Last Exile Complete Season 1 DVD Review

Director: Koichi Chigira,

Starring: Mayumi Asano, Johnny Yong Bosch, Chiwa Saito, Kari Wahlgren, Anna Shiraki, Michelle Ruff, Junko Noda, Joshua Seth, Shinichiro Miki, David Lelyveld

Running Time: 650 minutes

Certificate: 15

Take to the skies in LAST EXILE, one of the most revered around. If you’re into anime then chances are you’ve seen or at least planned to watch this series, which is often touted in “Best of…” lists. However, you best be sure to like your aerial adventures, as you’ll be spending a long time among the clouds and the birds, a laborious and tedious amount of time.

Claus (Asano/Bosch) and Lavie (Saito/Wahlgren) are two aeronautical messengers that fly around the world of Pester delivering messages. A job made all the more difficult as this is a time of war. One day, when investigating a fellow airship that has crashed they come across a ‘package’ that happens to be a little girl. They decide to deliver her to her destination and soon find themselves embroiled in the world of war as they settle upon the legendary airship known as the Sylvana.

As far as protagonists go, Claus and Lavie are a great duo. They have a mutual respect for each other’s role in their lives, and there is a loving connection that hints at, but doesn’t become dragged down with, romance. They may be a young pair, but their actions hint at a maturity which contrasts with the adults responsible for the war. Regardless of this, their characters also seem to be inserted needlessly into the tale of war, as though the writers started at one point but couldn’t quite inset the two into the grander mythology of the world. Huge chunks of storyline seem to forget the main characters, and once they are apart for lengthy periods of time, their relationship fades into the background without a fight. It’s a bizarre feeling while watching, as it becomes increasingly difficult to engage in the plot because it feels as though our emotional connection into this world shouldn’t be there.

Some of the side characters fare much better in terms of their impact on the action, and have something to add to the overarching themes. Lord Dio (Noda/Seth) feels as though he could have made a much more interesting and relevant protagonist, as he adds a dark sense of humour to the battles due to his conflicted and sheltered nature. Elsewhere we have Mullin (Miki/Lelyveld) a soldier finding his place in the world and building upon his own courage.

The world in which LAST EXILE is set is vastly detailed, but often visually unappealing. With so much time spent in the sky or on airships, the settings soon become bland and uninteresting. All the colours seem faded, and whether a transfer or animation issue, there always seems to be a hazy filter applied over every shot. It looks worn and weary, which may be an attempt at integrating the visuals into the industrial world in which the series is set, but nevertheless it is very distracting. The time in the sky also means that we are oblivious to the affect on the world below, other than it being supplied second hand via dialogue.

In terms of animation, LAST EXILE is usually very strong. Aerial battles are captured in all their glory, with sweeping shots transporting viewers through the clouds, to the extent that they’ll feel the wind on their cheeks, dated and intrusive CGI inserts notwithstanding. The animation is also brave in its subtle representations of dramatic events. One knife fight is portrayed as an intricate ballet, where every slash of each weapon is accompanied with ironically calming music.

LAST EXILE is long enough that it has many individual great parts, but when assembled into a huge intricate tapestry, the majority of the efforts fail to stand out. Fun in parts, but dragging in others, emotionally competent at times, and then settling on generic characters, this is a show whose influence remains in anime, but perhaps hasn’t dated so well.

 LAST EXILE Complete Season 1 is released on DVD on 17th June via Manga Entertainment.

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