What Lies Beyond the Furthest Reaches of the Sky?

I had never been exposed to the steampunk genre of media other than through cosplayers at conventions and the elements of it used in the Sakura Wars line until I found a copy of Last Exile at the wondrous paradise known as Half Price Books. I’d already seen the first few episodes of the air-themed series with my Anime Club, and though it hadn't seemed like my cup of tea back then, the fact that it was selling for only fifteen dollars made it look like a worthwhile buy. I didn't have all that much of an interest in the steampunk movement or piloting in general even though I come from the birthplace of flight (and by that, I mean OHIO where the Wright Brothers were born and built their airplane- take that, North Carolina!), but that’s the beauty of a great anime title, isn’t it? Even if the subject isn’t something that fascinates you, it can draw you into its world and make you care.

Last Exile's dynamic duo: Lavie Head and Claus Valca

Last Exile’s beauty exists in the fictional world it creates in the skies of a world at war. The nations of Prester—Anatoray and Disith— are separated by a dangerous stretch of sky known as the Grand Stream, a place where turbulent winds prevent safe passage for vanships, and are further divided by a long-standing and intense hatred for one another. The two nations are locked in constant battle through a system of “chivalric warfare,” which are a set of “knightly” rules firmly enforced by the Guild, the supposed neutral party who in a sense supervises the actions of both nations.

In this setting, a number of vanship pilots work as couriers between warships to undertake necessary missions for not only the army, but for their families and general civilians living in Anatoray as well. Our two main characters Claus Valca and Lavie Head are two of such couriers, and make a living piloting a vanship to go on missions for the war effort. Orphaned at a young age after their fathers die when trying to deliver a bid for peace with Disith across the Grand Stream, Claus and Lavie dream of succeeding where their fathers failed and conquering the unbeatable Stream in the vanship left behind by their parents.

The vanships run on steam engines fueled by a substance called Claudia, a blue ore that also serves as currency

The pair takes on basic missions at the start of the series, but their fates take a strange turn when they encounter a wounded courier in the middle of a vanship race. The courier is near death after being attacked by strange weapons that appear to be the product of unfamiliar technology. Before he dies, he passes on his mission to Claus and Lavie: his passenger, a young woman named Alvis, needs to be delivered to the warship Silvana and into the custody of its captain, Alex Row.

Claus and Lavie have little knowledge of what use or political purpose Alvis has in the war, but recognize her as a small child thrust into the dangerous war games of adults. Against Lavie’s better judgment, she acquiesces to Claus’s request that they stay with Silvana’s crew and watch over Alvis after they deliver her to the cold and emotionally distant Alex. Though Lavie became a vanship navigator to carry on the legacy of their fathers, Claus has a greater interest in fighting with the vanship as a pilot in order to protect the people important to him. When the supposedly neutral Guild begins to attack the Silvana and the demand for competent fighters increases, Lavie is powerless in stopping Claus from involving himself in the war.

Alvis is a curious little girl, but has a greater purpose than the characters are aware of

As Claus, Lavie, and Alvis adjust to life on the Silvana, we are introduced to a collection of characters who, in my opinion, transform Last Exile from a good series to a great one. Silvana’s captain may be aloof and mysterious, but his crew is more than willing to give Claus and Lavie a good ribbing as they carve a place for themselves in the war-driven world. One of my personal favorite characters is Mullin Shetland, who we meet in the first episode as a musketeer on the side of Anatoray. He eventually joins the crew of Silvana with the help of Lavie and does his best to exercise his goofy charms and survival skills to fight his way up in the world. However, characters such as Mullin are contrasted with a more icy force aboard the ship: Tatiana Wisla, Silvana’s leading fighter pilot and Claus and Lavie’s greatest detractor.

The story truly takes off when Guild members Dio Eraclea and his righthand man Lucciola enter the picture and worm their way into becoming “captives” on the Silvana. The Guild thus far has had a sketchy role in the war. They claim to be neutral, but provide both Disith and Anatoray with arms and regularly seem to encourage their battles even though the two nations have very little reason to fight one another other than that their land is failing and they believe they can find salvation in moving to another. Both Dio and Lucciola enjoy acting antagonistic towards Claus in particular, but appear to have their own motives for being in Anatoray territory that may be a part of the greater game the Guild is trying to play. Dio seems to hold knowledge of Alvis’s purpose in the war, as well as the words that will unlock her inner powers.

They may be master-and-servant, but Dio and Lucciola are precious friends. But in their case, their friendship may also be their greatest vulnerability.

This portion of the story is by far my favorite. As the war rages and both Antatoray and Disith realize that their true enemy might be the Guild rather than each other, Silvana’s characters form intense bonds that will go on to dictate their eventual fates. The icy Tatiana struggles with alienating her best friend and navigator Alister, and the closer she comes to warming up to Claus, the greater the turmoil in Lavie’s heart grows as she contends with Claus becoming a fighter pilot and drifting away from her. Dio and Lucciola also grow closer to each other and to Claus during their time on the Silvana, but a dark shadow lingers over them in the form of Maestro Delphine, Dio’s elder sister and the leader of the Guild. Though they have escaped her for the time being, she still considers Dio the most essential pawn in her mysterious scheme.

