"I will not give up. I will realize my dream...even if it means death!"
When cadet Shiro Lhadatt signs up with the Royal Space Force, he encounters ridicule and apathy from
manipulative leaders and a cynical public. But a chance encounter with a devout young woman spurs
Shiro on towards his destiny: to become the first man in space! While military leaders conspire to use
the space program to spark an all-out war, Shiro and a team of aging scientists race against time to
complete the first launch.
(Source: Bandai Visual)
Personally, I would like to fly some more into space. I like flying. My biggest wish is to fly toward Venus, toward Mars, which is really flying. - Yuri Gagarin the first man to go into orbit around the earth On my quest to watch every available Gainax work I first stumbled upon Ouritsu Uchuugun or Royal Space Force. A package that delivered way more than I was expecting to. Quite surprised that unlike other works like TTGL or EVA not much is known about this little gem. The story isn't hard to follow we're lead to believe that we're in some alternate world of the present where Japan is working on a space program, the only one in the world and their plights in raising the staff of the force, the public's less than favorable attitude towards the program itself and foreign interest in the technology. The film does a good job of emulating a cold war esque atmosphere, but frankly tries too hard to drive the point home with some pretty unnecessary action scenes that could be used to flesh out the side characters. But surprisingly the show deludes you into thinking that the movie is about the RSF, when it's really about something much deeper and much more interesting, and with each of the scenes we see the MC change and attain some new state of being allowing for a very character driven and interesting exploration of the human condition. The conflict explored is simple and yet hard to answer: Should we favor progress and move forward no matter what the costs, or should we halt progress and work on our current and immediate happiness that is already far out of reach? The art is very good for its time, the animation is slick and the various backgrounds fit the current on goings extremely well. It has this aesthetic look of synthetics, if that makes sense, whether it be a bustling city, a frantic carnival, a country side home or a chase scene through downtown. Gainax is already my favorite but I am pretty amazed at the quality of the animation. Though with that said it still is extremely dated so you might be put off by the retro feel of it which to be perfectly honest makes the show to me more enjoyable. Sadly enough the soundtrack is only okay, there is nothing that stands out except maybe the ending theme, the music sometimes feels out of place and does not really fit with the atmosphere at all, however sound just like art is pretty subjective so you might like it. Objectively it's not of bad quality itself, however, I felt as though it really didn't fit the movie Unfortunately, the format isn't friendly towards developing a large cast, as can be exemplified in this film. The main character grows up along the viewer and matures as a person. In adverse everyone but the protagonist gets sidelined for some very stellar but ultimately misused actions scenes, that in my opinion would fair better in fleshing out the other cast members. That being said, at no point does the movie try to fool you into thinking that it's not a commentary on the whole of humanity through multiple characters rather than this one and in this sense it's rather comforting. Well being somewhat of a studio Gainax fan, I went in with high expectations, that were delivered upon. Definitely a classic worth checking out, if nothing else. Bonus info: there is a sequel in works, release date maybe soon, maybe not, still something to look forward to.
-spoilers Honneamise is a country at war. It’s conflict with a neighboring country has been going on for longer than anyone can remember, and the ongoing battle has shaped it’s society as well as it’s economy. Many lives have been affected by this war, but a certain unit called the Royal space Force likes to think of themselves as above the conflict… So above it, in fact, that their lifelong mission is to break through the sky and take mankind to the stars! And they’re so enthusiastic about that… Well, that they have no drive whatsoever. It’s unclear why they joined the royal space force… Perhaps they wanted a taste of military pay checks without having to actually fight… But the general attitude among the base is one of blasé apathy, as the entire squadron would rather meander around the red light district than attempt to make any progress towards the heavens, to the great chagrin of their often disrespected superiors, who want nothing more than to kick their butts into shape. For a while, it looked like there was no hope for the program. Enter Shirotsugh “Shino” Lhadatt, a cadet who grew up with dreams of soaring above the clouds, and eventually, the atmosphere. That starry-eyed boy has grown up into a literal and figurative space cadet, plagued with ennui and depression at his lack of direction and overall dissatisfaction with his life. Even the death of a comrade fails to affect him, much as he pretends otherwise. This all changes when he meets a pretty young woman handing out religious pamphlets in what can only be described as a more modern version of Sodom or Gomorra, and the idea of acquiring God in his life does pique his interests, if only a bit. They hit it off, and her amazement at his profession inspires him to volunteer to be the first man in the history of the world to enter orbit! That’s all well and good, but surprise surprise, space training is no walk in the park. There are several road blocks standing in his way, from harsh physical conditioning to the hassles of team work, to shadowy figures on both sides of the ongoing war who are trying to sabotage or straight up assassinate him for his efforts. For that small step for a man, they’ll have to take a giant leap of faith if they’re ever going to have a chance of reaching the heavens. It should go without saying that not all Gainax anime look like masterpieces. That’s not to say any of them have necessarily looked bad, at least not so far from what I’ve seen, but several of them have looked a bit on the mediocre side. Wings of Honneamise is NOT one of them. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 1980’s era anime that looked as good as this one does. The animation is smooth and consistent, peoples’ movements are graceful and almost feel natural, even if certain shots do feel like you’re watching an animation flip book. The level of detail in the visuals is insane, from the elaborate backgrounds to the well-thought-out lighting and shading techniques, even all the way down to the gravity of a person plopping down on a bench, which bends ever so slightly from the impact. Facial expressions are also on point, highly expressive while never going off model. There are no short-cuts taken, at least not from what I can tell, and there was clearly a very high budget that went into it. The artwork carries a very retro style… Once again, this is the eighties… And character designs skew more towards realism than exaggeration. While the color palette wasn’t really bright or lively, it still worked very well as a complement to the film’s gritty, down to earth tone. A lot of imagination went into the little details of this world that’s intended to be alternate to our own, from fashion and the technology of the times to architecture, and even the way the lines are painted on the road. This all speaks to the show’s highly distinctive design, which is consistent all the way through, and just feels right, like yeah, this is how an alternate version of Earth who’s culture revolves around war would look, with nothing… And I mean nothing… Feeling anachronistic or out of place. Studio Gainax obviously put a lot of effort into creating this world, and I have no doubt that their brainstorming sessions went way beyond what ultimately wound up making it to the screen. This would prove to be a double edged sword, as it does make the story’s landscape feel more immersive, but it also leaves out a lot of details, and makes me feel like there’s a lot of necessary world-building that got dropped. Having said that, it still looks beautiful, in it’s muted, downtrodden and poverty-stricken kind of way, carrying a bittersweet taste alongside the stunning visual quality. You get the sense that the people are making due with little resources and money, and that’s not just true of the many civilians that show up and move fluidly in the background of certain scenes, but also surprisingly of the Space force’s uniforms, which look goofy and low budget yet still more than prideful. I wouldn’t go quite so far as to say that it’s dripping with layers of atmosphere like Diebuster was, but it comes pretty close without going over the top, and there are a few certain scenes that are simply amazing in their presentation… Particularly, there’s the scene midway through with Shino flying a plane for the first time, soaring through the air above the clouds in such a way that could almost be considered to reach Miyazaki levels of quality. It does occasionally feel like they were a little lacking on the inbetweening, as some shots do feel a little choppy, but that’s an easy enough problem to ignore, especially with the rest of the product looking so beautiful. The music was okay, but aside from a few standout tracks, it was pretty generic. I also don’t want to spend too much time on the English Dub, as the Japanese track is vastly superior and will obviously get my recommendation, but still, if it’s English you’re looking for, the dub is okay. There certainly nothing overtly bad about it. There are a ton of appearance by well known voice actors in it, including over a half a dozen minor roles played by Steve Blum, and they even have Bryan Cranston playing Shino’s best friend, Matti. You know, the slightly taller and slightly rougher looking guy who… Does stuff? Arnie Hanks has also had a relatively long career, although most of it has been live action TV work. Wendee Lee shows up in a brief cameo before taking on the role of Manna, an orphaned girl who barely talks throughout the story, but she still plays her like someone who doesn’t talk often and isn’t fully comfortable in their own voice. They all take part, they all put in their work, and they do a fairly good job, for what’s often considered to be the Dark Days of anime dubbing. But the two actors who get the most screentime are the ones playing the lead roles. Robbie Matthews, or more accurately, David Allen Thomas, has done barely any anime work, as the majority of his output has been video game roles. He’s playing a very subtle character, and thus is putting forth a very subtle performance, hitting all the necessary points of his character’s development. He obviously used a fake name, which was common practice at the time for union reasons, but the reveal of his actual identity didn’t shock me nearly as much as the church girl Riquinna’s voice actor did. Melody Lee, when I did a little digging, turned out to be Patricia Ja Lee, a former Pink Power Ranger. I’ve heard good work from her… Most notably in an episode of Cowboy Bebop… And she’s also done a lot of cringey roles, like in Lucky Star and the live action Haruhi skits. Her work as Riquinni