STRATOS4 X - Stratos Four X - Comprehensive evaluation and recommendation ■ Public Media OVA ■ Original Media Anime Original ■ Release date May 28, 2004 ■Release and sales Bandai Visual ■Frequencies 28 min ■ Number of Episodes Episode 2 ■Original Story Studio Fantasia ■ Director Mori Takeshi ■ Production Animation Production: Studio Fantasia ■Works ©2004 Studio Fantasia/Bandai Visual ■ Story When Mikaze and the others return to Earth, what awaits them is the same old routine of training and part-time work! A brief moment of peace... but a new threat is creeping up! Mikaze, Karin, Saiun, and Shizuha take off into space in the Stratos Four. They accidentally save the Earth from the impact of the giant comet Nigel 87. However, when they return to Shimojishima Base, their daily routine of training and part-time work awaits them again. Then, one day, something strange begins to happen at the 7th Orbital Station in orbit...!? ■Cast・Honjo Mifune/Kakazu Yumi/Kikuhara Karin/Orikasa Fumiko/Nakamura Saiun/Kikuchi Shiho/Doi Shizuha/Shimizu Kaori/Kisaragi Sayaka/Ohara Sayaka/Iwasaki Kazuma/Tsujitani Kouji/Fujitani Kei/Seki Tomokazu/Sako Koichiro/Iwata Mitsuo/Miyazawa Tsubasa/Tasaka Hideki/Ikeda Sora/Yoshino Hiroyuki/Teitoku/Asano Mayumi/Mikkuriya Rin/Kyota Naoko/Mikkuriya Ran/Neya Michiko/Sora Miharu/Sawami Yoko/Kubo Chizuru/Hiramatsu Akiko/Chris C/Asakawa Yu/Annette K/Toyoguchi Megumi/Betty B/Yukino Satsuki/Robert R/Akimoto Yosuke/Tsukino (inquisitor)/Otsuka Akio ■ Main staff・Original work: Studio Fantasia・Director: Mori Takeshi・Character design, mechanical design, chief animation director: Yamauchi Noriyasu・3D mechanical design, 3D supervision: Kawahara Tomohiro・3DCG director: Matsuura Hiroaki・Art director: Itoman Akira・Art setting: Kobayashi Tokumitsu・Color design: Mikasa Osamu・Director of photography: Fukushi Toru・Editing: Shigemura Kengo・Music: Amano Masamichi・Sound director: Tsuruoka Yota・Producers: Sugiyama Kiyoshi, Tsukino Masashi・Animation production: Studio Fantasia・Production: Bandai Visual・Cooperation: Shimojishima Airport Facilities Co., Ltd., Japan Air Self-Defense Force ■ Main Characters・Mikaze Honjo
A 16-year-old female pilot training to become a Comet Blaster at Shimojishima Base. She comes from an elite family of pilots, and has made it this far without any doubts. However, on her first sortie, her vague goal becomes clearly visible, and things start to change little by little. Her simple desire to go into space leads her from a world of gray tones to a world of full color.
・Kikuhara Karin
A 15-year-old female. A pilot also undergoing training to become a Comet Blaster at Shimojishima Base. For some reason, she doesn't like Teitoku (the cat) and tries to stay away from him as much as possible. She is the youngest of the four and doesn't say much, and is somewhat expressionless, but this is apparently related to a tragic experience she had as a child. She is always texting someone on her cell phone, and seems to reject others, but as she interacts with Mikaze and the others, she gradually opens up.
・Nakamura Ayamo
17 years old, female. A pilot also undergoing training to become a Comet Blaster at Shimojishima Base. Hot-blooded and filled with a sense of justice, she says she will protect peace on Earth! She is the type of person who would have been considered a hero in the past. She is always positive, and although she sometimes gets annoyed and scolds Mikaze for not showing any motivation, she is not the type to hold a grudge. She is a girl with a very easy-to-understand personality who always tries to act the way she wants to.
