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Last EXILE
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Animation - 9.7 |
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Sound - 9.1 |
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Story - 8.2 |
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Character - 8.3 |
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Value - 8.6 |
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Enjoyment - 8.8 |
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Average - 8.8 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| The only anime I have given straight 10s to.
As with many anime's, the story is incredibly involved. You may want to watch twice, or read the wikipedia entry after watching to make sure you caught the main points.
The characters are believable and well-characterized, and really, how often do you see steam-punk meets Victorian?
Can't recommend this highly enough, especially since you can buy the ENTIRE series boxset on Amazon for only $60.
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Pakxenon |
(2009-02-09 03:41:02) 2009-02-09 03:33:57 |
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| There will always be a glimmer of hope in a void of despair, or an oasis in a vast desert. And that is exactly what Last Exile is - one of the finest productions GONZO has ever offered, it was a nice way to celebrate their 10th anniversary with an epic tale in a beautifully crafted steampunk/futuristic world, and without the cop-out ending. The rich and seamless CG blend in with the character designs by Range Murata; an excellent soundtrack based off the OP and ED by Shuntaro Okino and hitomi sets a fantastic mood for the entire series. The first half introduces an adventurous feel with flying vanships and whatnot; the second half, while being the cliche of an overarching plot, is a great ride full of tension and suspense. While the characters are not as dynamic as I hoped they were, they still provide some of the best interactions and drama any director could hope for. In the end, Last Exile deserves the masterpiece status, not only for the awesome visuals, but also for being one of the only GONZO productions that doesn't falter from beginning to end.
Yes, this is a sectioned review. Click/see below.
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| Average |
6.0 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| Overall, very disappointing. Story never got interesting, it was very repetitive throughout. For the first half of the series no story was clear yet, but the potential was there. Then it seemed like different writers/directors took over. That's when the real story began, and went in unpleasing pointless directions that were maybe unexpected, yet only surprising in the lack of action or any relevant events.
The show deteriorated into a soap opera style in the middle and never recovered. All the various characters only created clutter and confusion and boredom during a time when some interesting plot concerning the main characters should have been going on. Then it takes several episodes to get to the end, all of which literally could have been converted to 1 or 2 episodes since so little happens. The pacing is like that of an anime with hundreds of episodes, which is very frustrating in a short anime.
The ending was just lame and expected and lacked anything interesting to ponder about afterwards. I am pretty much disappointed with the way every single character ended up.
A poorly executed, disjointed mess of an anime. I only recommend for those interested in seeing lots of cgi, though the vanships, and most larger ships don't look very interesting, and most action scenes are just made up of smoke trails and smoke from explosions.
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1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Watch this series. Watch it till the end. Then complain about the unresolved romantic sideplot.
Seriously, this series is amazing. It has beautiful animation, interesting characters, thrilling battles, and a stupendously brilliant plot. It does take about 13 eps to really get into the meat of the story, but the action is what keeps you interested until then. From there on, the series is just so intensely badass, you cant put it down. The character dynamics pick up, the story is epic and takes unexpected twists and turns, and the action remains awesome throughout.
But, still, that Tatiana romantic sideplot is like a thorn in my side. It was really interesting (and hilarious) while it lasted, but it was tossed aside at some point and just never resolved. What's worse is that the characters act like it was resolved, so you feel like you missed some big development which was cut out of the series to make room for the overarching plot. And there is no definitive indication of the outcome. You could find evidence to support juast about any of the possible outcomes and say "Well of course this is what they meant." but none of it is as satisfying as a real resolution would have been. That could have made this series perfect.
Oh well, Last EXILE is not a love story by any measure of the imagination, so it passes with flying colors as what it is and rises well above the crowd. Definitely one of the essential animes for any otaku. buy it!
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Planes, ships and adventure is really what Last Exile is all about. There's also a fine mix of friendship, enemies and mixed philosophies combined with some of the best CGI that any can witness. Unlock the mystery and enjoy the ride.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Beautiful yet flawed. This is a love or hate anime.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Last Exile, is a great show, with espectacular animation, music, and atmosphere and a good plot with likeable characters.
