Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
No_H0RNY
i wanted to give this as a recommendation, but turns out it depends on what point this show has.
The movie itself started like it was already explained, altough the screentime is almost 2 hours long, but theres still hasnt any deep explanation about the plot. the story has it flaws, wether from the dialogue and the characters , they are suffers from emotions. the lack of emotions gives this anime some bland feel while watching them.
The visual is huge achievement, the way they seamlessly mixing the 'realistic' planes and 2D animation were fantastic, also the choreograph of the dogfight is stunning. its amaze how they can achieve this back in the day while maintaining the quality till the movie ends. the sounds also good for the time, it has some cinematic but old sfx were used.
Overal…
Read at the sourceDanTheMan2150AD
Cold, emotionally distant and often frustratingly ambiguous, The Sky Crawlers' slow and methodical storytelling is a tough hurdle to overcome, more concerned with savouring the moment. Rejecting any form of narrative satisfaction, the film instead invites the viewer into a surreal, dreamlike state that mirrors the existence of its protagonists, only broken by the dynamic scenes of battle. Oshii's reliance on mysteries is tantalising, hinting at the larger world within, yet there comes a point where answers are warranted. It's less about war itself than about what it means to live in a world that perpetuates conflict without purpose, and the quiet despair of realising you may never be allowed to grow beyond it. It's a shame it doesn't really tap into the horror of being trapped in a perpetu…
Read at the sourcefh1478
Even In War, The Sky Is Tranquility
The Sky Crawlers Is an anime about finding meaning, even if it's the same thing happening every day, and maybe your superior wants a piece of your ass.
It's a slow burn, but damn if it isn't full of atmosphere, and fully detailed action that says so much about the characters, with just they movement and their mannerisms.
Mamoru Oshii just knows, how to pace a thoughtful anime, that's make you linger on every word and detailed to figure out what the deeper meaning is, even if he sometimes just uses the characters to lecture you.
The movie has a wonderful soundscape. sound of the planes are so deep and shot sounds, the soundtracks is just so meditary and gives it a spiritual-like feeling.
It's melancholy, thought provoking, and it's just a crazy good…
Read at the sourceTuls
Oshii’s relaxed and patient direction is almost deceitful, depicting the repetitive events of the pilots’ lives as politically essential yet personally inconsequential. Much of the film is built upon pondering that goes nowhere, accompanied by some of the most vocal silent sequences I’ve ever seen on film. The atmosphere exudes an odd sensation, particularly during the pilots’ conversations that feel unusually inhuman and devoid of life. On the other hand, the dogfights, all magnificently choreographed with impeccable use of CGI, are when the pilots seem truly alive, as if their only purpose is to kill or be killed. The mastery of the writing is, however, fully realized only in the fourth quarter of the film after a major revelation completely switches the gears of the story. A surge of an…
Read at the sourceitme_irl
When first watching this, I had high hopes. Planes? Pog. Weird abstract ideas? Pog. Authoritative woman in power? Pog. However, as this movie continued to unravel, I realised, this is legitimately the worst anime I have ever seen. I've never been one to think, “wow, this is x hours of my life I won't get back.” But, Sky Crawlers, made me feel as if I'd truly and completely flushed 2 hours of my life down the toilet. I can't even call this movie a car crash in slow motion, that would be more riveting than whatever this abysmal piece of media was. I hope, I never come across this movie again. This is not highbrow, nor abstract, art house cinema. This is just a terribly written anime. What I did learn from this nightmare experience is that, it doesn't matter how interesting the ideas you may…
Read at the sourceMichaelMorbius
This movie isn't for everyone; personally, in fact, I consider it the anti-film. In the sense that it is a dull, pessimistic, slow film that most would define as boring. The protagonists are apathetic and do nothing to change their situation within the film. Furthermore, every key moment, every twist or revelation is greeted coldly. Plus, the action scenes, especially for a war film, are very few. Essentially the anti-film. But that couldn't further from the truth. This is not the anti-film, this is the film. An absolutely incredible experience that will take your breath away and leave you speechless.
The story is about the Kildren, these boys created artificially and incapable of dying or aging who are sent to a battlefield to fight a "fake" war between two multinationals. War that takes…
Read at the sourceDrakestalker
The Sky Crawlers gets its name from the fact that it's a movie about fighter pilots. It's the closest thing to the Japanese Top Gun that I can think of, in that it contains amazing dogfight scenes, but doesn't have much of anything else going on.
