The Sky Crawlers: Exploring the aesthetics and profound themes of battles beyond the blue sky

The Sky Crawlers: Mamoru Oshii's war fable where philosophy and aesthetics intersect

■Overview of the work

The Sky Crawlers is an animated film directed by Mamoru Oshii that was released on August 2, 2008. It is based on the novel series of the same name by Hiroshi Mori, and tells the story of fighter pilots working for a war contracting company. It was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and animated by Production IG. It is a feature-length film that lasts 122 minutes and was released theatrically.

■ Story

Kannami Yuichi is a fighter pilot belonging to the war contractor Rostock. He was assigned to the frontline base "Uris" and has no memories of what happened before that. All he knows is that he is a "Kildre" and how to fly a fighter. Fighting in the sky - that was everything to Yuichi.

The female commander of the base, Kusanagi Suito, was once one of the Childress who fought in the skies as an ace pilot. There are many rumors flying around about Suito, such as "She killed Yuichi's predecessor" and "She gave birth to a child despite being a Childress." Yuichi is drawn to Suito. Even though it is their first meeting, Suito looks at him as if she has been waiting for him all this time. It doesn't take many words or much time for the two of them to close the gap. Suito says something unexpected - "Will you kill me? Otherwise we'll be like this forever."

Meanwhile, the battle surrounding the base becomes more intense day by day. Standing before them is a pilot from Lautern Corporation called Teacher. As their comrades are shot down one by one and new pilots are recruited to the base, Yuichi notices that the new pilot folds newspapers meticulously. It is the same habit as his colleague Yudagawa, who was shot down and killed by Teacher.

What on earth does this mean--?

Yuichi's memories are revived. The truth of the fate that the Childress bears. The meaning of Suito's words, "Will you kill me?" When everything is revealed, Yuichi decides to face the fate that has been imposed on them.

"Shoot down the Teacher"

■Explanation

In times of peace, people wanted war as a spectacle, and it became a viable business. Kannami Yuichi is a fighter pilot belonging to the war contracting company Rostock. Having been assigned to the frontline base "Uris", he has no memories of what happened before that. All he knows is that he is a "Kildre" and how to fly a fighter. Fighting in the sky - that was everything to Yuichi.

■Cast

• Kusanagi Hydrogen/Rinko Kikuchi
• Yuichi Kannami/Ryo Kase
• Takashi Tokino/Shosuke Tanihara
• Mizuki Kusanagi/Ai Yamaguchi
• Aizu Yutagawa, Aihara/Daisuke Hirakawa
• Shinoda Kyosetsu/Takuma Takewaka
• Bakuro Yamagiwa / Barley Man
• Honda/Hoshida Otsuka
• Foucault/Mabuki Ando
• Kusumi/Hyodo Mako
• Pilot: Hiro Shimono, Yoshinobu Fujita, Ayumu Hasegawa, Dai Sugiyama
• Prostitute / Fumie Mizusawa, Tomomi Watanabe
• Maintenance staff: Kenichi Mochizuki
• Bus Guide/Yukari Nishio (Nippon Television Announcer)
• Lily/Yuriko Hishimi
• Master/Naoto Takenaka
• Nagahisa Sasakura/Ryoko Sakakibara
• Midori Mitsuya/Chiaki Kuriyama

■ Main staff

• Original story by Hiroshi Mori
• Director: Mamoru Oshii
• Screenplay by Chihiro Ito
• Music by Kenji Kawai
• Produced by Yoshinobu Kosugi and Mitsuhisa Ishikawa
• Produced by: Shigeru Watanabe, Hiroyoshi Koiwai, Daizo Suzuki, Fumihiro Hirai, Shinichiro Nishigaki, Yoshiro Yasunaga, Hiroyasu Asami, Noboru Otsuki, Teru Toriyama, Kazuo Komatsuzaki
• Producers: Seiji Okuda, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa
• Producer: Tomohiko Ishii
• Directed by Toshihiko Nishikubo
• Edited by Junichi Uematsu
• Character design, chief animation director: Tetsuya Nishio
• Mechanical design: Atsushi Takeuchi
• Art Director: Kazuo Nagai
• Layout setting: Takashi Watanabe
• Color setting: Kumiko Yusa
• Visual effects: Hisashi Ezura, Akira Saito
• CGI Supervisor/Hiroyuki Hayashi
• Sound Director: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi
• Sound design: Tom Myers (Skywalker Sound)
• Screenplay Supervision: Yukisada Isao
• Military supervision: Isaku Okabe
• Special thanks to Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nakata, Ryuichi Hirose, Michiko Kitamura, Tsuyoshi Natsuno, Shinya Kato
• Line Producer/Toru Kawaguchi
• Animation production: Production I.G
• Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
• Produced by: "The Sky Crawlers" Production Committee (Nippon Television Network Corporation, Production I.G, Bandai Visual, Warner Bros. Pictures, D-Rights, VAP, Yomiuri Telecasting, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, DN Dream Partners, The Yomiuri Shimbun, Chuokoron-Shinsha, Hochi Shimbun, Sapporo Television Broadcasting, Miyagi Television Broadcasting, Shizuoka Daiichi Television, Chukyo Telecasting, Hiroshima Television Broadcasting, Fukuoka Broadcasting)

