Wings of Honneamise

Original Title: 王立宇宙軍 オネアミスの翼
Romanized: Ouritsu Uchuugun - Oneamisu no Tsubasa
Literal: Royal Space Force - The Wings of Honneamise

Plot Synopsis

In a world both very similar to and different from our own, an apathetic student, Shirotsugu Ladhatt, who aspired to join the local air force but doesn't have the grades, instead joins the Royal Space Force. Unfortunately, this space force is more of a publicity stunt by the government than anything else--nobody has ever even made it to space. However, after our hero meets and falls in love with an idealistic young missionary, Riqunni, he becomes determined to actually make something of the joke that is the Royal Space force. But as the odd collection of dropouts and aging rocket scientists begins to make progress toward their goal of a space flight, the enemy in an ongoing war decides that this new space technology could become a dangerous weapon and decides to nip the budding space program in the bud. Shirotsugu, spurred by his unreturned feelings for Riqunni, braves assassins, budget cuts, and all-out war to make his dream of traveling among the stars come true...

Review

Rating: 5 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2003-09-14

Simply put, Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise is one of the finest animated films ever made, and I would say one of the finest films ever made, period. A well crafted story, deep and believable characters, imaginative plot, and an astoundingly intricate world all combine to make this film a masterpiece in its own right.

The story is probably too slow for some (the only major thing I can think of to complain about), but the pacing is steady and the relative leisure lends a realistic feel to it. In fact, almost every aspect of the production seems realistic and almost totally believable. Even the very different yet somehow familiar setting, a world on the brink of either its first steps into space or complete destruction in a war (much like our world's real space race) feels solid and surprisingly real. From the politics to the vehicles right down to funeral customs and ticket vending machines, every detail is meticulously constructed and completely believable--it feels like a real place where real people live. Just exploring this world would be enough fun for some of us, but that's nowhere near all the movie has to offer.

Another of Honneamise's strong points is its sense of humor. If you pay attention, much of the early part of the movie borders on comedy, albeit an extremely subtle one. There are no outright jokes; rather, funny situations and offhand comments executed in a low-key, deadpan style that's easy to miss, but is quite amusing if you pay attention.

Getting back on track, the leisurely plot is quite effective at capturing the mundane, everyday acts that lead toward lofty goals like space flight. But another effect it has is to make the characters that much more real. Real people sometimes take a moment to think, and Honneamise gives them time to do it. Partly as a result, this movie isn't just an analogy of the real-world space race or a believable but inspiring tale of the human drive for adventure and exploration--it is also a sort of character study.

There are really only two main characters, and the two of them are as detailed as their world and as subtly fascinating. On one hand, we have apathetic Shirotsugu; the embodiment of the jaded slacker, but still a man with dreams. On the other end of the spectrum is Riqunni; she has her own internal dreams and hopes, but her seemingly blind religious devotion is like a relic of a simpler time, and is as difficult for Shiro to understand as it will be for many viewers. Both of these characters (as well as a few of the minor ones) are deep, interesting, and their interaction provides much of the meat of the movie.

Note that this isn't a simple love story by any stretch; the relationship is much more complicated than that. Skip the rest of this paragraph if you haven't seen it yet... but I wanted to mention that while the attempted rape scene was a very uncomfortable one, it was not gratuitous or unnecessary and spoke volumes about the characters: it brought forward Shirotsugu's painfully human weakness, frustration with his life, and his hedonistic way of looking at the world. It also illustrated the honest and serious nature of Riqunni's religious beliefs and resulting willingness to forgive, not to mention clarified unspoken volumes about the nature of their relationship. It no doubt seemed confusing or unnecessary to some, but if you really pay attention to the aftermath, you'll probably see that it both made sense and peeled back another layer of the characters. On a semi-unrelated note, I also found it interesting in its analysis of the act of rape; just before Shiro attacks Riqunni, he is staring at her legs, objectifying her, but as soon as he looks into her frightened eyes he again sees her as a whole person, and seems unable to continue.

The character interaction also brings another another level of meaning to the story; in the course of his journey from drop-out to the emotional leader of a grand adventure Shiro is asked some difficult questions about human nature and the state of modern society. There are no easy answers to these questions, and this movie doesn't attempt to provide any--it isn't preachy and there are characters on both ends of the spectrum who have reasonable opinions. But Shiro's attempts to come to grips with love, sin, and the place of grand adventures in a world filled with war and poverty do provide a quiet illustration of the value of dreams and ambition. If nothing else, this is a story that is realistic enough to provoke a lot of thought, and a movie that doesn't shy away from bringing the hard issues to the fore.

