Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

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APendragon
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Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

So the second episode has aired now, and I have yet to see it mentioned on here, which sort of surprised me. It seems to have generally flown under the radar this season though, so perhaps it's understandable. Though not a mech show, it does have a lot of neat technology, mostly ships, that I had figured would have sparked a few peoples' interests.

Is anyone else keeping up with it (or, perhaps, watching through the precursor series, Last Exile, first?), or am I actually alone in this? I hope not, with the miniscule amount of mention of it that I've found online, I'm starting to feel quite alone with it haha.

For those who have, I much prefer the ships that make up the new baddie fleet as compared to the Disith of the original series. Theirs were too...organic, where these are much more interesting looking to me, I think. Though I honestly really like all the new ships (aside from Fam and Giselle's Vespa, that thing looks stunted), particularly the flagship of the Turan fleet, the Lasas. It's so sad what happens to its wings though. *Sniffle* It looked so much better when they were still attached.
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Kenji
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

A new Last Exile show? Now, that's a surprise! :shock:

Excuse me while I check this out...
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APendragon
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

I know, right!? I stumbled on it entirely by accident when I was searching for something else. I absolutely loved the first series, and was just completely shocked to find that a whole new series had been cleared, started up, and begun airing, and I'd had no idea!

It doesn't help that it seems to have started a little behind some of the other shows this season. I hope it doesn't hurt its reception too badly, I'd hate for it to do poorly and for the franchise to crash and burn.
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Vent Noir
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

Saw the first episode at Manifest, and really liked it. I'm looking forward to seeing more (although Madman's stream doesn't seem to work on my regular computer for some reason).
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Zeonic Glory
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

I haven't seen the second episode yet, but I rather enjoyed the first episode. The whole strategy Fam used against the Ades Federation ships was very fun to watch, with the aerial action flowing along quite nicely. I've seen a bit of Last Exile, so I know what I'll be in for and it looks to be a fun ride. And of course, it's always nice to have another steampunk anime available.
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Deacon Blues
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

Spoiler
I'm sorely disappointed by the fact that Dio survived. Totally ruined an important note from the previous series.
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Soma Taozi
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

Deacon Blues wrote:
Spoiler
I'm sorely disappointed by the fact that Dio survived. Totally ruined an important note from the previous series.
Personally, I thought that what happened to Dio at the end of the show was one of the worst parts of the final. It was incredably unstisfying and, to be honest, it made almost his entire character and arc pointless. It was sad yes...but that didn't make it good or any less stupid.

I loved last Exile...but I hated the final episodes. It seemed very rushed and rather cosi cosi for a show that started out so strong. I can only hope Ginyoku no Fam will do a better job. Right now, I am impressed.
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Red Comet90
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

I just finished the second episode today and so far its awesome! I can't wait for the next episode. I hope they reveal more on the Exiles, but I have a feeling they won't.

So far I don't really care for Fam at all. She's rather obnoxious. I'd rather have one of the princesses be the main character than her. Fam isn't very likable at the moment, but maybe along the line she'll get better. I can only hope at this point.
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Deacon Blues
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

I just want the soundtrack :shock:
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Kenji
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

Regardless of whether
Spoiler
Dio's fate
was a good idea or not, his presence in this series is completely disorienting. As of the first episode, I have absolutely no sense of time or place, largely because of him.
Spoiler
From the looks of it, this is the planet that Exile reached at the end of the first series. And, within a year or so (Dio looks no older than in the first series), a whole bunch of new nations sprung up and started new wars based around new principles. All reasonable stuff, but it seems way too compressed. Unless it isn't compressed.

See where the problem lies?
Fam's a cutie and all, but she looks like a female Claus. :P

Maybe Gonzo can finish this one without their plot imploding? Likely, I know. :wink:
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

I tried my darndest to ignore it for as long as I could but since it's discussed here I guess I'll have to face facts and get my fix again. I had known about this but wanted to wait for more eps to get more context going before jubilating/despairing over the new season. Yes, I am looking forward to getting to it.

I tried to avoid spoilers too, but judging by Soma's comment that thing I had accidentally stumbled upon about Dio was right. Huh. A disappointment. It's not as bad as Mwu, but still. Bad Gonzo, bad! But, as said, I haven't actually seen anything yet so I can't really bemoan the fact. Let's try to keep the spoilers tagged in this thread, k? :)

Deacon: Is the OST by Dolce Triade, like the original series? If so, it will definitely be worth getting.
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Red Comet90
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

Kenji wrote:
Spoiler
From the looks of it, this is the planet that Exile reached at the end of the first series. And, within a year or so (Dio looks no older than in the first series), a whole bunch of new nations sprung up and started new wars based around new principles. All reasonable stuff, but it seems way too compressed. Unless it isn't compressed.

