The war between the Levamme Empire and the Amatsukami Imperium has been raging for years. In the midst of this struggle, the prince of the Levamme Empire declares his love for Juana del Moral and vows to end the war in one year, as part of his marriage proposal. When the Amatsukami catch wind of this, they assault the del Moral residence, targeting Juana's life. As a last ditch effort to bring the prince his bride, the San Maltilia Airforce hires a mercenary of mixed blood—a bestado—to fly Juana to the Levamme capital in secret. The pilot, Charles, accepts the mission...but traversing an ocean alone, into enemy territory, proves a much more dangerous ordeal than anyone could have anticipated.
(Source: NIS America)
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Comentários
movoning
I absolutely loved it. This movie perfectly shows how you can take something really basic and simple and make it into something complete and special. There aren't many stories on piloting, but there are plenty on flying and wars. Of course, with the theme of flying and war comes the theme of freedom, and when you put a woman and a man together, you get romance. This movie isn't any different in those basic ideas, so if you are looking for a genre breaking show, this isn't the right one for you. However, don't skip it just because it's conventional. This didn't bore me atall, and in fact, it's so much more refreshing than most of the anime aired these days. If you are like me, who need occasional breaks from tsundere and yandere girls and harem loving boys, come and watch this please. I wouldn't call it serious or deep, but it's real. Yes, it's real as in, it's how real people are. I'm not trying to offend quircky and crazy characters or random and insane plot twists. It's like I said, I need a break sometimes.
I digressed from the review a little bit, but honestly, if I say one little thing about the plot or characters, it'll basically ruin the series for you, since everything is as straightforward as they can be, and should be in my opinion.
The soundtracks and animation are really good, and the fighting scenes are very well made. It's like one of those studio ghibli's works, simple but solid, and in my case, will be remembered fondly.
ZiharkXVI
What to say about this movie. It at once delighted me with a well paced story and gorgeous dogfights. The growth of our two characters was detailed in the moments of downtime. I was sucked in by its premise, and treated to the most superbly done forbidden romance that I've seen in awhile. If my score confuses you, this film committed one cardinal sin, however. It resolved nothing. The story it was telling was certainly not finished, and frankly the ending epilogue was insulting. Understand something. If the theme of the movie was nationalist racist bigotry meantto cultivate that turn of the century feeling, we should have spent the movie on that. One downtrodden pilot and a pampered princess cannot carry that story arc unless you make it clear. The princess didn't have to overcome that boundary in the movie. From the get go she was pure and noble in her intentions toward the pilot. Even from childhood it seemed. Her growth was in her own strength of will and experience. She moved from completely dependent to independent. She never once hated the pilot for his race. Likewise, the pilot was overcoming his own feelings of self worth by undertaking this mission. And by the end of it knew he wasn't just a worthless dog out for money. All symbolized in the romance by a girl falling for the boy who taught her to fly and a boy falling for a girl realizing he could be a man worthy of her affection. I absolutely was baffled by him flying off into the sunset and the princess off to marry some idiot prince. The boundaries won! They failed to overcome their respective roles, settling for the most society would allow them. And then the movie tells us the princess worked hard to end discrimination. Big deal. We don't care about this fictional world. We only care about the characters, and the fact that the movie thought it could placate us with a three sentence epilogue was horrendous. This isn't world history. Its a fictional drama. The story was ultimately defeated by its own incompetent ending. I have heard from some that it defies cliche in that regards, but this is not a good thing. Perhaps the only way this could have succeeded is if the two did end up in a relationship, or at least tried. Again, when your story is about these two characters growing, you must show where they grew at the end. The pilots end is much like his beginning and it is doubtful he even changed - always kind, always willing to serve. He still didn't reach out and grab what he wanted, and according to the epilogue just disappears. Wow. Or are we to believe he just wanted to complete his mission? He didn't even do that without the princess! The princess was supposed to take charge, but at the end runs off to marry the prince. And she fights for peace apparently. Does she do that in tea parties I wonder? How pointless. She could very well be doing the same thing after one horrific battle without the pilot. Her stance would have fit if she'd become an independent nation leader. Heck, marry the pilot and put down the warmongers by defying their expectations. Realistic? Not really, but story wise it makes far more sense. And really, do we expect anything to be realistic in this drama of two people from opposite ends of the social strata to undergo a romance? Nothing in this movie is real or even remotely reflects reality so I suggest that the story needs work. The ending ruined this movie.
arsonal
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.
maroonsheep
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!
