Good review! I loved Last Exile too. . . too bad that Exile itself was pretty much nothing more than a McGuffin. . .
Last Exile tv Review
Story & Characters
The story takes place in a medieval and technological world divided by the "Grand Stream" in two nations,
Anatore and Dusis, who are in war and whose power and technology are borrowed by the Guilde... This mysterious
organisation imposes the rules of the conflict but what's the goal of Maestro Delphine and the other leaders of the
Guilde ??
Claus and Lavie are vanship pilots, in the town of Norkia, in Anatore, their job is to deliver messages and/or cargo.
They want to become as famous pilot vanships as their fathers were. But they meet another pilot, fighting with a strange
spaceship, before his death, he asks them to complete his mission : deliver a young girl to Alex Rowe, the commander of
the most powerful battleship : the Sylvana... They agree and started to be pursued...
Ths plot of the anime keeps the fan in suspense during the 26 episodes... Obviously, from time to time, it's a bit
slow but I don't remeber any useless scene. Every episode peaks the viewer's interest in wanting to look
forward to the next.
In one word : great ! It's pity there are only 26 episodes X-D
Rating:
Art
Graphically and technically, Last Exile curls the perfection, the drawings are polished, the animation is impeccable :
we can notice the know-how of the studio GONZO Digimation (they also made Final Fantasy Unlimited, Full Metal Panic!,
Gantz, Hellsing, Samurai7...) : they took good advantage of the computer graphic tools : the 3D passages are well
integrated in the anime, the 2D is fluid, breathtaking with a lot of details.
With Range Murata, Mahiro Maeda and Makoto Kobayashi bringing to life the full scale CG designed air vehicles known as
Vanships and the variety of characters setting the stage for
development made for a seemingly flawless series all the worthwhile.
i've never seen anything like the airship designs here in. It's like a mix between the aircrafts of the world
war II and the future of the space travel...
The show is worth watching for the scenery alone...
Rating:
Sound
The opening ("Cloud Age Symphony" by Shuntaro Okino) and ending ("Over The Sky" by Hitomi) musics
are superb. Last Exile is one of the rare animes I didn't get bored by the opening and ending musics when I
finished watching it, after 26 episodes, for one reason : they are simply bewitching ^_^. The music in general is sharp,
always adapted to each scene and to the feelings of the main characters (sadness, happyness, melancoly,
war-scenes...).
During the whole anime, we are surrounded by an almost Irish sounding bagpipe, flute melodies, with some japanese
lyrics, an amazing mix of techno and Celtic-style...
Rating:
Presentation
This serie is original, the characters are sympathetic, they all have their own story and problems, we learn more on
their past in each episode, while the intrigue is being more and more cleared up.
To have such a series provide one of the most original and engaging storylines in recent generations among anime was a
treat that fans can only be grateful for. Last Exile is one series that no anime fan should ever miss out on.
There is just one small drawback : you won't find any piece of humor, but it's not so dramatic, in Last Exile,
humor isn't necessary to entertain us... the rest is so good :-)
Much like reading an original classic novel, this series drives your imagination, especially for those with a taste of
epic adventure, as you look forward to what lies ahead. I would
find it hard for you to find one flat character. Whether you adore or detest any in particular, they all serve a purpose
and in some way, shape or form leave you with some sort of lasting impression, even those with the most minor roles.
Rating:
Final Verdict
7.5000 (good)
Reviewed by vaiowega, Dec 26, 2004
Comments
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shinsengumi Retired Moderator Dec 27, 2004
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candy-chan Retired Moderator Dec 29, 2004
great review, I have nothing to add, Last Exile is in my top 5 anime. Exept i'd give art a 9 (oooh! a 9!!! exiting!) because I was just blown away by the clouds and ships,
truly a masterpiece! -
MSG Dec 30, 2004
Nice review. I'd really give the music a higher rating though. The thing I want answered is what is Exile? I only saw it in one episode, and that's about it. What does it do?
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calisqo Jan 30, 2005
NIcely written.
Your rating a bit strict on the art, in my opinion the art could go higher to 9 at least.
Considering the arts are in line with the latest technology in anime.Good review, this one I actually managed to read till the very end ^^
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vaiowega Jan 30, 2005
I loved Last Exile, but when I wrote the review I first thought it coud appear too subjective by giving 9 or 10 in each criterion... but in fact I think that I could have rated 8.... too late ^^
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Nayako Feb 27, 2005
Yey!!! I just love the series!!! Its one of the best anime ever XD Gonzo did a really great work with it!!! Nice review ;) Very detailed and interesting!!!
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Aa-chan Apr 21, 2005
Looking forward to watching the series and this review gave me some idea of what to expect. Thanks for taking the time ^^ .
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nuttdragon Apr 30, 2005
i love last exile too. from what i have read from the internet, exile is a kind of space ship thing that can transport people to and fro the two places. and the guild is some kind of space station? one thing i don't like about this anime is how vague they are about such things. i still don't really understand what's the purpose of having the exile and grand stream...
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akika Nov 02, 2005
Quote by candy-changreat review, I have nothing to add, Last Exile is in my top 5 anime. Exept i'd give art a 9 (oooh! a 9! exiting!) because I was just blown away by the clouds and ships,
truly a masterpiece!that's the kind of art you get for spending big money! Gonzo has once again blown us off with the fantastic scenery. It's a wonder that they haven't run out of money yet~ ^_^
Last exile was a great anime, although at times I thought it was a bit confusing, but I think I'm just a bit slow XD
I really liked your review, it portrayed the characteristics of Last Exile quite well. I get a bit confused at the rating system though, because everyone has their own way of rating, 7 might be very high in your opinion and then someone else might think 9 is very high...T_T From what I've read in your review, it seems like you quite enjoyed the anime, so probably giving the presentation 7 and sound 7 doesn't mean it was bad or anything ^^;; Thinking about it that way, I totally agree with what you've commented. ^^ well done on the review! -
somorc Nov 28, 2005
Great review. Last Exile in my top list number 10....
Great Anime -
ueon Mute Member Jan 05, 2006
its really good but the last episode came it corrupted TT
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Kukuru Feb 15, 2006
Nice review - I think I may go check this anime out :D ;) It seems worth my while :)
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