Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Anime Review: Area 88

9:39 PM | Posted by | Edit Post

Konbanwa! Rotfuchs here with another anime review, and this time it's Area 88 (Series).

 Before I get started, I just want our dear readers to know that I'm a HUGE fan of military aviation. I know a substantial amount about fighter planes, bombers and military aircraft from pretty much every human conflict where aircraft are involved. So it's only natural for me to review this series. Yoshi! Ikuzo!

 Story
Area 88 is about an aspiring airline pilot, Shin Kazama. One day he was betrayed and duped by his jealous childhood friend (who is also aspiring to become a pilot) into signing a three-year military contract. As stated in the contract, our man has to become a mercenary pilot in the middle eastern Kingdom of Arslan which is engaged in an armed conflict. Shin is assigned to one of the kingdom's military bases, codenamed "Area 88". In order to complete the contract and earn his freedom, he has to amass $1.5 million from shooting down enemies in the span of three years (the quicker the better). If Shin refuses, he will be executed for violation of the contract. Shin accepts his fate and becomes a fighter pilot, forced to fight to earn his freedom. The main story is mostly told from the perspective of Makoto Shinjou, a war photographer assigned to the base. Later in the series Makoto plays a major part in the plot. The story also branches out and focuses on the past lives of the other pilots from Area 88, giving the series a fresh feel. The story is very interesting from my point of view. We see our protagonist transform from a mister nice-guy airline pilot into a cold-blooded fighter ace bent on earning his freedom, and revenge. The plot is very well laid out and the twelve episodes were enough to tell not only the main story, but also a few side stories as well.

 Characters
The characters of Area 88 are unique and lively, even if they face the reality of dying anytime every single day. All of them accept the dangers of their livelihood (they're mercenaries after all), and all of them emanate an aura of a badassery. Sometimes though, when there are no sorties to fly, the pilots lounge around the base, giving the series a carefree vibe. But when the sortie/air raid alarm sounds though..

 Art and Animation
The series premiered in Japan during 2004, so you can expect that the art and animation isn't like what we are used to today. However this does not mean that the they're bad. I say it's alright. Kinda like that of Gundam SEED. You get my point right? Good.

 OP/ED
The OP in my opinion is one of the very best I've heard. This comes from a dude who listens to hard rock n' roll and K-On! most of the time, so I can assure you that I have *good* taste for music (at least that's what I think..). Back to the OP, it combines a fast beat and classical elements. It's the type of song that gets your blood pumping when you're about to do something badass, like shoot down a plane. The ED is a different story; it has a late-night jazzy vibe accompanied by the sexy voice of a female singer. Both the OP and ED are awesome IMHO.

 Overall: 8/10
In all it's glory, Area 88 is a must watch for military aviation fans like me. I also recommend it to action fans who would like to watch a quick twelve episode series with a good story and full of airplanes blowing up. The depiction of military aircraft is just awesome, and the dogfight scenes are a joy ride to watch. Overall, I rate this series an 8 out of 10. 

 One last thing. Area 88 first came out as a manga during the 70's and as an OVA in the 80's. So if you are interested, you can read and watch those. I've yet to read the manga or watch the OVA, but the I've heard that the story is pretty much the same except for some differences on the endings. 

 Thanks for the time folks! Comments and opinions are very much welcomed, just post 'em below. Before I take off in my badass interceptor and shoot down incoming bogeys, I'll share this awesome GIF where one of the Area 88 pilots score a MiG - 21 (NATO reporting name: "Fishbed") kill. 

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