KazeNilrem
It is the unfortunate case that I found this movie to be a dreadful bore. My biggest gripe with this movie is the sheer number of cliches. It felt as if the screenwriters compiled a list of common cliches used in anime, and used them all. It made the movie too predictable and laughable at best. There were moments when I joked with my friend that X would happen (jokingly), thinking it would never happen, and it actually did. The movie had difficulties focusing on the main characters; we were introduced to a variety of characters that came off as being important, but than never appearedagain. The reasoning behind the choices made do not seem realistic b any stretch of the imagination, and the fact that someone whom had no real experience flying, only flew in a simulator, and could barely be trusted. Was given such an important mission is just baffling to me.
For anyone who watched Jurassic Park should at least be able to recall the meme or joke on how such a large dinosaur (T-Rex), can just sneak up on people without them noticing. Well, this movie seems to add that same ideology in some how being able to consistently hide massive ships and always know exactly where to be.
If not for all the sheer number of cliches, the really poor decisions made (that come off as unrealistic), and plot-holes with irrelevant characters, this could have been a better movie. Sadly, that is not the case so I cannot give it a better review.
apatch3
I gave this movie a 7 very reluctantly, I mean if I judge it subjectively I'd say I enjoyed it a lot even though the premise of the story is fairly straightforward, Pilot transports Princess, both develop feelings for each other, I mean come on you knew that as soon as you read the title. The art is nicely done, everything looks pristine especially the horizon during the scenes that are set in the air, the character designs are detailed and the environments look stellar. The soundtrack never felt out of place, we were even given the usual "song/melody" that turns out to have somesignificance to both main characters, a bit macross-esque and incredibly cheesy, in fact this movie's plot is incredibly cheesy I mean I feel bad about marking it down because of this but this is something we've seen before.
Regardless of this I would still advise people to watch it, I mean the thing about recycled plots is they're recycled for a reason, they make us happy when executed properly, and I can't complain about the execution this time around.
lethargilistic
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.
middleground4471
The title of the movie kind of gives away what this movie is about, there's a princess and an air force pilot that fall in love, this is a classic archetype that it is at the core of any great love story. However, this movie really demonstrates the best way to tell a love story. What can make emotional movies like this difficult to make is that because they're only 90 minutes long the writers have less time to create a connection with the characters and the viewer, but this movie I believe really does a fantastic job of showing how the love between thetwo main characters was born. The main characters in this movie aren't "star crossed lovers", they each bring out the better qualities of the other which is really the corner stone of love and strengthens the connection that the characters have for each other and the connection the viewer has with them.
One thing I love about this movie is the ending. I thought for sure this movie would just end with "..and they all lived happily ever after", but it actually has a very realistic and believable ending that is more similar to real life then some fairy tale ending where the viewer is just waiting for the guy to kiss the girl.
Another thing I love about this movie is how the princess's personality change feels so natural. In some live-action American movies I see I feel like the characters evolution is so forced, but in this movie I really got to see how the princess struggled through her and the pilots journey and I understood why her personality had such a sharp change. Also, because I got to see the princess's struggle and character evolution so much better, the love between the princess and the pilot on which the movie was built on was much more believable.
Plus, there was this really great "dog fight" scene that I found to be very exciting!
Overall, I'd say this was one of the best romantic movies I've seen! The plot was kind of predictable, but the kind of emotion and personality the characters in this movie had is what helped it stand out from other movies. Also, this movie succeeded in one of the most important areas of making a good love story by convincing me, the viewer, that the main characters were truly in love. Neither of the characters in this movie just looked at each other and said "I love that person"; at the beginning of the movie the princess and the pilot were just in the same boat, or plane in this case, together and didn't have any emotional investment in each other, but as the movie continues there bond grows stronger and stronger until their love for each other is born. Also, just because the movie doesn't end with "..and they all lived happily ever after" doesn't mean the love the princess and the pilot had for each other dies at the end.
