Anime (OVA)

Area 88, directed by Hisayuki Toriumi. Two 67-minute episodes and one 97-minute episode. February 5, 1985 to August 15, 1986.

From about 1985 to 1987, Area 88 was arguably the most prestigious manga and anime title in Japan or America. The serialized military-adventure manga by Kaoru Shintani began in 1979 and by 1985 was reaching its climax. (It ended in 1986, and was collected into 23 tankubon volumes.) It was one of the first three Japanese manga to be translated into English and published as an American comic book, by Eclipse Comics beginning in May 1987.

The anime was in three dramatic OAVs from Studio Pierrot, each over an hour long, in 1985-’86. Shintani’s manga, and the anime that followed it, was famous for mixing standard manga-style cartoony humans with painstakingly detailed modern weaponry and jet fighter aircraft, and many authentic incidentals such as soft drink cans, cigarette packages, and news magazines – not as product placements but for verisimilitude. Shintani’s manga won the 1985 Shogakukan Manga Award for Best Shōnen (boys’) Comic. Central Park Media released the OAVs subtitled on its U.S. Manga Corps label on August 4, September 1, and October 6, 1993, which is the version that I “forgot”. Area 88 was later made into a 12-episode CGI anime TV series, broadcast from January 8 to March 5, 2004, but that was long after the videotape OAV days.

area88ova Act I, “The Blue Skies of Betrayal” opens with a platoon of tanks advancing across an arid Middle Eastern landscape. A fighter jet, specifically a F/A-18 Hornet, appears overhead and shoots the tanks into scrap metal, with closeups of the Hornet’s automatic machine guns pouring out empty shell casings. After the tanks are destroyed, the fighter’s helmeted pilot radios that he is returning to base. The anime shows in detail the Hornet’s approach to an airstrip, its lowering its landing gear, and the landing at the airstrip marked A 88. Cut to the opening credits and the theme song, “How Far to Paradise”.

As the pilot climbs out of the Hornet, a news photographer runs up and begins snapping pictures. He introduces himself as Goh “Rocky” Mutsugi, a Japanese news reporter. He got himself assigned to cover this Middle Eastern civil war because he heard that a Japanese had become one of its deadliest fighter pilots. The pilot admits that’s him, Shin Kazama, but he doesn’t really want to talk about it. They are interrupted by the return of other fighter jets to the Area 88 landing strip, all different warplanes flown by an international team of mercenary pilots. First is Greg Gates, a bearded Danish pilot whose A-10 Skyhawk is on fire. He laughingly tells the Area 88 ground crew to put out the fire and get the plane to take off again right away. Next is Bucksey, whose plane is totaled; the others (except Shin) laugh at his frustration at having to buy a new one. By this time, the whole Area 88 team has gathered around. The only one to stand out is old McCoy, the base’s civilian “entrepreneur” who sells the others everything they need, from toilet paper and medical supplies to bullets and even their military airplanes. While Rocky marvels at this fighter mercenary “foreign legion”, Shin walks off alone.

area88-250 As Shin wallows in self-pity in his barracks, the background is presented: Shin Kazama was the top student pilot in Tokyo in the Nippon Air Lines’ (an obvious fictionalization of Japan Air Lines) passenger-plane air fleet. He was personally favored by NAL’s CEO (or President) Tsugumi to be the company’s top pilot, and probably Tsugumi’s successor when he retired. What’s more, Shin and the CEO’s beautiful daughter, Ryoko Tsugumi, were deeply in love and planned to get married.

Shin and his childhood best friend, Satoru Kanzaki, go to Paris together for pilot training. Shin is again the top student. Just before they return to Tokyo, they go out together to celebrate. Kanzaki gets Shin thoroughly drunk. When Shin sobers up the next morning, he finds out that Kanzaki has tricked him into signing an ironclad contract with the military of the Middle Eastern Kingdom of Asran/Aslan to serve a three-year enlistment in its air force as a fighter pilot, in its civil war. The only way to freedom is to serve out his three years, to pay a $1,500,000 penalty that he can’t afford, or to desert – a capital offense, and one that would ruin his position at YAL. Shin reluctantly uses his piloting skills to become the Aslan Air Force’s top “killer”, but hopes to go unnoticed back in Japan; and does not participate in the other mercenary fighter pilots’ camaraderie. He is worried about using his flying skills to become a death-dealer; and is fearful that he has come to enjoy the thrill of the aerial battles, and that he is no longer worthy of the gentle Ryoko.

(The fictional Middle East kingdom can be translated as either Aslan or Asran. “Aslan” is the Turkish for “lion”, and is a C. S. Lewis/Narnia reference. “Asran” doesn’t mean anything, but is favored by those who feel that the fictional country should have an original name rather than a reference. The civil war is between Aslan’s king and his brother, and the brother’s supporters. The implication at the time was that the brother was supported by the Soviet Union.)

300px-Area_88_characters In the rest of Act I, “The Blue Skies of Betrayal”; Act II, “The Requirements of Wolves” (which I think should have been translated more freely as “Acting Like Wolves” or “Turning Into Wolves”; and Act III, “Burning Mirage”; more of Area 88’s pilots are introduced such as the Russian Boris and especially the American Mickey Simon, who is Shin’s best friend. Area 88’s commander is Prince Saki Vashutal, the king’s nephew and the son of the rebel leader; a tough leader who puts Aslan’s needs first, but is sympathetic toward Shin’s desire to return to Japan. Shin gets close to his $1,500,000 goal, then his airplane is wrecked and he has to buy a new fighter which takes most of his money.