See where the problem lies?
Spoiler
Isn't it entirely possible though that the nations on this planet already existed way before the Exile from the first series visited this planet?
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Kenji
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

Red Comet90 wrote:
Spoiler
Isn't it entirely possible though that the nations on this planet already existed way before the Exile from the first series visited this planet?
Spoiler
Given Luscinia's speech before Exile-dropping, that is a definite possibility. I'd forgotten whether Exile had returned to Earth or was just colonizing some Earthlike planet, so I assumed there weren't already humans on the planet (which could've been true in either scenario).
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

OK, I really don't see why he is back, but he is back. Those of you who know, know. I kinda can't help wondering if his buddy might make a comeback too, or be revealed to be one of the existing cast.

But what's up with the tech design in this latest Last Exile rendition? The big ships look really good (especially the revolving bits on the Ades ships), but the new vanships are to the old ones exactly what Microcars are to real cars. And no, to me this wasn't a good thing, because it looks like kids are flying toys through flak. The tech for Claudia drives must've gone through a massive improvement if they can fit an engine that can travel the Stream into those little things. I would assume you would like some armor on those things, but then again the AA-capabilities of the big ships seems to be the usual stock of pilot-anime (i.e. non-existing, blind and misfiring). At least in the first Exile the little vanships couldn't fly around with quite that much impunity. Of course this can be attributed to the possibility that this is a different planet/time, so maybe different tech rules apply.

And "Kartoffel"? I actually laughed at that until I realized that their staple of food apparently was potatoes, but still, man, you gotta reach further than the dictionary when making up political entities. :mrgreen:

The character art is really pretty, but that also is slightly annoying when the main part of the cast is basically little girls. One can't help wonder if the artwork hasn't been inspired by director Bullock from American Dad singing "I love little girls". :P Klaus and Lavie had to fight for their jobs but these kids seem to be just goofing around. Oh and at least put the goggles on when flying fast since you have them on your head.

I know I nitpick, but I feel like I've fallen out of the target audience for this new installment of Exile which I was quite interested in, while I could still revisit the previous one without any such concerns. :( Two episodes down, let's see if it improves.
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Kenji
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

I like Range Murata and his retro style, but the man only draws two kinds of characters: Nazi men and little girls in skintight pleather or woolen coats. :P And gods forbid any of his tech designs be put under anything resembling scrutiny: There's an extent to which it doesn't matter how big the vanship is, 'cuz it would never fly... but, gee, does it look cool.

Kinda makes me ponder how far the bar has fallen since the Japanese recession began, back in the late 80s...
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

Well put Kenji, on the character art. :D
At least the new star-shaped ship configuration was kind of cool. And they attempt to get some talk of "whose planet is this anyway" which might have some political depth to it.

Still, three eps down, I can't help but feel like utterly disconnected from the protagonists, and the acceptance that the ruling family of Turan was apparently the good kind of imperial rule. Life should be tough there but I get absolutely no sense of that, nor do the battles have any of frivolous loss of life that was so brilliantly done in the original Exile (ship-to-ship rifleman fights, stupid but inventive!). it still feels like a game, and the kids treat it as such. Of course it would be possible to have a Microvanship run into a flak, leaving nothing but a charred, blood-soaked lump of metal, but I don't think it'll happen in this show without a major change of tone. Also, I sincerely hope there will be a reason, plot-wise, for why
Spoiler
Dio
was resurrected.

I suppose it would be inevitable that one day I would run into an anime that simply bracketed me out of its core audience. I just hadn't thought it would happen this soon. I'm old. :(
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Ryujin
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

Kenji wrote:And gods forbid any of his tech designs be put under anything resembling scrutiny: There's an extent to which it doesn't matter how big the vanship is, 'cuz it would never fly... but, gee, does it look cool.
That's not Murata's department. Makoto Kobayashi (absent Mahiro Maeda, it seems) handles production design, including the Vanships.

And one thing Kobayashi has seldom given much of a fig about is aerodynamics.
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APendragon
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

Well with the most recent episode, it's wonderful to actually see Tatiana and Alister back in action and still together (<3). I'm curious what exactly Captain Wisla and the Sylvius are doing, particularly in requiring that Fam steal a fleet of 15 Ades ships to win her freedom.

I rather enjoyed Giselle working out what sort of ship the Sylvius was based on the blurry photo too, reminds me all too much of looking at promotional art of mobile suits or battleships and theorizing what everything is haha, I had fun watching her.

