Last Exile

Publisher
ADV
Director
Koichi Chigira
Production
GONZO, TV Tokyo
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
2003

Last Exile

By Stephen Lerch
20th May 04

Short Synopsis:
Last Exile is Gonzo's (Last Exile, Gatekeepers, Vandread) latest television effort, released on Japanese TV last year, if memory serves me correctly.

It starts off with the 2 main characters, Claus and Lavi, preparing for a big Vanship (the type of vehicle used to fly in the skies) race. Before the race, they are given a job to deliver a letter to Mad-thane and due to a battle they get caught in, wind up missing the preliminaries and start dead last in the race. As they are racing, they see a Vanship, not in the race, get shot down by a huge starfish shaped ship. The dying wish of the man who was shot down is to complete his job; deliver the mysterious girl, Alvis, that was with him to the ship 'Silvana.' Reluctantly they accept the girl and return home. Lavi wants to seek the advice of the Vanship Union before deciding on whether to take the job or not. Before being able to seek the Union's advice, their house is attacked by the same starfish shaped ship that shot down the other pilot. The choice was made for them and they leave the city, Alvis (Al) in tow, on their way to the 'Silvana.'

Claus, Lavi and Alvis trip of wonderment and adventure has only just begun.

Video:
As is to be expected from a Geneon/Pioneer release, the picture quality on this release is near perfect. The video is encoded in anamorphic widescreen for those with the ability to view this output.

The animation in this show is nothing short of amazing. When comparing the animation quality of this to theatrical Anime, it is almost difficult to see differences. Had this show been made 2-3 years ago, it could have passed as theatrical quality animation. Compare the animation of this show to another recent show, say Someday's Dreamers (another Geneon/Pioneer release) and the difference becomes obvious. Gonzo has outdone themselves with each successive release (Final Fantasy Unlimited too be ignored) and this is the pinnacle of their animation history thus far.

The only down side to this release, as is the case with most R1 releases, is the fact that the opening and endings are in English, not the original Japanese. The JPN op/ed are available as extras, however.

Audio:
You are given the choice of 2.0 Stereo in either Japanese or English and the option of English subtitles.

The Japanese audio is clear and extremely well acted. I spot checked the English and it is also well encoded. As far as the English acting is concerned, I leave that to the viewer's discretion.

The music is well performed and suits the show well.

Extras:
You have several options on the first disc. You can buy just the first disc, the first disc and a box or you can buy the first disc with box and an Alvis toy and mouse pad which is limited to only 15,000 pieces. I went for the box and toy/mouse pad. The toy is the same toy offered in one of the Japanese released R2 DVDs I believe, complete with Japanese text and the mouse pad is of Lavi, which matches the Lavi artwork on the box. The box is sturdy and uses the same chrome cover style as the inserts for the DVDs and is quite sturdy.

One of the more interesting extras with the release of DVD 3, and is limited, is the inclusion of a paper vanship! This matches, again, one of the extras in the Japanese released R2 Last Exile DVDs.

Extras included on each disc vary, with Japanese op/eds, creditless op/ed, miscelaneous artwork and Geneon/Pioneer previews for upcoming shows. Typical fare.

Packaging:
Please see above for the description of the box that is available with the first DVD.

Each disc is given the chrome cover treatment, similar to the covers to be found on another Pioneer/Geneon Gonzo release, Vandread. The artwork on each is gorgeous and well done. On the back of each disc is a list of extras available on the disc, 3 pictures of the show itself, episode listings and a brief description.

Final Analysis:
Gonzo hits yet another home run.

The animation quality, the tight integration of 3D animation with 2D (using similar coloring schemes as the "cel" based portions of the show to blend in better than most) and compelling storyline that causes you to see just how great it is to be an adventurer, all help to really draw the viewer into Claus' and Lavi's world. The battle sequences are spectacular with big and small ships taking part in the action. The opening song fits the opening animation which shows the wonders available to Calus and Lavi as they fly the skies protecting Alvis (Al). It is difficult to find fault with anything in this series.

This has been a wonderful series thus far and I can only imagine it taking off for an even more amazing ride as the series draws towards completion.

On the back of the first DVD, there is a quote that says "this isn't animation, it's art," which isn't far from the truth.

10/10

-- Stephen Lerch 20th May 04

Last Exile Images