Last Exile

So... I finished Last Exile 10 minutes ago. First thing's first : the story. The action takes place in a steam-punk/SF world and the details in the show make the good use of these elements. In the first episodes you can see a lot of flying machines, strange clothes and all sorts of locations that characterize a steam-punk universe. All of this is very well represented with beautiful animation. Actually the animation is the best part about the series. Aerial battles are amazing and the vanships are very detailed. Unfortunately I only got to see this in 720p on a 17' monitor...but it must be a real eyegasm to see it on a big screen TV. I will do this sooner or later. Sound and characters... well this is where the bad things start to show up. I need to listen to the full OST but the opening theme is really good. There is a certain "fighting/dancing scene" where the music is memorable. Moving on to the characters... well some of them were great some were just to fill up the empty space. The only noticeable thing is the close relation between Claus and Lavie. Sophia is boring as hell, Alex is dull once you see that all his lines are in the same area and Mullin... well let's just say that he is one of the characters put in just to fill up the empty space. He has no actual value for the show. As usual, I keep the bad things for the end. First of all, the steam-punk theme was a great ideea and it was very well made. Why did they have to screw it up with the SF...? There are some huge holes in the plot and the fact that you only know detailed stuff only about Lavie and Claus does not help at all... In conclusion, I think that Last Exile was made more for the eye and less for the brain. If you can ignore the weak character design and weak story and just be able to be amazed of the beautiful animation and sound, than this is a five star anime. It's awesome. However... I can't do that. With all the stuff lacking I can only give it a 6.

Last Exile is immensely a product of its time, to both good and bad extents. To start with the most obvious point, yes, the CG is really bad, coming from an era when CG assets in anime finally became a practical application for TV productions on a large scale. Purely on the level of compositing and color design, the CG is outright gaudy, and yet I can’t bring myself to fully dislike it because the mechanical aspects of the designs are so solid. Borderline impractical in terms of physics sure, but be it the iconic vanships blending aspects of single-engine planes and early automobiles or the eclectic assortment of different battleship configurations, the CG is just really cool to look at regardless of whether or not it’s well-composited with the 2D artwork around it. The fact that said artwork is also incredibly strong in its own right, with Range Murata’s distinctive character designs working in conjunction with beautiful landscapes, muted but entrancing colorwork, and a keen eye for framing and cinematography create a world that I loved looking at. The narrative, on its basest level, is a fairly boilerplate “children get wrapped up in sci-fi war for ultimate power” plotline, but the specific character interactions and dialogue allow the time-tested elements of said plotline to truly shine. Claus’s desire to learn more about what goes on in the skies he flies through leads him down a path that he may not be emotionally equipped to handle, and the strains that come with how living through war changes him test both his mettle as a pilot and his friendship with Lavie as their ideals begin to diverge as the fighting becomes more intense. Mix in a smorgasbord of lively and complex supporting characters to color the world they find along the way, the story becomes one of simply trying to see things through to the end and make it out the other side in one piece, with its finale bringing far more closure to the thematic bases of these characters than I was expecting. It’s a high-flying adventure of the sort that feels timeless despite its technical limitations, and one that’s definitely worth viewing for those seeking an adventurous and romantic spirit in the stories they experience.

First of all - OP is a banger. I found characters appealing, and even though the story is indeed cliché, it was the relationship between characters that kept me glued to my seat. Yes, protagonist kun is fairly devoid of personality - but he's likeable and everyone else around him have strong well defined motivations. That is pretty much what got me into the show - everyone there had a reason to be there - good or bad. There was abuse, and healing and misfits getting together to survive something that was way bigger than they were. Yes, I'm aware we have captain Ahab, yes I'm aware this is not perfect by any means. But it has a Gibbli feeling to it, beautiful animation (considering WHEN this came out) and I had fun. I loved the air battles and I could feel the dispair of the soldiers in such awful situations. It has good world building, a cool premise and nice Esthetic and well defined "rules". Finally, Tatiana is best Girl, but Dio is simply the best. Bang!

watched for the first time many years ago and liked it, though I was super confused towards the end. But I recently re-watched it and actually tried to understand what was happening and it makes a lot more sense. I really love this anime, maybe I'm biased because it was one of the first anime I had ever seen, but if you take a moment to understand the ending, definitely worth the watch. Made me cry. The setting is probably one of the coolest part of the anime, it's got diesel punk airship battles; imagine naval ships/ aircraft carriers, but in the air. And the plot deals with a dystopian future and overthrowing corrupt people in power.

QUICK REVIEW: Last Exile is a wonderful example of hybrid animation. The CG and cell animation are distinct, keeping CG for mechanical devices and cell for living beings. The two work very well together. You will grow to root for Klaus and Lavie which really keep the story moving forward. The story, the world and the characters will keep most anime lovers engaged. The biggest drawback of the series is "The Mystery". It is not until the final episode that we learn what the true purpose of Exile and the Grand Stream are and how the two countries of Dissith and Anatoray relate to each other. It's not particularly satisfying and the fact that you must wait 26 episodes means that for 97% of the show you are left in the dark. If you have to wait that long, the payoff should really be amazing and it really wasn't. Also, the fact that you are confused for 25/26 episodes means that this feeling pervades the overall enjoyment of the entire series. This is why you may read reviews saying that they found Last Exile confusing or difficult to follow. It's not hard to understand. It's just that they hid the reveal so far into the series. This is why the reviews are positive overall, but few people will say Last Exile is a classic. MILD VAGUE SPOILER AHEAD: It turns out that the shape of the planet they are on plays a large roll in the mystery which seems so needlessly random and confusing that the 26 episode build-up ends up being a let down. If you envision the identical story between two neighboring continents on a normal, spherical world - divided by an uncrossable barrier (a sea or wind current), you would end up with the same outcome. However, I must admit that the ultimate mystery is what kept me going - so without that I may have gradually lost interest.

It saddens me to see this show's rating being so low and gradual disappearance form collective memories. There really aren't that many steampunk(or related) shows around to watch or enjoy. This could have been more popular or became a cult classic. (The followup 2nd season did no help one bit, it was lackluster to say the least.) This anime(1st season) did arrive with some real hype, and studio Gonzo was in their phase of trying something unique and different from their usual catalog, 3D computer animation being one of them. The problem with using CG in anime, things can look or feel dated after a while. The creators perhaps didn't predict CG to get so advanced in the upcoming years. This is a shame because the other elements of the animation still stands the test of time. They did a really good job with character designs, architectures and clothing. Some of the scenes are real treats for the eyes. Some hits you with emotional depth that you weren't prepared for. You will find carefully crafted and stylized action sequences. You will find familiar patterns in the plot-lines, costumes, designs which have historical influences and inspirations, mainly from Europe(Germany to be specific) in the early half of the 20th century. The plot, premise are quite unique, it manages to blend genres like science fiction, fantasy, steampunk and action. The intro song has some really cool fusion of exotic genres and the music overall is fairly distinct and effective. However, what separates it from the greats or classics is the lack of cohesion. It lacks the sustained quality & development in plot, dialogue, characters or the visuals. There are also elements that may have been popular with targeted audience of a certain demographic in Japan, but it doesn't necessarily work with everyone else. Who should try it out? Well, steampunk fans who are desperate to find something new to watch, or sci-fi fans who like to have some fantasy elements in it. Watching it might just be worth your time. So, in conclusion....this show is running out of time, to grab the attention of anyone trying it out. Because given enough time... the visuals, animations, plot-line would cease to become unique or special. It will be one of those shows...dated, irrelevant. Exiled into obscurity, with unfulfilled potentials.