Synopsis
The world of Prestale is in a period of industrial revolution. Claus and Lavie, young van-ship pilot and mechanic, dream of one day jumping the Grand Storm to reach the other side of the cloud, operating as couriers to support themselves and their racing ship. When they run across an injured and dying vanship pilot, they agree to take his delivery contract as their own and transport a very important parcel to the mysterious and powerful air battleship Sylvana.
Impressions
Wow. The latest offering from Gonzo Digimation is a flashy steampunk adventure—and I mean flashy, chocked full of fancy digital animation techniques, both 2D and 3D.
I’m a bit gunshy when it comes to Gonzo productions (witness the insanely over-hyped Kiddy Grade), but this is by directed by Chigira Koichi, who gave us the entertaining if forgettable Full Metal Panic!, and has all the elements of a winning anime. Right from the opening theme, Last Exile immerses the viewer in a fascinating world of flying machines, war, and chivalry.
I can’t emphasize how much I love the character designs for this show. Everyone is unique and stylish: Lavie and Tatiana display agressively Eastern-European features, the kawaii kodomo Alvis has teacups on her head (and a hat that fits over them!), the silver-haired and sexually dimorphic Guild members sport Vulcan ears, and Sylvana’s captain, Alex Rowe, commands in full brooding-bishounen mode.
The music is also very cool and well-suited to the anime. The OP is a pretty intense trancey piece which really captures the fast-paced industrial feel of the show. And all of the BGM is well-suited to the accompanied scenes, both for the fights and the lighter moments featuring Alv’s childlike wonder.
Last Exile is Gonzo’s best work to date, combining their patented whiz-bang graphics and action with a quality cast of characters and well-executed plot. If I have a complaint it is that there are so many interesting characters, so many people I’d like to know more about, that there simply isn’t time in 26 episodes to get to know them at any great depth. Even our heroes Claus and Lavie don’t evolve much beyond the people presented in the first episodes. Still, this detracts little. Last Exile is the best of 2003 and has earned a place among the best of all action anime.
Random Thoughts
The vanships’ movement is sometimes reminiscent of all flying things in Reboot. The physics just seem to be slightly off, especially in episode three, where the writers decided it would be a good idea to replicate the pod race from The Phantom Menace.
However, the action around the battleships is very nice, obviously modelled after great sea battles of the World Wars. Gonzo has always done clouds and smoke explosions like no other.
- 2003-10-06 18:57 -