This post was written by Dark_Sage. He is Dark_Sage.
The biggest problem with the series is that it’s not nearly as good as the first season. Let’s go into why that is.
Fam
Although she’s genki-genki, she’s so naive it’s maddening.
“War is bad. Why can’t we all just play Nascar in the Sky every day?”
“Oh, my friends are dying. Better tailgate the enemy so they realize that what they’re doing is mean.”
“The best battle strategy is a solid retreat!”
She is the very incarnation of the “love & peace” ideology oft-repeated in Trigun… but even Vash realized it was bullshit. Fam? Fam actually believes that hugs and roses will solve everyone’s problems. What a stupid bitch.
Fam’s inclusion dumbs down what could have been an excellent series in a remarkable world. Instead, we get this shit:
Season 1’s Characters
When the only main character they brought back is “Crazy Dude Dio”, you know something went wrong in the planning division. (They technically brought back Sophia, Tatiana, and Vincent, but they’ve been reduced to fully-clad cheerleaders, so I’m going to pretend they don’t exist.) Claus sucked though, so I’m glad he’s gone.
As good watchable as season 1 was, it wasn’t strong enough to support the new direction the series went. They had two options that would have made an interesting show — Let the full cast reprise their roles or set the new season so far in the future that they don’t exist at all. Gonzo took the half-assed route and look where we are now.
Visuals
Visuals matter. From 2003 to 2007, when I wanted to show my non-otaku friends how good anime could look, Last Exile was my go-to show. I had them watch the opening and they were all impressed. This was some good looking shit back in the day that had the ability to impress people. I was hoping Fam would have the same impression, but…
Openings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUjiXriGFbo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGayTWZlNzY
Did you notice a difference between the two? Like how the first didn’t suck and the second did? That’s because the first didn’t suck and the second did.
Laying it All on the Line
Take Last Exile season 1. You knew exactly what these people were risking when they fought. Did you see those fucking fights? If you watched the OP I linked, you may have seen this:
Yes, that’s how they fought. Fuckers opened up the sides of their ships, lined up their soldiers on the edge of the sky, attached harnesses to them, then had them fucking fire at one another.
When the “fight” was over, they pulled their soldiers’ bodies back into the ships to scavenge their bodies for materials. Brutal, brutal shit. What does Fam have?
Conclusion
Just because Fam, the Silver Wing is worse than the first season of Last Exile was, does that still mean it’s a bad show?
Yes, yes it does. Fam would suck even without the Last Exile tag. But knowing how shitty it is in comparison to the first season makes it worse. If you’re reading this article and you’ve somehow managed to avoid watching Fam up to this point, I’d suggest you stick to your guns and pretend it never happened.
Watching this god damn show made me rage so badly whenever I thought back to how great the original Last Exile is.
Fam needed to die in the second episode so they could have some other character take over and fight a real war, but oh well. Instead we get this shit. Sucks to be us
i cried when i finished the original last exile. im so sad now. any other good anime shows without vampires?
Me too, im fucking crying, and I wanted to see more of the original Last Exile, this shit sucks its like any other stupid kawaii desu series with panties and stupid girls crying and screaming for healp. WHY GOD?! WHY THE FUCK THEY DID THAT SHIT?! T-T
U MAD?
i agree on the criticism and it is the same thing that drives me nuts (as well as a few gaping plot holes – like strong and principled Liliana turning into genocidist). But let’s be honest, how much of the crap that passes for good anime drama suffers from the same stupid ailment? It reminds me of Suzaku in Code Geass. “Watch me defend the fact that ends don’t justify the means while I help slaughter innocent, oppressed, defenseless civilians.” And the love wins shit is everywhere. it doesn’t make it good, but, for me at least, it doesn’t make it unwatchable.
the thing that pisses me off even MORE about Fam is the whole “because i’m all genki i can trample your feelings and i will still be right.” Giselle should have left her ass behind.
“(as well as a few gaping plot holes – like strong and principled Liliana turning into genocidist)”
GAH it makes no sense no sense at all. Totally drives me nuts every time I see that stupid bitch.