R_TF
ABOUT- Toaru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku titled "The Princess and the Pilot" in English is a 2011 Japanese film, based on the fantasy light novel of the same name by Koroku Inumura. The story follows a beautiful daughter of a noble family, who was proposed by the prince of a foreign country and as they were at war, the marriage was postponed until the war ends, but there was threat to the future princess so it was decided to send her to the prince ,meanwhile a young pilot who was subjected to racism due to his half blood from childhood, was bestowed with the missionto protect the princess and fly her over 12,000 kilometers of enemy water to the prince.
The music was pretty good while the animation and voice acting turn out to be pretty mediocre,which make me feel like I was watching a anime series rather than a anime film.
OVERALL-
The movie was paced really badly where more than 70% of the screen time was spent either in water or air and the fight sequences were pretty unrealistic as well,not enough character development was shown.
Not often we get to see forbidden love,what it's like when you want to be with someone below your class knowing that you can't be together,this somewhat describes the relation between them.
I would've satisfied with this if it was just a film about military and action but it's not,it sell out as a romance also so we're bound to expect more than this half ass romance,I'm not sure if it's even fair to call it as a romance.
And the ending is a big slap to the viewers,it literally changes everything the plot holds till then.
Although the film tried to be realistic as much as possible but it failed badly,it's like something with great potential but fails to deliver.
A mediocre film for casual viewing,nothing else.
PLOT-5/10
CHARACTERS-5/10
MUSIC-7/10
ANIMATION-5/10
ENJOYMENT-6/10
OVERALL-6/10.
Thaniel_YS
I haven't really watched many anime movies, since I'm more into series anime. (FYI: There is an anime based in the same universe but in a different time period, named Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta). Romantic films like these are very enjoyable in my opinion, and those that are based on certain themes like forbidden love make it all the more. I definitely enjoyed having something as simple as flying across a large expanse of water develop and blossom into the beautiful film that is Toaru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku. Charles Karino, a "lowlife bestado" (someone born of mixed blood) istasked with an important mission; a treacherous flight across enemy territory, harboring a future princess; Juana del Moral, who is to be married off to a Levamme prince.
The story, while not being something overly dramatic or over-the-top, is something I think lovers of romance anime would definitely enjoy. Just listening to the short synopsis of the story, you would imagine that they would run into several challenges along the way; and they do.
Having several obstacles along the way, varying from enemy planes to maintenance, I would easily see how the frequent interruptions in the trip would lead from one thing to another, primarily the development of the relationship between Juana and Charles.
The music and art were to my liking; no complaints in that department. The dogfights were very excellently portrayed, except for the mundane lack of realism should it be compared to real life (I honestly don't care though, those dogfights were pretty thicc).
Looking at the general rating of this movie, the one thing I would say that probably made the rating lower than it could have been would've been the somewhat realistic ending. Time and time again, you see love blossom and grow, usually with a happily ending after as it does in most romance anime. In this movie, the two main protagonists were able to strengthen their bond and relations as a team, but never got any closer than that. In my opinion, I didn't really like how it turned out, and sort of ruined it for me in fact; but I'd like you all to see it for yourself before judging.
Compared to several other anime movies I've watched, this one is fairly high up on my list. If you are tired of seeing the same themes in anime and anime movies in general, I would definitely recommend this. If you are an aviation junkie however, I'd recommend you restrain yourself from critiquing and nitpicking the several instances of the blatant defiance of aerodynamics. This is a romance anime, not a full-blown war movie.
I'd definitely give this one a second watch if I had the time; if you are interested in something that sort of strays from the romance genre norm, give it a go and see how you like it.
iFriction
I haven't written a review before since there was no reason to because of the abundance of them already but this show just takes the cake for me so I decided to write one. As you can see by the rating I have given this show, I find myself extremely disappointed. I was honestly disappointed with the character development that seemed to be going somewhere only for it to just disappear as if it never happened. The first thing I want to warn is that it is no traditional romance so if that is what you like, don't watch the Movie. The name and the'romance' tag are clickbait but may be subjective to some so read it as you please.
