Area 88 OVA
Area 88 OVA
ANIMATION EXPLORER
GLOBAL RATING
7.70 / 10
7.50 / 10
PLOT
The imaginary Middle Eastern kingdom of Aslan is where Area 88 takes place (alternatively transcribed as "Asran"). The government employs mercenary fighter pilots at the desert airfield Area 88 to carry out its military operations, and it compensates them for every hostile aircraft that is downed. The three-year contracts for each pilot come with a $1.5 million early termination fee. Deserting Area 88 is a serious felony that carries a death sentence. The plot centers on ace pilot Shin Kazama as he tries to fulfill his obligation to his employer in order to visit his fiancée in Japan. Shin has to deal with his evolving acceptance of the brutality that consumes his days as the conflict goes on. Mickey Simon, a Vietnam War veteran from the US Navy, McCoy, a rapacious arms dealer who sells the pilots everything they need, Goh "Rocky" Mutsugi (portrayed by Makoto Shinjou in the TV series), Danish pilot Greg Gates, and Lt. Colonel Saki Vashtar, a member of Aslan's royal family and Area 88's commander, are among his comrades. Throughout the narrative, flashbacks reveal Shin's past. Shin had begun dating Ryoko Tsugumo, the CEO's daughter, while he and his best friend, Satoru Kanzaki, were aspiring Yamato Airlines pilots. Satoru deceived Shin into accepting the contract that put him in Area 88 out of jealousy at Shin's achievement. While Shin participates in the brutal conflict, Satoru pursues Ryoko and advances within Yamato Airlines. Through one of Goh's/photographs, Makoto's Ryoko learns that Shin is still alive and decides to track him down.
