Post by Teahouse Keeper on Nov 5, 2004 1:15:01 GMT -5
I’m in love with Last Exile! 
Finished all 26 episodes!! Exciting aerial combat, beautiful warships, lovely CGI and fabulous soundtrack.
Very interesting combination of old European warfare and sci-fi. Somewhat futuristic but the machines, equipment and clothes are strangely 19/20th century. Soldiers wear old British-type uniforms and fire muskets from flying warships that resemble submarines/naval battleships. Small flying vehicles called vanships provide messenger service and look like old-fashioned cars. Communication is limited to messenger service, Morse code and the old way of using the telephone. The written language is Greek mixed with some other invented stuff!! Clean water is precious and comes in different grades!! People at the bar order water instead of alcohol!
It's like an alternate universe to ours. Very strange but thrilling with an odd sense of familiarity. Cool.
The story starts off with Claus and Lavi, both 15, who grew up together since they were one year old and are as close as brother and sister. They have their own vanship and are couriers just like their fathers had been. The level of danger of each assignment is indicated by the number of stars that accompany each message/package. The more stars, the greater the danger/importance of the mission.
For some time, their country has been at war with another nation but Claus and Lavi are quite unaffected. Since childhood, it’s been their dream to cross the Grand Stream—a treacherous passage of raging air currents which their fathers had gone to deliver a peace message but never returned.
One day, they are asked to deliver 2 messages to the commander of their country’s warship and they do so under very difficult circumstances which mark a change in their lives.
Despite Lavi’s reluctance, their involvement in the war escalates rapidly when they help a dying vanship pilot named Ralph Wednesday who asks that they complete his 7-stars mission—deliver a little girl named Al to a man named Alex Lowe (/Rowe), captain of the notoriously dangerous and invincible ship known as the Silvana.
Claus:
Lavi:
Story-wise, there’re a few loose ends that need explaining. For instance, how did Claus know about the Last Exile codes? Why did the Last Exile stop becoming a weapon when Al finished reading the codes? What is Al’s true relationship with the Last Exile?
The ending was well done for the last few scenes, but not satisfying because it was vague about the Last Exile and it was difficult to accept what happened to Alex. As First Officer, Sophia had a responsibility in ensuring the captain’s safety since it was known that Alex was held captive. Although circumstances demanded action, an alternative would have been preferable to what she did.
The Silvana:
Character-wise, all the characters are very interesting, though perhaps not explored enough. Strangely, as the story progressed, I was more drawn to the members of the Silvana than to Claus and Lavi.
I love the interactions among the bridge crew members, the 4 lovable mechanics, Alistia and Tatiana, Dio and his companion Lucciora.
The mechanics (from left) Ethan, Costavi, Godwin, Gale:
Alistia (left) and Tatiana (right):
Dio and Lucciora:
Al is absolutely adorable! It’s incredible the way the artists have so perfectly/realistically captured a child’s behaviour—her walk, her talk, the way she looks around and even her scream. It’s truly amazing. I think nobody depicts children as fabulously as Japanese anime creators.
Al:
I love the 2 captains—Alex of the Silvana and Vincent of the Urbanus. Both very interesting, very cool, handsome and intelligent men. Seldom do they share the same room, but when they do, they are very fun to watch. It’s obvious they have some history together and somehow, their friendship is strained. Vincent tries his best to be friendly but Alex doesn’t care. They’re quite cute actually…<br>
I love the part where Alex ended their first meeting with a big yank of his cloak before walking off. Cool. Also, the part where Vincent straightened the upturned furniture only to be asked by Alex whether he had come to be shot down by the Silvana. On the bridge, when Alex refused to cooperate, Vincent enjoyed telling him that he had no choice.
They also seem to share some history with Sophia, although unfortunately this is not elaborated upon. All three seem to be long-time friends and are relaxed in the each other’s presence. However, Vincent and Alex don’t hold back when fighting each other and are quite prepared to sink each other’s ship.
Alex:
Vincent:
Alex and Vincent:
Although Alex seems sullen and harsh, he is really a very nice guy and allows everyone a surprisingly large amount of freedom on his ship. Al is allowed to roam the Silvana and it’s really cute to see her sitting innocently in the captain’s chair while Alex stands beside her
Al in the captain’s chair:
In fact, Alex is mourning the death of his fiancée Yurisu (/Yuris). Tormented by the past, he lives only for revenge and is answerable to no one. Despite Sophia’s love for him, her resemblance to Yurisu and her true identity come between them and he is often tough on her. To Sophia’s credit, she understands and quietly supports him.
