| 801 T.T.S. AirBats: First Strike
© 1994 Toshimisu Shimizu / Tokuma Shoten - JVC Released in North America by A.D.V. Films |
Genre: comedy (could be considered romantic) Length: 90 minutes (3 episodes) Audience Age: 12+
Opinion: Well animated, average story Production Credits Created by: Toshimitsu Shimizu Character design by: Yuju Moriyama Produced by: Studio Fantasia Coorperation by: Japan Air-Self Defense Force Page created: February 1, 2000 Review by Russ Stevens |
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If you have seen the previews for 801 T.T.S. Air Bats, you probably were able to gain the basic premise of the series which is girls plus jets means $21.60 worth of entertainment. To a certain extent, girls plus anything out of the ordinary will bring some profit in this animation genre, and when a sensitive but less than with it guy is thrown in the mix, the creator is assured an audience. The concept is cute and one will laugh in an on again off again pattern, but if it is not a Tenchi Muyo or an El-Hazard video, the consumer may have some regrets about the purchase.
801 gets a few bonus points from me since learning about jets was once a hobby of mine, but otherwise it is a lot like what I expect from one of these "girls meet boy, they meet…what was that again?" animes.
1st Strike focuses on the adventures or misadventures of Takuyo Isurugi, a private stationed with the all-female Tactical Training Squadron, the 801 Air Bats (is that name redundant). All the girls have ended up here due to some disciplinary problem, or in the pink haired Yohko's case, poor flying ability, so it would seem that the Self Defense Force would rather have them perform at the air shows than carry sidewinders over the island nation.
After a rough first day for our hero, wander in on women changing and they always seem to want to bash the $^!+ out of you, rival pilots Miyuki and Arisa are willing to get to know the new comer, and his willingness to prove that they are both good people puts them into a new contest of who can win Isurugi's heart. This added aggression between the girls could not have come at a worst time for the squadron since the superiors mean to bring down the Air Bats and any variable that will result in a bad flight evaluation will do so.
In the job description or not, Isurugi has to hold the 801 squadron together at the risk of his mental and likely his physical health. Add in the fact that he has to choose one of the girls to be in a relationship with, it seems like matters can only get worst.
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Maybe the three episodes on one video pushed my attention span to the limit, but since the 801 does not have any bogeys to wax (jet jargon from Iron Eagle; bad guys to kill), there is not much action to keep one interested. As I said earlier, unless you had hit the skip the intro link, the laughs come every now and then. It is only 80s sitcom funny, its characters whose quirks and personalities make them pretty entertaining on the surface are not very deep, and a lack of character development act as preventing forces in the title's attempts to capture the audience. It does make a valiant effort to make us care about the characters in the love triangle, giving the scenario a good chunk of the video, but the lack of depth in the characters hardly makes it any better than the less than valiant attempts Saved by the Bell made to draw emotion from the audience.
If you are really into the art and animation aspects of Japanese animated titles, you will not be disappointed. The character design did not really impress me, but it does have its own unique style which makes like/dislike an issue of taste. As for the rest of the animation, the Japan Air-Self Defense Force's involvement in the project helps give the series a special touch artistically.
801 Air Bats maybe well animated, but one episode fulfills the viewers need for cool artwork. If you want story, then this would be one of your average titles. I would say if you like the girls + the unusual equation, the 90 min. for a retail price of $20 is a bargain, but you would have to buy one of the worst dubs I've ever seen. That maybe an over exaggeration, maybe the Southern States' dialect has crossed the largest ocean on the planet.
Plot | Indepth Opinion | Links to other 801 T.T.S. AirBats Sites | Contact Me | Index of All Titles Reviewed
Plot | Indepth Opinion | Links to other 801 T.T.S. AirBats Sites | Contact Me
Sailor Moon R | Evangelion | Ranma 1/2 | Slayers | Tenchi Muyo In Love
El-Hazard: The Magnificent World | Akira | Armitage III | Battle Angel
Reviews and opinions expressed on this page © 2000 Russ Stevens
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