The Cockpit (1994) (V)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

Takashi Imanishi
Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Writers:

Yoshiaki Kawajiri (writer)
Leiji Matsumoto (comics)

Genre:

Animation | Drama | War

Plot:

Three aviation focused war stories of Axis participants.

Plot Keywords:

Kamikaze | Fighter Pilot | Anthology | WWII | Anime

Cast

Ken'yû Horiuchi	...	Lt. Rheindars (segment 1)
Hikaru Midorikawa	...	Ensign Nogami (segment 2)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stephen Apostolina	...	Lambert (voice: English version) (as Steve Apostolina)
Kanetaka Arimoto	...	Lieutenant (segment 1)
David Berón	...	American Soldier (voice: English version)
Richard Cansino	...	Leinders (voice: English version)
Bill Capizzi	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Christopher Carroll	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Peter Doyle	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Dean Elliott	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Dean Wein)
Eddie Frierson	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Keiji Fujiwara	...	Lanbirt (segment 2)
Nobuaki Fukuda	...	Bauffstein (segment 1)
Masao Horiuchi	...	Marine (segment 2)
Mitsuaki Hoshino	...	Second Commander Hatake (segment 2)
Eiji Itô	...	Hartmann (segment 1)
Yukimasa Kishino	...	Amerian Soldier (segment 3)
Junji Kitajima	...	Second Commander Nagame (segment 2)
R. Martin Klein	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Nicholas Kusenko	...	Captain, Artillery Officier (voice: English version) (as Nicholas R. Kusenko)
Lex Lang	...	Captain A (voice: English version) (as Walter Lang)
Robert Maffia	...	Kodai (voice: English version)
Mona Marshall	...	Marlena (voice: English version)
Ichirô Nagai	...	Soldier Godal (segment 3)
Kenichi Ogata	...	First Lieutenant (segment 2)
Masâki Okabe	...	Narration (segments 1, 2 & 3)
Teiji Ômiya	...	Captain (segment 2)
Masaya Onosaka	...	Commander Okiumi (segment 2)
Shinichirô Ôta	...	Commander Toyoma (segment 2)
Bob Papenbrook	...	Yamaoka (voice: English version)
Tony Pope	...	Baffstein (voice: English version)
Derek Stephen Prince	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Derek Stephen Prince)
Brett H. Radford	...	Soldier A (voice: English version) (as Brett Hadford)
Luis Robledo	...	Utsnomiya (voice: English version)
Safurin	...	Second Commander Okawa (segment 2)
Megumi Shinohara	...	Melhennea (segment 1)
Kouzou Shiotani	...	Commander Mataue (segment 2)
Michael Sorich	...	Okiumi (voice: English version) (as Michael J. Sorich)
Barry Stigler	...	Captain B (voice: English version)
Kirk Thornton	...	Nogami, Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Tom Wyner	...	Narrator (voice: English version)
Keaton Yamada	...	Japanese Soldier (segment 3)
Shohei Yamaguchi	...	Soldier Utsunomiya (segment 3)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:15

Company:

Mad House

Poignant stories of the human tragedy of war

Each of the three short films (each an adaptation from a short story in Matsumoto Leiji's manga "The Cockpit") shares a common theme: self-sacrifice for the sake of others. Each protagonist faces challenges and reconciles their personal decision to give up their lives (or in one case, personal honor) for the sake of what they believe to be right. Each individual film highlights an aspect of the tragedy of war by focusing tightly on the personal experiences of those involved.

While most historical fiction vilifies the 'enemy' to the point of becoming propaganda, some of "The Cockpit"'s most poignant moments are when the antagonists reflect on the actions of their enemy--seeing in them the same human emotions and desires as themselves.

The first segment of the film deserves some recognition in that it strongly implies criticism of the United States for the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki--something almost unheard of in Japanese-created animation or film. The second and third segments are far less heavy-handed in their message, but they all tell stories that do more than romanticize the past.

Of particular note is the attention to detail paid to the machinery of the films. Matsumoto's known for his love of machines and that love carries over to stunningly accurate imagery of WWII era vehicles and equipment.

For history buffs or anime freaks, this particular series of short films has a lot to offer--both in terms of story and in the topics the narrative approaches.