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AIR

"AIR" is a visual novel by Key released in 2000, centered around a long summer, a seaside town, and family bonds. During his travels, the people of Kusaki arrive in a small town and meet Kamio Mitarin; The stories of Yoshino Kirishima, Minagi Tono, and others gradually unfold. The 2025 Steam version adds a visual novelization of the spin-off "Chapter of First Sky," with full voice acting and HD adjustments, differing from the original 2000 PC version.

Basic information
DevelopmentVisualArts/Key
Published by SteamVisualArts
Steam release date2025-03-05
TextChinese Simplified, English, Japanese
VoiceJapanese

Game format

The story branches as players choose to go. The work has been adapted into an animated film.

Included in the Steam version

The Steam version includes this story and also provides the spin-off novel First Sky Chapter as a visual novel. This version features voice acting, readjusted high-definition visuals, and CG colors.

2025 is the release year for this Steam product, not the original AIR release year.

A summer town and travelers

Motohito Kuzaki travels around with clues left by his mother, searching for the legendary girl connected to the sky. The journey takes him to a quiet seaside town, where he meets Misurin Kamio, a student who is always smiling and eager to make friends. At first, the person who stopped was just a stop on the journey, but gradually Kansurin and the people around her held them back. Kansuke lives with her mother Haruko, and her journey and circumstances gradually draw closer.

Kan Ling and the encounter in the small town

Kansuzu and her mother Haruko Kamio live under the same roof, but due to differences in daily rhythm and ways of interacting, they often cannot truly get close to each other. The appearance of the Xiang family began to change the mother-daughter relationship. In town, there is also Yoshino Kirishima: she lives with her sister, who works as a doctor, loves animals, and often brings her beloved dog Poteto; And the quiet Minagi Tono, who joins the astronomy club at school and has a close relationship with a mysterious young woman. The three character stories unfold from girls with distinct personalities and lives, making the audience more than just passersby, and gradually making "companionship" and "family" the main emotional threads.

Selection and operation

Options in the reading will change subsequent plot and endings. The Switch version supports touchscreen operation, and in desktop or TV mode, you can use the right Joy-Con to perform the operation; The 2025 Steam edition supports tablet PCs and Steam Deck Touch.

The original and later releases

The PC limited first edition was released on September 8, 2000, with the standard and all-ages editions released on July 19 and July 27, 2001, respectively; The all-ages version removes some original plot points and CG, and adds new event CGs. The Steam version, released on March 5, 2025, was developed and published by VisualArts/Key, supporting Japanese, English, and Chinese Simplified, and adding visual novelization, full voice, HD visuals, and readjusted CG coloring from "Chapter of the First Sky."

Clinics and train stations

Yoshino lives with her doctor sister Hijiri and often brings the animal Potato. Minagi belongs to the school's astronomy club and interacts with young Michiru at the abandoned station. The staggered schedules of puppet performances, bell watching, and Haruko's staggered routines create the daily life of a summer town; Tsubasa Kana and the lady-in-waiting Rieha are characters from ancient stories.

Switch version and Chinese language update

The Switch version was released on September 9, 2021, with full Japanese voice acting including the main characters. The free update on July 15, 2025, added English and Chinese Simplified. Screenplay by Jun Maeda, Yuichi Suzumoto, Takashi Ishikawa, original artwork by Itaru Higami; Tori no Uta: Signature singer Lia, lyrics by Key, music by Shinji Orito, arrangement by Kazuya Takase.

Soundtrack albums and tracklists

"AIR Original SoundTrack" was released on 2002-09-27, with the first disc having 26 tracks and the second disc containing 11 tracks. The double discs include the game's soundtrack and vocal tracks such as 'Bird Poem,' 'Blue Sky,' and 'Farewell Song,' along with a dream version for the DC and PS2 versions, six unused tracks, and instrumental versions.

DREAM, SUMMER, and AIR

The story is connected by three chapters. The DREAM arc begins with travelers meeting girls in a seaside town; The SUMMER arc shifts back a thousand years, depicting the winged man Kana, the entrusted guardian Ryūya, and the lady-in-waiting Rieha, tracing the origins of the strange events in the previous chapter; The AIR arc brings these experiences to the end. The 'First Sky Chapter' also tells the story of Kana and Rieha's first meeting, serving as a prequel to the SUMMER arc.