Story-wise, it has a clear and straight-forward plot that is very well explained in the synopsis. The reason I gave the story a 6/10 was because of the abundance of plot armor in the story that somewhat ticked me off but I gave it the benefit of the doubt just because I am interested in what is going to happen next. Secondly was because of the ending. Although this may differ depending on preference, the ending left an extremely sour taste in my mouth. The amount of times I ranted in my mind regarding the ending is innumerable. But I could only blame myself because of that stupid romance tag.
The art for the movie is one I find extremely beautiful and breath-taking. For a movie that came out in 2011 and watching in 2019, I find the art much more developed for its time (Or maybe that is just me). Hence, it is a no brainer I gave it a 9. Regarding the music and sound in the show, I found it extremely well done and fits really well with the movie.
And now for the 5/10. My enjoyment and the character development. My enjoyment is pretty self explanatory for what I have written so far. I would be lying if I said that I enjoyed the movie even by little bit since I didn't. I am literally fuming right now so if there are any grammatical mistakes I apologize. Truthfully, I would have given this a much lower rating instead of a 5/10 if it weren't for the fact that my mental resilience to these kinds of unsatisfied situations that I have built from reading such terrible or bittersweet endings, It would have been 1. But since the art and sound was so good, I gave it a +4.
Now for the character development. All I can say is what the hell. I really wanted the replace the word 'hell' there but i am not sure if it is against the community guidelines to do so because that is just what I thought of the character development by the end of the story. Unfortunately, since I couldn't write about any spoilers, I can't really back my reasoning for the character section because if I can, that is where the rant is going to start and oh boy will it be an additional 1000 words. But all I can say is for a movie with the tag of romance in it, I can't seem to find it. Not even my pet rat can seem to find it. Maybe in the middle of the movie but god damn where is it. Don't get me started with the prince and the other soldiers, but god damn are there a lot of plot armor on them. With the amount of plot armor that the soldiers are carrying, world domination is childs play. Heck, how are their backs not hurting yet from all that carrying.
Thus a 5 is a natural result overall. The writer should thank and gift the sound and art department because they really outperformed themselves. If it weren't for their hard work, I would be using the pages from his light novel as tissue paper. If it weren't for a short clip of this movie that I found on youtube with the romance in it then I would have never even known about this crappy movie. But seriously though, the ending is extremely subjective and it seems in a good way hence the 7.72 rating. But ratings isn't what defines a movie, preference does. Sadly, I am not in the upper 99.9% so I don't see the movie that way. All I can say is if you're in it for the romance and the romance you are probably thinking about, exit the page. If you want it for the story then go ahead. This is merely a one in a million other review anyways but I merely just wanted to say my piece. Also, damn if you read every single word of this I applaud. Most people only look at numbers and choose whether to watch it or not.
Piesh00ter
It was a great movie with fantastic character development and overcoming "discrimination" however the ending, the goddam ending. I know this is a different universe and it had to be "realistic" so the princess had to go marry the idiot prince. This is not what the audience is here for, we are here for the romance. Great piece but the ending was not something I enjoyed and to those who are interested in the romance aspect of the movie be ready to be disappointed. This movie had great art (for when it was drawn) , fantastic development, and meaning behind it all however the ending justmade me regret investing my emotions into the characters.
RealReeb
Romance is my favorite genre, so when I saw that tag for this movie it was an instant addition to my watch list. A few months later I finally watched it and let me say what a flight! Let me begin with the basics. This is a slow pace, light action, romantic movie. For those who get bored with slower pace movies/series than this might not be the best for you. The Animation is just beautiful. I wouldn’t call it Makoto Shinakai or Hayao Miyazaki beautiful, but I would say that it comes in real close. I will give plot spoilers down below. Story: 8/10 Thestory is very basic, but not like most movies I’ve seen.
Art: 9/10
The art is excellent, beautiful scenery throughout the movie.
Sound: 8/10
Very pretty and mellow.
Characters: 9/10
The characters have nice detail to their personality. They express great emotion, making you connect more with charters.
Enjoyment: 9/10
Let's just say i was overwhelmed by the whole thing.
