First Impressions: Last Exile ~Fam The Silver Wing~

[media-credit name=”Gonzo/Flying Dog” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Synopsis
I’ve made up my mind! I’m going to steal that ship!”

All source of life originates from the Grand Lake.

At this very sacred lake, the battle of Ades Federation and Turan Kingdom has begun. Ades Federation, armed with crushing force and massive battleships and its sights set to conquer the world, invade the Turan Kingdom. With the Ades troops heading to their beloved country, Turan now lies at the brink of collapse. The princesses of Turan (Millia il Velch Cutrettola Turan and Liliana il Grazioso Merlo Turan) look on as a small vanship named Vespa cruises above their heads.

“We’ll steal your flagship from now, from this battlefield!”

The Vespa continues to weave through the barrage of bombs, while the fleets of Ades close in on Turan.

What are the motives of Luscinia, the man leading Ades Federation into the war? And what is the secret behind ‘Exile’?

The new series introduces viewers to Fam Fan Fan, a young and brash Vanship pilot who makes her living capturing warships for profit while living as a member of the Sky Tribe from the town of Kartoffel.

The first episode showcases Gonzo’s and Flying Dog’s predilection for visual flash, with epic set pieces and massively rendered ship armies set ahead of equally  massive landscapes, although unlike the first series, actual effort is expended on a plot when the princesses of Turan are scheduled to sign a peace treaty with the Federation of Ades in order to put a stop to their constant invasions. The goal of the peace treaty ends up being made in vain however, as the treaty is abandoned (later discovered to be a sham treaty) by Ades and their new goal is to take over the kingdom of Turan with Premier Luschinia heading up the invasion.

Fam and her friends Giselle along with Dio are soon caught up in the middle of the first major battle over the Grand Lake, with Fam easily dispatching Ades battleships in defense of the Turan princesses, though the youngest princess in Millia isn’t very grateful and seems offended by Fam’s behavior. The episode ends with Princess Lilliana vowing to fight and defend Turan’s home city, Iglassia.

So far, this looks like Gonzo’s best effort for a comeback series. The show has an epic feel to it and the plot actually shows signs of proper development, unlike the first series. Another factor that made this first episode enjoyable was the way the music was used as an incidental element in the plot, with the opening scenes being driven by Hitomi Kuroishi’s driving electro score reminiscent of Zero 7 and the battle scenes underpinned by equally sweeping orchestral arrangements.

All in all, this looks like a series I’ll be following, which is a surprise for me, given that Gonzo’s recent output hasn’t interested me in the least. I highly recommend this.