- It’s the dawn of the Golden Age of Aviation on planet Prester, and retro-futuristic sky vehicles known as vanships dominate the horizon. Claus Valca – a flyboy born with the right stuff – and his fiery navigator Lavie are fearless racers obsessed with becoming the first sky couriers to cross the Grand Stream in a vanship. But when the high-flying duo encounters a mysterious girl named Alvis, t
It’s the dawn of the Golden Age of Aviation on planet Prester, and retro-futuristic sky vehicles known as vanships dominate the horizon. Claus Valca – a flyboy born with the right stuff – and his fiery navigator Lavie are fearless racers obsessed with becoming the first sky couriers to cross the Grand Stream in a vanship. But when the high-flying duo encounters a mysterious girl named Alvis, they are thrust into the middle of an endless battle between Anatoray and Disith – two countries systematically destroying each other according to the code of chivalric warfare. Lives will be lost and legacies determined as Claus and Lavie attempt to bring peace to their world by solving the riddle of its chaotic core.
Stills from Last Exile- The Complete Series Box Set (Click for larger image)
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Buy “Last Exile: The Complete Series Box Set” For Only $29.90
March 5, 2010
#1
not all that great but good enough to watch and pass time. story is good but the animation is the best part. the intro is well done also
March 5, 2010
#2
Last Exile is a great masterpiece of both animation, cgi effects, and a decent main storyline if you’re able to truly follow it. The series world almost looks like the 50′s era with most countries instead of using ground forces in battles rely on flying skyships and antiquated rules of combat, most of these battles are monitored by the GUILD a powerful group with a much higher evolved force of technological ships. Than you have a business of couriers who are payed to deliver anything to anywhere as long as it’s part of their job description they’ve hired out for, these couriers fly Vanships(Basically personal airplanes)usually since these jobs are so scarce it’s a first to get the job scroll gets the job. The best way to watch the series for me was just to really keep your focus on two of the main characters young teens Claus whose the pilot of a vanship courier plane and Lavie his copilot, navigator, mechanic ,and best friend(Romantic Interest). During a vanship annual race they get sidetracked and are asked to protect a unique young girl named Alvis from hostile forces of the GUILD. The cast is wide and varied with so many personal story-arcs for almost everyone you’ll soon get lost on why their there and how it connects to the main story-plot. Again while the series is great if you try to follow everyone’s personal story-arc they give you’ll get so lost on what’s happening and what;s going on it gets beyond confusing, the only four people who have the closest connection with their story-arcs seem to be Claus, Lavie, Alvis, and Alex Row(The Captain of the mysterious and elusive Skyship Sylvana). The series will of course also have the standard romantic triangle angst with two girls falling in love with one boy Claus/Lavie/Tatiana(A pilot for the Sylvana) if you like those sort of things but all in all except for some fight scenes and blood parents won’t have to worry about anything r-rated in the series with the concept of hentai. The video is widescreen format and again the animation and effects for this series are incredible probably the best I’ve seen for most animes out there, and the voice cast for the Japanese and English cast were also superb playing their character roles superbly. So if you like the dramatic or war action animes with a great story line this a a great series well worth checking out…
March 5, 2010
#3
I am really looking forward to this anime. I have the whole DVD set but it isn’t the official one, its some bootleg. Anyway, this is one of my favorite anime ever, Highly recommended.
March 5, 2010
#4
I have the Vividrian set of this anime that I purchased back in 2006. “Last Exile” is one of the best anime series ever. It was originally produced by Gonzo, but sadly Gonzo closed shop a couple of years ago due to financial problems. The story line can be a bit confusing at times, but the amount of character development along with the amazing visual artwork more than makes up for the few problems you might experience while trying to keep track of all the twists and turns in the story line. When you start watching “Last Exile”, you will find yourself not wanting to stop at the end of each DVD. But, if you do decide to make a weekend viewing of the series from beginning to end, you will not be disappointed.
March 5, 2010
#5
Anything with the name Range Murata attached to it is an instant lure for me. One of the most talented people working in the world of Japanese manga, his art-magazine series Robot is always full of the most stunning and unique images. His work in anime is rare and always worth checking out.
“Last Exile” reunites Range Murata with the four-episode OVA Blue Submarine, No. 6 team of Studio Gonzo and director Koichi Chigira (Brave Story). “Blue Submarine No. 6″ was hailed as Japan’s first “CG Anime” although more truthfully it blended both 3-D computer graphics with traditional technology. Whereas “Blue Submarine No. 6″ was adapted from a 1967 manga series by Satoru Ozawa, “Last Exile” is an original story created as a celebration of Studio Gonzo’s tenth anniversary.
The world of Prester sits in the Golden Age of Aviation, where swift two-seater Vanships flit their way in and out of the spaces left between the mighty flying battleships that pound each other with cannon broadsides. The two nations Anatoray and Disith face off in eternal conflict obeying rules of chivalrous combat laid down and enforced by the technologically advanced Guild.
Two vanship couriers, Lavie Head and Claus Valca, get caught up in this world when they accept the job to deliver a message to Duke Mad-thane of Anatoray’s military. Escaping from the battle, the two discover a small child named Alvis E. Hamilton who they take charge of. Alivis is being hunted by everyone, and so the three are forced to take refuge in the undefeated rouge vessel of outlaw Alex Row. Row himself is a mystery, at first appearing to be little more than a successful pirate but soon revealed to be tracking down the rumored four Mysteria where are said to be keys to the greater mystery of something known only as Exile.
It took me awhile to get into “Last Exile.” The first several episodes are pure set-up, leading us into the world of Prester, of vanships and air battles. The focus is heavily on Claus and Lavie, touching little on the politics that will later come to dominate the series. It is not until the third episode, when Alvis E. Hamilton makes her appearance, that the story starts to deepen, and several more episodes while I was fully hooked. The first mention of the “Exile” that the series takes its name from does not even appear until around episode ten, well into the second disk in the series.
From the box cover and synopsis, I was expecting something along the lines of Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky, but instead I got an updated world of Matsumoto Leiji’s dramatic space opera universe of Captain Harlock. This is not a bad thing, as I love political space opera, but “Last Exile” is definitely not the light and fluffy series I was expecting.
Like “Blue Submarine No. 6,” “Last Exile” merges computer animated 3D with traditional 2D animation. This also reminded me of Matsumoto Leiji, who uses a similar tactic of 3D animation for his ships and 2D for his characters. I always find this combination jarring unless it is down flawlessly, and it is not flawless here. But fortunately this style settles down after the first few episodes.
Aside from the slow start, once “Last Exile” gets going it is a fantastic series. Range Murata’s unique designs are brought to life beautifully, and it is clear that he spent quite a bit of time on the detail of each character. Some of the Steam Punk influences are incredible, like the musketeers lining the deck of the flying battleships and using steam-powered muskets while fighting and dying in strict formation. The vanships themselves take a bit of getting used to, as no such vehicle could every truly fly, but their speed and sleekness soon takes over any awkwardness of design.
Funimation’s collection of “Last Exile” is perfect, with the entire twenty-six episode series put on four disks packed in two slimline cases. This release is not part of their Viridian Collection, but offers the same value for an affordable price.