The dynamic between the three of them, Fam, Giselle, and Millia, is interesting too. I sort of expected Fam and Giselle to lean more towards being the series equivalent of main couple, but Millia seems to be scooting Giselle out of that pairing from what I've seen so far. Assuming there's any romantic option there at all (which I hope for very much, of course).
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Vent Noir
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

Just seen episode 4. This show's the pick of the new season, IMO.

Oh, and... "In Soviet Anatoray, ship steals YOU!"
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Soma Taozi
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Re: Last Exile - Ginyoku no Fam

I am a little surprised this show isn’t discussed more. I just finished the whole thing on BR and I was pleasantly surprised by Fam the Silver Wing ...this might sound like blasphemy, but I think it is better than the first season.

To me, the biggest problem with Last Exile was the ending. I found it confusing, random, rushed, and made little sense (how did Alex Row get free again?). I felt that the second half of season 1 lacked in execution; many characters were set up to have interesting arcs, but didn't get a lot of breathing room. Although Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing suffers from the same problems, they are of a much LOWER degree. And it has such an overall better cast that it makes up for it!

I also found the ending almost perfect (if a little rushed), the battles were intense and BEAUTIFUL, music incredible, political intrigue well done, philosophical/ moral debates on what is means to be a soldier done subtly, and so many shades of grey (who was doing the right thing?) made Fam so much fun! But…that is where the problems lie…see BECAUSE of all these things, the show suffers from trying to do TOO much and a lot of it comes out half-baked.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of good stuff. Looking back on it, a favorite scene of mine involves
Spoiler
Fam sitting in with a bunch of military leaders…the meeting starts well, until they all begin yelling about getting revenge on Federation forces...so much so that it pisses Fam off enough to stand up and tell them all off. Now if this was a Gundam show...like Wing, all these experienced leaders would have listened, realized the error of their ways and bowed the AMAZING and EXPERIENCED wishes of a 16 year old teenager (Gundam pilot or not). I feel like MANY anime’s suffer from this problem…where the message is that the young know the way, so listen to them, and although that is a good message to have: “the old should look to the young for the future,” there is a limit until it feels PREACHY and honestly, stupid (Valvrave S1 comes to mind for this problem).

BUT in THIS series, Fam is told to SIT down and SHUT up. She is informed that she understands NOTHING and the world doesn't work the way she THINKS it does. Why do I love this part so much? It is because Fam actually learns that the world doesn't care about your dreams or what is "right". It is far more complicated for such naiveté. But Fam is also unique that she LEARNS that the world is cruel, but she still decides to chase her impossible dreams anyway! Why? Because her dream is what made her who she is today! That is a far more inspiring message to me, being told your dream will never happen, accepting that, but still chasing it anyway. So many anime’s skip this progression: “teenagers are always right, listen to them,” we are told by so MANY series. Maybe it is because I am getting older or maybe it is because this message has been OVERDONE to death OR maybe it is because I feel like a lot of anime’s these days aren’t even trying to justify WHY you should listen to the youth…but that is a topic for another thread. But I like how Last Exile: Fam the Silver Wing addresses it…maybe not fully or as in depth as I would like, but I still enjoy it anyway.
Now I don’t know why this series is often overlooked. I am not always the best judge of these things, but I don’t think Fam is a TERRIBLE series in ANY stretch of the imagination. It is FAR from perfect, but still pretty good. I have to wonder if it lack of discussion comes from its image as a GIRLY anime (maybe because of the 3 leads are females?). But there is a lot of stuff I feel like guys will enjoy...the action and ship to ship combat is on par, if not better, then what you see in mecha shows. The interactions between Ōrang and Sorūsh about the ideals of a soldier are well done and the political ideals are feasible and FAR more realistic then the silly, confusing, and outright dumb beliefs demonstrated in Gundam series like Wing and Destiny...

That and if you are a fan of the previous Last Exile series, there are plenty of cameos of the old cast without getting out of hand and they keep Dio interesting...so much so that I dare say that I am happy they didn't kill(?) him off in such a rushed way like in first season.
Spoiler
Although that Claus thing was strange...I guess the reason he was in a wheelchair was explained in the manga or something? But it was rather shocking and sad...
Another high point for the series is that Fam the Silver Wing actually explains the history of the Exiles and what happened to Earth. This actually helps the previous series, as I always thought the fact that the Exile was a colony ship NEEDED to be expanded upon.

But anyway, Fam the Silver Wing should NOT be overlooked. It is a quality anime that was very well done. It might take a few episodes but I think if you give it a chance…you will be surprised.

The best way to describe the show is that it is a half-baked cake, but it is still cake! After all, there are some delicious parts in there!

Oh and the English dub is some QUALITY stuff. Funimation brought their A game.
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