Area 88 Ep. 4: The Treacherous Sky

It may start with a bang, but this episode is more about revealing Shin’s mysterious past than aerial combat. When a mission goes wrong, the Japanese mercenary pilot finds himself alone in the desert. As he struggles to survive he is forced to remember how he ended up in a civil war far from his home.

Area 88 is at its best during slower moving episodes rather than the flashy dogfights. That’s rather ironic since I suspect most people who watched the series were attracted by the action. With the fourth episode, the main story begins in earnest. The questions of who is Shin and why is he here are finally answered.

An ominous tone is set early on when Shin Kazama lands his aging F-8E Crusader to refuel. Pickings have been slim in the skies lately and this causes the resident ace to press his luck. His mechanic Gustav warns him he’s being reckless, but the dollars associated with each kill matter more.

Makoto photographs all this as usual despite feeling something is wrong. Gustav, on the other hand, actually knows something is wrong. He can hear a malfunction within the Crusader’s turbojet engine.

Back in the air, the normally icy Shin is taking far too many chances. It doesn’t help the rebels have upgraded to supersonic MiG-21 fighters in an effort to change the air war. Even if the F-8 were in top condition, taking on seven MiGs at once is foolish.

The consequences for Shin’s rash behavior are harsh and soon he finds himself riding a parachute while watching the debris of his Crusader sparkle in the desert sun. Beautiful it may be, but an “evil old man” has arrived to greet him upon landing. Desert sandstorms are fearsome things and the pilot struggles to find cover.

No help from the brass is coming due to the sandstorm shutting the base down. Flight is simply impossible and it would take a fool to go out in any kind of vehicle. However, this is a desert base filled with mercenaries who don’t exactly fit in with normal society. Gustav and Makoto play the role of fools and set out with water purchased from the ever ruthless McCoy.

Having survived the “evil old man,” Shin finds the night sky filled with stars twinkling and drifts into memories of his best friend, Satoro Kanzaki. Raised in the same orphanage they trained together to become pilots. Despite making it through the sandstorm, the downed pilot finds out he is very lost.

Meanwhile, Gustav reveals why he is risking his life to find Shin. In his opinion the Japanese ace doesn’t belong in the war or at the base with the others. There is something in his eyes that makes him look like “a wounded wolf.”

In the desert, one can only survive nineteen hours after the last drink of water. Shin’s has run out which means his time is as well. The stark landscape offers no respite from the blazing heat for the now shuffling man. Though Makoto and Gustav begin to find clues to where Shin landed they can’t find any tracks.

Alone with his memories, Area 88’s resident ace fights to survive. It is in those memories the reason for his desire to live is revealed. But can he survive without water?

Thoughts

I do love character development, so finally getting a reason for the taciturn main hero’s behavior was quite welcome. And oh what a reason it is. An unusual anime for the past ten years or even longer, Area 88 is truly aimed at an older audience. Episode 4 would have been a stellar live action episode if it were affordable to make and that shows how well written it is.

This was a lovely episode visually with a running theme of sparkling or twinkling backgrounds ranging from the debris of the F-8 to the night time sand. The desert gets full attention, showing a deadly beauty that is uncaring and much bigger than any puny human being. The backdrop artists got a chance to shine in this installment.

So did the audio engineers in both the Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 and especially ADV’s English 5.1 mix. The wind howls around adding to the sense of being in the middle of a storm in a particularly effective scene.

Despite all the reveals, this episode also feels like a setup to something much bigger.

BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!

 

 

 

 

The betrayal by Kanzaki is a nasty one. Shin views him as his best friend, if not a brother so it is as bitter as can be. Suckering him into signing a piece of paper after getting him drunk is how Shin came to be enslaved by the Kingdom of Aslan. There is nothing he can do but fight to live through the three year contract or earn 1,500,000 dollars in combat to buy it out.

Why would Kanzaki do that to him? It all has to do with an airline president’s daughter Shin is dating. Kanzaki wants to be rich and powerful, so you connect the dots.

More sparkling sand triggers another flashback for the collapsed Shin. This time it is of Ryoko, his girlfriend of the long flowing and sparkling pink hair seen in the end titles. While he denied planning to marry her to Kanzaki, it really was the case. The supposedly stoic pilot is turning out to be a man frozen in grief and rage buried under a careful mask.

All the sparkles do lead up to something big and that is the flash of light that Makoto sees as he and Gustav are about ready to give up on the search.

Finding Shin alive causes contradictory feelings in the photographer hired to capture the pilot’s last moments. He wants the money, but is realizing that he’s getting emotionally involved.

When’s Shin’s first word is “Kanzaki” it rattles Makoto a great deal. Is it guilt or fear of being discovered?

The beautiful and lurid sunsets add to the unsettled tone of the episode. I wonder if they are meant to reflect the anger deep inside Shin?