Seems to me this is one of those “Our goals are actually true and just. The ends justify the means, but I won’t allow anyone else to bloody their hands over this.” things that anime tends to do.
“strong and principled Liliana turning into genocidist”
That came out of nowhere and her reasons (coerced? convinced?) were not properly explained. If they can show a credible explanation, this might actually turn into a redeeming feature of the show.
So… does this rant mean that you’re dropping Fam?
Hell no
I think you left out an important flaw in ~Fam: the lack of male protagonists. S1 had Alex, who was awesome, and Claus, who was neither a dick, nor a pussy (a rare combination for anime heroes). Fam has…Dio? Fam herself would not be so bad as a comic relief side character, if only they chose someone less stupid for the main role (like Giselle, for example).
Also, they didn’t being back Alex AFAIK; you are probably thinking of Vincent Alzey.
Oh, good point.
I already jokingly call it “Last Exile ~ Gisey” because she is so damn cute. She should seriously beat the shit out of Fam sometime for being so stupid.
As for the running thing, a few times I was expecting them to do what they did in the beginning; fly in between the fins of the ship, navigate inside at full speed and blow that shit up from the inside. What did they do? run…
Not to mention the fact that Last Exile was mostly about its setting. It was about the world that all of this took place in, and how ALL of the characters fit into that world. It might have taken place largely through the eyes of Claus/Lavie, but they didn’t feel like the central focus most of the time, just the ones whose PoV we saw things through a lot of the time. They were just another part of the setting.
Fam on the other hand, they got this horrendous idea that the main three should be focused on almost exclusively, at the expense of the setting and every other damn character in this show. What’s most irritating is that the setting actually has potential. The visuals that are still really good? The fucking scenery. The part that they appear to have put some time into developing? The setting. The CGI ships aren’t too bad for the most part either, though still not as memorable as the Guild ships in the first season.
And yet I continue to watch it, because I am the most stubborn person in the universe.
I really don’t get the hate this show gets sometimes.
I mean, I understand not liking Fam, she’s definitely a huge retard, but on the other hand, the show was made in a way that she’s just one more character (at least so far, I wouldn’t be surprised if a twist would make me eat my own words).
The setting is coherent and well defined. The plot has been progressing at a steady pace. These are things that really can’t be said about the first season, with its setting left mostly unexplained and its plot rushed because of filler.
So yeah, I’m a sucker for competent fantasy series with good worlds and shit. Like 12 Kingdoms, Seirei no Moribito, LoGH and stuff like that (not that I think that LE2 is at their level). I’m willing to look past some rare annoying moments for the show’s strengths.
People want good characters more than an good plot. Here, we get awesome world building, decent plot, and extremely shitty characters.
Oh, Dark Sage that cake part cracked me up, nice one xD
After watching the 1st season opening… I find that I remember absolutely nothing about the 1st season except that there were some kids who really wanted to fly.
Luckily I decided not to watch this show based on the review of a episode 1 and the opening. I am glad I made the correct choice. Maybe I watch season 1 again.
Exactly, that’s what made S1 great, because it started off as something so simple as a wish to fly, and what person wouldn’t want to fly in a world like LE, and grew into something amazing. Fam is just kyoani eyes and forced moe with no actual end goal, I mean, I really don’t even understand Fam’s motives, even, what, 17 episodes in? She just isn’t a character to me, just a mary sue.
Also, Jizzy is best.
If the show’s title wouldn’t mention “Fam – the genki girl” it could also be about Millia’s fight and Fam as a plain side character with too much focus on her. They showed us that Fam has an unknown ancestry, what could’ve been great (if it was revealed midterm) but they turned it down and started with a superior weapon and ‘surprising’ plot twists. “I hereby support my arch-enemy at free will to use this weapon of mass destruction to bring quietude over my people!” “I serve Augusta, no one else. And so I do some badass betrayal. Hurr! Oh and I want the universal peace, of course. Hurr!”
