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ZIPANG: A TIME FOR WAR (VOL. 3) |
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Thursday, 15 March 2007 |
 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | GENEON ENTERTAINMENT | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 16:9 ANAMORPIC WIDESCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 100 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | 13UP | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 01/16/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 03/16/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
If you could go back to the past and change the present, what would you do?
That is exactly the question that burns in the hearts and minds of the crew of the Mirai in this intense war-time drama. After a freak event, the modern day battle cruiser Mirai finds itself stranded in the past, three years before the end of world war two. Cautious to not change history, they nevertheless had to defend themselves when they found themselves right in the middle of the Battle of Midway. Having saved a Japanese Imperial Navy Officer, Kusaka, they may have already changed history. Now, with the pivotal battle of Guadalcanal near, the crew of the Mirai must make a decision: to stay clear or to step forward and alter history irrevocably.
Stuck in 1942, the Mirai still require supplies such as food. In this latest volume, their attempt to re-supply their ship ends up in a meeting with the Imperial Navy as the 1942 Japanese attempt to infiltrate the Mirai and discover its secrets. This encounter will have impacts across the crew of the Mirai. As officers get to know each other from both timelines, some of the Mirai crew are hit hard with the realization that many of their new friends are about to die. And when one of the crew gets particularly friendly, he learns that his new friend has a wife and daughter living in Hiroshima, where one of the devastating atom bombs will be deployed by the Americans. Now many of the Mirai are loosing their objectivity as they gain faces to put to the casualties that were only numbers in the history books before. The commander makes a new order and a plan that must be carried out: to go to Guadalcanal and attempt to save as many lives – both American and Japanese – as possible. But will this new interference help bring about a faster end to the grueling war, or change the future for the worst?
This is the hard question this series poses. The decision to try to change history and the possible ramifications are innumerable, but what can a person do when faced with the chance to end the suffering of the many? The crew of the Mirai starts to split in this volume as some of the crew comes to believe that they should be helping the Japanese win the war as their nationalism and brotherly love calls to them. Others, however, believe in the commander’s ideal to help reduce the bloodshed in the war – for both sides of the conflict. This more humanitarian goal may be more in line with the Self-Defense Force’s ideals. But it is a Japanese SDF, therefore some of the crew understandably think they should be helping the Japanese above all others.
A new dynamic also emerges as the 1942 Imperial Navy has more involvement in the story of the Mirai. With Kusaka’s renewed contact with his own officers, will he stand by the decision of only cautious involvement by the Mirai or help his fleet gain the modern day technology and knowledge to gain a commanding edge over the Americans?
An intensely cerebral and dramatic war story with a science fiction twist due to the time travel element, Zipang is a riveting series about patriotism, brotherhood, and the horrors of war. The ethical questions the series poses are difficult ones which are mirrored well in the differing reactions of the characters in the series. That challenge coupled with the historical war drama in the series forms a captivating viewing experience.
The animation in this series remains a curiosity. Although this is a more current anime series, the character designs reflect some of the earlier drawing styles reminiscent of the 1940s comic strips with what is often referred to in the West as “lil orphan Annie’ styled eyes and simple lines for the faces. This may have been done with the specific intent of giving viewers a feel for the era which the crew of the Mirai find themselves in. The ship, plane and weapon designs however show the more current animation styles with CG being used to make some very detailed vessels.
EXTRAS:
Bonus features include Geneon previews and opening and closing animation with English credit translations.
IN SUMMARY:
Zipang is a riveting war drama that poses hard questions surrounding patriotism and humanitarian ideals. This latest volume sees a schism occur within the Mirai’s crew over what the extent of their involvement in WWII should be. |