The latest of Oshii Mamoru-sensei's creations, the director of Ghost in the Shell, it also features the same composer, Kawai Kenji, and sound director, Wakabayashi Kazuhiro, as GitS. However, rather than the original GitS movie with its thought-provoking themes, Sky Crawlers feels a lot more similar to the GitS sequel with its mind-numbingly slow pacing and pretentious quotes. Thankfully, Sky Crawlers doesn't bombard you with obscure quotes every 2 minutes, but it will invite you to ponder fairly superficial and uninteresting philosophical concep…
Read at the sourceUncool_Slut
"𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩?"
A heartbreaking relationship between two immortal beings,
Soaring highest in the skies above,
Falling to the deepest pits of love,
Used as mere tools and weapons in an everlasting warfare,
In the world of The Sky Crawlers.
Ones who have seen Ghost in the shell would agree that most animated movies don't have Oshii's obsessiveness or precise pacing, and his technique of joining a narrative late and ending it early might be confusing to others. You might find the movie to be a captivating, impressive, and thought-provoking experience, though, provided you're willing to meet it halfway. I on the other hand watched it in a more or less lazy-hungry…
Read at the sourceDuckielover151
I saw this movie for the first time when I was maybe 13. Throughout that two-hour experience, literally all I could remember was that scene in the backseat of the car... and melting into my couch for what felt like at least 3 hours, just waiting for it to finally end. This was a movie I've always wanted to revisit, because I've definitely made an effort to better appreciate this kind of quieter, subtly beautiful storytelling as I've gotten older. But even now, I'm not sure I can recommend this one wholeheartedly.
Make no mistake, it's stunningly beautiful to look at. And the music in this movie has made me want to go track down everything else Kenji Kawai has ever worked on. But the storytelling leaves something to be desired. If I hadn't read the summary on here ahead of time, I fear I'…
Read at the sourceSpirit_Chaser
In the world of The Sky Crawlers, there is a painful romance between two immortal beings. Used as tools and weapons, they are experiments used by their government to fight an endless war. Even if they die they’ll be cloned back to life and lose that life’s memory. At the center is the longest survivor who feels she has lived for too long.
They don’t know how many times they’ve died and been brought back, though once they realize what’s happening some lose meaning in their lives. How many have they killed? How many times have they died? Their miserable state is subconsciously reflected on their drones like, apathetic personalities. Some reach such a dreadful mental state, they start asking to be killed by the other Kildred. Some look for a better way.
And the cycle of reincarnation contin…
Read at the sourcekaiser_the_2nd
"If people don't get to see actual deaths and misery on the news, peace can't be maintained"
Sky Crawlers is another cold, contemplative Mamoru Oshii movie, and like the ones before, it's pretty great.
The anime is set in an universe where our world is at relative peace, while rival corporations employ fighter pilots to engage in combat, supplanting the societal need for large scale military conflicts. Our protagonist, Yuuichi Kanami, is one of such pilots.
Arriving at Rostock Corporation's Area 262 after 3 of its fighters were downed by a rival ace named "Teacher", Kanami is greeted by his new comrades, the base's mechanic and the Chief of Operations, Mizuki Kisanagi. The plot progresses as we learn more about her and discover the existence of the mysterious Kildren, seemingly immorta…
Read at the sourceMakkusuUnfilwin
The Sky Crawlers is my favourite Mamoru Oshii film, neigh, my favourite anime film of all time, which is surprising as I’ve only seen the movie twice as of writing this. It’s just that the first time wowed me in ways no other media, anime or otherwise, had done in the past. Hell, I didn’t even know who Mamoru Oshii was when I discovered it. I just thought I had found a rather interesting, obscure piece of anime cinema. So, only after watching it a second time, a little over a year later, I’m now able to grasp at why I was so enamoured with the film in the first place, and why I can now claim it be my favourite.
The tone of The Sky Crawlers is cold; it’s bitter, it’s methodical, and it’s meticulous, but in that cold reservation of character and narrative, I find more comfort and solace th…
Read at the sourcePerryTShipman
Summary rating: This is a hidden masterpiece that might be opaque for viewers. It may require multiple viewings to fully understand the story arc and character motivations.
That being said, this is not a story for those who prefer fast pace, anger symbols and rolling on the floor embarrassment.
* Pacing is Ghibli Studio like with pauses for characters to think and react.
* Beautiful and realistic artwork, creates moods very well
* The main characters are slowly revealed in depth
* Aviation flying and combat are realistic and can be very edge-of-seat.
* Takes about 20 minutes to emotionally hook ... IMO, by design for the arc
This story reminds me of:
* 86 ... parallel but different story. IMO this is a more complete story
* Kuzo no Honkai ... painful to watch but fantastic story arc and…
Read at the sourceB2Reviews
Sometimes I wonder if it's just me. There are a few highly praised, fairly popular titles that for some reason I watch and just do not feel it. Sky Crawlers is sadly on the short list. I had actually forgotten that I'd watched this.