Sophia and Alex:
Although Vincent doesn’t have many scenes, he’s a refreshing sight every time he appears He’s roguish, more cheerful than Alex and loves drinking coffee during battles.
Considering the battle at Dragon’s Teeth/Fang, it seems obvious that Alex is the better man. Although Vincent had the element of surprise and 4 vessels, Alex still managed to elude capture. However, I wouldn’t say that Vincent is beneath Alex in battle. It may be impossible to know whether Vincent would ever win a battle with Alex, but I think if they really put their brains together, they would make a formidable pair. Unfortunately, Alex is not the cooperative sort, especially not with Vincent.
The Urbanus:
Silvana (left) and Urbanus (right) locked in combat:
Dio and Lucciora didn’t seem significant enough at first. But I really felt sorry for them towards the end. The scene where Lucciora fought Sicada was really unexpected and lovely—a ballet-like dance of death, fluid and deadly. The last scene of Lucciora was really touching and beautiful…It made me realize the cruelty of Queen Delphine and why she had to be stopped. It was sad watching Dio coming back to his senses alone in the Grand Stream…<br>
Queen Delphine:
Queen stealing a kiss from Alex:
Overall, I love Last Exile for its characters, music and CGI. Considering the war and with just 26 episodes, the slant is perhaps towards the CGI, battle scenes and mechanical designs, but on the whole, everything is quite well balanced and lovely.
Incidentally, I thought the Japanese pronunciation of the English names was rather hard to catch. Except for Godwin and Gail (/Gale), it was only later that I got the names of the other 2 mechanics Lisan (/Ethan) and Costavi (/Kostabi). Also, Queen Delphine’s grand entrance at Sophia’s coronation was really impressive and majestic! The uniforms of the Silvana crew look German…
Queen Delphine’s arrival:
Finished all 26 episodes!! Exciting aerial combat, beautiful warships, lovely CGI and fabulous soundtrack. Very interesting combination of old European warfare and sci-fi. Somewhat futuristic but the machines, equipment and clothes are strangely 19/20th century. Soldiers wear old British-type uniforms and fire muskets from flying warships that resemble submarines/naval battleships. Small flying vehicles called vanships provide messenger service and look like old-fashioned cars. Communication is limited to messenger service, Morse code and the old way of using the telephone. The written language is Greek mixed with some other invented stuff!! Clean water is precious and comes in different grades!! People at the bar order water instead of alcohol!
It's like an alternate universe to ours. Very strange but thrilling with an odd sense of familiarity. Cool.
The story starts off with Claus and Lavi, both 15, who grew up together since they were one year old and are as close as brother and sister. They have their own vanship and are couriers just like their fathers had been. The level of danger of each assignment is indicated by the number of stars that accompany each message/package. The more stars, the greater the danger/importance of the mission.
For some time, their country has been at war with another nation but Claus and Lavi are quite unaffected. Since childhood, it’s been their dream to cross the Grand Stream—a treacherous passage of raging air currents which their fathers had gone to deliver a peace message but never returned.
One day, they are asked to deliver 2 messages to the commander of their country’s warship and they do so under very difficult circumstances which mark a change in their lives.
Despite Lavi’s reluctance, their involvement in the war escalates rapidly when they help a dying vanship pilot named Ralph Wednesday who asks that they complete his 7-stars mission—deliver a little girl named Al to a man named Alex Lowe (/Rowe), captain of the notoriously dangerous and invincible ship known as the Silvana.
Claus:
Lavi:
Story-wise, there’re a few loose ends that need explaining. For instance, how did Claus know about the Last Exile codes? Why did the Last Exile stop becoming a weapon when Al finished reading the codes? What is Al’s true relationship with the Last Exile?
The ending was well done for the last few scenes, but not satisfying because it was vague about the Last Exile and it was difficult to accept what happened to Alex. As First Officer, Sophia had a responsibility in ensuring the captain’s safety since it was known that Alex was held captive. Although circumstances demanded action, an alternative would have been preferable to what she did.
The Silvana:
Character-wise, all the characters are very interesting, though perhaps not explored enough. Strangely, as the story progressed, I was more drawn to the members of the Silvana than to Claus and Lavi.
