A N I M E / O T A K U : PART 2

Area 88

Other Title:

Area 88: Anime

Synonyms:

Area 88 OVA

Type:

OVA

Aired:

February 5, 1985 to June 15, 1986

Source:

Manga

Genres:

Action, Military, Adventure, Drama, Romance

Synopsis:

Shin Kazama, tricked and forced into flying for the remote country of Aslan, can only escape the hell of war by earning money for shooting down enemy planes or die trying. Through the course of the series, Shin must deal with the consequences of killing and friends dying around him as tries to keep his mind on freeing himself from this nightmare.

Characters and Voice Actors:

- Main:

Shin Kazama

A Japanese pilot who was supposed to be employed at Yamato Air Lines (YAL), Shin was tricked into fighting for the Asranian air force in the country's civil war by his friend, Satoru Kanzaki, by letting him place his signature in an Asranian military sign up sheet after getting him drunk at a local bar. Shin became the top ace at Area 88, though he gradually felt his humanity slipping as his time at the Area passed.

Because of this, he was cold to most of the people inside Area 88; he would make friends with Mickey Simon, Kim Aoba, Kitori Palvanaff, Roundell and his commanding officer, Saki Vashtal. All his aircraft sported a flaming unicorn head painted on the tail.

His fate differs depending on the version of the story. See Variations for what happened to Shin at the end of the manga, OVA and TV anime series.

- Koyasu, Takehito (Japanese)

- Vincent-Davis, Kira (English)

- Patton, Chris (English)

- Shiozawa, Kaneto (Japanese)

- Olk, Dan (English)

- Choi, Won Hyeong (Korean)

- Laurenti, Jasmine (Italian)

- Arras, Flavio (Italian)

Micky Simon

An American pilot who signed up to fight for the Asranian government in its civil war after serving in the Vietnam War with the VF-33 Starfighters in the OVA and VF-96 Fighting Falcons aboard the USS Enterprise in the series. Disgraced and in psychological trouble, as he is convinced that it would take a while for him to get back to a normal life. The self-proclaimed "number-two" pilot in Area 88, he was Shin's primary friend at the Area, and is found in all three versions of Area 88. The insignia found on his plane is a rabbit head resembling the bunny, similar to the VX-4 Evaluator's "Black Bunny" F-14A tail art.

- Seki, Tomokazu (Japanese)

- Swasey, John (English)

- Tomiyama, Kei (Japanese)

- Ward, James (English)

- Violette, Vincent (French)

- Semeraro, Luca (Italian)