There is certainly something appealing about airplanes, especially those that came just before and during World War II. There is a grace in their design, a sharpness in their form, a kind of satisfaction as they soar through the skies. However, there is something about 3D animation that doesn’t always work and it always feels like it is boxy and clunky and inelegant. Thus, we have this confluence of approach with “The Magnificent Kotobuki” (“Kōya no Kotobuki Hikōtai,” or “Kotobuki Squadron in the Wilderness”) all the way around.

It is another time and another place. We are in the vast reaches of the Hinterlands, where communities scratch out a living in what appears to be a gigantic desert, which goes on for miles and miles of miles and miles. Cars appear to be of little use here, as planes can fill that bill easily and it seems everyone has one. Besides, a road in the desert is, at best, questionable. The Kotobuki are a squadron of lady pilots who do what they can to keep the skies free, especially from air pirates, who conduct raids and engage in blackmail and generate all kinds of unpleasantries that makes an already hard life just that much harder.

If I gauge things on the style of plane, it appears to be 1938 or so by our calendar. We have radio, but no TV and the planes are all prop jobs, as opposed to sleeker jets. (If I could identify the heavy bombers better, I’d have a tighter time frame).

In order to get goods in and out of these far-flung communities, massive zeppelins act as a kind of semi trucks for their day. But, air pirates, flying from their secret bases, hidden in the nooks and crannies of the mountains ranges, come out to do their deviltry. So, the Kotobuki Squadron is based here; six ladies who excel at flying and aerial maneuvers.

We have five of them up there. Starting at the bottom left, moving clockwise, we have Reona, Zara, Kylie, Emma and Kate. Missing is Chika, who is also the youngest member. The series contends itself with the on-going battles with the Air Pirates and their own personal conflicts.

The art style is broken into two camps, so the Kotobuki are all 3D, whereas everyone else is 2D. Sometimes it works, but it still feels very jarring. Now, the 3D works great with the dog fights, as you need to be able to have that speed and flying madness flow like it can do with the 3D. Not so when it is more intimate and personal, as above.

Still, it is an entertaining show, as there aren’t a lot of animes on flying anyway and I don’t feel the same way about airplanes as if it were an air balloon or a sailing ship with great propellers to keep it aloft.

Yes, you can binge this. Because of the day-to-day events that it has (and it really feels like the next episode is the following day or two days later), you can keep the sense of going out all the time to do these endless battles with the forces of chaos. If the 3D is OK with you, then you will be entertained.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork           7 (The 2D/3D confluence doesn’t always work)
Plot                  8 (Typical, but executed well)
Pacing              8 (Those dogfights!)
Effectiveness   7 (Sometimes the backstories seem like dead weight)
Conclusion      5 (It reaches a ‘coupler point’, but hasn’t ended)
Fan Service     2 (A similar show would be “Okamisan”)
Bingeability    9 (Every day needs to be played out as it is)

Overall            8 (Good story, clashing of art styles)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. Pancakes!