You know, it's not the first time I've felt that J.C. Staff are completely incapable of selling their titles to the public. Here it's the same thing: a dull and unimpressive poster, identical-looking characters, a boring synopsis and, as the icing on the cake, alienating tags that somehow managed to include the word 'military'. All of which delayed my viewing of the title as much as possible. Who would have thought that when I finally got around to it, you won't be able to pry me away with a crowbar?
How did everything come together in this story, and why do I now consider J.C. Staff
...
to be a near-perfect studio for me? Let's try to find out!
So that others may live!
The story is about a simple pilot academy graduate named Kazuhiro Uchida. He always dreamed of flying a military fighter jet, but after graduating he was assigned to the Komatsu team as a helicopter pilot. It is his acceptance of his job, as well as the everyday life of the rescue team, that this title tells about.
Honestly, the arcs of this anime could be rearranged in any order and not much would change, as they work perfectly as standalone stories about different disasters. However, up until the last two episodes, the story has a cohesiveness that makes it feel like a film. This is because the first episodes follow each other chronologically, with no time skips or cuts to supporting characters. In general, we are shown situations on behalf of the protagonist, his experiences, relationships and moral state.
The last arcs, however, focus more on the situations themselves than on how the mc-kun has to deal with them. Because of this, the 'set up', if I may say so, of the event itself takes much longer. An example would be a story about a group of mountaineers. To show the events leading up to the failure, the writers need a whole episode, but it should be noted that this happens in parallel with the main events. This allows you to get to know the situation and the characters better. Because of this, the final rescue operation does not become a 'casino trip' for the viewer, but a well thought-out mission with a clear goal. In just 12 episodes, the writers manage to show the catastrophes from the point of view of different characters, and thus fully illuminate the subject.
Globally, the authors divide the series into two parts: 'So That Others May Live' and 'The Bright Side of Life'. These two parts are very different. While the former shows selfless people doing everything for the sake of others, the latter focuses on the quiet everyday life. Dates, outings, stories about a different profession and heartfelt dialogues are what 'The Bright Side of Life' is all about. And I can't say they're bad, just different. So different that you forget what kind of anime you're watching.
To illustrate the previous thesis, we can call the side story about the publishing house told on behalf of the Kazuhiro's girlfriend. In it, the heroine tries to help sell as many books as possible by authors who are not selling well. At first, I thought this arc was unnecessary because the girl's work is not that important to the main character. But when I asked myself, "Why is she needed?", I came to the conclusion that through her was shown that not only rescuers can save lives and care for their 'subordinates', but so can editors. These professions are generally similar in that they strive to help people survive, even if they do so in very different ways. So perhaps this arc is unnecessary, but it fits well with the theme and overall message of the story.
All the stories told in this anime, although they look real, are very rare in reality. A crashed fighter jet, a big earthquake, a missing group of tourists and a stranded cable car are really all the anime has to offer. But considering the short time frame of the anime, I think this is a lot. Besides, it feels like a good blockbuster ride. This is also emphasized by the setting, as the mc-kun is no ordinary rescuer, but one of the air force pilots who are only called in for the most urgent situations. In this respect, the story feels like a mixture of typical Russian (or any other country, really) cop/doctor series and large-scale disaster films. The reason it works so well is that behind every situation there is a personal drama of the rescuers, and the writers emphasise the emotions.
The mood of each story is quite different: some will make you cry, some will make you squirm in your chair with tension, and some, though rarely, will make you laugh out loud. And this is quite surprising, because the authors manage to squeeze a whole range of emotions out of one concept. At the same time, this anime does not try to force emotions out of the viewer, but simply tells realistic stories. This is very evident in the fact that this anime doesn't even try to be an anime. There are no typical tropes, no classic character archetypes, and even the subject matter is unique. This brings it even closer to Western works. So if you think that anime is only for children, I suggest you at least read the synopsis of the first arc of "Rescue Wings".
There is a curious trope that plays out in the second half of the timeline: a situation that happened in the past happens again, but the outcome is different. That's roughly how you could describe it. A lot of time is spent on this, and the trope makes you realise that even though a resuer's job may seem the same, in reality it is unpredictable, and even the most basic job can end badly. And so, in such a gloomy atmosphere, the rescuers manage to stay positive. A good example of this is one of mc-kun's comrades, who turns every mission into a game of 'save as many people as possible' and even keeps his own account. It is true that this account is not in his favour, which shows the moral work of the profession and leads to the development of the protagonist.
The title doesn't focus on spoon-feeding medical or rescuers terms, so it's unlikely to work as a Health and Life Safety textbook. Yes, there are explanations of some terms, such as 'crush syndrome'. But they are very random and rare, so you may remember them, but it is unlikely to be useful to you.
In general, from a story point of view, this anime is quite different from the others.
The closest analogue I can see is 'Grand Blue', only if the authors had decided to focus on swimming. Well, judge for yourself: both titles are about a beginner who wants to do something different, both anime have a professional mentor and training, and both titles are about everyday life. Still, "Grand Blue" is about humour and alcohol, while "Rescue Wings" is about hard workers.
Characters.
