The Last Exile Complete Series Vol 1-7

Rating:
Summary: Last Exile is Simply Breathtaking
Review: Being both an avid reader and a writer, gadget-driven stories at the expense of character development is an absolute no-no (at least for ME it is). Unfortunately I have watched enough bad anime to notice that in most cases, it is the gadgetry which takes center stage, while the characters are often relegated to shallow window-dressing. Scantily-clad cyber chicks in a dystopian world with vehicles that turn into heavily armed battle bots? Been there, seen it, yawn.

When there is a beautiful synthesis of plot and character and when those characters take me on an emotional journey, through their happiness and their heartbreak--that is when a tale resonates with me. I saw this in the Robotech series, and now I see the perfection in Last Exile, which is by far one of the most intensely character-driven series I have yet to feast my eyes on.

And yes, it is a visual feast for the eyes. No transforming mecha or over-the-top gratuituous battle-scenes here. The animation style harkens back to an almost dreamy Napoleonic/Art Deco era with its flying vanships, massive man-o-wars with their flowing and elegant lines--the sleek and deadly Silvana is right up there with Patrick O'Brian's fabled HMS Surprise. The colours are subtle, almost watery (though a great deal of the action takes place in the skies). And never having been a big fan of anime soundtracks, I have fallen in love with Last Exile's subtle yet airy blend of electronica--Cloud Age Symphony is one beautiful piece of dreamy soundscape.

But what I really love are the characters who are as complex as as human beings are themselves. These are not cardboard cut-outs, but people in many ways like ourselves, caught up in extraordinary situations. The ideas of 'good guys and bad guys' has no place in the highly detailed world of Prester. I even found myself having a little sympathy at the end for Maestro Delphine, the cold and ruthless ruler of The Guild. There is an emotional depth to these characters and their relationships, which takes us from just being a passive viewer to the place where we can truly empathize with them: Claus and Lavie with their wide-eyed wonder and dreams of crossing the Grand Stream; The fitting tribute to all brooding, gothic and enigmatic heroes of literature--the dashing Alex Rowe and his beautiful second in command, Sophia Forrester; the mysterious and sometimes sinister Dio and his companion Lucciola; the emotionally distant Tatiana and her navigator Alister. Even the wide-eyed orphan, Alvis Hamilton, transcends the typically annoying cute little girl syndrome so often a trope of anime, and is an intriguing character in her own right.

