Sky Blue (Korean: 원더풀 데이즈 Wonderful Days; yes, its Korean title is in English) is an animated movie, painstakingly shot over a period of seven years from 1996 to 2003 by Moon-sang Kim. It combines Computer-Generated Images with fluid and well-drawn traditionally animated characters.
In The Future, a small elite live within the city of Ecoban. Ecoban's survival hinges on the Diggers, a huge population who live outside the city and supply it with the carbon it needs to keep functioning. Since Ecoban churns out huge quantities of pollution, the Diggers are understandably miffed by this.
The plot kicks off when Jay, an Ecoban police officer, attempts to apprehend her childhood friend, Shua, an exile who has infiltrated Ecoban to steal information necessary to destroy it. We then follow Shua as he attempts to make a better world for the Diggers while Jay and a couple of other enforcers investigate this rebellion. Jay, however, finds herself becoming drawn into the Diggers' side of the struggle, and begins to wonder if the fall of Ecoban might not be such a bad idea after all...
It provides examples of:
- Badass Normal: Shua and the other rebels have had no such training as Jay, Cade or the troops of Ecoban have, yet they kick just as much ass. Hell, maybe more.
- Big Red Button: The extended climactic scene centres around the Race To The Button.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Both Shua and Cade have been in love with Jay since they were children, however, Jay's eyes were only for Shua. This led to Cade attempting to Murder the Hypotenuse. When Shua turns out to still be alive as adults, despite being in a relationship with Cade, her feelings for Shua are still much the same way as they were children. Then she learns the truth of what Cade did in the past, sealing her feelings for Shua.
- Crapsack World: The last remnants of humanity live in the middle of a polluted wasteland and spend all their time persecuting the working class.
- Creator Provincialism: The future is very Korean.
- Gratuitous English: The Korean title, "Wonderful Days," is in English.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: After Zed is killed by Ecoban troops, the rest of the ruffians join with the resistance to help Dr. Noah bring Ecoban down. They manage to get in to the city, and give the Ecoban soldiers a hell of a fight whilst Shua enacts Noah's plan.
- Love Triangle: Both Shua and Cade are in love with Jay. Jay chooses Shua, in part because she always loved him, and in another part because of discovering what Cade did that led to Shua's disappearance in the past.
- The Promised Land: Gibraltar is talked about as if it were one of these. Guess where Ecoban is?
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: When Shua fights Cade, he initially has the upper hand, demonstrating a great amount of strength and technique. However, eventually Cade manages to have Shua at his mercy, helped by the fact he's a high-ranking commander of Ecoban's forces, and thus has the appropriate training to go with it.
- Technology Porn: More time than seems justifiable is dedicated to showing the futuristic motorbikes in every detail.
- That Man Is Dead: How Shua feels about how he was as a child, when he lived in Ecoban with Jay. For bonus points, as far as Ecoban was concerned, he was thought to have been dead.
