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Review: Last Exile DVD 1
by Kit

Saturday, November 1, 2003

From the creators of the Animatrix comes an interesting anime that is also aided by the "digital process".

Title - Last Exile DVD 1 (11 episodes)
Creators - GONZO Studios
Release - November 18, 2003
Region - 1 (U.S.A., Canada, U.S. Territories)
Studio - GONZO Studios
Aspect Ratio - 16:9 Anamorphic video, Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1
Rating - G (General Audience)
Features - Animated, Color, Closed-captioned
Expected MSRP - $29.98 or $49.98 for limited edition

Overview
Last Exile is an anime based in a fictitious world called Prestale. It is a world within an endless sea of clouds where an enormous storm called the Grand Stream rages on unceasingly in the sky above, separating the two nations of Anatore and Dusis.

The story centers around a pair of mail carriers named Claus and Lavi. Claus is an amazing pilot and mechanic like his father before him. Lavie is Claus' navigator, and accompanies Claus on his mail runs.

The world of Prestale in currently engaged in a ceaseless war between the two nations that occupy the world. Instead of mustering large ground based armies, the war is fought completely in the air using giant airships armed with large cannons. During the course of the first episode, Claus and Lavie are given an important letter to deliver. Upon delivery, they find out that the letter is intended for the admiral of one of the battle engaged fleets. Little do they know that their presence, and the letter they carry, will have a much more profound effect on the course of the war then they could have ever imagined.

Lavie is a fantastic navigator although she could benefit from being a bit more level headed in certain situations.

Impressions
Although this DVD won't be released in the U.S until late November, Pioneer decided to let us have a peak at the first DVD entitled Last Exile: Volume 1: First Move.Those who are fans of Hellsing will be glad to know that GONZO studios produced this baby, and you can expect the same quality animation to be present here that was present in Hellsing. Additionally, Mahiro Maeda, who's recent credits include the much lauded Animatrix, was heavily involved in the production design and art for Last Exile.

At it's heart, Last Exile is a light hearted anime that places two misfit, almost innocent, children into the middle of a violent war, only to have the two drastically affect the course of the very same war. While the plot may be far fetched, the anime never takes itself too seriously, which is often a fault of many anime properties. In fact, Claus and Ravie are the two most down to earth characters recently seen in an anime. No, they don't have the serious, dark tones of Kenshin, or the glitzy, happy, feeling of the Sailor moon girls, but they actually seem like real people who are trying to cope and deal with being taken away from safe surroundings and then being thrown into a serious global conflict. This is something I feel many anime fans will be able to both enjoy and sympathize with.

Based in an alternate universe stuck in the 19th century, battle tactics sometimes involve bloody, rifle line, tactics.

One interesting thing about Last Exile is that it is part 2D and 3D. While some parts are clearly cel animated, some of the backgrounds can be 3D computer animated. While this may make anime purist cringe, I think it's a good direction for anime and will help create even more complex, and believable environments in future anime properties should this trend grow popular.

A lot of buzz has been growing about Last Exile, and for an anime that won't even be hitting U.S shores until later this month, that shows that there might be something behind that buzz. From our impressions, we believe there is something of high quality and content here. While it may not have big mech robots, or cool samurai looking for blood, Last Exile does have a story that most anime fans will be able to enjoy during those slow weekends.

--- Kit

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