Yomigaeru Sora ? Rescue Wings
What the hell is it with the anime industry that makes me feel as though it?s just pissing on me?! It seems as though at least 98% of all anime series can be categorised in one of the following ways:
1 ? shit premise + shit execution = well, shit
2 ? shit premise + great execution = *cringe*/waste of a budget
3 ? great premise + shit execution = *slaps director*/as above
4 ? great premise + great execution + right when my opinion couldn?t be higher... series end = *rage quit*
And yet, why do I still watch, enjoy (and belligerently defend) anime?! Well, it?s for shows like this. Anyway, for all the praise (sic) that I will heap on this series, it falls into the fourth category and I finished it by shouting ?what the fuck is wrong with you people?!? They honestly don?t know a good thing when they see one, as they ended it having done only partial character development, half a story and nothing concluded except a couple of prequel stories and mini-arcs.
Simply put Rescue Wings is the daily life of the JASDF air rescue squadron based at Komatsu base, the ups and downs of one Lt. Uchida and the missions that he and the crew undertake. The only problem is that they try to do too much with just 13 episodes and all of the lingering issues with each character (with the possible exception of one) are left as that: lingering. These include (but not limited to): the relationship between Kazuhiro and his girlfriend, Megumi; her impending redundancy which is put into doubt in the penultimate episode; Hongo?s recovery; Kazuhiro?s parents? shop and its fate; and even his training (he?s still a damned rookie by the end of the series).
Usually, I?m not a fan of character-driven series, but this one was good, even if the whole ?character-driven? aspect is left dangling and with me in a fit of rage. And even though the mood sways between doldrums and gentleness (can?t think of another word, because it?s never truly light-hearted but shows a great deal of intimacy at several points), the balance is good and the change is such that you don?t notice it, and even if you do, it doesn?t matter. The missions are nicely interspersed with ?days off? and the training that Uchida has to go through, but the one thing that bugged me was how samey some of the character designs were, but given the content, I?m willing to overlook this (and since everyone had black hair, yes, shock horror, Asians with black hair, who knew?). And while I would?ve wanted to see more, the mechanical design was spot on (don?t know the aircraft designations, so won?t bother).
As it was sub-only, the voice acting was really good and well cast with dialogue that was natural (nothing further, so won?t name-drop), the soundtrack was OK (very few are actually any good that I rarely pay attention to it) and was tense when it needed to be. The OP was a light catchy song that fit the series, but the ED was very WTF with a vocal style that doesn?t go well with that voice, listened to it once and thought ?drunk only?. In general, it all meshed well, the animation itself was crisp and clean without being ?shiny? and the CG fit (granted it was only the helicopters and a couple jets, but it was used sparingly and did exactly what it says on the tin and nothing more, without being flashy in the slightest).
Still, I honestly wouldn?t recommend this to newcomers to anime as some of the episodes really hit you: if you were part of a group of friends that set off somewhere and came back with only one survivor, would you really want to be that survivor? Think about it, it?ll eat at you. Sure you?d still be alive but you?ve now got fewer friends, the constant nagging that anything you didn?t do could?ve saved them, the memory of their dead faces and having to apologise to their parents until they?re dead too (this is Japan, after all) because it?s all you can do. Hell, I wouldn?t really recommend this to anime fans because it?s one of those series that?s a little (or rather waaaaaaaaaaaaay) too ?real life?: you?re not going to get what you want; shit happens to you; shit happens to other people that you have to be a part of and there?s nothing you can do about it; and when there?s a good thing in your life, have the sense to fucking well appreciate it.
And in so saying, damned good series... so why the hell is it only 13 episodes long?! (Maybe because if it was any longer, the director would have finally come to his senses and fucked it up.)
What the hell is it with the anime industry that makes me feel as though it?s just pissing on me?! It seems as though at least 98% of all anime series can be categorised in one of the following ways:
1 ? shit premise + shit execution = well, shit
2 ? shit premise + great execution = *cringe*/waste of a budget
3 ? great premise + shit execution = *slaps director*/as above
4 ? great premise + great execution + right when my opinion couldn?t be higher... series end = *rage quit*
And yet, why do I still watch, enjoy (and belligerently defend) anime?! Well, it?s for shows like this. Anyway, for all the praise (sic) that I will heap on this series, it falls into the fourth category and I finished it by shouting ?what the fuck is wrong with you people?!? They honestly don?t know a good thing when they see one, as they ended it having done only partial character development, half a story and nothing concluded except a couple of prequel stories and mini-arcs.
Simply put Rescue Wings is the daily life of the JASDF air rescue squadron based at Komatsu base, the ups and downs of one Lt. Uchida and the missions that he and the crew undertake. The only problem is that they try to do too much with just 13 episodes and all of the lingering issues with each character (with the possible exception of one) are left as that: lingering. These include (but not limited to): the relationship between Kazuhiro and his girlfriend, Megumi; her impending redundancy which is put into doubt in the penultimate episode; Hongo?s recovery; Kazuhiro?s parents? shop and its fate; and even his training (he?s still a damned rookie by the end of the series).
Usually, I?m not a fan of character-driven series, but this one was good, even if the whole ?character-driven? aspect is left dangling and with me in a fit of rage. And even though the mood sways between doldrums and gentleness (can?t think of another word, because it?s never truly light-hearted but shows a great deal of intimacy at several points), the balance is good and the change is such that you don?t notice it, and even if you do, it doesn?t matter. The missions are nicely interspersed with ?days off? and the training that Uchida has to go through, but the one thing that bugged me was how samey some of the character designs were, but given the content, I?m willing to overlook this (and since everyone had black hair, yes, shock horror, Asians with black hair, who knew?). And while I would?ve wanted to see more, the mechanical design was spot on (don?t know the aircraft designations, so won?t bother).
As it was sub-only, the voice acting was really good and well cast with dialogue that was natural (nothing further, so won?t name-drop), the soundtrack was OK (very few are actually any good that I rarely pay attention to it) and was tense when it needed to be. The OP was a light catchy song that fit the series, but the ED was very WTF with a vocal style that doesn?t go well with that voice, listened to it once and thought ?drunk only?. In general, it all meshed well, the animation itself was crisp and clean without being ?shiny? and the CG fit (granted it was only the helicopters and a couple jets, but it was used sparingly and did exactly what it says on the tin and nothing more, without being flashy in the slightest).
Still, I honestly wouldn?t recommend this to newcomers to anime as some of the episodes really hit you: if you were part of a group of friends that set off somewhere and came back with only one survivor, would you really want to be that survivor? Think about it, it?ll eat at you. Sure you?d still be alive but you?ve now got fewer friends, the constant nagging that anything you didn?t do could?ve saved them, the memory of their dead faces and having to apologise to their parents until they?re dead too (this is Japan, after all) because it?s all you can do. Hell, I wouldn?t really recommend this to anime fans because it?s one of those series that?s a little (or rather waaaaaaaaaaaaay) too ?real life?: you?re not going to get what you want; shit happens to you; shit happens to other people that you have to be a part of and there?s nothing you can do about it; and when there?s a good thing in your life, have the sense to fucking well appreciate it.
And in so saying, damned good series... so why the hell is it only 13 episodes long?! (Maybe because if it was any longer, the director would have finally come to his senses and fucked it up.)