Android is divided into parts and voice acting

The Android version previously provided the first part of DREAM and the second part of SUMMER・AIR. The second part requires meeting the conditions of the previous part, so that the title screen can be selected as SUMMER before playing; The one-stop edition includes all three stories, with the same story content for both the audio and silent products. In the audio version, Hikaru is voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa, and Yanagi is voiced by Nobuyuki Kana.

The evolution of PC voice controls

The 2025 Steam version will include full Japanese voice acting including the protagonist. The publisher explained that the Windows version previously did not have character voice acting.

Original soundtrack authors and audio production

The AIR original soundtrack tracks "Summer Shadow," "Silver," and "Blue Sky" were composed by Jun Maeda, and "Bird Poem" was composed by Shinji Orito; "Farewell song," "Moon Boy," and "Denjo" composed by Magome Togoshi. The digital release production sheet also lists the master tapes for "Memoirs," "Summer Shadows," "Rainbow," and "Tentoumushi" as Magome Togoshi, and "Wild Road" as Shinji Orito. The old PC Orange Disc tracklist credited to KEY included Summer Shadow, Silver, and Blue Sky.

Character themes and KEY+LIA vocal discs

"KEY+LIA Natukage / nostalgia" was released on August 10, 2001, catalog number KSLA-0002. The first track was a vocal piece performed by Lia with AIR's "Summer Shadow" BGM, and the second song, "nostalgia," was a newly written vocal piece. Both songs were written and composed by Jun Maeda. Yuu Akae's AIR music review corresponds the original song of Natsue to the Kanrin Kamio theme, Tsukido to the Kanna Backup theme of the SUMMER chapter, and credits the arrangement of the vocal track "Natsuei" included in the compilation album "Diamond Days" to Ryo Okabe.

AIR's piano arrangement

"Re-feel" was released on December 28, 2003, as KSLA-0010, adapting Kanon and AIR's music into a ten-track piano album. The AIR section is located in tracks 6 to 10, in order as Natsukage, Legend, Blue Sky, Dream Story, and Bird Poem; The composers are Jun Maeda, Magome Togoshi, Jun Maeda, Shinji Orito, and Shinji Orito. The digital release page is also dated June 25, 2004.

Yoshino's Feathered Memories

[Yoshino route spoilers; PS2 Playthrough Event】Yoshino's nighttime anomaly is linked to the feathers in the shrine. Ohito placed a feather on the unconscious Yoshino and cast a spell, witnessing Shiraho protecting her son Yakumo: the child's birthmark on his wrist was considered a source of disaster, and his mother fled with him, trying to take his place in the sacrifice of the ritual. After Yoshino wakes up, Akito loses her magical abilities.

Minagi's old dream with her mother

[Minagi route spoilers; PS2 Playthrough Incident] After losing her second child, the mother calls Minagi 'Michiru', and the father leaves after a family quarrel. Minagi still waits for him at the old station. Michiru, who is with her, hopes Hitoto will help Minagi wake up. The three finally return home to eat with their mother, then say goodbye on the rooftop; Minagi decides to continue living with memories, while Hitozu sets out on her journey again.

Mother and daughter and legacy in the Summer arc

[Summer Spoilers] Kana, Ryūya, and Riha escape from the house arrest and find their sealed mother, Yaohyō Bhikkhuni. Her mother was injured protecting them and passed on the winged missions to Kanna. After Shennai's death, Master Chide protected the two survivors and taught Lyye the arts; She and Ryu also left descendants, continuing the quest for the winged girl into the present day.

The mother of the Air arc

[Air Spoilers] Haruko is the younger sister of Mitsuru's biological mother, Ikuko, while Keisuke is their biological father. Haruko used to keep her distance from Miru but later tried to adopt her. When Kansuzu's condition worsened and her memory became blurry, Keisuke requested to take her to a major hospital, and Haruko asked for three more days for mother and daughter. Kansuzu eventually walked to the seaside accompanied by Haruko and Karasu Sora, ending her life.

