聞く：フューチャーウォー198X年

フューチャーウォー198X年 is an animated film about a fictitious World War III that erupts near the end of the Cold War. After American scientists develop a prototype orbital laser defense system to shoot down incoming Soviet ICBMs, the Russians kidnap the lead researcher, but the President orders US warplanes to sink the submarine carrying him with a nuclear torpedo before it can return to Soviet waters. The Russian military chiefs demand a counter-attack, but the Premier decides not to do anything. The next year however, a Soviet pilot flying their newest, most advanced fighter jet forces a landing at a NATO airbase in West Germany and declares that he is defecting. In order to prevent NATO from studying the plane's technology, the Russians invade West Germany with hopes of recapturing the plane, so the terror-struck American troops on the base retaliate using tactical nuclear weapons without orders, thus triggering nuclear war.

As I watched, I noticed that even the Americans themselves refer to their own president as 閣下 (かっか), saying 大統領閣下 (だいとうりょう) often throughout the film, though occasionally the Secretary of State will drop off the 閣下. Meanwhile, the Soviets all call each other 同志 (どうし). Given that much of the dialogue is each superpower's leaders guessing the other's strategies, I heard 思う, でしょう, and でしょうか many times. At 43:38, a Soviet general argues that not attacking the US at that time would lead to an irrecoverable situation by saying "...ことになります" (I can't quite make out what words he says right before this).