Introduction
It has been 33 years since an alien race, known as the JAM, emerged from a hyperspace passage over Antarctica with the sole purpose of invading Earth. Despite their unexpected initial assaults, a combined effort by humanity not only pushed the JAM force off of Earth but also moved the frontlines of the battle onto the JAM's homeworld of Fairy. Though out of sight and mind for the majority of Earth's inhabitants, the conflict still rages on Fairy, where the United Nations has established five bases and a powerful, technologically advanced military—including the Fairy Air Force (FAF).
Lieutenant Rei Fukai acts as a pilot for the FAF Special Air Force’s Boomerang reconnaissance squadron, flying a Super Sylph fighter jet with the personal name "Yukikaze." Soaring high above and observing the battles for air superiority, he is responsible for collecting and analyzing valuable intelligence on JAM methods. While his flying skills are unmatched, he also heavily relies on the highly advanced weaponry and near-sentient AI system of his aircraft.
Though despised by other members of the FAF for his antisocial and standoffish nature, Lt. Fukai continues to carry out his duties along with Yukikaze. However, during a particularly bloody battle, the appearance of an unresponsive and hostile aircraft catches the lieutenant off-guard—an aircraft which is of the same make and model as his own.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience reviews
7 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
rooster_
I haven't read the original novel, but from the start it was clear to me that Battle Fairy Yukikaze was an adaptation of an older work. It's an odd mix of background paintings that feel taken straight out of mid-70s sci-fi novels, and digital-anime characters that look like obvious redesigns of much older ones, what with their bell-bottom pants and gaunt, Matsumoto-esque expressions. It straddles a line similar to other 2000s remakes like Cyborg 009 and Golgo 13, which I find comforting. It's a plangently philosophical story about humanity's battle with a fundamentally unknowable alien and eventually with itself. The plane-combat action scenes are fantastic, with hypnotic after-effects and liberal use of jagged, CG assets which look surprisingly great in-context. It can be hard to follow a…
Read at the sourcesketchesofpayne
This OVA is way better than I remember it being; watching it again more than ten years later. I remember it being confusing, but that was probably because I was watching it as it came out with months between each episode's release.
Looking back, studio GONZO has had a mixed bag of excellent and terrible series. This is definitely one of their good ones. The plot may seem surreal or confusing in places, but if you go back and watch it a second time it seems pretty straight-forward. Parts might seem ambiguous, but that's just a quirk of Japanese storytelling. They tend to like open ended stories that leave room for interpretation.
If you are in the mood for fighter jet combat Yukikaze delivers! It is in the same vein as the action scenes in a Macross series.
Read at the sourceCaraniel
A very pretty and detailed OVA but the plot is too disjointed and confusing.
PLOT: I liked the premise of the plot and the setting of the action, but felt that the execution could have been much better. The scripting just feels random and it's almost like there are huge chunks of exposition cut from the final edit. I did like the realistic approach to warfare and the fact that there is no mecha – its all fighter jets, but I did feel that they went overboard with the techno-jargon as all that just went straight over my head! The central characters are no where near well developed enough, a bit of backstory on Jack and Rei would have been nice – but considering this is a 5 episode OVA with a massive cast they have done quite well in the character development department. My corrupted brain d…
Read at the sourceArgyll
Pros: very epic and detailed battle scenes.
Cons: everything else...
I was first attracted to this series purely by its title really. Yukikaze was the name of an eerily auspicious destroyer back in WW2.
The series stages intensive battle action with futuristic fighter planes as well as epic background CGs. (As a guy, it's hard to not love those..) The action is well presented, as I recall, with few or none repetitive missile firing/dodging clips, or stupid zooming in/out freezes, which tend to be prevalent in some other action animes.
However, beyond the eye candies of the impressive battle scenes, I find the series having little else to offer. There is an alien dimension that has a portal to our planet earth, in which human exploration starts off defensive in nature to expansionary lat…
Read at the sourceLunaWingz
Yukikaze is a breathtaking piece of work. At a glance it is unarguably about air battles, but don't mistake it for another 'Last Exile'.
It is a mature work that requires a lot of effort in order to appreciate. The plot is complex and spirals in a maze that makes it hard to differentiate which is reality and dreams. Though it can be hard to decipher, it corresponds to the complexity of both Yukikaze's and Rei's personality. The developing personality of Yukikaze and the repression of Rei's is fascinating and intriguing. Along with the frustration as an audience of the incomprehensible actions of Yukikaze and Rei resounds in Jack, who is Rei's commander and seemingly his only friend, it weaves an intricate story. Rei's inner struggle as he drifts between humans and Yukikaze is the feature…
Read at the sourcelisnoire
Gonzo spent a lot of money on Yukikaze. As a result it isn't just eye candy, it is one lush, decadent seven course feast. The meld between hand drawn and cg is near seamless and the characters are both beautiful and realistic. Afterburners generate realistic heat waves and jet fighters leave misty contrails in alien skys. The palette is somber and a bit dream like. Technical drawings are beyond reproach and much of the sound is taken from real aircraft and well matched to the action.
The OAV is based on a novel, Sentou Yousei Yukikaze (Good Luck Yukikaze) by science fiction author Chohei Kambayashi. It is a mature and introspective, blurring the edges between the sane and insane. Between amazing flight sequences, the story muses about what happens to those who, in fighting to protect eve…
Read at the sourceclicq
The best part about Yukikaze is the animation -- the 3D CG animation of the planes combines fairly smoothly with the 2D animation. The characters are drawn in a more realistic style than typical for anime (i.e. eyes that aren't huge). That is about all I liked about Yuikaze. The story had potential, but I think there weren't enough episodes for the information they wanted to get across. Scenes would change to something completely different without any indication or explanation, and while the confusion was meant to create a mood, I had trouble following the plot as a result; I felt like I missed an episode in between every episode. While I like anime that don't spell everything out for you, like Lain, this did not leave me with enough information to actually CARE. The characters were not ve…
Read at the source