Winged people's memories and dreams of the sky

[Game SUMMER/DREAM Spoilers] Winged people will preserve and pass on the memories of their ancestors. Kana endures curses placed by pursuers and monks, and her memories and sorrow continue into later generations; Constantly dreaming of the sky while ringing bells, the body weakens accordingly. Ryu and Riye left descendants, accumulating spells generation after generation and searching for the Sky Maiden. The mother's relics and journey inherited by humans belong to this legacy.

Doll prayers and Sora's perspective

[Game DREAM/AIR Spoilers] At the end of the DREAM Bell Viewing route, the Xiangren prayed to the doll carrying ancestral magic to save her, then disappeared themselves, temporarily improving the bell viewing situation. In the AIR arc, the perspective of the crow that had previously transformed into a human reopens this summer: Kanrin takes in the crow and names it, and players witness the meeting between the humanoid Ling and Miru, witnessing the mother-daughter relationship between Haruko and Miruzu.

Music credits for different ported versions

The 2016 Vitamin Edition's music column features Shinji Orito, Magome Togoshi, and Jun Maeda. For the 2021 Switch version and the 2025 Steam version, the signature will be "Shinji Orito with Key/Magome Togoe."

Original development finishing aid

Genki Amakun, under the name Okuna Toya, recalled that when 'AIR' was nearing completion in 2000, there was a shortage of staff, so he was recalled from another department to assist on site. This was his first time working on Key's work.

The theme song and development proceeded in parallel

Orito recalls: 'Bird Poem' was developed alongside game development; He only got to know the full look of AIR during the demo phase.

The performance goals of instrumental melodies

In a 2010 interview, Jun Maeda cited "Summer Shadows" as an example, explaining that he personally composed the music to realize the emotions in his mind. He required the instrumental music to maintain a distinctive melody beyond the melancholy atmosphere, enough to carry singing.

Switch: Scrolling and zooming of event screens

After the original PC version's 4:3 event screen switched to the Switch's 16:9, some content could not be displayed simultaneously. When reading, you can move the L joystick up or down or drag up and down on the touchscreen; In GALLERY, you can hold down the Y key and move the L stick up or down, or pinch inward with two fingers to shrink the image to the full image.

Switch: Save and read back

The Switch version allows up to 200 standard saves, with quick access available. Players can jump to the read option or the beginning of a chapter, select a record from the message log, and reread it; After loading the save, you can also continue to rewind.

You can temporarily turn off the host's auto-sleep during automatic reading and video playback. Options can be placed at the center or bottom of the screen, and the auto-read wait time, touchscreen tone, and voice volume can be adjusted separately.

How to switch between Switch Chinese updates

The 2025 free update notes list two ways to switch languages during reading: press the minus key, or tap the touchscreen with two fingers. Settings and electronic manuals also provide three languages with the text, updating the original archives; The dubbing remains in Japanese.

TV animation background and visual design

Art director Joji Unokuchi first played through each chapter of the game, then based on the map Kanrin drew in the story, gathered material over several days to organize the overall look of the anime town.

In episode 8, Hiroyuki Takahashi was in charge of the small item design, choosing the hair-drawn tachi for Yanagiya. The director originally wanted to use legendary swords like Kokarasumaru, but gave up because the required backside strike was not suitable.

At the end of episode 11, the evening scene is requested by Ichiro Miyoshi and handed over to the designated background and color personnel, who depict the gradual changes at night in four to five stages.

A public event for the TV anime

In the 2004 TBS Anime Festival segment of "AIR," Tomoko Kawakami (Miru) and Asami Okamoto (Yoshino), and Suzuka Yuzuki (Minagi) were invited to appear for interviews, followed by the first episode of the TV anime.

During the joint Christmas event on December 19, Daisuke Ono, Tomoko Kawakami, Asami Okamoto, and director Ritsuya Ishihara appeared on stage for a discussion, with Suzuka Yuzuki participating via video message; The first episode was also shown at the same venue.

Related entries

References

Data compiled on: 2026-10-10.

本版编辑：免费机器翻译 · 2026-10-22

内容许可：CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

本译文依据的源修订