Spectacular anime from the maker of Ghost in the Shell tells the story of a group of genetically modified eternally-young fighter aces in a world where war has become a company-sponsored reality game.
Adjusting his visuals to linear, accessible storytelling, Oshii has brought to life a mesmerizing adaptation of Mori Hiroshi's novel The Sky Crawlers.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2009
The Sky Crawlers 2008
Sukai kurora
Anime master Oshii Mamoru (Ghost in the Shell) returns with his patented blend of viscerally thrilling aerial action and future-gazing philosophical rumination. The Sky Crawlers is, by Oshii's standards, a relatively straight-ahead adaptation of Mori Hiroshi's sci-fi novel about a group of genetically modified eternally-young fighter aces in a world where war has become a company-sponsored reality game that never ends. — BG
“We begin in a near future alternate world that fuses noir sensibilities with World War II inspired retro-future designs... The style is distinctly noir, all muted emotions and hidden agendas... Sky Crawlers is not only a stunning technical achievement but also layered with meanings, obsessed with questions of identity, torn between a love and fear of technology, and operates in a dreamy haze... a classic example of intelligent, geared-to-adults animation. Very much recommended.” — Todd Brown, Twitch