Animation: 7/10
Quite frankly, I was shocked by how fluid some of the scenes (particularly the attack and flying scenes) were in this film. It may sound unbelievable, but this 80-year-old animation tops the lower end of what is put out today (looking at you, low-budget, generic, seasonal isekai series. While it isn’t “great” by any means, for the time, I have to at least give credit for what is BY FAR the most positive aspect of this entry.
Story: 2/10
I’ll just say it now, it’s a stretch to even call what was shown here a ‘story’. It is nothing more than a VERY rose-tinted depiction of Pearl Harbor, with numerous childish jokes spliced in to hold the target demographic’s attention as they were spoon-fed an inaccurate portrayal of this (at the time relatively recent) event.
Characters: 2/10
Wow, I’m so glad I care about exactly zero of these nameless characters whose only trait is raging patriotism. Then again, they didn’t explicitly fail to explain very obvious features which hinted at a backstory that never came (if you know me, you know exactly who I’m referring to), so I won’t fail this category completely.
Voice acting / Music: 3/10
I’m fusing this into one category, as the number of legitimate voice lines (beyond a generic “banzai!”) was so low I could probably could them on my hands. This was due to the majority of scenes being (poorly) mimed out by the ‘characters’, in addition to slapstick ‘comedy’ which isn’t really funny to anybody above the age of six. The music was cheesy, cheerful, and exactly what you would expect if you’ve EVER listened to generic 1930’s/1940’s upbeat background music.
Enjoyment: 4/10
My enjoyment was solely from an interest point of view (I’m rather into watching and critiquing niche WWII films, no matter which country they originated from), so you’re likely to have a wildly lower enjoyment rating. Even then, I would much rather go rewatch pretty much any other entry in that category over this, since I found myself bored out of my mind for the vast majority of the film’s runtime. The only redeeming aspect was the ability to make an occasional “that is NOT how physics works”, or “how are you not dead already?” jab as I often enjoy doing with downright awful storytelling.
Ultimately, I would only recommend this if you’re like me and have already exhausted the supply of decent WWII anime films, but still wish to continue down this very questionable (glass) rabbit hole out of morbid curiosity or the insatiable calling of your weird special interest.
