Synopsis:

On a planet very much like our own, the quest for space exploration has begun. However every attempt to achieve this lofty goal has met with great destruction and the death of many astronauts in training. Politically, it's a hot potato. Those in charge want to appease the proletariat by voting down the space force and taking their funding to other "more worthy" projects. While those invested in the Space Force are working hard for even one glimpse of success. Surely, that would be enough to secure their funding and public approval for many years to come. The current leader of the Space Force has taken his share of beatings and is intent on making this last mission the one that goes down in history…positively. The Wings of honneamise is an incredible tale told in epic proportions that truly must be seen to be believed.

Audio/Video:

The film is presented in an English 5.1 and a Japanese 2.0. Why they make English the 5.1 platform I'll never truly understand. Manga if you are listening, WE WANT THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE TRACK IN 5.1!!!!!!!!! The English 5.1 isn't really effective until the latter half of the film and then it sounds pretty much like the information from the fronts and center have just been pumped into the rears. Additionally, the dubbing team for the English language version always has to imbue that track with profanity that the director for the actual film never intended. Not too mention that the English Language track never truly follows the actual dialogue of the film (per the subs). The soundtrack/audio on the whole was not the best I have heard for an anime title and I have to say that the English language track was lacking in all of the above areas. The Japanese language track has all the inflection and life that the film needs in order to propel it. When the English team wasn't cursing so much I did enjoy their rendition however, I found the Japanese track to really be the one in which to watch the film. The 2.0 was definitely softer sounding than the 5.1 and it required me to crank the audio up a bit just to hear the characters dialogue. Another feature for the audio of the film is the Commentary track provided by director Hiroyuki Yamaga. That's a first for me. I've never seen anime with a commentary track! Yamaga's insights into the film are great and very endearing. Throughout the whole of his commentary, it's obvious that this film was his greatest love at the time and it still holds a special place for him. The innovations that he used during the film are discussed as well as the unique/out of the ordinary way in which this film was created. Instead of using a bevy of seasoned professionals to create his epic, Yamaga relied upon students to help craft the film's final look and expression. There were some instanced where I found myself wishing he'd explain a little more about a scene or two but, he's get so involved in a particular shot that he'd go on talking about it for a bit. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed his commentary and learned a fair amount about what's going on within the animated filmmaking process.

The video seemed to be a little washed out. There were moments of great color (namely explosions) however; the film on the whole didn't look as bright as it should have. There are also a lot of flecks and scratches in the print that show up and stay around for a little bit. The film is presented in widescreen but it deserved far better treatment than it received.

Extras:

The extras consist of:

DVD Previews for currently available Manga titles as well as titles only available on VHS.

A deleted scene containing the main character (Shiro) and his compatriot as they are riding in the back of a pickup discussing the future of the space program is included. Definitely should have been edited, it lent nothing in the way of storyline or film progression.

The original Royal Space Force short film that got Honneamise of the ground is also included. Essentially, the video short is a brief telling of the story of the film. Artwork is not up to par with the feature but it's nice to have all the same. It's provided with the Director's commentary discussing the changes he would make today had he had to do this again.

Artwork and music. Conceptual artwork and the score of the film are displayed in this segment.

Overall:

I have to admit that this film started off rather slowly. It definitely took time to tell it's story and create it's momentum. Like most anime, you forget that you arte watching an animated feature and think you are watching a "regular" movie. Great storyline and at times beautiful anime. The only real problems with the disc are it's poorly remastered audio and the films' lackluster transfer. This is such a great movie it's really a sham that more attention couldn't have been paid to the audio and video aspects of the transfer. Even with those points, I'd be hard pressed not to highly recommend this title to any lover of anime! Highly Recommended.