Last Exile: One Pound In A Two Pound Bag



The show didn't seem near as colorful to me. Credit: Gonzo


                                 Last Exile: One Pound In A Two Pound Bag

                                                                 by

                                                                     Jay Agan

      I Can't give a detailed review of this anime as I saw it only once & have no desire to see it again.

      I got Last Exile at Anime Punch/Armageddicon 6 back in April at the Fast Food Anime booth. I was all set to like this & prepared to dislike the two Evangelion Rebuild flicks I also got from the same. Turned out to be the other way around.

      A young "vanship" pilot and his navigator working as airmail couriers in an overritualized guild are caught up in a war involving two nations & an advanced but decadent, sky dwelling, elf eared aristocracy holding a monopoly on technology. They're all going for the ultimate prize:  Exile, a lost "colonizer" ship (With formidable defenses of its own.) floating in a vortex known as the "Grand Stream". A certain little girl is needed to say the magic words (Abracadabera, alakazam. Hocus pocus, flippity flam! No, not quite.) & presto! The right people win out & we end up with an "all is bright & beutiful" ending. I'll never get back the time I wasted on this.

      Boring, drab, overlong. A 13 ep series stretched out to twice as long. You would expect some stand alone eps in 26 but each one hinged upon the others. Just how many do you need to tell a simple story? The artwork, an OK blend of hand & CGI is offset by its dinginess. Dark, dull with "swimming pool" green & gray alternately predominating. It made Kinos' Journey (Which I like.) seem kaliedescopically technicolor in comparison. The backdrop, the steampunk world of Prestor, had "depth" but wasn't helped by the aforementioned coloration. Greek/cyrillic is the alphabet of the various cultures. Not really complaining. I can't read Kanji either.

      Sorry this review is so short. I just couldn't get into this show & couldn't wait for it to end.

                                        Article copyright © 7-14-2011 Jay Agan

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Con Time! Anime Punch/Armageddicon Six

      I attended this con Sat., April 23 & glad I did. Held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Small for its size in comparison to others, it more than makes up for it in content. The two seminars I went to certainly made it well worth it.

     The Brad Swaile interview/seminar was informative as well as entertaining. As an out of work/agent voice actor I had gotten some useful info. "As long as you don't get in competition with me, good luck to you." I'd be happy just to do local commercials & only need to get by with a part time day job.

     Though I don't collect comic books anymore (OK! OK! Manga!), the Toren Smith interview/seminar about the industry was fascinating. This was also the first time I shook hands with a real life cartoon character! (Yeah! Yeah! ANIME!) The years have not been kind to Mr. Smith. He doesn't look anywhere near as youthful as he did in Gunbuster.

     The dealers room was reasonably sized/priced. Picked up Last Exile, Evangelions 1.11 & 2.22 (The "wierdism" finally sucked me in. Human Instrumentality Project!? Hell no! I won't go!), & the Azumanga Daioh soundtrack CD. All these from Fast Food Anime.

      I also picked up a couple of t-shirts at the Aardvark Screenprinting table & spent too much time there watching You Tube parodies. Aardvark Screenprinting is owned/operated by a somewhat unhinged individual named Weatherly Hardy who preys upon peoples' minds through the medium of t-shirts. As I am of strong will & mind, I was totally un ......  af ..... ect ..... ed ..... by ..... this .........................

     Also viewed a five ep "sampler" of a very different anime, Yokohama Shopping Journal which I intend on getting & will do a review in the near future. When that concluded I headed off to the folks. It was Easter weekend after all.

     Though I only attended about eight hours & the con comparatively small, I have every intention of coming back next year. I got a lot out of a "little".

Jay Agan