Area 88
Area 88 | |
エリア88 (Eria Hachijū-Hachi) | |
---|---|
Genre | Action, Military, Slice of life |
Manga | |
Written by | Kaoru Shintani |
Published by | Shogakukan |
English publisher | |
Magazine | Shōnen Big Comic |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | 1979 – 1986 |
Volumes | 23 |
ADV Films | |
Released | February 5, 1985 – August 15, 1986 |
Runtime | 200 minutes (total)
|
Episodes | 3 (Japanese ver.) 2 (International ver.)[a] |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Isamu Imakake |
Produced by | Ryōsuke Takahashi |
Written by | Hiroshi Ōnogi |
Music by | Kazunori Miyake |
Studio | Group TAC |
Licensed by | |
Original network | TV Asahi, Animax |
English network | |
Original run | January 8, 2004 – March 25, 2004 |
Episodes | 12 |
Area 88 (エリア88, Eria Hachijū-Hachi) is a Japanese
Area 88 was among the first three manga to be
Story
Synopsis
Area 88 takes place in the fictional Middle Eastern kingdom of Aslan[5] (alternatively transcribed as "Asran").[6] The government uses mercenary fighter pilots, stationed at the desert airbase Area 88, to fight its war and pays them for each enemy aircraft shot down. Each pilot's contract lasts three years; early cancellation costs $1.5 million.[5] Deserting Area 88 is considered a capital offense punished by death.
The story follows ace pilot Shin Kazama as he attempts to serve out his contract to return to his fiancée in Japan. As the war progresses, Shin must face his shifting acceptance of the violence that fills his days. Among his compatriots at Area 88 are: Mickey Simon, a United States Navy veteran of the Vietnam War; McCoy, a greedy weapons dealer who sells the pilots everything they need; photojournalist Goh "Rocky" Mutsugi (Makoto Shinjou in the TV series); Danish pilot Greg Gates; and Lt. Colonel Saki Vashtar, a member of Aslan's royal family and the commander of Area 88.
Shin's past is told through flashbacks during the story. He and his best friend, Satoru Kanzaki, were up-and-coming airline pilots for Yamato Airlines, and Shin had started a relationship with the CEO's daughter, Ryoko Tsugumo. Jealous of Shin's success, Satoru tricked him into signing the contract that landed him in Area 88. While Shin fights in the bloody war, Satoru courts Ryoko and rises through the ranks of Yamato Airlines. Ryoko discovers Shin is still alive through one of Goh's/Makoto's photos and resolves to find him.
Endings
While each version of Area 88 shared the same basic premise and some story arcs, they each had key differences, most notably in the endings.
The original manga ending showed Shin returning to Japan, but having lost all memory of Area 88. The English-language version published by Eclipse Comics was left unfinished. In the three-episode OVA adaptation from 1985, Shin was discharged from service to escort the king of Aslan to Paris in exile. Despite being free and making contact with Ryoko, Shin flies back to Aslan, having changed in his time at Area 88. His ultimate fate is left uncertain. The 2004 TV series truncated the story to just after Shin lost his F-5E. In this version, Makoto, the photojournalist, was originally sent to Area 88 by Satoru to capture a photo of Shin dying to prove his death to Ryoko. Shin survives the events of the series and Makoto, swayed to help Shin, returns to Japan and derails Satoru's plot to marry Ryoko.
Aircraft
Many real-life aircraft are featured in the series, including combat, civilian, and experimental aircraft.
