Animanga/Anime| Information
|
is a
Steampunk anime directed by
Koichi Chigira for the anime studio
Gonzo Digimation . It ran on
TV Tokyo from April to September, 2003. It was brought to
American audiences through
Tech TV's (now
G4 )
Television Program Anime Unleashed in March 2004. It ended in December of the same year, with a full season marathon on Christmas Day.
The story revolves around Claus Valca and Lavie Head, a young courier pilot and his navigator, and their adventures in the floating world of
Prester . In this romantic sky world based on stylized
Victorian fashion and society, two countries, Anatole and Dysis (sometimes phonetically rendered as Anatoray and Disith), are engaged in a long and bloody war under the supervision of the mysterious Guild. Claus and Lavie, piloting their
Vanship (a small wingless
Aircraft ) find themselves involved in a plot surrounding a mysterious little girl named Alvis Hamilton, whom they must deliver as "cargo" to the much-feared neutral battleship "Silvana".
The animation features a combination of 2-D and 3-D
CGI sequences; several key staff members such as the
Character Designer Range Murata and Gonzo veteran
Mahiro Maeda had previously worked on the production of ''
Blue Submarine No. 6 '' which was done in a similar style.
The series is also notable for having much of the text in
English but written with
Greek Letters , with all numbers given in
Roman Numerals .
See
Last Exile Plot Summary for detailed plot summary.
- (Κλαυς Βαλκα)
A fifteen-year-old vanship pilot who finds himself at the center of the Exile mystery.
- (Λαβη Εαδ)
Claus Valca's navigator and mechanic.
- (Αλβις 'Αμιλτον)
Daughter of the Hamilton family, and key to the mystery of Exile.
- (Αλεξ Ρω)
The enigmatic captain of the infamous battleship ''Silvana of Genocide''.
- (Σοφια Φορεστρ)
The ''Silvana's'' first officer, and future Empress of Anatoray.
- (Τατιανα Φισλα)
The only child of "the proud and noble" Wisla house of Anatoray, and the ''Silvana's'' best fighter pilot.
- (Αλιστρ Αγγρω)
Tatiana Wisla's trusted confidant, best friend, and expert navigator.
- (Διο Ελακλαρ)
The younger brother of the most powerful Guild member, Maestro Delphine Eraclea.
- (Μαλην Σετλανδ)
Nineteen-year-old rifleman and mechanic aboard the ''Silvana''.
- (Δωνια Σερ)
A soldier from Disith who fights with Anatory against the Guild.
- (Λυξιολα)
Member of the Guild and personal bodyguard to Dio Eraclea.
- (Δελβινε Ελακλαρ)
Leader of the Guild, and older sister to Dio Eraclea.
- (Βινξεντ Αρδαι)
Captain of the Urbanus, and friend to Alex and Sophia.
There are twenty-six (26) episodes of ''Last Exile'' in all. There is a common pattern behind most of the titles. All but two of the titles in the series refer to certain
Chess moves, which often represent the actions taken by the characters in the episodes. Each opening sequence, where the title is displayed, has a closed book with a picture of a map of Prester. The title of the book is "λαστ εξιλε ιν τηε βοττλε" ("last exile in the bottle").
The Mysteria (singular ''Mysterion'') are the key to opening
Exile . They are a set of four questions and responses which, when spoken aloud near Exile, will cause it to transform into its true form. Each one of these questions was entrusted to one of four noble Guild houses, three of whom had been purged by House Eraclea. Only special individuals of these houses—such as Alvis Hamilton—can speak the answers to the Mysteria. The power generated by these individuals while they are in their Mysterion trance can disrupt energy reactions, including causing flames to suddenly erupt, complex machinery to act strangely, and Claudia engines to overload. Here are the Mysteria, in the order spoken by Claus Valca and Alvis Hamilton:
House Eraclea's Mysterion
- Poem: What lies beyond the furthest reaches of the sky?
- Alvis: That which will lead the lost child back to its mother's arms: ''Exile''.
House Dagobert's Mysterion
- Poem: The waves that stain the land in gold.
- Alvis: The breath of blessing that nurtures life: ''A Land of Wheat''.
House Bassianus' Mysterion
- Poem: The path upon which the angels walk.
- Alvis: You are the path of great winds: ''The Grand Stream''.
House Hamilton's Mysterion
- Poem: What lies beyond the furthest reaches of memory?
- Alvis: The place where all were born and to where all will return: ''A Blue World''.
The Mysteria also appear to be influenced by the poem
Some Last Questions by
W.S. Merwin as both poems have the same pattern of question followed by answer.
Opening
Ending
- When Mullin first boarded the Silvana, he was humiliated by Ethan and the rest of the mechanics, who forced him to strip. This is probably an insider joke; Mullin is voiced by Miki Shinichiro while Ethan was voiced by Seki Tomokazu , his Weiss bandmate and best friend.
- This is the second of 2 GONZO anime in consecutive years in which Kuwatani Natsuko , Morikawa Toshiyuki , and Nagata Ryoko voiced characters. The 3 voiced characters in Kiddy Grade in 2002. (Coincidently, in Kiddy Grade, the 3 Seiyuu voiced characters on the same side as well, with Natsuko as Tweedledee, Toshiyuki as Cesario and Ryoko as Eclair - in Last Exile, she voiced Winna Lightning, the sonar officer onboard the Silvana.)
- The name of Claus' father, Hamilcar Barca (Valka in the anime) is taken from a real-life historical figure. Hamilcar was the father of Carthaginian general and military mastermind Hannibal . Hannibal is historically noted for his excellent battlefield strategy (drawing parallels to the themes of chess within Last Exile) and his campaigns against the Roman Empire (much like Claus' struggle against the forces of the Guild, a similarly powerful and vast empire).
- It is stated in an interview placed in the Last Exile art book Aerial Log that Dio Eraclea was picked up by a passing Guild ship after he fell from his vanship in the final episodes of the show. In addition, there is a scene depicted in the series' official artwork showing Claus, Lavie, and their friends living on the farm turning and smiling at an individual stepping into the frame with them. Though all that can be seen is one foot and a waving hand, the individual appears to be wearing Dio's Guild uniform.
- The name "agoon" from the Trial of Agoon comes from the ancient Greek word meaning test or fight (αγών)
This is the second of two GONZO anime in consecutive years in which
Kuwatani Natsuko ,
Morikawa Toshiyuki , and
Nagata Ryoko voiced characters. The three voiced characters in
Kiddy Grade in 2002. (Coincidently, in Kiddy Grade, the three
Seiyuu voiced characters on the same side as well, with Natsuko as Tweedledee, Toshiyuki as Cesario and Ryoko as Eclair - in Last Exile, she voiced Winna Lightning, the sonar officer onboard the ''Silvana''.)