blows even Bebop out of the water, as she dances on the line of an incredibly nuanced character, one who preaches and tries to save people, even when her own struggle for survival has led her down some dark paths. The acting in this dub is great, and it would be even better with the help of good writing, but alas, that was apparently a bridge too far. Well, maybe that’s not fair. The writing isn’t really bad, per se, and you won’t have many complaints with it if you’re just watching it on it’s own with the subtitles off… Except for one little part that I’ll get to in a minute… But if you actually know what the original dialogue was, you may feel cheated over the lack of subtlety and constant unnecessary changes. For example, right before attempting to go into space, Shino gives Manna a message for Riquinni, and it gets changed from “Tell her I’m leaving, and can I bring you back anything” to “Tell her she changed me, and I want to repay her.” Either way, Manna asks for him to bring back a star, either for her or for Riquinni. But the worst part is the ending, which takes a more or less okay monologue about not corrupting our home to speech about how hey, once we get into space, there’ll be no reason to fight anymore!” Which has to be the most pretentious explanation of war that I’ve heard since Aldnoah Zero. The dub’s fine, but I highly recommend the sub. So, there’s a certain comparison I’ve been making about Studio Gainax for a few years now, and even though I’ve been doing four years of a theme month in it’s honor, I haven’t found the perfect opportunity to talk about it until now, as I believe it to be the crux of this movie’s problems. In my opinion, if Studio Gainax were an American director, it wouldn’t be Michael Bay… It wouldn’t be be Quentin Tarrantino… It would be Zack Snyder, the man who rose to fame with Watchmen and then proved to us all what a joke he was by making Sucker Punch, but he firmly cemented what kind of filmmaker he was with last year’s Batman vs. Superman. Like Gainax, Zack Snyder is someone who you can call many things, but lazy and uninspired are not among them. He believes in his projects, he pours effort into them, and he really, really wants them to be good, but he just isn’t as talented as he would have to be to pull off the scope of his ambitions. He respects great writing and profound ideas, but he doesn’t understand them. I feel that this is the best way to describe Studio Gainax, a production company that’s all heart and little brain, who dreams of creating awe inspiring, emotionally impactful anime, but often bites off more than they can chew and winds up losing focus on the story they’re telling. A good example of this would be the religious symbolism in Evangelion, which shouldn’t be that difficult to use, I mean hell, Death Note used it well by complete accident, but no, it just winds up leading to a confused and muddled mess of an ending that only really kind of stands up under a literal interpretation of the events. Even their attempts at tackling depression and existentialism digs them into a hole so deep that they have to pull an emotional deus ex machina out of their asses just to reach a satisfying conclusion. That’s not to say they can’t put out great work… With shows like FLCL and Gurren Lagann, simple ideas and elements were pulled off so well that the products didn’t even NEED good writing to support them… But from what I’ve seen, it’s been the problem for most of their work. They know the what, they know the how, but they never truly manage to grasp the why. So how does this relate to Wings of Honneamise? Well, if there’s one thing people like to trumpet about this movie, and I will give them this, it’s that they did a really great job writing the main character. Shino has a complete character arc, and I’m sorry, but talking about it is going to go into some spoilers. At the beginning of the movie, he’s depressed, he feels empty and unmotivated, and he knows he shouldn’t feel that way. He meets a religious girl in the middle of a street of utter depravity… Which is a little touch I’ll also admit I really like… And he begins to find a renewed purpose through religion. Faith in something greater gives him faith in himself and his mission, and when his faith in the former is challenged, the latter pulls him right back up before long. He grows as a person, from a deadbeat louse to a model soldier and pilot, and in the end, when he reaches space, he realizes(in the sub, at least) that mankind can’t run from it’s problems, or it’ll just keep on making the same mistakes, spreading it’s sin wherever it goes. Change comes from within. On the surface, this seems like a great message, and it even ties into his arc. It’s a great resolution to his conflict. The problem? Well, once all that’s said and done, the only thing I have left to say is… So what? It’s great for the character, and it teaches something to the audience, but consider this: He’ll have to come down eventually, or he’s going to die, whether from starvation, suffocation, or hypothermia. While the movie went into great, and hell, almost too much detail on how the spaceship was being built and how it was going to fly, I don’t recall anything being said about the return trip, which has to happen. And even if he does manage to get back safely, it’s still not going to satisfy the people who criticized the royal space Force for wasting potential war and/or food money on a pointless endeavor. In fact, they’ll probably be even more pissed off, since they’re likely going to need even MORE money for their next trip to the stars. I’m also having a hard time believing that their accomplishment will end war, because even though the rocket blasting off was shown to shock fighting soldiers