Area 88

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Area 88
エリア88 (Area 88)
Genre	Action, Drama, Military, Romance, Shōnen
Manga
Authored by	Kaoru Shintani
Publisher	Shogakukan
Other publishers: Eclipse Comics/VIZ Media
Serialized in	Big Comic Spirits
Original run	1979 – 1986
No. of volumes	23
OVA
Directed by	Hisayuki Toriumi
Studio	Studio Pierrot
No. of episodes	3
Released	1985
TV anime
Directed by	Isamu Imagake
Studio	Group TAC
Network	Animax, Asahi Broadcasting
Other networks: Animax The Anime Network
Original run	8 January 2005 – 5 March 2005
No. of episodes	12

Area 88 (エリア88, Eria Hachi-Jū-Hachi^?) is a Japanese manga series by Kaoru Shintani serialized between 1979 and 1986. The story is about a young pilot named Shin Kazama and his experiences at Area 88, a mercenary air force base secluded in the desert of a war torn country. Shin goes from head of his class at a world renowned aviation school dating the beautiful daughter of an airline president to a mercenary fighter pilot bound to Area 88 by a three-year contract that he was duped into signing by a jealous and competitive childhood friend. Determined to earn $1.5 million dollars to buy his way out of the obligation and return home, killing becomes second nature to Shin as he quickly rises to the top rank at Area 88. Overwrought with shame and self-loathing for what he has become, Shin begins to question whether he is still fighting for survival, or like his fellow mercenaries, for the sheer excitement and camaraderie of battle.

Area 88 was among the first three manga to be translated into English and published in North America.^[1] It has been adapted into two anime series, the first an OVA originally published in 1985, and the latest, a 12-episode anime television series, which premiered across Japan on the anime television network Animax in 2005, and a video game. It is also a brand of model aircraft in Japan. While it appeals to aviation fans for its realistic depictions of aircraft and aerial combat, it has also been critically acclaimed for its strong character development and Shintani's poignant storytelling, combining action, tragedy, romance, and comedy.

Contents 1 Story 1.1 Time setting 1.2 Variations 1.3 Themes 2 Characters 3 Aircraft 4 Manga 5 Adaptations 5.1 OVA 5.2 TV anime 5.2.1 Episodes 5.3 Video game 6 Theme songs 6.1 OVA 6.2 TV series 7 Soundtracks 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Story

Area 88 takes place in the late 1970s/early 1980s and is largely set in a war-embroiled Middle Eastern country called the Kingdom of Asran.^[2] The war uses mercenary fighter pilots, with its headquarters at a secret desert air force base called Area 88. Up-and-coming airline pilot Shin Kazama gets tricked into signing up by "friend" Satoru Kanzaki as part of his jealousy-fueled plot to steal Shin's girlfriend Ryoko Tsugumo. Facing execution for deserting from Area 88, Shin reluctantly turns into a fighter pilot and attempts to serve his three year contract out.

Area 88 attracts all kinds of people with all kinds of assorted and often sordid pasts. Among the other mercenaries are Mick Simon, an American who couldn't adjust to normal life after his tour of duty in the Vietnam War. Mick becomes Shin's best friend at Area 88. Another familiar sight at Area 88 is McCoy, a greedy weapons dealer who sells everything the mercenaries need from toilet paper to the planes that the mercenaries fly in battle. The commander of Area 88 is Saki Vashtal, who is actually a prince of the nation of Asran, though his royal heritage means nothing there. Also prominent on the base are the war photographer Rocky (presented as Makoto Shinjou in the 2004 anime), the Dane Greg Gates (later featured in the video game adaptation) and the numerous pilots with whom Shin flies (most of whom die over the course of the series, often in the issue in which they were introduced). Though the series focuses mostly on Shin, other characters (notably Rocky and Mick) did have their own individual storylines.

There are only three ways to leave Area 88: Survive three years (highly unlikely), buy out your contract for one and a half million dollars (difficult as a mercenary must pay for all his expenses including stiff fines for turning down hazardous missions) or desertion (a capital offense if caught). With each enemy plane brought down, Shin faces his shifting acceptance of the violence and killing that fills every day, as well as suppressing his feelings of wrong-doing. Eventually earning his release after numerous setbacks, he returns to normal life only to discover he has changed and can no longer fit into the life he once knew.

