This might look like World War 2 airplane dogfight film, but Sky Crawlers was clearly meant as a visual representation of otaku culture. More importantly, it's a desolate environment where the young adult pilots are given few opportunities to be anything more than just pilots. Although director Mamoru Oshii tends to make these flicks as scathingly intellectual as possible, the surreal aerial warfare of this world is devastating to watch. However, even if CGI ending battle is unbelievably cruel, the ending feels strangely cathartic. Either that, or I'm just a sucker for Oshii's films.