areaseven Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 (edited) Aozora Shojo-tai ( 青空少女隊 ) Studio Fantasia/Victor Entertainment, 1994-1996 ADV Films, 1996, 2002 Directed by Yuji Moriyama (Project A-Ko, Geobreeders), Shin Misawa, Junichi Sakata (DNA²) and Tohru Yoshida (Bastard!!, ZOE: Idolo). Rated 15+ for some violence, nudity, suggestive sexual situations and strong language. When aviation mechanic (and anime fanboy) Takuya Isurugi is transferred to the 801st Tactical Training Squadron, he gets more than he bargained for. Moderated by hard-headed veteran ace Mitsuru Konishi, the "Airbats" are an all-female aerial acrobatic team consisting of loose cannons Miyuki Haneda and Arisa Mitaka, karaoke freak and gambling genius Sakura Saginomiya, and junk food lover Yoko Shimorenjaku. Both Haneda and Mitaka do not get along with each other, and their rivalry worsens when they both fall for Isurugi. But with the entire JASDF having doubts about the team, the Airbats must work as a team or face total disbandment. Story: B- It's Top Gun meets Kimagure Orange Road (and I'm not talking about KOR's infamous "Tap Gun" episode), only more ecchi and a lot sillier in the last four episodes. The characters grow on you, even though the backgrounds of most of them aren't well-explained. 801 T.T.S. Airbats had the potential to be a full-fledged TV series. Unfortunately, after episode 7, the whole OAV just ended, leaving viewers feeling empty. Animation: B+ It's nice to know that Studio Fantasia (Agent Aika, Najica Blitz Tactics) collaborated with the JASDF to give 801 T.T.S. Airbats the feel of an actual Japanese military base and a Kawasaki T-4 training plane. The animation quality is average on the first three episodes; just slightly below Area 88 in terms of quality. It gets better on the later episodes, especially when the Airbats encounter the world-famous Thunderbirds acrobatic squadron. Episode 7 is a mixed bag as the animation suddenly goes digital, which looks weird compared to the cel art of the earlier episodes. Soundtrack: B+ Seikou Nagaoka (Tenchi Muyo!, Uchuu no Stellvia) and Norimasa Yamanaka (Appleseed, Weiß Kreuz) use a decent pop/rock score to set the mood of the series. Sub vs. Dub 801 T.T.S. Airbats features Shinichiro Miki (Allen in Escaflowne, Takumi in Initial D) as Isurugi, Aya Hisakawa (Skuld in Ah! My Goddess, Yuki in Fruits Basket) as Haneda, Ai Orikasa (Ryoko in Tenchi Muyo!, Takeuchi in Blue Seed) as Mitaka, Kikuko Inoue (Belldandy in Ah! My Goddess, Mizuho in Please Teacher!/Onegai Twins) as Saginomiya, Yukana Nogami (Kotoko in Chobits, Teletha in Full Metal Panic!) as Shimorenjaku, Norio Wakamoto (Coach Ota in Gunbuster, Vicious in Cowboy Bebop) as Konishi, Hideyuki Umezu (Nubata in Outlaw Star, Yukinojyo in Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki) as Kengamine, Mahito Tsujimura (Foss in Berserk, Mitchum in Zone of the Enders) as Tsukamoto, Nobuaki Sekine as Yumioka, Toshihiko Seki (Legato in Trigun, Mousse in Ranma 1/2) as Hiyama, and Rei Sakuma (Kazumi in Gunbuster, Shampoo in Ranma 1/2) as Jeger. As for ADV's dub, forget about it. It's not as funny as the Japanese dialogue. DVD Extras: B The DVD includes textless ending, character sketches and a live-action promo featuring the original Japanese voice talents. It's great to see what these seiyuu look like (Aya Hisakawa is kawaii), but then again, maybe not (Kikuko Inoue's got a great voice, but her teeth are nasty!). Unfortunately, the extras feel empty. ADV should've included some background information on the JASDF and the Kawasaki T-4 training plane. The Bottom Line 801 T.T.S. Airbats is definitely no Macross Plus or Area 88, but if you're into comedy and ecchi, pick it up at your local video store. Reference Anime News Network Edited March 26, 2004 by areaseven Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noriko Takaya Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 Great series, but for the life of me I have the uncanny sense of deja vu here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JELEINEN Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 Great series, but for the life of me I have the uncanny sense of deja vu here... Me too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemstone Posted October 14, 2003 Share Posted October 14, 2003 Great series, but for the life of me I have the uncanny sense of deja vu here... Really? THe first epsiode was ok amd the second put me to sleep. Never bothered to view the rest of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noriko Takaya Posted October 15, 2003 Share Posted October 15, 2003 Really? THe first epsiode was ok amd the second put me to sleep. Never bothered to view the rest of it. I'm not a fan of comedy series, being as my mainstay is more along the lines of action and science fiction. However, I am easily amused. I'll admit I liked the first episodes that were originally released, but the ones which came after were rather boring... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted October 15, 2003 Author Share Posted October 15, 2003 I'll admit I liked the first episodes that were originally released, but the ones which came after were rather boring... I thoroughly enjoyed ep. 5 (Airbats vs. the Thunderbirds) and ep. 6 (the whole ramen-eating contest). Episode 7, on the other hand, was a tad boring and the whole series shouldn't have ended that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mislovrit Posted October 15, 2003 Share Posted October 15, 2003 Episode 7, on the other hand, was a tad boring and the whole series shouldn't have ended that way. Problem is the series didn't seem to have an immediate ending to it so wherever it ended would have been abrupt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
areaseven Posted October 16, 2003 Author Share Posted October 16, 2003 Let's play a little game. Name all of the anime memorabilia on the following screenshots: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JELEINEN Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 More deja vu... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UN Spacy Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Wow....I must be a complete n00b because I only recognize Shinseki Evangelion (from the second pic). In the first pic? Top Shelf (from L to R) Gunbuster, ? , ? , ?, ? Middle Shelf ?, ?, Godzilla, ?, ? Bottom Shelf ?, ?, ?, Gamera or Rodan, ? In the third pic? ? and ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JELEINEN Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Letsee Top Shelf: Gunbuster, something from Gundam, Akazukin Cha Cha, dunno, dunno, Dai-con Bunny Girl Second Shelf: dunno, B-ko, Godzilla, dunno, Nagisa from I'll Make a Habit of It Bottom Shelf: dunno, dunno, a kappa?, King Ghiddera, dunno Eva Poster (obviously) Other two are too small for me to make out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynx7725 Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 (edited) Building from previous replies: Top Shelf: Gunbuster something most likely NOT from Gundam (at best a SD Zaku I think but not likely) Akazukin Cha Cha Not enough to ID Marmalade Boy? Dai-con Bunny Girl Second Shelf: Gunhed B-ko Godzilla Natsumi and Mirai (baby) from Mama is a Fourth Grader. Nagisa from I'll Make a Habit of It Bottom Shelf: Looks like uhm what's the show.. Dunbine? Looks like an Appleseed bike/ Denuan but not sure. No idea King Ghidorah IIRC someone from Inuyusha? Posters: Eva Poster No idea No idea EDIT: Incorporated Mislovrit's inputs. Edited October 16, 2003 by Lynx7725 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mislovrit Posted October 16, 2003 Share Posted October 16, 2003 Second shelf The girl with the baby on her back is Natsumi and the baby's name is Mirai from Mama is a Fourth Grader. Third shelf King Ghidorah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.