If you thought Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 was a fantastic concept, then you have a good taste for anime. Anime that are themed with natural disasters are few and far in between, with most ‘disasters’ dealing with apocalyptic events, or at least near-apocalyptic (heck, even post-apocalyptic) events that stretches the imagination and lacks any sense of attachment to real-life scenarios.

Yomigaeru Sora ~Rescue Wings~

One such anime attempts to connect us with the reality of natural disasters, and I have yet to come across any anime could stand on common ground with Rescue Wings (with the exception of the aforementioned Tokyo 8.0, of course).

Rescue Wings is a series of short stories revolving around a Uchida Kazuhiro, a helicopter pilot serving in the Komatsu Rescue Squad of the Japanese SDF. It follows the team’s adventures as they go on various missions dealing with all sorts of natural disasters and freak accidents. It also explores a very human side of military personnel, featuring tales of family, love and friendship.

Unpredictable complications that affect rescue missions are key points to each story.

The show is an original animation produced by J.C. Staff, and they sure lived up to their reputation even as far back as 2005. The nice thing about Rescue Wings is that it doesn’t really involve too flashy eye candy, but instead portrays disasters and emergencies in a most realistic manner.

Unlike crazy events and unimaginable circumstances (such as A Wind Named Amnesia and Nausicaa), Rescue Wings deals with natural disasters that we already know, and would be very familiar with. Earthquakes, landslides, faulty maintenance of heavy machinery, military training accidents – all the things we have seen or heard at least once on the news.

People die when they are killed.

It doesn’t try to be too dramatic, like showing a teenage boy who miraculously manages to rescue hundreds of people. Oh, no, no, no. In Rescue Wings, people die. Not everyone gets rescued and everything happy ever after. A girl gets rescued, and dies on the way to the hospital. They reach a vehicle trapped in a landslie, but the driver is dead. Two pilots got into a training accident – only one survives.

The characters aren’t flat or predictable types, either. The rescue team is made of rigorously trained and highly disciplined personnel. They are not cool, calm, or macho – but instead, every rescue is a nerve-wrecking task, and each person struggles to stay calm and focused. Every character, every scene portrayed in each episode felt real. It’s. Just. So. Human.

D'awww.

Of course, there’s a bit of side stories to give each of the Rescue Squad members some character development and depth. This is very lightly done with a little romantic adventure or a moment with family members. Rescue Wings elegantly strikes a balance between drama, thrill and action.

It is a story of survival and the power of the human spirit. With that, Rescue Wings comes highly recommended here at Ocha!

Rescue helicopters like this could supposedly lift up to 3.5 tonnes. Really?

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