From the Sidelines: Area 88 Ep. 5: An Unyielding Spirit in Lipstick

An anime original character loosely based on one from the source manga makes her debut in this action filled episode. With their top ace grounded, the mercenaries at Area 88 receive a large surprise when a fighter sweep goes wrong. Forcefully inserting herself into the all male base, a brash newcomer finds her abundant self confidence tested in the lethal skies.

The greatest strength of Area 88 lies not in its action sequences, but in its character development. A third of the way into the series and it had already introduced a good number of unique individuals, but lacked a strong female. Wanting to rectify that, the writer and director of the show decided to bring in a new pilot. It’s a well timed introduction given Shin is grounded while waiting for his new fighter.

Before the opening credits roll, a tense situation is depicted with the commander of the base, Saki, listening to the combat chatter while watching the radar screen. One of the flights has gotten into a furball and used all their ammunition up. Kim, the young boy flying the Sea Harrier FRS.1, is in trouble and unable to shake the MiG-21 on his tail.

Post credits, things look worse as a warning of a bogey entering the area is immediately followed by a radar warning receiver going off. That indicates a fighter radar has gone into padlock mode to lock a target for a guided missile. Kim prepares to die as the missile streaks in from the unfamiliar plane.

Fortunately for him, the AIM-7 Sparrow launched by the intruding Mirage F1 blows the MiG-21 out of the sky in a spectacular fireball. We then get to see the pilot, who happens to be wearing lipstick and a smirk.

Not content with one kill, the stranger quickly splashes another in showy fashion. Hopefully the animated GIF won’t be too large a download since it’s an experiment I wanted to try out. It is a pretty good example of the action in the series.

Further astonishment awaits the pilots when the identity of the MiG killer is revealed. Women fighters pilot were simply unheard of back in the 1980s, the period this is set in. To top it off, she is beautiful and exotic, which shakes up the base filled with men who haven’t seen a young woman in some time.

Kitri is Saki’s cousin and a member of the royal family of Aslan, just to make her even more unusual. Poised and more than a little arrogant, she quickly clashes with Kim making him carry her flight gear in repayment for saving his life. Her presence on the base lights a fire in the men and profits for the ruthless supply merchant, McCoy.

While the men vie for her attention, she has locked on to different target – Shin. Always reserved and gloomy, he is more so due to problems in obtaining a replacement for his downed F-8 Crusader. Aggressive on the ground as well as in the air, Kitri peppers him with question to only be greeted with silence.

In an effort to make him reply, the female pilot inquires about some things she will soon regret asking about…

Thoughts

This episode is completely Kitri’s and she dominates it from beginning to end. At first she appears to be a Mary Sue character, but appearances can be deceiving. By the end of the episode, the royal brat shows some qualities that could make her a rival to Ryoko for Shin’s affections. Kitri could have been an annoying character, but the ending made me like her a great deal.

As much fun as Kitri is, the action does not play second fiddle to the dialogue. Some of the best dogfights in the entire series are on display in Lipstick, so action fans will like it a lot.

There is some inconsistency in how Kitri is drawn and if you look through the screenshots it will be obvious. The 3D CGI is heavily used since this is an aerial combat centric installment and it too suffers from inconsistencies. That’s not unusual for the series and under wing armament often varies from shot to shot on an individual aircraft.

I do like the addition of the Mirage F1 to the fighters. A replacement for France’s Mirage III family it was their main fighter of the 1970s. While not a beautiful as its predecessor, the F1 is a sleek and aggressive looking plane that suits the personality of its pilot.

BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!

Kitri’s frustration at being ordered to stay behind during the air strike was well portrayed. It also made the surprise air attack on Area 88 an obvious outcome due to the needs of drama. Check out the MiG-17PF’s in the capture. That was the radar equipped night fighter version of the MiG-17 and an odd choice for an air strike.

Well, the first dogfight wasn’t a fluke. Kitri is extremely skilled and nearly as good a pilot as Shin. That doesn’t save her from being a victim of her own cockiness. FOD kills jet engines and that’s why blowing up an opponent close in is dangerous.

Loved the shot of the Atoll heat seeking missile coming for Kitri, even if it has blue paint on it indicating it is an inert round. Sigh, knowing too much about the real equipment makes it hard to watch things like this at times.

Even worse was the shoot down of the missile by Shin in the F-4 Phantom. That simply isn’t possible since air to air missiles are supersonic in nature. Also, where did his centerline gun pod go?

Got to love the crash landings in the series. Kitri’s is one of the better ones and it is a nice bit having her watching Shin in the sky the way he watched it in the beginning. They are both fiercely driven individuals.