In all, the humor, the allegory of modern chaos versus a simple life, the character interaction, and the exploration of the intricate world are all microscopic aspects of this movie, but the view is so close you might miss the big picture. That macroscopic image is a sweeping brushstroke about the wonder of life and the amazing things the universe holds for the dreamers and the explorers. There are many aspects to enjoy, but at its heart this is a quiet movie for those with imagination, for people who see more than the simple hustle and bustle of the world around them, and who look for something bigger in life. Although the real-world story of the space race embodied this theme in many ways, this movie adds so much depth and complexity to the tale while distilling the essence down to it's simplest form that it becomes something truly unique.

The leisure with which the story unfolded may not appeal to some, but as far as I'm concerned, the only real downside to the whole movie (and I don't consider the slow pacing to be anything of the sort) was the last couple of minutes of the film; although the basic message of the end was clear, it was unnecessarily abrupt and unsatisfying (though that may have been intentional), and the semi-abstract imagery (which seemed to owe a little to the end of 2001, which I also didn't like) was at odds with the solidity of the rest of the movie and seemed to serve no purpose other than to seem artificially deep or artistic. Don't let that turn you off, though; up till the final moments, it is flawless in what it wants to be. (To be fair, the director, in the commentary track, explains that the end wasn't intended to be as inconclusive as it turned out; see the notes section for an explanation if you're interested.)

Technically speaking, Wings of Honneamise is gorgeous, but as subtle as the plot. The art used to depict the world, along with its visual and remarkably functional design, is always finely drawn and detailed, without ever feeling unnatural. The character designs are slightly on the realistic side of classic anime, and generally appealing. The animation itself is fluid, and always realistic--the character animation in particular is beautiful, the sole action sequence is exciting, the war scenes are on par with news footage of the real thing, and the rocket launch is practically out of old Apollo mission footage. Again, much of the art and animation is understated, but if you look closely, particularly at the character animation, you'll be rewarded.

The acting in the Japanese version is very good. Ladhatt in particular is a standout, voiced by the well-known Japanese live action actor Morimoto Leo, who turns in a wonderfully believable and very understated performance throughout. Morimoto's low-key delivery gives life and likability to the character and perfectly captures both apathy and eventual drive, not to mention the deadpan humor of the story. Yayoi Mitsuki (the voice behind Riqunni and also not known for anime), although not nearly as distinctive, is still understated and believable. The English acting is somewhat less remarkable; not terribly well cast (Ladhatt in particular sounds rather nasal) and passably but not particularly well acted. The only standout performance was behind Riqunni--gentle and believable. The dialogue in the English version is worth mentioning; they were trying very hard to make it sound deep, but it was a little on the cheesy side at times, and it differed quite a bit from the original. There were no major plot changes, but a lot of the details were messed around with and most of the conversations flowed somewhat differently.

The music was scored by Oscar-winner Ryuichi Sakamoto, and although it wasn't terribly noticeable while watching, the compositions were very much in tune with the movie and it's world: Simultaneously alien and familiar, subtly inspiring and beautiful. Definitely worth a listen. My only, very minor, complaint is the fact that most of it sounds synthesized--this seemed to be a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to create sounds unlike instruments from earth, and was a bit disappointing considering the richness of the rest of the production, but this does not detract from the impressive composition.

The Wings of Honneamise is a masterpiece of animation, pure and simple. The world is amazing, the characters are intriguing, the plot is quiet but complex and engaging, and the overall theme is an extreme close-up on a sweeping tale of exploration and adventure. From top to bottom, it is nearly perfect in every aspect, and even though it might seem slow, for those with a real sense of wonder about the world and who are willing to dig past the surface of a story this is an absolute must see.

Related Recommendations

A truly unique movie, but it shares a richness and detailed alternate world with very different productions; most notable are the Miyazaki movies Kiki's Delivery Service, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and Porco Rosso, though Strange Dawn and Vision of Escaflowne also come to mind. Oddly, the space-opera comedy Irresponsible Captain Tylor comes to mind as a somewhat similar story as well, probably due to its theme of finding a purpose in life despite pressures from the world around, although its comedic tack on the idea is almost completely opposite. Honneamise also feels just a little bit like the old Romeo and Juliet story Windaria.

