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It's vaguely unsettling then to discover that Hiroyuki Yamaga's film isn't really about the main character Shirotsugh Lhadatt (Leo Morimoto). It concentrates more upon tracing the fault lines in Honneamise society, seeing where technologies rub up against each other and people squirt from the gaps like toothpaste. Wings of Honneamise finds vivid beauty in the clean curves of aircraft wings, the bulge of rocket fuel-tanks and the billow of steamy smoke. It captures a culture unable to see beyond its nearest border, whether to contemplate a Universe founded upon science or religion. The only reaction allowed is one of mockery, that anyone would even waste his or her time on such a flight of fancy.
So, understandably, that's precisely the perspective that Shirotsugh enjoys. Shirotsugh doesn't join the Royal Space Force because he's a dreamer but for exactly the opposite reason, because he's a realist; poor grades bar him from piloting jet planes and there aren't any other jobs. It's through this purposeless limbo that Shirotsugh stumbles across Riquinni Nonderaiko (Mitsuki Yayoi), the waif who'll change his life. Standing on a busy corner, though protected by the distance that people keep from the unfamiliar, she prophesies the end of civilisation. For one like philosophically empty Shirotsugh, Riquinni's message answers an burning hunger for meaning.
Wings of Honneamise doesn't however capitalise upon this potential romance, despite hinting at the possibility. Their relationship docks at the first level and never stirs again, which may explain why their (and other) characters remain two-dimensional. There's nothing emotional going on in anyone's life, which is a shame. Yamaga obviously has a clear picture of how the society hangs together, he just can't quite show how people live within this environment. Still, Hiromasa Ogura's detailed animation direction awards Wings of Honneamise a complexity beyond that demanded by Yamaga's script. There's always something going on behind the main characters, subtly enhancing the feeling of completeness. Sure the artwork has none of the gorgeous depth or fluidity of Akira but then again, how many do?
Something of a coup is the fact that Ryuichi Sakamoto, an Oscar winner with his score for The Last Emperor, provides original music. Utilising a mixture of instruments that sound both familiar and alien, Sakamoto enhances Yamaga's creativity by underpinning it with general resonance. When the film passes through striking montage sequences, Sakamoto responds with harmonies seemingly drawn from the rich country soil. Elsewhere, harsh urban noises jostle with energy, competing for attention. Given the way in which Wings of Honneamise often decelerates to a glacial pace, the busy soundtrack serves as a welcome distraction.
There's no doubt about it; Wings of Honneamise is a project of great ambition. Yamaga explores the conflict between wielding technology for peace and for war, successfully revealing how sometimes the only difference is the human element. Then there's the thread that parallels science and religion, how one without the other is like man without woman; concepts that defeat many a worthy drama. Somehow Yamaga sheds light on each of these issues, despite being held-back by characters of limited evolution and a desire to somehow elevate Wings of Honneamise above the usual manga crop. This isn't the greatest animation feature ever, just one of the most challenging.
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