Rating: 
Summary: Immelman!!
Review: I loved this series I have all the fansub and cant wait to own it on DVD as all my fansub are (am also dying for Gundam Seed in america but another story).Ok childhood friends whose parents basically died triing to carry out a (thinks) ten star mission, the most dangerous. They make a promise to cross the "Grand Stream" together one day. They are Vanship couriers and deliever messages to various people and earn money one of the first missions they take on is to deliever a message to a battle and from this point on you are offically hooked from Alvis to the Exile Claus's and Ravis's adventures will have you on the edge waiting to know whats next the pacing is great and never is their a dull or recap moment and it was just great beyond all words. Deeo is also a character that you'll enjoy throughout the series. I highly recommend it and Im trying not to spoil anything so um ill just stop it there and let everyone here decide and find out for themsleves when the DVD is released
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful Animation...
Review: I saw Last Exile at a recent Anime convention and immediately fell in love with the animation. Since I already own Vandread, I was familiar with the work of Gonzo, but I didn't realize how much they'd matured as a studio. The visuals are stunning.
As for the story, I'm only familiar with the first few episodes. The setting is a nice mixture of Napoleonic war and early industrial age science, with soldier in neat lines shooting each other to bits with steam powered weapons. The early episode don't cover much background information. They introduce the main characters and start to build on the story which seems to center around a major shift in power. Who's behind it? What actions will the main characters take to affect the outcome? I must admit, after viewing the first episodes, I want to know how it all turns out. It doesn't appear to be a story line that rapidly explains itself, so if you don't like anime that makes you think, you might want to skip this one. Especially when you consider that you'll be investing over $100. You'll also need patience cause it'll be 2 years for the complete the series to be released in the US (1 disc every 3 months, 8 discs total from what I understand).
Of course, if you love stunning visuals and can wait to see the story unfold, this appears to be a series well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: A great new show
Review: I saw the first couple of episodes of Last Exile at Animazement in May of 2003 and was totally blown off my feet. To quote the program from that convention, "Stunning new adventure series from Gonzo about a steampunk world obsessed with flying machines." Since then I've enjoyed the series from start to finish and so has practically everyone else I know who has seen it. Last Exile blends wonderfuly done CG flawlessly with more traditional animation, it features a great soundtrack and awesome characters and plot. All of the characters are enjoyable and interesting, from the young messangers Claus and Lavie who are drawn into a war they have no understanding of, the taciturn mercenary captain Alex Rowe, the creepy Guildsmen, the mysteries of Exile, and the girl Alvis Hamilton who is the key to it all. The plot moves at a great pace and serves to develope all of the characters very well and tell a great story. Bottomline is that any one looking for an excellent new anime I'd say that Last Exile is a great choice.
Rating:
Summary: Probably the best I've ever seen
Review: I watch a lot of anime, and happened to catch this on fansubs. This is probably the BEST series I have ever seen. No question, buy it. The only thing that sucks is that they're choosing to release it Bi-monthly! With 7 volumes in this series, that's over a year to get them all. Come on Pioneer! Release things faster! Do you think you'll sell more if you space them so far apart? Where's the logic in that. I'd think the opposite would be true and people would lose interest. Regardless, get this series. It's amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Gonzo Rules
Review: If you are a fan of Gonzo you should already know how this review will end. Ever since I watched Hellsing in its entirety I remained confident that Gonzo were one of the best production groups in Japan. I have been a fan of anime for years, I have seen Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Perfect Blue to name but a few and consider myself an expert in this genre and Last Exile certainly does not disappoint. After viewing all seven DVDs in the series it is clear to say this is one of the most epic stories I have seen in a long time. It certainly does demand a distinct level of imagination from its viewing audience but once you become emersed in the world of exile you will find it difficult to escape. This is one of the best anime series I have seen and I've seen them all.
Rating:
Summary: An all time great
Review: Ignore that "editorial review." The first two episodes set this series up perfectly. You are dragged in and will never want to leave, right up to the perfect ending episode. Not a single filler or recap here, I don't think I have seen anything this perfectly paced since Escaflowne. You simply must buy this. Or beg, borrow or steal it.
Rating:
Summary: I actually bought this instead of keeping the fansub version
Review: It takes a lot of story, character development and maximum fun to make a cheapskate like me to spend money on anime. I'm mostly happy with the fansub copy (and believe me, the fansub version for this was quite impressive) I couldn't resist buying this. The only problem would be waiting until all 7 disks are released... I'll refrain from making comments about Pioneer.. The storyline is your typical heroic boy+girl pair, doing heroics and fighting for their beliefs, blah blah. But it's the interwoven sub plots and interesting characters like Dio and the pure pure evilness of Maestro Delphine that keeps you in your chair and wanting more. The Alvie figurine is so-so, but the mousepad is awesome.