[edit] Time setting

Area 88 is usually placed at late 1970s, first of 1980s, although evidence would make to place the series in 1984 , first a calendar is seen in both OVA and TV series placing a 30 April at Monday, 1979 and 1984 both have a Monday 30th of April. Second, the OVA featured the F/A-18 Hornet, and the Hornet entered service in 1983.

[edit] Variations

Each version of the Area 88 told slightly different variations on the same basic premise, and often shared individual story arcs. However, there are several key differences between each version, especially in the endings.

The original manga ending had Shin returning to Japan, but having lost all memory of Area 88.

The 3-episode OVA adaptation had Shin return to Area 88 and his (surmised) death when the Area was overrun.

The 2004 anime adaptation truncated the story to just after Shin lost his F-5E, but Shinjou returned to Japan to derail Kanzaki's plot to marry Ryoko. The 2004 anime also introduced the permanent characters of Kim, from the manga, and Saki's cousin Kitori, who had never appeared in any prior versions.

[edit] Themes

The themes in Area 88 mostly revolve on the Vietnam War and those who have participated in it. The psychological state of the base's mercenaries are also noted, showing that most soldiers who have fought in conflicts from the early 20th century have reported difficulties in getting their lives back to normal.

Area 88 also depicts the use of freelancers in fighting wars as mercenaries have fought for various countries during the 20th century, with the attention of their field work in Africa for most of the time back then.

[edit] Characters

Please see List of Area 88 characters.

[edit] Aircraft

Notable combat aircraft to have been featured in the series include:

• A-4F Skyhawk - Greg Gates
• A-10A Thunderbolt II - Greg Gates (OVA)
• AV-8A Harrier II - rebel pilots (OVA)
• Blackburn Buccaneer - Roundell (2004 Anime)
• Dassault Mirage F1 - Kitori Palvanaff
• English Electric Lightning - Escape Killers (OVA)
• F-4J/E Phantom II - Mickey Simon, Patrick Reed, Shin Kazama
• F-5E Tiger II - Shin Kazama
• F-8E Crusader - Shin Kazama, Boris
• F-14 Tomcat- Mickey Simon (modified for single-pilot operation)
• F-15 Eagle - Loaned to Shin by Saki (manga #4)
• F-16A Fighting Falcon - Invulnerable Charlie (OVA)
• F-20 Tigershark - Shin Kazama (OVA)
• F-105D Thunderchief - Nguyen Van Com (OVA)
• F-100 Super Sabre - Mickey Simon (OVA)
• F/A-18A Hornet - Remote Drones based on the Land Carrier (Manga)
• IAI Kfir - Saki, Shin Kazama, Mickey Simon,
• J35F Draken - Shin (Manga)
• MiG-17 Fresco - rebel pilots
• MiG-21 Fishbed - rebel pilots
• MiG-23 Flogger - Patrick Reed and rebel pilots (2004 anime)
• MiG-27D Flogger - Wolfpack (OVA)
• Sea Harrier FRS Mk.1 - Kim Aoba (2004 anime)
• T-6 Texan - Morris (manga #4)
• OV-10 Bronco - Asran Air Force (OVA)

Other aircraft that have appeared throughout the series include:

• Boeing 747 (piloted by Kanzaki)
• C-130 Hercules
• Cessna 150 (piloted by Shin and Kanzaki in their earlier days)
• Tu-95 'Bear'
• UH-1 Iroquois helicopter

[edit] Manga

The original Japanese manga of Area 88 was serialized in 23 volumes between 1979 and 1986 by Shogakukan. Each volume was black and white with a painted color cover and contained several short stories called "missions." In all, there were 172 such missions across the 23 volumes. Shonen Sunday later repackaged the 23 volumes into ten thick books under its Wide Volume product line.

Area 88, along with Mai, the Psychic Girl and The Legend of Kamui, was one of the first three manga to be translated to English and published in North America by Eclipse Comics and VIZ Media in May 1987.^[1] It was published bi-weekly with each issue containing a single mission, of which the editors had planned to release all 172. The first 28 issues featured covers from the original manga plus some original artwork by Shintani, but as these resources were limited, the covers of issues #29-36 featured stills from the OVA film. With issue #37 in December 1988, VIZ Media took over the series, and in addition to featuring photographs of actual fighter jets on the cover, the publication went from bi-weekly to monthly and the price from $1.50 to $1.75. The series did not adjust well to the dramatic change, and with issue #42 in May 1989, it was canceled. It was later run as a feature in Viz's Animerica Magazine, but did not run to completion there, ending in January 1995.

