2003 (US)- 2005 (UK), South Korea & USA
In one sentence: it’s a wonderfully animated forecast for global warming, pollution and… the new social system.
Sky Blue is also known as Wonderful Days (US)- in any case, most of anime/animation fans already saw it, just maybe forgot about it (like myself). It’s phenomenal how this visually gorgeous animation with a decent plot manages not to leave a strong impression. I don’t know the reason, though. Plot, atmosphere, visuals remind me of Ghost in the Shell, maybe it’s just not the same level crystal or striking.
However, the story of Sky Blue tackles with now actual problems and takes them further. It’s about the deadly polluted earth, where air is so poisoned that people can survive only in specially designated areas like this genetically engineered living city Ecoban. And here we go- there’s an elite community that owns Ecoban, and there’re ‘diggers‘ that work as slaves just for the sake of surviving. The funniest point here is that there is chance to clean the atmosphere and get rid of toxics, but Ecoban’s elite prefers the actual ‘ecological’ and, most importantly, social system.
I would definitely recommend watching Sky Blue again- it’s not only eye-candy, but its message became more than interesting in the light of our own global warming crisis. Besides, it’s no brainer when you can find Sky Blue Collector’s Edition for ~£6 and that includes 2 DVD, nice booklet and a real slide from the film reel.
