Takai
05-17-2009, 03:39 AM
Last Exile
Reviewer: Brian
Original Title: Last Exile.
Format: TV series, 26 episodes, complete.
Year(s): 2003.
Genres/Themes: action, adventure, sci-fi, steampunk, military, drama.
Animation Studio: Gonzo.
Director: Chigira Koichi.
Number of Episodes Seen: 26/26
Introduction (optional):
A friend of mine with similar tastes loaned me the box set. I’ve liked everything he’s introduced me to, so I watched it. Plus, I like steampunk.
Plot and Setting/Story: 8/10
The world of Prester has been colonized by humans. Due to its strange topography, they have split into two nations: Anatoray and Disith. Anatoray is mostly desert, and clean water is a luxury. Disith is a frozen wasteland, and the people of Disith are attempting to conquer territory in Anatoray in order to survive. The nations are separated by a stream of extremely turbulent air known as The Grand Stream. Disith battleships are able to cross The Grand Stream, because they have maps showing the calmer areas. The world is dominated by a third group known as The Guild, which has preserved all of the high technology.
The ground dwellers live in an early industrial period. The Guild provides “units” which enable heavier-than-air battleships to fly, using power from an ore called “Claudia”. Smaller ships, called Vanships, have individual motors and are not controlled by the Guild, but are unable to enter the Grand Stream without being destroyed by the turbulence. Claudia is also used as a medium of exchange. The mountainous terrain of Anatoray makes roads impractical, so the Vanships are the primary means of communication. Freelance Vanship pilots, with a navigator in the back seat, take assignments from the local union. The missions are rated with stars which indicate the level of difficulty.
Hidden in the Grand Stream is the original colony ship, Exile. It is protected by a defensive cocoon which attacks any ship within reach. Exile can only be approached by someone with the correct genetic makeup, and must be unlocked by reciting four phrases called “The Mysteria”. As the story begins, the leader of The Guild, Maestro Delphine Eraclea, is attempting to seize control of Exile. Three of the four Guild tribes have been eliminated, and only one member of House Hamilton – a young girl named Alvis – survives. Hunted by the Guild, she falls into the laps of two young Vanship couriers – Claus Valca and Lavie Head. They succeed in delivering her to the captain of the battleship “Silvanus” – the only battleship not controlled by the Guild.
The captain of the Silvanus, Alex Row, is pursuing his own vengeance against Maestro Delphine. Change is about to come to the world of Prester.
The plot is well-paced, with enough dialogue to develop the characters and enough action to keep it from getting boring. My only real complaint about the story is that they don’t give you enough information at the beginning to understand what’s going on. But if you’ve read this, you should be okay.
Characters/Character Development: 8/10
Good, if somewhat unsurprising. Alex Rowe is a brooding, silent, Captain-Nemo type of guy; Claus is an over-confident hot-shot Vanship jockey; Lavie is his “I-told-you-so” backseat driver; Maestro Delphine is a decadent, evil, wickedly beautiful villain. Some of the relationships didn’t go the way I expected them to.
Art/Animation: 5/10
Here is where Last Exile loses points with me. Computer Graphics dominate the entire series. I can live with it to an extent as background, but every ship and a lot of the rest of the artwork is CG. There is even one scene where a Vanship flies past, and you can see that Claus is rendered as CG, very poorly. The drawn animation is mostly good, but I’ve seen a lot better.
Sample Screenshots:
Please click on thumbnails to see the images in original size, as well as to read the additional comments from the reviewer.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex1sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=407) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex2sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=406) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex3sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=403)
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex4sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=398) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex5sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=399) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex6sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=401)
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex7sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=405) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex8sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=402) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex9sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=400)
Music/Sound: 6/10
The main theme opens with something that sounds like bagpipes, which is cool, and then turns into someone singing like bagpipes, which is not. The music during the show is predictable, gets all dramatic during the battle scenes and so forth. Nothing surprising, but it doesn’t get in the way of the story either.
Additional Comments or Warnings:
There is some violence here, but almost all of it takes place between soldiers and during naval battles. No naughty stuff at all, except one scene where Claus peeks down the Empress’ shirt. Overall, it’s a good story and definitely worth watching, especially if you’re a fan of steampunk or naval battles.
Overall Anime Rating: 7/10
Reviewer: Brian
Original Title: Last Exile.
