Flag

Flag is a pretty unique venture. It's researched reasonably well, and is set in our world. The world with the laws of physics and politics. More interesting than the reality-based content though, is the form. This show is set entirely within the eye of the camera.

When we're not watching the narrative through a lens; we're seeing photos or computer displays. There is no scene set outside of the camera, and that in itself is a bold creative choice, although it is stretched very thin, in that we have to assume these people are such camera junkies they take them everywhere ... and never turn them off, no matter what they're doing or where they are. It's a bit too much to accept, but the directorial concept is so cool that you just shrug off any unrealistic scenarios and run with it.

The story follows the main protagonist, and her friend's reflections of her actions at the same time. The pacing between their stories as a result is well balanced, as just when one avenue of narrative is reaching its end or becoming stale, another picks up the slack. The story's focus on the UN's 'peacekeeping' of a war-torn country is more developed than it has any right to be. We see bureaucracy, politicking, soldiers dealing with killing, and more importantly the feelings of photographers capturing war and their place in it all. I don’t think this anime raises anything more powerful than the case of Kevin Carter's infamous photo in Sudan, but it does try.

The animation for the show is very well done, it always looks good and the whips and pans from the camera P.O.V are very smooth and natural-looking. But this anime is a sad case of so much effort put into research and attention to detail that they forgot about the importance of narrative. But more about that below.

Flag always runs the risk of wallowing in self-importance; the music being a major fault here. Full of bombastic cinematic score in the vein of Lisa Gerrard, with Middle-Eastern lady wailing in pain, it's all very trite. Just like the majority of photos. Yeah, for a show revolving around photography, having it populated by generic and clichéd-as-hell photos really doesn’t do it any favours. You've seen them all before: soldiers and kids, animals and destruction, and you could say that the anime is just using the clichés of the medium to tell its own story, to give it context, but cliché is cliché, unless you're commenting on the cliché itself, then just don’t use it. There are some photos that are good though, mainly the infamous photo the entire show is about.

Ultimately though, is this show entertaining? Does it maintain your interest? Does it captivate you? It didn’t for me. Maybe others will love it, but I have to admit I was bored a lot of the time by the constant 3D maps of digital terrain and preparation for military assaults. Hardly what I call entertaining. Michael Mann's The Insider is about a tobacco whistleblower; there's a lot of talking and meetings in that film, but it’s engrossing, you're on the edge of your seat; you're captivated by what's happening to the characters. In Flag there's a whole bunch of talking and meetings but the narrative is like an afterthought, it’s like the script has been fitted around the concept, instead of the concept decorating the script. There's no drive, no momentum, even though the first half is building up to an assault, there's no sense of urgency, not when every scene transition is via a computer desktop mouse cursor clicking on random files. (which gets old very quickly)

If the anime's purpose was to be like a documentary, it fails even more, as this isn’t a documentary about anything actually occurring in the real world. We have a quasi-Tibetan like scenario here, but its all fiction. If the anime-makers were bold enough to actually focus on a real event, Iraq, Afghanistan, take your pick, and provide their own view on it, then I would find it engaging, but otherwise the anime takes the safe route and doesn’t stick its neck out on anything. Just universal themes of war and media, which isn’t bad of itself, but when it consists mostly of dry lifeless dialogue and 3D maps, it’s hard to find anything compelling to latch on to.

There's only one moment where all the aspects of this show come together and work properly, and it’s very late in the series in the 12th episode where a conflict is being filmed by the main two characters, and it feels alive, full of purpose and direction, emotion and drama.

No matter the faults of the show, it’s different and I always applaud that. There is the chance that it will inspire kids and teens to pick up a camera and find a career out of it. A shame the brilliant animation was wasted on a muddled tale with no backbone.

To us foreigners, it perhaps can't get any more Japanese than Flag: in essence, this series is about two Japanese and their cameras.
Set in the near future, in a fictional nation that very strongly looks as if it should be positioned on the India-China border, somewhere in the Kashmir region, Flag recounts the story of the civil conflict that crippled said nation and of the UN sponsored peace talks following a photograph (containing the Flag the series is named after) that became a powerful symbol of cooperation between the parties involved. It follows the photographer of said photo, who is officially installed as reporter of ... a special UN strike force created to recapture the flag in question after it was stolen by insurgents in order to damage the peace talks, while at the same time following that photographer's mentor, who has arrived as a journalist in the fictional nation's capital.
The story remains firmly focused on what the main characters, the two photographers, see, one at the UN strike force base, and one mostly in a bar in the capital. In fact, what we get to see is mostly what they see through the lenses of their cameras.

This should be taken quite literally. Almost every shot is as if viewed through the lens of a camera, meaning that what we get to see is what is shown to the camera's front. Both reporters showcase the life that goes on around them. The female reporter attached to the UN base films the goings-on with the crew, takes shots of the landscape from a helicopter, and is witness to a few battles. Her mentor in the capital shows how people live their lifes in the uneasy cease-fire, showcasing often their religious believes, and taking not a few shots of the journalistic community that preys on new scoops. Though there is some action to be seen, and quite nicely done at that, Flag focuses as much on showing the lifes of the different groups of people in the fictional nation, and on interviewing people about their believes concering all that is going on.

