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 vol 2: Positional Play (eps 5-8)
By John Huxley
16th Mar 05  This second volume of Gonzo's air-based fantasy sees our young heroes infiltrate the depths of the legendary flying fortress Silvana in a bid to rescue their precious 'cargo' Alvis, the mysterious little girl whom they vowed to deliver safely to one Alex Row. Fortunately for Claus and Lavie Alex is the captain of Silvana, although the hospitality of his crew suggests their presence aboard this mighty vessel is not entirely welcome. Despite initial reservations Alex and his subordinates eventually come to realise that our headstrong duo have ulterior uses not only as capable fighter pilots in the ongoing battle against the alien-like Guild but also for their emotional attachment to Alvis, who's significance in this story remains a tantalising mystery. Leaving their relatively mundane day job behind, Claus and Lavie find themselves becoming increasingly involved in a war they can scarcely comprehend... As expected, Last Exile has progressed from its humble beginnings to something entirely more epic in its scale. No longer a simple trio, the cast of characters has multiplied tenfold with the introduction of the mammoth Silvana and its colourful crew. A couple of minor exceptions notwithstanding, these new faces are very much a welcome addition to Last Exile. Not only do they sport sleek Nazi officer style uniforms and pilot beautiful flying machines that would make Howard Hughes jealous, they're also relatively plausible personalities that help to add a little complexity to Claus and Lavie's relationships. The dashing captain Alex Row is a typically cool character with requisite long coat and scowl, while his well-treated underlings range from the emotionally stunted XO to the gifted yet opinionated Tatiana. Despite the large number of introductions dotted throughout these four episodes (including a couple of Guild badguys), you're rarely left with the feeling that a character is underexposed or even unessential - each and every one brings something new a series that was an already successful combination. However, the real triumph here is that Claus, Lavie and Alvis - essentially the focus of Last Exile's story - remain undiluted. True, they were never particularly complex characters to begin with, yet their strength of personality and our attachment to them as characters is pivotal to Last Exile's success or failure. Introducing so many new faces in such a short period of time could have easily had a devastating effect on our young heroes, yet this bold move actually pushes them to the forefront, amplifying their characters simply by multiplying the possibilities. Whatever the case, you'll find yourself warming to Last Exile's ever expanding cast of characters. With so many new faces arriving on the scene it won't surprise you to learn that the story also takes a new, if not entirely unexpected, direction. With the last volume comprising mostly of Claus and Lavie's daring escape from the relentless Guild 'starfish', this second volume does a 180 about turn and places the brave duo right in the middle of a full-scale war. At this point in time we're told very little about this suspiciously clandestine conflict, although I'd imagine that the all important details will begin to reveal themselves as Alex Row and the Silvana's crew accept Claus and Lavie as integral cogs in the machine. Nevertheless, events move at a pleasingly swift pace for the first three episodes on this disc, with the fourth episode reserved for a little light relief as the crew catch up with old friends (and enemies...) aboard a giant floating casino. For what could easily be considered filler material, this episode does a good job of maintaining the high standards established by earlier episodes, taking the opportunity to focus on the characters in a more relaxed environment. It may not boast the exciting aerial dogfights of the first few episodes yet it's no less involving. The action in this volume sees Claus and Lavie directly involved in battle for the first time, doing their best to protect Alvis and the Silvana from a massive Guild starfish assault. As before the action is enhanced by Gonzo's ever-present CG animation, smoothly blended with the hand rendered backgrounds and traditional cel animation techniques. Love it or hate it, it's becoming increasingly obvious that Last Exile would be much poorer without these effects; the natural advantages of CG animation allow the directors to create more detailed and elaborate action sequences that simply wouldn't be possible with traditional techniques and a budget of this scale. Impressively, Last Exile has successfully built on its already stellar beginnings and is fast becoming one of my favourite shows of the year. Sure there are a few flaws - most notably the absence of a real sense of location which is especially disappointing given the otherwise lavish fantasy visuals - but you're unlikely to care much when everything else is so mightily enjoyable. A class act throughout, I can only recommend you give Last Exile your undivided attention.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, clean close, original Japanese close, commercial collection, art gallery, character profiles
Release information: UK: 2005, ADV
Notes: This box features a slightly less daring cover design, with Alex Row and the XO in commanding poses, showing off their smart black uniforms to good effect. Again the inside of the box reveals a large piece of unique artwork, this time highlighting a few of the Silvana's crew members. The extras are almost identical to previous disc, with only a new set of character profiles, production artwork and a few commercials to keep you busy. The quality of the picture is flawless, with the widescreen presentation particularly unusual for an anime of this type. Despite a lack of extras this is another decent outing for Last Exile.
-- John Huxley 16th Mar 05
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