Yomigaeru Sora: Rescue Wings (2006) — Story, Release Date, Rating

Synopsis:

The series follows Kazuhiro Uchida as he navigates a shift in his aspirations. Assigned to a remote rescue center during flight pilot training, Kazuhiro initially struggles with the demanding nature of his new role and the rigorous expectations of his superiors. The narrative explores his gradual adaptation to the responsibilities of search and rescue, contrasting the structured world of military training with the unpredictable challenges of real-world emergencies. As he learns to rely on his skills and colleagues, Kazuhiro develops a deeper understanding of the value of his work, forging bonds within the rescue team and finding purpose beyond his original ambitions. The anime presents a grounded portrayal of personal growth amidst challenging circumstances, highlighting themes of resilience and the evolving definition of duty.

Trailer:

Episodes:

Episode 1: First Job (Aired: 01/09/2006)
Episode 2: A Difficult Job (Aired: 01/16/2006)
Episode 3: A Painful Job (Aired: 01/23/2006)
Episode 4: Important Person (Aired: 01/30/2006)
Episode 5: Necessity (Aired: 02/06/2006)
... and 7 more episodes

Characters:

Hasegawa, Megumi (Main) - Voice Actors: Noto, Mamiko
Hongou, Shuujirou (Main) - Voice Actors: Ishizuka, Unshou
Uchida, Kazuhiro (Main) - Voice Actors: Miyazaki, Issei
Hongou, Midori (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kimura, Akiko
Hongou, Atsuko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sendai, Eri
Kosaka, Takashi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Shimura, Tomoyuki
Kubo, Isao (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Furusawa, Tohru
Kuroki, Junzou (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Koyama, Rikiya
Motomura, Hiroshi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Iizuka, Shouzou
Murakami, Ryuunosuke (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hoshino, Mitsuaki
Nihonmatsu, Daigo (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Onosaka, Masaya
Nishida, Kazumi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kasahara, Rumi
Okada, Keiko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Fukamizu, Yumi
Shaura, Ryouko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Satou, Ai
Suzuki, Hironori (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kiyasu, Kouhei
Tsunematsu, Takayuki (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Nakamura, Daiki
Yoshioka, Satoshi (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Irino, Miyu

Staff:

Matsukura, Yuuji (Producer)
Sakurabi, Katsushi (Director, Storyboard)
Mima, Masafumi (Sound Director)
Hashimoto, Toshikazu (Episode Director)
Miyake, Kazuo (Episode Director)
Takayama, Fumihiko (Script, Series Composition)
Takada, Kouichi (Storyboard)
Hata, Aki (Theme Song Lyrics)
JAM Project (Theme Song Performance)
Misato, Aki (Theme Song Performance)
Takumi, Masanori (Theme Song Arrangement)
Tanaka, Hidenori (Theme Song Composition)
Hattori, Satoshi (Key Animation)
Ishikawa, Isao (Publicity)
Kadekaru, Chikashi (Key Animation)
Kataoka, Hideyuki (Animation Director)
Kawada, Tsuyoshi (Animation Director)
Kawashiro, Kazumi (Planning)
Kimoto, Shigeki (Key Animation)
Kobayashi, Daisuke (Publicity)
Maru, Hideo (Key Animation)
Matsuo, Hayato (Music)
Motomura, Kouichi (Animation Director)
Mukaigawara, Ken (Key Animation)
Nishiyama, Shigeru (Editing)
Nomichi, Kayo (Key Animation)
Nomura, Fusako (Key Animation)
Oka, Yuuichi (Key Animation, Animation Director)
Oohashi, Masao (Production Manager)
Ookouchi, Yoshio (Director of Photography)
Ooshita, Tomoyuki (Key Animation)
Saitou, Yoshinari (Key Animation)
Shiino, Ryuusuke (Special Effects)
Takeuchi, Tetsuya (Character Design, Animation Director)
Tanahashi, Mayumi (Color Design)
Tanazawa, Takashi (Animation Director)
Tokuda, Toshiyuki (Art Director)
Tomioka, Hiroshi (Key Animation, Animation Director)
Tsubota, Shintarou (Key Animation)
Tsuzuki, Yukako (Key Animation)
Yakou, Hiroshi (Key Animation)
Yanaka, Masaru (Background Art)
Yokoyama, Kenji (Key Animation)

Reviews:

