Rating: 
Summary: absolutely breathtaking in every sense of the word
Review: As a preface, I don't watch a lot of anime. I enjoy it but I usually only like the really popular cliche series' like cowboy bebop, neon genesis evangelion, gundam wing, trigun, stuff like that. I've been wanting a new series to watch and I was in the store the other day and just happened to see this box set of Last Exile, which I'd never even heard of before. I usually don't do this, but I was feeling adventurous and the box looked cool, so I bought it. And man oh man, I'm definitely not sorry I did. The fusion of traditional 2d and 3d cg in this show is nothing short of awe-inspiring. I've never before been so impressed with just the look of an anime alone. The world of Prester that the show is set in is an absolutely fascinating meld of mid 19th century germany, Revolution period colonial life, and Skies of Arcadia (if you've ever played that before). That probably doesn't make any sense so you'll just have to buy the dvd and see for yourself how cool this is. The characters are interesting and the voice acting is spot on. What I love so much about this series is that you can tell every second that the creators didn't cheap out on the audience. You may know what I mean if you've watched shows where 3 or 4 frames of animation are used over and over again, and lots of time it will just hold on one still frame, with voice acting over it and you just have to imagine the movement that would be going on. Most people look at that as an art form, to me it's cheap. Last exile never does that at all, every scene reminds you of the big budget special effects scene that every movie has but it just doesn't end in this show.
I'm loving it so far, I can't wait until I can find somebody that has vol. 2 in stock. Buy it, you'll love it.
Rating:
Summary: good storyline, intriguing characters, and great animation
Review: Basically, this story is set in the world of Prestale, inhabited by three main political powers, two aggressive, Anatuore and Deusis, and one supposedly "neutral", the Guild. The Guild supplies the two other powers with ships containing "Units" that allow the the two other powers the ability to make their gigantic ships fly. Thus, the Guild is also the one who supposedly regulates any war between Anatuore and Deusis. I have to say that at first i was VERY skeptical of this anime.
At first i thought 'hmmm.....an anime with flying vanships (a sort of advanced plane) and ships in it....sounds very dull'. Also, I have to agree with many people that the beginning 2 episodes or so were kind of slow and only set up the storyline and introduce the characters. However, as I began to watch more of the series, I could not help but feel drawn into it. Yes, the animations were great, but the thing that drew me in was the intriguing, thought-provoking storyline and the many unique characters. There is Deeo Eracleir, who has the mindset of child, and thinks that life is all one big game. There is Maestro Delphine, the leader of the Guild, who possesses a cruel ideology and equally evil personality
Rating:
Summary: good storyline, intriguing characters, and great animation
Review: Basically, this story is set in the world of Prestale, inhabited by three main political powers, two aggressive, Anatuore and Deusis, and one supposedly "neutral", the Guild. The Guild supplies the two other powers with ships containing "Units" that allow the the two other powers the ability to make their gigantic ships fly. Thus, the Guild is also the one who supposedly regulates any war between Anatuore and Deusis. I have to say that at first i was VERY skeptical of this anime.
At first i thought 'hmmm.....an anime with flying vanships (a sort of advanced plane) and ships in it....sounds very dull'. Also, I have to agree with many people that the beginning 2 episodes or so were kind of slow and only set up the storyline and introduce the characters. However, as I began to watch more of the series, I could not help but feel drawn into it. Yes, I was drawn in in part by the great animation, but what really drew me in was the intriguing, thought-provoking storyline and the many unique characters. There is Deeo Eracleir, who has the mindset of child, and thinks that life is all one big game. There is Maestro Delphine, the leader of the Guild, who possesses a cruel ideology and equally evil personality. Alex Rou, whose mysterious past seems to be somehow linked to the events of the Exile. All in all, the characters in Last Exile are very believeable and REAL, just like in many great anime series such as Scrapped Princess, Full Metal Panic!, Trigun, Cowboy Bebop, Full Metal Alchemist, and many others. In brief, if you like an anime that makes you think in order to comprehend the whole storyline, then this is the anime for you. However, if you aren't, the great animations, unique characters, and addition of unexpected twists will more than compensate for it. My recommendation: BUY it....this anime is definitely worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: Fails to Engage the Viewer
Review: Firstly, this show has beautiful visuals. I don't think anyone can refute that. Unfortunately, joining them are flat, two-dimensional characters and a dull storyline. If you just want something pretty to look at, I suppose you could do worse. However, if you're looking for an engrossing storyline and interesting characters you will care about then you should look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Fails to Engage the Viewer
Review: Firstly, this show has beautiful visuals. I don't think anyone can refute that. Unfortunately, joining them are flat, two-dimensional characters and a dull storyline. If you just want something pretty to look at, I suppose you could do worse. However, if you're looking for an engrossing storyline and interesting characters you will care about then you should look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Sleepyheads, wake up and get this one!
