Area 88: Vol.4 - Wings of the Wind

Introduction

There's something ineffably cool about fighter planes, especially to a young teenaged male. That's despite the fact that the closest we'll ever get to such machinery is probably in the Imperial War Museum, and the chance of us being anywhere near a working fighter are either slim or fat. It didn't stop me from borrowing coffee table books from the library, perusing through Jane's Guide to Fighter Jets, playing computer games, swapping top trumps cards, and indulging in movies like Wings of the Apache and Top Gun. It's why I will still watch Firefox despite it being the worst movie that Clint Eastwood ever made. But fighter planes in animation are another matter. There is little satisfaction to be had in Dastardly and Muttley; it may be entertaining but it won't appeal to the plane-spotter in all of us, and it's hard to envisage a cartoon coming up with the level of detail, consistency, accuracy and sense of speed that a decent depiction requires. It's jet porn basically, but two things make it feasible. One is the adult outlook of anime, where attention to detail and accuracy are commonplace, and the other is CGI. When you have realistic aircraft, modelled with digital accuracy, it makes a show like Area 88 possible.


The Kingdom of Aslan is embroiled in a bitter civil war, but rather than recruit and train its own standing air force, it has instead opted for a mercenary squadron operating from its Area 88 base, flying sorties against insurrectionist forces, fighting one of the most bitter conflicts in the Middle East. The pilots who fly from Area 88 sign up to tough contracts. There are only three ways to leave, serve the full 3-year tour, amass $1.5 million and buy your way out, or in a body bag. Earning the money would seem easy, when you're making tens of thousands of dollars for each target, but pilots also have to pay for maintenance, spare parts, repairs, armaments, ammunition, and even the food they eat and the roof over their heads, and if they get shot down, their coffins. It's fine if you sign up for it, but for the base's sole Japanese pilot, Shin Kazama, it's a deal he never made. He was on the fast track to success as a commercial airline pilot, he'd just passed his final tests, and was engaged to be married to a girl named Ryoko, when his ex-best friend Kanzaki signed him up for Aslan's merc pilots. He needs to buy his way out of the contract so he can get back to his fiancé, and that means flying, fighting and killing as many enemy targets as quickly as possible.


The series concludes with these final three episodes on volume 4 of Area 88 courtesy of ADV.

10. Fire Ball - Fateful Contrails
There's a new hotshot pilot in the air, shooting down fighters as if he was swatting a fly. The only problem is that he's flying for the rebels. He's also got a trademark, he performs barrel rolls whenever he unleashes his weaponry. It's bad news for the forces of Area 88, and they put their best pilots on alert whenever there is an enemy attack. But however worried the other pilots may be, that doesn't compare to what Mickey Simon is feeling. He's recognised that unique flying style, and realises that the enemy pilot is Patrick Reed, his wingman from Vietnam.

11. Truth - Truth of the Sands
It's all finally coming to a head, Shin is coming close to his $1.5 million target that will allow him to buy his way out of his contract, while back in Tokyo, Kanzaki is making moves in the boardroom of Yamato Airlines. Shinjou has decided that he isn't going to take the contract, and contacts Kanzaki to let him know, only Kanzaki has found a new method. It's too late for Shinjou, as McCoy always taps into the phone calls, and this time he's found someone to sell Shinjou out to. But it may not matter, as in the air, Shin is getting careless, and he's setting himself up as a target. Meanwhile in Tokyo, Kanzaki proposes to Ryoko.


12. Lock On - Wings of the Wind
The conclusion.

Picture

A recent anime gets a nice 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer. Aside from the NTSC-PAL conversion issues prevalent with every other anime show available in the UK, the only real annoyance is a degree of moiré on fine detail, and almost imperceptible aliasing. It's not a deal breaker, but is a disappointment in such a visual show. The character designs are pleasant enough if a little old-fashioned, reflecting their mid-eighties origins. The real joy is in the hardware. The planes here are depicted with a degree of accuracy and attention to detail that is unprecedented for an animation. That anime budget does show though, although oddly enough it's in slower moments of animation. When you see a jet taxiing or during take-off or landing, something doesn't feel quite right, as if the plane lacks weight. But when the action heats up, during a dogfight or while performing aerobatic sequences, the visuals are amazing. It's almost as if they've taken sequences from Top Gun and just cel-shaded them.

