Wings of Honneamise Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2003-09-14 (updated 2011-02-27)
• 5 stars out of 5 (?)

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise is a masterpiece of animation, pure and simple. The rich earth-like world is amazing in its detail and realism, the characters are subtle and 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. With music that is simultaneously alien and familiar, spectacular and beautiful art and animation, and a top-quality Japanese cast, there is hardly anything one could complain about in the entire production, save the somewhat weak dub and a story that takes its time enough that it may seem slow to some.

Wings of Honneamise is, from top to bottom, an absolute must see for those with a real sense of wonder about the world and a willingness to dig past the surface of a story.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2003-09-14 (updated 2011-02-27)
• 5 stars out of 5 (?)

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, an imaginative plot, and an intricately-realized world all combine to make this film a masterpiece of both substance and imagination.

One of the film's defining features is the sense of realism that pervades almost every aspect of the production. Of particular note is the alien, yet somehow familiar, setting--a world on the brink of either its first hopeful steps into the cosmos or devastation in a war. No simple analogy of the real-world space race, every detail is meticulously constructed and completely believable, from the politics to the vehicles right down to funeral customs and ticket vending machines. Just exploring this world would be enough to mark the movie as worthwhile viewing for fans of well-realized fantasy like myself, but that's nowhere near all it 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 a comedy, albeit an extremely subtle one. There are no outright jokes; rather, funny situations and offhand comments are slipped in in a low-key, deadpan style that's easy to miss, but is quite amusing if you pay attention.

The story will be too slow for some (the only major thing I can think of that one might complain about), but the pacing is steady and the relative leisure enhances the realistic feel, capturing the mundane, everyday acts that lead toward lofty goals like space flight. It also makes the characters seem that much more real; people sometimes take a moment to think, and Honneamise gives them time to do it. Partly as a result, the movie is almost as much a character study as an analogy of the real-world space race or a believable but inspiring tale of the human drive for adventure and exploration.

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.

Memorably, this isn't a simple love story by any stretch; on the contrary, the complicated relationship is strained by the opposite worldviews, and Shirotsugu's response to the frustration of this disconnect marks him as a particularly flawed protagonist.¹

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 Honneamise 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.

The humor, the juxtaposition of modern chaos and a simpler view of 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 its simplest form that it becomes something truly unique.

The leisure with which the story unfolds may not appeal to some, but as far as I'm concerned, the only real flaw in the movie (and I don't consider the slow pacing to be anything of the sort) is its ambiguous last couple of minutes. Although the basic message of the end is clear, it is unnecessarily abrupt and unsatisfying (which may have been intentional), and the semi-abstract imagery (which seems to owe a little to the end of 2001, an end I also didn't like) is at odds with the solidity of the rest of the movie and serves little purpose other than an attempt 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. It's also worth noting that the director explains, in the commentary track, that from a narrative perspective the end wasn't intended to be as inconclusive as it comes across.²

Technically speaking, Wings of Honneamise is gorgeous, but as subtle and nuanced as the plot. The art used to depict the world, along with its visual style and remarkably functional design, is always finely drawn and meticulously detailed, without ever feeling unnatural. The character designs feel appropriate; memorable, generally appealing faces with a familiar look slightly on the realistic side of classic anime. The high-budget animation is fluid and uniformly realistic. The character animation in particular is beautiful; it's understated, but if you look closely, you'll be rewarded. The film's sole action sequence is exciting, the war scenes are on par with news footage of the real thing, and the rocket launch at the finale is practically out of old Apollo mission footage.

The acting in Japanese is very good. Shirotsugu in particular is a standout, voiced by the well-known Japanese live-action actor Leo Morimoto, who turns in an understated and wonderfully believable 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. Riqunni, voiced by Mitsuki Yayoi (also known as much for her live-action work as anime roles), although not nearly as distinctive, is nuanced and believable.

The English dub is somewhat less remarkable; not terribly well cast (Robert Matthews' Shirotsugu in particular sounds rather nasal) and passably but not particularly well acted. The only standout performance is Melody Lee as Riqunni--gentle and believable. The script in the English version is something of an issue; they were trying very hard to make it sound deep, but it is a little on the cheesy side at times, and it differs quite a bit from the original. There are no major plot changes, but a lot of the details are messed around with and most of the conversations flow somewhat differently.

The music was scored by Oscar-winner Ryuichi Sakamoto, and although it wasn't terribly noticeable while watching, the compositions are very much in tune with the movie and its 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 an unsuccessful attempt to create sounds unlike instruments from earth, and was a bit disappointing considering the richness of the rest of the production, but it doesn't 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.

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A truly unique movie, but it by far has the most in common with the realistic sci-fi series Planetes; from the casual sense of humor to the extreme attention to realistic detail to the social commentary to the exploration of what dreams and adventure mean in the real world, it is both entertaining and thought provoking, if very different in its near-future Earth setting. Honneamise also shares a richness and detailed alternate world with some 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.