I’ve repeatedly referred back to my first anime experience as a horrifying one, and not just because of the subject matter; the company and locale was “off” as well. I’ve had other scarring anime experiences – hard not to when you watch a lot of anime- Trinity Blood, Last Exile, and Glass Fleet to name a few.

Other than my first time viewing anime with “Mike”, I haven’t had any other bad experiences watching anime with other people, although the company does factors into the overall experience in a big way.

If you don’t feel comfortable with the people you’re with, or if they talk to the TV and you’re not- hey, it’s OK to do if everyone’s on the same page- it can have a negative impact on your enjoyment. For example: You broke up with your girlfriend/ boyfriend and they show up to your anime watching party with your best friend…awkward.

Then there’s all the other little things that can go awry when watching anime; the DVD is scratched and won’t play, you can’t find the remote, the neighbor kids are screeching like banshees outside at 2:00 in the morning (yes, we have experienced this), or you discover the boxset you paid $125 for is actually a bootleg from China and has lead in the paint…

The Anime Blog Poll

Have you ever had an experience so hellish, you refer back to it on your blog repeatedly? Did you ever have an anime viewing so grueling, you buried it away until today? Has a series or movie been so incredibly god-awful that just to think of it sends chills down your spine? What was your most horrific anime experience? Let the ghoulish comments begin!

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!