Anime The dreamer in us all

[Mnemolth]

This is a review I posted on an anime site some time ago. Why am I posting it here now? Well I wanted to bring it to the attention of anime fans. I thikn people don't give it enough of a chance. Its not that Wings of Honnemaise is unknown, I feel it is just under-appreciated. And of course, I want feedback, what did you think of the anime or the review for that matter?

[b]The dreamer in us all[/b]

Costing some 8 billion yen, this was, in its time, the most expensive anime project ever undertaken. Originally released by Gainax in 1987. Hiroyuki Yamaga?s masterpiece is a contemplative blend of the serene and the surreal. Audaciously ambitious in terms of its themes and scope, it is largely successful. Much has been said about the slow pace of the film and its lack of focus. A lot of people do not even make it to the end, either falling asleep or switching to watch something more accessible like Ranma ½ or Ninja Scroll. Unlike most of the popular anime, there is no abundance of simple slapstick humour here, nor highly stylised violence or sickly sweet adolescent romance.

The story is about Shirotsugh Lhadatt, who dreams of flying but fails to achieve the grades that would have allowed him to fulfill his dreams. An average and aimless guy he falls down to earth, and joins the ridiculed Royal Space Force. Yet through his interactions with Riquinni, a deeply religious woman, he finds meaning and purpose again in his life, pushing himself to be the first man in space.

Written and directed by Yamaga when he was only 24 years old, there is no doubt this is one of the harder anime features to enjoy. It is interesting to note that Citizen Kane was also made by Orson Welles when he was the same age. This is not to say Wings is anything like as good as Citizen Kane, except to say that, in the annals of anime history, this is just about as good as any anime out there.

Yes, the story unfolds slowly, at a plodding and sometimes even ponderous pace. And yes, it sometimes does fall into a habit of preaching to the audience, but for the most part it remains reserved, respecting the audiences? intelligence, letting the audience figure things out for themselves. One may argue so much so that it confuses and frustrates many, who are used to cute girls, big round eyes, action heroes, tearful romances, and linear narratives that lead to final unambiguous resolutions and the like. After all, anime, at least in the western world, remains predominantly a universe inhabited by young adults, and as such, often preoccupied with the post-pubescent angst of the late teenager. And clearly there is nothing wrong with that.

But Wings is different. Mature and developed, Yamaga has created a world at once different and yet strangely familiar to our own. What people find boring and what they mistake for tedium is the painstaking and comprehensive way in which Yamaga shows us his vision of this alien land. The animation is superb. Yes, its true the frame rates may not be as smooth as Disney, but the animation is lovingly drawn to the tiniest detail. From the odd cylindrical coins used as currency, to the bicycles to the uniforms, the unfamiliar architecture of the houses, even the mics used, everything is shown to us as it is, immersing us in another world. With the exception of the ending monologue and its accompanying montage, nothing is explicitly stated. Everything comes through by way of inference.

The prologue has the protagonist explaining to us:

?How am I suppose to say? that if it was for the better or for the worse?I grew up all ordinary?middle class?countryside home?there were trees and streams?Being in the middle, I never suffered the hardships of the poor and I couldn?t grasp the frustrations of the rich?But when I was young, I knew what I wanted?.only the Navy had jets?..fast jets?.they flew very high and very fast?.I ?needed- to feel those wings?I?d have been a pilot and I?d touch the wind?The Navy could but they wouldn?t accept me?My school graduated me but my grades told a different story?I wanted to achieve the ?greater- heights?but I blew it?and I landed back in the middle?into the middle of the Space Force??

In that somber and wistful voice, trembling with yearning and longing, which one of us can resist its soothing melancholic ache?

This is rare in anime, and Wings should be rewarded with more popular acclaim than it has been. It can be difficult to understand but if you put the effort in to watch this rather long feature, the rewards are exceptional.

For anyone who is adrift and lost, or paradoxically so focused on what they do that they cannot see the forest from the trees, this is required viewing. For anyone interested in animation and anime in particular, this film shows what is possible without resorting to cute talking animals or teenage romances.

A classic