It's not lost on me that this movie was written by Okudera Satoko, who has on three separate occasions collaborated with Hosoda Mamoru, including on the phenomenal 'Wolf children' of 2012. Knowing nothing else about the light novel, the manga, or anyone else involved, Okudera's involvement was my chief interest in watching apart from my broad willingness and curiosity as a cinephile. 'The princess and the pilot' is perhaps a bit of a different beast from those points of familiarity, being more direct and action-oriented. There are notable underlying themes - an arranged marriage of the nobility; extreme class inequality and prejudice; the sense of freedom that comes with flying; a growing bond between two people of very different backgrounds; the violence of a protracted and intensifying war, and the indifferent sacrifice of lives - but these are not specifically major foci, and more of fine details to round out the story of a lone pilot escorting a princess across enemy lines. Particulars aside, this was the impression I had from the outside looking in, too, and though I assumed I'd like the title, it wasn't generally high on my list.
However, between Inumura Koroku's source material and Okudera's adaptation, this is all that the picture truly needs to be unexpectedly rich, engaging, and highly satisfying. There is welcome strength in the drama of the mission and its sense of urgency, the personalities of Charles and Juana and their development as characters along their journey, and the perils they face. While not necessarily plumbing the same narrative or emotional depths or complexity that the screenwriter has elsewhere, and while maybe being a tad more straightforward, this flick nevertheless boasts welcome dynamics and variety as the plot develops, deftly maneuvering between moods light, somber, and thrilling, with warmth and humor adjoining the hard action and core drama. The saga is gratifyingly compelling as we learn that there's more to the characters than first meets the eye, and the softer scenes of human drama are just as grabbing and fabulous as the violence. Why, even as 'The princess and the pilot' stays within a more streamlined lane, it seems to me that Okudera does her utmost to bring the other ideas to the fore, and as a result there's even an oblique sense of poetry about the writing as it puts a very human face on what could have been a cold war film.
And with Okudera's superb adapted screenplay as foundation, the animators of Madhouse and TMS Entertainment turned in utterly fantastic work that itself can claim some marvelous artistry. Even as I have only rather recently begun to dip my toes into anime it seems readily apparent to me that the studios of Japan enjoy a mastery of the medium that their counterparts elsewhere can mostly only dream of, and to my pleasure, I think this easily fits among that lofty company. With 3D sensibilities and digital rendering only carefully, sparingly, and judiciously applied to complement the predominant 2D style, sometimes the sights to greet us are so stupendous that it almost feels as if we could reach out and touch them. Everything we anticipate of anime in the twenty-first century is present and accounted for in these 100 minutes, and it's all uniformly outstanding: magnificent detail and texture all around, with swell consideration for lighting and shading, perspective, and more; realistic and expressive character designs, eye-catching aircraft designs, and otherwise excellent active elements; fluid, fast-paced, spellbinding action, with the effects to match; truly gorgeous backgrounds; and so on. Honestly, between the storytelling and the visual experience, I found myself so captivated for most of the length - whatever the vibe of a given scene - that I genuinely had a hard time peeling my eyes away.
This is to say nothing of Hamaguchi Shiro's terrific original music, stirring and sweeping as it perfectly complements the proceedings, or the voice acting that so adeptly brings the characters to vivid life; Kamiki Ryunosuke and Taketomi Seika are to be congratulated for their smart performances. The audio is crisp and robust, allowing every word, sound, and note to ring out clearly, and Shishido Jun's direction is impeccable in bringing all these facets together. Truthfully, my expectations were a little mixed when I sat to watch, if only because the premise didn't immediately get my attention. Yet Okudera again proves herself to be a brilliant writer, Madhouse and TMS are just about as reliable and trusted as animation houses get, and all else about the feature is just plain great. The storytelling and character drama is absorbing, the action scenes are all but breathtaking - and when all is said and done, I'm very happy to say that 'The princess and the pilot' is far more than I had supposed sights unseen. It's altogether wonderful, really, playing within a relatively predictable and "tried and true" space but endeavoring mightily to make the absolute most of it. I think it handily succeeded. Don't let any presuppositions get in your way; this is a minor gem that deserves more visibility as far as I'm concerned, and I'm so very glad that I took the time to watch. If you have the chance to check it out, I'm pleased to give 'The princess and the pilot' my very high and enthusiastic recommendation!