And when we believe it is all set, they show us… Alvis!
For srs bzns they reveal that Fam’s world is within another galaxy than Alvis’.
What is this show about anyway? War? Peace? Peoples’ proud? A Skyship race? Fam? Alvis?
But still it doesn’t suck to watch it every week.
The only thing that is good from fam is the music, at least the bgm and op/ed are decent. But yea everything else in this series sucks shit.
I agree with the fact the show could be better handled but some of your assessments are lacking. You take a picture of dio and comment on how being serious isn’t something that he would be, but he’s been acting as he was in season 1. He plays around and performs is crazy shenanigans but you can see that’s a mask for something else. In S1 the mask came out when we found out about his relationship with Delphine.
You’re spot on when it comes to visuals.
Fam doesn’t live through the predicaments of war during the first half of the show because she wasn’t at war. She is a sky pirate who only puts herself in situations she knows she’ll come out of just fine. This is the general state of mind of all pirates, as they live their lives in locations they know the law can’t reach. Until they can. And then we see Fam for the inexperienced vanship fighter she is, when she can’t bring herself to fire against an enemy ship and makes a fool of herself in a council where she brings up her wishes for sky nascar.
Expecting the characters from season 1 to have a more proeminent role in a show with the subtitle “fam the silver wing” only sets you up for disappointment. In fact, your whole review seems to be based on the fact you didn’t get what you wanted. I can agree with this season not being as good as the first but I wouldn’t call it bad.
For all intents I think the character of Fam is a good character. Funny, exciting, sweet, and all that good stuff. She is stuck in the wrong show. Or the show has this character stuck in it, and as you say, would fare better without than with.
But it goes beyond Fam, and visuals, and OP sequences. I love Another, but I despise it’s OP. Guilty Crown has rocking visuals, and some great OP/ED; just the parts in between that need “some” work.
But like, GC, Fam suffers from awkward characterizations, mis-paced episodes, and poor background development.
Work try getting real writers in for that show. that can actually take the massive chance that was that show and actually do something with it.
I really see Fam as a kind of female Claus with the no-weapon policy on the vehicle, so if you hated Claus it’s just normal you would hate Fam. Dio was necessary because if not for him the guild assassins on Ades side would have already ended the story. Millia’s sister probably does that for some kind of love to Luscinia and she was crazy to begin with.
The visuals are really worse than first season though I find the battles in Fam’s world more logical and I enjoy every battle. The show lacks clearly the atmosphere that drew one to Last Exile.
About dumbing down, it is Millia who does that with her “I’ll remake my kingdom wherever I can and trust my asshole military”.
And the better strategy is really the solid retreat, Fam is alive as a proof.
THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS. I’m honestly not sure what I found more irritating: that a truly interesting (although certainly imperfect) series got royally screwed over or that so many people would rush to defend it. Expanding upon your “Laying it All on the Line,” I feel like Last Exile had a better sense of growth for the characters all around. The viewers got to directly see the sorts of things they had to go through to get where they were, and how they were all involved in of a a number of tangled threads of which they had only limited knowledge or ability to influence.
Take how the “meet the mysterious warship” sequences were done. These are a good comparison since it happens in both series and in each case is a pivotal moment. In LE1, this is worked up to pretty naturally, and then happens in an interesting way. They have a brief sight of one another early on, where Claus actually has risked himself trying to help their side in battle, so they’ve got some initial direct connection. In the run up to the in-person meeting, he’s just finished risking their lives on an entirely volunteer mission saving what is effectively the key to the world (though they don’t know that) and delivering her successfully. He’s flying the freaking captain’s ship, they’re the children of best friends, and his goal is not hostile to the Silvana, but an honorable (if debatable, Lavie certainly didn’t approve) desire to look after his charge. With all that going for him, what does the Silvana do? Exactly what you’d fucking expect: try to blow them out of the air. It’s a freaking covert prototype military ship on active duty, duh. But he’s a good enough pilot to at least crash land. He’s directly helped them etc. But he’s also just invaded a military vessel. So naturally, they beat the shit out of him. And he takes it and keeps asking for a meeting, because that’s what you do (and be happy they don’t immediately shoot you). Then he makes the choice to fight, volunteers for it, doesn’t run off, helps defend things. He earns his place, and keeps at it. His partner ends up making her own decision, she doesn’t want to kill but she still wants to help and is up front about it. Holy shit, actual communication between characters in an anime! And then when the main ace pilot doesn’t respect him, has her own issues, and wants him to take second seat and prove he’ll take the back seat? He sucks it up and does it, and professionally. I know he gets plenty of hate and has plenty of flaws, but damn if that wasn’t one of the better lead character action development sequences I’ve seen. As r said above, they’re mostly believable people that seem to naturally grow into a greater world.
