39 replies to this topic

[Thunder Wolf]

Well, I'm not using it as a standard rule, I'm simply trying to exemplify just how long Air Gear has been running, and what effect it's long run might have had on the plot.

Either way, I think a big problem with the manga industry is the approach that every manga must keep running as long as the popularity is high and the author can think of new plots.

Remember Yu Yu Hakusho? The author wanted to end it at the Sensui arc (around 150 chapters). Dragon Ball Z? It was meant to end with the Frieza Saga (196 chapters [17 volumes] of DB. 132 chapters of DBZ, 11 volumes. That means DBZ, the sequel to Dragon Ball, was only supposed to be 11 volumes long, yet ended up being 25 volumes) Dragon Ball GT was created only due to the anime's popularity.
There are plenty of manga that could have ended earlier, making them great series, but have instead decided to run on forever. That attitude in the industry puts too much of a burden on the mangaka, causing an overall decay in quality over time. Some Mangaka can keep up with it and consistently pump out good material, but others simply can't and it's unreasonable to ask it of them.

The manga industry really needs to take a lesson from the anime industry and let good series end while they're still good. Some 26 episode anime are simply amazing

[noct]

Yeah, this plot is so bizarre that I don't even try to understand it anymore. I wouldn't say I dislike the manga because the art and stuff is still pretty awesome even if it's hard to make sense of it.

[hero]

Manga that only run for 10 volumes are short though....... Less than 100 chapters?

I have read a lot of great manga that had just 3-4 volumes. I am sure, that I like them so much because they didn´t get filler chapters just to sell more volumes.

[shonryukku]

oh great has been shit fucking my brain to pieces for a while now i mean i don't even know what to say

[Nolonar]

About Manga with more than 10 volumes.

If an Author can't make it long lasting and good, it's better he makes it end too soon, rather than too late.
That's what makes the difference between a good author, and one who's only in for profit and/or success.

Bakuman expresses, what it means to value quality over quantity, quite nicely.
http://www.batoto.ne...muda-scantrad/2

Edited by Nolonar, 04 February 2012 - 05:42 PM.

[Ruut]

Well, I guess I'll toss my hat in for an answer here.

Simply put, the style of the manga changed, that's what happened. But that isn't to say that the manga is bad, like what someone said earlier, it just changed from when we started reading. Now I say this is a legitimate reason to be upset with the series since this tone shift happened around the time the important stuff had begun so it's now like if you want to find out how this awesome scifi story ends, you must watch this horror movie in found footage format with only vague remnants of the scifi genera left. Both can be good styles, but if you you don't like found footage or horror and are only watching the movie for the scifi, you'll more than likely feel lied to to some degree. Even if this is a common practice for the author, that doesn't make it particularly wise or acceptable if it's not pulled off right. I never heard of Oh! Great until I saw Air Gear on the fav list of mangareader and batoto here. It's easy for some to point at his earlier works and say it's to be expected, but it's easier still to point to the top rated manga list and note that Air Gear is no longer there as well.

One of the biggest letdowns about this change in the manga is all the friends whom we've come to love, hate, tolerate, admire or whatever; all of Ikki's friends are absent. The tone and focus of the story for some time has been their growth along with Ikki's and how he pushed them to be better the same as them pushing him. Ringo was side character/female interest/future evil that must be stopped/good that he will avenge after tragic accident character. Not a partner. Not someone who pushed him directly, but who hoped for the very best for him and helped where and when she could when it was necessary. This kind of character does fight with the second strongest big baddie in the series as in what's going on now, however the impact is greatly lessened because the friends who are supposed to show their growth at the big fight have been sacrificed for the soul purpose of a two on two climactic fight.

This fight, if you're still reading the manga, is the strongest example of what the series used to be about and what it is now. At first it was pretty much about fighting and racing and fighting while racing, all of which is going on now. What it's about now is powers springing from two wheeled roller blades with motors and brakes and, how wind and gravity is power, interesting interpretations of science and physics, and 99% of people vs 1%, all of which is talked about, seen and done heavily in this fight. It also shows the greatest weakness of this series, it taking itself way too seriously and trying to shove messages everywhere. I would argue at least 40% of the writing during this fight has been trying to convey some message on human existence and ways to improve ourselves in nearly every area there is to be researched.
While writing that, I can't help but think of the Aizen fight arc of Bleach. Those who read that fight every week, I know we all cringe when we think of how much Aizen's words just ate up chapters and halted the progress. But to be honest, I bet if we all completely lost our memory of that arc and re-read it, we'd not notice it and enjoy the story. That's because Aizen has spent much of his time hiding his true self. To Shinigami and hollows, he's only played a role. When someone like that decides to start talking, they really can't shut up. It fit his character and was actually used to show how arrogant and conceited he was. In how he reveled in explaining how all his bases were covered and how he was so brilliant. Typical, but enjoyable villain monologueing. The same cannot be said for this talking in Air Gear. It reveals nothing of Sora save his views on the world which were clearly explained at the beginning of the fight. It's just talking filler from the man who wishes to... What? Beat God? Beat Gravity? A guy with no clear motivations is trying to be impactful and it comes off clumsy and forced.

Those are the pretty big reasons on what's happened to this manga which is very sad. I am not one to believe a story can't last more than a few volumes without being good. It's all about the story and how the telling of that is executed. As someone here said, a lot of the stuff in Air Gear lately feels like the writer didn't know how to finish the story. This is true, it does feel like many of the decisions and choices lately have been more thought up on the spot rather than well thought out. Of course I could be wrong and this could be the master plan unfolding, but still the execution and idea are so poor to where they feel tacked on. The mark of a good manga is not short length, but developed thought. Shorter mangas get to their point quicker and generally leave one feeling the story is complete yes, but longer ones allow us to explore a different world, story and characters that we may never see again once the story is over. Both have their place, bu the mark of a good story is always one that feels the most natural and complete.

Edited by Ruut, 19 March 2012 - 09:09 AM.

[Rupert]

If this manga was a car, it would have made a sharp turn around the time the tone changed. It may have been a bad turn and gone in the wrong direction, which is what the majority agrees with. Not too many people like going the wrong direction. Sorry for asking this question due to my lack of reading manga (I am a newb to manga),does this type of thing happen often?

[Yu Han Sung]

The author of Air Gear is just never good at creating storylines. He does, however, know how to make things quite interesting. I'm basing this also on other short stories he's created which made me go "huh?" and other of his series I might've read a long time ago.

For me, the plot was quite incoherent from the start so I never read more of it.

Edited by Yu Han Sang, 27 March 2012 - 04:57 AM.

[Strelok]

I feel like reading Air Gear is getting to be more and more like a bad acid trip.

I think I'll give up for now, I just feel a headache coming on after trying to understand the chapters. It's probably the whole "Ahahaha, you can't win! I'm not even using my full power" thing, then swiftly followed by "You fool, I'm not even using my full power!". If they would stop waggling their ego's at each other it would probably be more interesting, and make room for an actual plot.

[SidL]

I have read a lot of great manga that had just 3-4 volumes. I am sure, that I like them so much because they didn´t get filler chapters just to sell more volumes.

I have read a lot of great manga that had just 3-4 volumes. I am sure, that I like them so much because they didn´t get filler chapters just to sell more volumes.

I couldn't agree more. Most mangas should just go straight to the point of the story, instead of dragging it.

Anyway, no matter what people says, Air Gear will always have a place in my heart... that is until after chpt 333. That was when things don't make sense no more. The idea was very original, the comedy was very funny, and the manga sometimes is touching even though they go on and on about the physics and science bullshit.
I'm going to have to re-read this manga again to get what just happened.

[ndanix]

Well, Air Gear oficially ended now... Just read the last chapter.

