Watch Royal Space Force - The Wings Of Honneamise For Free

Simply Perfect

A Major Disappointment

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

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.

The Wings of Honneamise deserves a lot more attention that it initially got back in 1987; it was a commercial disappointment when it came out in Japan and it didn't get a wide global release leading the film to fade into obscurity. However, with the blossoming otaku fan base becoming an ever-growing international phenomenon some people have started taking notice of this movie again, albeit in rather small numbers but growing.'Wings' plays like Japan's answer to Stanley Kubrick's hard-science- fiction masterpiece '2001: A Space Odyssey', although unlike Kubrick's film this one takes place on a parallel version of Earth. It follows the journey of ridiculed astronauts who are part of this space agency which hasn't made any progress for generations, almost a commentary on US government-owned agency NASA, and the protagonist of the film, Shiro, hopes to become the first man to get into space.'Wings' is beautifully directed, showing us some of the most detailed animation to ever come out of any anime from the 80s, well written and the music is odd yet fitting for the movie; you don't hear a soundtrack this non-linear for an animated movie. The film is an experience: an artistic and metaphorical story centering on technological progress and humankind's ambitions shown as an eternally inspiring ideology.Is there anything the movie doesn't quite get right? Well, some of the animation does get jerky and not every single frame is perfect, but by god does it look damn good considering that it's already nearly thirty years old.I hope that my review has been helpful and may yet promote this film in some form or another. The Wings of Honneamise deserves to be seen by more people, and should certainly be seen by science fiction aficionados.

Wings of Honneamise has a lot going for it. It doesn't want to be the typical anime. Its slow, focused on drama, analyzing subjects like politics, religion, war, celebrity, and the ethics of space flight. Our main character is not particularly moral or smart, exaggerated by the media, but still develops through the film, growing in ambition and understanding of life. The animation is incredible for the time - it had a giant budget for an anime film, and you can see it in the detail on the machinery and background. There is a lot of world building, making the alternate Earth familiar, yet distinct. As a cherry on top, it tries to be accurate with its portrayal of space flight, much more so than most sci-fi.It wasn't a perfect match for me, but I recognized that this is a quality film. I was going to give it an 8, acknowledging this could easily be your next favorite.But of course...there's that ONE scene that threatens to break the film in half - where our main character attempts to rape his love interest. Its been debated for years whenever or not it contributes to Shiro's character, if its misogynistic, or both. Its enhanced the film for many, ruined it for others.Personally? I thought it was a moral event horizon for our lead. In any other film, this would be his rock bottom. Their relationship would be destroyed. Shiro would be haunted by the guilt, yet still treated as a hero by the media that doesn't truly know him. Shiro and Riquinni's relationship would never fully heal, at best coming to some understanding.But the writing treats the event like Shiro slapped Riquinni on the cheek. The incident is quickly swept under the rug, their relationship no better or worse than before. Shiro gives a few lines on good and evil, but not 5 minutes after the incident, there is a WHACKY chase scene as he runs away from a gun-touting old lady and a street sweeper! There is no proper redemption for this character. The attempted rape scene could have been removed, and you wouldn't have noticed! Its so sudden, yet has so little bearing to the plot. We're still expected to root for Shiro, not as a dark, troubled soul, but as an awkward, inexperienced pilot. The assault does not follow this tone at all. At best, its a contrived attempt to add drama. At worst...it forces in fan service through the sleaziest way possible.Regardless of intentions, it pulls the film down. Everything else is so well-done it only drops a single star. Its great - but what was Gainax thinking!?

My favourite animated film and sadly unappreciated is Royal Space Force: Wings of Honneamise. The story is set in a fictional world where space travel has not yet been achieved and based around a cadet from the Royal Space Force who wants to see that change despite his peers thinking it is a suicide mission as all previous attempts have resulted in death. Royal Space Force and Akira were the two big Anime that marked the rise of that subculture in the West during the late eighties. Unfortunately, it was Akira that received all the attention from the fan base as it catered to an adolescent audience more than Royal Space Force, which is a drama and has a slower pace… and it's a shame. Admittedly, I didn't get into Royal Space Force on the first watch – however, repeated viewings have made me realise this film is not only better than most Anime – it is one of my top ten favourite films along side 2001: A Space Odyssey. The story has a rich number of themes being explored – knowing your place in the world and then understanding how trivial we are in the context of the universe, it looks at religion, the military-industrial complex, the relationship between men and women, loyalty, self-respect and most importantly – following one's dreams. The soundtrack is perfect for this as is the wonderful animation by GAINAX, the studio behind Neon Genesis Evangelion – there's an amazing montage sequence towards the end of the film that is so ambitious it is up there with the jump cut from the bone to the space station in 2001. I love this film, it is my favourite science fiction and it is the film I would recommend first from this list. Watch it once, give it day then watch it again.