Then we have LE2: LOL I INVADE U. GIB SHIP!
HOW ABOUT U GO PICK UP 9000 ENEMY SHIPS???
SOUNDZ GOOD! GENKI POWAR BEATS ENEMY FLEET!
God damn it.
Your conclusion is spot on. It wouldn’t be that compelling even on its own, although I think it’d have had a much better chance if people were coming in with zero preconceptions. I might have dropped it anyway, but it would have been much more doable on its own. However, it is not Last Exile. Oh Gonzo.
Summed it up great.. it was like one of the oldsckool anime where doing acting like a stupid attention-seeking cartoon character just got you punched in the face. Like that time they got shot down, and Claus was just quietly getting on with fixing the ship instead of making encouraging speeches. Sad thing is they did the flashback episode so Claus and Lavie will probably turn up, poor things.
What pisses me off is that it wastes great ideas, like vanships taking down a huge ship with harpoons like a whale.. and a great world in general.
And too many characters have the same face, even the mechanics and cannon-fodder were individuals in the first one. This lot just look like a bunch of cosplayers.
Sadly it’s still more watchable than most things in the past year though.
I won’t wallow into the reasons why I’m disappointed with Fam anymore. Instead, I just want to compare two aspects I’ve observed between the 1st and 2nd season of LE.
First, the vanship races. In the 1st LE, we had the Norkia cup and the Horizon Cave race, while in the 2nd LE we got the Grand Race and that race that I don’t remember the name off where Fam gambled Millia for a fricking battleship. In the 1st LE, the vanship races were just amazing. The races managed to portray the atmosphere of a race, and we get to see how skillful and cunning Claus and Lavie were with their piloting and strategy in trying to win those races. Compare that to the Grand Race and that race I don’t remember. The Grand Race looks more like a joke compared to even the Norkia cup. The race track looked pretty simplistic and easy, giving the impression that the vanship with the most power will win. While that other race I don’t remember its name was a bit better, with Fam using what little of her brains to win, that the episode focused more on that lecherous old woman with her harem of young boys than on the race made me just feel more annoyed than excited.
Second, the battles. For me, the highlight of the battles in 1st LE had to be the Silvana VS 6 Urbanus class ships at the Dragon’s Fang. That battle truly showcased the tactical genius of both Alex Rowe and Vincent Alzey. It had all the ingredients of the best battle scenes in an anime. From attacks to counterattacks, devious tricks and traps, desperate charges and honorable last salutes to sinking battleships, that fight had me gripping my seat as I watched it unfolding on the screen. Compare that to the battles in Fam. The battles in Fam are certainly much grander in scope, with lots of ships and most definitely a very high casualty list. But, the battles feel too simple and chaotic. The strategy usually depends on the Ades fleets, especially Luscinia pulling something out of their asses to surprise their enemies, either with newly developed weapons or calling down Liliana’s Exile to kill them all. Or for Fam to save the day with one of those sudden bouts of inspiration when she finally uses that brain of hers.