Review: Having watched the japanese broadcast of Last Exile, I was at first intrigued by the first three episodes, which lead me to continue watching the series. Gladly Gonzo provided a remarkable experience so far, a show that mixes with great balance a consistent plot, character development, great music and eye candy 3D/2D animation. Claus and Lavi, two vanship riders, are caught in the middle of a war when they find Alvis, a little girl that was being transported as cargo to Sylvana, the most powerfull battleship known on Earth. Of course, things start to heat up when the Guild enters the scene, providing one of the best characters an anime studio could provide these days, the reckless and carefree Dio. The plot features many twists (including even a coud d'etat), which guarantees, in the event it's impossible nowadays to write something completely new, that the events are told and combined on a unique way. Of course, it's impossibile to talk about Last Exile without looking to its three main features, great animation (DVD is a must for this one), awesome soundtrack and Dio with his friendship to Claus. These alone are enough reason to watch Last Exile, combine that with a fine tuned plot, great character development (many directors should learn from this one) and you have a must watch title.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad for series
Review: I "always" considered that 3-D animation can not be converted with average animation and this good anime proves me wrong. First of all 3-d for air ships is beuatiful and it nicely blends in with hand drawn or however drawn charachters. I am glad some 1 got it right. Animation is not bad either not many of those annoying still bodys with mouth opening and closing bieng the ONLY animation on the screen this one has a little more movement YAY!
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Compelling
Review: I absolutely fell in love with the characters in this anime. The world rendered here is stunningly beautiful. Perhaps the best anime ever. I simply can't wait for the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: Give this series a shot!
Review: I first viewed this series on Tech TV and I have to say I was very impressed, it is what has thrust me headlong into the world of anime. This is a timeless series that stays loyal to most anime stereotypes (most notably orphan heroes, a brooding man with a mysterious past, and how can we forget the required evil hot chick?) Still, this is an absolutly amazing good anime. I have not yet purchased it, but I would like to warn anyone who is going to try to be a cheapskate: I am pretty sure that Tech TV has edited it heavily for time and possibly content. The fianle of the series was so amazingly incoherent and convoluted that I went online and, from what I could gather, the final episode was an approx. 40 minutes long. Tech TV cut it to 23! Buy the DVDs and find out what the heck is really going on! Buy Last Exile!
Rating:
Summary: Classic Gothic Steam Punk
Review: I have never been a huge fan of anime, but this series has made me a believer. Not only is the mix of 2D and 3D animation among the best I have ever seen, but the world depicted is just so unusual and believable. Also, for a change, I actually got to care about the main characters. So, for 1) technical quality of animation, 2) originality, and 3) character development this is by far the best anime that I've ever see. The theme is essentially "steam punk"- an alternative world set in the historical industrial past with unique technological and historical elements. Here we have a world seemingly set in early 20th century Europe (or a place much like it.) The main difference seems to be possession of some sort of anti-gravity technology that enables huge fleets of aerial dreadnaughts (and smaller "van ships") to fly. The rest of the technology seems fairly archaic. The social order also seems pretty archaic and anchored in chivalry and loyalty to social codes of duty and honor (which is kind of charming and refreshing, really.) The society seems to center around loyality to princely states- or in the case of the main characters, Claus and Lavie, to loyality to their duties as members of the messengers' union. At the risk of sounding redundant, I haven't become this enthralled by a piece of animation in years- this goes in my permanent collection.
|
