Yukikaze Volume 1

Hard boiled science fiction is a rare thing these days and Yukikaze certainly looks the part; it boasts a mature and detailed take on futuristic warfare, combining some beautifully drawn landscapes with a group of characters who are not angsty, introverted or gay teenagers but shock horror, adults!

Now here is the draw back, I just described Yukikaze from a purely aesthetic perspective because quite frankly that’s all there is do it; it is bereft of story, frustratingly confusing and most disappointingly, lacking in any redeemable human emotion. I’m not kidding when I say I salvaged the majority of the story from the DVD synopsis and for a show that looks as wonderfully exciting as Yukikaze; it’s such a shame that it has turned out this desolate.

By the way, Yukikaze is the name of the aircraft piloted by machine-like main character Rei Fukai. 33 years ago a mysterious alien invader known only as the JAM attacked Earth and presumably, the forces of Earth and the JAM has been fighting it out since then. Rei is Earth’s hot shot pilot, though his skill in the air is surely linked through his benevolent connection to Yukikaze’s on board artificial intelligence.

I get the impression that despite these vague opening episodes, the story is holding back a fairly big twist. Aside from the frequent air-borne dogfights, Yukikaze has its fair share of mystery and surreal ambiguity. Notably we have only seen the war from a human perspective; we know next to nothing about the JAM and indeed, Rei is himself decidedly un-human.

I’ve already praised the animation but it’s worth saying again that Yukikaze looks brilliant. I couldn’t help but admire the serene and beautiful landscapes, wispy white clouds and vast skies full of deep greens and reds. Just as much (if not more) attention has been placed on the frequent aircraft clashes too; these explosive and exciting scenes will leave jet plane fans with their jaws on the flaw, but what about the rest of us?

In Summary

For all its visual flair, Yukikaze is yet another high budget anime to flop when it comes to story; the characters and story left me as cold as a nuclear missile failing on route to its target. There is only so much you can gloss over with wonderful art and while the airborne skirmishes are indeed outstanding, there is no denying that Yukikaze lacks that most important of organs to survive, a human heart.