into freezing in their paths, what does reaching space have to do with poor foreign relationships? If anything, their enemies will be either jealous of them, want to fight them even harder to obtain their technology, or they’ll become afraid of what an enemy with space travel possibilities can do to them, forcing them into action. I also don’t see what good Shino’s speech is going to accomplish, because while I don’t THINK it’s ever explained what the two countries are fighting for, but there’s usually some kind of reason for fighting to take place, and whatever it is, no logic is going to cause warring powers to lay down their guns and start getting along. Yeah, Shino went into space, and gave everyone a lecture, but once he comes down, everything’s going to go back to the way it was, both for him and for his country. He hated being a celebrity before the flight, now it’s just going to be worse. He’s going to become the most famous man on the planet. I don’t see his flight changing Riquinna’s life, unless he marries her and shares his wealth with her, and the odds that being back on Earth with his space faring days behind him will drive him back down into a brand new cycle of depression are disturbingly high. And that’s where Gainax’s true failure lies. They were so focused on writing out Shino’s character arc that they didn’t stop to think about the bigger picture, and the effect that his accomplishment would have on the world they built. It’s fine if you don’t think about it, but when you do, Shino’s big moment just feels like an empty, pointless blip in a long timeline of life just generally being shit. I legitimately can’t see a sequel to this movie feeling realistic without him coming back to Earth, and eventually committing suicide over the fact that his life dream has already ended, and his life’s purpose has already peaked. For a story that strives towards one goal, one symbol of impossible hope that’s meant to inspire it’s audience, nothing is really accomplished, which just ends up making the overall experience feel empty and bleak. Would it be like this if there was a tighter focus on the main character, and the war was left out of the story completely? No, I don’t think it would be. But on that note, there’s a lot of stuff in this movie that should have been cut out. For starters, while Shino and Riquinni are pretty well written, everybody else… Literally everybody else… Gets the shaft. Shino has a lot of friends… The big doofus, the long haired short dude, the best friend who does stuff, and while I promise you they all have names, you won’t know them, and if they even say them… I can’t remember… You won’t remember them. They might as well not even be in the movie. That would at least make the training montages(yes, plural,) a little shorter. There’s also a character named Doc, who only has three scenes, is actually kind of likeable in two of them, but then he dies offscreen leaving no impact whatsoever. That’s a named character dying. There’s a lot more pointless characters, but what’s even more damning is the pointless world-building, as the ongoing war does nothing other than to add some tension to the launch, and the attempts at assassinating Shino and Matti are nothing more than filler. With so much going on, and so many problems happening with this fictitious world, the stakes for Shino’s space trip feel a lot more paltry than they would if all that material were just left by the wayside in the first place. At two hours long, this movie didn’t need to be more than forty-five minutes. There’s also a controversial scene where Shino tries to rape Riquinni, and while a lot of people think of it as the single blemish that keeps this movie from becoming a masterpiece, I honestly don’t mind it so much. I mean, it bothered me the first time, but… We’ll get to that. People tend to think that it comes out of nowhere, that it makes a good person character look like a misogynist asshole, it’s sexist, it seriously undermines the religious aspect of the story… I disagree on all counts. That’s not to say it was important, or that what it accomplished couldn’t have been achieved better through other means, but it’s really not as bad as everyone says. First of all, and I’d never try to make excuses for a sexual assailant, this didn’t come out of nowhere… The catalyst was just way too subtle. See, Shino has tried to become more than friends with Riquinni, but was rejected, and he took it like a champ, respecting her and continuing to come to her for religion and deeper meaning. But then he finds out something about her that flies under the radar of a lot of viewers, including myself on my first viewing… She’s a prostitute. Now, obviously this is a situational thing, as she’s just selling her body to put food on the table for herself and Manna, but in Shino’s disenfranchised mind, the same religion that’s keeping him away from her hasn’t been keeping her away from other men, so for that one brief moment, he becomes beset by jealousy and entitlement, and sees her as less than a person. I know rape is a thing that deserves to be demonized, but it’s important to remember that while it’s definitely a bad thing, good people do it, too. No matter who you are, you can make a mistake that will affect you and another person for the rest of your lives, because even good people can succumb to poor judgement. Now, don’t get me wrong, humanizing rape does NOT excuse it or defend it, it just teaches you that yes, even YOU could rationalize yourself into performing terrible acts, so don’t ever think of yourself as above them, or you’re more likely to wind up doing the same thing Shino does. Thankfully, he stops himself. Riquinni also defends herself, justifiably so, which is where I really