I don't understand how an air combat story can't be interesting to me. It came off as slow and I'm not even sure how I managed to stay awake to the end. And that ending came out of nowhere.
I felt cheated. Like I had missed something along the way, but I don't remember seeing anything that would have led to that conclusion. The movie just pulled it out of it's own exhaust.
Oshii directed it too, so it has the "Walking" montage. You know what I mean, the drawn out, unexciting, space filler where we watch someone not do anything to move the story along, over…
Read at the sourceAnax_of_Rhodes
Chop 50 minutes off, and this movie becomes a 9/10 without question.
Mamoru Oshii is egregiously hit-or-miss when it comes to the pacing of his movies. Jin-Roh and Ghost in the Shell manage to hold my attention no problem. Kerberos: Stray Dog, Patlabor, and Sky Crawlers on the other hand just dragged on and on and on.
There's a great story in here, decent animation, good sound effects, passable voicework, thoughtful character development, and an interesting setting to delve into. Plenty of subtlety to look out for and churn over. Just wish it didn't take as long to get to those great moments. You'll be rewarded for sticking through the slow bits, don't worry. I really enjoyed the story and I do recommend it for those of you with patience or a fast forward button. I only wish Oshii were m…
Read at the sourceSalty-GB
Make no mistake, this movie is a Mamoru Oshii jizz-fest. I could make a drinking game out of all the Oshii tropes present in this movie.
This movie is slow. A lot of people seem to be under the impression that this would be boring for people but I think the pacing isn't an issue. I think more people will have an issue with the cryptic ass scripting. They don't explain anything until very late which caused a lot of confusion early on.
This movie would have been much better with a little more exposition at the start. Have my mans talk some world stuff with the little girl and expand upon it later where needed. Maybe more scenes with Kusanagi and Kannami showing this deep relationship.
Also... The ending kinda sucks. It all felt very... Pointless because of it. Like none of that mattered.…
Read at the sourceFriendly_Freddie
Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers, adapted from a series of novels by Hiroshi Mori, is the director's seventh animated feature-film. It follows Yuuichi Kannami, an eternally-young fighter-ace, assigned to Area 262 following the death of three of their pilots. The plane Yuuichi is given seems puzzlingly unscathed, and the fate of its previous occupant serves to drive the plot forward. At the centre of this mystery is his similarly stunted Commanding Officer, Suito Kusanagi, with whom Yuuichi quickly develops a bond.
While this search for answers is fairly entertaining, It does not dominate the movie, which instead focuses on establishing the world and characters, and exploring the chemistry between them, much like Oshii's most seminal work, Ghost in the Shell. Unfortunately, The Sky Crawlers…
Read at the sourceStephen2D
The skies are their everything – a mother and a father, love and hate, life and death. And they are the "Kildren" – eternally young pilot/killer-children created to operate fighter planes and wage an endless war for the amusement of adults who lead a “normal life” in bogus peace.
Their world – reminiscent of Europe from the WWII period and run by big, shady corporations – is conceived by Hiroshi Mori in the first book of the same name which chronologically presents the ending of a five-novel saga. According to the original author, it is not easy to adapt, yet one gets the impression that both Oshii and his screenwriter Chihiro Itō (who debuted with a wonderful, yet cheesily titled melodrama Crying Out Love in the Center of the World) have no difficulties.
Deliberately (some might say, le…
Read at the sourceBushman
When I started watching Sky Crawlers, I had an idea that it should be interesting because of cool unusual aircraft, battles in the air and calm everyday atmosphere of the airbase, familiar to me from my military training time. But it turned into completely surprising experience, full of hints and details of life, specific for autistic personality. To be more precise, for high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome.
The art style itself has the really huge contrast between super-detailed backgrounds and locations, while human characters are very schematic. Indeed, it can be often found in anime, but here, the scale of this contrast is striking. It fits autistic perception perfectly: many Aspies (people with Asperger syndrome) have unusually high attention to visual details, while their pe…
Read at the sourcefranx
The movie is made for chilled people, you'll want to take it slow. There's nothing here but boringly designed conversations, and as the characters cannot compensate for the plot well. In regards, it's not very dynamic and does not represent the life of a fighter pilot. Instead, the curators seemed to used weary characters where it forces the viewer to engage connections. But it just doesn't work, they are bland in the first place. The point of the characters. When I watched the show, all I did was thin out for most of the time with no information.
The expressions of the characters has no real sophistication, bad personality and a bullshit plot. This anime doesn't know how to use characters to tie with the story. I guess it's all in the "spirit" or some shit.
You can't appreciate the art…
Read at the source