The whole vibe of the show is steampunk, mixed with blue skies full of clouds, lot of airships and early 20th century people, the whole atmosphere is masterfully brought to life and very pretty; music is very good also, fitting perfectly with the show.
The Plot is good, involving the world Prester's two countries, Dissith and Anatoray, fighting a long war that's controlled by the Guild, the supreme race in the world which control technology, wars, and distribution of water and food; in the midst of these wars, two fledging vanship pilots, Claus and Lavie, who love the freedom the sky, save a little girl named Al from capture, who will have a major role in the future of the world, and get entangled in the whole affair.
The character's are very well developed and most show a lot of progress and change when the story ends; there's lot of likeable characters but my favorite's have to be Lavie, Mullin (cowardly solider but good guy), and Sophia (bad-ass yet delicate vice-captain of the Silvana).
Other popular characters are probably Claus, who was just to dumb sometimes (but still very likeable) and Alex Rowe who was bad-ass but I just didn't like him he was to concieted.
This is a great show, that has a lot going for it; there's some people who don't like the ending, but I think it's great.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.4 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
0 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Last Exile is a stunning visual treat, the characters are believable and act like an actual coherent, rational person, and the setting is refreshing. Overall, it may be a little boring for some, since there isn't a whole lot of action and it focuses on the characters and how they interact with eachother mor than anything else.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| In a word mesmerizing. Like it or loathe it, Last Exile will be remembered by those who've seen it for its spectacular animation. When it first came out in Japan I watched the first two or three episodes and tossed it aside because I found it rather boring. When it came out on DVD in North America a few years later I decided to pick it up for the hell of it. If you're not into it in the slightest within the first 4 or 5 episodes, you probably won't like it at all.
Those looking for a plot straight from the word go won't find one till close to the half way point of the series. The focus is on character development in the first half of the series which I see as a welcome change from those titles that go straight to the plot without much back-story or character development. Speaking of characters, they're really hit or miss as well. Some may find the stoic Alex Row either outright boring or very interesting. It's really the same deal with most of the other characters. By the time the plot got off the ground things got very interesting very fast and in no time I was in agony waiting to see what would happen next.
The ending was yet another ambiguous ending that just leaves you with a bunch of questions that you know full well will never be answered. You'll get a few hints here and there but if you're only half into the show you'll never get it. While I loved Last EXILE and regretted not getting into it when it was being fansubbed, it really is a hit or miss as a whole. You'll either find it really boring or a piece that will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat. If you haven't seen it yet, do so. The first 1 or 2 volumes will pretty much determine whether you'll like it or not.
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petran79 |
(2006-07-11 14:12:42) 2006-07-11 14:05:36 |
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| Average |
6.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Gonzo prove yet again that they excell mostly when they put manga adaptations aside and produce independent stories just for TV.
In the case of Last Exile I watched the first 19 episodes in a single day without skipping the OP or ED songs. Initially I was fascinated with the spectacular animation. Dog fights are after all my favorite topic to watch on TV, especially WWI planes. But then the next day I struggled to watch the rest. Was it because I wasnt in the right mood or because as I believe it to be they screwed with the ending? Probably the latter.
Animation and SFX were of the best I've seen, from what the compressed OGM files allowed me to enjoy. This is one anime that requires a large screen and 5.1 surround. Had I seen it that way, the enjoyment would have been higher.
As some reviews I've read mentioned, Last Exile can be characterized as steampunk with a peculiarity that in that world the Latin alphabet was substituted by Greek alphabet and even the official correspondence was in meddled Greek, from what I could read by freezing the picture. Perhaps this made Last Exile unique and too bad the characters didnt speak any Greek, though some religious chants of the Guild might have been in that language.
That feature and the dogfights were that kept my interest till the end. And though Last Exile has flaws it is overall a good series. It has the magic such animes offer, mainly because of the animation and the music. The music takes many elements from traditional Irish music and it is a pleasure to listen.
Only flaw was with the story and characters. But rarely are good animation and music combined with good story and characters. Though none of the characters was dislikeable in fact none of them was likeable either. They didnt stir my emotions at all.
