Last Exile

MeMyself · 07-07-2010, 09:29 PM

This is the story of two teenagers trying to make a living delivering messages by air. Claus is the seat-of-his-pants, take chances, never back down pilot. Lavie is his spirited, but more practical, partner. Living in an alternate reality, with the world at war, you can expect their lives to be often in danger.

This is a six disc series. I completed disc 1, episodes 1-4. I don’t know why it is called Last Exile. I expect to figure it out later.

The first four episodes set the characters, with a good share of action. The characters are likeable. But what really makes this series stand out is the quality of the animation. It seems more suited for a theatrical feature film than a TV series. No short cuts appear to have been taken.

I’m committing myself not to finish the series. More later.

Comments? If so, NO SPOILERS!

MeMyself · 12-07-2010, 10:16 PM

I forgot to mention that Lavie looks a bit like the title character in Serial Experiments Lain, only about two years older.

Anyway, I finished disc 2, episodes 5-8. In disc 1, Claus and Lavie took responsibility for a little girl called Al. Now in order to continue to protect Al, they joined the crew of the fearsome battleship Silvana as they fight an unknown enemy. It does not seem that they know what they are getting into, but the Silvana has its own interesting set of characters from the quiet captain to the robust tech crew.

So far, still good.

MeMyself · 14-07-2010, 11:10 PM

First a correction. I said this is a six disc series. It is actually seven.

So I completed disc 3, episodes 9-12. I decided that I need to watch each episode once in English, rather than also a second time in Japanese with subtitles. The plot is getting complecated, but the Japanese dub with subtitles adds little if anything to understanding the story. This should speed up my progress in getting through this series.

Claus, Lavie and Al seem to be settling into their lives aboard the Silvana, only they seem to be unknowing pawns in a game they know nothing about. Of course, that is assuming any of them survive.

The animation in these episodes does not seem to be as good as the early ones, but it is good enough. On this disc, there is an exciting battle scene leading to a cliff-hanger.

Well, I guess I'll find out who gets out alive tomorrow when I start disc 4.

MeMyself · 18-07-2010, 11:08 PM

I forgot to mention that on disc 3, there is a character who looks exactly like "The Baby" from Monster. Only he lasts only one episode.

So onto disc 4, episodes 13-16. Here we find out a bit on the background of many of the characters. Tatiana, the main pilot on the Silvana, reaches her limit. Captain Alex Roe, the strong silent type, has a confession for Claus. And Claus and Lavie seem to be drawing apart. You have to see the series for details. No spoilers here. But the plot looks like it is about to get complecated.

Oh, and people do die!

MeMyself · 25-07-2010, 05:06 PM

In disc 5, episodes 17-20 the plot really gets started, but not before several of the characters make life-changing choices. A newly formed alliance must capture Exile to win the war against the Guild. How does Al figure into all this? Things start to get a bit complecated. I expect to know more by the end of disc 7, but first disc 6.

MeMyself · 26-07-2010, 10:45 PM

I finished disc 6, episodes 21-23. The animation is looking pretty good - maybe a bit better than the last several episodes, but not as good as in disc 1.

As far as the story goes, our questions are being answered as Claus, Al, Captain Alex Row, and Claus' unlikely friend Dio are taken prisoner by The Guild. They are at the mercy of Dio's sister, Queen Delphine. The final battle for Exile is just beginning.

I will give my final review and recommendation after disc 7.

MeMyself · 28-07-2010, 10:49 PM

I finished up the series watching disc 7, episodes 24-26. Naturally, it is up to Claus, Lavie and Al to save the day. Only I was not too sure if it would be a happy ending or a tragically sad one. This is anime, after all. So who lives and who dies? (If anyone else has seen this series and wants to discuss the ending, let me know and we can start a "spoilers" thread so not to ruin the series for those who have not seen it.)

The battle scenes were done quite well. They were not the best I've ever seen, but still pretty good. The finale is exciting.

So overall, I rate Last Exile a bit above average. It is an entertaining series, though not the best anime plot I have ever seen. The artwork is quite good, especially in the early episodes. It is worth a look-see.