The Sky Crawlers

Mamoru Oshii, best known as the director of Ghost in the Shell, helmed this compelling anime adaptation of Hiroshi Mori's bestselling novel focusing on the Kildren, a squadron of genetically-engineered teenage pilots who are designed to never age. The Kildren, who have no memories of youth and zero curiosity about the outside world, engage in aerial battles in a seemingly endless war in the sky staged as entertainment between two rival companies. The Sky Crawlers intertwines the stories of Yuichi Kannami, a pilot brought in to replace one of the Kildren who died in battle, and commander Suito Kusanagi, who develops a special relationship with Yuichi, after which Yuichi ultimately begins to question what is happening around him. The Sky Crawlers combines a dramatically disturbing narrative that explores the dehumanizing effects of war, with visually thrilling depictions (especially on the Blu-ray version) of the wild aerial fights between pilots. Presented on a dual-language disc, rated PG-13, DVD/Blu-ray extras include a pair of featurettes on animation research and sound design. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is an interview with director Oshii. Recommended. Aud: P. (P. Hall)