The story, though initially delivered nice action, in the end everything felt so rushed that I thought I was watching a demonstration of Gonzo's CGI than an animated feature. Well I didnt expect it to reach the Crest of Stars standards in narrative but not such kind of insufficiency either.
Since so many reviews were already written, suffice it to say that this wont dissapoint you and if you want to see a technical achievement, Last Exile is a must watch. Since I also like dog fights I didnt regrett watching it. I dont know when and if I'll rewatch it again and certainly not the last episodes.
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kaneda1080 |
(2006-07-10 07:35:10) 2006-07-10 06:05:27 |
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Something strange happened to me while attempting to watch Last Exile. I had to watch the first two episodes like 5 or 6 times. I didn't really feel 'in the mood' for it. Then one day, I could watch more, and got hooked into it, so much that I watched it in two only 'streaks'.
Last Exile has much to offer, and delivers it in some (apparently) original ways. The settings is sci-fi, with a historical flavour and some steampunk twist... There are flying ships and vessels, but the technology and culture is 1700-ish, so to speak. Naval battles (in the air), musketeers, nobles and paesants, kings and kingdoms, 'alien' technology... It's all there, in the past and yet in the future, on Earth and yet somewhere else.
As you might have guessed already, Last Exile can (and should) be classified as an action anime: there's more to it, of course, like friendship, love, childhood promises (YES, DAMMIT AGAIN! aren't we beginning to hate those? can't directors and scripters come up with something different, once in a while?), honour, destiny, betrayal, some fun as well.
All in all, I can't say Last Exile is DA BOMB, but still it is a very pleasant show, 'easy' to watch (know what I mean?) and quite enjoyable in the end.
See specific sections for further details. (C) 2005 kaneda1080
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| I remember wanting to watch this anime really badly when it first came out after I read some reviews here about it and seeing a few screen shots from it. I was finally able to watch this anime not long ago, and I can honestly say that I was not impressed with it. I can see and understand why many people like Last Exile; however, I found it was rather slow and uninteresting by the time I got to the last few episodes.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
6.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| I just can't seem to get over how retarded the vanships looked. That out of the way, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the animation. It seemed to be the most compelling part for me. The story and characters were far too underdeveloped. The plot seemed thrown in as an afterthought and whenever it was absolutely necessary. I had no idea what was going on for most of the series. They finally "explain" things near the end of the series giving so little detail and lacking any elaboration whatsoever that it seemed as if they didn't really explain anything at all. The characters were slightly better. Slightly. They go through some development, though most of it really just them blubbering like children and questioning why they are like they are. They easily could have extended the series to develop the plot and characters more. It's something to watch only if you're really bored and don't have anything else.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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sixsixsix |
(2006-06-20 01:12:02) 2006-06-20 00:46:58 |
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| Average |
4.2 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
3 |
| Value |
2 |
| Enjoyment |
1 |
| Well, it is not as impressive as some have made it out to be. There is surprisingly very little action for a show in the middle of an epic war.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This series was one of the best I've seen in a long time. Everything from the characters, storyline, music, and animation was superb. From the start of this series I was intrigued by the art style and completely immersed by the story and characters. Everything about this series was so refreshing I can't say enough about it. This series is a perfect blend story, character development, animation, and sound. Each of these areas is great on their own but truly flourishes as a complement to one another. If you're looking for an anime series with a great story, lovable characters and animation that you need to see to believe you need to watch this series.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| I have just finished watching this series and have found it to be one of the most thrilling series i have seen thus far. It is truly one of those series that once you start you don't want to stop and yet you want to space out the episodes so you don't end it so soon. A definite must see for all!!!!
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Ryu |
(2006-03-24 10:38:38) 2006-03-24 10:38:10 |
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| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Last Exile is Gonzo's most incredible work, that's for sure. The quality of the series is the same (maybe better) as the movies of other series, and probably is the most absurdly great of any anime series.
