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Review: Flag Vol. 1
- By Gretchen Lee
- Published 12/10/2007
- Anime and Manga
- Unrated
Gretchen Lee
Gretchen is an anime junkie who spends far too much time reading manga and searching for that elusive new favorite series. She lives with her cat, and raises tomato trees.
View all articles by Gretchen Lee
Unfolding as a series of photographs and video recordings, Flag is different, to say the least. It's a bit of a gimmick, putting the audience behind the camera, so to speak. However, in this first volume, it seems to be a gimmick that works...once you get used to the constant view-finder and battery life icon.
Sometime in the early part of this century, a small Asian country finds itself in the throes of civil war. During a lull in the fighting, when it looks as though peace might be a possibility, a young photojournalist, Saeko Shirasu, snaps a photo of the flag as it is being raised. The powerful photo helps the flag become a symbol of peace. Days before a UN-arbitrated cease-fire is signed, insurgents steal the flag. Since she is the one that took the famous photo, Shirasu is asked to accompany a small military group chosen to retrieve the flag and record their mission.
Of course, the group is equipped with a military robot tanklike thing called the High Agility Versatile Weapon Carrier (HAVWC). Like any good mecha, it responds to the pilot's movements and is nearly indestructible. Not being a fan of mecha anime, I literally groaned out loud when the HAVWC was trotted out. Especially since an inordinate amount of time is spent explaining the HAVWC in the first episode. That said, it's not about the mecha. After that painfully dull first episode, the HAVWC is presented as a tool, and other elements, retrieving the flag, fitting in, and politics are emphasized.
Shirasu's friend, and fellow photojournalist, Keiichi Akagi, narrates the story, which is told in retrospect. How Akagi obtained all of Shirasu's photos and video is, at this point, a mystery. Why is Akagi telling the story rather than Shirasu? It's one of the many hooks that will keep me watching this series. In addition to sharing Shirasu's footage of the flag retrieval mission, Akagi tells his own story. Through his own photos and footage, he details how the civil war began in the first place, and shows the political climate during the time that Shirasu is away.
Along with the retrospective narration style, almost the entire story is told through photos and video footage. The viewer is placed behind the digital camera, sharing the viewfinder with Shirasu and Akagi. The eye of the lens is everywhere, even when the camera is put down. The audience sees the world from table-level, or sideways if the camera is on its side. It's a little disconcerting, but certainly makes a statement. At the very beginning of the story, a monologue discusses the general thought that "the camera doesn't lie." However, a camera is only as objective as the person who uses it.
Situations can be manipulated and photos can be taken out of context. It all depends on what the photographer is trying to convey through his or her photos.
Shirasu's photos reveal a great deal about her own character, in addition to the people she's documenting. She is dropped into a close-knit group of people who are military. Shirasu is anything but. Over the four episodes, the nature of the photos slowly changes, just slightly, showing how Shirasu's role shifts from total outsider to somewhat more accepted. She's never shunned, she's just not "in." By the fourth episode, she's not exactly "in" but she is becoming much more accepted by the group as she proves her worth and bravery.
Since the plot revolves around photographs and video, the artwork reflects the medium. Much of the picture is slightly grainy, as one would find with low-light photos or hastily-shot video. It's a very nice touch. The camera aspect wouldn't work nearly as well if the series looked like regular animation.
This volume doesn't offer much in the way of extras. This is a shame, especially with the unique manner in which the series is presented. Hopefully there will be more goodies on future dvds. Regardless, the extras include a textless opening, which is nice; the opening consists of lovely drawn "photographs" that are worth seeing without words to get in the way. There are also a couple trailers and the dvd credits.
After the first episode, I was not excited about continuing. The plot seemed promising, but the whole HAVWC thing really turned me off. The series, however, is worth sitting through the first episode. If you like military jargon and long expositions about weapons, then even the first episode will be interesting. By the final episode on the dvd, I was sucked into the story, and am looking forward to future installments. The danger of the mission is nicely captured, and this volume offers quite a few nail-biting moments. The suspense in enhanced by the fact that the perspective is from a person who's never been so closely connected to military operations. There's a sense of uncertainty and determination that adds a deeper meaning to the series. The camera's perspective takes some getting used to, and in places is a little tedious, but it's such a unique way to tell the story, and fits so well with the characters and situation. I haven't seen enough to know for sure if it's worth buying, but it's definitely worth renting.
