details in "The Legend" section). Also, Soraa, the crow, appears at the same time as Yukito and they are in no way related to each other... unlike in the anime series, in the movie, the latter is far more important to the conclusion than the first. Another minor difference is that, in the anime series, Yukito's show is boring and the kids aren't interested in watching it at all, while in the movie his show is a huge success. Fourth, in spite of her illness, Misuzu finally gets to go the the Summer festival which she had waited for so anxiously (even though she doesn't enjoy it as she had expected).
I highly recommend you watch this movie if you liked the anime series, even if they sound awfully similar, since I didn't get bored at any time and I cried just as hard as with the TV series... mmm I'm not sure if that was a positive comment on the movie or not! ^.^