The anime tells about an alternative and weird world, inhabitated by two main nations, one that lives in a dry desert and another that lives in a polar climatic place. Those two nations are separated by the Grand Stream, a massive wind wall that few ships can make trhough, those two nations however, are in war, and people are fleeing from the unreal cold that is devastating the nation.
In the middle of that war, the misterious ship Silvana tries to strike against a unknown foe, the Council. People that regulates the two nations and the war itself. Klaus Valca and Lavie Head tries to work with their vanship, but a series of events will lead them to the heart of this conflict, alongside the crew of Silvana.
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Avalanche |
(2006-02-15 16:15:47) 2006-02-15 16:05:29 |
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| Average |
6.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| Brilliant production meets a painfully convoluted slow story. Only Gonzo can produce a work like Last Exile. This series has so many things going for it and by then it goes down a hill (rather falls from a cliff.) By the end you are left exhausted and with an okayish sort of mood.
Tech parts first: The animation, done by Gonzo is yet again brilliant AS LONG AS you restrict to the backgrounds. Most of the time the backgrounds have clouds swirling and this has been done spellbindingly. The ships when crash into the clouds raise a puff of cloud which is perhaps the most realistic I've ever seen. The texturing of objects such as the vanships is also splendid. The characters, however are dull. The eyes look dazed as if hypnotized giving the characters a sort of dead look. All the faces are round shaped as if a full moon is out. The dresses and costumes (for which Gonzo is famous) are also mediocre.
The sound is OK. Nothing to rave about. Many of the OST's are orchestra related and very stylish - however they seem kinda forced. Eg. the fight between Luciollo and Ciclada is a full fledged ballerina complete with a background score and choreography (Gonzo were trying to show something with this, but they completely missed the mark as far as I'm concerned.) The OP and ED are also nothing special.
What is Last Exile all about? Take Scrapped Princess - make Pacifica into a side character called Arvis, and make the gaurdians (Claus and Lavey) the main characters. Add a bunch of characters as interseting as an Oxford Dictionary, and set all of them in a world immersed in war. You now have the indegriedents for Last Exile.
The story from the start was nothing awesome, but it held water. From episode 12 (or so) the writers introduced forced character developement which was yawn-inducing. Then the writers tried a emotinal drama plot - more yawns. Finally they realised that they better get back to the story. However the story by this time started to show fatigue, and rambled on slowly. By epiode 22 or so - while watching a boring scene, I was wondering if the writers were ever going to get to their point. The last episode which should get you all charged up was sleep inducing. The only good part is that, the story is closed properly. This atleast is done properly.
Characters? Try to force them to be emotional - that how the characters are. There is no character worth remebering in this anime. All of them from Claus (the hero) to Mastero Delphine (the worst villian ever) are boring. Except the mechanics which brought a little life to the anime the characters seem dull and lifeless. The side characters like Alex and Tatiana are forced to go through character developement, which was not needed one bit in the anime.
Considering this is at number 12, I had expected a lot from this. What I got was yawns and wierd music during fights. Like almost all Gonzo works, this falls flat on its back. Trinity Blood, Peacemaker Kuragane, Chrno Crusade, Hellsing and now Last Exile, this studio only knows how to animate and how to ruin good storylines and plots. I'm DEFINITELY not seeing a work by this studio again.
Recommended for Gonzo fans only. Highly overrated.
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Steve |
2006-02-05 11:15:36 |
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| Average |
9.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| First off I believe there are alot of places an anime can go wrong when it runs on. 300+ episodes are just ridiculous for a series. I believe some shows just watered down. In this case however, I feel this anime was cut short. The lower marks for Character and Story were mostly because many sublots simply could not be explained. The endings for Dio, Moran and some of the relationships really could not be fleshed out. Okay that out of the way this anime was exceptional. Fans of Dune and aviation should really watch this. Read on for more:
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Overall: (9.0/10)
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Overall, Last Exile has what any anime of this calibur should have. An engrossing, complex storyline, epic battles, breathtaking visuals, heart-thumping soundtrack, intriguing characters, and memorable moments. Literally, Last Exile is a work of art told through breathtaking results from all angles of the spectrum.
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