And what it shows, it shows very nicely indeed. Flag is, without a doubt, endowed with very good graphics. While the scenes themselves are crisp and especially the equipment looks very good (this is one of very few shows where a bit of 3D doesn't hurt, especially when employed on the military materiel), this quality is mostly apparent in design. For one, all the different cameras through which the series is viewed show different images: some images are more grainy than others, some show heat-vision, some even are in black and white. What they show is mostly quite well researched, as it is apparent that a lot of time and effort has gone into making the military materiel, surroundings of the cities, general apparel, and even the fictional OS showcased on computer screens look realistic (in the sense that it could be real, not that it is). Moreover, the series clearly differentiates between ethnicities, again opting for a somewhat realistic look, even if faces in particular are not very detailed. The result is that persons are highly recognisable, sometimes even delightfully so: especially the main female reporter, Shirasu, is utterly, and charmingly, Japanese in looks as well as actions and phrasing.

Characters are generally outlined in pretty broad strokes, each occupying their very own niche within the characterisation spectrum. This becomes readily apparent in the quicker interviews with the UN strike force personnel in the earlier episodes. It is not a let-down, though, as Flag uses most of these characters, not very well developed in more than a few aspects, mostly to portray different views or opinions on a situation. To ask more for a plethora of characters would not only mean having to use far more time, but would also mean that the effect of having each person only appear as portrayed through a camera lens within specific situations would be destroyed. In fact, quite a few characters are memorable even though they aren't very well developed: often it is enough to see them smiling to the camera and voicing their beliefs very strongly.

Considering voicing, voice acting also is generally very well done, as a lot of effort is made to use just the slightest touch of accent without ridiculing. Also, the 'natives' are consistently speaking their own language (I think I can recognise Tibeto-Burman roots, though this might be effected by the surroundings; I'd be very happy if anyone could actually understand or name the language and mention it to me). On a less positive note, the music in general aims towards the dramatical. Though, personally, I like this Hollywoodesque touch in a series such as these, I readily acknowledge that it is somewhat over-the-top and can be off-putting, or even be enough to raise a scene from the somewhat dramatic into the pompous and self-important, thus effectively destroying the effect aimed for.

All in all, I was somewhat impressed with how the story was handled, both graphically and epistemologically (as concerns the cameramen). It looks good and sounds fine, and is simply quite interesting to watch, both design-wise and not so much story-wise as concept-wise. This was only the less difficult part of reviewing Flag, however. The far more tricky question is what this series is or aims to be. As has been commented upon, almost all scenes are portrayed as if viewed through a camera lens or some equivalent thereof. This has two results that are almost antithetical. On the one hand, many scenes, especially those viewed from the on-board camera of armoured vehicles when in action, can be described as, for lack of a better word, intense: the first person view seems intended to throw the viewer in the midst of the situation.
On the other hand it seems, and I feel very strongly that this is the case, that the use of looking at the portrayed situations through a lens creates a sense of distance. The very literal spectator's role you are taking distances you from the situation. The fact that all scenes are introduced by the opening of a file containing the piece of film in question on a computer screen indicates that you are looking at a record that stands further from you in time. This suggestion is strengthened by the jumps in time and place when a film snippet ends and another piece is opened, as well as in jumps in intensity, quite often having the newly started piece of film have a different pacing than the preceding. Moreover, the few scenes which are not portrayed as if viewed through a lens are deliberately grainy or even blurry, to indicate that you are still viewing a piece of film or looking at a photograph.

It is visible that the makers have gone to great lengths to create this distance. While this may have been done for its own sake, a move to show a type of anime series different from others, perhaps one is allowed to search a bit for further reasons.
One of the main effects of this distance is that it gives the impression of impartiality: the camera records whatever is going on, regardless of who is doing or saying something or of what is done or said. Switching between the cameras of a multiple reporters and other persons gives the series the chance to display multiple takes on the same situation. As in a documentary format, most people speak directly into the camera, giving their personal views, while the recorder in the main stays quiet. Quite a few times, when said reporter is reacting or expressing his or her views, the view switches to another camera, thus once more distancing what is said from who records.
Having the main story involve a military conflict in which the UN gets involved, and focusing on the issues of the justifiability of said involvement and actions taken during its course, and on the role of the media in such situations, is, of course, not the pinnacle of innovation. Many pieces of film (though not animated film, as far as I know) show a reporter's view on war, official intervention, the reaction of the media, and, of course, official censure, often in a documentary format. However, it is quite seldom that what is seen is portrayed through more cameras than one, and is thus portrayed, quite literally, from different angles.
This might be the main difference between the method of 'filming' that makes up Flag and a documentary, which is usually directed from one perspective. It does not seem as if Flag wants to convey a message: it seems as if it wants to stay neutral, and it does play it safe. It has been noted in another review on this site that it would have been more bold if Flag would have portrayed an actual conflict, and though it might be bold, I don't believe if would have been for the better. By keeping the setting, and thus the story, fictional, Flag can maintain a more or less neutral disposition. If a real situation would have been portrayed, there would have been no room for errors of research or animation without it being possibly considered a view on the situation. Quotations and portrayals of actual persons would of necessity be selective, which may very well lead to misrepresentation. The very choice of what to portray within the frame of time would immediately convey a certain bias - which is the major fault of most, if not all, real-life documentaries. The above goes for a fictional situation as well, but at least it would prove impossible to find any true misrepresentations or factual errors, thus maintaining at least the illusion of factuality and impartiality.
I get the impression the makers were aiming at quite simply showing a situation through the eyes of the camera, focusing on the act of recording and the presence of the recorder and keeping, as much as possible, the portrayed situation itself value-free. If this were to be indeed the case, I'd say they managed to do this to quite a decent degree.