・Shizuha Doi
16-year-old female. A pilot also undergoing training to become a Comet Blaster at Shimojishima Base. A license maniac with various qualifications (which come in handy in emergencies). She is always reliable and appears to be everyone's big sister, but in reality, in these times, she is trying to get various qualifications for the future, and it seems that becoming a Comet Blaster is just one of them.
・Sayaka Kisaragi
29 years old, female. She is an instructor and pilot at Shimojishima Base, but due to the trauma of a past accident, she is no longer flying an interceptor. She is seen as a strict instructor by the four girls, but she is also the one who cares about them the most. She seems to have a crush on Kazuma, and even makes subtle advances, but he ignores her, making her a pitiful character.
・Kazuma Iwasaki
32 years old, male. An instructor at Shimojishima Base and a former Comet Blaster pilot, he is an excellent pilot. He is always calm and polite, and is like a reliable older brother to the four of them. It seems that Kazuma also used to live in Hirochin, and he seems to have had a slight crush on Ran since then.
・Kei Fujitani
30 years old, male. Pilot at Shimojishima Base. Mainly serves as the navigator for Kazuma's plane. Bright, cheerful, and a womanizer, he's the polar opposite of Kazuma, who flirts with girls only to get rejected.
・Koichiro Sako
36 years old, male. Maintenance chief at Shimojishima base. Originally an engineer deeply involved in the SS project. However, after separating from his wife for some reason, he has become just a boring, nagging father at the base.
・Robert Reynolds
63 years old, male. Commander of Shimojishima base. A middle-aged, grey-haired gentleman. Apparently British. It is unclear why he was assigned to a small base in the Far East, but he has experience in a key position in the Celestial Crisis Management Organization, and seems to have been deeply involved in the SS Project.
・Mikuriya Rin
68 years old, female. The owner of Guangchen and Lan's grandmother. For many years, she ran a boarding house for students attending the base, so many people at the base were taken care of by Granny Lin, and many of the higher-ups were the only ones she respected. Her husband was involved in the SS project during his lifetime, and he also had contact with Robert.
・Mikuriya Ran
22 years old, female. She is the poster girl for the Chinese restaurant Hirochin. She is the caretaker and advisor for the main characters who are staying at her boarding house.
・Mikuriya Alice
18 years old, female. A fat cat kept by Hirochin. A long-time resident of the boarding house, she is nicknamed the Admiral due to her sturdy presence. She has gotten big and fat because customers give her leftovers (and when they don't, she waits until they do). When the restaurant is full, she sits at the entrance. Her dream is to become an airplane pilot.
・Tsubasa Miyazawa
17 years old, male. A pilot undergoing training to become a Comet Blaster at Shimojishima Base. He used to get into trouble with Mikaze for various reasons, but it turned out he was just annoyed by her lack of motivation. As they gradually came to respect each other, he began to help her out in various ways.
・Ikeda Sora
16 years old, male. A pilot undergoing training to become a Comet Blaster at Shimojishima Base. A gentle and quiet boy, he is always considerate of those around him.
・Chizuru Kubo
25 years old, female. Member of Comet Blaster. Stationed at Orbital Station 7.
Annette Keily
21 years old, female. Member of Comet Blaster. Stationed at Orbital Station 7.
・Betty Buseman
21 years old, female. Member of Comet Blaster. Stationed at Orbital Station 7.
・Chris Kalman
23 years old, female. Member of Comet Blaster. Stationed at Orbital Station 7.