- Attackers
- A-1 Skyraider
- A-4E/F Skyhawk
- RA-5C Vigilante
- A-6E Intruder
- A-7E Corsair II
- A-10A Thunderbolt II
- OV-10A Bronco
- Sea Harrier FRS Mk.1
- AV-8A Harrier II
- SEPECAT Jaguar
- Blackburn Buccaneer
- Yak-38 Forger
- Cargo aircraft
- C-1 Trader
- C-47 Skytrain
- C-130E Hercules
- Fighters and interceptors
- Dassault Mirage F1
- Dassault Mirage 2000
- English Electric Lightning
- F-4J/E Phantom II
- F-5A/E Freedom Fighter/Tiger II
- F-8E Crusader
- F-14A Tomcat
- F-15A Eagle
- F-16A Fighting Falcon
- F-20A Tigershark
- F-104G Starfighter
- F-105D Thunderchief
- F-100D Super Sabre
- RF-101C Voodoo
- F-111 Aardvark
- F/A-18A Hornet
- Fiat G.91
- IAI Kfir
- J35F Draken
- Su-33 Flanker
- MiG-17 Fresco
- Mig-19 Farmer
- MiG-21 Fishbed
- MiG-23 Flogger
- MiG-27D Flogger
- Grumman X-29
- Patrol aircraft
- E-2 Hawkeye
- S-2 Tracker
- S-3 Viking
- Trainers
- T-6 Texan
- T-38 Talon
- Bombers
- B-1 Lancer
- B-52 Stratofortress
- Tu-95 'Bear'
- Civilian
- Helicopters
- AH-1 Cobra
- AH-64 Apache
- CH-53 Sea Stallion
- CH-54 Tarhe
- UH-1 Iroquois
- SA-341 Gazelle
- SH-3 Sea King
- OH-6 Cayuse
- Bell 206 Jetranger
Media
Manga
The original Japanese manga of Area 88 was serialized in 23 volumes between 1979 and 1986 by Shogakukan.[7] 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. Shōnen Sunday later repackaged the 23 volumes into ten thick books under its Wide Volume product line.
Area 88, along with
- Shogakukan (Shonen Big Comics, 1979–1986)
Vol. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN |
01 | November 5, 1979 | 978-4091501318 |
02 | February 5, 1980 | 978-4091501325 |
03 | June 5, 1980 | 978-4091501332 |
04 | September 5, 1980 | 978-4091501349 |
05 | December 5, 1980 | 978-4091501356 |
06 | June 5, 1981 | 978-4091501363 |
07 | September 5, 1981 | 978-4091501370 |
08 | January 5, 1982 | 978-4091501387 |
09 | April 5, 1982 | 978-4091501394 |
10 | August 5, 1982 | 978-4091501400 |
11 | November 5, 1982 | 978-4091503312 |
12 | April 5, 1983 | 978-4091503329 |
13 | August 5, 1983 | 978-4091503336 |
14 | December 5, 1983 | 978-4091503343 |
15 | May 5, 1984 | 978-4091503350 |
16 | September 5, 1984 | 978-4091503367 |
17 | December 5, 1984 | 978-4091503374 |
18 | April 5, 1985 | 978-4091503381 |
19 | July 5, 1985 | 978-4091503398 |
20 | October 5, 1985 | 978-4091503404 |
21 | January 5, 1986 | 978-4091506115 |
22 | August 5, 1986 | 978-4091506122 |
23 | September 5, 1986 | 978-4091506139 |
- Shogakukan (Shonen Big Comics Wide-ban, 1979–1986)
Vol. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN |
01 | April 16, 1992 | 978-4091237118 |
02 | June 16, 1992 | 978-4091237125 |
03 | August 8, 1992 | 978-4091237132 |
04 | October 1992 | 978-4091237149 |
05 | December 12, 1992 | 978-4091237156 |
06 | February 16, 1993 | 978-4091237163 |
07 | April 1993 | 9784091237170 |
08 | June 16, 1993 | 978-4091237187 |
09 | August 9, 1993 | 9784091237194 |
10 | October 16, 1993 | 9784091237200 |
- Scola (Scola Manga Bunko, 1994)
Vol. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN |
01 | September 1994 | 978-4796201940 |
02 | September 1994 | 978-4796201957 |
03 | September 1994 | 978-4796201964 |
04 | September 1994 | 978-4796201971 |
05 | September 1994 | 978-4796201988 |
06 | September 1994 | 978-4796201995 |
07 | September 1994 | 978-4796202008 |
08 | November 1994 | 978-4796202312 |
09 | November 1994 | 978-4796202329 |
10 | November 1994 | 9784796202336 |
11 | November 1994 | 978-4796202343 |
12 | November 1994 | 978-4796202350 |
13 | November 1994 | 978-4796202367 |
- Media Factory (MF Bunko, 1999–2000)
Vol. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN |
01 | November 1999 | 978-4889919585 |
02 | November 1999 | 978-4889919592 |
03 | November 1999 | 978-4889919608 |
04 | November 1999 | 978-4889919615 |
05 | December 1999 | 978-4889919875 |
06 | December 1999 | 978-4889919882 |
07 | December 1999 | 978-4889919899 |
08 | January 2000 | 978-4840100113 |
09 | January 2000 | 978-4840100120 |
10 | January 2000 | 978-4840100137 |
11 | February 2000 | 978-4840100328 |
12 | February 2000 | 978-4840100335 |
13 | February 2000 | 978-4840100342 |
- Kadokawa/Media Factory (MF Comics, 2003–2004)
Vol. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN |
01 | September 30, 2003 | 978-4889919585 |
02 | September 30, 2003 | 978-4040682495 |
03 | October 23, 2003 | 978-4040685014 |
04 | October 23, 2003 | 978-4040685021 |
05 | November 22, 2003 | 978-4040685038 |
06 | November 22, 2003 | 978-4040685045 |
07 | December 22, 2003 | 978-4040685212 |
08 | December 22, 2003 | 978-4040685229 |
09 | January 23, 2004 | 978-4040685236 |
10 | January 23, 2004 | 978-4040685243 |
11 | February 23, 2004 | 978-4040685571 |
12 | February 23, 2004 | 978-4040685588 |
13 | March 23, 2004 | 978-4040685595 |
OVA films
Between February 5, 1985, and August 15, 1986,
After Central Park Media's films license lapsed,
Discotek Media re-released the OVA series on October 30, 2018.
