Wings of Honneamise (1987)

If I have mixed feelings about a film, it usually means that I look back at a film and realize it wasn't very good even though I enjoyed it at the time.  In the case of Wings of Honneamise, however, it's the opposite- I wasn't impressed at all when I watched it, but now that I look back, it actually wasn't that bad.  I had heard a lot about this film before renting it- it has been called one of the best anime and got a positive review from Roger Ebert.  I suppose my expectations were too high when I sat down to watch it.

The story is set in the Kingdom of Honneamise on an Earth-like world. It follows the life of Shirotsugh, a boy who dreamed of flying for the navy but couldn't attain the test scores to qualify.  Instead, he joins the "Royal Space Force", which is just beginning to experiment with space travel.  However, the RSF is viewed by the public as a fluke, composed of pilots who never fly and instead spend most of their time being bored.  Shiro is a prime example of one of those pilots, and the recent death of a fellow officer in a space suit experiment has left him in a deep funk. 

However, his pride and confidence are restored when he meets a religious young woman named Leiqunni, who is truly inspired by the RSF and it's goals- achieving manned space travel as an accomplishment of mankind and for exploration, not war.  Suprisingly, the leaders of the kingdom continue to fund the space program, putting Shiro into training to be the first man in space.  However, the leaders want to sabotage the first flight and use it's failure to spark a war against a neighboring kingdom.  Shiro and the RSF, unaware of their leader's plans, must ensure the success of the flight in order to prevent the catastrophe of war from claiming their land.

So, what was the problem I had with the film when I was watching it?  It was too damn slow.  Usually the story in an anime is hurtling by at warp speeds as the director tries to cram a couple thousand pages worth of plot into the film.  In Wings, though, the story is simple and moralistic- it's not actively provocative.  The movie is a combination of The Right Stuff (that space travel docudrama) and Star Trek idealism.  However, the relationship between Shiro and Lequnni was a bit too subtle, in my opinion, and didn't serve to help define the characters.  I didn't really find them that interesting.

Where the film does shine, however, is in its details.  The artwork and animation are luscious- from the backdrops, to the aircraft and spacecraft, and to the small gadgets the people use in everyday life.  It all leads up to a visually exciting climax when the armies of the two kingdoms are preparing for war and the launch is just minutes away.

So, am I recommending this film?  If you're expecting Macross Plus or Akira, definitely not.  If you don't mind sitting back and relaxing to enjoy the view, I guess so.  I don't think I would call it one of the best anime, nor do I consider it to be a thoroughly engaging human drama.  However, it does deserve a viewing if you're prepared.

Posted: 2-28-'98

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