User Asako (Score: 10/10):
This series is very unappreciated. So much so, that this is my first review, as I want people to know how great it is. It focuses on a young man, Uchida Kazuhiro, who failed to become a fighter pilot, and is assigned to a rescue squadron to fly helicopters... which he strongly dislikes the idea of. Without spoiling it, it's pretty simple to say his character develops significantly over the course of the story. It's well paced, very realistic (set in modern, current day totally real world, no sci-fi elements) and some episodes are truly moving. Very well written dialogue and events. This is pretty mucha pure drama, and that may not appeal to everybody, but there is a degree of action, romance and even some comedy that may keep in some who usually avoid drama.nnArt wise, it's also superb. Fitting character design, beautiful background art, and the flight scenes are excellent. Some CG is used, but it never feels out of place or inappropriate. It does a great job of capturing the action, and in some events (a rescue in a blizzard on a mountain, for example) shows how poor visibility can be in such situations. It really can make you feel like you're there in the action at times.nnSound, well the voices were all excellent, while Miyazaki Issei is pretty much an unknown name, he played Kazuhiro very well. The other major characters, and even the victims in rescue cases were all very well suited and nothing felt out of place. The music was subtle, and never overpowering unlike some series where it can 'get in the way' but it really did help with the impact of some scenes.nnCharacter wise, I believe this is one of the best character development series of all time, especially so for being so short. From being a snotty little transfer not liking his assigned job, Kazuhiro grows significantly over the course of the story. If there were a down side to this story, though, it would be his sadly undeveloped relationship with his girlfriend Megumi, beautifully voiced by Noto Mamiko. She had her own problems over the course of the series, which was a whole sub-plot, and IMO could have used a bit more development, but it wasn't distracting enough to warrant a score less than 10 (maybe a 9.5 at worst).nnOverall, it's an incredibly enjoyable series. It's very easy to sit and watch all in one go, being so short, you can easily burn through it all without noticing the time because of it being so well paced and enthralling. Also if you get the releases by Froth-Bite, they're chaptered, so you can effortlessly skip the OP/ED to burn through them all quickly. Though, the OP and ED are decent and may be worth listening to, if you're in to that... ^^;nnReally though, give this series a shot. It's still unlicensed as of the writing of this review, so should be easy to find for download around the vastness of the…
User Cheesyhoboe (Score: 8/10):
Yomigaeru Sora -Rescue Wings- is a true rarity in this medium, being one of the few entirely realistic human drama anime out there. In fact, the only reason I can see as to why this show wasn't planned out to be live-action in the first place is for budget reasons. Sadly, the dearth of popularity for this title can likely be attributed to its utter realism and the lack of escapist fantasy which pervades the vast majority of anime. However, viewers who like their anime more serious and avoidant of typical anime tropes and cliches should be grateful for a series like this, as YomigaeruSora -Rescue Wings- would be a respectable drama in any medium and is a fairly fascinating look at the lives of rescue workers in the Japanese Self Defense Force. nnThe first episode alone sets up the majority of the conflicts. We see Kazuhiro's dissatisfaction with being assigned to a helicopter rescue squad in a tiny, unremarkable city instead of the jet fighter pilot force he dreamed of joining as a young boy. We see his somewhat strained, long distance relationship with his big city girlfriend, Megumi. We see his confrontation with the helicopter unit's Major Hongo, who notices his lack of commitment to the rescue squad at a glance and chews him out for it immediately. Along with his various personal issues and his rather apathetic personality at first glance, Kazuhiro doesn't come off as the most endearing character at first, but the show makes a point to show his personal growth as he deals with the daily catastrophes that come naturally to his job, and his newfound appreciation for human life. Thematically, it's not the most original work, but nevertheless, it's satisfying to see Kazuhiro's outlook on life change throughout the story. While the show's main focus is on Kazuhiro, it also does a good job of establishing a number of memorable side characters. Yomigaeru Sora manages to establish a cast of distinct personalities, all with their own internal conflicts. One of the best things about the series is the way it shows how the JSDF members' work affects their personal lives. nnThe show puts a majority of its focus on the rescue operations. The rescue operations are edge-of-your-seat tense and can take many a twist and turn without coming off as incidental or contrived; the show does an excellent job at conveying the unpredictability and of a natural disaster and the powerlessness humanity holds over such an impersonal, destructive entity.. The show works on a personal level by not only showing the struggles of the victims but also how the JSDF members must deal with unforeseen hardships, make necessary compromises and face the everpresent possibility of failure, which rears its ugly head in this series quite often. Much of the drama comes from the JSDF members' struggles in the face of life-of-death decisions and their struggle between idealism and pragmatism; save everyone, or save who you can. When the scale leans towards the latter,…
User nazsa (Score: 10/10):
Do you believe in the saying that truth is stranger than fiction? Do you crave for realistic anime where characters face with life and death situations and must make hard decisions? Do you prefer anime that gives you an uncut view of the harsh realities of life? Then this is an anime you absolutely cannot miss out. This anime is about the operations of the JSDF air rescue force. Our protagonist, Kazuhiro Uchida wanted to be a fighter pilot (a pretty common childhood dream, isn't it?). But he couldn't make it and had to settle for a helicopter pilot in the rescue force. He joined thereunhappily at first, but soon his impression about his job duties changes bit by bit. He experiences first hand on the extremely hard decision making about human lives in the balance and grows as a responsible human being.nnThe artwork, sound, and animation are all done well enough to do justice to the amazing story. CG has been used to create the air-crafts, but the quality is very good. nnThis anime is a nice example of how good a slice of life anime can be. So go ahead and give this relatively short anime a try.nnStory: 10nArt: 9nSound: 9nCharacter: 10nEnjoyment: 10nOverall: 10
... and 2 more reviews

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Related Anime/Manga:

Yomigaeru Sora: Rescue Wings - Saigo no Shigoto (anime - Prequel)
Rescue Angel (anime - Alternative Version)

Genres: Adult Cast, Drama, Military, Workplace
Themes: Adult Cast, Military, Workplace
Studios: J.C.Staff
Producers: Bandai Visual, Imagine, Lantis
Rating: 7.34 / 10
Rank: #2706
Popularity: #5720
Users Listed: 16,195
Users Scored: 4,967
NSFW: No
Last Updated: 11/14/2022
Aired: January 9, 2006 – March 27, 2006 (Winter)
Type: tv
Source: original
Age Rating: PG 13
Episodes: 12

Yomigaeru Sora: Rescue Wings