FLAG

In 2021, Jujutsu Kaisen delivered a first-person animation cut that hit the anime fandom like a high-speed brick. Since then, POV shots have become a popular sakuga flex across both series and films.

FLAG, however, uses the POV perspective as its primary storytelling device. This approach makes perfect sense for a story centered on two war photojournalists—and for a show that was also one of the earliest anime produced specifically for the web, known as an ONA (Original Net Animation).

The series first premiered nearly 20 years ago, in 2006.

Unfortunately, while FLAG has been critically respected and did receive a DVD release, its unusual distribution history has made it difficult to access internationally. The shutdown of Bandai Visual USA in 2008, followed by Bandai Entertainment USA in 2012, effectively removed it from the global market. As a result, it has been decades since the series was widely available outside Japan.

Curiously, the official Japanese website is still live. Even more surprisingly, individual episodes can still be rented on Bandai’s streaming platform for ¥255 (approximately $1.60 at the time of writing), although I don't know if those rentals include the dated but good English dub or the subtitles.