Training to become an astronaut, a young man struggles to realise his dream as his country's space program comes under public scrutiny in this deliberately paced animated drama from Japan. 'Wings of Honneamise' is an unexpectedly philosophical film with intelligent ideas thrown about such as space being "a place where all mankind can find new freedom" and the protagonist asked by a reporter to define "a space hero's purpose" and defend the government's decision to "waste our money" by funding space travel. Other curious quips include the notion that "history is just an ongoing game" while the astronaut even questions "do you ever feel like you're a character in a story?". Fascinating as the film may sound with all these elements, it does not flow particularly well as a narrative. There is far more talk than action and a large amount of time is dedicated to an improperly developed romance between the astronaut and a religious fanatic that culminates in a bizarre near rape scene that even more bizarrely is soon forgotten. The film ends a bit abruptly too. There is so much to like in the intelligent dialogue throughout 'Wings of Honneamise' that it remains a difficult film to dislike, but for all its daring to be different as far as space travel films go, it does not spin the smoothest of narratives. An interesting movie, but one to approach with caution.

I saw this after it first hit the video market many years back, and wasn't sure what to make of it. We're looking on the life and times of an astronaut candidate, and he various rigors he goes through to be the world's first man in space on an Earth that might have been in another time and another place.The film somewhat reflects and resembles "The Right Stuff" Japanese style; i.e. we see astronaut candidates go through various tests, physical and psychological, as well as how they interact with regular mainstream society when their program is something being financed outside the public eye. It's a kind of anime-bio-pic drama for people who never existed.As mentioned in other reviews there's the sexual assault scene which, to me anyway, seemed to come right out of the blue. Why it's in this film is beyond me. A more reasonable and logical alternative would have been for the main character to try and romance the object of his affection, but, like the film makers remind us on the commentary, the characters aren't particularly bright.Minus that one scene, this might have been a fantastic anime sleeper. Something that teenage boys of all walks of life could enjoy, as the finale gives us a climatic clash and ultimate resolution to what we anticipate is the final dramatic conclusion of the film.Because of the one scene I find the film to lean more in the "miss" category of "hit or miss", otherwise it could have been a real award winner, and enjoyed by all mature teenagers and older.The alternate world presented is worth seeing for any anime aficionado.If you know what to expect from Japanese mature animation, then this might worth a look.

It's 2007 and finally after many years, The Wings of Honneamise gets the transfer it deserves, available on both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. The high-definition treatment is like night and day with this movie - the colours are rich and varied, and the artwork is detailed and defined, reminding you just how much work and care went into hand-drawn animation only 20 years ago. But of course, Honneamise has always been about a great story. It's not the sort of thing for modern Narutards with ADD, this is a story to make you think about the purpose of life and modern society. The story is set in an alternate world reminiscent of the 1950s, and Shirotsugh Lhadatt is a member of the nation of Honneamise's Royal Space Forces. He and his fellow crews' morale have hit rock bottom after the recent death of a teammate but Shiro has a chance meeting with a very religious young woman named Riquinni and it changes his life for the better. He decides to make something of his life and this opportunity to volunteer to become the first astronaut, and in doing so inspires the whole space force to achieve new heights of excellence - literally and figuratively. The movie is not entirely without action and intrigue however, as Honneamise's own military throws political machinations against the space launch, and an enemy nation plots Shiro's death by assassination.Gainax's first feature film, and still their best.

An old anime classic. Not what many would expect from anime, there isn't heaps of guns or robot or weird mythology, it's just a simple story.The two combating nations in the parallel world to ours, remind me of a cross between the US & USSR (although cooling, the Cold War was still alive & well when this film was made in 1987) mixed with a cross between North & South Korea.The animation is very good, & holds up well even in 2004, though the soundtrack while very catchy, shows the age of the film with the 1980's synthesizer.