As you know, I’m a total fanboy when it comes to ef. Yes, rly. The...The Second to the Last Exile
Ξ July 29th, 2010 | → 0 Comments | ∇ The Anime Annals |
I love to share things I love 
I’m happy to report that Anime News Network’s just added Last Exile to their roster of streaming anime. The first four English-dubbed episodes are available, and the entire subtitled 26-episode series is up, free, streaming, and legal! This exceptional, action-packed, and riveting characters(s) study has long been a favorite; the blend of fantasy, steampunk, science-fiction, and epic adventure is masterful. If any of those genres interest you, go check it out (after you finish here, natch)!
The diverse cast is one of the best ensembles that I’ve heard and witnessed, being both convincing and expressive. I’m such a fan of Range Murata, the show’s conceptual and character designer, that I bought the complete season in the Murata Collector’s Box. Just this week I received his “oversized comic” Robot #2 which features stories by not only him, but ABe Yoshitoshi, creator of Serial Experiments Lain and Haibane Renmei, two other “Most Favored” series, due in large part because of the character designs and sensibilities exhibited by both artists.
this is the wonderful wraparound ABe artwork for the Collector's Box
Murata and Yoshitoshi are my two favorite concept/character designers; their subjects seem so alive and expressive, and convey a ton of personality through gestures, facial tics, and body language that all negate the need for writerly exposition or unnecessary scenes. Combined with oodles of minutae and details in their clothing and accessories, we get a very full picture of a real person, complicated, quirky, and very well-motivated. The Viewer gets them, and can easier connect, even when astonished or repulsed. Murata designed quite another cast for the Shangri-La anime, including a couple of transgendered individuals with whom the audience could care about, and other more conflicted good guys ‘n’ bad guys in a story that cuts across cultural and hierarchal boundaries with a decidedly Green economic/environmental message; the OP will serve well to show off the characters:
As an adventure, I enjoyed Shangri-La quite a lot, but to a much lesser degree than Last Exile. The characters and details definitely are Range Murata’s though, and that’s a good (and possibly the best) thing!
This is the wraparound artwork for ROBOT #2, by Murata
In a similar vein, Yoshitoshi ABe’s subjects maintained that distinctive “look” from Serial Experiments Lain to Haibane Renmei. This is an interesting pair of artists to stand next to each other, and note how complementary they are. Murata seems more the macro concept artist and designer influenced by film, and ABe appears to approach his work via the imaginary visions of the story-world, off the printed page. Still, it must be stressed that each needs a crack team of animators to sustain that consistence with their original designs.
The main cast of Last Exile, by Murata
Yoshitoshi ABe rendition of Rakka
A sampling of ABe’s animes to illustrate my points: first is an AMV from Lain that didn’t get included in the “AMV’d: Serial Experiments Lain” Post from some time ago; some minor spoilers but they’re more subtle than revelatory, given the… let’s say ”uncertain” nature of events in Lain’s World(s)…
…and this stunner from Haibane Renmei, done to the exquisite “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan. The song fits the anime very well; they’re equally touching in different ways. Rakka doesn’t appear until after a few minutes; this AMV focuses more on Reki though it definitely pertains to Rakka as well. It has a few spoilers (hard to find ‘em without any)…
See how ABe improved from the earlier Lain, yet so similar/familiar that the main characters from both titles, Lain and Rakka, could very well be sisters! OR… or… the same person? (Both Lain and Haibane are easily deep enough and ambiguous enough to entertain that and other suppositions…)
Serial Experiments Lain, by Yoshitoshi ABe
Now’s your chance to check out Last Exile, so go for it if anything about the genres and plot intrigues you. The story and subplots are a blast to watch unfold, and the characters of Lavie and Claus go through some heavy changes, as do most of the cast, most notably by the Mercenary leader Alex Row, who’s probably the most interesting character in the series, along with little Alvis who pretty much steals every scene she’s in. The story is very much like Space Opera, but not so grand; it’s more manageable and comfortably fills its 26-episode length with enough excitement, humor, carnage and intrigue taking place in planetary atmosphere rather than the reaches of space, that you don’t even realize you’re not IN space!
Random awesome Range Murata art
And if you enjoy or have enjoyed Last Exile, let us know what you think; it’s good to share ;-)