What this means, in the end, is that I got the impression that we should view this series as it is presented: as a collection of footage. That is to say, I think, and I actually hope that this is what the makers intended, that we should take every scene at face value. What the manifold cameras shoot is just what it seems to be: films and photographs. Therefore, we should not be surprised that we get to see a lot of different scenes, and, within those scenes, a lot of different opinions, voiced by different people speaking from different positions in the conflict that forms the background story. If anything is meant to be conveyed through this series, I'd say it is wonderfully portrayed in the final episode, when in the background, in a nearly deserted bar, a singer seems to sing with all her heart put into it, regardless of whether many people have come to listen: Flag is about the photographer and his love for his art.

Plumes of smoke rise out of New York City's skyline as three soot-covered firefighters hoist the American flag out of the World Trade Center's rubble. Political tension pervades Tiananmen Square; pedestrians look on with bated breath as a man turns himself into a human blockade, denying passage to a line of tanks. A devoted monk sits in a meditative position in the busy streets of Saigon, consumed by a raging fire, silently protesting as civilians and civil servants gather around. At the end of World War II, a sailor embraces a woman, locking lips in the middle of Times Square amongst officers and citizens as ... they celebrate a momentous victory.

These are all instances captured on film, images that could convey meaning, regardless of personal connection or circumstances.

"A picture is worth a thousand words."

It's amazing what one snapshot can do. With just one image, our attention can be purchased back from the chaotic shuffling of everyday life. Something that could temporarily snap us out of our daily stupor; our focus readjusted. It could be something simple that resonates with us on a personal level or perhaps a quick glimpse into a truth that we abandon simply out of its inconvenience to our day-to-day lives. Confined within its framed border, a picture could tell a tale, capture an emotion, embody the essence of the period it was taken. It could be all that's needed to encapsulate a fleeting moment in time, preserving it for posterity, where it can live on in the memory of the next pair of eyes to gaze upon it. Whether on celluloid or pixelated, what matters, in the end, is its ability to grab the viewer's attention. And perhaps no better example of that are moments captured amidst human conflict.

For at the heart of the matter lies a common understanding that we can all share. Something that supersedes religion, race, ethnicity or any sociopolitical borders set in place to keep us apart. Through it all, the right image has the power to stir up an emotional response that takes far more than words to express. They become calling cards for truths. A way of giving tangible form to nebulous ideas. It’s for that reason that we continue to rely on them. Their ability to speak to us is timeless, even if the world around it continues to march forward.

And when it all boils down to it, it’s this rare phenomenon, this occurrence, that Flag attempts to capture. But perhaps more important than that is the way in which it goes about obtaining it. A way that’s surprisingly underutilized, both in its presentation decisions and subject matter.

Documenting the civil war of a fictional country named Uddiyana, the show centers around a mission to retrieve a flag that’s become a symbol of peace, not only for the country’s residence but also the international community at large, after a photo was taken of it that immortalized its status as such. And while this retrieval mission is carried out by a small military unit in accompaniment with the same photographer responsible for giving the flag its fame—being brought onboard to help chronicle the mission’s success; the bigger truth for the mission’s significance gets unearthed in the process, as the agenda of all sides involved in the conflict—both domestically and on an international stage—slowly makes itself known to the people involved. What had started off as a straightforward mission for an idealistic cause was effectively turned into a labyrinth maze of political shuffleboarding. A maze that our characters find themselves becoming involuntary pawns in, as it slowly divulges into an elaborate zero-sum game.

By using the framework of this image phenomenon as its central premise, Flag crafts a narrative around a point of view that's usually gone unaccounted for, yet plays the most vital role in the reason these powerful photographs come into existence, in the first place. Here, we follow the brave men and women that are constantly seeking out the fringe to capture that perfect shot; the kind of picture that finds its place in the pages of historical texts. Whether the journalists in question are using this as a means of income or have a genuine desire to reveal the truth, Flag uses this kind of occurrence as an opportunity to view concepts far less vague than the sentimentality behind what they come to represent. A tale that takes on broad implications, yet, surprisingly enough, remains intimate. A type of intimacy that can only be birthed from the cold cynicism of politics once we discuss the presentation being used to contain it all.

What should be understood right up front is that the intended countries being emulated to create this fictional land is of little relevance, as the real importance here is how it will come to represent attributes of everyday conflict seen whenever bigger governing bodies meddle in the domestic dispute of smaller nations. Flag slowly unveils all the chess pieces involved by situating its focus with people who find themselves being designated as the middlemen of public awareness and what occurs at ground zero.

To traverse this story, we follow Saeko Shirasu, a young photojournalist whom, unlike her peers, isn't interested in publicizing truths of some country’s conflict, but instead, uses this opportunity as a chance to carve out a purpose for herself through the photos she takes. Despite gaining recognition amongst her colleagues and media outlets for the famous image she captured regarding the civil war, there’s far more fueling her to undergo the mission to help retrieve the flag than anything described as “noble.” For Saeko, this is a task meant to help her find who she truly is. In many ways, the story is every bit about Saeko as it is about the political climate she finds herself navigating across. Something that the show wastes no time in establishing with what’s arguably its biggest draw.