don’t get the sexism criticism. She doesn’t just blush, turn her head and ask him to be gentle, as a FUCKING TON of anime would have her do, she clocks him for it. If anything her apology for using violence to defend herself says a lot more about the effect religion can have on people than it does about gender politics. In any case, like I said earlier, this is the event that challenges his faith in a higher power, which he recovers from thanks to his faith in himself and his mission, and this could have been achieved in a number of ways that DIDN’T involve rape, but the reason I think it doesn’t work, and the reason I think it makes people so damned uncomfortable, is because, as I said, the reveal of her turning to prostitution is way too subtle. the visual of her pouring money out of her boot just isn’t clear enough to explain what’s going on, so yeah, that is a huge problem, but is it the single blemish on an otherwise masterpiece? No. Not even close. Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise is available stateside on many different DVD releases, including a Pioneer release, a Manga Video release, a couple of imported versions, and most recently, a Maiden Japan release, and chances are you can find it online for cheap. A four minute pilot to the movie, commissioned by Gainax two years prior, has not been released stateside, at least as far as I know. You can also view the film on Hulu. Wings of Honneamise is considered by many to be a Gainax classic, an untouchable masterpiece with a very important place in anime history. I don’t disagree with that last part, as pretty much all of Gainax’s early work has been highly influential on the medium, but I kinda feel like squeezing the brakes on calling it a masterpiece. Yeah, the animation is almost unrealistically great, and Shino’s character arc does offer a compelling character study, but aside from the few things that I do agree are noteworthy about it, I just don’t think it’s a very good movie. The pacing is garbage, the scenes feel like they could have been shuffled out of order without losing very much impact, and there’s almost no attempt at foreshadowing a lot of what should have been important events. I do respect Gainax for it’s ambition and creativity… Well, back then, at least… But as writers, this movie carries a lot of the issues that have always plagued them. Their work may be important, it may be influential, but it benefits heavily from peoples’ nostalgia. Case in point, this movie may have looked beautiful, but it was so full of pulp and badly focused that I could barely manage to stay awake. I give Royal Space Force; Wings of Honneamise a 4/10.
Ahh yes, saw this movie when I had time during the COVID-19 epidemic. I noticed that I had this movie in my plan to watch list, of which I remembered adding because I saw some amazing sakuga clips of machinery and airplanes from this feature film. Gave it a try. As Gainax's first feature length film, the quality of animation holds up as probably the best of its era. The music and sound design also fit well to this show, making big climactic moments pop and tense moments even more dramatic. Gainax has historically been known for making great shows, but also running out of budget near the end of each show, dropping the quality. Since this is a feature length film, I am proud to verify that this movie has very consistent quality. However, great animation and sound design is just a bare minimum to prevent your audience from loosing their immersion in your fictional world. This film stars Shirotsugh Lhadatt, a young and dumb protagonist with his eyes set on the sky, flying in planes through the cloudy seas. However, because of his not-so-great grades in school, he was not allowed to join the Navy or Air Force, the only places you can learn to and fly planes and jets. He is redirected to the Royal Space Force, a sketchy research group set on sending an astronaut to space. That's where the adventure begins. This story is most essentially about the spiritual awakening of an astronaut, and if that interests you as a concept, please watch this amazing movie. Many religious and spiritual themes are at the forefront of the movie, especially through Lhadatt's interactions with his love interest, Riquinni Nonderaiko, a young spiritual girl both charming and forgiving. As Lhadatt becomes more of a celebrity, he becomes more aware of his own actions, as well as the social disparity in their society. At first Lhadatt is misguided about what is "good" and "bad" through his own perspective, yet Riquinni guides him to understanding that these terms are only subjective, helping him reevaluate his actions and understand his place in the clockwork system of society. Another interesting element to this story is the involvement with the military, specifically post-Cold War era politics, revolving around war and weapons of mass destruction. During this era, the US and USSR competed in a space race, a competition to send people outer space. Much of the politics in the movie mirror that of real world events surrounding the space race, like whether things like satelites and rockets would be used for war, reconnaissance, or nuclear weapons. Lhadatt even becomes the sacrificial lamb to entice a war between several nations. If you like political twists, especially those often seen in the Gundam universe, this movie might be for you. Overall, I'd give this film a solid 10/10, and will forever be one of my favorite standalone films, even better than Laputa, Castle in the Sky, a favorite for many years. If you are a fellow nerd to have witnessed the mystique and glory of the space race, the flight of Sputnik, the launch of a rocket ship, or Neil's first steps on the moon, this is a must watch.
Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise is an oft overlooked entry in Gainax' history. Everyone has heard of Gurren Lagann and Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gunbuster and FLCL are iconic, and while Royal Space Force receives its fair share of love, it pales in comparison to the long lasting impressions left by the titans that came in its wake, and it's not hard to see why. For Gainax's first outing, this is a relatively quaint story. There's war going on, but that's all background noise to the main conflict. There's space, but that's the end-goal and space itself is presented as far away, almost unreachable. The politics take up a good chunk of the running time, how the warring countries react to Honneamise sending its first man into the atmosphere, and if I'm being honest, all of this works. The story taking this angle, to focus on what the political ramifications of allowing the Royal Space Force to go through with their mission of sending a man into space, are both heavily focused on and incredibly withdrawn from in the film. You'll see other countries plotting to steal the rocket before it can go into space, other branches of the military mocking the Space Force, the characters are made into political figures through their desires, but it never fully takes center stage. A fair few people would call it ball-less for not going all in on the political angle, but I feel this perfectly reflects the mindset of the main character, the mindset of one Shirotsugh Lhadatt. img2000(https://i.imgur.com/FYhFDbe.jpg) Shiro doesn't care for the politics, the first time he is shown on a TV in the film is him saying _"It really hasn't bothered me"_ in regards to the ongoings of the world in the wake of his desire to reach the stars. He casually blows off photo ops to do what he thinks is important, he helps the people in need because he feels bad. He is above the politics of his world, and in the climax of the film, instead of running away because of a chance the Royal Space Force's efforts, the culmination of their work up to this point, might be seized by an invading country, he inspires everyone to continue the mission, inspires every to send him to space, not knowing if the project would succeed or fail. img2000(https://i.imgur.com/RNsgS9L.jpg) In short, Shiro is a very down to Earth, human character. This isn't to say all the writing is great, and anyone who has seen the film knows I'm glossing over a certain issue. Around the third quarter of the film, Shiro attempts to rape the love interest. He's unable to go through with it, he feels ashamed, but this concept doesn't really go anywhere. I assume it's meant to reinforce his flaws, but I just found the scene to be too much. For anyone interested in the film, don't let this put you off, just know that it's there, and it's weird, and sorry if there is greater meaning to it that I'm missing, but I just felt uncomfortable watching it. Moving past that, visually, the film is a treat. As you can see from some of the screenshots I've included with this review, it has a very detailed art style, and when you're watching this on your HD TV, lights are off, and it's just you and the movie, it is really just a visually engaging piece. The film has a nice distinct style, bouts of great animation, wonderful use of colours, and it is just pure wallpaper fuel. I can assure most people that they will enjoy even just looking at the film. I wouldn't say aesthetically it has anything on the likes of Blazing Transfer Student, but I can't stress enough how much of a treat it is just to watch it and experience it. img2000(https://i.imgur.com/rJvu3Jn.jpg) So, in short, despite some weird scenes, I whole-heartedly recommend Royal Space Force. If you can look past the scene I mentioned earlier, it is a great film almost unlike what anyone normally expects from Gainax. It's not especially crazy, it's not deep insight into the human psyche, it's a quaint story about a man reaching for the stars, and you know what, if that isn't the embodiment of what Gainax started out as, I don't know what is. img2000(https://i.imgur.com/XHsGXPJ.jpg) ~!I omitted a piece where I was like "You know, it's kind of weird how their first breakout film was about getting into space, and their next major project was Gunbuster, where going to space was so common high school girls did it to get into the space force, almost like Gainax conquered the untouchable heights of being a big name production company and landed amongst the stars." Sure if you start counting stuff like Appleseed, this doesn't work too well, but please don't even try to remind me of Appleseed. Mid incarnate.!~
