The Atlanta Journal and Constitution 

March 3, 1995, Friday, ALL EDITIONS 

SECTION: PREVIEW, Pg. 3P 

LENGTH: 333 words 

HEADLINE: MOVIES REVIEW; 
"The Wings of Honneamise" ** 1/2 

BYLINE: Steve Murray; FILM CRITIC 

BODY: 


An Anime feature. Directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga. Not rated, but contains sexual 
content, language. At Screening Room. 
  
Ratings range from one to four stars. 
THE VERDICT 
"Wings" gets clipped by its meandering plot. 
'Wings' can't lift story on all style and no substance 

As eye candy, "The Wings of Honneamise" deserves four stars. But then the plot 
kicks in, and clips "Wings" faster than a gravitational force field. 

An example of the Japanese Anime school of animation, "Wings" creates a 
delightfully detailed alternate world where things seem familiar - but not 
quite. Think of Tokyo lodged between feudalism and karaoke bars - its cities 
huge, its technology still clunky (computers still take the space of a summer 
house, and malls appear to be a cross between a Portman endeavor and the French 
Quarter on a red-light bender). 

Our hero Shiro is one of the few (but not proud) cadets of the Royal Space 
Force, mocked for its launch disasters and astronaut casualties. Shiro doesn't 
care to volunteer to be the next space Spam. But then he meets The Girl, 
Riquinni, a waif who passes out pamphlets, warning the faithless to return to 
God. 

Inexplicably smitten by her doormat charms, Shiro suits up to be "the World's 
Only Astronaut," in the process becoming the planet's most sought-after 
spokesperson. The product-endorsement satire offers cheeky fun, but at a full 
two hours, "Wings" takes a long time to get off the ground, literally. 

As the Space Force readies its rocket, Shiro woos his girl but gets religion 
instead. There's an earnest anti-war message that gets lost in Riquinni's 
mawkish platitudes (her character is modeled on Tatum O'Neal in "Paper Moon," 
but she's more like one of those big-eyed-kids paintings). 

Compared with other Japanimation, "Wings" is not excessively violent or 
sex-crazed (except for a bizarre attempted rape that comes out of nowhere). 
Here's hoping that next time they sharpen the script before they start inking 
the cels.