There are no good English language trailers for The Wings Of Honnêamise, alas, just the Manga VHS one with the slightly medicated voice-over.
Royal Space Force: The Wings Of Honnêamise, or 王立宇宙軍 オネアミスの翼 as it’s more popularly known, is a wistful 1987 anime epic, directed by Gainax Studios (Neon Genesis Evangelion) founder Hiroyuki Yamaga.
Depicting a sort of retro-futuristic near-Earth where aimless teen Shirotsugh Lhadatt finds himself in his nation’s skeletal, ramshackle space programme, the film follows his training across years, as the spectre of war grows in the background. A bored, reluctant idealist, Lhdatt falls in love, first with the deeply religious Riquinni Nonderaik, and then with the dream of being the first man in space.
A coming of age tale of idealism versus cynicism, war, celebrity and hardship, the movie seems frustratingly out of print in DVD and Blu-ray but the message at its heart is one that’ll resonate with anyone who has ever stared at the stars in wonder.
All About Space would surely approve of the sentiment.
You can get All About Space in all the best newsagents, order it online from the ImagineShop, digitally from GreatDigitalMags.com, or subscribe to 3 issues for £3.