The flashy Delphine, mistresses of the Guild

But the greatest mystery lies with Captain Alex Row. Though cold and distant, he is fascinated by an unknown item called “Exile,” and will do anything in his power to get his hands on it. Everything else regarding the present seems unimportant to him, and even the persistent love of Sophia, his executive officer and most trusted subordinate, seems to be unable to pull him out of the past.

My sweet, sweet brooding bishie! And Sophia!

All of the “dogfight” scenes between vanships and/or warships are majestic and breathtaking, but nothing had me clinging to my seat quite like the crossing of the Grand Stream. Gonzo Studio hasn’t been much of a force on the anime scene lately, but their past titles have always had decent visuals—particularly with Gankutsuou’s unique artwork—and Last Exile represents one of their best visual efforts. I could almost feel the turbulent winds of the Grand Stream, but even more than that, I truly felt the characters’ drive and desperation in overcoming it.

 Last Exile also has some tasty (and somewhat depressing) twists and turns, and none is more fascinating than the Mysterion which unlocks Alivs’s powers and the nature of Exile itself. SPOILER. The Mysterion is composed of four verbal riddles that will trigger a genetic reaction within Alvis, who will then provide the answers that will reveal the nature of Exile. Each verse was entrusted to a noble house and kept separate so that no one would abuse Exile, which is exactly what Maestro Delphine intends to do when she attempts to gather together the verses of the Mysterion. Can you solve the riddle of what the questions and answer indicate Exile truly is? The Mysterion is as follows:

What lies beyond the furthest reaches of the sky?
That which will guide the lost child back to her mother’s arms. Exile.

The waves that flow and dye the land gold.
The blessed breath which nurtures life. A land of wheat.

The path the angels descend upon.
The path of great winds. The Grand Stream.

What lies in the furthest depths of one’s memory?
The place where all are born and where all will return. A blue star.

Do we know any blue “stars”? The answer points to a world we know very well: the Earth, a land of wheat. A world like the one both Anatoray and Disith hope to live in, though the fight over Exile destroyed the possibility and turned the lands hostile—Anatoray turning into a desert and Disith turning into a frozen wasteland. Exile remains hidden between the two lands in the Grand Stream, the “path the angels descend upon,” where it is protected from unworthy hands by the turbulent winds. But what exactly is Exile? The first verse refers to a mother’s arms, which at last makes sense when we see Exile after Alvis unlocks it. Exile is not a warship like Alex Row assumes it was, but rather a colonyship—one that took people from Earth to Prester to start a new life. 

Unlocking Exile also reveals the hourglass shape of Prester which divided Anatoray and Disith

After arriving at its destination, Exile required protection so people would not use its strength for the purpose of war, and remained hidden within the Grand Stream for the day when people with worthy intentions would use it to return to Earth, the place where “all are born” and mankind originated. With Exile freed, the characters are able to use it to return to Earth where the land isn’t ravaged and torn apart by war. Exile also contains the final memento of Claus and Lavie’s fathers, their original vanship, which at last gives them peace and the focus they need to move forward and begin again. SPOILER END.

Last Exile is a visual delight and is well-worth the watch for that aspect alone. However, the story, once you figure it out, is also worthy of the accompanying visuals. It is complex and hard to grasp at first, but once you figure out the characters, their motivations, and the world they live in, the story will be a heavy hitter that is laden with implications that will make you think so your head with start hurting! Luckily, I love that kind of anime the most, although I wasn’t quite expecting the intellectual demands when I started the show.

That being said, let me reinforce that you shouldn’t mistake this for a purely action based series. This is a story about humankind and its divisiveness, as well as its ability to form bonds and join together once again. The action sequences are frequent, but be prepared to swallow a lot of information about the world and how it works. Watching the English dub will make this easier, and luckily it’s actually quite a good dub on the part of Funimation.

The war they fight has a hidden meaning that the simple soldiers are not privy to

Gonzo developed a sequel to the series, Fam, the Silver Wing, which features characters from the original. I haven’t watched it yet (but I plan to!), although I’ve heard it doesn’t come close to mastering the brilliance to the original title. It would honestly be quite a feat to overcome. Last Exile’s blend of plot, action, and character is a rarity in an industry where one aspect often overshadows the other.   

Best of all, Last Exile managed to generate a greater interest in steampunk for me. If I come across another steam-based anime, I’ll be much more inclined to watch it than I would have initially. It’s an odd genre, but actually pretty cool; you get the best of both worlds by having modern and throwback all at once.

Is this series for you? It’s not a filler anime if you want some mindless entertainment (I made this mistake, thinking it would be a good title to watch before bed on summer vacation), but I personally feel that this is a title both male and female fans will enjoy. It’s definitely geared towards older audiences since it demands quite a bit of thought to enjoy, but younger fans can probably get into the first few episodes, especially the one covering the vanship race. The show is also light on romance, though tensions are subtlety woven throughout, and there are plenty of beautiful and inspiring friendships.

Gratuitous Dio time!

If this sounds like something you’d love, tune in and unlock the mystery of Exile. The skies await you!