Yomigaeru Sora – Rescue Wings

Yomigaeru Sora – Rescue Wings (Japanese: よみがえる空 - Rescue Wings-) is a Japanese anime television series animated by J.C.Staff which aired on TV Tokyo from January to March 2006. The main character is 2nd Lieutenant Uchida Kazuhiro, a helicopter pilot in a search and rescue wing of the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF). The anime is a part of the Rescue Wings media franchise produced by Bandai Visual which also includes a live-action film released in 2008, where the main character is a female pilot played by Yuko Takayama,^[1] as well as two manga series with different stories focusing on search and rescue squads and personnel.

Yomigaeru Sora – Rescue Wings
The DVD cover of Yomigaeru Sora - Rescue Wings
よみがえる空
Anime television series
Directed by	Katsushi Sakurabi
Produced by	Kiyoshi Sugiyama Yuji Matsukura
Written by	Fumihiko Takayama
Music by	Hayato Matsuo
Studio	J.C.Staff
Original network	TV Tokyo, Animax
Original run	January 8, 2006 (2006-01-08) – March 26, 2006 (2006-03-26)
Episodes	12 + OVA
Live-action film
Sora e: Sukui no Tsubasa Rescue Wings
Directed by	Masaaki Tezuka
Music by	Kaoru Wada
Studio	Kadokawa Pictures
Released	December 13, 2008 (2008-12-13) (Japan)
Runtime	108 min
Manga
Sora e Rescue Wings
Written by	Tommy Ohtsuka
Magazine	Monthly Comic Flapper
Original run	June 4, 2005 – July 5, 2007
Volumes	4

The real life JASDF Komatsu Air Base hosts a search and rescue wing in addition to two fighter wings with F-15J's and T-4's as portrayed in the anime.^[2] JDS Haruna (DDH-141), on which Hongou lands on to refuel in Episode 3, is a real ship of the JMSDF.^[3]

Synopsis

Uchida Kazuhiro joined the JASDF hoping to fly fighter jets, however midway through the pilot training program he was transferred to the rescue helicopter course and was eventually deployed to the Komatsu Rescue Squad as a SAR helicopter pilot. Initially depressed at his assignment, Uchida's experiences eventually cause him to change his mind.

Episodes

1. 「はじめての仕事」(The First Job)
2. 「困難な仕事」(A Difficult Job)
3. 「苦しい仕事」(A Painful Job)
4. 「大切な人」(Precious One)
5. 「必要なこと」(Necessity)
6. 「Bright Side of Life 前編」(Bright Side of Life, Part I)
7. 「Bright Side of Life 後編」(Bright Side of Life, Part II)
8. 「少年の旅路 前編」(A Boy's Journey, Part I)
9. 「少年の旅路 後編」(A Boy's Journey, Part II)
10. 「パーティー」(Party)
11. 「ビバーク」(Bivouac)
12. 「レスキュー」(Rescue)
13. 「最後の仕事」(A Last Job)(Final)(DVD Release)

Cast

• Hasegawa Megumi: Noto Mamiko
• Hirata Kazuhiko: Ii Atsushi
• Hongo Shujiro: Unshō Ishizuka
• Kosaka Takashi: Shimura Tomoyuki
• Motomura: Shōzō Iizuka
• Murakami Ryunosuke: Hoshino Mitsuaki
• Nihonmatsu Daigo: Masaya Onosaka
• Nishida Kazumi: Kasahara Rumi
• Ogata: Shinya Fukumatsu
• Shaura Ryoko: Ai Sato
• Uchida Kazuhiro: Miyazaki Issei
• Uchida Misae: Takamura Hisae
• Yumi: Makiko Ōmoto

Production

The Blu-Ray version was released in Japan on November 22, 2018.^[4] The release was timed to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the JASDF's Air Rescue Wing.^[5] In 2017, scholar Takayoshi Yamamura noted that anime was produced in the collaboration with the JASDF.^[6]