Gainax no Video II: Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987)

This is a part of a series on the home video releases of Studio Gainax. For more info, click here.

Last updated October 3rd, 2022

Royal Space Force was not only Gainax’s first official work as a company, but also the first theatrical film funded by toy company Bandai, who would later take the name “Honnêamise” as one of their many video labels. Royal Space Force‘s world premiere actually took place at Mann’s Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, featuring a hastily put-together dub, with the generic-sounding title Star Quest. The premiere was a disaster, with many pointing to the dub as a major issue. This dub would never be seen again. Years later, Manga Entertainment would license the film, and produce a new dub at the great dubbing studio Animaze. This dub would be included on all future releases.

The first domestic release of Royal Space Force would come in 1995, when Manga released the film on both dubbed and subtitled VHS. Two years later, they would partner with Pioneer to distribute the film on a better-looking hybrid LaserDisc.

A few years later, Manga would release Royal Space Force as one of their very first DVDs, and it shows. Widely considered to be one of the worst put together anime DVDs the US market ever saw, the release actually looks worse than the VHS release, much less the LaserDisc. This release is still worth seeking out, as it is the only release from any company to include a commentary track from director Hiroyuki Yamaga.

Like many Manga Entertainment releases at the time, Royal Space Force would be distributed in Canada by Sony Music Video. Outside of a different UPC, SKU, and company logo, this release is identical to the US version.

Manga’s rights would eventually expire, and would be picked up by Bandai Visual USA, not to be confused with its more popular sister company Bandai Entertainment. BVUSA wanted Royal Space Force to be their flagship title, and was the very first (and only) anime to be released simultaneously on HD DVD and Blu-ray in North America. While very expensive, this release was a massive step up from the Manga release in almost every way, barring the lack of the commentary track.

Bandai Visual USA’s rights too, would eventually expire, and the film would be picked up by Maiden Japan, who in 2013 gave it a much simpler (but also cheaper) release. Gone was the fancy chipboard box, and in its place was a simple Blu-ray or DVD case. While technically a different transfer, these releases look nearly identical in quality to their Bandai counterparts.

In 2019, Maiden Japan would re-release Royal Space Force on Blu-ray. As far as I’m aware, the only differences are a new cover and some changes to the names in the credits, but as I don’t have both releases to compare side-by-side, I cannot state this as a fact. This release was only in print for about a year before vanishing, and as such, is somewhat harder to find than the 2013 release.

After sitting out of print for about two years, Maiden Japan’s sister brand, Sentai Filmworks announced that Royal Space Force would be getting a new release, but they wouldn’t be doing it themselves. Instead, they were officially importing the new Japanese 4K/Blu-ray combo pack, and selling it themselves, as it featured the English dub and subtitles. As of this writing, this set has yet to release, so any specs are subject to change.

CONCLUSION

Assuming the upcoming 4K release doesn’t look like garbage, that will be the release to get. Throw in the 2000 Manga DVD as well if you want the director’s commentary track, but only for that reason.