One of Kaoru Shintani’s notable early manga series is Battlefield Roman Series (戦場ロマン・シリーズ), was originally serialized between 1977 and 1982 in Monthly Play Comic.
As a historical World War II anthology series, in many ways, the Battlefield Roman Series acts as the direct creative precursor to Area 88. It was in this early work that Shintani perfected his signature style: blending meticulously researched, highly accurate mechanical drawings of historical military aircraft with emotionally intense, character-driven military fiction with a focus on the tragic front-line military conflicts, and deep human tragedies experienced by soldiers across global battlefields.