Invoking an approach that shares some similarities with “Full Metal Alchemist”, particularly through the concept of two kids whose parents have died and are trying to make a living by following in their footsteps, and the 19th century Europe-like setting, “Last Exile” is a great specimen of the golden era of anime series.
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The story is set in the fictional world of Prester, whose inhabitants use aerial vehicles known as vanships as a means of transportation. The world however is not peaceful at all, since an eternal conflict between the nations of Anatoray and Disith is tormenting everyone involved, while the Guild, a mysterious organization, seems to oversee the whole thing for unknown reasons. Furthermore, the planet is on the verge of ecological destruction, particularly due to the lack of water. The two protagonists, Claus Valca and Lavie Head who are working as couriers, find themselves in the middle of the whole situation when they are tasked with delivering Alvis Hamilton, a young girl who seems to hold the key to a mystery that is later revealed, to Silvana, a notorious ship run by Harlock-type Alex Row. Despite their fears, Claus and Lavie deliver Alvis to the battleship but decide to remain aboard to keep her safe, and after many tribulations, they become permanent members of the crew.
As Alex's rather ambitious and extreme plans are revealed, the Silvana finds itself in multiple battles, the executive officer, Sophia Forrester, is revealed to be a completely different person than what her attitude suggested, while Dio and his bodyguard, Lucciola, two members of the guild also get involved, due to an almost paranoid obsession the former develops for Claus. Tatiana, the first pilot of Silvana, Delphine, the leader of the Guild and Mullin, a rifleman, also play integral parts in the story, while the mystery behind the Exile unfolds in the most dangerous way for everyone.
As mentioned in the prologue, the similarities with “Full Metal Alchemist” are there from the get go, but as the story unfolds, “Last Exile” is revealed as something completely different. To begin with, that the two main protagonists are of different sex creates a whole other dynamic, since the romantic element does come to the fore, particulary after the cold and distant Tatiana gets closer to Claus, and he seems ignorant for both hers and Lavie's feelings. The coming-of-age is also strong here, with the interactions of the various kids with the grown ups highlighting this aspect in the most intriguing way, particularly since the latter also show signs of immaturity and a number of faults. In that fashion, the relationship between Alex and Sophia is also very interesting, even more after her true capacity and his ultimate goals are revealed, while Dio's paranoia adds more to both aspects. This element of the intense analysis also of the secondary characters is a testament to the excellent writing by Koichi Chigira, with the space allocated to almost everyone adding much depth to an already rather rich narrative.
In that fashion, the comments about the rich corporations, which are mirrored in the Guild, essentially being the ones behind wars, where the poorer are usually the victims is one of the most central ones, as much as the futility of war and the concept of heroism, which is wonderfully portrayed through Mullin.
Also of note are the references to historical designs, with the flying battleships of the Anatoray and Disith nations including components of Japanese dreadnoughts in commission at the turn of the twentieth century. Uniform designs for Anatoray's musketeers were based on Napoleon Bonaparte's army and American Civil War soldiers while Soviet Red Army fur coats provided the basis for Disith uniforms.Furthermore, the name of Claus Valca's father derives from Hamilcar Barca, the leading commander of Carthaginian forces during the First Punic War and father of the talented tactician Hannibal. An Anatoray general was named after Vitellius, who led the Roman Empire for several months during the Year of the Four Emperors. The sole fault here are the Greek letters used quite frequently, which are completely off and essentially function as Greekglish.
This approach benefits the most both Osamu Horiuchi, Minoru Murao and Yuichi Tanaka's character design, with the attention to the individualism of each character being of the highest quality, and the overall composition of the series, where the combination of CGI and hand-drawn finds one of its earliest apogees. The overall excellent work in the animation by Gonzo is highlighted by both the various vanships flying sequences, with the differences between the ships of the Guild and the rest working very well here, and the plethora of epic battles involving many huge battleships. Lastly, the concepts of the Grand Stream and the Exile are also wonderfully portrayed, cementing an overall excellent effort in the visual aspect.
Koichi Chigira's direction combines all the aforementioned elements into 26 outstanding episodes, where the additional antiwar messages and an intense sense of nostalgia conclude one of the greatest anime series of all time.
