The Sky Crawlers: Departures

Suppose that you are (or were) a Kildren and have realized the mess you are in by virtue of the fact that you haven't been shot down in a while. How do you cope? We see or hear about several characters who face or have faced this situation, but they fall into three groups.

The first is to slip into depression and crisis. You may have a pistol on your person at all times and entertain suicidal notions, or desperately fight your anterograde amnesia, attempting to stem the exodus of the grains of your memory through the hour glass. Not unlike a certain character in ef - a tale of memories, but perhaps having something more in common with Memento. You do have your memories up until the clock stops ticking; it's just that the clock stops really early.

I think the pistol is a red flag. Were it not for the local children near her previous base, Mitsuya would have taken her own life a long time ago. Suito had someone to love until that someone became the Teacher, and until a clone of him became so tormented that he asked to be euthanized. By the time of the events of the film, Suito was just hanging around to let Jinroh return the favour.

The second option is to dominate the battlefield. Having inside knowledge certainly helps, when you turn coat and go work for the competition.

But despite being nigh indestructable, you'd still be a tool.

Lastly, you can be Naofumi and party it up. Hey, if you're going to live forever and get paid (and laid), why not? He epitomizes the blurb below from Mamoru Oshii about being content with your lot, and maybe it's no coincidence that he's the most mentally stable of the bunch. He's also been around the block long enough to know not to do anything stupid, like help out your wingman who is being pursued by two bandits.

The last point is actually relevant, as The Teacher preys on pilots who come to the aid of their comrades. That guy has a heart of gold.

[Edit: During the first sortie Tokino and Kannami were attacked by three Lautern Rainbows. A later report indicated that all three were shot down, so Tokino took the one while Kannami took the two that were pursuing him.]

On Flight and Combat

The Teacher's signature maneuver looks suspiciously like Pugachev's Cobra. Not bad for a plane with no jet engines, and no thrust vectoring.

Midori Mitsuya's hand diagraming during the debriefing following the failed Lautern raid plays out exactly like in the movie's opening: pursue one plane until a wingman comes to assist, Pugachev's Cobra to cause the wingman to overshoot, and finish by settling into firing position on the wingman. It's doubtless that someone describes the exact same thing following every failed raid, but Kildren are engineered with a memory retention of nil.

Way to leak battles plans by issuing a media statement while the attack is ongoing. If the Nazis televised a breaking news segment every time the Luftwaffe went to bomb London, the allies would have no use for ground radar. I assert that neither Rostock nor Lautern has never successfully carried out a large scale raid because that would signal a real war, as opposed to a phony one.

Interesting sound bites from the DVD extras

These are based on fictional fighter planes. […] However, we based the design on today's technology. We are treating it realistically.

-- Oshii at Skywalker Sound

In this project, the characters are extremely detailed. For example, if a character was standing… There are unconscious movements made. We made sure to incorporate those things. It's very delicate. So details like the creak of this chair are in this movie.

-- Oshii at Skywalker Sound

[It's interesting to note that the character designs are plain, particularly the main characters. Perhaps a deliberate emphasis on small gestures.]

There was a scene at one point […] where two hands come together. […] I asked Oshii-san if he wanted some sound of significance for these two hands coming together.

He said no. He wanted to leave it silent.

[…] And that was exciting because in American films, sometimes you just try and fill up everything. You just try to put stuff in there because you're afraid of it not being exciting enough or something.

So, it was really encouraging to me when Oshii-san said, no, no, he didn't want something there. He wanted to let that silence work. Which I think is very bold.

-- Skywalker Sound lead (I suppose)

A person who sees and hears a lot and is worldly won't necessarily have a fulfilling life. You can live in a limited world and still have a rich, fulfilling life. We strive to live full lives within the limits of our environment.

To feel happy with what you have. I ask myself what is necessary for that. You aren't smart because you are knowledgeable. Knowledge has meaning when it is understood.

-- Oshii while researching in Poland

[In other words, be happy with your sandbox.]

Relation to Tolkien's Elves

[…] [A]nd no sickness may assail you, yet slain ye may be, and slain ye shall be: by weapon and by torment and by grief; and your houseless spirits shall come then to Mandos.

[…] And those that endure in Middle-earth and come not to Mandos shall grow weary of the world as with a great burden, and shall wane, and become as shadows of regret before the younger race that cometh after.

From The Silmarillion, and part of a curse on the Elves departing for Middle-earth. And in another parallel, many of the Elves did eventually grow bored of the world during the Third Age and returned to Valinor (read: Heaven). Those who stayed were under the leadership of those who wore a Ring of Power, and when Sauron was defeated, they largely departed as well.

On the need to maintain a whiff of war

People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.

Frequently misquoted and attributed to George Orwell.

P.S.

Kildren die when they are killed. Except when they're cloned.