[Light Spoilers]
I want everyone to know that this is a sad movie and that for those who hate heartache should not watch this movie, for this movie may not end up filling you expectations.
Reviewholic
I had watched so many anime make the mistake of rushing plot, character development and chemistry, I was starting believe no one in the anime industry knows how to write human. Although the chemistry and dialogues between The Princess and The Pilot aren't exactly realistic or excellent, it is still a breath of fresh air amongst the gigantic amount of massacred scriptwriting from the anime industry, even more so after a decade. For a movie, TP&TP has an extremely well done pacing. Its plot is very short and its main setting is the sea, which is vast and empty. So you may be bored if you'relooking for some exciting plot with turns and twists. TP&TP is straight as an arrow, and focuses all around developing the two main characters while they're travelling together alone across the vast and empty sea, where not another soul can intervene. All that political drama and dogfights are just side dishes to keep you awake through a slow, organic and self-controlled love story.
The movie does have a large amount of unrealistic physics and plane designs. Some Disneyland size metal airship can float in the air with just 4 propellers. The princess was swung around in a plane for the first time yet doesn't even puke or pass out. But if we can forgive mecha anime, I think we can chill with this.
About cliche, there are some cliche side characters here and there, flashbacks and coincidences that are just like fairy tales, which I think are unnecessary or lazy. But if I ignore those cliche, the essence of the movie, which is the chemistry between the princess and the pilot, is still refreshing enough to separate itself from other anime.
I'm not sure why this movies catches so much flak. I think there are a lot of worse anime movies out there including Ghibli ones, failing to write even half as believable or organic characters, and doesn't even deliver as much emotional conflict. I guess it's due to the moderate amount of excitement, and the "unentertaining" ending.
The Princess and the Pilot has a normal, mature, slow and organic chemistry that can only appreciated by certain audience. It is best you avoid this movie if you're looking for excitement.
Firechick12012
When it comes to movies, one of the biggest problems they suffer from is trying to be too epic. That's not to say movies can't be epic, and thinking big is a great way to make a conflict interesting. But some stories don't have any business trying to do that or go in that direction. But there are some movies that perfectly understand this, managing to strike the perfect balance between its story, characters, and conflict, knowing what to focus on and what isn't important. The Princess and the Pilot, or its Japanese title, To Aru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku, translated as Recollections of aCertain Pilot, flew under the radar when it first aired in 2011. I didn't watch it when it first came out because I thought it was a spin-off title from the Certain Magical Index franchise, and I avoided the Index shows like the plague back then, and still do because of the way their Japanese titles were so similar. I didn't find out that Princess and the Pilot had no connection to the Index series until much later, and only now did I decide to sit down and watch it. I must say, I'm quite surprised at just how good and candid this movie is in how it manages to avoid a lot of cliches that are so typical of movies with similar premises.
In an unnamed fantasy world, two warring kingdoms, the Levamme Empire and the Amatsukami Imperium have been fighting amongst themselves for years. In the midst of this struggle, the prince of the Levamme Empire, Carlo, declares his love for the princess Juana del Moral and vows to end the war in one year, as part of his marriage proposal. When the Amatsukami catch wind of this, they assault the del Moral residence, targeting Juana's life. As a last ditch effort to bring the prince his bride, the San Maltilia Airforce hires a mercenary of mixed blood—a bestado—to fly Juana to the Levamme capital in secret. The pilot, Charles Karino, accepts the mission...but traversing an ocean alone, into enemy territory, proves a much more dangerous ordeal than anyone could have anticipated.
The thing about Princess and the Pilot is that it's mainly a story about an escort mission, and makes that its main focus from beginning to end. There are other things going on in the background, such as the war and all that comes with it, but that's more used as a setpiece for the main story rather than the main story or even a subplot. While it would be nice to learn more about the movie's setting and have answers to the questions the movie raises, the movie smartly doesn't attempt to resolve everything in its timeframe. Because the movie keeps its focus strictly on the escort mission, it feels smooth and linear rather than bloated and like it's trying to juggle so many plotlines at once. Plus, there's very little action or fighting in the show, especially for a movie about a war, and the very few fights that are in there are not only well animated and well directed. Basically, while some may argue that it'd be better if it tried to resolve things and answer a lot of its lingering questions, the movie still manages to make great use of its time.
