Rating: 
Summary: Passionate and realistic
Review: Area 88 is a excellent film, showing the power of war, the pain and the results of how a young man is ripped from the normalacy of life, and dropped into a war zone. It shows how the guilt and pain of causing death eventually becomes normal life, how it is a dog eat dog world and if he wants to survive to go home he must become top dog, no matter what the costs
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular!
Review: Area 88 is simply amazing. A fast-paced, emotionally-charged air combat anime, Area 88 tells the story of Shin Kazama, a Japanese airline pilot who is duped into enlisting in a rebel airforce. He is pushed into combat in the ficticious country of Asran, which is engulfed by a bloody civil war, forcing him to overcome his own barriers and morality, forcing Shin to harden himself to survive. Area 88 contains the best air combat scenes I have ever seen, in a live-action film or anime, and backed up by the plausible situation and heart-wrenching story, this is a flim you should NOT miss. The only downside is that since it was animated in 1985, the quality of the animation cannot match up to newer anime (Macross Plus, Sol Bianca, etc.) However, this is not a significant factor in the film's "enjoyment factor." If you like anime, air combat, or even drama in general, Area 88 is a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular!
Review: Area 88 is simply amazing. A fast-paced, emotionally-charged air combat anime, Area 88 tells the story of Shin Kazama, a Japanese airline pilot who is duped into enlisting in a rebel airforce. He is pushed into combat in the ficticious country of Asran, which is engulfed by a bloody civil war, forcing him to overcome his own barriers and morality, forcing Shin to harden himself to survive. Area 88 contains the best air combat scenes I have ever seen, in a live-action film or anime, and backed up by the plausible situation and heart-wrenching story, this is a flim you should NOT miss. The only downside is that since it was animated in 1985, the quality of the animation cannot match up to newer anime (Macross Plus, Sol Bianca, etc.) However, this is not a significant factor in the film's "enjoyment factor." If you like anime, air combat, or even drama in general, Area 88 is a must-see.
Rating:
Summary: An awesome anime series
Review: For many years in Japan, the Area 88 manga (comic book) series has been wildly popular, and has spawned everything from model kits to a Super Famicom (Super Nintendo) game (if you're interested in that game, it was released in America under the name U.N. Squadron.) In 1985, a 3-part Anime series based on the popular manga was made. Though this series is, for the most part, nonexistant in the states, U.S. Manga Corps and King Video have released the anime series here at long last, in both Dub and Sub versions. The following releases are available in America:DVD Act I Dub and Sub
VHS Act I Dub
VHS Act I Sub
VHS Act II Dub
VHS Act II Sub
VHS Act III Sub Now, I'll give you a brief summary of the series itself. Don't worry, I won't spoil any surprises. Shin Kazama and Satoru Kanzaki were very good friends ever since their childhood together in the same orphanage. As they grew older, they developed a love for flying and decided to become airline pilots for Japan's biggest and most successful airline, Yamato Airlines (YAL.) Shin fell in love with Ryoko, daughter of the president of YAL. This makes Satoru insanely jealous, though he does a good job restricting his anger. To get revenge on Shin and to steal Ryoko for himself, he get Shin drunk on the last night of airline pilot school, and tricks him into signing a contract. The contract states that the signer must do battle in the Asran Civil War, taking place in the middle east. Sure enough, Shin is shipped off to Asran to fight in a mercenary air force, while Satoru attempts to get Ryoko for himself. The once peaceful Shin Kazama must now kill for hire, thousands of miles away from his love. There are only four ways out of Area 88: Serve for three years, pay $1,500,000, desert, or die. This DVD is nice since it has both a dub and a sub, but it's quite lacking in the extras department. All you get are trailers for other animes. The so called "character profiles" are just scenes from the series of the characters in question - kind of a rip if you ask me. Area 88 is an AWESOME series about the horrors of war, even if it's animated and the animation is dated. Be warned, this is a VERY serious series, and there is very little comic relief. This is NOT a cartoon for little kids. It contains violence, use of cigarettes and alcohol, and brief nudity. I recommend it for ages 13 and up. If you want a good anime series and the ones on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim or Tech TV's Anime Unleashed aren't doing it for you, give Area 88 a whirl. You'll be glad you did.
