Before I begin, I want to start by saying that I used to draw fanart of this particular anime since the early 90s when I first played the Capcom side-scrolling game UN Squadron. Anyway, as the title implies, the character in the illustration is Shin Kazama, the main character from the lesser known anime series "Area 88". As I've mentioned in my review of the series, Shin was at first a trainee for Yamato Airlines and had a pretty bright future to look forward to. That is until his so called friend Kanzaki duped him and tricked him into signing a contract to join the airforce at Area 88. Surprisingly however, Shin managed to grasp the essential skills of a fighter pilot quite well. And quite fast I might add considering that it takes a long time for someone to become a well trained fighter pilot. Shin ranks as number-one ace pilot among the personnel at the base. He was voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa in Japanese, and by Chris Patton in English.

At first glance, Shin can easily be mistakened for a girl due to his somewhat feminine appearance. In fact, when I first came to know Area 88, I actually thought Shin was a girl because of his long curly hair that covers his left eye. But I was soon corrected when my brother said "It's not a girl, just a guy with long hair". Still though, one could only imagine that if Shin was a real person, some people would probably mistake him for a woman. Besides, who would allow a pilot in the airforce to retain such long feminine hair when there are rules that require haircuts? Anyway, Being the main character in the series, Shin Kazama has appeared in all three versions of the story; the manga, the 80s OVA series, and the 2004 TV series. His personality remains pretty much the same in all versions but with slight differences. In the 80s OVA, he was mostly quiet, aloof, and anti-social. But this doesn't necessarily mean that he would never open up to anybody; there were some occasions when he seemed to make freinds with some of the other characters in the series. In some cases, he actually showed a bit of sympathy for his fallen comrades who died during missions. But even so, Shin was quick to get over it and move on.

As I have mentioned in my review of the anime, Shin also had somewhat of a fiery temper and would snap whenever someone managed to push his buttons, or when he was feeling upset about something in particular. In fact, as I remember, he would sometimes display a childlike fit of anger and would throw around objects to take out his frustrations. At the beginning of the first episode, Blue Skies of Betrayal, he throws a drinking glass full of water against the wall, shattering it out of frustration that he was doomed to remain at Area 88 for two more years. And near the end of the first episode, he angrily throws his helmet to the floor after he lost his first plane, realizing that he had to pay half as much money that he had to get a new one. Despite this however, I actually found myself relating to Shin because of his realistically written personality; he represents the kind of person who struggles everyday to retain his sense of humanity and belonging even when fate conspires against him. Not to mention he had a strong sense of determination to survive along with his desire to return home to an ordinary life. So for the most part, I actually sympathized with him quite a bit. In fact, he gives the audience a reason to pity him. At least in the OVA that is.

In the 2004 TV series, Shin's personality is slightly different. Though retaining his quiet and aloof personality, he seems to be a little more calm and relaxed. But the one downside to Shin's personality in this particular continuity is that he was often depicted being very reserved and selfish, and tends to think too much about himself and not enough about others. He is also way more anti-social than he was in the OVA series. Because unlike his 80s counterpart, Shin would almost never make an effort to socialize or establish a relation with anybody and would often walk away coldly from his companions. And not only that, but he could also be pretty careless and absent-minded at times. Because in one episode of the TV series, he carelessly wastes his ammunition while out on a mission in his Crusader. So for these reasons, I came to the conclusion that Shin was not very well-written, and was more of a dick-head in the TV series than he was in the OVA. Despite his quick temper in the OVA, he also had a few redeeming qualities so to speak. And there was more to him besides his emo and selfish attitude. So for the most part, I like Shin's depiction in the 80s series a lot better. Because not only do I feel that he was more realistically written, but I also felt that he was more human since he was quite emotional and expressed a large variety of feelings ranging from anger, anxiety, sadness, guilt, and emotional withdrawl.

As with all fictional characters, Shin's appearance differs depending on the continuity. In the 80s OVA, he was depicted having a thin slender body and a narrow face. He wore an orange jumpsuit, his eyes were hazel, and his hair was brown. But in the 2004 TV series, he wore a bluish green jumpsuit, his eyes were blue, and his hair was blonde. The funny thing is that Shin is said to be of Japanese decent. But as is the case with a lot of other anime characters, he doesn't look Japanese at all. In fact, with those large anime eyes and blonde hair, he looks so American. But again, that is often the case in the world of Japanese anime; characters who are Japanese tend to look more American than anything else. With the exception of the 1988 film Akira of course in which all the characters had dark hair and had more Asian-like facial features.

Anyway, I'd like to finish this off by saying that Shin Kazama is yet another one of those rare anime characters who has since impacted my imagination and has influenced me in special ways. Even though he comes from a series that is hardly known here in America, I have to admit that he sure has made an impact on the way I see movies, cartoons, and anime in general. In fact, despite some of his obvious character flaws, I came to value him highly for his realistically written personality and his charm. And I think its about time that I posted fanart of him on DA. So enjoy.

Area 88, Shin Kazama, belongs to Kaoru Shintani.
Art and Illustration by MDTartist83.