Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Desslok
Oh Gainax, my favorite studio that JUST can't stop slamming its dick in a car door.
On every level, the Wings of Honnêamise is amazing. The worldbuilding is incredible with an alternate-history space program that feels lived-in and completely believable. The animation - especially for its time - is stunning. The attention to detail is ridiculous, from the machinery to the environments to the feeling that this is a real civilization with its own history and technology.
The characters are all strong and nuanced - sure Shiro has that dudebro energy and can be lazy, cynical, immature, and kind of a jerk. The whole point of his arc is supposed to be that he grows BEYOND that. He evolves, he struggles to become a better person, eventually believing in the dream of spaceflight for mankind. It's…
Read at the sourceGGrocks
Long before anime was as streamlined as it is today, it was a very niche category of entertainment that was seen as little more than a thing for children to indulge in. Even in its inception, people who worked in the industry have tried to prove this sentiment about anime wrong by showing just how sublime of an artform that it could be. Studio Gainax, back when it was a much humbler, smaller company, was one of the first studios to accomplish showing anime in its true beauty. By mixing their nerdy love for aviation, animation, technology and appreciation for beauty, they made a beautiful anime that holds up well to this day.
However theres one scene thats so bad that it automatically docks it down 2 points. Gainax moment.
Read at the sourcefh1478
Does A Spaceship Need Guns?
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise Is the story about a man with no drive, who finds a religious girl and then goes to the stars.
but at the same time it's about so much more, the movie is so packed with story and themes, that It can feel overwhelming. it juggle so many storyline, the main character subtle character ark, political intrigue and Primal urges of man to sex and war.
The main character is perfect for this story. He is flawed, He's a very flawed man, but still he can reach for the stars. hIs connection to the religion girl, is so interesting in the movie. It's what gives him drive, both in a good and a horrible way way.
The world feels so live in, so though out. It's such wonderful world building and aesthetic, it's a distant world, but st…
Read at the sourceElizatonne78
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise was the very first major project from the animation studio Gainax, and in my opinion, it is a true masterpiece. Despite being released in 1987, the animation remains incredibly beautiful and impressive, even surpassing some productions from the 2010s. It’s truly amazing to witness such a level of quality, such detail in the backgrounds, and such fluidity in the movements—all at a time when animation was still entirely hand-drawn. This film proves that talent, passion, and precision can transcend decades without losing their brilliance.
But what struck me the most wasn’t just the technical achievement. It was above all the story and its immense philosophical depth. Royal Space Force isn’t just another science fiction tale or a typical space advent…
Read at the sourceblizar
Ouritsu Uchuugun: Honneamise no Tsubasa, also known Royal Space Force, is a slow-paced slice-of-life centered around the main character, Shiro, as he trains to become the first man in space. The plot is mostly simple and straight-forward, while there are some anti-war messaging and discussions about the value of human civilization, the movie never fully explores those themes beyond the surface level. The world-building is one of the highlights of this film, which shines through in its portrayal of how different factions within the country, as well as a neighboring enemy nation, perceive the importance of the space program in vastly different ways. Small details, such as the people from the other country wearing different clothes and speaking another language help add to the immersive world…
Read at the sourceComfyRainyDay
“Ideas grow; sometimes bigger than life.” - Marty Tohn
Story Development ★★★☆☆☆ Okay
Royal Space Force is very clearly the first major work of a group of people who are monstrously talented, but have not quite gotten their artistic footing. It was clear that this was a story they truly cared about, sending a message they believed would broaden peoples' view of the world. Yamaga and Okada refused to compromise on it in the face of corporate pressures, acknowledging that even if paring down the movie would increase the profits by millions of yen, it would not be worth destroying what they were trying to accomplish. The result is a movie that doesn’t quite hit its mark, but which inevitably charms you with its limitless passion.
Its greatest strength is its worldbuilding. It takes the oppo…
Read at the sourceCrosley-Bendix
REVIEW WRITTEN ON 29 SEPTEMBER 2022
"Like the oceans and the mountains before, space too was once just God's domain. As it becomes a familiar place for us, it'll probably end up as bad as everywhere else we've meddled. We've spoiled the land, we've fouled the air".