This is a series worth owning and watching again and again. It is a hallmark of what breathtaking visuals and an incredibly complex cast of characters can do for the entire genre of anime.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing series that non-anime fans would enjoy
Review: I discovered this wonderful anime series by accident. I was watching TV at my sister's house flipping the channels when on Tech TV I saw this anime show with flying battleships and characters wearing 19th century uniforms. After a few minutes I was drawn into this imaginary world, whether its a alternative universe or the future, is left up to the viewer. I am not a big fan of Japanese anime but I found the world being portrayed fascinating. I made the investment in purchasing the whole DVD collection, 26 episodes. This was one of my best purchases ever made. Last Exile takes place in an world divided between two human kingdoms, Anatoray and Disith, which are at war. The society and technology portrayed is a mish mash of different periods of the past. Most people seem to exist in a late 19th/early 20th century existence with hints of industrialization. The political system is an aristocracy with a Emperor ruling Anatoray with feudal lords, dukes, princes, etc. controlling territory and serving as leaders of the military. One of the creators, in an interview in the first DVD, mentioned how he was inspired by Weimar Germany period, 1919-1933. The movie does has a European feel to it. The aristocratic women dress in Renaissance outfits with the puffed out skirts and bodices while the aristocratic men and soldiers dress in military style 19th century uniforms. The nobility place great emphasis on honor and chivalry. But on this primitive foundation the people of this world called Prestar can fly in the skies using some type of magnetic levitation technology and its in the skies that the war between Anatoray and Disith is fought. The Anatoray ships are similar to Dreadnaught or pre-Dreadnaught style battleships, the type that fought at Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War and Jutland during WWI with their drab color, steel armor, masts, and turrets with cannons. Ship to ship communication is done with signal flares and Morse code light beacons. Also all the instruments are analog, no fancy digital displays. The land dwellers are not alone and are dominated by the Guild. The Guild are a race of highly develop humans who are much more technologically advanced and provide the land dwellers the technology to fly their massive ships in the sky. The Guild seems to decide what technology the human population have access to so they have some electricity but no radios. The Guild reside in the Grand Stream, a region of high speed winds that serve as a barrier between Anatoray and Disith. The Guild sets the rules of the war and are suppose to serve as impartial arbiters but as can be seen in the first episode they decide to change the rules. In this interesting world are Claus Vlaca and Lavie Head, both 15 years old life long friends and orphans, who scratch out a living serving as couriers flying a Van Ship. Van Ships are small personal flying craft that look like roadsters from the 1920/30s with the elongated front section housing the engine, with hood ornaments, and open cockpits. Claus and Lavie dream of crossing the Grand Stream to complete the mission that killed their fathers who tried to cross the Stream to deliver a message from Anatoray to Disith. They lives are fundamentally changes when the meet up with Alvis (Al) Hamilton, an 11 year old girl, who holds the key to Exile although its not clear what exactly Exile is until well into the story. Claus and Lavie deliver Al to the warship Silvana a free agent ship both feared by Disith and Anatoray where they meet up with the enigmatic brooding captain Alex Rowe who has a tortured past and his XO the beautiful intelligent Sophia Forrester who has her own secrets. Chess plays an important role in the story and we see many of the characters play it and the title of the episodes are based on chess and give an indication as to what is going on in the story.
The animation is gorgeous using a combination of traditional hand drawing and CGI. The battle scenes, the scenery, the skies are pure eye candy. The music is great and the sound is wonderful and realistic. The plot is interesting with many elements that all come together in the end. I enjoyed the character development. Most of the main characters are teenagers so issues that young people face at that age are brought up, including loss of innocence especially during a time of war, love and romance, following ones own destiny versus what's expected of you from your family or because of ones social position. The story has a lot of action and adventure but also some nice intimate human elements. Even if you are not a fan of Japanese anime but like a good adventure story with elements of sci-fi and fantasy I would highly recommend this. This series is better than 99% of what Hollywood puts out in terms of creativity, plot, and characters. I find myself caring more for the characters in this anime series than supposedly live actors in a movie or TV show. Perhaps you can rent the first episode on DVD and see if you like it.
Each DVD has some extras although it consists mainly of an art gallery and non-text opening and closing credits. There is an interesting interview with the creative director on the first DVD, First Move.
The sound is Dolby 2.0 which is a bit disappointing although I was able to use all the speakers in my entry level home theater system by switching to the analog input.
The series is rated PG-13. The rating reflects violence during a time of war, you see people getting shot, stabbed, and an strangulation. The language is clean and there is no nudity, scantily clad women or overt sexual references. Except for a few scenes you can probably watch this in front of kids although someone under 13 will probably not understand the plot.


Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: It's..... *GOOD*......

The best anime I've seen... If you only buy one anime this year, buy this one !

Rating:
Summary: English voice over track
Review: Most of the reviews for this series have said it all. It's a great anime, good story and characters that you can't help but care about. The one thing that I was nervous about buying this series because I did not know if it had an English voice over track. The description does not say nor does any of the reviews. I took a chance and bought the series. Not only is it in English but also it has some good voice over work. I hope you enjoy this series as much as I do.

Rating:
Summary: The complete Story
Review: The DVD version tells the complete story, it has the missing parts of the story that was not on the television version. It has the parts that are missing. It changes the whole point of the story much more enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: An incredible series
Review: When I watch this series late at night with the lights off, it seems like everything except the elaborate, beautifully constructed world of Last Exile ceases to exist. It's a fictional world complete with its own history, technology, politics, and social order- and one hell of a story. Two warring nations, long manipulated against each other by a race of arbiters called the Guild, team up to overthrow them and sieze control of Exile. The series has a few corny/melodramatic moments, and the main characters aren't always as interesting as some of the side characters(the fanatic captain and the sadistic Guild queen are great), but overall it's got some really sophisticated plotting and storytelling: often the significance of a particular action or remark doesn't become clear until several episodes later, and some of the interactions are very subtle. You really have to think about what's happening. It's more like reading a book (say, _Lord of the Rings_, or Miyazaki's _Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind_ comics, which were clearly a huge inspiration for the series) than watching TV in that way. I loved that very little is explained, it's just shown; I loved being constantly on the edge of my seat, and I loved that the series didn't pull punches- there are a number of characters where you're cheering for them to make it. And they don't. Best anime series I've seen in... ever.