KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

Peereddi I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

2freensel I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Donald F 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!?

rooee The only frustrating thing about Hiroyuki Yamaga's exhilarating sci-fi anime is that - astonishingly - it has not (yet) been released on region 2. But I would urge all UK manga fans to purchase a region-free DVD player just to watch it - it's that good. Alternatively, order the region-free Blu-ray disc.Eschewing mecha battles and purple hair, The Wings of Honneamise is an epic poem about peace. One imagines it's the kind of thing Hayao Miyazaki would show his kids once they've grown out of Laputa and Spirited Away (as if that's possible!). Set in an alternate universe, it tells the story of an apathetic young man, Shiro Lhadatt (Leo Morimoto), who signs up to become the first man in space. As the countdown begins, the mission attracts the interest of the public, the media, and finally the military, while a sorrowful religious girl, Riquinni Nonderaiko (Mitsuki Yayoi), attracts the interest of Shiro himself.It's a fable about the human spirit with echoes of Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff. Indeed, the climactic message won't take you by surprise - but what fun it is getting there. Yamaga's world is fairly bustling with life, all realised with sumptuous animation and some wonderful retro-modern art direction from Hiromasa Ogura (who would go on to work on manga favourites Ninja Scroll and Ghost In The Shell). Shiro's journey to his destiny is full of incident - flying lessons, explosively malfunctioning equipment, an exciting foot chase from a deceiving assassin - but also complemented with moments of dreamy calm. These peaceful moments are not simply excuses for some pretty ethereal music and absent wandering beneath neon verandas; they speak of Shiro's new sense of reflection, of his growing introspection.Special mention should be made of Ryuichi Sakamoto's score. Like so much of his work, it is considered, emotive and memorable.It's the best adult Japanese animation ever made, of that I'm certain. And it really isn't for children - this region 1 release retains an attempted sexual assault scene which was cut (by Manga Video, not the BBFC) for the UK video release. Moreover, the religious and political overtones, combined with the patient pacing, may be somewhat testing upon a younger child's attention span. Teens and older should buy it, love it, and feel inspired.

pta-frog Do not listen to anybody bagging this movie, they do not have the experience with anime to appreciate it. Wings of Honeamise is a pinnacle in Japanese animation, it took anime to it's popularity. It made anime known.

markstedt I think the posts above cover just about all important aspects of this remarkable film. I noted a lot of people seems quite upset about one certain attempted rape scene, after which the girl apologizes. At first I was quite confused since that particular scene was cut from my subbed vhs-copy. But I'll take the liberty of commenting anyway.It's pretty obvious that Shiro's world and society are quite patriarchic and generally male-dominated. There are no women in high places in society (none that we see at least) and all female characters are either girlfriends, widows or prostitutes. I my opinion, this is not very far from, say, Japanese society (even more so in the 80's, things have changed.) Even now, it is not uncommon for women to blame themselves for rapes or assaults, not just in Japan, but everywhere in the world. The general idea seems to be that, because the woman is attractive or seductive, the man couldn't "help" himself and was a victim of his own carnal desires. Many women too adopts this way of thought, and hence blames themselves, for having been "seductive."I believe this is why the girl were able to apologize to Shiro. Because that is what is expected from a good wife (or would-be wife.)