[edit] Adaptations

[edit] OVA

An OVA trilogy produced by Studio Pierrot was released between 1985 and 1986 on videotape and laser disc. These were later released with English subtitles in North America on VHS by Central Park Media's U.S. Manga Corps in 1992. Only the first volume was later released to DVD on July 14, 2000. Apparently, the English subtitles on the DVD suffered from poor translation.^{[citation needed]} Central Park Media would later let the original OVA license lapse, which allowed ADV Films to re-release the trilogy on July 25, 2006. The two-DVD set included all three episodes containing the original Japanese track and the redubbed English track using the same cast from the English dub of TV series^{[citation needed]}, as well as extras including an interview with Kaoru Shintani and an introduction to the fighter jets portrayed in the series.^[3]

Media

• 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)

[edit] TV anime

An updated 12-episode anime television series with CG graphics, produced by Animax, Group TAC and Media Factory, began production in 2004 and premiered across Japan on the anime satellite television network, Animax from 8 January 2005 – 5 March 2005, who later aired the series across its other respective networks worldwide, including Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, South Asia, South Korea and other regions. ADV Films licensed the series for North American distribution, releasing the series across the region, with the first DVD volume release being published in 2005 and the last volume being released in 2006.^[1].

[edit] Episodes

Episode Name (English)	Episode Name (Japanese)	Original airdate
Sky Blue - Desert Wings	Sky Blue - 砂漠の翼	January 8, 2004
Boris - Tombstone of the Setting Sun	Boris - 夕陽の墓標	January 15, 2004
Shin & Makoto - Finder of a Blue Sky	Shin & Makoto - Aozora no Finder [蒼空のファインダー]	January 22, 2004
Desert - Skies of Betrayal	Desert - 裏切りの空	January 29, 2004
Lip Stick - Unyielding Rouge	Lip Stick - 勝気なルージュ	February 5, 2004
Cross Over - Intersection of Solitude	Cross Over - 孤独の交差点	February 12, 2004
Hungry Boy - Sweet Soldier	Hungry Boy - スイートソルジャー	February 19, 2004
Sand Glass - Sand's Bullet	Sand Glass - 砂の銃弾	February 26, 2004
Canyon - Tightrope at the Speed of Sound	Canyon - 音速のタイトロープ	March 4, 2004
Fire Ball - Contrails of Destiny	Fire Ball - 運命のコントレール	March 11, 2004
Truth - Truth of the Sand	Truth - 砂の真実	March 18, 2004
Lock On - Wings of the Wind	Lock On - Kaze no Tsubasa [風の翼]	March 25, 2004

[edit] Video game

Main article: U.N. Squadron

A shooter video game by Capcom was created in the late 80's, but it was released in the U.S. as UN Squadron, with only the characters connecting the two versions. Versions released included the Super Nintendo, Commodore 64, and Amiga, as well as a stand-up arcade game.

In the game, the player could select from Shin, Mick, or Greg as the pilot to play. Each came with a different plane and various advantages; for example, Mick could handle air-to-air dogfights well while Greg excelled at air-to-ground attacks. Each pilot also had special abilities; Shin mastered normal weaponry at the highest speed, Mick inflicted extra damage with his armaments, and Greg recovered from attacks almost before they occurred.

Practically none of the emotion or character development that occurred in the manga or OAVs were transferred over to the game. McCoy and Saki receive zero character development and all the pilots keep the same generic quotes after completing a mission.

[edit] Theme songs

[edit] OVA

• Opening

1. "How Far to Paradise" by Derek Jackson

• Ending

1. "「悲しみのＤｅｓｔｉｎｙ」 (Kanashimi no Destiny)" by MIO

[edit] TV series

• Opening

1. "Mission (Fuga)" by angels

• Ending

1. "Dance in the Battlefield" by Keiko Terada (eps 1-8)
2. "Dance in the Battlefield (English Version)" by Keiko Terada (eps 9-12)

[edit] Soundtracks

Area 88 Opening Theme: Mission - Fuga

Released on February 25, 2004

1. "Mission (FUGA)"
2. "Dance in the Battlefield"
3. "Mission (FUGA)" - Instrumental Version
4. "Dance in the Battlefield" - Instrumental Version

• Area 88: Sound File 1
• Area 88: Sound File 2
• Area 88: Mission Cyber Trance

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Animax's official Area 88 website (Japanese)
• Area 88 Website from TV Asahi (Japanese)
• Area 88 Website from ADV Films (English)