Day #245 - the Royal Space Force

Yesterday I was watching the news and noted that the Japanese had launched a manned rocket to rendezvous with the international space station. Cool!

It got me thinking about one of my all time favourite anime, the movie that also introduced me to the composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, this is one of maybe 5 genre defining feature films.

The Wings of Honneamise : on a far-off planet, a Kingdom tries to launch the planet's first manned spacecraft. This ten year old project not only faces funding and technical problem, but also is subject to political conspiracy and the neighboring Republic's aggression. It's all up to Shilo, the first spaceman to be, his friends and their faith to make the space program a success.

What sets this film apart is the detail, the storyline flows okay and the soundtrack is sublime but without the amazingly beautiful images it would be just another movie.

Made in 1987 for approximately $8m it grossed about 50k at the box office and the guys that made it only went on to make Neon Genesis Evangelion.

If you'd like to see what Anime is all about I'd recommend these 6 titles and you'd be pretty set;

1) the Castle of Cagliostro (voted best car chase ever in a movie)

2) Akira (no explanation needed a masterpiece)

3) Ghost in the Shell

4) Ninja Scroll

5) My Neighbour Totoro

6) the Wings of Honneamise

Watch those and I'd bet you'd be hooked for life. Better than anything Hollywood can produce.

anyway, off to bed with my tired beaten up body, tough game tonight.