History Manga / Area88

* AcceptableBreaksfromReality: There would have been no story if the Foriegn Legion worked in this manga the same way it does in real life.
** In real life, it's not so easy to be tricked into signing up for the ForiegnLegion. They have to actually "accept" you before you sign anything. In the real world, they would have noticed that the man who brought them a signed contract isn't the same man that they are picking up to collect. For such an important contract, the instant you sign your contract is usually the moment that you go through the gates. And that's usually not done in a bar with no witnesses or notary present. It's typically done at the Legion's office.

* AcceptableBreaksfromReality:

** It's fair to dock a pilot a fine for refusing to fly a mission for which he is qualified, But what does Area 88 do with pilots who are simply too broke to fly?
** Why didn't Shin just wash out of training?

A three-episode OVA was produced in 1985; the first two episodes were also released as a compilation movie in Japan. Central Park Media released the {{OVA}}s on VHS, but only released the first episode on DVD before their license expired. {{ADV Films}} finally released both the compilation movie and the final OVA on DVD in 2006. There was also a 12-episode TV series released in 2004. ADV also released this version. But with the disbanding of [=ADV=], both the [=OVA=], the TV series are unlicensed in the English-speaking world.

A three-episode OVA was produced in 1985; the first two episodes were also released as a compilation movie in Japan. Central Park Media released the {{OVA}}s on VHS, but only released the first episode on DVD before their license expired. {{ADV Films}} finally released both the compilation movie and the final OVA on DVD in 2006. There was also a 12-episode TV series released in 2004. ADV also released this version.

* RedShirt: Pilots flying A-4 Skyhawks/MiG-17s doesn't always return from missions.

* MultinationalTeam: Pilots hail from all over, though primarily from NATO nations. American, Danish, West German, British, and Italian pilots all show up. Also a Vietnamese and a few Africans at one point. In the 2003 series, Kitori shows up to represent Asran and Kim from India.

* RedShirt: Pilots flying A-4 Skyhawks doesn't always return from missions.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: After the Vietnam War, Mickey never got professional help for his war trauma, making it difficult for him to adjust to civilian life.

* PrivateMilitaryContractors: The Wolf Pack. Everyone at Area 88 to some degree in the 2004 series. Also Mickey's ex-student.

* JumpedTheShark: Widespread fan consensus seems to feel that this is what happened since the manga lasted seven years which is more than twice as long as Shin's original contract. Also, as the manga progressed, more and more gimmicky elements were introduced.

* WriterCopOut: The "War is Hell" message is undermined by the ending (which didn't make it to the states) [[spoiler: Shin is shot down in his final battle, gets amnesia and forgets everything about Area 88. He and Ryoko get married and live happiily ever after. Amen]]. The manga was still in production when the OVA series was produced, so the OVA writers were free to come up with an ending of their own or leave it open ended for more sequels. They managed to do both somehow. This is why many consider the original OVA series ending superior in every way [[spoiler: It heavily suggests a BolivianArmyEnding.]]

A manga by Kaoru Shintani that ran from 1979-1986, ''Area 88'' is the story of Shin Kazama, a brilliant Japanese pilot tricked into enlisting in the Foreign Legion mercenary air force of the generally [[{{Qurac}} Middle Eastern or North African]] kingdom of Aslan, sometime in the early 80s or late 70s. Aslan is in the middle of a civil war between two brothers contending for the throne, and Shin and the other pilots at the titular airbase are at the front lines of the war.

* AmazonBrigade: Saki's private soldiers in the manga

* RecursiveAmmunition: The Seavet submarine launches missiles that release smaller projectiles when shot down. If not shot down, they detonate off-screen and the projectiles rain down across most of the screen.

* ShellShockedSenior: Several of the pilots at Area 88 joined because they were veterans who couldn't adjust to peacetime. Most notably, Mickey. [[spoiler:Shin becomes one in the OVA.]]

* [[RewardingVandalism Rewarding]] [[strike:Vandalism]] Deforestation: In the arcade version, destroying all of the destructible trees in the forest stage yields a shield powerup.

''Area 88'' was one of the earliest manga to be released Stateside. Eclipse Comics and {{VIZ Media}} published the series as single chapters each about the size of standard comic book, but stopped after 42 chapters (perhaps a ''quarter'' of the whole series), though it continued (but was not completed) in the ''Animerica'' magazine. A fan translation of the final twelve issues is available [[http://plotong.tripod.com/a88.html here]].

''Area 88'' was one of the earliest manga to be released Stateside. Eclipse Comics and {{VIZ Media}} published the series as single chapters each about the size of standard comic book, but stopped after 42 chapters (perhaps a ''quarter'' of the whole series), though it continued (but was not completed) in the ''Animerica'' magazine.

* CanonForeigner: [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Makoto]] and [[TheSquadette Kitori]] from the TV series.
** Kitori may have been a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute or Bowdlerization of Sela from the manga.

* ParentalAbandonment: Shin and Kanzaki are both orphans and Ryoko's mother passed away some time ago. So did Saki's mother.

--> Mickey: "I didn't want to hear his problems. It'll be harder for me to fight now."

* LoweredRecruitingStandards: The Asran foreign legion is desperate for fighting men, so it tends to overlook flaws in potential mercenaries, such as inexperience, criminal backgrounds, psychopathology, or ''lack of consent''.

* LoweredRecruitingStandards: The Asran foreign legion is desperate for fighting men, so it tends to overlook flaws in potential mercenaries, such as inexperience, criminal backgrounds, or psychopathology.