・Ozora Miharu
28 years old, female. Commander of the 7th Orbital Station. ■ Main robot items・Super high altitude interceptor (Meteor Sweeper) TSR.2MS
Development of the aircraft began in the UK in 1957 as a supersonic attack and reconnaissance aircraft, and it was built based on the prototype TSR.2, which first flew in 1964. It is loaded onto a trailer at a ground base and takes off by ZELL (Zero Length Launch). It takes off almost vertically using the thrust of two jet engines and two RATO (Rocket Assisted Take Off) pods mounted under both wings via pylons. When the RATO pods finish burning, the rocket boosters attached to the base of the tail fins are ignited, and the aircraft rises to the outer edge of the stratosphere and launches the interceptor missiles mounted on the bottom of the fuselage. In other words, it is a missile carrier developed to transport missiles as quickly as possible to ultra-high altitudes. When the reaction shell explodes in the stratosphere, it generates intense electromagnetic waves. The EMP effect destroys all electronic circuits using semiconductors within range. Ultra-high altitude interceptors are equipped with two systems of electronic circuits to avoid the effects. One is a computer using normal silicon chips. The other is an electronic circuit made up of vacuum tubes without using any semiconductors. This vacuum tube circuit is a backup in case the semiconductor circuit goes down due to the effects of EMP, and is also the main circuit that controls the aircraft. The semiconductor circuits, which can be mass-produced at low cost, are mainly used for targeting and managing weapons until the attack, and even if they break down after launching a missile, there is no problem because the aircraft will only return to base. The missiles use the latest circuits to ascend, and when the humans return, only old vacuum tubes are left, so they are not well received by pilots. Similarly, the cockpit is made up of main instruments made up of analog meters, and is used in conjunction with a centralized fire control system using a CRT monitor. Of course, the control stick is just a servo (power steering). Since the air density required to control the aircraft is not sufficient at the outer edge of the stratosphere, the aircraft's attitude is controlled using an RCS (Reaction Control System) installed on the nose and wing tips.
・SAC-1, the anti-comet space interceptor (comet blaster aircraft)
A two-seater space interceptor that the Comet Blaster pilots. It is assembled with missiles in a huge lifting-body shaped fairing and launches from an orbital station floating in satellite orbit. It accelerates with a rocket engine while using the Earth's gravity, and while orbiting the Earth with a high-speed swing-by that combines gravity and lift, it pulverizes comets with a special missile called "Trident". Even though it is a spacecraft, it has wings because it can orbit the Earth without flying out even at high speeds exceeding the first cosmic velocity by using not only gravity but also the upper atmosphere and lift from the wings, thereby shortening the time from missile launch to impact and enabling quick escape from dangerous areas. In addition, the orbital plane can be corrected efficiently and quickly by steering using the upper atmosphere, and these effects have made the Comet Blaster's interceptor operation more successful. The interceptor emits light due to friction with the upper atmosphere while orbiting the Earth, so its glow can be observed from the ground. After the mission is completed, it adjusts its orbital speed with an atmospheric brake and returns to the original station from which it was launched.
・Trainer aircraft Yak-28MST
This is a two-seater trainer that Meteor Sweepers use for their regular flight training. It was built based on the Yak-28, a supersonic all-weather interceptor, the existence of which was made public by the former Soviet Union in 1961 and production of which began in 1962. Training using this aircraft focuses not only on flight techniques, but also on crew coordination between the front and rear seats.
-Old ultra-high altitude interceptor (Stratos Zero)
This aircraft was developed before the interception force was split into Meteor Sweepers and Comet Blasters, and all that remains at Shimojishima Base today is its huge remains. Sako is painstakingly restoring it for personal reasons.
・Comet interceptor missile Trident Even if a normal missile is fired at a rock or metallic meteorite, it will only explode on the surface of the comet and will have little effect. To truly destroy it, a hole must be drilled in the comet and a bomb planted inside. However, rendezvous with the countless comets and giant meteorites and drilling holes in them is difficult in reality, not to mention in movies. That is why the Trident comet interceptor missile was developed. This missile separates its outer shell when launched, and releases three reaction bombs as it approaches the target. The reaction bombs are connected by wires from the center, and fly while maintaining the position of the apex of a triangle just like the Mercedes logo even as they move away. Then, when the distance to the target is optimal, the three warheads explode simultaneously. Then, the explosions of the reaction bombs deflect and converge the explosive pressure of each other, forming high-temperature and high-pressure cutters that spread in a surface in three directions and a beam that extends sharply in the forward and backward directions. This plasma energy weight instantly penetrates and crushes any object, no matter what it is. This is the same principle as the Neumann effect (Monroe effect) of shaped charge shells in ordinary explosives. This beam drills holes in rock and cuts it with a cutter, while the enormous thermal energy rapidly evaporates the water inside the comet, and the steam explosion breaks it into pieces. The Comet Blaster and Meteor Plaster aircraft are equipped with this Trident missile and head to intercept comets. The name comes from the three-pronged spear used by Poseidon in Greek mythology. In the past, there was a strategy to make the Trident missile larger and intercept comets from long distances before they reached the Earth's sphere, but this was like launching an Apollo rocket every time, so it was very inefficient to deal with countless comets, and also, for some reason, the accuracy of intercepting a missile that takes time to reach from a long distance can drop significantly, so the modern strategy is to draw it close and then intercept it with a high-speed missile in a short time. Since the missile's explosive energy also hits the target from the Earth's side, the relative speed between the debris and the Earth is slow, making it easier to intercept it again from the ground, and reducing the kinetic energy of the fall, resulting in less damage.