Also, the animation is sumptuous. The characters, barring a select few, all have realistic designs that never go too anime-esque, the various settings and towns all have their own unique look, the animation is reasonably fluid and full of colorful, detailed backgrounds, and even the CGI integrates surprisingly well with the 2D animation. Granted, most of the CGI is just limited to the planes, but they still look so seamless against the 2D skies and clouds. I don't really have much to say on the soundtrack, as I didn't find it very memorable, but it wasn't bad either. The OST did its job and is a solid effort.
Because the movie firmly focuses on the escort mission, the two main characters take the center stage, and while they're not exactly the most fleshed out or three dimensional characters ever, I still found them to be a pretty likeable duo. The movie just lets Charles and Juana play off each other whenever they interact, behaving like believable adults and have a good amount of personality that builds on the chemistry they develop together. I also appreciate that the creators made the effort to have Juana be useful and proactive when the situation calls for it, even though she's not well versed in things like combat or aerial training. Women don't necessarily need to be super badass actions girls in order to be a fully fleshed out character, and it helps that the movie is subtle in the way it presents the characters and their personalities on screen. Because Charles and Juana are the main focus and spend a good amount of time together, they work really well together. While some may argue that the romantic bits they share are rather cheesy and sappy, and I do agree with their points, I also found those bits to be well executed, because they still manage to avoid some of the typical trappings that most romance scenes in anime tend to fall into, such as realizing that realistically, they can't be together because they're just two people in two very different kingdoms and social classes, and subtling indicating with few words that acting on their whims won't do anything for them.
I unfortunately can't say the same for the supporting cast. Other than Charles and Juana, none of the other characters are given the same treatment, and all of them, especially some stereotypically evil nobles who crap on Charles because of his interracial origins, are completely forgetable or still conforming to cliche stereotypes. The bad guys especially are too stereotypically mean spirited and cartoonish for their own good, which makes the discrimination subplot come off as completely one-sided and lacking in any real depth. I already talked about how the movie doesn't answer a lot of questions in regards to the setting and some characters' actions, so I won't belabor the point on that one (Apparently, according to some supplementary materials in NIS America's Premium release of the movie, the director deliberately decided not to delve deeper into the movie's setting or spell things out because that's how he prefers movies to be). But the final problem I have is the voice actors' lackluster acting for Charles and Juana. Charles' voice actor, Ryunosuke Kamiki, is okay and does a solid job overall...except the parts where he screams. Seriously, he can't carry a high note for the life of him. But the biggest offender is Juana's voice actress, Seika Taketomi, who is really only known for on-screen acting...and it shows. Her voice makes her sound too young for Juana's age, and oftentimes, she sounds like she's trying too hard to make Juana sound high pitched, and during important scenes where she's supposed to sound genuinely angry, she just sounds pouty and petulant.
For those who want to watch it, you're in luck. The Princess and the Pilot is available on streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime and a new one called Retrocrush (That site is free, so you don't need to pay anything to watch it), and NIS America's Blu-Ray is still readily available if you live in the US, though the premium edition is now out of print. It has no English dub, sadly, and if NIS America's license for it lapses, I'm kinda hoping maybe GKids or Eleven Arts can license it and give it an English dub, as they're pretty good about that with anime movies. While the setting begs for further elaboration, barring some lackluster acting from the main leads and some cheesy romance scenes, The Princess and the Pilot is still a very good, solid movie that has a lot to like and seriously needs more love, and the things it does well, it does really well, and is a nice little romp if you're tired of the usual action-y fare that most mainstream movies tend to offer.
mrbeckham09
The Princess and the Pilot Now this is a tale to tell around a campfire. The girl: A princess of the great noble house is offered to a handsome royal prince as a sign of peace. That prince accepts her offer of marriage and tells her that he will receive her within a set amount of years. The princess accepts. WAR RAGES ON The princess must be received in order to alleviate the matter of war, but there is not way of reaching the foreign country safely. The man: A pilot in the Airforces who grew up in the rough streets, yet has pushed himself to become the toppilot of his division. He is selected to escort the princess on a solo mission across enemy lines and deliver her safely to her prince. This man accepts.