US DVD Review

As far as extras go, Manga Video has really outdone itself here; although it's hard to compete with the piles of extras included with Ghost in the Shell, this disc surpasses it, therefore gaining my praise as the most loaded anime DVD, period.

To start with, we've got an interesting chunk of background information printed on the package insert, the original 4-minute short mentioned above (which, although it had no dialogue, unfortunately didn't have a translation of the on-screen text), a finished scene that was deleted from the final cut (don't worry, it's interesting but not significant), full Japanese and English voice actor credits (at long last dealing with the one ongoing issue I've had with Manga's DVDs), and a full director's commentary audio track.

Yes, that's right--although it's the first time I've heard an original commentary track (not from the dubbing staff, that is) with anime, here it is, and there is all sorts of interesting information to be gleaned from it (such as some clarification on the ending). It's a bit unfortunate that, although the discussion was very conversational, the subtitle track that translates it is rather abrupt and literal; it gets the point across, but it's not nearly as lively as what you're hearing (on the other hand, you can watch the movie with either the English or Japanese soundtrack and the director's commentary subtitles if you feel like it--you don't even get that on most DVDs of US movies).

Finally, if all that wasn't enough, there's a gallery of production sketches with background music from the movie... and we're not talking one or two partial pieces, either--this is the entire soundtrack, an hour and 16 glorious minutes long. Again, it would have been perfect if there had been chapter breaks to let you skip between pieces, but the sheer volume of music (and accompanying art) is truly impressive.

That covers the extras, but what about the actual movie? Well, although it's a "digitally remastered" widescreen (and anamorphic) video transfer, it doesn't really look all that good. To be fair, this is a pretty old movie and it certainly blows any VHS tape out of the water, but the video looked rather harsh. For one thing, although much of it was smooth and crisp, some of the scenes with darker colors seemed to have a lot of subtle noise; nothing severe, but noticeable if you're paying attention. Also, the video looked just a little out of focus or oversaturated; the lines weren't quite as sharp as I'd like to see. Again, this really isn't anything severe, but considering the near-perfection of the rest of the disc, it was quite disappointing. Final nit-pick: the video seems to be interlaced, which is completely unnecessary on a proper film transfer. The audio is a better story; the Japanese track is only the original stereo but is quite crisp, and it features a remastered English Dolby 5.1 score. Oh, and the subtitles are literal English, not dubtitles--quite important considering how much the dialogue differs between the two.

In all, the video gets the job done, but is far from spectacular (though if you ask me not as bad as the vitriolic outcry from the anime videophile community would have you believe.) The extra features, on the other hand, make this disc a thing of beauty for just about anybody interested in what's going on behind the scenes of an anime production, and an absolute must have for any fan of this movie.

Content Guide

Mostly suitable even for younger viewers (though maybe not to their taste) with the exception of one or two scenes. I would probably call it 13-up, though 16-up isn't out of the question.

Violence: 3 - One very realistic but brief fight, and some large-scale battle sequences, plus one attempted rape (more complicated than that sounds).

Nudity: 2 - One brief scene.

Sex/Mature Themes: 2 - The above scene, plus a bit of raunch in a red light district.

Language: 2 - Nothing unusual.

Notes and Trivia

Aside from being the production that got the famous studio Gainax started, Wings of Honneamise also features a musical score by Ryuichi Sakamoto, who won an Oscar for the music of The Last Emperor the same year Honneamise came out.

The DVD offers several interesting tidbits of information. A few choice ones: This film is based on a short story; the writer wanted to produce an animated version, and so gathered together a group of people to produce a 4 minute short of scenes from the story (many of which were used more or less exactly in the eventual finished product). Bandai liked it and chipped in what at the time was the largest budget ever for an anime movie (approximately US$8 million). The people who produced the short, of course, went on to found none other than the now-legendary Gainax studios to produce Wings of Honneamise.

Perhaps most interesting, though, was a clear explanation of the somewhat confusing end to be found in the commentary audio track; do not read this if you haven't already seen the movie, but for those wondering, it seems there was more conclusion than it first appears if you pay attention: The director points out that though it's a common (and unintended) misconception, Shiro definitely did not die, and in fact some of the sketches underneath the credits depict his triumphant return and subsequent entry into the history books.

A final bit of trivia on the rocket at the climax: Apparently one of the reasons it looks so realistic is that it's based on the Soviet design used to launch many of their early orbital efforts.

Availability

Available in the US from Manga video on bilingual DVD, subtitled and dubbed VHS, all currently out of print. Early on there was also a bilingual LD.

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