Overview

One of the most acclaimed films in Japanese anime, The Wings of Honneamise tells the story of a group of would-be astronauts on a planet that is not Earth — but not unlike Earth. While an eager young pilot named Shirotsugh Lhadatt dreams of making his nation's space program a success, Shiro and company are part of the new Royal Space Force of the Kingdom of Honneamise. Experimenting with new technology, they hope to put a man in orbit, for no other reason than to show that it can be done. His leaders are not sure of the project's viability, and shortages of money and technical know-how threaten to keep space flights on the ground. With assassination attempts, budget cuts, faulty equipment, political maneuvering, and an enemy army massing at the border for an invasion, Shiro is being trained to go; for no other reason than he is the only one crazy enough to volunteer.

Review

Well, first and foremost, I have to say that this movie is in the same quality and vain of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away. We're talking Akira quality artwork here, except a bit choppier. To tell the absolute truth I thought that this show was somehow a kind of extension of Neon Genesis Evangelion and I just don't mean that because Gainax Studios was involved here. There is a ton of religious under and overtones in this movie. The way the characters and outfits appear and standout makes the show carry a lot of the Vibe that Outlaw Star is known for and it's known for being the bomb.

Did I already say that the artwork is Top-notch? OK then let me tell you the story is quite interesting as well. To define this show in as concise a way as possible, it's basically an alternate universe story where there are still humans so a lot of the same predicaments arise. There's war, kingdoms and the attempt to get a man into outer space. Other than the kingdoms part, the rest is easy to relate to. An aspect of the show that caught my eye was the use of aircraft that had a striking resemblance to the planes in the Xbox video game Crimson Skies. Please be aware this movie came out first.

Be warned this is not some high speed action movie this is a spiritual movie in the department of the Right Stuff, Apollo 13 and October Sky, it's a feel good flick. It is a slower pace show, but it's still a wonderful piece of storytelling.

If you can, try to rent or purchase the VHS version because the DVD version was converted poorly, so you get a lot of digital blurring when there are a lot of things happening on the screen at once.

Review by David Marini
www.everythingevangelion.com