Interesting Anime Series.

[Firethorn]

I'm currently watching a subtitled anime series called Zipang.

Now, I just had an interest in the movie The Final Countdown, which has a 1980's aircraft carrier go back to pearl harbor.  The moral imperatives there are fairly simple:  To help or not?

Zipang takes it quite a bit further.  It has a modern Japanese ship, looks to be a destroyer/cruiser, goes back to the battle of midway.  Combat abilities are stated to be able to compete with the entire american fleet there.

Think about hard the decisions would be in this one?  Would you support your own country, when it's engaging in acts of agression against a country, that in your time, is a close ally? When you know it's conducting an imperialistic crusade that's seen as improper for today?

The closest I can think of, as an american, would be the various wars against the Native Americans.  Some of the actions in other foreign areas, that don't often get taught in public school.

[theCZ]

Oooh, how is Zipang?  I haven't seen a good anime for a few months now.

[Firethorn]

It's certainly interesting.

It's played a bit like The Final Countdown, with the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Lot's of thinking on part of the Japanese crew, after all, Americans are close allies where they come from.

[zahc]

Cool. I'll have to check it out.

I'm waiting for my Gunslinger Girl DVD. That series is too sad, though.

[Matthew Carberry]

One thing that popped into my head is that even if the Japanese decided to sink the carriers at Midway, it really would only have delayed the inevitable.  Once all the modern weapons are fired off the only advantage an escort vessel has are its sensors.  It isn't going to be able to transport troops to take Australia or Hawaii, and it isn't going to magically enable the Japanese to out-produce the US.

And it is just one ship.  If they let the Japanese High Command in on the breaking of the codes that would have been bad as well, but we did it fairly regularly throughout the war.

The Enterprise in Final Countdown had enough on-hand fuel and munitions to single-handedly sink every ship in the Japanese Navy, and those were irreplaceable, and even when the modern stuff ran out they could still fly Corsairs off her and use her nuclear steaming ability to rule the Pacific.  (and build more)