Orbital Station: The base of the Comet Blaster Corps, located in satellite orbit. There are multiple orbital stations in orbit, covering the entire Earth. When an order to intercept is given by the Celestial Crisis Management Organization Headquarters, which is constantly monitoring the approach of comets, the Orbital Station immediately launches a formation of two SAC-1B Comet Blasters to intercept comets on a collision course with the Earth. ■Subtitle・CODE:X-1/RETURN TO BASE(2004/05/28)
・CODE:X-2/DISPERSION(2004/08/27) ■ Related works・STRATOS 4・STRATOS 4 Advance・STRATOS 4 Advance Final Chapter・STRATOS 4 SPECIAL FAN DISC
・STRATOS 4 SPECIAL FAN DISC Ⅱ
・STRATOS 4 LOG BOOK
・STRATOS 4.1 CODE：XXX DUTCH ROLL ■ Theme songs and music・OP1
・1st Priority
Lyrics: Megumi Hinata Composition: Megumi Hinata Arrangement: Junjiro Seki Song: Melocure
・ED1
・Rainbow Kind of Feeling
Lyrics: Megumi Hinata Composition: Megumi Hinata Arrangement: Junjiro Seki Song: Melocure ■ Evaluation and recommendation "STRATOS4 X" was released as an OVA in 2004 and is an original anime work produced by Studio Fantasia. It was directed by Takeshi Mori, with character and mechanical design by Noriyasu Yamauchi, and music by Masamichi Amano. This work is made up of two episodes and is a short 28-minute story, but it has a deep story and fascinating characters. The story unfolds as Mikaze and her friends return to Earth and resume their daily routine of training and part-time work, while a new threat approaches. The girls pilot the Stratos Four and have experience saving the Earth from the impact of the giant comet Nigel 87, but this experience continues to have a major impact on their growth even after they return to their daily lives. In particular, the incident that occurs at the 7th Orbital Station in orbit is at the heart of the story, creating tension and thrills. Each character has their own unique personality, and the growth and changes of the four main heroines, Mikaze, Karin, Saiun, and Shizuha, are particularly noteworthy. Mikaze is a girl who grew up in an elite family, but found her goal on her first sortie and has aspirations for space. Karin tends to reject others due to a childhood trauma, but opens up through interactions with her teammates. Saiun is a passionate and righteous character who acts as a mood maker for the team. Shizuha is a license maniac and a character who is driven by her vision for the future. The drama woven by these characters deeply moves viewers. Don't miss the mechanical design. The realistic design and detailed settings of the ultra-high altitude interceptor TSR.2MS and the anti-comet space interceptor SAC-1 are attractive. In particular, the detailed explanation of the comet interceptor missile "Trident" attracts scientific interest. The setting of the orbital station also depicts the realistic aspects of space development. Music is also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the work. The opening theme "1st Priority" and the ending theme "Rainbow Kind of Feeling" express the worldview of the work deeply through the singing voice of Melocure and the lyrics and composition by Hinata Megumi. Masamichi Amano's background music also plays a role in enhancing the tension and emotion. "STRATOS4 X" is a work that has succeeded in creating a deep story and attractive characters in a short time. It is especially recommended for those who are interested in scientific settings and mechanical designs. It is also a work that can be enjoyed by those who are attracted to character growth and human drama. There are many related works, so you can enjoy the entire series. Please give it a watch. |
