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jeriendhalPlot Summary: Teenagers Claus Valka and Lanie Head are "Vanship" pilots, delivering messages and cargo around their nation in a anti-grav vehicle that looks like it was designed by 1930's aircraft engineers. After delivering a message to one of their nation's most respected military leaders, they're tapped for job of escorting a 'cargo' that consists of a little girl named Al, who seems to have somehow gained the interest of the mysterious and high-tech Guild, which sanctions and controls wars in this world.
Review: I'm a fan of the Steampunk genre, which takes inspiration from such books as The War of the Worlds and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Last Exile seems to be the first entry I've seen into the "Dieselpunk" genre (the badly mis-identifed Children of the Sun RPG excepted). As an interview with the series' production designer reveals, the visual look of the show takes it's cue from 1930's Europe, emphasizing the contrast between the Old World cties and such modern and "UFO-like" things like Zepplins (or in this case the Vanships and their larger, battleship cousins).
The show is utterly beautiful to look at, with animation the equal of any Disney feature. Fortunately it's also combined with an intriging story, showing the contrast between the Old World ways (a battle begins with musket equipped troops exchanging fire between competing airships), and the onrush of modern technology (the Guild by contrast uses fighter craft that resemble a cross between an F-15 and a Martian War Machine). This first disc only has the first four episodes, so not much of the plot is revealed, but we do get a good look at Claus and Lanie's world, and the action keeps things moving along at a brisk pace.
If there's a fault with the show, it's that the CGI graphics used to show the vanships in flight aren't always smoothly intgrated. In some shots they're organic to the background and chracters, and in others it's rather jarring. But that's a minor nit, more than compenstated by the rich visuals of the traditional animation elements.
The disc has both sub and dub tracks availible, and the extras include the interview with the production designer, a small gallery of the main characters and some of the vanships seen, and previews for other Pioneer releases. The boxed edition I bought also includes a mouse pad and a small articulated figurine of Al.
Buy it if you can, or catch it on Tech TV if you can't.
Review: I'm a fan of the Steampunk genre, which takes inspiration from such books as The War of the Worlds and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Last Exile seems to be the first entry I've seen into the "Dieselpunk" genre (the badly mis-identifed Children of the Sun RPG excepted). As an interview with the series' production designer reveals, the visual look of the show takes it's cue from 1930's Europe, emphasizing the contrast between the Old World cties and such modern and "UFO-like" things like Zepplins (or in this case the Vanships and their larger, battleship cousins).
The show is utterly beautiful to look at, with animation the equal of any Disney feature. Fortunately it's also combined with an intriging story, showing the contrast between the Old World ways (a battle begins with musket equipped troops exchanging fire between competing airships), and the onrush of modern technology (the Guild by contrast uses fighter craft that resemble a cross between an F-15 and a Martian War Machine). This first disc only has the first four episodes, so not much of the plot is revealed, but we do get a good look at Claus and Lanie's world, and the action keeps things moving along at a brisk pace.
If there's a fault with the show, it's that the CGI graphics used to show the vanships in flight aren't always smoothly intgrated. In some shots they're organic to the background and chracters, and in others it's rather jarring. But that's a minor nit, more than compenstated by the rich visuals of the traditional animation elements.
The disc has both sub and dub tracks availible, and the extras include the interview with the production designer, a small gallery of the main characters and some of the vanships seen, and previews for other Pioneer releases. The boxed edition I bought also includes a mouse pad and a small articulated figurine of Al.
Buy it if you can, or catch it on Tech TV if you can't.
