Panty Shots And Roller Blades – An Op/Ed by Gigantor21

Before I start this, please note that I’m a huge fan of Air Gear and have been for a while. I don’t write this as a means to bash the series. With that said, though, I want to make myself clear from the onset:

I hate the fanservice in Air Gear. I hate it to death. It keeps me from loving the series as much as I should.

As a whole, Air Gear is one of the best crafted shonen series out right now. It has deep, mature writing, strong characterization, and beautiful artwork. What’s more, the quality is much more consistent than many of the other shonen series I read. It doesn’t feel like a gamble reading it week by week, because Oh!Great is capable of rendering tangible drama and pathos. Relative to fighting shonen in general, One Piece and Hajime no Ippo are the only series I like more. And those are 2 of my favorite series.

Now, I’m one of the biggest porn freaks you’ll ever meet. I’m right there with the other leeches on 4chan, asking for the source on half the damn pictures in the “gentlemen’s threads”. I visit the HentaiPalm forums almost every day, and have run through all the movies and picture sets in my hentai collection several times. So when I say any work has too many T&A scenes, it is nothing to take lightly.

The level of fanservice cheapens everything. It adds nothing positive to the experience. Seeing so many women fight on equal standing with the men is an endearing and powerful part of the story—but the excessive sluttiness holds it back. What’s more, the non-ecchi stuff is a LOT funnier anyway; I've gotten more of a kick out of anything Agito says than all the T&A/perversion jokes combined. That’s why I hate Onigiri; his character is built around my least favorite facet of the series.

I honestly think AG would be 10 times better if the fanservice was done away with. I say that knowing how hot the women are, and mean it from the bottom of my heart.

How do you guys feel about it?

I don't think it will be ten times better, but I agree. hentai is hentai and manga is manga. :P

basically you're saying that you like the concept but dislike the story. get over it.

Panty shots are a welcomed spice of life. You just want more men's underwear shots; more Agito. You're gay.

whats wrong with more agito shots XD i dont mind, maybe because im a girl :p

but i hate the all this downgrading women too, makes us look like we are only here to show off our body's, but you guys can't touch ;) but it would be nice if they take out the fanservice, or maybe tune it down a little.

In that case, Miss. i like anime, you're not gay (there's nothing wrong with being gay though, as long as you're truthful with yourself and others). And of course it's degrading to women; almost all porn, or porn-like things are. But if you really think about it, there's really very little that interests hetero-men; a lot in life is very boring--a life without a little spice is not a life I would enjoy.

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Originally Posted by sabret00the

basically you're saying that you like the concept but dislike the story. get over it.

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LOL that's not what I meant at all. I love the concept AND the story, and still do--it's the FANSERVICE that I don't like, because it degrades both unnecessarily. Relax.

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Originally Posted by heavenorhell7

Panty shots are a welcomed spice of life. You just want more men's underwear shots; more Agito. You're gay.

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I think you're referring to Akito, not Agito. He's the yaoi posterboy, which is why I don't like him either.

For me, Air Gear storyline is getting more and more confusing like Tenjou Tenge. There won't be an ending soon.

I agree...I like it, but the amount that is in there is not 100% needed.

Like I've said before, with all the ecchi stuff in this manga, I can't help but feel like the manga treats women as sex objects.