I think the comparison between Fam and Vash is fair but unfortunately they left off everything that actually made Vash a good character. He had a rather naive and idealistic philosophy of life, but he had reasons for believing that way, unlike Fam who appears to do so just because she’s immature and “SUPER GENKI LOL”. In addition, Vash had the maturity to know full well that living up to those ideals in any meaningful way requires huge amounts of self sacrifice and was willing to pay that cost, whereas Fam just seems baffled that nobody else thinks like her. Basically what I’m trying to say is that Fam is an extremely good example of how not to write this kind of character, while Vash wasn’t, and the difference is the difference between a good show and a steaming pile of shit.
In my opinion it’s fine that Fam is naive and believes in such things like love and peace because it’s a good thing, it’s optimistic and helps to get through arising hardships. And I remember that she actually realises that a serious war is going around.
And this thing is fine with me. But what actually drives me nuts is the idiology of these sky pirats. They say that the only thing they ever wanted is to FLY FREELY and PEACEFULLY in the sky. And when did they say such things – right! – while watching the ruins of their base. Isn’t it crazy? Why did Ades decide to destroy us? All we want is just to fly peacefully! Well, maybe it’s because you are pirats and not a bunch of love birds?
You have to realize they are pirates in the first place because they are remnants of kingdoms conquered/destroyed/extreminated by the Federation.
That’s right, but it doesn’t mean they are that good, as pirats they commit crimes. So it was a little hhmmm strange – at least – to see them so suprised. They should have known it would end like this.
I prefer the graphics from the original by far. The storyline was also more clear in the original despite a few skips here and there.
The second season lacks a storyline that is clear although it does get the complexity point across. Looking at the battle scenes, there isn’t a clear idea of the field of battle. One of the scenes that got to me was the battle between Silvius and the First Fleet. Why were the turrets for the ades battleships firing as if they had only one working barrel instead of the 2/4 they were suppose to have, not to mention the numerous turrets.
I’m still waiting for the Guild Battleship (that left the Guild and maybe the others that were left to defend the Guild Base) to appear. Wouldn’t that have been an interesting scare to the homeworld? At least there are some vanship action. More vanship vs vanship in a battlezone!
I agree with the lack of use of the multiple barrels (completely ignoring the designer’s intentions with them), but it is a commonly known tactic to not fire everything you have onboard, seeing how you do not and cannot tell when the battle ends until the smoke clears.
If the Silvius had a backup army waiting and the First Fleet fired every cannon they got on that one ship; the series would’ve ended right then and there because Luscinia would be dead or severely injured from the crashed wreckage or barely escapes with a barely working skeleton squad and a new chopped top.
There is a reason why there’s millions of ships in this series compared to the first season where there are thousands.
Sadly from the very late 90’s onward watching anime is progressively becoming like choosing to eat shit. I dunno if it’s just nostalgia but prior to this it felt like there were far fewer shows trying to sell some bullshit pretense of being philosophical or meaningful through some nonsense emo shit (fuck you code gayass). They either had a strong story or they didn’t pretend they did, most of the time writers didn’t look down upon the viewers as idiots who’d eat up anything with bullshit shoveled on top stuff to sell it as such. If it was straight up nonsense or meant to hold appeal through one aspect at the expense of overall structure they played to that as the strength of the show rather then pretending otherwise. Now we’re lucky there’s one or two good (or at least personally appealing) shows in a season, and as for viewing the rest of the stuff sometimes it feels like picking which plate of shit has the best looking dressing.
I really like Dio in the first season, it seems i like weird characters generally c.c”” well, i don’t like the new season that much either BUT still theres music from Hitomi <3 so I still watch it AND it's still better than this boring echi echi echi echi everywhere <.<
But all that is incredibly wrong.
Fam is a hopeless genki girl, yes, but it’s only to provide contrast between her and the rest of the war trodden world around her. In any case, she’s much better than Claus, which I’m sure no one will deny.
The cast of this season is much better designed, and written. Range Murata put a lot of great faces on each of them, and they wrote a good amount of them to have decent compelling stories and motivations. Characters in every nation have a solid reason to be fighting, whether it’s revenge for a long lost loved one, a longing to see the world as peaceful as it was in a distant memory, or simply a heavy sense of nationalism.
