Information About the Show:

"Last Exile" is a Japanese animation from the studios of GONZO Digimation as part of their 10th Anniversary celebration.

It was co-produced by GONZO, G.D.H., and Victor Entertainment and begain airing on TV-Tokyo in April of 2003.

The Region 1 distribtuion license was announced by Geneon Entertainment (Pioneer) at A-Kon '03.

The Region 4 distribution license was announced by Madman Entertainment at Supanova '03.

There are 26 episodes, 25 minutes each in length.



On the world of Prester, a massive storm called the Grand Stream separates the two countries of Anatory and Disith. War rages between the two nations, but with nearly all technology controlled by a mysterious group known only as The Guild, engagements are constrained by rules laid out by that organization.

In the Anatorian city of Nokia, Clou Valca and lavie Head are vanship pilots who run a courier business with a near 100% success rate. Following in their fathers' footsteps, this daring pair hopes to place their names among the highest ranks of vanship pilots. Their ultimate goal is to be the first team to cross the Grand Stream in a single vanship, completing the task their fathers perished in years before.

Then one day, after an unfortunate encounter with a crippled vanship fleeing from a strange ship, Clous and lavie are asked to a deliver a young girl by the name of Alivs to the Battleship Sylvana...



The Guild is a small floating city in the clouds. Its Inhabitants control the technical knowledge on Prester, doling it out to the other nations as they see fit.

In the war between Anatoray and Disith, the Guild acts as a sort of referee, ostensibly making sure both sides conform to agreed rules of engagement. However, their actions towards enforcing those rules seem to betray more of a concern for their own agenda than any anxiety for the countries involved in the conflict.


The Story

Last Exile tells a classic story of good vs. evil, where the good guys battle a corrupt empire in order to restore the balance of power. The action takes place on an Earth-like world called Prester (Prestale) and is set in the future, although that future looks a lot like a mix of 19th Century opulence, Pre-Industrial Age grittiness, and Art Deco sleekness (i.e, "steampunk.")

The all-powerful Guild, keepers of advanced technology, control the territorial battles that break out between Disith and Anatoray. War is played out as "chivalrous" matches with a time limit -- except people die, so it's not chivalrous at all. The battles are waged between air-borne fleets comprised of massive airships filled with troops of musketeers, and messages are delivered by speedy courier vanships, which is what main characters Claus Valca and Lavie Head do for a living.

Or at least that's what they do until they rescue a mysterious little girl named Alvis Hamilton and find themselves onboard the renegade airship Silvana, commanded by the enigmatic Alex Row and his elegant first officer, Sophia Forrester.

As it turns out, Alvis is the key to EXILE, a mysterious entity that Maestro Delphine Eraclea (Elaclaire), leader of the Guild, wishes to control in order to maintain her sovereignty over Disith and Anatoray. In the past, Delphine successfully pitted the people of Anatoray and Disith against each other, but now that conflict threatens to destroy both nations. In order to survive, Disith and Anatoray forge an alliance and initiate plans to force Delphine to surrender -- and possessing Exile is crucial to the success of their plan.

The fleets of Anatoray and Disith team up with the crews of the Silvana and its allied ship the Urbanus, commanded by the coffee-loving Vincent Alzey, to locate and capture EXILE. Also joining this force are two unexpected defectors from the Guild, Lord Dio Eraclea and his bodyguard, Lucciola (Lucciora).

In short, Last Exile is a war story about people from different backgrounds uniting to fight for a common cause, and somehow they nearly all end up on the Silvana or, in the case of Vince and the Urbanus, allied with the Silvana. During the course of the story, the main characters evolve and change as they discover what is truly important to them. They also face challenges and find themselves having to make sacrifices, some small and some large. This is a wonderfully imaginative and exciting series, and if you haven't already checked it out, please consider giving it a try.