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Last Exile - First Move (Vol. 1)

Last Exile - First Move (Vol. 1)

List Price: $29.98
Your Price: $26.08
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Stunningly Beautiful
Review: This anime features a terrific and engaging storyline. The true star, however, is some of the most stunningly beautiful animation I have ever seen. I cannot wait to see where it all goes. I count the days until every new volume comes out. Shame on Pioneer for waiting every other month to release these. This is my only complaint.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great beginning
Review: This anime is a great beginning to the series. It opens up a world of flight, and adventure. If you are a fan of Action/Adventure, this is for you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Grand Steam
Review: This is a story about 2 kids that just want to fly over the "Grand Stream" a never ending storm that flows like a river over the world. At this time 2 major contries are at war overlooked by the guild. They are drawn into the battle when a fellow Vanship pilot entrust his cargo to them. This begins their adventure.

Overall I have seen most of the Japan release of this series and if Pioneer can do a good job with the dub (for those that don't like sub titles) this will be an anime that you will be drawn completely into, the music and animation are the best I have seen to date. I would actually give this 10 out of 5 stars, beautiful storyline, great action and it holds the balance between the eye candy and the story.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best
Review: This is absolutely the most stunning, facinating, perfect anime I've ever seen. Nothing marrs Last Exile. The animation is even better than .hack, the voices are some of the least irritating I've heard, and the story...well, there is one continuous story line that keeps you riveted from one espisode to the next. A must buy for any fan or collector, or even if you've never seen anime before.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Cool anime
Review: This is an awesome anime, no doubt about that.
*warning* there is no magical realism in this anime!!! Anyone can die easily in this anime!!! So be prepared :D

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This is one of those anime titles that look really good in the trailers ... and fail to live up to that look. Visually it's a treat; but visuals can only carry you so far. The characters here are flat, and the storyline bland.

I watched the whole first disk and found nothing here to make me want to see more.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome
Review: this is probably tied for the best anime series i've ever seen. wonderful color. wonderful feeling. wonderful plot. wonderful ending. no disappointment whatsoever. And not one true recap episode!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Among the best, if not THE best, animes out there
Review: This is undeniably the anime series of the year. I would go much farther: it's not just the best anime of the year, not just the best anime of the decade, but in fact the best show ever to air on any television network anywhere in the world.

Most people wouldn't got that far. But all concede that this series is outstanding.

On to the (massive) review. Note that I'm reviewing the whole series based on a fansub released earlier this year, because it seems pointless to buy the first few episodes without some idea of the overall quality of the whole anime.

The Setting is utterly atypical of anime. Escaflowne had similarities of sorts, but an entirely different premise. The world features technology in some ways more advanced than ours, and in others considerably behind our current level. Most of the gadgetry looks Victorian, Industrial or WWII era, except for the bits of it that look something like Stargate but with more of a white palette. Most of the nobles dress in Renaissance style, however (although there is another culture that dresses in a fashion best described as... indescribable). This barely hints at the eclecticness of the series' style. You are unlikely to see another anime that draws on so many disparate cultural elements and makes them seem to naturally cohere.

I honestly can't imagine that the Amazon reviewer of this series paid careful attention to it. The level of thought put into every aspect of Prestale is astounding, from the body language of different cultures to behind-the-scenes politicking to the very nature of Prestale itself. They don't throw the details in your face, however. They just exist in the background, providing an immense depth to the series. Some aspects, such as the ways in which Sophia uses her political influence in early episodes, are never shown at all. They're merely inferred by casual comments and seemingly out-of-place events. Or perhaps the reviewer simply expected more time on the ground. Most of this series takes place in the air in one way or another, but don't imagine that this means you won't learn or care about the world.

The Characters are deeply engaging and original. This is quite rare in anime, where there's usually at least a couple vaguely cliche members of the cast. More importantly, the characters are developed with consumate skill. The ways in which dialogue elements expose the natural degree of unspoken understanding between the two main characters, for example, is brilliant. Dio's personality is totally unlike anything in anime, so far as I know, and yet extremely plausible. The villain of the piece is the most genuinely, believably evil charcter I've seen in a fantasy/sci-fi series, not that the series is black and white by any means. Alex Rowe's intense mystique will fascinate many viewers Perhaps Last Exile's greatest strength in character development is the competence with which it gives depth to its cast.

The Plot is deep, well-constructed, and epic without being cheesy. The pace is perfect in my opinion, although some complain that the last episode is too compressed. You also won't even begin to glimpse the real substance of the plot until episode 14 or so, but don't worry; you won't realize what you're missing until the twists start showing up. There's no single, defining, sudden moment of revelation. Rather, your understanding of the plot is gradually molded, with some developments revealed as significant only in retrospect.

The Music is very well done, although not invariably well-matched with scenes. Nonetheless, it adds incredible power in a number of places, not to mention being beautifully composed and recorded. The opening soundtrack is a perfect fit for the series. The ending is similarly apt and well-constructed. During episodes, the anime draws on everything from jazz to harps to trumpet fanfares to bagpipes. It sets moods from the cozy domesticity and lightheartedness to sorrow and awe. I can think of two annoying tracks, each used only once, in this series. One is rather Engrish-y and the other repeats a trumpet fanfare six times in a row. I could name another dozen tracks that are outstanding, and the rest are just very good.

The Animation is the best you can ever hope to see on a TV series. It easily surpasses Titan AE. Last Exile takes every other anime and administers a severe visual beating to it. No more need be said on its quality.

To top it off, the style and palette perfectly complements the unorthodox setting. Characters are done in muted tones, and strong contrasts in color are rarely apparent in the hand-drawn elements. The CGI, however, uses lighting and ambience to create stronger palettes while avoiding the garishness of other series.

Each element in the series is excellent, but the interplay between them makes this series... well, you know how I feel. The detail of the art aids the detail of the world, the characters propel the immersive plot, the music hightens the impact of it all.

This anime is a gem. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gonzo's Tenth Anniversary Extravaganza
Review: This series is amazing: Excellently paced, tightly plotted. The first two episodes grab you and pull you into this world of high flying adventure so hard you may never want to leave. The last episode wraps things up perfectly, but you'll be sorry it had to end. Action, adventure, unrequited love, tragedy... This has it all.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Turn down the brightness !!!
Review: This transfer has been ruined by some moron over at Pioneer. Whoever was in charge of the transfer process should be sacked ... now !!!! The aerial scenes are ***far*** too bright. What should have come across as beautiful flying scenes and brilliant aerial battles has been totally ruined. Place any anime in your collection into your DVD player and turn up the brightness to 100% and that's what you'll get with this. And what's with the lousy release schedule on this series ? Once every two months is not good enough !!!


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