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' 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.