The anime shows everything in a POV (point of view) perspective. Well, to be more accurate, all the events are documented through recording devices located throughout the series. Diary vlog entries made by Saeko herself, the accumulated recordings of her handheld camera. Photographs and video recordings taken from other colleagues, footage gathered from implanted security cameras located in military vehicles and buildings. News coverage broadcasted over the airwaves and amateur videos taken within the city. Every method of data capturing is account for, each going towards creating the "bigger picture"; Flag changes how we perceive this world by turning it into instances stockpiled and fine-tuned through our very own viewfinder. Our method of seeing this world becomes a "lens" within itself. There’s no cheating with elaborate aerial shots intended to enhance the action. Nor are there moments that make you question “Who’s filming this right now?” No, the creative minds behind this series treat their subject matter with respect, never giving into the temptation of excessive theatrics to heighten its drama. If it can’t be realistically captured, it does not get occupied space in this screenplay. This is what grants the show that coveted intimacy that many other creators would kill for. That feeling of isolation and immersion with the people we follow. The viewer isn’t granted a chance to become omnipresent, to shift through scene transitions or have everything laid at their feet through verbal narration. The only knowledge we acquire comes from events we see happen at real-time with the people we follow or come in the form of visual archives stored by multimedia devices that are offered to us to dissect whatever we will from it.

By doing this, the show can keep everything up close and personal, something that’s made all the more impressive given the all-encompassing nature of the civil war set on center-stage.

POV shots in storytelling isn’t a novel idea, but despite that, the way Flag goes about repurposing it to tell its story feels entirely fresh. This is something that could be attributed to the obsessive nature of Ryosuke Takahashi, one of the anime industry’s most overlooked auteurs. A man whose insistence for detail and distinct vision of warfare can be seen from his more commercial works (Blue Gender / Armored Trooper Votoms), to his pet projects (Gasaraki / Panzer World Galient). There’s always a general sense that the functionality of his works is something he keeps to the forefront of his mind whenever he’s constructing it. Nothing just happens for the sake of creating a great moment. Instead, great moments are created because what is happening onscreen doesn’t feel that far-off from whatever future-reality it might be channeling. And it’s this commitment towards plausibility that makes following Saeko and the military unit she partnered up with feel every bit as real as any journalist special that may be found time-slotted in CNN’s regular broadcastings.

There’s an understated cinematic fervor to the way the camera locks in its characters in this tumultuous experience. It has the biting grit of a TV series commissioned in the same stylistic vision of Oscar winners like Syriana, Black Hawk Down or The Last King of Scotland. This is seen with the key mechanics of the characters, as we track their involvement within the story. The way events play out in the absence of our protagonist’s view of it. The grainy shot of surveillance footage that’s juxtaposed to the crisp rendering of an expensive handheld camera. Camera panning that continually leaves the audience anticipating what will be shown next. These things that might be interpreted as minor flourishings to the untrained eye is ultimately the secret ingredient that helps this anime piece together a cinematic blueprint of its own. Giving a “bigger than the frame can contain” feeling to everything presented. A kind of cinematic engulfment that gives a feeling of involvement to everyone, even those living on the outskirts of the events taking place. It’s a show that offers a platform for those directly caught up in the conflict as well as the civilian bystanders that simply wish to maintain their way of life.

It doesn't just stop at seeing life through the lens but follows the men and women that directly and indirectly help in orchestrating the type of environment that will give birth to the kind of photographs our protagonist just so happen to capture. An idea in documenting what goes towards the photo’s origins, both for the viewer and in this rare case, the taker of the image, creating with it a new way of soul-searching that comes as a direct result of these two worlds intermixing.

All of which starts off with the famous image that carries the narrative from its beginning to its inevitable end. An image that is every bit as iconic as any real-life examples I’ve given at the beginning of this review:

A blue flag waves across the sunburnt landscape of this far-off country, as the armed resistance of the people raise their hands and weapons in triumph. War-torn pieces of their homeland are left ravaged by a domestic dispute. Ancient Greco-Roman pillars of a forgotten time positioned firmly in the ground, as light cascades through its columns. The silhouette of women praying amidst this small celebration, forever immortalized with their figures embedded in the sunlight and the iconic fabric in mid-wave.

It’s a powerful photo that manages to invoke both the strength of the people united and the hopes they have for peace going forward.

A photograph that will go on to become the calling card of the people, as well as a political asset for those operating with hidden agendas. Pretenses are forged behind it to justify political subterfuge, and while talks of peace are held in the open with smiling faces, bureaucrats and fanatics alike are busy thumbing away at the chance to set their plans into motion, as they masquerade behind falsehoods conjured up to win the trust of the people.
But where other shows would treat this as an opportunity to take a stab at the political system at large, here, it doesn't chastise the men and women of the army that fight blindly to the political agenda of those in charge. Nor does it make it its intent to oversell the ugliness of these high-ranking figures' actions. Instead, Flag chooses to stand at the wayside, taking in all facets of the ongoing conflict and designating the characters in it as mere vehicles to see how each person chooses to deal with the situation at large. This gives us an angle that’s rarely explored in stories... well, at least never in this exact light.