A technical achievement if there ever was one, I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. It doesn't feel like a stretch to call Honnêamise one of the most elaborate and creative settings of the medium. Yeah there's its own currency, unique architecture and transportation, but there's also its own units of time and length, as well as neat little background details for eagle eyes, such as vandalised posters of Shirotsugh in protest against the Force and its funding, which has created an increase in unemployment and homelessness. S…
Read at the sourceSuperdsg00
The animation and designs are amazing. Those are really the only good things I can say about the movie.
The story is remarkably boring and doesn't seem to go anywhere or have a point to it. I suppose you could say it was unpredictable though as I had hoped it would go somewhere at least.
Other than Shiro, I can't even remember the names of any of the characters. They're all forgettable. Shiro's motivations seem unclear and I don't really understand why he does any of the things he does. The relationship between two of the main characters is confusing and completely uninteresting. The music is weird and starts and stops abruptly.
I really like other shows with a similar style and design (Watch El Hazard if you haven't instead) and I had high hopes from seeing pictures and favorable review…
Read at the sourceCiaran_Zagami
This is without a shadow of a doubt the single most beautiful looking movie I've ever seen.
It cost nearly 1 billion Yen (In 2021 money) to produce and it REALLY shows.
Unfortunately I can't say quite as much nice stuff about the rest of the movie.
The characters are bland, the music is so awkward its actually painful to listen to.
The story is very cliche, boy meets girl. Girl changes his world view and he undergoes some kind of deep seated change. Very standard stuff, just with a heaping tablespoon of religion and moralizing.
Honestly though, the art is so outstanding. It more than makes up for the above shortcomings.
There is only one scene that I can say nearly broke me, near the final act of the movie the main character. He outright sexually assaults the female lead in a scarily…
Read at the sourceDanTheMan2150AD
"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a navy pilot. For me, there could be nothing better than flying."
Royal Space Force is the debut film of the legendary studio Gainax. Probably best known for their later success (and massively overrated mess) Evangelion. Originally a box office flop it later went on to become regarded as a cult classic due to the success and reappraisal it had on home video. Taking place on an alternate world where a disengaged young man, Shirotsugh, inspired by an idealistic woman named Riquinni, volunteers to become the first astronaut, which becomes a decision that draws them into both public and personal conflict.
Royal Space Force's collective approach to filmmaking, its deliberate rejection of established anime motifs, its visual complexity, and the general lack of…
Read at the sourceGuts-Valley
Spoilers I guess
How the story is structure and how the story is told reminds me the 80's, in that it is too long. Even the Movie "Never ending Story" was only 94mins so no excuses but whatever.
The animation is very good at least and being 1987 it is even better than some of today(2020)'s anime looking at you Real 3d Girl.
Here's the Spoilers: A different reviewer said the characters won't developed enough. But that is very wrong because in fact they were very developed. Riquinni the religious "nut" stood her ground meaning she never stop being who she was. One reviewer said she should lose her faith after she lost her home but why should she lose her faith plenty of people who arent religious lost their homes too maybe they should get some faith. She never fell for Shirotsugh BS. Shir…
Read at the sourceurgentmeow
Royal Space Force is one of the most unique animes I've ever seen. It's certainly flawed, and narratively it didn't really come together for me, but it has this outstanding quality as a pure creative endeavor that allowed me to enjoy it regardless.
The art is just spectacular. The level of detail, vividness, and imagination is something rare and special. The strongest part of this movie, for me, was probably its visual design. How often do you get to see a unique and thoroughly imagined alternate world portrayed so faithfully? I wish the story had told us more about that world. Unfortunately, most things are left fairly vague and unexplored. There's a lot of untapped potential here. Longform storytelling is hard, and I think this film would have been much more effective as a short, rather…
Read at the sourceDasuArosu
In order to actually explain why "Wings of Honneamise" is an absolute cinematic masterpiece I shall have to delve into the main features which it does outstandingly-and those would be the worldbuilding,characterization and themes.
