Last Exile Review
Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2004 9:14 pm
Okay, people. Time for another round of The Zeph Corner! This time, so I can inform a few of you on this going to be aired anime, I will be reviewing...
Last Exile...
... is a creation of a guy who's name escapes me at this moment, but, as a GONZO Digimation animation, it's one hell of a sweet ride (a pun on words... you'll see what I mean).
STORYLINE
In this delightfully told and animated world, we are graced with the main characters 'Claus' and 'Lavi' (spelled Lavie in the English version). Claus and Lavi are Vanship pilots, a kind a messenger/delivery service. They take on messenger jobs that are considered dangerous - ranked with stars in a 1 through 10 fashion, ten meaning that a person would most likely get killed in the process.
Claus and Lavi stop to help out a crashed Vanship and find the pilot and navigator dead. In the navigator's arms is a little girl. The pilot, still being somewhat conscious, gives Claus and Lavi a seven star mission: Take the girl, Alvis, to the mercenary ship Sylvana (Sylvania in the English version). After escaping a star shaped destroyer who wants to prevent the mission's success, Claus and Lavi complete the job only to become tied up in a fate that would soon shape the very core of the future and uncover the mysteries to their parent's deaths...
The detail and depth to the story goes a lot deeper than the above explaination, but if I told you anymore than that I would spoil some of the goodies that you find out later in the series.
ANIMATION
Being animated and planned by GONZO Digimation you know this series is going to rock in the animation department... and it does. When I first watched this series I had only seen a limited number of Gonzo's work, but since Last Exile I've been trying to watch a lot more of their anime.
Their animations are always crisp, clean, and extremely pleasing to the eye, at some points in Last Exile I even got a '3D feeling'. I don't know where it came from, but I got that feeling nonetheless. The animation stays constant throughout the entire series - no decline or uprising, making it seem like a story element all its own.
GONZO Digimation's latest works include: PEACE MAKER 鐵, カレイドスター, キディ・グレイド, and GADGUARD. That's Peace Maker Kurogane, Kaleido Star, Kiddy Grade, and Gadguard for those who can't view Japanese text to search for the English names.
MUSIC
The only music that I noticed (or at least remember) is that of the OP and ED themes...
Cloud Age Symphony by Shuntaro Okino (OP)
I was totally impressed by this song. No lie. Besides this there is only one other song that I respect. A mix of techno and pop, I think the effect Cloud Age Symphony has on the series is overwhelmingly positive. This is one song I would recommend you buy the soundtrack single to if you have the money and means available. I did.
The lyrics blend in with the song almost to a literal point. It seemed to me as if they wrote the song around the opening animation: The entire song was recorded and written in a studio while the OP was being played in front of them.
Over the Sky by Hitomi (ED)
Compared to Cloud Age Symphony this one is plain. It's like a normal ending to an anime you enjoy, one that you're probably not going to be watching/listening to again for a while. But my fascination with tsubasa (wing) got the better of me here.
Though the song doesn't mention the words tsubasa, the animation is centered on feathers. Though simple and seemingly plain, the music goes well with the animation and is a worthy addition to Last Exile. It's just, for some reason, I think it could have been better.
FINAL COMMENTS
At first I wasn't sure about Last Exile, but then I saw the first episode and was hooked. The story grabs you right off the bat with Claus and Lavi delivering a three star message to their country's flagship which in the midst of a battle in an all out war between two of the three nations introduced and explained through the course of Last Exile.
Nothing in this story, that I can recall, is mentioned without a cause. The characters that are introduced, even the minor ones, all have a story and a special place in the series. Last Exile is one of the three anime that have flawless characters (in my opinion) that all hold a special place in my heart. Also, I have to say it... The ending to the series kicks so much ass it's not even funny. I loved how they ended it. It ended with such passion and in such a good way that it actually made me cry.
OVERALL SCORE: 10
Watch it, love it, buy it. This series is a rare treat that comes along once every so often. The characters are lovable, the animation is good and doesn't decline in quality or ability, the storyline is deep and holds a huge morale value, and the Japanese voice actors are well rounded and match the characters and their personalities; the exception being Dio's voice actor whom is the best in the entire damn series and become one of my favorites of all time (順子 野田: Junko Noda).
