Podcast: The Wings of Honneamise

[Ginrai]

Hi folks, we have a new podcast up at:

www.destroyallpodcasts.com

Continuing our Gainax theme, it's Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise!

[Knight26]

I've tried downloading it six times and the most I've ever gotten was 83 of 91 MB of the file.

[Ginrai]

How are you downloading it? From the website, iTunes, what? I've been forwarding reports like this to Josh, the guy who runs CDX, but I don't handle any of the server stuff so the more information I can give him, the better.

[Duke Togo]

BTW, your FLCL podcast was a definite improvement over your Eva one.

[taksraven]

Dont need a podcast for this film. You only need one sentence.

Great film ruined by a stupid out of place attempted rape scene.

Taksraven

[Duke Togo]

Dont need a podcast for this film. You only need one sentence.

Great film ruined by a stupid out of place attempted rape scene.

Taksraven

Which has pretty much kept me from showing it to anyone else over the years.

[taksraven]

Which has pretty much kept me from showing it to anyone else over the years.

EXACTLY. I don't know what the scene is doing in the film but it effectively ruined it. Its hard to like a main character who tries to rape the main female character.

Taksraven

[one_klump]

Not just that, but in general, this film bored me out of my mind.

[Renato]

I've not downloaded this one yet, but count me in as one of those people who sometimes cannot download the whole file. The funny thing is, it never stalls, or says "error" or anything. It downloads fine, says it's finished, and the file plays, but it's usually a small file which just ends abruptly. I download it from the website. Please do not recommend I use Itunes, like all of Steve Jobs's creations, it aggravates me no end.

As for the Honneamise rape scene, there is a version of the movie with it cut out, released by Manga Video in the 90s. That was the one I used to own. I do not know if it later came out on DVD or not, though.

The first time I watched the "uncut" version was actually on TV in Japan back in 2001 or so. It wasn't a late night showing or anything, I distinctly remember it being 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and it was cartoon rape time. Y'know, for kids! That was really bizarre.

[Renato]

I'm listening to it now. I think I got the whole thing downloaded in one go this time.

OK, I'm still near the beginning, it seems none of you know the character designer? Heh, I don't remember his name either! But anyway, IIRC it's the guy that did the designs for Nadia and Evangelion.

[Duke Togo]

I stopped listening after the "how do you write the squishy noise made during sex" conversation.

[Ginrai]

I've not downloaded this one yet, but count me in as one of those people who sometimes cannot download the whole file. The funny thing is, it never stalls, or says "error" or anything. It downloads fine, says it's finished, and the file plays, but it's usually a small file which just ends abruptly. I download it from the website. Please do not recommend I use Itunes, like all of Steve Jobs's creations, it aggravates me no end.

I don't like iTunes either -- I was just trying to figure out if iTunes was to blame or if it was a problem with the website. I've forwarded your comments on to the server admins.

[Gubaba]

I don't like iTunes either -- I was just trying to figure out if iTunes was to blame or if it was a problem with the website. I've forwarded your comments on to the server admins.

I've had the same problem as Renato, and I always download it from the Collection DX site. The Evangelion podcast took about five tries before I finally got the whole thing.

[F-ZeroOne]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that even Gainax staff thought that rape scene was a mistake.

As for Japanese TV, I was watching some live action drama at about 15:00 one afternoon in Tokyo and suddenly... hanky-panky of a kind not normally allowed in the UK until after 21:00...!

[Renato]

After listening to the podcast, I have to say I absolutely agree with almost all your views, as usual. Regarding the music, I agree it's off-putting, though I don't hate it. Although perhaps I have just seen this movie so many times I probably have just grown accustomed to it. The piano number when Shiro takes his first flying lesson is very nice, and the ending theme is pretty cool.

My only true disagreement with the closing montage. I absolutely loved that. It shows how far we've come, the stuff we created, what we destroyed, it juxtaposes his life with that grand narrative and shows his most vivid memories, then makes us face how trivial this all is in the face of the vast void of space, and how we have a chance to start on a clean slate. Then for a brief moment, we're back on the surface, looking at the girl, and joining her in her interminable duty to spread the word of God, in the hope of salvation. That hit me hard when I first saw that, and it does so every time.

Concerning the names, I only remember Shiro's name: Shirotsugh Ladhatt. I do not remember if the spelling is correct. The pronunciation of his first name is very much a Japanese name: "Shirotsugu". That said, they made the rest of the world look and feel as un-Japanese as possible.

