Film: 
DVD: 
Screenplay by Kouichi Chigira, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Syuichi Kouyama, and Tomohiro Yamashita
Directed by Kouichi Chigira
Music by Dolce Triade
Art Direction by Hiromasa Ogura
Features:
- Clean ending
- Original Japanese ending
- Commercial collections
- Art gallery
Dindrane’s Anime Warnings:
- Off-hand physical child abuse
- Phallic van ships
- Too much beautiful art makes the real world seem dull
Released by: Pioneer Geneon
Region: 1
Rating: 13+
Anamorphic: Yes
My Advice: Get it now.
[ad#longpost]We rejoin the show with Alex Row of the Silvana taking charge of the “cargo” from Lavie and Claus–the mysterious little girl named Alvis. Claus refuses to accept this rough treatment of Al, however, and follows Alex, invading the Silvana and almost getting himself and Lavie killed. When the Guild attacks the Silvana trying to get their own hands on Al, Claus and Lavie take to the skies in a borrowed ship to protect themselves and Al. We finally get to see the face of the Guild as Dio Eracles of the Guild flagship decides to duel one-on-one with Claus.
This show just continues to get more interesting. It’s a natural for anyone who likes steampunk or the late 19th/early 20th century era of dirigibles and officers with sabers. Fans of aerial combat will delight in the amazing detail of the dogfights, as well as the detailed dialogue about those dogfights. This is also a great show for anyone who appreciates the look of a show; Last Exile has amazing cinematography, and the production elements make the most of it.
The show looks and sounds fantastic. Of course the fabulous art is necessary here, but the digital transfer makes the most of it. This show is a premiere example of the new generation of animation and shows what CGI can really do in this medium. The show sounds marvelous, too, with top-flight casts in both languages, balanced perfectly with the show’s music and sound effects. The show’s quasi-Celtic-influenced musical soundtrack is enjoyable and clear. I can find no fault here, even when I try.
The only real problem I had with this volume was the gratuitous abuse Claus suffers at the hands of the Silvana’s mechanics–men who are supposed to be nominally good guys. On the other hand, like Alex Row himself, the world of the show is not as clear-cut as Claus might like–Lavie could tell you that.
The features list is quite nice indeed. We get a clean ending so fans of the show’s amazing animation can enjoy the sequence sans clutter. We also get the original Japanese ending, which is an interesting addition. Next, there is a fabulous art gallery that gives viewers time to really come to appreciate this show’s look at their own speed. Finally, there is a collection of commercials, which are essentially trailer previews.
Really, I can’t say enough about this show. Whether you are an anime fan or not, you need to see this this series. If the show keeps this up, it will truly be one for the ages. Keeping the violence of war at a minimum without making it pablum, Last Exile is honestly one of the best anime shows I’ve ever seen. The art, characterization, music, plot, and every other detail are just wonderful.