Sinopsis Shirotsugh Lhadatt es un soldado que forma parte de las Fuerzas Espaciales del Reino de Honneamise. A pesar de lo grandiosa que suena, él y sus compañeros son vistos como el hazmerreír del resto del ejército porque son soldados “sin enemigos”. Igualmente la opinión pública y el gobierno creen que su existencia es innecesaria. Sin embargo, Shiro decide convertirse en el primer hombre en llegar al espacio tras un encuentro casual con una mujer religiosa. En ese contexto, políticos y líderes militares de varios países intentan utilizar el despegue para causar una guerra. ¿Podrá nuestro joven astronauta escribir una nueva línea en la historia de la humanidad? Trama y Desarrollo Siempre me han parecido admirables las ansias de Gainax por buscar llegar a la cima de la animación, presentando obras tan ambiciosas como esta. Antes de que ellos llegaran con su primer proyecto serio al mundo de la animación no había ninguna película que hubiera costado tantísimo dinero. Estamos hablando de un presupuesto de 800 millones de yenes, aunque luego no recaudaron ni la mitad. Sé que hoy aquellos que la conocen la valoran relativamente bien, pero es una pena un fracaso tan estrepitoso en taquilla. Analicémosla para saber cuáles han sido sus errores y aciertos. La historia de este largometraje se ubica en un mundo ficticio distinto al nuestro. La evolución de la humanidad en esta Tierra alternativa ha sido similar, pero se notan claras diferencias. Hay una combinación de elementos posteriores a la primera mitad del siglo XX con otros de épocas más antiguas, llamando mucho la atención el tipo de moneda que utilizan y la vestimenta de los soldados y otros habitantes. En este mundo encontramos dos grandes naciones: el Reino de Honneamise y la República. Su situación política es tensa, ya que han estado enfrentados durante mucho tiempo. En cierta manera podríamos compararlos con la situación que vivían los Estados Unidos y la URSS durante la Guerra Fría. Concretamente, diría que se trata del momento de la carrera espacial. Debido a ello, el Reino de Honneamise creó una pequeña unidad dentro del ejército que llamamos Fuerzas Espaciales. Sin embargo, las esperanzas por llegar al espacio parecen escasas debido a las constantes pérdidas materiales como humanas. Estos fracasos han hecho que su presupuesto se haya recortado año tras año y que el Rey y la Cámara de los Nobles hablen ya de suprimir ese cuerpo. El pueblo tampoco los apoya demasiado, creyendo que están desperdiciando sus impuestos. Y el resto del ejército se mofa de ellos por no tener siquiera un enemigo con quien luchar. Nadie cree que sean útiles para la sociedad y tampoco nadie piensa que puedan llegar al espacio. En este contexto, seguimos los pasos de Shiro, un soldado desmotivado que no se toma muy en serio su trabajo. Él mismo cree que su unidad no tiene futuro y piensa en buscarse otro trabajo. Tras el fracaso de Ghida, el quinto satélite que intentan hacer despegar, estaba convencido de ello. No obstante, su forma de pensar empieza a cambiar tras encontrarse con una mujer devota llamada Riquinni. Ella cree que alcanzar las estrellas sería algo maravilloso y esta ilusión hace que se entusiasme por fin con su trabajo, presentándose poco más tarde para ser el primer astronauta del proyecto espacial que tienen entre manos. A partir de aquí Shiro empieza a madurar por la relación con la chica y sus deseos de dar un paso más allá en el progreso de la humanidad junto con sus compañeros. Pese al aire de pesimismo y escepticismo, durante la primera parte vemos como Shiro se prepara duramente. Este alcanza las condiciones y la experiencia necesarias para llevar a cabo sus ambiciones. Al mismo tiempo avanza la construcción del satélite que será capaz de llevarlo hasta ahí y poder hacerlo regresar. Todo este proceso por el que pasa nuestro protagonista es interesante, así como el cambio gradual en su actitud y mentalidad gracias a las relaciones con Riquinni, Manna y su equipo. Ciertamente en un principio el giro en su forma de actuar se debía más a las ganas de impresionar a la chica, pero luego de verdad madura al ver como todos se esfuerzan para ver como los frutos de su trabajo por fin crecen y como las ideas espirituales de Riquinni le hacen cambiar su perspectiva. El problema que tiene la película es el ritmo lento y la falta de otros focos de interés. Durante la primera hora es difícil mantenerse entretenido por mucho tiempo la verdad. El proyecto avanza sí, pero esto es insuficiente. Podrían haber añadido un contexto más complejo a la situación política de ambos países o bien contar dar un tratamiento más específico a alguno de los personajes que aparecían en pantalla como el caso de Riquinni. Al final solo tenemos al protagonista como personaje relevante, el cual no tiene mucho atractivo aunque su evolución valga mucho. En la segunda parte, el interés se refuerza gracias a la introducción de un conflicto que podría amenazar la vida de todo el equipo. A pesar de tener el cohete casi terminado, se revela que el gobierno ha estado utilizando el proyecto para poder iniciar una nueva guerra. Ellos quieren situar el lanzamiento cerca de la frontera de la República, ya que actualmente están enfrentados con ellos y buscan apropiarse de él. De esta manera obtendrían una excusa para poder atacarlos si su ejército decide pisar suelo real. Por el bien de este plan, empiezan a convertir a Shiro en una estrella de los medios y en un héroe nacional. La publicidad acerca del plan espacial empieza a