ANI-MOVIES, *The Princess And The Pilot

Koroku Inumura's light novel series was transformed into a manga, and then this 2011 anime feature film. It was a joint effort with Madhouse and TMS Entertainment, which most of their works Americans should be familiar with. The story is firmly established as a love letter to the works of Hiyao Miyazaki mixing in 20th Century aerial adventures with a parallel universe.

Set in an alternative reality, the kingdom of Levamme is at war with an enemy empire, prompting their princess Juana to be promised as a bride for the prince of an allied nation. After Levamme's king is killed in an attack, Juana has a mission to be married to her fiance still fighting in the war on another side of the world. Charles is a lower class citizen whose mother was a maid in Juana's service as a child, and now he is the most skilled fighter in the Levamme air force. The underprivileged pilot is assigned to fly Princess Juana to rendezvous with her future husband, although their secret mission is compromised as they are constantly hunted by enemy airships. Juana and Charles and learn of each other's past on their journey and grow closer after seeking cover on a small island. Ultimately, they realize their responsibilities outweigh their personal feelings as they part ways going to their chosen destinies.

This dieselpunk fantasy is ripe with anime cliches, although the relationship between the titular princess and pilot is so charming that it makes you forget a majority of the movie tropes. There is no English dub available at this time, which might be a turnoff for watchers not comfortable with subtitles. The original light novel also had a spinoff set in the same universe titled The Pilot's Love Song which was eventually adapted into a limited anime TV series that you might also want to check out.