Royal Space Force - The Wings of Honneamise

Another world, a country resembling ours. There is a body called the Royal Space Force and nobody takes it seriously; there is no budget, the training is lax, and young men join because they could find nowhere else. Shirotsugh is one of them. One day he meets a woman handing out religious pamphlets in the street, and under the influence of their conversations he decides to do something: he volunteers for the world's first manned space flight. The programme begins and the state suddenly takes an interest; the reason is not science but tension with a neighbouring country. Hiroyuki Yamaga directs. It is the first film of the Gainax studio and most of its founding team began with it. What distinguishes it is the design. The narrative does not take place in our world and every object was redesigned: cutlery, telephones, money, buses, clothes and architecture. Nothing is familiar, and that consistency is rare in the history of animation. It was very expensive for its time and failed commercially; the studio turned to television afterwards. The subject is not belief but deciding to do something inside a meaningless life. Shirotsugh is not a hero; he is idle, disordered, and at one point does something unforgivable. The launch in the last section is long and detailed; the technical process is shown almost as documentary. Who it is for: viewers who like the classics of Japanese animation and world building science fiction. Who it is not for: the pace is slow, one of the character's acts is disturbing, and the narrative is scattered in the first half.