As for the visuals, your argument is a joke. The first Last Exile had great design, but mostly terrible animation. Gonzo’s CG was at a low point when it was used, and moments of low detail characters abounded, even with closer shots where it simply shouldn’t happen. All those techniques are refined at this point to work much better, so what on earth could you use to say it’s worse?
Oh, right. A single zoomed in on SUFFERING shot. Great job proving me wrong, there.
The opening song for the first season was unique, yes, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Buddy. It’s a great song, and just because we didn’t get a second round of bagpipes and over synthesized vocals doesn’t mean there’s any reason to shit your pants and cry.
The air battles in Fam don’t use the soldiers, yes, but they’re still definitely on par with everything we saw in Last Exile no matter how you look at it. Steampunk riflemen weren’t what the tactical naval battles of the air were about, they were just a small platform for a single character to come from, and Fam replicates the awe inspiring feel of them with ease and flair. The tactics are thrilling, the vanship interaction is effective, and not a single one has disappointed thus far.
Of course, you fail to focus on what was flawed about Last Exile, and how Fam has fixed it. The plot is the main focus here. The first show had Claus and Lavi basically being led around by the nose by Alex, completely unaware of any real reason for where they were going. They find a little girl, they get tossed into some unknown conflict over something that nobody seems to understand, and from there we’re left chasing mysterious plot devices known as Mysterions with absolutely no knowledge of what they are or what they do until the very end. Fam essentially shows us how that should have been done, by giving characters their own direction in the vast world, and their own places to choose in an actual developing conflict taking that world by storm. They act on their own, and while they often don’t get to affect the outcome of many events, they’re at least effective witnesses to them.
On top of that, Fam has excellent world building. The first Last Exile created a basic world of two nations at war, with a few noticeable landmarks in the middle, and really didn’t give us much else. It was a simple stage, at best. The world presented to us in Fam is sprawling, filled with a wide range of political affiliations, races, and even religious beliefs in a subtle way that has us barely even noticing the beautiful landscape being woven together beneath our feet as the story goes on. It’s a great setting that lets the awesome design present in Last Exile come to life the way it should have the first time around.
In conclusion: You’re an addled nostalgia goggle wearing shithead who was determined to hate the show from the start. Your bias is as evident as your complete lack of a cohesive argument as to why this show isn’t good, even as it surpasses its predecessor.
Wow is this guy on crack? How is equating more crap (nations, idealogies, etc.) make a better story? Also, the definition of a witness would first Claus more, not the second LE characters. The new characters are always doing their own thing that magically makes them super important for no dam reason. An example of this is how Fam captures the 15 ships. This should not be so dam easy or quick and yet they made it out this way. These are massive ships, you can’t steal something like this without anyone knowing. I also find it dumb in one of the episodes that tricking the captain to leave the ship allows them to capture it. WTF, there are tons of people still in there. A ship is not run only by the dam captain. Also, lots of people are needed to run the ship (and yet they made it seem only 1 person is needed). It basically screams unrealistic all over (which applies to almost every part in the second LE)
I don’t think you’re using the word “equating” correctly here. A better word would be “creating”, perhaps?
That aside, I never said the world they built was indicative of a better story, I said it was part of better world building, which is an entirely different sort of treat.
As for Claus being a more effective witness to the events of the first Last Exile than Fam is in her show, that’d be a tough one to argue. They both end up being there for key plot events after encountering a very special young girl, but I’d personally give the award to Fam for witnessing them of her own volition, instead of just being dragged there by other people.
I’d say there’s a very good reason for them becoming special, when their actions put them at the center of an effort to rebuild a nation from the princess up, but you seem to think that’s magic of some kind. I didn’t notice anything magical happening at the time, but I’d love to know where you saw it.
Fam capturing the 15 ships was hardly easy, although she did pull off quite a few of them in style. You have to remember, she’s been doing this her entire life as an occupation, and she’s a bit of an ace at it. Even with the kind of backing she had, and her considerable talent, it took several episodes. Hardly a walk in the park, but also hardly a Herculean effort.