emitirse por televisión para que sus enemigos cobren mayor interés. Aquí observamos también como Shiro se da cuenta de que está siendo utilizado por las altas esferas, sin importarles que atenten contra su vida. Aún con ese disgusto, tanto él como sus compañeros no se rinden y deciden luchar por terminar lo que empezaron. Saben que podrían morir, pero están decididos. Intentan asesinarlo, pero tampoco se rinde. Parte de la sociedad protesta en contra, pero siguen. Incluso cuando están a punto de completar el despegue no tiran la toalla porque el lugar se esté convirtiendo en un campo de batalla. En ese momento somos testigos de la satisfacción de todos al lograr su ansiado objetivo y como Shiro por fin está en órbita. Sin temor a equivocarme es una de las escenas más memorables del anime. Se experimentan los efectos de esa catarsis tras el logro de una de las metas de la humanidad. Hablando del tema espacial, si te pones en el pellejo de una persona que vivió hace más de 60 años comprendes lo absurdo que sonaba la idea de poner en órbita a un hombre en el espacio. Ciertamente esto podría aplicar a muchos avances como la televisión o el Internet. ¿Estando a inicios del siglo XX serías capaz de asumir que es posible ver un programa que está sucediendo a cientos de kilómetros de tu posición? Probablemente no. Es exactamente lo mismo que la fantasiosa idea de salir de la Tierra y explorar nuestro Sistema Solar, algo que aún hoy tiene mucho que avanzar. No obstante, desde siempre fue uno de los sueños de la humanidad saber el descubrir que hay más allá de nuestro planeta. Que se esconde en la inmensidad del universo. La película nos transmite bien esta idea de cómo el ser humano de manera entusiasta progresa. Pero al mismo tiempo nos muestra que este progreso se ensombrece en muchas ocasiones por culpa de la ambición de los poderosos y su aplicación para la guerra. En cierta manera se trata de una reflexión filosófica un tanto ambigua en algunos puntos, pero que se termina captando en general. Lo mejor es que esta reflexión acerca de la historia de la humanidad y los constantes conflictos que ha sufrido para llegar hasta ahí viene de la mano del crecimiento del protagonista, el cual culmina con el lanzamiento. Cuando está en órbita podemos observar como Shiro reza por el perdón de la humanidad y se inicia un montaje de su propia vida y los logros de su mundo. Personajes -Shirotsugh Lhadatt: Soldado de la unidad de las Fuerzas Espaciales y el primer astronauta de la historia. Shiro procede de una familia de clase media y de pequeño quería ser piloto militar, pero sus notas en el instituto eran demasiado bajas así que aceptó unirse a las Fuerzas Espaciales. En un principio, Shiro es un chico sin espíritu y talento. La mayoría del tiempo prefería descansar, jugar a las cartas con sus amigos o ir a algún burdel donde disfrutar la noche con alguna mujer. Pero tras los cambios ya citados se toma más en serio su puesto y se convierte en alguien de provecho. Más maduro y más responsable en general. A pesar de que sufre algunos bajones fruto de las conspiraciones urdidas por los políticos o la dureza de las pruebas, sigue avanzando. -Riquinni Nonderaiko: La amiga de Shiro, aunque también la chica que le gusta. Ella es una mujer religiosa que cree en la llegada del Juicio Final, repartiendo panfletos por las calles para intentar concienciar a la gente. Riquinni piensa que esto es una consecuencia del modo de vivir despreocupado que tiene la mayoría de la gente, pero especialmente por culpa de las guerras y los conflictos. Por ese motivo, su ideal es la paz. Estas ideas terminan por influenciar a Shiro, aunque su relación también hace que este se humanice más. En cambio, para Riquinni él es un buen amigo con el que hablar, sobre todo de las estrellas y el espacio. Fuera de sus ideas religiosas, se nota que es una persona amable y comprensible. Junto con su “hermana” pequeña, viven de forma humilde en la casa de su tía. Cada día trabaja en el campo, cuida de su hermana y reparte folletos en la ciudad. -Manna: Ella es una niña de corta edad que vive con Riquinni. Manna realmente es la hija de su tía, pero vive con Riquinni porque la abandonó. Normalmente se muestra callada y con la misma mirada extraña en el rostro. A menudo, puede vérsele jugando con los insectos o fabricando algo. El abandono de su madre parece que provocó esa forma de ser suya. Fuera del protagonista, cuesta encontrar un personaje que valga tanto la pena. Casi todos los personajes secundarios podrían considerarse en la línea de lo aceptable porque tienen cierta caracterización que incluye una personalidad definida, pero ninguno resalta mucho ni hay elementos que intenten darle mucho protagonismo o siquiera tiempo en pantalla suficiente. Alguno podría mencionar a Riquinni, pero desconocemos bastante sobre ella. Muy poco de su religión (de dónde proceden sus ideas) y casi nada de su pasado. Tampoco recibe desarrollo alguno o sufre una catarsis. En cambio, con los compañeros de Shiro sí hay una catarsis al ver como todos sus esfuerzos son cumplidos al despegar el cohete.