Last Exile

Last Exile is a masterpiece through and through.

The most attention drawing aspect of this series is its incredible animation. It mixes 2d animation with 3d CGI almost perfectly and delivers an explosive, in-your-face presentation that can only be rivaled by feature anime films like Blood: The Last Vampire.

The story behind Last Exile is interesting and emotional. The characters are lovable and their interactions are genuinely enjoyable and surprisingly human. The setting is steampunk inspired and meticulously detailed.

Overall, one hell of a ride, and easily the best anime I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. This is a must see for not just fans of anime, but fans of excellent storytelling and entertainment in general.

Tech TV performed an incredible service by running a marathon of this incredible series. I'm taping and watching the first tape as I type.

Words cannot express what an incredible find this show is! I haven't felt this entranced by Anime since the first time I saw Miyazaki's work.

I've never seen anything like the airship designs herein. Rather than airplanes and dirigibles, everything seems to be magnetic repulsion and steam engines. The aerial warships are a wonderful blend of aircraft carrier and battleship.

But all the great design wouldn't mean a thing if there was not an engaging tale. Even briefly seen characters demand our attention, like the musketeer and ship's captain in the first episode.

Well, back to watching more of the show. I've definitely got to get this on DVD!

"Last Exile" was a series I yearned for for a long time, a story focused on characters and subtly engaged within a profound and fantastical world. However out of a need to finish the plot, the character development necessary to bring the story full circle falls short.

I loved this series for really taking the time to show who the characters are and really let them take hold of the story. The tone and pacing of most of the episodes reminded me of the HBO series "The Wire" which also let the story fall together one pebble at a time. The series is brilliant for capturing small moments between characters that hint at their growing bonds and frustrations like a scene in a crowded elevator at a casino, a soldier chanting before a battle and when one character puts on the clothes of another in the desert. The two leads Claus and Lavie's relationship portrays itself as a chameleon jumping from comrades to partners, childhood friends, surrogate siblings and repressed lovers. The central bond though lies with Claus and the shy, mysterious girl Alvis who hold and drive the characters and the story together throughout the series.

"Last Exile" seems quite conventional in terms of plot, but it is only when it supersedes the characters that the series falls flat. For most of the show's running time that does not happen though. It bears a unique sense of drama that I find hard to see in other forms. Nowhere but in anime or Greek tragedy could you a see a person fall in love and heart break in the same moment.

This is a frustrating series because it had so much promise. The artwork and animation are superbly detailed. I couldn't believe I was watching an anime produced 8-9 years ago. The premise and story are pretty interesting as well, though somewhat disjointed. It felt like a love letter to the art and culture of air flight, but then that line clashes a bit with the whole sci-fi aspect of the series. The ending also feels abrupt and rushed. It felt like the story took an abrupt turn, the way that James Cameron's "The Abyss" did. But the ending wasn't built up the same way, leading to the rushed feeling at the end.

On the bright side, not only does the artwork shine, but there are a few bright dramatic moments where the director builds the scene to an impressive crescendo. And on the dark side, the dialogue also suffers from the same disjointedness that the plot does.

Last Exile has to be one of the best anime series I have ever seen. It's imaginative and inspiring. It's truly worth seeing! Just when it seemed like anime series seemed to be coming from a cookie cutter type mold; Last Exile came and broke it. You can't help, but become involved in such a well written, well directed, and well animated story. The character development is superb. Each character's stories, their ambition's, their reason's being, for doing what they do, living or dying, are deep. It's happy, gloomy, funny, sad, touching, exciting, vengeful, and romantic. There's something for everyone, who watches this series. This series takes you for an adventure you'll never forget! And when you're done, you'll never look at the sky the same again. You'll wish you were flying in it.