Rating:
Summary: A Breakthrough Series; Exile Is The Future Of Anime
Review: Japanese animators have come teasingly close to perfecting the integration of computer-generated images into anime as evidenced by their work in such series as "Full Metal Panic" and "Initial D." With "Last Exile," anime has taken the next step into mixing the realistic look that computers have to offer, with the fantastic, energetic images of hand-drawn art.
Welcome to Prester, a planet of two warring kingdoms--Anatory and Disith--separated by the Grand Stream, a violent atmospheric level where airspeeds reach well over 100 knots. Therein lies the Guild, an alien race whose superior technology gives them judge-like authority over the battling Anatory and Disith kingdoms.
This volume opens in Anatory, home to 15-year-olds Claus Valca and Lavie Head, vanship pilots orphaned when their fathers attempted to cross the Grand Stream to deliver a letter of peace to Disith. Think of Anatory, and the general air of "Last Exile," as "Star Wars" meets "Pirates of the Carribean." Rules of Engagement are strictly followed; nobles rule prominently, and shadier characters loom in the background in their own areas. Prester is a desolate land, with houses built into canyons or mountainsides, with water being an extremely important commodity (the purest water is sold at bars like expensive wine).
The main technology can be seen in vanships, World War II-ish hovercraft/planes that one can immediately equate to the pod racers in "Phantom Menace." Claus and Lavie use their working for a courier service; during an important race, however, they come upon a fallen vanship, its dying pilot requesting they take on and finish his mission. The cargo? An 11-year-old named girl Al (Alvis) Hamilton.
The pair develop an emotional attachment to the child; it just happens that the infamous Silvana warship is her destination. The two perform a daredevil maneuver to land their vanship on the Silvana to get her back, eventually impressing the crew. Claus and Lavie are then stuck on the Silvana, and their adventures begin.
The animation in this series is superb. Experienced viewers will be in awe of the way the artists have used CGI to great effect in the littlest of things: billowing smoke, the movement of grass in a field, a giant ship snapping in half and "sinking," or the tracking angles of the camera. It's not overwhelming CGI, it's necessary and well-used. Perhaps the best animation I've seen to date.
Fortunately, the story doesn't fall to the trap of most other series that sacrifice the first few volumes to setting up the rest of the series. The action begins right away in this very first volume, with the story tempered by slower personal moments which add to the tension and atmosphere of the series. It's anime's equivalent to "War and Peace," a long, multi-character war epic, that reduces the idea of massive conflicts to a select few people and events. Relationships are built and characters grow at a satisfying level for a 26-episode series.
Viewers should get the mood and idea of where "Exile" is headed from this initial volume; if you don't like where this is headed, don't buy it, but at least view it for its stunning look. Those who brave the series will feel like they, too, have completed a journey, when the series concludes.
Rating:
Summary: The Beginning of An Amazing Story
Review: Last Exile - First Move is the beginning of an amazing, wonderous tale of truth, deceit, bravery, failure and success. The three main characters, Claus, Lavie and Alvis, are all characters everyone can relate to. They are young, naive, caring and loving, but they must face the real world of back stabbing, betrayal and intrigue. The series starts off a bit slow, but with each episode you begin to find out more and more about the world these three young people live in. It is a world at war with itself. We know very little about the the "enemy", only that they "fight without honor or chivlary". We begin to realize the real "power" behind all that is happening is the Guild, a race of advanced beings who seem to have fun causing problems for the people of this world. Claus and Lavie become involved in the war accidentally when the pilot of another Vanship crashes after hitting Claus and Lavie's Vanship during the "big race". That is when we first meet Alvis, or Al, as Claus and Lavie know her. Al is a innocent child who holds a dark secret that the Guild wants. But we are left wondering what that "secret" is. The animation is first rate and the sound tract is fantastic. I recommend you get the soundtract along with the DVD. "Last Exile" is a top notch thriller and first rate example of the Japanese of Anime.
Rating:
Summary: The Beginning of An Amazing Story
Review: Last Exile - First Move is the beginning of an amazing, wonderous tale of truth, deceit, bravery, failure and success. The three main characters, Claus, Lavie and Alvis, are all characters everyone can relate to. They are young, naive, caring and loving, but they must face the real world of back stabbing, betrayal and intrigue. The series starts off a bit slow, but with each episode you begin to find out more and more about the world these three young people live in. It is a world at war with itself. We know very little about the the "enemy", only that they "fight without honor or chivlary". We begin to realize the real "power" behind all that is happening is the Guild, a race of advanced beings who seem to have fun causing problems for the people of this world. Claus and Lavie become involved in the war accidentally when the pilot of another Vanship crashes after hitting Claus and Lavie's Vanship during the "big race". That is when we first meet Alvis, or Al, as Claus and Lavie know her. Al is a innocent child who holds a dark secret that the Guild wants. But we are left wondering what that "secret" is. The animation is first rate and the sound tract is fantastic. I recommend you get the soundtract along with the DVD. "Last Exile" is a top notch thriller and first rate example of the Japanese of Anime.
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