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 t's a bit of cheat, but reviewers will use
analogies to describe movies simply because it's the quickest way to get
the point across. Hence, "Volcano
High" is "The
Matrix" meets "Harry
Potter", and "The Matrix" itself is "Ghost
In The Shell" meets Jet Li's "Black
Mask". "Wings of Honneamise" is anime's "Citizen
Kane". It was the debut feature by fledgling writer/director
Hiroyuki Yamaga, who was given a budget (courtesy of toy giant Bandai)
established professionals would kill for. Like "Kane",
"Honneamise" failed at the box-office despite critical praise,
but thanks to VHS, Laserdisc and DVD, it found its audience.
Personally, "Wings" is one of my favorite
movies, period, mostly because it's just so damn different. Despite the
images of astronaut, rockets, and airplanes on the DVD case, "Wings
of Honneamise" is not science fiction. Not exactly. It's
best described as a historical drama, like "The
Right Stuff" and "Apollo
13", except in this case it's a history that never happened.
"Wings" is the story of slacker/doofus
Shirotsugh Lhadatt, a citizen of the fictional nation of Honneamise, which
exists in a fictional alternate world. We first see him as a
pre-pubescent kid, trudging to the top of a snow-covered hill to get a
view of Honneamise Royal Navy jets taking off from aircraft carriers. As
he explains in voice-over, he's got the need for speed, but his school
grades won't allow him to make the cut to pilot aircraft in the
conventional forces. As a result, he joins the Royal Space Force.
Unfortunately being an astronaut for Honneamise
doesn't quite have the same cache as being an American astronaut. The
program is under funded, constantly in danger of cancellation, and most of
the other "astronauts" are slackers who bide their time on the
government's dollar. One day Shiro runs across Riquinni Nonderaiko, a
plain but cute missionary who piques his interest. While Shiro impresses
Riquinni with his stories about the space force's ambitions, she in turn
instills in him fresh confidence in the nobility of space exploration. So
much so, in fact, that he ends up volunteering for the first manned flight
project to the surprise of everyone.
From there, we follow Shiro and the rest of the Space
Force as they go about getting him into space. Shiro may be the lead
character, but the environment he inhabits is the star attraction -- and
it's an environment that could only come to life in animation. Looking
at the world maps that show up throughout the movie, it's clear that the
nation of Honneamise and its Cold War rival Rimada are not on Earth. We're
treated to a completely new and different society, where everything is
familiar yet different from what we accept as the norm.
The sense of the familiar and exotic extends to the
music, the majority of which was composed and supervised by Oscar-winner
Ryuichi Sakamoto ("The
Last Emperor"). Sakamoto's background in progressive J-pop
undoubtedly lent a hand to the creation of the synthesizer-heavy
soundtrack, which, like the movie's visual design, is both familiar and
alien. "Wings" is a complete package of minute and major
details that invites endless repeat viewings.
But if "Wings" was just about the design
team showing off, we'd be stuck in a "Star
Wars" movie. In creating a totally credible world, the
filmmakers add weight to the story they're telling, one that's ultimately
about the things that drives man as individuals and as a species forward
through history, evolution, and enlightenment. When we first meet
Shiro, he's a young guy, but is already lost and unsure of what he's
supposed to do with his life. He knows he wants to fly, but reality
isn't playing along. In following Shiro's story, we discover that life
isn't about where you end up, but how you get there.
"Wings" isn't trying to tell a grand, epic
story. It's a personal epic, if there is such a thing, and that's
likely the reason it failed to click with audiences during its theatrical
release. Back in 1987, the anime scene was more about action-oriented
titles like the "Bubblegum
Crisis" series or established favorites like the final
"original" Gundam film "Gundam:
Char's Counterattack". In the US, it was the stone age of anime
fandom, before fan-subtitling and official translated releases. A
carefully paced meditation on the human condition was not going to excite
fanboys who didn't speak the language.
But there's no excuse to miss this movie now. It
is that good, and remains an enduring reminder of what creative
people can do when they take cartoons seriously.
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