I love the interactions among the bridge crew members, the 4 lovable mechanics, Alistia and Tatiana, Dio and his companion Lucciora.
The mechanics (from left) Ethan, Costavi, Godwin, Gale:
Alistia (left) and Tatiana (right):
Dio and Lucciora:
Al is absolutely adorable! It’s incredible the way the artists have so perfectly/realistically captured a child’s behaviour—her walk, her talk, the way she looks around and even her scream. It’s truly amazing. I think nobody depicts children as fabulously as Japanese anime creators.
Al:
I love the 2 captains—Alex of the Silvana and Vincent of the Urbanus. Both very interesting, very cool, handsome and intelligent men. Seldom do they share the same room, but when they do, they are very fun to watch. It’s obvious they have some history together and somehow, their friendship is strained. Vincent tries his best to be friendly but Alex doesn’t care. They’re quite cute actually…<br>
I love the part where Alex ended their first meeting with a big yank of his cloak before walking off. Cool. Also, the part where Vincent straightened the upturned furniture only to be asked by Alex whether he had come to be shot down by the Silvana. On the bridge, when Alex refused to cooperate, Vincent enjoyed telling him that he had no choice.
They also seem to share some history with Sophia, although unfortunately this is not elaborated upon. All three seem to be long-time friends and are relaxed in the each other’s presence. However, Vincent and Alex don’t hold back when fighting each other and are quite prepared to sink each other’s ship.
Alex:
Vincent:
Alex and Vincent:
Although Alex seems sullen and harsh, he is really a very nice guy and allows everyone a surprisingly large amount of freedom on his ship. Al is allowed to roam the Silvana and it’s really cute to see her sitting innocently in the captain’s chair while Alex stands beside her
Al in the captain’s chair:
In fact, Alex is mourning the death of his fiancée Yurisu (/Yuris). Tormented by the past, he lives only for revenge and is answerable to no one. Despite Sophia’s love for him, her resemblance to Yurisu and her true identity come between them and he is often tough on her. To Sophia’s credit, she understands and quietly supports him.
Sophia and Alex:
Although Vincent doesn’t have many scenes, he’s a refreshing sight every time he appears
He’s roguish, more cheerful than Alex and loves drinking coffee during battles. Considering the battle at Dragon’s Teeth/Fang, it seems obvious that Alex is the better man. Although Vincent had the element of surprise and 4 vessels, Alex still managed to elude capture. However, I wouldn’t say that Vincent is beneath Alex in battle. It may be impossible to know whether Vincent would ever win a battle with Alex, but I think if they really put their brains together, they would make a formidable pair. Unfortunately, Alex is not the cooperative sort, especially not with Vincent.
The Urbanus:
Silvana (left) and Urbanus (right) locked in combat:
Dio and Lucciora didn’t seem significant enough at first. But I really felt sorry for them towards the end. The scene where Lucciora fought Sicada was really unexpected and lovely—a ballet-like dance of death, fluid and deadly. The last scene of Lucciora was really touching and beautiful…It made me realize the cruelty of Queen Delphine and why she had to be stopped. It was sad watching Dio coming back to his senses alone in the Grand Stream…<br>
Queen Delphine:
Queen stealing a kiss from Alex:
Overall, I love Last Exile for its characters, music and CGI. Considering the war and with just 26 episodes, the slant is perhaps towards the CGI, battle scenes and mechanical designs, but on the whole, everything is quite well balanced and lovely.
Incidentally, I thought the Japanese pronunciation of the English names was rather hard to catch. Except for Godwin and Gail (/Gale), it was only later that I got the names of the other 2 mechanics Lisan (/Ethan) and Costavi (/Kostabi). Also, Queen Delphine’s grand entrance at Sophia’s coronation was really impressive and majestic! The uniforms of the Silvana crew look German…
Queen Delphine’s arrival:
And there’s Tomokazu Seki[/b] who plays Lisan/Ethan, one of the mechanics! Claus is voiced by Mayumi Asano[/b] who played Haku (Naruto), Hisoka (Yami no Matsuei) and Blue (Wolf’s Rain)!! Alex is voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa[/b] who also did Tatsumi Seiichiro (Yami no Matsuei). Vincent’s seiyuu is Hozumi Goda[/b] who also voiced Leorio (Hunter X Hunter) and Campari (King of Bandit Jing in 7th Heaven).
Yeah, I think it's awesome - slaying evil spirits! 
Hahaha.....Why?