The story is well paced and interesting; however, it fell into the same "character thinks he's great, fights someone better than him, gets better, repeat" cycle as so many manga. Air Gear's saving grace are the characters, technology, and comedy that keep it from getting boring.

Art was rather stylized, but it was still realistic enough to help bridge both serious and silly portions of the story. Oddly enough, the gratuitous fan service only helped. It kept the story from seeming too serious, which would have gotten boring very quickly considering the... repetitiveness of most archs.

The characters definitely helped set Air Gear apart from other anime. Although they all seem to fit into one trope or another, main characters and side characters alike were vibrant and fun; all are developed enough to be interesting or relatable and ridiculous enough to keep you wanting more.

Overall, repetition killed Air Gear for me. I loved the characters and art, and the story was good, but after 178 chapters I dropped the series.