I have to mention, though, that some have shown dislike for the beginning as it does start out slow. But they've all looked back and think that it started out how it really should have been when they finish.
Last Exile...
... is a creation of a guy who's name escapes me at this moment, but, as a GONZO Digimation animation, it's one hell of a sweet ride (a pun on words... you'll see what I mean).
STORYLINE
In this delightfully told and animated world, we are graced with the main characters 'Claus' and 'Lavi' (spelled Lavie in the English version). Claus and Lavi are Vanship pilots, a kind a messenger/delivery service. They take on messenger jobs that are considered dangerous - ranked with stars in a 1 through 10 fashion, ten meaning that a person would most likely get killed in the process.
Claus and Lavi stop to help out a crashed Vanship and find the pilot and navigator dead. In the navigator's arms is a little girl. The pilot, still being somewhat conscious, gives Claus and Lavi a seven star mission: Take the girl, Alvis, to the mercenary ship Sylvana (Sylvania in the English version). After escaping a star shaped destroyer who wants to prevent the mission's success, Claus and Lavi complete the job only to become tied up in a fate that would soon shape the very core of the future and uncover the mysteries to their parent's deaths...
The detail and depth to the story goes a lot deeper than the above explaination, but if I told you anymore than that I would spoil some of the goodies that you find out later in the series.
ANIMATION
Being animated and planned by GONZO Digimation you know this series is going to rock in the animation department... and it does. When I first watched this series I had only seen a limited number of Gonzo's work, but since Last Exile I've been trying to watch a lot more of their anime.
Their animations are always crisp, clean, and extremely pleasing to the eye, at some points in Last Exile I even got a '3D feeling'. I don't know where it came from, but I got that feeling nonetheless. The animation stays constant throughout the entire series - no decline or uprising, making it seem like a story element all its own.
GONZO Digimation's latest works include: PEACE MAKER 鐵, カレイドスター, キディ・グレイド, and GADGUARD. That's Peace Maker Kurogane, Kaleido Star, Kiddy Grade, and Gadguard for those who can't view Japanese text to search for the English names.
MUSIC
The only music that I noticed (or at least remember) is that of the OP and ED themes...
Cloud Age Symphony by Shuntaro Okino (OP)
I was totally impressed by this song. No lie. Besides this there is only one other song that I respect. A mix of techno and pop, I think the effect Cloud Age Symphony has on the series is overwhelmingly positive. This is one song I would recommend you buy the soundtrack single to if you have the money and means available. I did.
The lyrics blend in with the song almost to a literal point. It seemed to me as if they wrote the song around the opening animation: The entire song was recorded and written in a studio while the OP was being played in front of them.
Over the Sky by Hitomi (ED)
Compared to Cloud Age Symphony this one is plain. It's like a normal ending to an anime you enjoy, one that you're probably not going to be watching/listening to again for a while. But my fascination with tsubasa (wing) got the better of me here.
Though the song doesn't mention the words tsubasa, the animation is centered on feathers. Though simple and seemingly plain, the music goes well with the animation and is a worthy addition to Last Exile. It's just, for some reason, I think it could have been better.
FINAL COMMENTS
At first I wasn't sure about Last Exile, but then I saw the first episode and was hooked. The story grabs you right off the bat with Claus and Lavi delivering a three star message to their country's flagship which in the midst of a battle in an all out war between two of the three nations introduced and explained through the course of Last Exile.
Nothing in this story, that I can recall, is mentioned without a cause. The characters that are introduced, even the minor ones, all have a story and a special place in the series. Last Exile is one of the three anime that have flawless characters (in my opinion) that all hold a special place in my heart. Also, I have to say it... The ending to the series kicks so much ass it's not even funny. I loved how they ended it. It ended with such passion and in such a good way that it actually made me cry.
OVERALL SCORE: 10
Watch it, love it, buy it. This series is a rare treat that comes along once every so often. The characters are lovable, the animation is good and doesn't decline in quality or ability, the storyline is deep and holds a huge morale value, and the Japanese voice actors are well rounded and match the characters and their personalities; the exception being Dio's voice actor whom is the best in the entire damn series and become one of my favorites of all time (順子 野田: Junko Noda).
I have to mention, though, that some have shown dislike for the beginning as it does start out slow. But they've all looked back and think that it started out how it really should have been when they finish.