“Iriya’s Sky Summer of UFOs”
A six – episode OVA series – a school story with a mystery, set against the background of an unexplained war.
Asaba is an ordinary high -school boy who lives with his parents and younger sister. During the school holidays, he sneaks into the school swimming pool building for a quiet swim, and is surprised to find a girl swimming there. She gets into difficulties and has to be rescued. They are disturbed by an intruder and when Asaba leaves he is shocked to find a whole security detachment outside, waiting for the girl.
When the term starts, Asaba has another shock when the girl enrols in his class. She acknowledges Asaba but is rather distant with the other students.
Asaba is a member of the Newspaper Club (actually just two people at this point in the story) which has been trying to investigate activity at the nearby Sonohara air base. When they learn that the girl, Iriya, has some connection with the base, the club president pressurises Asaba (who needs little persuasion) to date Iriya and so find out more about the base.
As the series progresses we find out more about Iriya, and a state of military emergency is declared.
I was sufficiently intrigued by this series to download all of it after seeing episode 1. It’s the kind of drama that makes more sense when watched for a second time. In retrospect it is more than a little reminiscent of “She, the Ultimate weapon” which has a not dissimilar premise. The sense of crisis and threat of war also looms in other anime, for example the recent masterpiece “The Place Promised in our Early Days”. (Do the Japanese feel they are living in a potential crisis zone?)
In places “Iriya no Sora” is very funny, and in others sad and touching, and occasionally just unconvincing. So worth watching? In summary it’s no masterpiece but worth a look.
3 thoughts on “Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu”
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TAKE NOTE: We want to make it our first official priority to have a worldwide law that prohibits any country to fire at any unidentified flying object flying anywhere in earth’s airspace.
If you are sceptic on the actual existence, then please review my statement:
What if they are real? If they are real, they are far more advanced than us. They arrived here didn’t they? Once shot, they might get very aggregated and decide to fire back or worse start a war. As they are far superior over any weapon we have, We as a world will be lost over a stupid mistake made by one of our politicians. And, there was nothing you and I could do then watch us die happily ever after.
This has to be stopped immediately, agreed?
And, ok, if you are a real sceptic, as I can understand there are many, (in government) I will ask you the following that will result also in an answer that will make sure that no country will ever shoot at an UFO again.
The question is, if there ain’t anything there, why shoot in the first place?
Safe your money for something important. Like education on this subject. At this moment we are working on a worldwide approach to all government which proposes a stop firing at all UFO’s at all times.
Watch thedailyposts.com for updates as we do this and make it happen.
Become one with us, become a Spiritual Warrior!
Sounds good to me.. No shooting at the little green men !!
Atleast until we distinguish wether there friend or foe ..lol 🙂
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I disagree with the last comment. Iriya no Sora is a masterpiece. The music from Hiroshi Takagi, performed with live instruments, was moving and epic.
The story cleaverly told a four novel narrative in a mere six episode run time (length of a two hour movie), capturing almost every important scene, merging other important details with early scenes, and keeping the story cohorent and convincing.
The animation was good. Clear, colorful, and breathing. The characters moved naturally. Backgrounds were big in some scenes and detailed. Snippets of CG can be seen in this production. The “dance on the hill” scene, as I call it, was simply breath-taking, rivaling the best of Miyazaki`s Studio Ghibli productions.
The message at the end was powerful and it will leave many in tears. Award winning novel writer, Mizuhito Akiyama, has crafted a sweeping story about a boy and girl`s relationship in a setting with a veiled epic backdrop. Iriya no Sora is an engaging Sci-Fi romance story. Love is displayed in pure essence in this masterful craft and director Nobuyuki Itou has earned my congrats for a brilliant adaptation. No minor cuts were made. If a scene asked for it, it was shown.
The most beautiful anime I have ever seen.