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)
Anime television
An updated 12-episode anime television series with
Video games
A shoot 'em up video game by Capcom was released in the arcades in 1989. It was released in the West as UN Squadron. Ports were released for the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Super NES and ZX Spectrum.
In the game, the player could choose either Shin, Mickey, or Greg as the pilot to play. Each came with a different plane and various advantages; for example, Mickey 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, Mickey inflicted extra damage with his armaments, and Greg recovered from attacks almost before they occurred. The Super NES release offered six fighter planes, with the F-8 Crusader as the default aircraft. The game also included various elements from the series, such as the land carrier.
In 1995,
An October 2014 crossover event took place in Ace Combat Infinity where aircraft and emblems used by the main characters of Area 88 were added to the game. These included Shin's F-5 and F-20, Mickey's F-14, Greg's A-10, and Kim's AV-8.
Board game
Two special board games based on the franchise were released in the 1980s, but as so-called "Coterie" games, which are preordered editions and only go on limited sale at Japan's Game Market trade show. With mechanics based on the GDW board game
Toys/model kits
A line of Area 88 model kits was also produced, which are basically aircraft that are painted as they appeared in the series. Takara released a 1/100 line of aircraft kits, each with a 1/24 pilot figure in the early 1980s to coincide with the original manga stories. Kits included Shin's Crusader, F-5G Tiger II and F-20 Tigershark, Mickey's F-100 and F-14, Saki's Kfir, Greg's A-10, and two planes from the Counter-Governmental Air Force—a Yak-36 Forger and a MiG-27 Flogger-D.
The first release of 1/144 kits by Hasegawa in the early 1990s consisted of Mickey's F-14, Shin's F-8 and F-5, Seilane Balnock's Harrier, and Saki Vashtar's Kfir. Each kit had a 1/12 scale figure of the pilot in resin while the 1/144 plane kits were styrene plastic tooled up by Dragon models in Hong Kong. The third wave, released by Hasegawa in 1996, featured 1/72 kits of the same jets, but this time Hasegawa's own kit moldings were used. They comprised Saki's Kfir, Gregg's A-10, Shin's F-8, F-20, X-29 and Draken, and Mickey's F-14. Hasegawa also produced a 1/48 two-pack set in line with the 2004 TV series, consisting of Shin's F-8 and Mickey's F-14, plus a DVD.[15]
From January 2004 to December 2005, trading figure company The Other Corp released a line of 1/144
Soundtracks
- Area 88 Opening Theme: Mission - Fuga
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Mission (FUGA) (TV size)" | |
2. | "Awakening" | |
3. | "Dawn" | |
4. | "Frontier Land" | |
5. | "Dry" | |
6. | "Fight" | |
7. | "Tension" | |
8. | "The Anthem 2003" | |
9. | "Desert Night" | |
10. | "Desert Star" | |
11. | "Desert Sun" | |
12. | "Desert Sunset" | |
13. | "True Makoto" | |
14. | "Loneliness" | |
15. | "Ambition" | |
16. | "Convocation" | |
17. | "Strategy Meeting" | |
18. | "Sortie" | |
19. | "Out of the Blue (Mauro Picotto Remix)" | |
20. | "Flowers of One Wheel" | |
21. | "Heart Shaking" | |
22. | "Tenshi" | |
23. | "Speed of Sound" | |
24. | "Bombed" | |
25. | "Counterattack" | |
26. | "Symsonic (Vocal Mix)" | |
27. | "Ryoko" | |
28. | "Smile" | |
29. | "Warm" | |
30. | "Wrapped" | |
31. | "Far" | |
32. | "Sun Also Rises" | |
33. | "Wings" | |
34. | "Angels Theme (G-Aria) (TV size)" | |
35. | "Dance in the Battlefield (TV size)" |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Plot" | |
2. | "Ambition" | |
3. | "Destiny" | |
4. | "Trap" | |
5. | "Good Job" | |
6. | "Dancer" | |
7. | "On the Move (DuMonde Remix)" | |
8. | "Dogfight" | |
9. | "Temptation" | |
10. | "A Hell on Earth" | |
11. | "Stand By" | |
12. | "Lock On" | |
13. | "Spread Your Wings" | |
14. | "Step By Step" | |
15. | "Sin" | |
16. | "Solstice" | |
17. | "Ryoko #1" | |
18. | "Ryoko #2" | |
19. | "Ryoko #3" | |
20. | "Memories" | |
21. | "Peace" | |
