Last Exile – The End
18 July 2007
Despite BrikHaus’ warning, I had my hopes up about the ending of Last Exile. In all honesty, I was pretty disappointed with how the ending actually turned out. The show had such potential, but it was wasted on a terrible, very indifferent ending. It was nothing out of the ordinary, it just happened. It was such a let down. The way things were building up, I was hoping for a pretty epic conclusion. Claus and Lavie crossing the Grand Stream, Maestro Delphine getting her ass kicked, Mullin finally getting the girl, Dio and Luciola being happy and weird, maybe even a little of Alex and Sophia and of course, Alvis and the Exile and the big, humongous battle that reveals everything. What did I get? Everything but what I was hoping for…
Pros
- Good animation – surprised that the CGI looked pretty good
- Great concept – discovered what steampunk was
- Some interesting, memorable characters – Mullin, Dio and Luciola, tentative but Alex Row and Claus and Lavie
- An intriguing plot – the Guild and the Exile and why Alvis was involved
- Nice music – I just liked the music, set a nice atmosphere
Cons
- Half developed characters – I didn’t even know what to make of some of the people at the end
- Slow pace towards the end
- Lackluster, boring ending
- Pointless character deaths – I honestly can’t fathom why some of the characters died…
Biggest Complaint
Why the hell did everyone die?
Luciola, Dio, Alex Row, Mullin (had me there for a moment, but he came back, so that was good,) some of the best characters in the series got killed off, apparently, for the most pointless reasons. Mullin’s ‘death’, I almost saw coming. He’s lived through the whole series, the final battle and right when he gets a girl too. He and Dunya were so cute, I was so glad he finally found someone. Mullin basically spends the entire series chasing hopelessly after women who are interested in other people and finally, he gets a girl! After all of that, he goes and almost dies. I sat there whispering, praying that he won’t die. And for a while, it looked like he kicked the bucket. Dunya comes out of the Guild unit weeping and I was certain he was dead. Then, at the very end, we see him again, with a kid and I was ecstatic.
Alex Row had such a weird death. Is it me or did Sophia accidentally blast him to pieces? If I recall correctly, Wina hears him say “Euris” right before Sophia gives the order to fire. And as the ship explodes, we see him in the explosion. Therefore, is it correct to assume that Sophia killed Alex? Why did that happen anyways? Why was it necessary for Alex Row to die? The guy had a static, stereotypical aloof personality and that all too common haunted past the entire series. His ‘romance’ with his XO was hinted at, almost reminiscent of Roy and Riza’s superior and subordinate relationship, but not quite as interesting. Except when at the end, Sophia asks Wina what the captain said and she replies that he said her name, I thought that was cute. Anyways, I still find his death to be pointless, totally pointless. It would’ve been nice to see him back with Sophia in the Silvana, after Claus and gang left with Exile for the new world.
Even more pointless was Luciola’s and Dio’s deaths. I just didn’t get why they had to die. After regaining his old personality and reliving his memories of the race, Dio realizes that Luciola, or at least he believes so, did jump out of the vanship in the Grand Stream, so he could ‘win’. Perhaps that’s the reason for Luciola’s death, being Dio’s friend to the end. Dio dies as well and that was pointless. It could’ve worked out in so many different ways so that both lived.
The thing about these characters death is the fact that they served no purpose, at all. They didn’t further the plot, they didn’t bring out even an actual sense of loss. I was just sitting there, watching and wondering, “What the hell are they dying for?”
Second Biggest Complaint
Dude, where’s my personality.
The characters, save for a few, lost their personalities halfway through. Claus is the best example. After the incident with Tatiana and Sophia, his personality just disintegrated. In the beginning, he was the righteous, determined vanship pilot. During the auction race arc was when his personality really came through. I adored the conversation he and Lavie had. Now, he’s the mute, expressionless, confused…I don’t even know what. Worst of all, I don’t think they gave him enough time to develop his character. He made up his mind and found himself again towards the end, but nothing came of it.
Alex Row was another one of those characters that looked like he was going to something big and ended up playing a very dull role.Alex Row was like a brick wall, he had such potential to be an extremely poignant and powerful character. Gonzo failed him completely. I can draw a strange parallel between him and Milliardo Peacecraft of Gundam Wing, Sophia being Alex’s Lieutenant Noin. The thing is, Zechs comes back in Endless Waltz and the two of them go off happily ever after. Sophia killed Alex, unless I’m severely mistaken. Well, there’s the “it’s too late” excuse, which is probably what happened. He was like a brick wall, stereotypical cold, aloof, unfriendly, haunted-by-my-past guy. And nothing happened with him, he got his revenge, he died. Where the hell was his personality?
However, there were a lot of other good characters. Mullin I’ve elaborated and rambled enough about. Dio was also another pretty interesting character. He was so freaky for the first half and towards the end, he realizes that his place is with the Silvana, celebrating his birthday, taking orders for the first, living life and you actually felt so sorry for him, seeing how it is he looses his best friend and dies. He and Luciola shared the most interesting relationship. Dio was just weird, a quirky personality amidst a sea of bland, half developed characters.
Third Biggest Complaint
What ever happened to ending with a bang?
Simply, there was no ‘bang’. It just ended. I’s comparable to a deflated balloon, wheezing and flying out of control everywhere and in the end, just landing limp on the ground. The ending felt almost weak. After watching shows like Gurren Lagann, everything feels a bit dull, but nonetheless, the show almost promised the audience something grand and marginally epic at the end. The Exile’s true nature being revealed and Delphine getting owned was supposed to be the bang! Instead, Delphine died a humorless death at the hands of Alex Row. Although good for Alex Row, his revenge and all, bad for me, where was the action? Where was the showdown between Row and Delphine, where was the showdown between anything? Sure Silvana charged the Exile and Delphine’s ship, but they also killed Alex! The Exile, the Exile was disappointing. It sprouts wings, turns angelic and carries our heroes to the new world. Done, end of story.
Though, the epilogue bit at the end was alright. Mullin’s still alive, everyone’s living happily, in peace, in the new world. And Claus and Lavie, as always, flying in their vanship across the blue sky.
In the end…
After the first few episodes of Last Exile, I was just amazed. The show was good, the plot was good, the characters looked nice, the animation was smooth and it really made me feel like I was flying up there with Claus and Lavie. The show had such potential and wasted it. My only reaction to Last Exile is a shrug. Well, there you have, the end. It was alright.
I don’t want to say, “I told you so” but… 😉
Gonzo really dropped the ball on this one. Halfway through the series I thought it was one of the best I had ever seen. And after watching the ending, I actually grew to dislike it. Oh well. There’s plenty of better shows out there. And with “Berserk” on your list you’ll understand why people still talk about it a decade later, and “Last Exile” is all but forgotten.
Brik – I know what you mean…I was so excited and the ending killed everything. Yeah, time to start watching Berserk…or in 17h 25m when it finishes torrenting…I hate my internet. XD
Just finished watching Last Exile yesterday – I was so disappointed after all that buildup! My friend asked me ‘well what ending would have made you happy?’ and I couldn’t quite put a finger on it. Then I read the first paragraph of your post and realized that it should have been EXACTLY THAT.