Area 88 (1985)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Cast & Crew.
Iemasa Kayumi
McCoy (voice)
Shannon Conley
Yasuda
Sakiko Tamagawa
Ryoko Tsugumo (voice)
Dan Olk
Shin Kazama
Shūsei Nakamura
Gō 'Rocky' Mutsugi (voice)
Takuzō Kamiyama
Greg Gates (voice)
Tarō Shigaki
Saki Vashutal (voice)
Yoshito Yasuhara
Satoru Kanzaki (voice)
Brian O'Neill
Boris
Kaneto Shiozawa
Shin Kazama (voice)
Yoshiko Sakakibara
Taeko Yasuda (voice)
Kei Tomiyama
Mickey Simon (voice)
Hisayuki Toriumi
Director
Akiyoshi Sakai
Screenplay
Ichirou Nitta
Music
Kaoru Shintani
Original Series Creator
Toshiyasu Okada
Character Designer
Mitsuki Nakamura
Art Direction
Derek Jackson
Theme Song Performance
MIO
Theme Song Performance
Pierrot
Producer
Shigeharu Shiba
Sound Director
Media.
Details.
Release DateFebruary 5, 1985
Original Nameエリア8 8
StatusEnded
Seasons1
Episodes3
Running Time1h 7m
Genres
Last updated:
This TV Show Is About.
Wiki.
Area 88 (エリア88, Eria Hachijū-Hachi) is a Japanese manga series by Kaoru Shintani serialized between 1979 and 1986. The story is about a young pilot named Shin Kazama and his experiences at Area 88, a mercenary air force base secluded in the desert of a war-torn country. Shin goes from head of his class at a world-renowned aviation school, dating the beautiful daughter of an airline president, to a mercenary fighter pilot bound to Area 88 by a three-year contract that he was duped into signing by a jealous and competitive childhood friend. He is determined to earn $1.5 million to buy his way out of the obligation and return home, and killing becomes second nature to him as he quickly rises to the top rank at Area 88. Overwrought with shame and self-loathing for what he has become, Shin begins to question whether he is still fighting for survival, or, like his fellow mercenaries, for the sheer excitement and camaraderie of battle.
Area 88 was among the first three manga to be translated into English and published in North America. It had been adapted into an OVA in 1985, a video game in 1989 (released in North America as U.N. Squadron), and a 12-episode anime television series in 2004. It is also a brand of model aircraft in Japan. While it appeals to aviation fans for its realistic depictions of aircraft and aerial combat, it has also been critically acclaimed for its strong character development and Shintani's poignant storytelling, combining action, tragedy, romance, and comedy. In 1984, the manga received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen.