Sentou Yousei Yukikaze - Operation:04 ( 戦闘妖精雪風 )
GONZO Digimation/Victor Entertainment/Bandai Visual, 2004
Bandai Entertainment (Projected Release Date: late-2004)
Directed by Masahiko Okura.
Rated 13-Up for violence and mature situations.
Fitted with a new set of engines, Yukikaze - with Rei and Jack at the controls - travels through the dimensional portal to Earth, Where it receives a not-so-friendly welcome from the Japanese navy. Then, without warning, a group of JAM fighters make their appearance and attack the naval fleet.
Story: B-
After the snooze-fest that was episode 3, the storyline finally shakes up a bit. We get to know a little more about novelist Lynn Jackson and we get something we've been waiting for a long time: high-speed dog fights. But the story is still as incohesive as ever. Let's hope that Operation: 05 ends the series in a good note.
Animation: A++
Evolution is the key factor to the animation quality, and Yukikaze's quality level has evolved a lot compared to the first episode. The dog fights have become more intensive and the effects have greatly improved. And Yukikaze's launch from the aircraft carrier is unbelievable.
Soundtrack: B+
Well, I'm finally adjusting to Yukikaze's background music. Aside from that, nothing much has changed.
The Bottom Line
The series is almost finished, but there are still a lot of questions yet to be answered. Nevertheless, Yukikaze has become more of an eye candy addiction than ever.
Links
Bandai Entertainment's Official Yukikaze Homepage
Official Sentou Yousei Yukikaze Homepage (Japanese)
Victor Entertainment's Official Sentou Yousei Yukikaze Homepage (Japanese)
Reference
CDJapan
Anime News Network