Review of Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise

Best known as Gainax's first commercial work, Wings of Honneamise is a peculiar movie that acts as something of a commentary and retelling of one of mankind's boldest undertakings - sending our own into the great void of space. The method of storytelling is quite unique and makes you consider the perspecitve of someone living far into the past where the idea of going into space is considered unnecessary and foreign. The film has its own surreal little world set in a time that's something like the economic expansion following the WWII era. In this world the "Royal Space Force" are a group of peoplewho aim to put a man among the stars. They're treated like some kind of joke, as a matter of fact even their own people are lethargic about the idea of going to space, but that's only until one of their men volunteers to do it. Shirotsugh Lhadatt's feelings towards space travel are changed when he meets a young religious woman following the death of a comrade, and she becomes the first person to express a genuine interest in his work. The bond between them sparks some kind of motivation in Shiro to take his job more seriously, and seemingly everything goes uphill from there.

The art and animation is spectacular. For those who know them well, studio Gainax's animators had a thing for working quite effectively even when they were on a budget in their early years (e.g. the Daicon opening animations). Their skill shines mostly for the first time here - beautiful carefully crafted backgrounds along with fluid and detailed motions and an expressive art style make this one of the most visually appealing films around.

The soundtrack is its biggest flaw. Some may like it and some may not, but it's jarringly louder than the rest of the film and it's almost reminiscent of banging on trash cans at times, and that killed some of the enjoyment for me since a soundtrack is such an important part of a film, especially one full of excited emotions like Honneamise.

I can't say I liked any of the characters in particular, but they're good. Just about every role carries a sense of some importance that contributes to the integrity of the whole thing.

Overall, Wings of Honneamise is a spectacular, enchanting watch and you won't regret taking two hours of your time to see it.