I’m fairly sure Ades was aware of them losing battleships as fast as they were, which is probably why Kartoffel was attacked in later episodes. It wasn’t like they just lost them and totally forgot, we just didn’t see them react to it. Since a world war is being waged, and the only people whose view we ever assume are fairly high up government and army officials, I doubt they’d personally be taking inventory of their unknown, but certainly vast amount of warships. It probably would have been neat if they had a way to show their reaction, but I doubt it’d be very smooth to the flow of any given episode to spend ten minutes in the life of, say, an Ades Federation quartermaster examining the list of ships currently reporting back as not stolen.
The bit with the captain being tricked into leaving is a bit far fetched, but we’re working under the assumption that the ship is being manned by a tight crew of naval-esque military men, who respond to orders without question. It would be probably fairly easy once you’d taken the position of Captain to take the rest of the ship by storm, assuming you had the ability to issue a few orders to compromise their chances of fighting back before anyone noticed something was up.
Still, we’ve essentially reached the point where you’re trying to point out minuscule plot holes in an argument as to the overall quality of the show. Your nitpicking doesn’t really faze my opinion, seeing as all you’ve managed to do is call a show where thousand ton warships float in the air with no other explanation other than “magic rocks” unrealistic.
Also, I’ve never smoked crack in my life, but you’re more than welcome to toss another personal insult at me and see if you manage to accuse me of something I have done before this time. I’ll give you a little push towards something more effective and tell you now that I’ve never done any illegal drugs before!
Very well said, sir, you are correct.
Saying that to anon, not RANDOm.
You know it’s one thing to provide a contrast.
But it’s another thing to be so hopelessly naive and yet never get challenged for it.
Think of it as two classes. In the beginner class, there is the talk of world peace and hope. Fair enough and simple. Fam wishes for it and the optimist faced with war would hope for it.
But then we move on next door to the advanced class. What solutions can we implement for this peace?
And that’s where Fam is quickly at her worse. Her solution seems to be just ‘let’s Race through the air of love and peace’.
She’s just too clumsy and wistful and character that you can hardly believe she’s a central character in a War setting.
Dio being anything like how he was in the first season would be a bit odd considering what happened to him at the end of the first season. Him being a bit more mature and depressed overall makes perfect sense after his sister had his best friend basically murdered and the other person he really respected is now in a wheelchair from whatever ends up happening later in the manga that is also running. Sometimes the animation is pretty bad such as that one scene but other than that it isn’t so bad and the stories definitely has picked up after the lackluster beginning. And the whole soldiers shooting at each other thing was solely due to the guild telling them how to fight (for Dio’s sisters own entertainment).
Not enough tits in this show. This is why High School DxD is better.
They should rename this sequel to “Last Exile: Little Kid Edition”. Seriously, the age group of the sequel went down so dam much. If they are going to do that, DON’T USE THE CAST FROM THE FIRST SEASON. Using the cast from the first season implies that this is a direct (in a sense) sequel. And direct sequels should not have its target audience go from 13+ to under 10.
What on earth are you talking about? Both Fam and the first season are being aimed at the same audience.
You sure as hell wouldn’t know that from watching them, season 1 had a much more mature tone to it than this one.
I liked season 1 very much……season 2 is watchable…it failed to captivate me.
It sucks just as much as the first one. At least the new one has colours, battleship battles and plot that makes sense.
I am looking forward to the next episodes, it’s a little less than season one, but I am still enjoying the show.
simply put, Fam is Gonzo’s effort to milk in somemore cash using the first Last Exile’s popularity.
lol all the hate i dont mine the second season
so, will you continue this series or no ?
its already 2 weeks since the the next eps airing.
i dont want to watch the FLV version.
I already dropped this show at episode 8, I couldn’t stand this piece of shit. I loved the first season but they had to fuck it up again by pandering to the moé fanbase. It felt like they decided that the best way to improve the show would be by mixing Strike Witches into it.