22. | "Serenity" | |
23. | "Light" | |
24. | "We Know What You Did" | |
25. | "True Sin" | |
26. | "Dance in the Battlefield (English Version)" |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Mission (FUGA) (Original Extended Mix)" | |
2. | "Awakening" | |
3. | "The Anthem 2003" | |
4. | "Out of the Blue (Mauro Picotto Remix)" | |
5. | "Symsonic (Vocal Mix)" | |
6. | "Tenshi" | |
7. | "Traffic" | |
8. | "Temptation" | |
9. | "Angels Theme (G-Aria) (Wippenberg Dub)" | |
10. | "Solstice" | |
11. | "We Know What You Did" | |
12. | "Obsession" | |
13. | "On the Move (DuMonde Remix)" | |
14. | "Spread Your Wings" | |
15. | "Mission (FUGA) (Rock in Heaven Mix)" | |
16. | "Angels Theme (G-Aria) (Cyber Trance Mix)" |
Reception
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2012) |
Martin A. Stever reviewed Area 88 movies for Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer No. 83.[19] Stever commented that "The art is impressive, especially the ability to render moving jet aircraft. True to real war, characters are killed with regularity but not without remorse."[19]
Anime News Network praised Area 88's English dub released by ADV, especially with most of it done with the assistance of a consultant from the US Air Force.[20] Freetype gave the series a 7.0 out of 10, citing "Intense, fast, adrenaline-pumping dogfight action", while criticizing it for being one-dimensional for lack of some character development, lack of emphasis on action with the morals and drama watered down.[6]
Notes
- ^ Episodes 1 and 2 are compiled into a single 100-minute film in the International version.
References
- ^ a b Ward, Cynthia (June 2, 2004). "Manga: Another SF/F Trend Missed by SF/F?". Archived from the original on June 24, 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2006.
- ^ 映画 アニメ エリア88 [Theatrical Anime: Area 88] (in Japanese). AllCinema Movie & DVD Database. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ エリア88 [Area 88] (in Japanese). Japanese Movie Database. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ 小学館漫画賞:歴代受賞者 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
- ^ a b "Area 88 DVD 1 - Review". Anime News Network. August 19, 2005. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ a b "Area 88 (エリア88)". Freetype. Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ Kaoru Shintani. コミックスリスト2 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ^ "第269回 OVAの時代始まる" (in Japanese). Anime Style. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ "第325回 1986年のOVA" (in Japanese). Anime Style. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ "ADV Announces July 25 Releases". May 23, 2006. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2006.
- ^ "Discography". Avex Trance. Archived from the original on June 15, 2004. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ "ADV Deploys Area 88 July 19". Anime News Network. June 22, 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ^ "Gantz 10 Leads Off ADV's Jan 17 Releases" (Press release). Anime News Network. December 17, 2005. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
- ^ "A Few Words from the ADR Director". ADV Films. Archived from the original on December 21, 2005. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ "Area88 Set w/DVD (Plastic model) Fujimi 1/48 Area 88". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
- ^ "Release "エリア88 SOUND FILE 1" by 三宅一徳". MusicBrainz. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- ^ "Vol. 2-Area 88 Sound File: Japanimation: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- ^ "Area 88 Mission Cyber Trance: Japanimation: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- ^ a b Stever, Martin A. (October–November 1988). "The Ruler". Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer (83). World Wide Wargames: 28.
- ^ Theron Martin (August 19, 2005). "Area 88 DVD 1 Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
External links
- Area 88 Website from TV Asahi (in Japanese)
- Area 88 Website from ADV Films
- Area 88 (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia