Only the people we have truly come to love can break our hearts, so some consider it is easier to just never let anyone get that close. But is forfeiting the reward of friendship and love, however fleeting it may be, in favor of a guarantee of loneliness really worth it? And then there is the question of how we move on when tragedy takes from us the person we love the most. The series Air centers on the bonds of family and friendship, and reminds us that our chance to tell those we cherish how we feel about them is finite, and what we should fear the most is losing them without letting them know they were treasured.

The lighthearted freedom of summer vacation is a joy known solely in our youth, and even an unfortunate soul like Misuzu Kamio, who is stuck taking remedial classes, has expectations of a memorable break. Resolving to do her best and finally make a friend, Misuzu’s optimism is shattered by the realization that her reputation keeps her classmates at arm’s length. In the past, when Misuzu has started to make a friend, fits of crying have plagued her and driven her companion away.

Luckily for Misuzu, a young man named Yukito Kunisaki has just wandered into town, and is in dire need of a good meal and a place to stay. Seizing her opportunity to finally make a friend, Misuzu brings the young man home and convinces her mother to let him stay with them for a little while.

Having lived his life as a travelling performer with his mother until she died, Yukito inherited not only her skill as a telekinetic puppeteer, but a destiny to search for a fabled “girl in the sky.” But despite his unique skill, his lack of showmanship has left him penniless and thus amenable to Misuzu’s kindness.

Since having met Yukito, Misuzu began to dream of flying and her recounting of those visions remind Yukito of his mother’s stories about the girl he is searching for. However, Misuzu isn’t the only girl that might fit the description of the one in the sky whom Yukito seeks, and the audience is quickly introduced to Kano Kirishima and Minagi Tohno, young women who also combine dreams of flying with enigmatic pasts.

As the show progresses, Yukito forms bonds with each of the girls, ending the turmoil in the lives of two, before realizing the third was the person he has sought all along. Unfortunately, time may have run out for Yukito, and the destiny he had hoped to fulfill may be left undone.

Just after the halfway point in the series, the story takes a dramatic shift as the viewer is given the history behind the tale of the “girl in the sky” Yukito has been searching for. While the transition seems awkward, it offers a touching glimpse that highlights the sadness of Yukito’s recognition of the one who he was searching for coming a little too late.

Having given a brief look at the past, the audience is thrown for another loop as the story again accommodates a major change in perspective, and the first half of the series is shown through a completely different point of view. Again, while the insight gained from the plot device is enlightening and sets the stage for the conclusion of the story, the crossover is a bit disconcerting and is initially hard to follow.

While the design of the show often seems jumbled and rushed, Air manages to captivate nonetheless with the scope of its heartbreaking moments. Not all sadness and gloom, most will also find some genuinely funny scenes to make them smile (even when they are presented a second time from a new perspective). Overall, Air is a show I would recommend to anyone looking for a poignant tale of loss to remind them how important it is to love.