Summary: >

The Cockpit is a collection of three different stories of World War II. One story about a German pilot, another about a motorcycle driver, and another about a boy who has to fly a rocket into the heart of a ship. Three tales of self sacrifice, honor and courage, all directed by three different directors.

Thoughts: >

One thing that I think comes through in various anime titles that I find rather fascinating is the story of Japan during the final days of World War II. There is a pervading sense of helplessness and hopelessness coupled with the daily strife of dealing with war, which was particularly bad for Japan during World War II because nearly all Japanese houses were constructed with wood and were bombed with incendiaries. Not to mention the futility in the Japanese fighting towards the end that made them take such desperate measures yet continue to fight on.

So considering The Cockpit is a title by Leiji Matsumoto, of Captain Harlock fame, this would seem to be the perfect match for creator with a story thread. I mean I still get choked up watching Arcadia of My Youth when the Biplane pilot ejects the last of his fuel in a last ditch chance to defeat the witch of the mountain and fly over...

Unfortunately I just wasn't really feeling that drama here for some reason. The first thing to note is that the animation and designs were rather simplistic. This doesn't really feel like it's taking any advantage in being animated. The second reason is that this title is really depressing. I mean they all reflect on how tragic war is for 90% of the story, and then they go off and die O_o; And you KNOW they're going to die because the title is called kamikaze stories after all.

It seemed like the point was to show the bravery of those who fought on during the last few months of the war, despite the fact that they knew that they would never return. However I really didn't find it that gripping because in the end you know that they will never really accomplish a greater good with their feats. The fact that this is multiple stories actually works against this title too, because after feel the depression and witness the first person fly into a hopeless mission; you get to witness another going into the same kind of situation with the same result.

The Cockpit doesn't strike me as a bad title, it just seems like it didn't really strike a chord with me like it was most certainly intended to. Some of that has to do with the content. Some of it with the general direction it took. But mostly because the title struck me as nothing more than mediocre from start to finish.