Zipang
Animation Series (2004-2005)
Japanese title: ジパング
Starring:
Tetsu Inada (CDR Yosuke Kadomatsu)
Hiroki Touchi (LTC Takumi Kusaka)
Takanori Hoshino (LTC Masayuki Kikuchi)
Yuji Ueda (LTC Kohei Oguri)
Mirai, an improved Kongou-class Aegis guided missile destroyer, is one of the newest and most advanced ships in the entire Japanese Self Defense Force (SDF). Her crew, also one of the newest, is lead by Capt. Umezu Saburo and Executive Officer Kadomatsu Yosuke. While running scheduled training exercises one day, Mirai encounters a fierce storm that throws their navigation systems into temporary disarray. After a few minutes of recovery, the crew is shocked to discover that they've been transported back in time to June 4, 1942—The Battle of Midway, during World War II. Letting history take its course for this battle, they manage to avoid the conflict firsthand and make a vow to remain anonymous, changing history as little as possible. However, when the crew comes across the dying Lt. Commander Kusaka Takumi, XO. Kadomatsu's instincts to save lives takes over, changing the course of history more than he could've imagined.
Note: This is an animated film. The aircraft shown in it are therefore not actual aircraft, however, where a reasonable depiction of an actual aircraft has been created, it has been identified as best as possible.
MV/SA-32J Umidori
One of the two aircrafts carried by the JDS Mirai.
Mitsubishi SH-60J
One of the two aircrafts carried by the JDS Mirai.
Mitsubishi A6M2
Nakajima A6M2-N
Two of them appears in episodes 5 and 6 to intercept the Umidori as it was attempting to recon the Ogasawara Islands, resulting in a dogfight.
Mitsubishi F1M
The crew's attempt to steer clear of history is immediately put on hold as an F1M crashes. CDR Kadomatsu, seeing one of the crew (LTC Kusaka) still alive, goes in to the ocean and rescue him, setting off a chain of events that would alter the course of history.
Later in the series we see Kusaka boarding another F1M that has come to pick him up.
HIJMS Akagi, Hiryu, and Soryu
Just as in our timeline, the Akagi meets her fiery demise at Midway, together with Kaga (not seen), Soryu, and Hiryu.
Mitsubishi Ki-46
Douglas SBD Dauntless
A squadron of them, led by CDR Samuel D. Hutton, launches an attack on the Mirai together with another squadron of Avengers, blissfully unaware of the anti-air capabilities of a destroyer from 60 in to the future.
Earlier in the story, we also see them in action at Midway.
Grumman TBF Avenger
A squadron of them launches an attack against the Mirai, with disastrous results.
Grumman F4F Wildcat
USS Wasp (CV-7)
The aforementioned Dauntless and Avenger squadrons were based off the Wasp.
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