Sometime in the early part of this century, a small Asian country finds itself in the throes of civil war. During a lull in the fighting, when it looks as though peace might be a possibility, a young photojournalist, Saeko Shirasu, snaps a photo of the flag as it is being raised. The powerful photo helps the flag become a symbol of peace. Days before a UN-arbitrated cease-fire is signed, insurgents steal the flag. Since she is the one that took the famous photo, Shirasu is asked to accompany a small military group chosen to retrieve the flag and record their mission.
Of course, the group is equipped with a military robot tanklike thing called the High Agility Versatile Weapon Carrier (HAVWC). Like any good mecha, it responds to the pilot's movements and is nearly indestructible. Not being a fan of mecha anime, I literally groaned out loud when the HAVWC was trotted out. Especially since an inordinate amount of time is spent explaining the HAVWC in the first episode. That said, it's not about the mecha. After that painfully dull first episode, the HAVWC is presented as a tool, and other elements, retrieving the flag, fitting in, and politics are emphasized.
Shirasu's friend, and fellow photojournalist, Keiichi Akagi, narrates the story, which is told in retrospect. How Akagi obtained all of Shirasu's photos and video is, at this point, a mystery. Why is Akagi telling the story rather than Shirasu? It's one of the many hooks that will keep me watching this series. In addition to sharing Shirasu's footage of the flag retrieval mission, Akagi tells his own story. Through his own photos and footage, he details how the civil war began in the first place, and shows the political climate during the time that Shirasu is away.
Along with the retrospective narration style, almost the entire story is told through photos and video footage. The viewer is placed behind the digital camera, sharing the viewfinder with Shirasu and Akagi. The eye of the lens is everywhere, even when the camera is put down. The audience sees the world from table-level, or sideways if the camera is on its side. It's a little disconcerting, but certainly makes a statement. At the very beginning of the story, a monologue discusses the general thought that "the camera doesn't lie." However, a camera is only as objective as the person who uses it.
Shirasu's photos reveal a great deal about her own character, in addition to the people she's documenting. She is dropped into a close-knit group of people who are military. Shirasu is anything but. Over the four episodes, the nature of the photos slowly changes, just slightly, showing how Shirasu's role shifts from total outsider to somewhat more accepted. She's never shunned, she's just not "in." By the fourth episode, she's not exactly "in" but she is becoming much more accepted by the group as she proves her worth and bravery.
Since the plot revolves around photographs and video, the artwork reflects the medium. Much of the picture is slightly grainy, as one would find with low-light photos or hastily-shot video. It's a very nice touch. The camera aspect wouldn't work nearly as well if the series looked like regular animation.
This volume doesn't offer much in the way of extras. This is a shame, especially with the unique manner in which the series is presented. Hopefully there will be more goodies on future dvds. Regardless, the extras include a textless opening, which is nice; the opening consists of lovely drawn "photographs" that are worth seeing without words to get in the way. There are also a couple trailers and the dvd credits.
After the first episode, I was not excited about continuing. The plot seemed promising, but the whole HAVWC thing really turned me off. The series, however, is worth sitting through the first episode. If you like military jargon and long expositions about weapons, then even the first episode will be interesting. By the final episode on the dvd, I was sucked into the story, and am looking forward to future installments. The danger of the mission is nicely captured, and this volume offers quite a few nail-biting moments. The suspense in enhanced by the fact that the perspective is from a person who's never been so closely connected to military operations. There's a sense of uncertainty and determination that adds a deeper meaning to the series. The camera's perspective takes some getting used to, and in places is a little tedious, but it's such a unique way to tell the story, and fits so well with the characters and situation. I haven't seen enough to know for sure if it's worth buying, but it's definitely worth renting.