Gonzo has brought it’s merging of computer animation and anime to a knew level with it’s steampunk epic LAST EXILE. The story starts off simple enough with 2 sky couriers, but starts to delve into a much more complicated world of politics and intrigue in a world much different from our own.

Last Exile starts off the story of Claus Valca and Laive Head, a Vanship pilot and co-pilot who run a sky courier business. The two are always trying to make their Vanship ( a small aircraft without winds, using a special propulsion system to fly, though the ships must still be very light) faster and move their way up the ranks so they can take on higher level missions. Claus and Lavie grew up together, and both wish to fly through the grand stream. Things get complicated when they are racing and they see a vanship crash. They follow it down and take on a 7 star mission, to bring a girl named Alvis E. Hamilton to the Sky Ship the Silvana. Claus takes the mission, but the girl is followed by Guild robots, so they barely make it. Claus refuses to give up Alvis, and chases the Silvana, eventually joining it’s crew with Lavie as Vanship pilots, whose skill is much like that of Ace Pilot Tatiana Wisla when she started flying for the Silvana. The Silvana is captained by the mysterious Alex Row with his second Sohpia Forrester. Not much has been revealed about them, or the guild that is stalking Alvis. We have mostly seen Dio Eraclea and his friend Lucciola playing with Claus when they could have easily destroyed his Vanship. There is also a character named Mullin Shetland who was a musketeer on Mad-Thane’s fleet where Claus and Laive delivered a message.

This is a very enjoyable anime in the steampunk era, with high tech low tech machinery. It is very epic and swashbuckling so far, and quite enjoyable. I am a sucker for flying stories though.