Format: TV series, 26 episodes, complete.
Year(s): 2003.
Genres/Themes: action, adventure, sci-fi, steampunk, military, drama.
Animation Studio: Gonzo.
Director: Chigira Koichi.
Number of Episodes Seen: 26/26
Introduction (optional):
A friend of mine with similar tastes loaned me the box set. I’ve liked everything he’s introduced me to, so I watched it. Plus, I like steampunk.
Plot and Setting/Story: 8/10
The world of Prester has been colonized by humans. Due to its strange topography, they have split into two nations: Anatoray and Disith. Anatoray is mostly desert, and clean water is a luxury. Disith is a frozen wasteland, and the people of Disith are attempting to conquer territory in Anatoray in order to survive. The nations are separated by a stream of extremely turbulent air known as The Grand Stream. Disith battleships are able to cross The Grand Stream, because they have maps showing the calmer areas. The world is dominated by a third group known as The Guild, which has preserved all of the high technology.
The ground dwellers live in an early industrial period. The Guild provides “units” which enable heavier-than-air battleships to fly, using power from an ore called “Claudia”. Smaller ships, called Vanships, have individual motors and are not controlled by the Guild, but are unable to enter the Grand Stream without being destroyed by the turbulence. Claudia is also used as a medium of exchange. The mountainous terrain of Anatoray makes roads impractical, so the Vanships are the primary means of communication. Freelance Vanship pilots, with a navigator in the back seat, take assignments from the local union. The missions are rated with stars which indicate the level of difficulty.
Hidden in the Grand Stream is the original colony ship, Exile. It is protected by a defensive cocoon which attacks any ship within reach. Exile can only be approached by someone with the correct genetic makeup, and must be unlocked by reciting four phrases called “The Mysteria”. As the story begins, the leader of The Guild, Maestro Delphine Eraclea, is attempting to seize control of Exile. Three of the four Guild tribes have been eliminated, and only one member of House Hamilton – a young girl named Alvis – survives. Hunted by the Guild, she falls into the laps of two young Vanship couriers – Claus Valca and Lavie Head. They succeed in delivering her to the captain of the battleship “Silvanus” – the only battleship not controlled by the Guild.
The captain of the Silvanus, Alex Row, is pursuing his own vengeance against Maestro Delphine. Change is about to come to the world of Prester.
The plot is well-paced, with enough dialogue to develop the characters and enough action to keep it from getting boring. My only real complaint about the story is that they don’t give you enough information at the beginning to understand what’s going on. But if you’ve read this, you should be okay.
Characters/Character Development: 8/10
Good, if somewhat unsurprising. Alex Rowe is a brooding, silent, Captain-Nemo type of guy; Claus is an over-confident hot-shot Vanship jockey; Lavie is his “I-told-you-so” backseat driver; Maestro Delphine is a decadent, evil, wickedly beautiful villain. Some of the relationships didn’t go the way I expected them to.
Art/Animation: 5/10
Here is where Last Exile loses points with me. Computer Graphics dominate the entire series. I can live with it to an extent as background, but every ship and a lot of the rest of the artwork is CG. There is even one scene where a Vanship flies past, and you can see that Claus is rendered as CG, very poorly. The drawn animation is mostly good, but I’ve seen a lot better.
Sample Screenshots:
Please click on thumbnails to see the images in original size, as well as to read the additional comments from the reviewer.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex1sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=407) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex2sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=406) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex3sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=403)
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex4sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=398) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex5sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=399) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex6sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=401)
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex7sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=405) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex8sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=402) http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a68/vitas_fd/Anime%20screenshots/exile/ex9sm.jpg (http://www.animechatforums.com/forum/album.php?albumid=31&pictureid=400)
Music/Sound: 6/10
The main theme opens with something that sounds like bagpipes, which is cool, and then turns into someone singing like bagpipes, which is not. The music during the show is predictable, gets all dramatic during the battle scenes and so forth. Nothing surprising, but it doesn’t get in the way of the story either.
Additional Comments or Warnings:
There is some violence here, but almost all of it takes place between soldiers and during naval battles. No naughty stuff at all, except one scene where Claus peeks down the Empress’ shirt. Overall, it’s a good story and definitely worth watching, especially if you’re a fan of steampunk or naval battles.
Overall Anime Rating: 7/10