Summary: >

Shin Kazama thought he had it made. While he was still in training to become a pilot, it looked certain that he could land a job as a pilot for Yamato Airlines. By random chance he happened to get introduced to Ryoko, the daughter of the president of YAL. The two hit it off and it looked like it would probably be a marriage after a time. The day of graduation things looked pretty good. With a night of celebration, Shin would wake up the next morning and begin the rest of his life.

That wasn't what would happen however. His supposed "best friend" had tricked him that night into signing a contract with the country of Arslan. He was now officially drafted to be a mercenary pilot. Shin has no interest in being a combat pilot, but now at the mercy of the government, he has no choice but to comply. Arslan is a poor country in the middle east in the midst of civil war. While planes cost a lot of money, training pilots costs even more. Thus the government of Arslan hires pilots to do the fighting for them. Bounties are offered for various targets. By contract you must serve for 3 years, or pay off the contract for 2 million dollars. If you are very good, you can get very rich. Most pilots however end up very dead.

And so Shin lives his life in the dry desert, counting down each day until he can finally be free of his burden. He has a score to settle with his friend. He has a woman waiting for him. But as each day passes that Shin survives, more people die by his hand. Can he ever really go back?

Thoughts: >

By now Area 88 is a pretty dated title. Recently it was redone as a TV series with cgi animation and updated music - also more expansive due to the length. However the TV series never really touches the greatness of the original OAV. The attention to detail in the animation is one of the more interesting features of the anime, but pretty much all aspects are outstanding. Animation is dated looking, but actually really well done. The soundtrack is very 80s but top notch in its catchyness. And best of all is the story. It unwinds in a way that gives you a breather from the action, yet it all unravels at a driving pace. The introspection of Shin himself is probably the best feature. Driven to survive, yet not wanting to kill anyone - Shin continually struggles within himself.

Overall I would put this title as a must see. If I were to rate this on a scale of where it fits in my favorite anime, I'd say this would probably score number 2, or possibly tie first place. This isn't necessarily for everyone being oriented towards action, and serious pretty much all the way through. If you're okay with that, then certainly don't miss out on this classic.

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