Rating: 
Summary: WINGS OF DEATH!
Review: I was a kid when a friend of mine brought this animation (we still called them that back then in greece) as a rental back in '86.You've read the other reviews so you know the story.This is a movie to put all fighter jet action fliks of the '80s(and not only) out of
commission with fast paced and gruesome combat scenes,a story that is both griping emotionally and unafraid to state a few truths about politics,afairs between countries,fighting men mentality,money and corporations.
If there ever was a reason to take manga seriously, that movie is
amongst the best.After it was over i could never go back to believing Hollywoods heroe making lies.Just see it.
Rating:
Summary: great--but when is volume two and three coming out on DVD?
Review: This first episode is great. The storys great, the action is good, the planes look awsome. I watched it and was very pleased. Except for one thing. The next two volumes have not come out on DVD! Why would U.S.Manga Corps only put one volume of a seires out on DVD? They're out on VHS but not on DVD. Other than that, this a great anime. Highly recomended.
Rating:
Summary: Sleeper anime
Review: This is an outstaning movie. A young pilot is romantically involved with the daughter of an airlines owner. His greedy and jealous "freind" tricks him into signing up as a mercenary fighter pilot for a middle eastern country involved in a civil war. He can't get out of the contract, punishable by death, until he registers enough kills in battle. He proves to be a highly skilled pilot, but he can't stand all the death and destruction he inflicts. The battle sequences are awesome. The young pilot bonds with fellow mercenary pilots, who come from all over the world, and there is strong character development. There is a particularly poignant story involving a Russian mercenary who is afraid of the dark. Any anime fan would enjoy Area 88. For those who prefer more realistic anime - that is without the supernatural, indestructable monsters, or way out fututistic themes - this should be at the top of the recommendation list.
Rating:
Summary: Sleeper anime
Review: This is an outstaning movie. A young pilot is romantically involved with the daughter of an airlines owner. His greedy and jealous "freind" tricks him into signing up as a mercenary fighter pilot for a middle eastern country involved in a civil war. He can't get out of the contract, punishable by death, until he registers enough kills in battle. He proves to be a highly skilled pilot, but he can't stand all the death and destruction he inflicts. The battle sequences are awesome. The young pilot bonds with fellow mercenary pilots, who come from all over the world, and there is strong character development. There is a particularly poignant story involving a Russian mercenary who is afraid of the dark. Any anime fan would enjoy Area 88. For those who prefer more realistic anime - that is without the supernatural, indestructable monsters, or way out fututistic themes - this should be at the top of the recommendation list.
Rating:
Summary: Sleeper anime
Review: This is an outstaning movie. A young pilot is romantically involved with the daughter of an airlines owner. His greedy and jealous "freind" tricks him into signing up as a mercenary fighter pilot for a middle eastern country involved in a civil war. He can't get out of the contract, punishable by death, until he registers enough kills in battle. He proves to be a highly skilled pilot, but he can't stand all the death and destruction he inflicts. The battle sequences are awesome. The young pilot bonds with fellow mercenary pilots, who come from all over the world, and there is strong character development. There is a particularly poignant story involving a Russian mercenary who is afraid of the dark. Any anime fan would enjoy Area 88. For those who prefer more realistic anime - that is without the supernatural, indestructable monsters, or way out fututistic themes - this should be at the top of the recommendation list.
Rating:
Summary: Great anime OVA!
Review: This underrated anime is really good! The characters, story, and airplane battles are awesome. The only problem with this is that Act 2 & 3 haven't come out on DVD, :( so you gotta buy them for VHS to finish the story. A game based on the anime called U.N. Squadron in the U.S., came out years ago on Arcade and Super Nintendo. It's a great horizontal shooter game like Gradius and you earn money by destroying enemy ships to buy newer planes. You also play as the pilots from the anime like Shin, Mickey, and Greg!
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