Anime Review - Last EXILE

Last EXILE

Anime Review
By Le Chupacabra

GONZO
26 Episodes
Ages 8+

In the world of Prester, two mighty nations, Anatore and Dusis are at war with each other. The whole conflict is overseen by the mysterious Guild – a seemingly neutral entity armed with strange and powerful technology. Of course, all this means nothing to Vanship riders Klaus Valca and Lavie Head. Their job is to deliver messages – and they’ll take any risks necessary to complete their mission. However, their lives are turned upside down when they encounter a severely damaged Vanship; with his last breath the messenger pilot asks Klaus and Lavie to escort a young girl named Alvis Hamilton to the notorious battleship Sylvana. Thus begins a whirlwind adventure of epic proportions – and one that looks to change the fate of Prester forever!

First and foremost, Last EXILE is an all-out visual and aural assault on the senses. By perfectly segueing together CGI and hand-drawn animation, GONZO have produced a truly artistic masterpiece that will never fail to astonish the viewer. While the colours are purposely subdued and the palette is rather dull, this gives the show a rather dated look which adds to the steampunk-esque world it tries to convey. Combined with some stunning lighting effects, Last EXILE creates a brilliantly evocative and somewhat nostalgic atmosphere.

A lot of attention went towards the fight scenes in this anime. Whether it’s a group of Vanships tearing through the air during the dangerous high-speed races or the giant warships of Anatore and Dusis battling it out for supremacy of skies, these scenes will have you awestruck. The ships are peppered with delicate and distinctive mechanical detail while the fights themselves are choreographed beautifully with moments that will leave you breathless. If you’re a lover of flight, then this anime does a wonderful job of romanticising the feeling of soaring through the heavens themselves.

The music in Last EXILE is simply brilliant. The soundtrack makes brilliant use of wind instruments to create some fast-paced, catchy medleys that are evocative of Irish folk music. The music is strangely uplifting and just goes perfectly with the airship escapades and glorious air battles that are liberally spread throughout the anime. The slower tunes may often go unnoticed but those are used subtly during the darker scenes to create the fantastic atmosphere of Last EXILE.

It’s a creative, fresh new world of adventure to explore here and GONZO have pulled this off with aplomb. From the onset, you are presented with a surprisingly persistent and accomplished world that seems very believable.

The story is actually rather interesting; Last EXILE isn’t about looks only! Instead of deeply exploring the nuances of the world it has created, the focus is on the journey of the three protagonists. Although, it wouldn’t have to hurt to give some back-story to some things; it’s such a rich, intrigueing world that it becomes somewhat of an injustice not to realise its full potential.

From a simple lifestyle of Vanship messengers to being thrust into an journey that will probably change everyone’s lives – Klaus and Lavie are at the heart of it all. Their actions and morals become the catalysts that lead to the consequences and events that unfold. The way one affair leads to another is intrigueing indeed and the journey itself is just a whirlwind adventure of people, places and experiences. It’s definitely epic stuff but in its own subtle way (however weird that may sound). This is yet another aspect of Last EXILE that makes it so enjoyable.

Initially, it seems that when it comes to characterisation, Last EXILE falls a bit short. However, that isn’t so. Through their interactions with each other, the subtle side-stories and their somewhat intertwined relationships, you come to know a lot more about the personalities of Last EXILE than you realise. Some seem cliché, others fairly unique - but in terms of the complete picture, Last EXILE has a character cast you’ll come to know and love.

Last EXILE, in short, is a great anime. The art and sound are of immensely high calibre and the story and characters will definitely hold your interest for the whole ride. But what I loved about Last EXILE was the beautifully evocative atmosphere painted by the amalgamation of all the various facets of this anime.