A fast-paced, emotionally-charged air combat anime, Area 88 tells the story of Shin Kazama, a Japanese airline pilot who is duped into enlisting in a rebel airforce as a mercenary fighter pilot after becoming romantically involved with the daughter of an airlines owner. He is pushed into combat in the fictitious country of Asran, which is engulfed by a bloody civil war, forcing him to overcome his own barriers and morality, forcing Shin to harden himself to survive. Area 88 contains great air combat scenes and is backed up by the plausible situation and heart-wrenching story.