Forum - View topicNow Streaming: Area88 OVA
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nightjuan
 Posts: 1473 |
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I absolutely agree with those who have praised this OVA since Area 88 is also one of my own favorites and a relatively unique anime as far as its subject matter is concerned. To put it one way, there's a visible lack of pseudo-realistic air combat action these days and I would say that's sorely missed.
I've commented on my initially mixed feelings regarding the ending a couple of times before...but it's something I've gradually grown to appreciate and, for that matter, hearing that the manga apparently went for a different outcome doesn't hurt either (at least in principle). Which remains me...I still need to go find the TV series myself despite reading generally good things about it. |
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malvarez1
Posts: 1743 |
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Wow, and this one is old. Thanks, ANN.
I can't wait for the series too. |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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Seconded. Those who desire an affecting and well-paced 1980s action drama concerning love interests, troubled pilots and a war against an overpowering enemy should try this post haste, region permitting. There is another title that matches this description and degree of personal acclaim, but its name mentions a "Super Dimension Fortress", which may deter some. |
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jsc315
 Posts: 925 |
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Fist of the North Star! WOOO! I already Pre ordered my copy of it on amazon
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jsc315
Posts: 925 |
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Dont forget the original Macross too!! |
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walw6pK4Alo
 Posts: 9322 |
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Yeah, DYRL is never happening. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15364 |
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I'm in the minority, but I like the remake more than the original. The latter just seems a little too stuck in the 80s. It's not bad overall, but it occasionally comes off dated by today's standards.
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CrimsonHitokiri
 Posts: 1 Location: New York |
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This was my first time seeing Area 88 and I have to say I was really surprised. I didn't expect it to be this good. Those were some of the best dogfights I've ever seen. I'm definitely going to watch the TV series.
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DuelLadyS
 Posts: 1705 Location: WA state |
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The ADV DVD release is, in fact, edited. The original was 3 seperate episodes. The DVD has a few scenes ADV omitted- nothing plot-important, but some character building stuff got left out. I immedately vowed to keep/get the original release when I discovered the coffe shop scene between Ryoko and Kanazaki got the axe. I really liked that scene. Part 1 of the original cut was released on DVD and VHS. Parts 2 and 3 only got the VHS treatment, and part 3 was only available subtitled. All versions are on Amazon for cheap. |
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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief
 Posts: 1684 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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ADV didn't edit anything -- it's just a "movie" cut of the OVAs, similar to the Macross Plus movie (but without the additional footage). Pretty common back in the day.
CPM tried to release the OVA cut various times, but it tanked every time and they eventually gave up and let the license expire. That's why there are now 3 different dub casts for the show. (Manga UK/CPM for OVA 1, Audioworks NYC/CPM for OVA 2, and the ADV cast) |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23878 |
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I watched the Area88 TV series recently and was underwhelmed. It did have some cool stuff but overall I found myself not really caring about the characters. Plus, I was puzzled how Shin managed to get his huge head of poofy hair under his jet helmet.
Oh, and somebody may want to fix the typo in the blurb announcing the streaming of the Area88 OVA - "ariel dogfighting." Unless, of course, this was a "Little Mermaid" cross-over that I wasn't aware of... |
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Mujaki
 Posts: 8 |
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Hell yes.
Area 88 in its OVA incarnation is definitely the sex. Required viewing for any classic anime aficionado as far as I'm concerned.
I tried watching some of the TV series myself a few years ago. It has its occasional moments, but its definitely forgettable in comparison to this beast. The manga as I remember is pretty damn cool as well, but unfortunately I've only ever read the first couple of volumes that Viz released way, way the hell back in the late 80's/early 90's and I haven't read 'em since then. I definitely need to dust those off and give them another go at some point. Also for those into video games who may not know, there's also an Area 88 arcade game (developed by Capcom no less). Its your basic scrolling shoot em up, but a really fun, well made one. It even got released in U.S. arcades back in the day and also received an SNES port, but it also received a renaming as "U.N. Squadron" in the localization process. Other than the title change though, its pretty much the same exact game as far as I can tell. Some screenshots (of the Japanese arcade version) for those interested.  
 
 
 
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RedLeader
 Posts: 310 |
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I need to beat that one of these days... I beat the arcade game a while back on ROM but I recently got my hands on the SNES cartridge and I need to find a good free day to tear into it and beat it!
 The SNES game is somewhat different, though... There's a map with levels being represented as mobile enemies. And if you screw up, they get closer to Area 88. Let them go long enough and the game ends completely. There's also wandering enemy supply convoys that you can take out for free spending cash. And other than the story and name being changed, all the characters made it through US localization with their names intact. Shin, Mickey, Greg, Saki, and McCoy, all accounted for.  The Wolf Pack and Land Carrier from the manga also make an appearance. Oh, and there's a LOT more planes that you can buy and fly than in the arcade version.
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Anime World Order
 Posts: 389 Location: Florida |
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Fun fact about Area 88 / UN Squadron for the SNES: the melody for the mission/character select screen was slowed down and reproduced on a keyboard by now-Internet icon Tay Zonday to create the melody for "Chocolate Rain." In true musical celebrity fashion, no credit for this has ever been given to my knowledge.
The original Area 88 OAV was the first subtitled anime I ever watched, and to this day Area 88 remains one of my favorite anime. Is this purely nostalgia? Most of the previous comments before this one would suggest as much, but I don't think it is. As one of the earliest OAVs, the sheer level of animation detail present in the Area 88 OAV is astonishing. The destruction of military hardware, movement of hair/clothing, heck even the opening animation exhibit a level of detail and technical craft that modern productions don't typically bother with due to money and time constraints. The perfect example: look at the burning fire in the background during the introductory credits of the first episode. IT DOES NOT REPEAT OR LOOP. Someone put forth the effort to manually draw that entire thing. Nobody would ever do this now. I think the other thing that puts people off from Area 88 is the fact that narratively, it's very rooted in the sweeping melodramatic style of the 1970s. Kaoru Shintani was after all a protege of sorts to Leiji Matsumoto, creator of Captain Harlock and the like, but one person's "melodrama" is another person's "hamfisted telenovela." I think it's cool, but many people think less of Area 88 because in their minds they expect realism in plot/characterization due to the realism on display as far as the military equipment goes. A modern day equivalent of this would be the rather vocal group of people who dislike the Metal Gear series due to their finding the presence of psychics, ghosts, otaku from broken homes, and impossible physical feats etc as "out of place" given the level of realism present elsewhere within it. In both the case of Area 88 and Metal Gear, I don't think this criticism is particularly fair since neither series makes any aspiration for realism in those regards to begin with. I do enjoy the television series, but it's notoriously cheap-looking even with the DVD's improvements over the TV broadcast both in CG and character art. The replacement of most of the music in the US release would have caused the online equivalent of a riot were it a more high-profile series like say, Initial D. These new tracks are quieter and more down-tempo than the originals, which in turn affects the scenes they're accompanying. What's more, at only 13 episodes it doesn't have time to retell the entire story. As I said four years ago when I reviewed the OAV and TV series (note: that original review was 45 minutes long and I cut it down since I figured nobody would listen to me for that long!), it's paced as though it was the first 13 episodes of a 39 episode series. Presumably additional seasons would have been made had the show been more popular, but it seems the type of otaku that Area 88 was originally made for--military buffs, people big into building model kits of airplanes and tanks--are not as significant an anime-viewing demographic as they once were. |
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