I have read your opinions and all, but I won't discuss them, as it'll take me a while. I'll just say that, even with all the changes and all the stuff we didn't like, the ending "Oh! Great" showed us was pretty adecuate in my personal opinion. I liked it. That's all I can say about it.

[DarkSabata]

I've read most of the comments and I have to say though the manga changed I still like it a lot.

[Use Buffs - ret@rd]

I like this manga i will always like this manga.in my opinion, the plot changed when sumeragi got mixed into( 13 volume) but AIR GEAR IS the journey of a boy and his friends through life, he found a new sky and he dived into it. young boys have innovation fights friends girls enemies style, they grow up looking for their own opinions and ideas in order to discover their true motives to live = to fly. he has left from noyamano's house too.
before vol 13 he was just a sily boy, i don't know if you noticed but from a certain point manga reference, film references and in general, notes from the character disappeared and they talked about all different things.

i will always like this manga, and the author even if they eventually had problems with the plot or storyline expansion.

Edited by persona/lover/AIGIS, 15 July 2012 - 07:55 AM.

[Charles Jean-Marc]

one thing all of you are all idiots it's clar that the manga was fictional from th start and th plot and everything nothing changed so guys just deal with it you're missing in big with your immaturinsh brains who can't keep up instead of whinning go check air gear wiki everything is there

[hero]

one thing all of you are all idiots it's clar that the manga was fictional from th start and th plot and everything nothing changed so guys just deal with it you're missing in big with your immaturinsh brains who can't keep up instead of whinning go check air gear wiki everything is there

one thing first, your spelling is horrible. second, the only thing you said is go to wiki, WOOOW that helps. and should I ask you next time if you like a manga or not to also be ALLOWED to like it or not?

[Strelok]

one thing all of you are all idiots it's clar that the manga was fictional from th start and th plot and everything nothing changed so guys just deal with it you're missing in big with your immaturinsh brains who can't keep up instead of whinning go check air gear wiki everything is there

If you have to check a wiki to follow a plot, it's not a very good plot. It tried to be too grand, couldn't quite capture the scale of it all so it flopped and the plot went to shit (IMO).
It started out well, got facef****d in the middle and just about managed to pull it's sorry ass together to form an ending.

[Thunder Wolf]

If you have to check a wiki to follow a plot, it's not a very good plot. It tried to be too grand, couldn't quite capture the scale of it all so it flopped and the plot went to shit (IMO).
It started out well, got facef****d in the middle and just about managed to pull it's sorry ass together to form an ending.

Tenjou Tenge was even worse. Read up on the author's previous works. They all end up like this. Even his hentai.

[Bill4364]

everything i felt has already being said the only manga the has not dissapointed me yet is one piece

This is as far as I read b/c I didnt want to see anyone disagree with you. OP remains great, out of the manga's that were mentioned the only pther one that hasnt let me down is fairy tail and that is only b/c fairly tail didnt have much of a long term direction to begin with (in my eyes at least) and if it is going to be blown it is with what is coming which seems like it will be when it starts getting into the long term plot of the manga, which is really hasn't done at all yet.

[Rasu-kun]

I check in with air gear still from time to time, and go, "Yep. Still have no clue what the fuck is going on." As soon as that body switch happened I noped the hell out.

[Jodanzuki]

Well... The only thing I can say in this debate: Air Gear wished to be what Endo Hiroki's Eden was.

 

I started reading this and dropped it so many times, I decided to read through the entire thing this time... And I kind of regret investing the time.

 

As some have said in this thread, Oh!great is all about style over substance. I agree. It was also said that Oh!great developed poetry. I also agree. I disagree that he is philosophical, though. Philosophy cannot happen without substance; Air Gear is just too full of contradictions and cheap plot devices for the message to be solid. Ito betrayed us, the readers, several times, to tell the story he wanted to. Because of the lack of substance, I was never able to marvel at a message very much alike to Eden's awe inspiring ending. And that's why I rate this manga badly, even though it started so well.