Area 88 Volume 1: Treacherous Skies - Underland Online
- Underland Online
- Mike Lewis
- 08/07/05
- click here
"This is the Top Gun of anime..."
"It has the ideal mixture of intriguing characters, action in the war torn skies, and some very captivating stories."
There are a few of you long time anime fans out there that remember Area 88. The OVA was originally released here in the United States back in the 90's when anime was considered to be simply a fad. For me, my first encounter with Area 88 wasn't the anime, but something completely different. I would assume there are but a handful of people that even remember the game UN Squadron, a game that went from the arcades to the Super Nintendo and was actually based on the anime. For the most part, both the game and the OVA are all but forgotten to all but a scant few hardcore fans, but Area 88 is ready to take to the skies once again with a new series.
This new version of Area 88 isn't a sequel, but instead is a very faithful retelling of the OVA that many of us are already well acquainted with. The action takes place in the Kingdom of Aslan, a country that has been torn apart by civil war. Makoto Shinjou, a Japanese photographer, has arrived to get a better look at the action and to take photographs for the rest of the world to see. His curiosity is sparked however not by the war, but the fact that there is another Japanese citizen in Aslan, Shin Kazama. Makoto has focused not only his lense, but also his attention on getting to know Shin a little better, even with the horrors of war all around him.
For those that are familiar with the original version of the series, this newer incarnation of Area 88 is very faithful to its predecessor. Although it has been years since I watched the original, a great amount of the details came flooding back to me. What always made Area 88 a little more interesting than your standard war tale though are some of the ideas behind it. Those that have joined the Area only have two ways out; they can die or they can manage to amass 1.5 million dollars. Successful sorties and kills gain the pilots money, but it's not quite as easy as pulling the trigger. Everyone wants to get money somehow; the mechanics want to be paid, refueling or rearming takes a pretty penny, and even those running the cafeteria are anxious to get some of the pilots hard earned cash.
Shin is the main focus, and much of the story revolves around not only him, but also his interactions with Makoto. Shin however isn't the type of person to readily give up information, and while Makoto asks him exactly what brought him here, he's not ready to talk about it. Those new to the series will learn very early that there's a woman involved while those of us that watched the OVA already know what has driven Shin to join the military in this explosive region. Aside form Shin though, we are introduced to Saki, the commander of the Area who is the man with the missions, and is more than ready to stop Makoto from taking photos that are 'unauthorized.' McCoy on the other hand is the man with the connections, and the old timer can get just about anything . . . . for the right price.
We briefly meet some of the other members of the squadron. Greg, described as a cockroach, makes a very brief appearance, as does Mickey Simon, though he does get a bit more screen time. However, from the original OVA, I don't recall Kim Aba, a young boy, being a part of the force. We do however get enough information personality wise to identify each of the pilots, and there are episodes, such as the second for instance, where we get the opportunity to see a character that is more or less involved for a single episode before something inevitable happens.
This isn't a series that's just about war though. On one hand, we're getting into the soul more or less to learn what drives a man, we see moments of greed, and we do get to see that war itself is a costly endeavor all around the board. As much of the story does show us things from how Makoto sees it, one thing that I was reminded quite a bit, not of a movie or another anime, but instead the latest Ace Combat that was released on the PlayStation 2. You have a similar method of storytelling, seeing things through the eyes of a cameraman in part while the rest is told by the pilot's vantage point.
Though the first volume only contains three episodes, the story that is told is quite engrossing. The episodes do tend to have that self-contained, one-shot feeling, but there is an underlying plot as well that deepens as the series progresses. There are still many details left unanswered at this early point, and that?s the perfect way to lure you back in to take to the skies once again. The real question though is which is the most accurate to the original manga, but that?s something that I simply can?t answer having never read it.
What I really remarked at though wasn?t the characterization or the story itself, but the animation. While this may be an anime that focuses on flyboys doing what only they know how to do, Area 88 also doesn?t focus on that, but when it does, it?s a marvel to look at. There is a bit of computer animation used, but this is one of those times where I have to say that it?s used effectively and it?s not done to an extent where it could be considered overkill. I can handle explosions being done as CG, and the animation team worked them in perfectly. Also, if you are in fact a fan of the original, the characters look very close to their OVA counterparts. Shin for example still has that clump of hair covering one eye, something that you might expect to see in an early series like Space Battleship Yamato, but the neither the characters nor the animation is designed in such a way that it looks primitive. I?d have to label it as modern retro, something that really seems to be more and more frequent in anime these days, in particular series? that are either retellings of older stories, or those that are drawing from older source material.
I?ve done more than my fair share of complaining when it comes to DVD additional materials, but let?s face facts here, I?ve come to expect (or at least hope for) something beyond the basics. ADV has done that, though you will still find the usual clean opening and closing animations included. There is an interview here with director Isamu Imakake and the screenwriter of Area 88, Hiroshi Ohnogi. Now, before some of you Japanese language fans groan and decide that it?s going to be a text interview, it?s not, and it?s quite informative and well worth watching to get more insight into the series. You will also fin aircraft specs; in particular both Shin and Kim?s aircraft are examined in detail, and there is also a small collection of character profiles. Lastly, you will find ADV has included some of the production art for the series. Overall, a very good mix, and it goes beyond being bland.
This new version of Area 88 will be for many the introduction to an anime OVA that has been forgotten by many, and for those that remember it fondly, they won?t be disappointed. It has the ideal mixture of intriguing characters, action in the war torn skies, and some very captivating stories. This is the Top Gun of anime, but not bogged down by the likes of Tom Cruise of Val Kilmer. The television of Area 88 proves that once again, great anime never dies, it?s simply reborn.
Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 (Archive on Wednesday, September 07, 2005)