Here’s sketch I did of another character from the anime series “Area 88”. This time of Mick Simon, one of the main characters alongside Shin Kazama, Saki Vashtar, Ryoko Tsugumo, and Satoru Kanzaki. As I’ve mentioned in my review of Area 88, Mick Simon started out as a veteran who fought in the Vietnam War, and then returned home to the United States only to discover that he had lost his soul to war and could no longer fit into a normal peaceful life. Therefore, he signed up to join the air-force at Area 88 in order to find a particular place to fit into, since he grew obsessed with war. Like Shin Kazama, Mick Simon is a highly skilled fighter pilot, but ranks as number 2 among the personnel at the base. His signature aircraft is an F-14 Tomcat. In all of his appearances, he is depicted as a tall white man with a moderately built body, short blonde hair, and having somewhat of a cocky attitude. He was voiced by Kei Tomiyama in Japanese and by John Swasey in English. Mick was also featured as a playable character in the Area 88 arcade game along with Shin Kazama and Greg Gates.

Mick Simon has the stereotypical North American look with his white skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair. In fact, at first glance, he kind of resembles Fred Jones from Scooby Doo. Only his face is narrower, and his body is a little more slender. As I mentioned in my review, Mick crosses paths with Shin as his closest friend and companion. In fact, they seem to get along with each other quite well throughout both the 80s OVA trilogy, and the 2004 TV series. When out on missions, they help each other out through the risky and dangerous missions in the war against the anti-government rebel forces. In fact, Shin and Mick pretty much survive every mission in both series. However, Mick has a tendency to lecture Shin about what it means to become a mercenary and that one who becomes a cold-hearted killer can no longer find his place in society. Shin usually reacts in despair and often in denial at Mick’s lectures; believing that military life is not the only way to live. However, Shin eventually falls victim to the same thing that got to Mick; he had lost his soul to war along with the desire to return to an ordinary life. Thus, he returns to Area 88 one last time towards the end of the series.

It’s worth pointing out that although his design and appearance remain pretty much the same in both versions of the story, Mick Simon’s personality differs greatly in both series. In my opinion, Mick was a likable and relatable character in the OVA trilogy that came out in the 80s. But he didn’t start acting like an asshole until the 2004 series came along. In fact, I was surprised at how different he was when I compared his 80s incarnation to his 2004 counterpart. In the OVA, Mick was gentle, well-meaning, and civilized. Though in both versions, he was also somewhat of a condescending douche bag with some of the other characters. In episode 3 of the 80s OVA for instance, he talks down to Nguyen behind his back, and even mocks his fighter plane while out on a mission to destroy an enemy stronghold. But most of the times, Mick was quite gentle and friendly with most of the other characters in the series. Even with the greedy and snobbish McCoy.

However, Mick was almost a complete asshole in the TV series. In this particular continuity, he was depicted as a somewhat violent-tempered punk who often bullied the photographer Makoto Shinjo, whose name was originally “Goh Mutsugi” in the 80s OVA. In his introduction scene, Mick verbally and physically assaults the photographer, calling him a “hyena bastard” for taking pictures of a wounded pilot who was being carried into an ambulance. And well, I can see why he would find that bastardly. Because common sense wise, it’s not right to take pictures of dying people. I’ll give him that much. But honestly, I think physically assaulting someone who can’t even defend himself is pretty low, even for Mick. And that just puts him on a lower level than the photographer. In fact I was shocked at how cruel, mean, and uncivilized Mick Simon really was in the TV series. He was almost nothing like his 80s counterpart; half the time he was a massive dick who was every bit as filthy and contemptible as a neighborhood school bully. Not only did he brutalize and harass Makoto to no end every so often, but he would also snap at people on occasion depending on his temper. Hell, I'm surprised nobody ever kicks his ass. Because this asshole was seriously deserving of an ass kicking. But of course that never happened, which is a shame.

Anyway, in short, Mick Simon was a cool guy in the OVA, but he was almost a total jackass in the TV series. Nuff said. I don’t totally hate this guy, but I feel that he was much more sensible and likable in the OVA than he was in the TV series. Believe me; his 80s incarnation is way cooler than his 2004 counterpart. It may be just my opinion, but if I had to choose between 80s Mick Simon and 2004 Mick Simon, I probably would prefer to be around 80s Mick. In my point of view, he can be seen as sort of a big brother figure to Shin and to those who are easy for him to get along with. Now with 2004 Mick, he can be mellow as long as you don't mess with him. But if you get out of line, this bastard gets violent. So all in all, I like Mick as he was depicted in the 80s OVA better. Call me old-school, but sometimes I believe that I know a likable character when I see one. And his 2004 self is not what I’d call a brother figure or a good role model at all. Anyway, that’s enough out of me. Enjoy.

Area 88, Mick Simon, belongs to Kaoru Shintani.