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 4: Breakthrough (eps 13-16)
By John Huxley
6th Sep 05  I’m not scared of flying. I’m always a little nervous stepping into a plane but that’s about as far as it goes. I mean, if the plane were to crash and everybody on board were to die horribly, what could I do about it? Nothing. On the other hand, the prospect of being strapped to what is essentially a glorified tin can thousands of feet above sea level isn’t exactly something that I relish. Which is why the world of Last Exile, though undeniably beautiful, isn’t exactly a place I’d want to spend any amount of time. Mind you, I’d still prefer it to living in Blue Sub 6's world. Too much water, can’t swim. For the latest outing of Last Exile we join our hero-to-be Claus as he and uptight pilot Tatiana are forced to make a crash landing after things went slightly awry during the last episode. Stranded in the middle of a scorching desert, Claus must fend for the both of them as Tatiana decides to have an untimely nervous breakdown, revealing her troubled past in the process. This episode is an excellent example of how, despite all the flashy battles and convoluted storylines, Last Exile is very much a character-driven anime. Although its large cast doesn’t permit for any real in-depth study of its secondary characters, it’s surprising how much worthwhile characterisation they can actually squeeze into a rough half-hour of animation. In Tatiana’s case, for example, we’ve spent most of the series understanding her to be little more than a cold-hearted, uptight madam who demands nothing but perfection. A few minutes under the microscope, however, and we’re forced to reevaluate her as a more rounded, complex personality that can really contribute something substantial to the storyline. Speaking of which, we’re finally treated to a little in the way of explanations during this volume as Last Exile goes into flashback mode, paying Claus’ and Lavie’s high-flying parents a welcome visit. We’re not exactly privy to all the secrets of Exile, but this little excursion does shed light on a number of the show’s more telling question marks including their father’s untimely death at the hands of the Great Stream (which in itself remains a mystery). Quite apart from such revelations, this subplot makes for some altogether compelling viewing as it whisks us through a heartwarming tale of loss and ambition that helps us to better understand Claus and Lavie’s motivations as well as those of the (now understandably) downbeat Alex Row. It’s not entirely unexpected, but it is great to see it all pan out. Much more surprising yet much less successful is the storyline that immediately follows. Revolving around the frumpy XO Sophia, we leave the Silvana for a city on the brink of war. Ruled by a delusion king, the princess and his advisor plot to overthrow the mad monarch before he’s literally nothing left to rule but a pile of ash. If not by persuasion, by force. This isn’t a particularly poor storyline, it’s simply not given enough time to really develop. Last Exile has always been set against the backdrop of war, yet up ‘til now it’s been far more concerned with personal ambitions than military tacticians. And dumping us in the middle of a war about which we know little or nothing doesn’t quite have the desired effect. Put simply, we feel less involved with this particular conflict than we do with Al’s toy goat. That said, there’s still plenty of time left to expand on this aspect of Last Exile, so perhaps this story is building up to bigger and better things? Let’s hope so. Regardless, such is the quality of Last Exile that it really doesn’t suffer too badly in the face of such shortcomings. Even during its rare uneventful moments, Last Exile’s production is of a high enough standard to keep things ticking along until it gets back on track. We’ve still got a few volumes left before Last Exile’s jigsaw puzzle of a plot is finally completed, yet this volume does mark a significant step towards that goal. If you’ve not yet had the time to invest in Last Exile, I highly recommend you do so as soon as possible. Great stuff.
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English 2.0 and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, art gallery, Tokyo exhibition gallery, vanship guide, ADV previews
Release information: UK: ADV, out now
Notes: The cover features Claus, Lavie and Al infront of their silver vanship; a competent but not exactly spectacular design. There is however a much more visually arresting double-spread on the inside of the case that shows the same three characters in the cockpit of the vanship. It’s a pity such a great piece of artwork couldn’t be used for the cover (it’s the wrong ratio amongst other things), but I’m appreciative of the fact that ADV included it in there somewhere. The extras consist of an art gallery, a virtual tour of the Last Exile Tokyo exhibition and a vanship guide which replaces the regular character guide. Of these, the Tokyo exhibition feature is the most interesting; it would have been great to actually go and see all the production artwork and models on show, but I guess this is the next best thing. Another decent outing for Last Exile.
-- John Huxley 6th Sep 05
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