This is one of my favorite anime movies, much better than Akira, and as many people have mentioned in the past, was way too far ahead of its time. It's a shame it never managed to expand the market for anime, or we may have had more beautiful, thought-provoking, intellectual movies like it.

IMO, Gainax only went downhill from here. Gunbuster was great and everything, but they never attempted something as monumental as this ever again.

[Renato]

I stopped listening after the "how do you write the squishy noise made during sex" conversation.

So, the first five seconds? Why not just skip over it? It's not as if any of us read every post on this forum. You missed an excellent analysis of a unique masterpiece.

Edited April 22, 2010 by Renato

[Ginrai]

For the people having trouble download the podcast, I spoke with the server guy and he says, "ok, looks like there's nothing wrong with the server setup, so that is fine. I had a couple people try and download with no problem.

If possible, can you ask any user who has problems to provide: browser/os/ connection type (dsl, fiber etc), plus what time of day in what timezone - maybe we can deduce a pattern."

Please let me know.

[Ginrai]

Renato, thanks for the kind words and thoughtful comments. I will have to bring up your take on the closing montage and music in the feedback episode we are doing very shortly!

Edited April 22, 2010 by Ginrai

[Duke Togo]

So, the first five seconds? Why not just skip over it?

It's not the first 5 seconds, it's the first few minutes. I assumed from that wonderful opening that the rest of the podcast would follow suit. First impressions and whatnot (and past experience with these podcasts). I am 33, not 13. Fart and dick jokes don't make me laugh anymore.

The Gunbuster podcast was quite good, and the FLCL was pretty decent. CDX can and has done some really fun, really solid podcasts. And as an adult listener, the juvenile humor that pops up on some of them is a bit of a turn off for me. I'm not ripping them personally, I don't have any sort of agenda. Just want to give them a heads up and my two cents.

Good or bad, I try to leave feedback when I listen. I don't imagine they'd post forum threads otherwise.

[Keith]

On a slightly related note, if anyone doesn't own the movie yet, or wants a gift for a friend, rightstuf has the DVD/Bluray combo set on sale right now for $35..trust me, that's a deal on it!

[Renato]

It's not the first 5 seconds, it's the first few minutes. I assumed from that wonderful opening that the rest of the podcast would follow suit. First impressions and whatnot (and past experience with these podcasts). I am 33, not 13. Fart and dick jokes don't make me laugh anymore.

The Gunbuster podcast was quite good, and the FLCL was pretty decent. CDX can and has done some really fun, really solid podcasts. And as an adult listener, the juvenile humor that pops up on some of them is a bit of a turn off for me. I'm not ripping them personally, I don't have any sort of agenda. Just want to give them a heads up and my two cents.

Good or bad, I try to leave feedback when I listen. I don't imagine they'd post forum threads otherwise.

Yeah, I guess with everything these days, you just have to be selective. Hell, that's the only way I made it through Macross Frontier, plenty of juvenile content there.

Here's a thought: maybe Jeremy & gang thought it would be funny to have life imitate art and put in some random odd misplaced sexual scene in an otherwise intellectual work, so that the listeners would say it ruined it, just like Wings of Honneamise! Genius.

[Duke Togo]

On your recommendation I'll try to give it a full listen, and just skip past the beginning.

[danth]

I don't think the rape scene was a mistake so much as the whole movie was a mistake. It's like they mad-libbed the whole thing.

A charming young man from (RIDICULOUS LOCATION) an alternate Earth with funny hats struggles in his quest to become an (UNLIKELY OCCUPATION) astronaut in a time of (CLICHED BACKDROP) war. Only after he (VERB) rapes a young, (RANDOM ADJECTIVE) bible-thumping girl can his team achieve their goal of bringing about (HISTORIC EVENT) the first manned space-flight.

The world and the characters were totally unrelatable. But the animation was good, yes.

Edited April 23, 2010 by danth

[Ginrai]

I don't think the rape scene was a mistake so much as the whole movie was a mistake. It's like they mad-libbed the whole thing.

A charming young man from (RIDICULOUS LOCATION) an alternate Earth with funny hats struggles in his quest to become an (UNLIKELY OCCUPATION) astronaut in a time of (CLICHED BACKDROP) war. Only after he (VERB) rapes a young, (RANDOM ADJECTIVE) bible-thumping girl can his team achieve their goal of bringing about (HISTORIC EVENT) the first manned space-flight.

The world and the characters were totally unrelatable. But the animation was good, yes.

HAHAHA! Best comment on this podcast yet. You win.

[Duke Togo]

Good, solid podcast. I really enjoyed it. As I stated already, I could have really have done without that first two minutes.