Last Exile, Complete Series

Last Exile was a big disappointment for me. Perhaps it was disappointing because of the way I built it up in my head or maybe it was a disappointment because the plot sucked. I actually had to make myself watch this anime for the first five or six episodes since the dialog and story were just so bad. And what shitty dialog indeed. I’ve heard better lines in a video game. I considered canceling the order for the rest of the series but disc two was already in the mail when we finished disc one. So, for lack of nothing better to do, we watched the rest of Last Exile.

What can I say about an anime series that held so much promise and delivered so little? I can say the graphics were nice and the concept was great, then I’d have to add a disclaimer to that to watch it only when truly desperate. Where did Last Exile go wrong besides shitty plot development and ragingly bad dialog? I’d have to say the many blatant Star Wars rip offs and Final Fantasy nods/rips didn’t help its cause.

The first van ship race in episode one was so similar to The Phantom Menace pod race it was distracting. Then you have the obligatory Final Fantasy chocobo race or cameo that a lot of anime has discreetly snuck in (Gungrave has one but its very discreet). A lil’ Final Fantasy is always a good thing but Last Exile took it to the next level with the air ship design rip offs and the chocobos.

While all that was annoying it wasn’t nearly as bad as waiting for the story to unfold. The plot really didn’t develop for five episodes or so, and even then I was wondering when things were going to get good (they didn’t). I never once felt any attachment to the characters, in fact I was yelling, “Die Claus, die!” many times he was so pathetic.

I wasn’t rooting for ANYONE in this series. One of the characters looked like he had better places to be, and he’s not even real. Alex the captain of the Sylvana seemed bored the entire time like he was only doing Last Exile for a paycheck or a favor to a drinking buddy. Yeah Alex, I’m with you, I’m bored too but at least I get to turn this POS off when I want to. Poor guy.

The story for Last Exile is that the sky is the place to be, even though it’s got this funky phenomenon called the Grand Stream running down the middle that makes it particularly dangerous. In this world a war is being waged between feuding countries trying to find water and warmth in their neighbors’ land. Battles are fought in the sky between factions using giant airships. These majestic battles are governed and conducted by the rules of chivalry and are extensive. Refereeing these battles and controlling who flies and who doesn’t is the sinister Guild.

Claus and Lavi are two van ship pilots orphaned by the Grand Stream who are trying to make a living as messengers. They get caught in an intrigue between the Sylvana and the guild as they deliver a peculiar package. The captain of the air ship, Alex, is on a hunt to find the mysterious and omnipotent artifact known as Last Exile in a bid to destroy the guild. Our two young protagonists are caught in the middle of Alex’s search and the guild’s attempt to stop him.

The technology for Last Exile reminded me of what some guy from the Victorian era would think the future would be like, except instead of using steam everyone powers their craft using something called Claudia fluid. The designs for everything were well done even if someone else thought up the outside influences. I could see glimpses of the Art Deco period and the Victorian era. The combination of the two was beautiful and very pleasing.

This series was pretty and it was beautifully designed. It’s a shame it never really turned into the adventure the trailers and reviews hinted it would be.

Rating

Last Exile gets 1.5 outta 4 Hammies!