VividSimon
Simply Perfect
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Justina
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Blueghost
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.
nekobas
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.
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.
Eric R Lee
I was so excited to have finally purchased this movie. It should be in everyones Anime collection. The film does not disappoint! But the DVD is another matter. To my disappointment this DVD is riddled with encoding problems. The picture is fuzzy and toward the layer switch it breaks up (pixelization). I own about 250 DVDs many of them with dual layers and this is the only one that has this problem. I know this DVD may react differently to different players. But my Panasonic did not like this disc. This disc should be recalled and a new remastered reissue made.