Caught between enemy lines, the man learns that a search party is out to find him. Except this search party is not friendly. He will have to fight for his life and hers in order to reach the foreign nation in one piece. If the suspense-filled tale does not turn your heart, then perhaps the romantic side of the story will. But the princess is already promised... how will this end..
On to the ratings:
Story - 10 - It is immediately and absolutely clear the objective of the story.
Graphics - 9 - Very cool cinematic scenes and great detail.
Soundtrack - 8 - I enjoyed the soundtrack.
Character Personas - 8 - Not too much character development here, except for the romantic element of things.
Character Voiceover - 8 - Well done.
Overall - 8 - I sincerely enjoyed the good morals here and the turn out, however I am logging this a few weeks after I have seen the movie. :(
Recommended - Yeah, for a cool suspense-filled romantic tale with plenty of action!
misjebaka8D
This movie is a rather simple and relaxing one, yet it manages to keep us anticipating the story’s progression. Rolling around the idea of social status and race, it’s basically bringing Japanese customs to an imaginary setting of the Mediterranean in the 1940s. Because of the timeline, World War 2 and dieselpunk fans might be excited to see the military uniforms and several historically-inspired vehicles in this movie. There is J7W Shinden, Kongou-class fast battleship, Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, and even the main airplane (Santa Cruz) resembles N1K Shiden and B7A Ryuusei but with twin tails. Character-wise, this film does really well with the secondary characters’role that is to shape the two main characters' world, reality and problem. Both Juana and Charles struggle between staying professional or let their feelings and ego take over. We can also see how Juana developed throughout the movie, which is typical in any adventure films.
The music scores are great and suit really well with the scenes present. We can feel the tension or the calmness and the music instruments also blends well with the overall theme. Charles’ voice acting is well done while it leaves much to be desired for Juana. Her grunts and other minor voices don’t suit really well with her age and usual voice.
It’s very neat to look at the details they put into the airplane models. The characters and sceneries are also beautifully drawn, especially the clothes design. Both the 2D and 3D are great except for the motion part because sometimes the airplanes move too sharp and what else (not really smooth in maneuvers).
We can really feel the chemistry bonding between Juana and Charles and then we’ll begin to look forward to their relationship, whether things will go on as planned in the beginning or there will be plot twist and their fate will change. There are longings in both of them to be free and boundless by the social status and we can relate to that as well and may hope that they’ll break free. It’s also about doing your best in the given circumstances because in the end, there are things which we cannot change and it’s better to just accept that and treasure what we already had.
Ukkaz
Everything in it was a masterpiece, I don't get it. Why isn't this that popular, this should become a classic. This movie doesn't need a part 2. (Spoilers ahead) The ending is pretty good to be honest to the point I can't point out how it's good. It's just good! Charles's fate was unknown, Fana's ending was her sacrificing herself for her kingdom. Charles's fate was the most interesting, his records was gone. Did they found out he was secretly in love with the princess so he was erased? We don't know, he might just be the one who erased his records, he was a vigilant.
AkaneTheSenpai
When I started watching this movie I kinda expected a classic "forbidden love" story trope wherein the end the pilot and the princess will stay together... It kinda surprised me that it didn't end like this, but I can't really say it was a pleasant surprise. Because there was no end. Basically, the story wasn't finished, and that short "epilogue" written after the final scene didn't give us any additional info. We could experience a gentleman gesture where Charles basically throws everything that he worked for away in the air. (Yeah, I understand that it was supposed to be touching but for me it waspointless. - Especially because he didn't choose the princess over the gold. He decided to throw everything away and yet leave Fana to marry some idiot who couldn't even send the message right and unintentionally backstabbed the whole mission.)
We could experience these two grow closer during the movies along with them growing each as a person, learning something new about themselves... But let me ask you: What it was all for when in the end the boundaries won and we didn't get any proper ending. - That's why I stick to giving this movie 7/10 because I enjoyed the soundtrack and the fact that there aren't many movies about pilots, plus the character development was quite interesting to observe. Yet I think the ending is basically an insult for anyone who finished this movie.
