Eria 88

- Season 1

(2004)

Shinjou, a Japanese war photographer arrives to the secretive Area 88 airbase to do a piece on the war, but also to find out more about Shin, the only Japanese fighter pilot there.

One of the top pilots on the airbase is Boris, once an accomplished RAF pilot, now a mercenary torn by survivor's guilt. He's known as the Angel of Death due to his eerie luck - he's usually the sole survivor in team skirmishes.

The mercenaries hear about a downed shipment of enemy gold and fly to search for it. Shin grows suspicious of Shinjou's interest in him. It seams that the photojournalist has an ulterior motive for being there.

Shin's F-8 Crusader jet is taken down over the desert by the enemy rebels' new MiG-21. He survives the crash, but sandstorm hits. Gustav, the base mechanic, and Shinjo try to locate him. Shin wonders why his best friend shanghaied him.

The airbase welcomes its first female fighter pilot. She is Kitori Palvanaff, a competitive hotshot Mirage pilot and airbase commander Saki's cousin. The men on the base try to woo her, but only uninterested Shin sparks her interest.

Shin takes his new jet on a test flight. He recollects the day he met Ryoko, the love of his life. At the same time, Satoru Kanzaki, Shin's malicious best friend who tricked him into joining the war is taking a pilot exam on the same rout.

The enemy has hit the supply routs, so the airbase is running low on fuel and ammo. The enemy bombers arrive to obliterate the nigh defenseless base and Shin, Kitori and young self-doubting North African pilot Kim Aba must stop them.

A deadly enemy sniper hidden in the desert surrounding the airbase forces the base to go into lockdown. The only one there who had dealt with snipers before is Shinjou. He suggests a risky plan.

The pilots are sent on a retaliatory bombing run. The target is a rebel oil refinery. The only problem is that they need to fly through a long, narrow and very dangerous canyon to get to it. Curious Shinjou joins them.

The enemy has a new combat ace that no one can beat. The airbase command is worried. Shin's colleague Micky Simon, a hotshot pilot and combat ace himself, is saddened to realize that the enemy pilot might be his old favorite trainee.

Shin finally has enough money to pay for his way out of the war, but becomes reckless. Shinjou is finally forced to admit why he's really there and suffers consequences. The reason behind Satoru Kanzaki's betrayal is also revealed.

After finding out the truth from Shinjou, Shin makes a desperate suicidal attempt to escape Area 88. Is this it for Shin, or is there a way to make things right before the inevitable tragedy happens?