In most forms of storytelling media, reporters and journalists are usually just there to fill in the role of expository footnotes to the audience. Very rarely do these shows stop to get these people’s perspective, let alone follow them for the duration of its story, which is fascinating in and of itself when you stop to think about it. Here are people whose job it is to project a decorum of professionalism regardless of personal bias or situation. An act that’s all the more alarming when you get behind the lens, where the ones that capture random acts of violence towards others don’t even intervene, and in fact, are encouraged not to. People responsible for bringing humanity closest to the truth yet never get involved in it. A level of emotional withdrawal not only from oneself but humanity as a whole, yet at the same time, it’s these very same people that are expected to practice transparency once the greater powers at be decided what angle they will choose to approach the entire situation with.

And for a young woman who is still piecing together who exactly she is in this big, crazy world, that kind of responsibility–no–that kind of willingness to participate must take a mental toll on her, whether she’s fully aware of it or not. She may appear cheerful, flashing a smile to all those gathered around her, but when no one's around, we see the full picture. We see the pensive expression of someone searching for answers and only finding more questions. And it’s this very mental battle of uncertainty that’s captured with pinpoint accuracy as she literally and figuratively look in the mirror, snapping a photo of herself, yet unable to recognize the person looking back in the cold, unfeeling reflection.

It’s powerful moments like these that truly elevate Flag to a place beyond boilerplate fiction. Here, this title manages to obtain sticky instances of pathos that finds itself slowly taking ahold of you the more you let the content settle in. And personally, for me, it’s these kinds of moments that keep me constantly returning to the anime medium. It’s one thing to give birth to this phenomenon with real-life actors and actresses in a live-action feature, but it’s a complete other when the already thin membrane of suspension of disbelief for watching an animated title still manages to dupe the audience into forgetting that realization. By effectively obtaining that same level of human intimacy, despite the fact that it’s animated—even if the illusion only happens for a split second—Flag proves that there’s more here than merely mimicking documentary-style storytelling. And this is something the show manages to do on more than one occasion, crossing this threshold into realism effortlessly. This makes it a feature deserving of far more appraisal than its meager existence as a mecha variant to the higher-budget alternatives. With everything considered, Flag is one of the medium’s more realistic utilization of mecha, politics, and human conflict in a not-too-far-off future, and it’s high-time it gets the proper recognition for that.

Admittedly, the show has its faults. Like anything else made around a specific time, what may once have been considered suitable, or in some cases, expected for certain features, can later run the risk of being viewed as an antiquated element, even going as far as being scorned in retrospect. And in the case of Flag, that aspect was easily its musical selection. Taken as a whole, the soundtrack of Flag demonstrates its fair share of musical highlights, but equally so, a noticeable number of pitfalls for those well-versed in warfare-focused stories. The opening song, to put it lightly, is very clichéd, and stands as a microcosm of the problems that occasionally show up in the soundtrack itself. The over-emphasized yodeling of a middle-eastern woman accompanied by grand orchestral gestures and tribal drum renditions, at this point in the world of storytelling, has been done ad nauseam in war movies and TV series alike. It’s the equivalency to every depiction of High School containing the popular girl with her two lesser-attractive sidekicks cat walking down the hallway as the main protagonist looks on in admiration. A kind of cliché that runs the risk of parody for anyone seriously thinking of incorporating it today without finesse.

Thankfully, the intent behind these musical embellishments felt like it came from a place of earnestness and not a result of studio mandate. Anyone familiar with Takahashi’s directorial style or Yoshihiro Ike’s musical output would find it easy to forgive this treatment, and what I’m assuming would be the majority case, wouldn’t even have registered any of this as a problem at all. Given music’s subjectivity to the ear of the listener, this can simply be chalked up as a personal gripe derived from perceived oversaturation of a musical fallback for anything depicting a third world country.

But regardless of this personal gripe, Flag has become a title I find myself wholeheartedly cherishing for everything it brought to the table. Not only does it stand as a unique entry for anime in general, but beyond that point, it stands as a pillar of legitimacy that naysayers unfairly attempt to rob from the medium. An animated emulation of real-world conflict can stir up an emotional response with the best of them. It can still stand for something bigger than itself. It can still drive its message home with the same level of poignancy. But most of all, it’s deserving of the same level of respect allotted to features that occupy the big screen. And for that, Flag is an anime that earns its keep as one of the medium’s best-hidden gems.

If there is one thing that should be immediately praised about the anime FLAG is its daring approach to the animated medium. The entire story, revolving around two photo-journalists in a fictional war zone that resembles the middle east/south-east Asia, is seen through either their camera lens, cameras of vehicles, or sometimes someone else's camera. This approach while certainly unique requires a certain level of suspension of disbelief though. You have to believe that every living moment of this series that they have their cameras opened and pointing at people, but nonetheless, for those interested this suspension of disbelief should be trivial and come rather ... easily to the audience.

This stylistic approach really lends the anime itself to being very gritty, pulling you into the world in a manner that a 3rd person point of view could never do. The way the battles are animated earns a unique flavor as you see everything from the perspective of the pilots fighting. Aiding all of this are its outstanding visuals. The quality of art and character designs is off the charts good. All of these visual elements combine to form a rather incredible feeling of what it feels like to watch a war documentary.

