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Aile De Honneamise -
Royal Space Force
Anime Soundtrack Review
Oscar winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto crafted the soundtrack to this groundbreaking film and it's simply one of the most amazing OST's ever, anime movie or otherwise. Using an odd combination of instrumentation, at times it sounds Middle-Eastern, other times, European.
 In other cases, the attack and decay of some instruments are reversed. It all combines to make it seem otherworldly, which is of course, the desired effect. It certainly doesn't sound like any anime soundtrack you've ever heard.
The swashbuckling themes meant to inspire are rounded out by thoughtful, introspective pieces which make you remember rainy days staring out a window. The personal highlight is the attack theme with it's heavy percussion and Arabic inspired sitar and flute.
Sakamoto is a gifted composer of both film soundtracks and pop-music, and his ability to balance the theme and tone of his music is beyond reproach. Almost 20 years later, this score still stands out as one of the finest soundtracks ever delivered, perfectly complementing the dramatic tension and mood of the film.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, February 2007
Royal Space Force -
Wings of Honneamise
Anime DVD Review
Most anime features are churned out in less than 6 months. By comparison, Wings of Honneamise took over 3 years to complete, cost over 800 Million Yen (at the time, the most expensive animated film ever made in Japan), features a musical score written by an Academy Award Winning composer, and one of the deepest, most realistically conceived and executed alternate worlds ever brought to the screen. The plot (on the surface) is a little like "The Right Stuff" from the Russian point of view, but there's a lot more going on socio-politcal-wise.
Every frame is meticulously crafted, it's a labor of love by the highly dedicated team of artists at Gainax and it shows in every single sequence. You'll need DVD because there are so many portions of the film you'll want to pause, study and re-watch. The film was made in 1987 and yet it still looks cutting edge even by todays standards. There are so many sequences of this film that will "blow you away" we won't even bother mentioning things like the assasin, the first flight in a plane, and the battle before the space shot. Even the newspaper a character reads idly is well-designed and fascinating. Everything about this flick screams "masterpiece", and you will listen. This work of art may forever change the way you think about anime.
Below: Scenes and promotional art from
Royal Space Force - Wings of Honneamise.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, December 2002
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