To begin with the worldbuilding,I have to say that the way the setting of this movie is presented and shown makes it look normal and casually everyday,regardless of the fact that it's outlandish and alien in how it looks and cannot be reliably related to any contemporary culture on Earth(except in its' purely human aspects,and its' human goals),thus displaying originality without attempt. Every single little detail is tailored and customized towards showing a place that is both different and similar to the one we currently inhabit,and it is all done in a manner…
Read at the sourceintextimo
I was staring at the new season TV simoucasts trying to decide what to watch with my brunch when a spontaneous "archealogical dig" led me to royal space force. finished to two hr movie in one sitting in awe, can only say that they dont make'em like this anymore. the art is of superb quality, the kind that appear in but a few cuts in todays commercial productions, and sustained throughout the work. the presentation of the story have room for improvement but i shallent complain. Also it is important to know that GAINAX may have been disbanded should RSF was a commercial success, and maybe iconical works such as EVA and Guren Laggan would not have existed. Ironical.
Read at the sourceliteraturenerd
Overview:
Wings of Honneamise is a great film, but it also has some serious flaws. For me though, an anime can do lots of things wrong if it also does some things really well. Wings is a loveable underdog story. It's an anti-war film. It's a coming of age movie. It's a steampunk, alternate history retelling of the early Space Race from the POV of the Soviet Union. It also has at least 2 plainly stupid scenes that detract from the film and have no business being there. It can be more than a little sappy and it is happy to trade realism for emotion, which I will explain later in this review. This was written by a 23 year old kid with no writing experience, who after this dedicated his career to writing and directing pure schlock like Mahoromantic Robot Maid. I will warn you that this film i…
Read at the sourceyoung_kappa
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 people who 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…
Read at the sourceFear_the_Reefer
Honneamise is a country at war. It’s conflict with a neighboring country has been going on for longer than anyone can remember, and the ongoing battle has shaped it’s society as well as it’s economy. Many lives have been affected by this war, but a certain unit called the Royal space Force likes to think of themselves as above the conflict... So above it, in fact, that their lifelong mission is to break through the sky and take mankind to the stars! And they’re so enthusiastic about that... Well, that they have no drive whatsoever. It’s unclear why they joined the royal space force... Perhaps they wanted a taste of military pay checks without having to actually fight... But the general attitude among the base is one of blasé apathy, as the entire squadron would rather meander around the re…
Read at the sourceMrHawky
Personally, I would like to fly some more into space. I like flying. My biggest wish is to fly toward Venus, toward Mars, which is really flying. - Yuri Gagarin the first man to go into orbit around the earth
On my quest to watch every available Gainax work I first stumbled upon Ouritsu Uchuugun or Royal Space Force. A social commentary on various things but most of all our role in the universe, and what our role has been until this very moment, quite surprised that unlike other works like gunbuster or EVA not much is known about this little gem.
Story
The story isn't hard to follow we're lead to believe that we're in some alternate world of the present where Japan is working on a space program, the only one in the world and their plights in raising the staff of the force, the public's…
Read at the sourceMaster-Murrummba
**THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS**
I’ve never actually been compelled to actually sit down and write a review, until now. I simply cannot fathom how a seriously flawed movie such as Wings of Honneamise could have pretty much universal 9s and 10s here on MAL.
For the positives: the animation is top tier and holds up even today; on level with works such as AKIRA. The art and design also seems to have had a lot of care taken into them, with distinctive designs for especially the clothing and vehicles. The sound for the film is also great, although unfortunately, apart from a few pieces of music, such as during the OP, the soundtrack leaves a lot to be desired, and fails to swell the emotions. The film also has one scene which was nothing short of phenomenal -- this would be Lhadatt flying an air…
Read at the sourcegwern
Rewatched _Wings of Honneamise_, which was as excellent as I remembered. I noticed a number of things this time around that I hadn't the first time, like the protagonist employing his sword training in dealing with an assassin - echoing the general theme of him drawing on the training & space program he had previously considered useless. I also think I understand his attempted rape better: throughout the movie appear dichotomies between peace & war, good and bad - the space program is peaceful but used to spark war, technology is what lifts up man but also used to hurt and kill, etc. The protagonist befriends the woman and orphan, but the motivation to love can also be the motivation to desire.
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