Of course, style isn't everything, and a gimmick with nice visuals can only take one so far into the anime before one must scrutinize the plot. One can say that FLAG is the story of two halves, one being that of the Saeko Shirasu and the other being that of the Keiichi Akagi. Both of these photo-journalists friends (A mentor to student relationship to be precise), the beginning of the story starts off with them parting ways from each other in the story. While Akagi is seen trying to dig up information on the events of the war from the grounds of the city where the war zone is centered, Shirasu is shown following a group of soldiers by request of the UN. The journey that both these journalists take is very different, and gives a very holistic picture of the war in question. It becomes a very interesting tale about the people involved, their motivations and goals, as well as a suspenseful mystery, as more and more details of this shady war are revealed through the lenses of our photo-journalists.

The story's strength is not about showing the obvious horrors of war. If one wants to see blood, guts, and screaming children, they would be better served watching live action war dramas or documentaries. It's about showing a gritty perspective of war, where one doesn't understand the forces at play, why certain things happen, how injustices are played out but are never talked about, all the meanwhile shady political movements are abound. It really delves into the roll of the journalist, and how they seek to unravel the mysteries and details before them. Furthermore, one of its greatest strengths is its depiction of people involved in the war, whether it's the common civilians or the soldiers, or even just the other journalists and informants around the grounds of the city. The characters feel very genuine, the emotions and feelings feel very genuine. That's part of what makes this anime so incredible.

Despite everything I said and the rating I gave in the enjoyment category ("9"), I will say that this anime is not for everyone. Without an intellectual curiosity and intrigue for such material, this anime will grow old quite fast. It is something that one must strain their mind to enjoy at times because the great nuances at play and intellectual satisfaction will not come without much concentration put into the anime. It's definitely not easy-bake entertainment.

Overall, I have to give credit to this anime. It delivers a nice intellectual satisfaction, and was definitely a pleasure to watch. If anything, the unique style of the anime is something that makes this anime worth watching.

Being a fictional documentary of sorts in depicting hostile tensions between terrorist factions and the UN military to try establishing a peace treaty in a small country, Flag did enough to impress me in its 13 episode run. It offers a unique and original narrative style by showing pictures and the point-of-view from the video cameras of two photo-journalists as they cover the mounting tensions of a terrorist faction's plot to hijack a peace treaty signing and try driving their country into civil war from stealing a flag that was symbolic of the desire that many of the people in the country have in wanting ... peace. The series splits its exploration between Saeko accompanying a special forces squad of the UN military tasked with retrieving the flag and her older partner, Keiichi Akagi, exploring political and military activity with the situation as the UN attempts to cover up any information about the flag being stolen and an influential religious figure in Uddiyana having indifference over the peace treaty affairs because of his radical religious beliefs.

There are two central elements to Flag that the series focuses on throughout its run: the tensions between UN and terrorist forces, plus the fleshing out of the bonds that Saeko establishes with the special forces unit that she is allowed to accompany during their mission. Flag does a believable job in depicting realistic political tensions that escalate. Through information gathered by Akagi and what we see from his video camera, we come to learn of the strong religious influence that bears upon the land of Uddiyana, especially among what is revealed of the more radical element of the country's religion that is strongly followed by the terrorists and Uddiyana's religious leader. The UN military is depicted to be well aware of the fragile tensions between factions in the country as any wrong move could cause chaos and doing what they can to hide any information related to the theft of the flag to save their hides, even if it infringes upon the personal rights and beliefs of individuals who have close ties to the conflict which show some elements of military corruption.

Yet despite both the UN and religious element to Uddiyana having their shady sides, Flag also depicts those among these elements having their peaceful and righteous purposes for their actions as shown through Saeko's video camera footage of the special forces unit and her encounters with some of Uddiyana's local residents. Saeko's perspective of events allows her to connect with members of the special forces unit she accompanies who are shown to behave no differently than a civilian as their desire to resolve Uddiyana's crisis comes across as genuine and are willing to do what they can to accomplish their mission. She also experiences the opportunity to connect with some of the Uddiyana natives in their everyday routines, particularly an encounter she has in a later episode with a group of nomads which she spends an evening with them to experience their lifestyle.

The visual presentation to Flag is an impressive one sporting highly-detailed shots of various Uddiyana locations such as mountains, small towns and religious monasteries. Character designs are created to look as realistic as possible, especially with facial designs as they stand out quite a bit from conventional titles. The CG-rendered mechas used by the special forces unit during their missions mesh in well with the regular animation found throughout this series. Animation is efficiently used in believably showing the perspectives of camera shots from the video cameras of Saeko and Akagi, as well as through military mecha and helicopters. Focus on video camera shots from the two photo-journalists are shown to degrade in quality and movements are erratic at points as they move about and react to the intense situations they see unfold in covering their news reports. Shots from mecha and helicopter camera are shown in infra-red and night vision when they are used in action. Battle scenes aren't Flag's prominent focus as whatever camera shots we see of conflicts between UN and terrorist factions are there to get the job done in depicting the events unfold, yet are nothing too impressive to see. Music also tends to be quite minimal for this series to give it its realistic feel thus the only notable music tracks of note for it are the solid OP/ ED tracks chosen.

Despite Flag's impressive visual presentation and original premise, it can be an acquired taste for a good number of anime fans. Those expecting slick action scenes because of the focus on military/ terrorist conflicts and mecha will be disappointed to know that they aren't this show's strongest focus, as well as also being possibly turned off from the video camera POV shots that are a regular part of this series. In addition, the series isn't too character-focused as we don't get much in the way of depth with the major characters encountered throughout Flag as the prominent focus of the series lies on the special forces unit mission to retrieve the flag and uncovering the hostile tensions with UN military and terrorist factions escalating towards the deadline of the peace treaty to be signed. Those who enjoy more character-driven titles would likely not get much interest out of this series as well.