Back in Japan (this is mostly Act II), Ryoko is distraught by Shin’s abrupt disappearance. Her father is disappointed, but he turns to the next-best Kanzaki to become YAL’s leading pilot and his replacement-designate; and he urges Ryoko to marry him. Secretly, Kanzaki is not waiting for Mr. Tsugumi to retire. He is buying YAL’s stock under a false name to take over the company. At a gala reception to celebrate YAL’s 30th anniversary, Ryoko sees Shin’s photograph in a LIFE magazine article about Aslan’s civil war and mercenary fighter pilots. Mr. Tsugumi takes this as proof that Shin has abandoned them and he was right to turn to Kanzaki, but Ryoko remains loyal to Shin and tries to fly to Aslan to find him. Kanzaki is secretly worried that Shin has survived and may reveal Kanzaki’s betrayal if he is found. He foils Ryoko’s attempts to get to Aslan, and hires an assassin to murder Shin before Ryoko can find him. There is lots more melodrama.

Act III begins with ten minutes of aerial combat action. Kanzaki is the new CEO (or President) of YAL and no longer as worried about Shin’s returning to Japan. He no longer is interested in marrying Ryoko, but he tries to force her into sleeping with him to complete his “win” over Shin. But Kanzaki’s secret cost-cutting of YAL’s planes’ safety is resulting in government and news investigations of YAL’s sudden airline disasters. Will Kanzaki avoid jail and disgrace? Will Shin get free of Area 88? Will he and Ryoko find each other again? Who will win Aslan’s civil war? I don’t want to spoil the ending, but it’s mega-soap opera.

Shintani’s manga, this 1985-1986 OAV, and the 2004 TV serialization all had different endings. I will say that this OAV’s ending is open-ended, since Shintani’s manga (which grew less realistic by using increasing science-fictional weaponry, hinted at in the OAV) was still running at the time.

Area 88 was the earliest serious anime drama rather than children’s fantasy or boys’ s-f or fantasy adventure, taking advantage of the OAV market to tell a darker story than could then be presented in a theatrical cartoon or on TV. It was the forerunner of such later less-censored dramatic TV anime series as the 2006 Black Lagoon, the 2010 High School of the Dead, and the 2013 Attack on Titan.

Between February 5, 1985 and August 15, 1986,^[7]^[8] Studio Pierrot produced a direct-to-video animated film trilogy for VHS and laserdisc. In 1992, Central Park Media‘s U.S. Manga Corps released the OVA series, subtitled in English, in North America for VHS and laserdisc, and re-released the first volume for DVD on 14 July 2000.

After Central Park Media’s films license lapsed, ADV Films published Act I and Act III of the trilogy for DVD on 25 July 2006. Although Act II is missing from the ADV collection, Act II can be sourced via streaming media, torrents, or second-hand VHS and Laserdisk copies. The 2006 ADV collection is a two-DVD set, and features the original Japanese soundtrack as well as the dubbed English track, performed by the same cast who voiced the English dub of the TV series. The DVD content also includes an interview with Kaoru Shintani, and an introduction to the fighter jets portrayed in the series.^[9]

“Area 88” was the basis of a video game released by Capcom in 1989. The North American version of this game was renamed as “U.N. Squadron”.

The three ova episodes only covered around a third of the original manga story and gives no indication of the story’s actual ending as a result.

Shin Kazama’s emblem on all his planes is a flaming unicorn always seen on his tail wing.

In Act 1 Shin’s plane is a F-8 Crusader. As shown in the anime, these planes can fly with it’s wings folded and historically are the only manufactured plane capable of doing so. This wasn’t a design feature, just something that was discovered by accident during a flight test.

Media[edit]

Area 88: Act I: Blue Skies of Betrayal (1985, VHS/LD; 1992, VHS; July 14, 2000, DVD)
Area 88: Act II: The Requirements of Wolves (1985, VHS/LD; 1992, VHS)
Area 88: Act III: Burning Mirage (1986, VHS/LD; 1992, VHS)
Area 88: Original OVA Series (July 25, 2006, DVD)

Opening Theme:

“How Far to Paradise” by Derek Jackson

#2: “Sabaku no Illusion” by Shima Kitahara (ep 3)

Ending Theme:

“「悲しみのＤｅｓｔｉｎｙ」 (Kanashimi no Destiny)” by MIO

#2: “So Long My Love” by Shima Kitahara (ep 3)

The first three-episode OVA adaptation from 1985 had Shin return to Area 88 in his F-20 fighter while the Area was being overrun by a devastating massive force of anti-government Mig-21 jets. His fate and those of Saki, Mickey, Greg and some other pilots is left uncertain.

The 2004 anime series truncated the story to just after Shin lost his F-5E, but in that continuity Shinjou, the photographer, manages to return to Japan just in time to derail Kanzaki’s plot to marry Ryoko. The series also introduced the permanent characters of Kim, from the manga, and Saki’s cousin Kitori, who appeared in the manga as Seilane Balnock.

Despite the consistent use of existing aircraft, the manga – unlike the anime adaptations – introduced, as the series progressed, a number of elements that may have been considered science fiction at the time but at least used existing technology. Such devices include a land-based aircraft carrier with its fleet of AI-controlled F/A-18 fighters. A rebel weapon called the Grand Slam is basically a ballistic missile modified with a drill machine. There was also other exotic weaponry, none of which appeared in either anime adaptation.

Japanese staff

Japanese cast

Director: Hisayuki Toriumi

Screenplay: Akiyoshi Sakai

Music: Ichiro Nitta

Original creator: Kaoru Shintani

Character Design: Toshiyasu Okada

Art Director: Mitsuki Nakamura

Sound Director: Shigeharu Shiba

Director of Photography:
Hitoshi Kaneko
Juro Sugimura

Executive producer: Ren Usami

Producer: Yuji Nunokawa