Kazuhiro Uchida - I've written about him before, so just a reminder - he's a helicopter pilot who dreamed of flying a fighter jet. He's a hard-working character, but morally vulnerable. He's very easily hurt by the things that rescuers face every day, and that's what the first arc is about. His development is based on the fact that this job is not for him, he can't handle it. And this arc is praised by many, but I found it weak. Sure, he goes from a kid who wants to fly a fighter jet because it's cool to a man with fire in his eyes fighting for people's lives. But it feels like much of the reason for this change is left out of the story. Yes, he goes through horrific images, gets to know his partner better and learns about his dark past, sees the deaths of people, but it's not enough for such a global change. Perhaps this feeling is due to the fact that mc-kun himself is reluctant to talk about his problems, so the writers seem to leave it to the viewer to understand what has happened. But I'm not going to judge whether it's bad or not, I just found it strange.
Megumi Hasegawa - Kazuhiro's girlfriend. She is a hard worker who loves books and wants to succeed in her career at a publishing house. She's a newcomer, so she's in charge of marketing, which is the system there. Her story arc is about career development and realising that her business is not as easy as she thought it would be. It's also about her trying to find a balance between work and relationships. She's also similar to mc-kun in that she also got her dream job, but in a different position, so they understand each other in that way. In general, they come across as a lively and mature couple who may not be original in their feelings, but who value their relationship. Megumi herself calls her and Kazuhiro boring, which underlines the mundane nature of the story.
Hongou - Air Force Major, Kazuhiro's mentor and partner. He is very strict in his work, especially with newcomers, but he is one of the best pilots in Japan. From the very first episodes, you can see the tiredness and resignation in his eyes. But as we get to know him better, it becomes clear that he really cares about his subordinates, and is only strict because he wants to prepare the newcomers for the rigours of the job. A perfect example of this is his quote: 'I just want them to help me when I'm at home'. And he can afford to do that because he has a loving wife and daughter. Hongou also has a good backstory connected to his partner, which competently explains his cold character and his attitude to work and gives him some powerful scenes. It also shows how similar he and Kazuhiro really are. However, his appearances are somehow random and incomprehensible. His connection to mc-kun's development is clear, but in fact they exist apart until the last few arcs. There is no chemistry between them, and the Major's behaviour is irritating. Nevertheless, by the end of the series I can call Hongou my favourite character of the title, because all the disadvantages I listed above make him come alive, and that's great.
The most important thing that can be said about the characters here is that they feel not only alive, but grown up. Their actions seem considered, and their thoughts are articulate and logical. This is rare in anime in general, or maybe I just haven't seen enough examples. Because the Japanese really like to exaggerate, and every character has a trait that stands out. In "Rescue Wings", the characters are just ordinary people. Yes, with their own problems and worries, with their own quirks, but ordinary. This is especially evident in the completely unremarkable mc-kun's team. They are there, they say funny lines and tease Kazuhiro, but nothing else is memorable. It seems bad, but actually it confirms my thesis about their liveliness, because think about it, how many people do you remember after talking to them a few times? In ordinary anime, probably, yes, because the Japanese tend to make bright pictures and often resort to multi-coloured hair. But in real life, I don't think so, so I think it's a nice touch.
There are some very similar characters in the title, and their bland and ugly designs tend to confuse the viewer. And in the context of an anime, it's easy to see who's who, and they usually try to separate the same characters into different scenes or roles. But if you show the title to a random person, they're unlikely to be able to differentiate a girl from a boy. Especially if only the face is visible. Even as I watched it, it caused me some dissonance, making my brain tend to put the main characters in unrelated arcs.
There are destroyed buildings and corpses in the title, but the authors leave the cruelty behind the scenes. Let's take the example of the dead. We are shown their bodies, but they always cover their faces with a white bandage, because it's quite an eerie sight. So I was quite surprised when I saw a full-length corpse with a face in one of the last episodes. For me, such a detail makes the title more grounded and even allows you to feel some peace in the midst of the ongoing chaos.
For the most part, though, the anime is quite stylishly drawn, albeit very dark and repulsive. And it's quite paradoxical, because the anime has a lot of sets, costumes and juicy destruction, but at the same time there are cheap 3D helicopters and the faces of the characters are almost identical. But despite all this, the anime is watchable these days, and certainly won't make you vomit.
Also, I can't help but notice an interesting technique used by the authors. They turn a normal good pop song into a dark funeral march. And to achieve this effect, all they had to do was add context, which made the cool song about the island memorable to me, but in a completely different way. It works well for the atmosphere and shows the life of the rescuers, for whom the most ordinary and positive things can really turn into trouble.
The anime also uses an interesting trope that turns the very ordinary sound of helicopter blades into hope. It reflects the nature of the rescue team very well, and it's implemented to perfection in the anime.
In general, it's okay from a visual point of view, but it's done well from an auditory point of view. So it was a pleasant viewing experience.
This anime perfectly shows what I would like to see from the anime industry as a whole. At its core, it's a working day with a very offbeat theme and not the strongest realisation. It's because of that understanding that J.C. Staff can afford to take on the most amazing stories, and because of that, literally every theirs anime I've watched has left an extremely positive feeling in my soul. And "Rescue Wings" was no exception. Yes, it has its problems, and some of them are quite serious, but thanks to its theme and its atypicality, I enjoyed it immensely.
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Dec 25, 2024
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