However if you are genuinely looking for a unique and original premise for an anime title, Flag would be your title of choice. With its unique narrative style from the POV of video cameras and exploration into shaky military/ political affairs in a strongly religious country, this is a definitely keeper for those wanting something unconventional to see with their anime titles.

A new "real robot" show from the creator of Dougram, VOTOMS and others is always a nice proposition and in my opinion FLAG doesn't disappoint.

It uses a pretty unique viewpoint, with every moment shown not from the perspective of a narrator, but instead from that of the characters. Be it a camera, a gunsight or a radar screen, you're seeing what the characters see. It makes the combat a lot more visceral than even the most hard sci-fi real robot shows, because you're on the ground and seeing the fighting right there. An early skirmish in which the lead mech engages a small insurgent force ... is given a shocking power thanks to the viewpoint - the gunsight of the mech's minigun. All you hear is the sound of the gun firing and the pilot reporting the status of the mech, and all you see is smoke and muzzle flash. It won't appeal to people looking for constant exciting action, but it is very atmospheric.

The plot of the series is less real robot and more redolent of Modern Warfare or other contemporary war movies or video games, set in an ill-defined oriental state and following a UN black-op fighting to end a civil war. The tension between the press, the UN and the locals is covered in detail, as is the human cost of asymmetrical warfare. It's attempting to be serious stuff, and does it well.

The ending of the show is very powerful in its own way - some people consider it unconvincing but its suddenness is what gives it power. There's a lot of Takahashi's earlier work in it, especially the comparatively strong anti-war message (for a mecha show) of Dougram.

In terms of mechanical design, the main mech does a good job of seeming like a piece of early 21st century military hardware, taking design cues from modern armoured vehicles. A second mech introduced later is less convincing, though, but interesting in its own way.

The combat scenes aren't exactly dynamic or mobile, but instead interesting in their use of tactics, the tools of modern warfare and the show's unique viewpoint.

Another challenge to tradition is the lack of an opening song, which would seem out of place in a serious series like this. The ending song, LIGHTS, is very good and used excellently in the final episode as the show ends.

In conclusion, FLAG is a challenge to the mecha genre which can be seen as the culmination of what Takahashi attempted in his earlier works - a mecha show which doesn't glorify either side in a war, and which really gives some prominence to non-combatants, maintenance and engineering and military strategy on certain levels.

FLAG is an ONA from mid '06 to early '07. It was handled by The Answer studio. That's right, the studio behind Golgo 13. It's also an original work. So, that'll be interesting. 

Story:

Our narrative takes place in a fictional war torn country named for a yoga pose. A young photographer named Shirasu Saeko manages to capture a strong moment of hope in a brilliant photograph. This results in the flag in the photo becoming a symbol of peace. There's just one problem, it gets stolen. Shirasu is chosen to work with UN's special forces in their efforts to scour Uddiyana and regain the flag. 

The biggest ... problem with the series is that it has two protagonists, for good reason, but it can repeat information from each of their perspectives with very little difference. Which just feels like a pointless way to pad the series. 

To its credit, the dual perspective does work well for showing the situation from the military-oriented perspective of Shirasu and from the more civilian point of view of Keiichi. Which serves to provide a broader, more nuanced viewpoint. The series also makes good use of its photography theme. Both with its aesthetic and by using short snippets for its scenes. The ending also has a strong narrative purpose that ties things together and is really well done. 

Characters:

The series does a great job of using snippets with characters to illustrate different parts of their personalities and flesh them out more than you would expect for a cast of this size in a thirteen episode series. It helps that the conflict has a strong sense of realism to it which gives them a grounding in reality. 

It also helps considerably that the side characters interact with the photographers, which provides some strong interactions for the photographers even though we don't see that much footage of them directly. 

Art: 

The only real downside of the art is that the CG shots of the mecha have pretty stilted movements and they just look awkward. Yeah, I have seen much worse CG but this still isn't good. 

Overall, however, the visual aesthetic is really good. Seeing everything through lenses, as either stills or video, gives the series a unique look and it really delivers the photography theme strongly. I also appreciate that the series shows warfare while using various tools to avoid making it graphic. It's almost like you can get the point across without going the sensationalist route and showing a bunch of blood and corpses. 

And even though the mecha look a bit awkward, seeing their blueprints and how the parts connect is interesting. Even if the engineering isn't realistic. If it was we'd all use these blueprints for our own killer robots. And almost as many people would die as anti-vaxxers have killed. 

Sound: 

The worst thing I can say about the acting is that Tanaka Rena delivers some of her lines a bit awkwardly. They aren't badly done but they don't seem to quite match the mood the series is conveying. In contrast, we get an excellent performance from Ishizuka Unshou and most of the actors do really well. Ike Yoshihiro's soundtrack is nicely done. 

Ho-yay:

About the closest we get is Shirasu commenting favourably on some of the women she's working with. But she does the same thing with the men and it's pretty obvious that it's not meant romantically. Romance, as a whole, is not a significant thing in this series. 

