@ mt-i: I thought you were joking at first, but now that I’m thinking about it, that makes perfect sense. It just takes a bit of effort for me to go back and look at the story from Misuzu’s perspective (ironically, the anime already does that, but it’s been so long…)

@ Enthousiaste: That’s what confused me when I started thinking of what to write about it: nostalgia is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about Air, or anything Key-related, but I couldn’t make a connection between that any other summer stories. Perhaps it could remind the viewer or their own joyful summer memories, and that can tie in with mt-i’s comment: the memories of your own summers become painful when you realize that the heroine is forced to live without them.

@ Aorii: Nice! It never occurred to me that the transitions between seasons could apply to all of their games. I’ll have to keep that Clannad one in mind when I play the game: I made the mistake of not paying attention to the seasons during the anime. It’s shameful, I know ;_;

@ Canne: It’s definitely more noticeable among romance/slice-of-life shows, but it can probably be applied to other genres if you look closely enough. Admittedly, though, I can’t think of any examples off hand. I think the main problem is that other genres, especially action/shounen, don’t really use seasons to define their tone and atmosphere. For example, Gurren Lagann’s wasteland on the surface sticks out in my memory and it accomplishes the same goal as the snowy town in Kanon, but it has nothing to do with the seasons.

@ Mia: Incidentally, the one reason why I’d be hesitant to live in California is because I heard it rarely snows there. The spring season isn’t very pronounced where I live though.

@ Fabrice: Thanks! I was thinking of listing Kimi ni Todoke as a spring show, especially since it fits perfectly with what I was talking about, but I couldn’t quite remember if it took place in the spring. As for Rewrite, it might not have a distinct season since I don’t think Little Busters had one either.

but ye i guess each Key VN has there own season,
I wonder how The Rewrite VN will take place.

The Key visnovs are also rather transitory, which makes more sense for AIR in my opinion:
AIR would be Summer->Fall(->Winter->Spring), with Mizusu’s carefree time coming to an end coming to an end and leading to her loss before the next incarnation swings around when she’s free of this endless cycle of tragedy.
Kanon is Winter->Spring, while ONE is Fall->Winter->Spring with the protagonist vanishing into the dream world and then returning in the epilogue.
Clannad really goes full circle twice. Everything starts with the Spring love, the Summer exemplifying their relationship becoming fully realized, Nagisa falling sick during the Fall and her loss during the Winter, then everything takes a full spin again with Ushio until the unforgettable scene with Okazaki carrying her in the snow…

As mt-i says, and even before the beginning of the summer holidays, I have often felt the crushing contrast between the dazzling sky and my own heart.

But I guess the role of summer in Air is to be reminiscent of the viewer’s own childhood and summer holidays. Here, summer does not instill joy, it instills nostalgia. (Well, it’s been a too long time since I watched Air and all I can remember clearly is Tori no Uta, so I may be completely wrong.)