The Princess and the Pilot

Tales of forbidden love are common, yet we are constantly drawn to them and empathizing with their characters. Perhaps it is borne from a desire to experience something so simple yet beautiful. Or perhaps it is to remind ourselves of how lucky we are to be able to love without having the world turn against us. "Toaru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku", or "The Princess and the Pilot", can do both of those. It was originally published as a single volume light novel in 2008 and was considered a runaway success. Although Inumura Koroku was already writing a different novel series at the time, this novel becamehis breakthrough and most well-known work. Inumura left such an impression on his readers that the novel reached tenth place in the annual "Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!", or "This Light Novel is Amazing!", poll conducted on the Internet. It spawned a subsequent "Hikuushi" series which encompasses two additional spin-off series of the same "Toaru Hikuushi e no" title. There are a number of predictable formulas for characters involved in forbidden love. In this case, we are introduced to mercenary pilot Charles Karino and Juana del Moral, fiancée of the crown prince of a powerful empire. Their story and the conflict that is in their hearts are set within a greater conflict: relentless warfare between two neighboring empires. The conditions also beg of the question of whether it is right to sacrifice a world's peaceful future for the selfish desires of two people. The juxtaposition of these two elements presents a love story that is timeless and refreshing. While it is something we've read before in stories like "Romeo and Juliet", the tale does not fall into the trap of creating a predictable ending, but rather an inevitable one. In fact, when the reader begins to understand the fate of the two characters, he or she can still be impressed by the way their relationship is developed. With the story focused on only two noteworthy characters, it can be easy to assume that watching their interaction will boring. On the other hand, one can easily empathize with the strong feelings of the characters. Each time pilot and princess are torn between duty and personal affection, even the reader feels can feel torn as to which decision they should make. One can sense that the two are close in their hearts, yet a gap as wide as an ocean separates their conscience. As both characters begin to open up to the feelings of each other, we become more invested in their relationship. Madhouse presents its viewers with an artistic presentation that is both appropriate and experimental. Heavy use of the color blue is obvious from the theatrical poster alone as it represents the vastness of both the sky and the ocean. It does not, however, drown out the other colors that are also presented, and certain environmental details make this anime movie as realistic as possible. Madhouse also presents a sound mechanical design for aircraft technology in the film. Aerial combat is presented with great detail in the movement of each airplane as if one were watching a World War II reel, complemented by a rich portfolio of sounds that realistically replicates an propeller airplane's engine. While the film's soundtrack may not be very memorable, Niizuma Seiko presents us a touching theme song with lyrics that reflect the longing of both characters. As an ending theme, it provides an appropriate closure for a story with mild pacing. Conflicts in the plot came at the appropriate times and keep the viewer interested through a film that could easily have bored viewers if done improperly because of its length. "The Princess and the Pilot" is a simple story set in a rich universe that shines through the human interaction that is neither exaggerated nor lacking. While it can be enjoyed as a standalone work, reading the novel will also present a richer understanding of the distance that separates Charles and Juana and the affection that binds them.

The Princess and the Pilot. The first time I read that, I read 'pilot' as 'pauper' due to... er, various reasons. Wow I've only started and I'm already butchering the title. Summary: The Levamme Empire and the Amatsukami Imperium have been engaged in battle for countless years. During this time, the Levamme Prince proposes to the daughter of the del Moral family, Juana del Mora. The Prince promises their marriage a year after; once he has ended the war. Unfortunately, the Amatsukami Imperium caught wind of this and assaulted the del Moral manor aiming for Juana's life. As a last resort, the San Maltilia sends CharlesKarino, an ace pilot with blood of both a Levamme and an Amatsukami to bring Juana to her fiancee. And so begins the Princess and the Pilot's journey. Story 8/10: The story was well paced and written. But unfortunately for majority of romance stories, whether action or just 'slice of life, the male lead and female lead have always met in the past as children and somehow manage to retain that 5 minute moment in their memory. To be honest, the 'childhood friend' is always cute in a romance story, but it can get really repetitive and make an original movie seem unoriginal. This is what seemed to kill the story a bit for me, but possibly not for anyone else. This film has done well in all aspects (animation, sound etc) but I believe the reason why this film hasn't had a higher rating is because of its realistic ending. Audiences are used to seeing forbidden love grow and strive to survive, but sometimes their endings become unrealistic when compared to real world society. In this film, you have a pilot and a soon-to-be Empress falling in love with one another because they were able to overcome obstacles together with had strengthened their bonds. Seeing as how comfortable each of the main characters got with each other, normally you'd expect for them to find a way for them to grow their love, but in the film's setting, it is not possible. In the end, they only got so close as a hug. Art 9/10: Wonderful animation and gorgeous dogfights. No cons for the art really. Sound 8/10: Most voices seemed to match, but Charles's voice bugged me at times due to its highnes but sound effects and music were still good as well. Character 8/10: At first, Charles Karino seems like a weak willed man being constantly bullied by his superior officers and comrades accepting everything that gave him (No alternate meaning btw), but even in the presence of the Princess, he didn't hold back his frustration and his pissed-off-ness towards her majesty's fiancee. Juana del Moral seems like the composed princess she is supposed to be at first... then she seems like a quiet clumsy princess... and then her hair is cut and she seems like you average feisty girl. Not quite 'feisty' but whatever. The princess's character seems to change, really showing how more comfortable she felt being with Charles compared to when they first met. Overall, characters are enjoying to watch nonetheless. Overall 8.5/10: I really did enjoy this film but what leaves you feeling empty inside is always due to a film's ending. Even if the movie is a complete masterpiece, writers should always remember that the audience always remembers the beginning and the end the most. Plus the ending is what impacted most ratings for this movie. I could probably come up with two or more endings that would've suited this kind of romance better. BUUUUT thanks for taking the time to read my clumsy review!

I want every showrunner of something built around a man and a woman alone together to ask one simple question of it. "Whose journey is this?" If it's the man's journey, go nuts. If it's the woman's journey and the important parts default to the man's POV, that's ALWAYS boring. In this, literally, the woman (a previously sheltered princess) is stranded on an island with the man unconscious because of his battle injuries... Cut to... The man waking up to looking at her breasts because she's wearing a crop top now. AND SHE CUT HER LONG HAIR SHORT OFF-SCREEN.WHAT. I swear to God, if you deny me the opportunity to watch the sheltered girl cut her long hair to symbolize how far she's come on her adventure, that's an instant 4. You can do no better. Go home. I had no hopes for this movie after a few aborted attempts to watch it where the beginning bored me to tears, but I was in a place where I could stick it out this time. It wasn't worth it. After the BETRAYAL of skipping the hair-cutting scene, there's one scene with promise. The princess has a moment where she chooses to reject her heritage and gets drunk in order to spite it. It was dropped immediately and nothing else even attempted to match that. And it was tepidly based around a supposed attraction between the two that wasn't earned at all. Just a narrow-minded, poorly-plotted snooze-fest.