[Anime Reviews]

Last Exile 7-13

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Last Exile]

Things take the expected pickup in pace as the series reaches the end of its first half. The story covers quite a bit of ground on both the action and charaterisation fronts - I’m beginning to see why it’s become such a fan favourite. The crew of the Silvana have a run-in with a pompous military type while docking to make repairs, taking on musketeer Mullen as a new crew member; a spat with the Guild ends when the somewhat unbalanced Dio takes an interest in Claus’ piloting skills and invites himself aboard; Tatiana gets knocked down a peg or two and the Gateway to Exile makes an appearance at a black market auction.

Dio gives Claus some trouble

I’m in two minds what to make of Dio. He’s a white-haired bishie type (and therefore dangerous/evil/mad) and comes across as being rather immature, like some sort of spoilt child; he certainly looks like a fish out of water in his gold and white finery amongst the military greys of the Silvana but he seems to have some sort of clue relating to Exile. He’s also something of a comedy character of sorts I suppose, but I much preferred the antics of the mechanics at the dock when they indulge in their own interpretation of R&R. The introduction of Mullen as a crew member gives a bit of background to the way the conflict is fought, namely the same way that all wars are fought: ordinary, clueless everymen serving under fools who ought to know better.

Mullen and Lavie share a drink: you’ve got to love Range Murata’s character designs

What I found especially interesting was how Claus and Lavie’s relationship has stayed almost unchanged despite their changes in outlook, as exemplified in that epic vanship race in which the two of them beat Dio. Lavie’s pacifist attitude takes second place to her loyalty to her childhood friend; because they work together so well I’d hate to see them go separate ways. My worry at this point is that personal matters will jeopardise their relationship more than the events that are surrounding them.

Running parallel to the exhilerating vanship race was a more sedate, but no doubt important incident between Alex, the father of the pompous captain he sunk and the Gateway to Exile. Why the guild felt the need to get involved in the auction rather than take the artifact for themselves, I don’t know. Since Delphine is Dio’s sister I’m guessing she shares the feeling that life is just a game and went into the auction ‘because she can’. As important as this all was, I still felt more entertained by the vanship race and trying to keep up with what the crew of the Silvana were up to.

Alex bids on the Gateway to Exile

Claus gets even more screen time when Taitana, in a move to spite her navigator Alis (I’m not calling her by her full name of Alister because it makes her sound like a boy), makes him her navi when the Silvana takes on an Anatoray battleship. Alis is a really likable and loyal kind of girl but I never had much time for the icy and sulky Tatiana. When their vanship gets downed and they have to make repairs though, the Ice Maiden begins to crack. I didn’t take any sadistic enjoyment in her pride come crashing down as Claus did the lion’s share of the repair work but it showed that she had a vulnerable side, which made her seem more human. Seeing Tatiana and Claus form a friendship and acquire a mutual respect for one another was a rewarding experience: this is character development done right. Incidentally, it showed some fascinating close-up views of the Claudia technology; the techie/mecha nut in me constantly squints at the vanships and tries to figure out how all that stuff works.

Claus and Tatiana cross swords

The battle with the Anatoray ships sheds some more light on the conflict again, with the Disith side coming into play a little more. The sheer scale of Last Exile’s worldview is much more evident now: yet, while I watch Anatoray and Disith slugging it out with the Silvana in the middle of it all as Alex pursues his own agenda, there’s always the heartless guild pulling the strings and pushing the pawns around the board. Both on a character level and a visual one, Last Exile is outstanding. It is also another anime series that highlights the pain and folly of warfare - an old adage I know, but it’s always relevent in any age.

What’s wrong with Alvis?

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[Anime Reviews]

Last Exile: first impressions

Posted by Martin  [Tags: Last Exile]

After who knows how long, I’ve finally been able to revisit Last Exile. Criticise Gonzo all you like but there’s no denying that they can kick out a real gem on occasion: this series is a case in point, combining Gonzo Digimation’s polished CGI visuals with characters and storylines that are truly outstanding.

I’ve heard LE described as ‘Miyazaki’s Laputa for the Final Fantasy generation’, which strikes me as a bit oversimplified but nevertheless captures the overall vibe of the show, at least initially. It also reminds me a little of Skies of Arcadia, an old game with similar aerial aesthetics; perhaps it’s the Miyazaki-esque airship designs which drew me into LE in the first place because they look downright awesome. The two warring states in Prester, the world of Last Exile, fight in the air using huge, lumbering airships with a policy of set-piece battles and chivalry that hark back to the Napoleonic Wars; in contrast the Sylvana, the renegade vessel of the piece, looks more like a twentieth century battleship - right from the first time I saw it I was utterly bowled over by the meticulous way in which this great piece of hardware is rendered.

Vidual shininess aside (Last Exile was a Gonzo 10th Anniversary piece, and boy does it show), the substance stands up well alongside the style. Below the aerial battlegrounds, the two heroes of the story are Claus and Lavie, a pair of teenagers who operate a flying courier service using their considerably smaller, more humble vanship. They’re something of the underdogs since their vanship, which was left to Claus by his late father, is a beaten up, clapped-out old contraption that has a hard time keeping up the other couriers but nevertheless Claus has an inborn love and skill for flying and the bond he and Lavie share makes them a great team. Lavie too is a great character: neither belonging to the meek moe or obnoxious tsundere archetypes, she’s the sensible voice of reason for the pair and the two of them are clearly childhood friends.

There are numerous details that link the Sylvana’s captain, Alex Row, with Claus’ father, not to mention the significance of Alvis Hamilton, the young girl our heroes rescue in the eyes of the all-seeing Guild who manipulate the conflict between Anatole and Dysis like a giant chess game. At the time of watching this for the first time, I wasn’t used to seeing TV anime in widescreen format but given the sweeping scope and epic feel to the whole piece, I think it was a wise decision that shows off the superb background art and airborne choreography. The music has a folk-tinged feel during the episodes but the opener, Cloud Age Symphony, kicks off with a digeridoo and bagpipes (no, really) before turning into a pulsating and dreamy piece of electronica; the closing track Over the Sky doesn’t grab you straightaway but is also really ethereal and atmospheric.

Summary

The first couple of volumes of Last Exile were some of my early DVD purchases and at the time was one of the hottest new UK releases too. Looking at how shabby the likes of Speed Grapher and Welcome to the NHK! have proved to be from a visual standpoint, the staggering beauty and sweeping ambition of this show are even clearer to me now. With such a spectacular worldview and interesting cast, I’m looking forward to seeing this through to the end.

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