| Area
88 OVA (1985)
Animation Production: Dai Pro/ OB Planning
Released by: ADV
Films
Episodes: 1-2
By Jeff
Couto
Introduction
After a long day at the office today I was
looking forward to coming home, having dinner and playing
with my daughter, but ADV Films had something else to add
to my line up in the way of Area 88, the original OVA series
that is! I knew they had acquired the rights to this title,
but had no idea when it was officially coming out to the retail
channel (July 25, 06 is the release date), so seeing a preview
disc of it in the good old mailbox proved to be a happy surprise.
I loved the new series that recently came
out, but I missed having the hand-drawn dogfights of the original
title. The new CGI fighters looked amazing and stylish in
the latest show, but they lacked life and flexibility, which
in my humble opinion took away from the potential many scenes
had. That of course is not a problem with today’s review
subject so let’s get right into it.
Story
"A classic tale of love, war and tragedy
comes to life in the original fast-paced, emotionally charged
thrill ride, Area 88. In a cruel twist of fate, talented young
pilot Shin Kazama is tricked into serving as a mercenary for
Area 88: a hell on earth where men survive by gunning down
anyone who stands in their way. To return home, Shin must
sell his soul to the battlefield and pave the road back to
Japan with the corpses of his fallen opponents."
-- ADV Films' DVD description.
Review
Please note that this review is based
on a preview disc so the content and quality of the product
may change by the time the DVD goes into production.
This OVA’s story centers around Shin
Kazama, a young man who is the #1 ace pilot of Area 88, a
mercenary air force that is right in the middle of fighting
a civil war. Having been tricked into joining this phantom
force of guerilla fighters there are only 3 ways for Shin
to get out and return to his beloved girlfriend, survive 3
years of warfare, pay a $1.5 million penalty or desert. Having
lost out on a promising career as the top young pilot of Yamato
airlines and being tricked by his best friend into signing
up for the hell on Earth that is Area 88, Shin counts each
day, each kill, and every dollar won until the moment he can
return to Japan.
Alongside Shin we also follow Rocky, a Japanese
photo journalist who records much of what happens in Area
88, and many of the denizens that call this battlefield their
home. From the quiet Boris to #2 pilot, Mickey, each of Area
88’s pilots brings with them a baggage of history and
experiences that for some reason or the other landed them
here. Like the Shin they fight, not for what they believe,
but because they are here and have signed a contract.
If you’ve seen the newer Area 88 series
the first feature here will feel familiar as it covers much
of the same ground albeit with some differences in narrative
and characters. Here the principal focus of the story in the
first half revolves around the combat photographer from Japan
and his dual quests to document what being in Area 88 is like
and to better understand his fellow countryman (Shin). The
second half is more centered on the man who tricked Shin into
joining Area 88 in an effort to gain a better position with
Yamato Airlines and Shin’s girlfriend (the daughter
of the company’s president).
The plot is simple, but the execution of it
is tremendously engaging, as it grabs you, throws you in front
of your TV and holds you there until the show is over. Shin
is a quiet and collected character and his motivation in the
story makes you want to do nothing more than to cheer for
him when he goes into combat and then feel his pain when he
thinks back to the reasons he is here. It skirts the edge
of melodrama, but never quite gets there, which ensures a
powerful, but not over the top sentimentality to a lot of
the proceedings here.
On the flipside of the character moments and
one of the reasons this series is so well known are its perfectly
crafted dogfight scenes, of which there are many good ones.
These scenes are almost poetic in the way they unfold and
remind one of just how powerful a hand-drawn image can be
when it’s crafted by a talented animator. Maybe it’s
because I’m personally a huge fan of military aircraft
myself (I’m still mourning the loss of our 24 hours
a day “Discovery Wings” channel, which recently
became an all military themed channel!), but seeing these
older jets (circa 1979, which is when the story actually takes
place) just fills my jetfighter fan boy heart with joy! Anime
is filled with so many modern mecha and spaceships that it’s
nice to see some older military planes represented so well.
On the production front this particular release
was animated back in 1985, back when the OVA market was just
getting started up in Japan and as such it bears many of the
trademarks of anime from the 80’s and if you’ve
read other reviews I’ve written for the site you know
that I see this a as a HUGE positive for me. That being said
the animation is better than your standard 80’s anime
TV production values as it features a superior frame count,
more detailed drawings and more complex coloring of the cels.
Maybe not as flashy and sharp looking as the latest Area 88
series, but perhaps a richer overall experience in my estimation.
On the audio front there is a lot of great
orchestral pieces included here, with some particularly noteworthy
titles in the aerial battles scenes. Where this title does
fall short though is in the vocal track area with songs that
just came across a little too cheesy for my taste (and keep
in mind that cheesy anime songs from 80’s are a staple
of my Ipod and home music system so for me to say that, well
it isn’t easy because I really wanted to like them).
The voice acting is solid on all fronts with the Japanese
track being the best of the two included (English being the
other one).
As far as extras go this preview copy only
included one of the two highlighted bonus features in the
DVD box. The one here is a “Introduction of the Fighters”
interactive section that gives you an opportunity to learn
more about the various aircraft that appear in the show. The
other (which is not included in this preview disc) is an interview
with Kaoru Shintani (author of the original Area 88 manga
upon which this anime is based on). This DVD also included
previews for other releases from ADV Films.
Final
Thoughts
Area 88 is a great example of what anime is
able to achieve when it chooses to explore areas that go beyond
popular genres and cutesy characters. With a decidedly dramatic
tone that is sprinkled with touches of aerial combat, Area
88 is one of those rare titles that everyone should have in
their collection. Forget that this OVA was produced over 20
years ago, forget that it doesn’t have aliens or cute
anime girls running around, let yourself wander inside Area
88 and discover a whole new side of anime.
This one gets our highest recommendations.
Jeff Couto
|