Sound

You have a choice between DD 5.1 English and DD 2.0 Japanese, along with optional translated subtitles and signs. I was happy enough with the original language as always, and the stereo provides some nice whooshy plane noises when required. But for the full jet porn aficionado, the 5.1 Surround will be the audio track of choice, and while it isn't as full-blown as a multi-million dollar effects movie, it does throw some planes, missiles, cannon and AA fire around your speakers. It's enough to put a grin on your face during the action scenes. Unfortunately when they start talking, that grin will ebb, as the English language dub is decidedly average. It's a show that desperately needs a 5.1 Japanese track.

Extras

There may be a low episode count on this disc, but the extras compensate.

The clear Amaray case has a reversible sleeve you can make use of, and the inside has a character guide for Ryoko Yamato, and an interview with her Japanese voice actor as well. There are also character guides for some of Area 88's minor characters.

On the disc you'll find trailers for Yugo The Negotiator, Samurai Gun, Madlax and Gilgamesh. There is a 1-minute slideshow of production sketches, the clean credit sequences (with 2 versions of the end sequence), aircraft specs for the F5A Tiger II and the MIG 21.


The interview on this disc is split in two, but in a rather bizarre way. Director Isamu Imakake joins voice actors Takehito Koyasu (Shin Kazama), Tomokazu Seki (Mickey Simon), and Ryo Hirohashi (Kim Aba) for a chat about the show. Part one lasts just 16 minutes, and they talk a bit about the show, the actors' impression of the characters, and add a couple of anecdotes about the ADR process.

Part two of the interview lasts a substantial 54 minutes, and the cast go into more detail about their characters, as well as talk about the other characters in the story. Pilots being a taciturn bunch, they also describe the added difficulty in bringing them to life. There is also some talk about the 3D CG battle scenes, just how realistic the show was in its depiction of war, and their respective favourite episodes.

Conclusion

If the first volume was set-up, the second soap opera, and the third action, then the fourth and final volume of Area 88 manages to combine soap and action in one neat DVD sized package, and it's more exciting than when J.R and the rest of the Ewing clan took on B.D. Calhoun and his mercenaries. Oh dear! Is my age showing? I've found Area 88 thus far to be a curious mix of comical and exciting, well animated and pedestrian. It's something of a contradiction at times, but it has proved to be entertaining. This final volume actually ups the excitement level, raises the stakes, increases the tension, and drags you closer and closer to the edge of your seat, before letting you down with a damp squib of an ending.


The first episode on the disc is the last of the pure action episodes, adding to the trio of the previous volume, but also fleshing out the character of Mickey Simon, Tomcat pilot. We get a look at his past, and he gets put into an impossible situation, perfect hi-octane drama that exemplifies Area 88 at its best. Then it's onwards to the endgame, where everything will be resolved, we hope. Shin has to complete his tally of kills and buy his way out of indenture, Shinjou has to decide whether to complete his mission or (as he has gradually warmed to Shin) give up the contract completely. Kanzaki has to continue his machinations at Yamato Airlines, and Ryoko has to face the possibility that her fiancé may indeed be dead.


As with all good soap operas, there are last minute reversals, Shin winds up failing to make his target, indeed his debt increases. Shinjou's true reason for being at Area 88 is revealed to the other pilots, and they turn on him before he has a chance to help Shin, and Kanzaki proposes to Ryoko. The wedding date is set, Shin has run out of time, and he's forced into a desperate act. It's all poised for a dramatic climax, bullets flying, intense dogfights, a final accounting. And all of a sudden Area 88 misfires.


In a soap opera, you need a catharsis, you need an emotional release, and in Area 88 that means you need the good guys to win, the bad guys to lose, and there to be a happily ever after. But in a last minute twist, Area 88 opts for something approaching realism. Which means that the conclusion we get is half-hearted at best. Yes there is a resolution, yes you could say the good guys triumph, but the bad guys certainly don't get their butts kicked, and there is no happily ever after. It's like a Ewing barbecue in Dallas without anyone being pushed into the pool. If ever an ending could be said to have a detrimental effect on a series…


Area 88 is average stuff at best, the action is good, but the story is ho-hum, and without an ending that makes you clench your fist and mutter, "Yes!" under your breath, then the whole experience becomes somewhat academic. I still like it for the planes though, and should your anime tendencies drift toward the aeronautical, then it's either this or Yukikaze. And Yukikaze's weird.