Areas of Improvement:

Cut down on the repetition. We don't need to see both Shirasu & Keiichi look at the HAVWC blueprints. We can see that kind of thing once. And it would make for a cleaner narrative. 
Animate the mecha more naturally. It would legitimately be better if these things looked more natural instead of sticking out awkwardly. 
Better direction for Tanaka Rena. Like I said, she's not bad. But the emotional core of the series would be stronger if not for those out of place lines of dialogue. 

Final Thoughts:

Ultimately, FLAG is a series that has a lot to offer. Including an aesthetic that's all its own. Do I recommend it? If you're intrigued by the idea of a narrative where photography is a central theme and an operation to suppress insurgents is handled from a human rather than a sensationalist perspective, I absolutely would. I'll give it a solid 8/10.  

"The camera has been watching."

"The countless acts of human folly and brutality on countless battlefields..."
"The camera has been watching."

I have recently seen the series a second time, ten years after I watched it originally. I remember the series growing very slowly on me, ending with a big twist.

By the time I watched it the second time, I matured a bit. I have noticed a lot more nuance than the first time, despite the ten year gap. I laughed and I cried when watching the show both times. I can recommend it even to mature viewers who have no contact with anime as a medium.

This ... show has perfectly portrayed the ideological clash of motivated individuals working in a conservative environment led by bureaucrats. It's not unlike the feeling you have when working within a company. You can understand both sides. None of them are in the right - there is no right or wrong. There is simply circumstance.
The helpless journalists, snapping their cameras away despite the media caring solely about about the juiciest of news. The people, dis-attached from the westerns media and institutions, trying to go on with their daily lives. It all feels all too real to me.

I have watched countless shows repeat the same old tricks. This one stands out from the rest. It's not about escapism. It's a simple story set within our modern times, where the protagonist is a helpless spectator, just like we are. The whole show takes place from the perspective of the camera. We're on ground level with all of the participants. It's a unique perspective.

A big point made by this show is that the act of witnessing an event makes a difference. This gives meaning to the life and job of a photo-journalist, the protagonist. At the same time, the viewer feels part of this as well, being a witness to the events of the story.

Another significance of the show is having a very good female character. She's defined by her job and personality much more than her gender.

The english dub is instrumental in enjoying this kind of show. The narration done by Taylor Henry gave the show a really good atmosphere. His calm voice made the show really enjoyable. Anything narrated by him would feel like something special. I highly recommend the dub, it allows for you to enjoy the art of the show to the fullest.

finished flag yesterday and i have one thing to say it was a masterpiece made by the same director of armored troopers votomos ,Gasaraki and Fang of the Sun Dougram Ryōsuke Takahashi :

-the plot and characters : the story is about a tow free journalist Shirasu and her senpai that where involved religious conflict in udeiana , with UNF trying to stop this conflict in this mess shirasu takes a picture of a flag that later becomes the symbol that created a road to peace in that country , that about what i can give as summery for the plot without spoilers , the plot ... is well paced its not to fast or too slow every ep gives a great amount of content from character development , interaction and plot development , the story is character driving as every element is explained by ether character interaction or there action considering the style of the story telling as this anime is in the format of a documentary made by the main characters there is a lot of explanations and dialog and i love how the mechas are portrayed here realistic as it get with lots of attention to there details , also this anime is kinda of heavy as every ep is full of information and details so watch it in little doses ,
- the art and animation : first the art style is kinda western different from your regular anime and gives a unique feeling , the characters design are realistic to try to add more realism to this anime in its world , the animation my god i never saw something like this the way this anime was animated the camera angels extra , seceded in making this show look like a documentary as it was taking from the cameras of the journalist it makes you feel like this was not animated but it was took by the cameras of the main duo and it looks beautiful ,

-music : the op and ed where nothing special not catchy or good songs but they still give you the feel of the anime , the ost there is not much to say about it as it was non existed there where tracks here and there but this add to the feel of a documentary ,

-overall : "FLAG" gave me everything i want to see in a real mecha anime i loved this anime it was a great ride gave me feels , i may have being a little based in this review as i love this genre , so you may not enjoy it as much as i did but i advise to watch it if you have the time

Flag is a wonderful piece of art that does not fail to deliver on its premise. The art is wonderful and fresh, while the characters feel incredibly realistic. It stumbles rarely over its narrative and creates an engaging atmosphere that drew me in at the very beginning.

There definitely are times when the sound seems out of place (subbed), but the scarcity of music provided excellent breathing room for the characters and the use of photography throughout the series.

As more of an aesthetic complaint, the intro did not seem to fit with the tone of the show entirely, but I would be hard-pressed to ... name any anime that has an intro that matches its show.

One thing I must applaud about the show is its diversity of cast. In so many shows, the setting is almost exclusively Japan, with the cast almost exclusively Japanese. Of course, this makes sense, but having a show set in a near future that does not take place in Tokyo and includes a host of international characters certainly helps this particular story more universal in its approach.

This series was pretty perfect. The character development was deep but neither melodramatic nor overextended. Every scene feels like the dialogue means something. The contraposition of military and philosophical warfare concepts was very well-done. Also, the way they imagined mechs is both realistic and imaginative at the same time. If you're looking for an anime which really delves into a nuanced understanding of military, politics, character, and technology, FLAG is right up your alley. I feel like this is an underwatched and underrated gem of anime, and will recommend it highly to anyone who likes anime of any kind, ... really.