History Manga / Area88

** The manga repeatedly asserts that war is [[WarIsHell senseless and destructive]]. Then, at the end of the manga, war suddenly becomes glorious when [[spoiler:the pro-monarchy and anti-government forces collaborate in order to eject Project 4 from Asran.]]
** On a related note, the manga shows how war trauma can devastate the lives of soldiers long after the war has ended. Then, at the end of the manga, [[spoiler: EasyAmnesia allows Shin to forget his war trauma and live happily ever after with Ryoko.]]

* AcePilot: Shin, Mickey, Saki, many, many others.

* DuringTheWar

* InMediasRes
* IntrepidReporter: Rocky

* LegionOfLostSouls: If the series was not inspired by the French Foreign Legion, [[{{Tropers.Winter}} This Troper]] will eat his comics. And some of these souls are seriously lost. Naturally, Shin was in Paris when he was tricked into signing his contract.

* MissileLockOn
* MissionBriefing

* TheOjou: Ryoko, of course.

* SandIsWater

* PeekABangs: Shin, especially in the TV series.

* {{Bishonen}}: Saki and Shin to varying degrees across the adaptations, as well as Kim in the manga and TV series. And Saki's brother Risaal in the manga.

* RealityIsUnrealistic: The F-8 Crusader can and has flown with its wings folded. In fact, it can take off, fly, and land with the wings folded. The first time this happened, it was because the pilot [[WhatAnIdiot forgot to unfold the wings.]]

* WorthlessTreasureTwist: One manga chapter (and an episode of the TV series) has the pilots excited over radio transmissions that mention an enemy convoy carrying gold. [[spoiler:It turns out to be a General Gold, the enemy's top tactician. [[WhatAnIdiot Also, Greg burned half of the man's papers and blew his nose with the other half]] when he caught a cold after bombing the convoy and crashing due to battle damage.]] Saki is not amused.

* ChristmasCake: Yasuda Taeko, Ryoko's loyal secretary, who is unmarried at 28 and quite sensitive about the fact. Pursued by bald [[LikesOlderWomen cake eater]] Sawa.

* CallingYourAttacks: In a slightly odd example, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brevity_code brevity codes]] (Fox Two, Guns, and Splash X, most often) were [[FillingTheSilence ''added'']] to the English dub of the TV series, possibly to fit American expectations from other media. The Japanese dialogue omits them.

* CallingYourAttacks: In a slightly odd example, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brevity_code brevity codes]] (Fox Two, Guns, and Splash X, most often) were ''added'' to the English dub of the TV series, possibly to fit American expectations from other media. The Japanese dialogue omits them.

** Planes and ammunition don't cost a whole lot in this story. Granted, they are using dated aircraft much of the time, but in real life, even older aircraft will cost at least a few ''million'' dollars. Missiles each can cost tens of thousands of dollars, some (like the Sparrow or Sidewinder) a few hundred thousand apiece. So for the real world price of a replacement, missiles, and ammo, Shin could have easily bought out his 1.5 million dollar contract many times over. It also raises the question: since mercenaries are required to buy all their equipment, how was Shin, a mere airline student, able to afford to purchase the plane and armaments he started with in the first place?

* RareVehicles: Shin flies at one point or another an F-20 and an X-29, both prototype or experimental planes. Also, [=McCoy=] is somehow able to obtain even the newest and shiniest planes, including an F-14 (Iranian, impounded en route due to the Revolution) and (possibly) an A-10. The TV series cuts the more unlikely examples; Shin's F-20 is replaced by an F-5 (which he also flew in the other versions).
** In all versions, Shin flies an F-8E Crusader at some point, which is at least two generations out of date when the F-14 is in service. In the manga, he also flies a Saab 35 Draken, a Swedish fighter about the same age as the F-8E (both planes made their maiden flights in ''1955''). The Crusader's ability to fly with its wings folded is a plot point in all three continuities (they love that ''Fang'').
** The setting is shortly after the Iranian Revolution, with the OVA showing a date of April 1979 for Shin's contract and takes place over the next three years, while the other continuities are a little vaguer. The Crusader served in Vietnam and had a very good kill record against [=MiG-17s=] and [=MiG-21s=] (the mainstay of the enemy air force), so it's not as outdated as you might think.
*** In fact the French Navy operated F-8 Crusaders up until 1999, when they replaced them with Rafales. The planes were extensively upgraded and modified (F-8Ps, with p as in "Prolong?-prolonged-; featuring RWR, ILS, new avionics etc...). They used it in actual combat operations (Beirut, Persian Gulf, Kosovo...).
** A few Draken can also be seen in the TV series, flown by nameless RedShirts. Somehow, Kim's able to fly and maintain a ''Harrier''.

* WeakBossStrongUnderlings: Giuseppe Farina is an extremely elderly, wheelchair-bound, blind (or nearly blind= mafia don who nonetheless has an enormous amount of influence and connections.