■ Related works

• Refreshing!! Crawler

■ Theme songs and music

• ED1
• Embracing the stars again tonight...
• Lyricist: Ayaka
• Composition: Ayaka, Yoshihiko Nishio
• Arrangement: Satoshi Shionoya
• Vocals: Ayaka

■Detailed review

The Sky Crawlers is a war fable that combines the philosophy and aesthetics of director Mamoru Oshii, and depicts a profound theme. In his works, Mamoru Oshii has always explored the relationship between "war" and "humanity," and this theme is strongly reflected in this work.

The story is set in a society where war is enjoyed as entertainment in an era of peace. The fighter pilots who work for a war contracting company are called "Killedores," who have no memories and live only to pilot fighter planes. The protagonist, Kannami Yuichi, is one of them, and the story, told from his perspective, questions the nature of war and the meaning of human existence.

Mamoru Oshii's work is always characterized by beautiful visuals and a detailed worldview, and this aesthetic is fully demonstrated in "The Sky Crawlers." The fighter jet flight scenes are beautifully written, almost like poetry, and draw the audience in. The visual beauty that combines Production IG's technical capabilities and Mamoru Oshii's vision is unmatched.

The music also plays an important role. Kenji Kawai's music enhances the atmosphere of the story and stirs the emotions of the audience. In particular, the ending theme "Tonight, I'm Embracing the Stars..." combines with Ayaka's singing voice to leave a deep impression of the theme of the work.

The portrayal of the characters is also not to be missed. Suito Kusanagi in particular has an overwhelming presence, and her conflict between the past and present adds depth to the story. Through her relationship with Yuichi, the fate of the Children and the dignity of humanity are depicted, deeply moving the audience.

This work calls into question the very nature of war, while also making viewers think deeply about the meaning of human existence and free will. Filled with Mamoru Oshii's philosophy, this work poses many questions to the viewer and will remain in their memory for a long time.

■ Recommendation points

"The Sky Crawlers" is a film that can be highly recommended not only to fans of Mamoru Oshii, but also to audiences looking for profound themes. Here are some reasons why I recommend it:

• Visually stunning : The visuals, which combine Production IG's technical expertise with Mamoru Oshii's vision, are unmatched. The fighter jet flight scenes are particularly spectacular.
• Profound Theme : The theme of questioning the nature of war and the meaning of human existence poses many questions to the viewer. This is a work filled with Mamoru Oshii's philosophy.
• Emotional Music : Kenji Kawai's music and Ayaka's singing voice enhance the story and stir the emotions of the audience. The ending theme "Tonight, I'm Embraced by the Stars..." is a must-listen.
• Charming Characters : The portrayal of characters such as Suito Kusanagi is deep and leaves a strong impression on the audience. Through his relationship with Yuichi, the fate of the Children and the dignity of humanity are depicted.

Related information

The Sky Crawlers is based on the novel series by Hiroshi Mori, and fans of the original work will also enjoy it. In addition, compared to other works by director Mamoru Oshii, it is notable for its consistent depiction of his philosophy and aesthetics. If you are interested, you can gain a deeper understanding by watching other works by Mamoru Oshii.

In addition to being released in theaters, this work has also been released on DVD and Blu-ray, so you can enjoy it at home. There are also plenty of bonus footage and behind-the-scenes footage, which will give you an insight into the background and production process of the work, making it a must-see for fans.

"The Sky Crawlers" is a war fable where Mamoru Oshii's philosophy and aesthetics intersect, and is a work that depicts profound themes. Through beautiful visuals, moving music, and charming characters, this work questions the nature of war and the meaning of human existence, and will leave a lasting impression on the viewer. Why not give it a watch?