Ah well, it’s Gonzo so there was a 2/3 chance it would have sucked.
It’s clear they are trying to widen the target audience, however it seems that a lot of people had different expectations for this series. It would seem that the plot maturity has been toned down to appeal to younger viewers. I remember the first time I watched the first season and thought “WOW! Wtf is this!!” For the time it was ground breaking to me, however the second season does not have that impact because to me it seems they are just remaking the first one again with a few character changes, simpler plot and some cool CGI.
But in spite of that I still like it. I don’t see a problem with Fam other then her age (I think they should be older). I think because of her personality it’s the reason she can do what she does. It’s the “love” that drives her character. To some this might be foolish, however in the real world many people have been driven by love, for better or worse.
The only thing I didn’t like about the season so far was the “bottle episode.” A bottle episode is where they reuse a certain % of shots, It might have been good for the people that didn’t see the first season, but for me it was unnecessary. Oh! and the soap opera episode, which to me was a complete waste of time… But maybe people like that sort of thing?
It’s a great anime, you have seen worst and you loved it, so, stop bitching!
I laughed and I cried. Range Murata’s wonderful designs adorn a weak written plot that left me kinda ticked. The CGI elements and animation were wonderfully rendered but the story was terrible.
Honestly was Gonzo just tailoring to the fanboys?
I feel that story lacked development and the characters didn’t grow or the introduced too many to get desired results, In essence the show felt rushed especially the last episode. Its a shame since I think the original series was a wonderful anime.
After reading all the comments here and else where, I enjoyed the LEF2. It did have some holes in the series, a couple of episodes that were plot fillers and Fam was Fam, you knEw what to expect after watching the first episode, she had good qualities and not so good again she’s 16 and lacks maturity and understanding very easy to see. I liked the first LE1 very fresh, better story and a bit more hard hitting as for LEF2 better graphics and tie ups of loose ends they could have added for in more on the relationship of Fam and her Grandfather and when Dio fell from the sky in LE1 did he land back in his Vespa? It was nice to see the characters from LE1 come back for this series, I’m sure a lot of people will watch it again when it is translated to English. As for those who hated the LEF2 (some points I do see), remember it’s just an anime get over it or go to the next anime, most of us might think we could write a better story, if so go ahead and do it put your actions to words (writing a good story based on your own ideas). As for getting mad, why bother!!! Put your life to good use. anime is an escapism as with books, games and movies, it’s not life. If it is, you have serious problems in real life seek help right away. Finally I’m glad we were given the freedom of choice, to say what we want and do (but taking responsibility for our actions when it counts)thank Jesus Christ of Nazareth, for that and much more. I don’t comment on anime a lot but I have been watching it for over the past 20 years and watched a lot of great anime and bad anime, now days there is more bad then good, it’s when they start to ban what you watch and say especially if it is not in sink with the world’s view of how things should be (you are to be in the world not of the world…)then you know the time is counting down to the end, choose wisely. Thank you for reading…Gb >.
Please kill yourself. :)
I knew what I said would get a response, especially from you, off to the next anime have a nice day lol :o .
You know, I was already laughing at how stupid you looked like when I got half-way through that wall of text you wrote, but when you mentioned Jesus everything was clear. I think it’s time you start looking for your brain.
Reasons why this season failed hard
1. Two kids walk into a warship and seize it. The same two kids have no military experience.
2. Guild race is to overpowered. One guilder can basically solo the entire world provided he/she isn’t opposed by another guilder.
3. If the theme for both seasons was about lack of resources then why do we have a seemingly endless number of airships? Seriously, these airships repopulate faster than rabbits overdosed on viagra+crack.
4. Humans lack reasoning. I don’t know what the writers were smoking but they could at least bring philosophers into the story and not have brain-dead rulers and guilders do all the thinking in the story.
5. The speeches suck and lack practically all the elements of persuasion.
6. Holy cow man, if a ruler has a dream, can he/she at least document his plan in case he dies?
7. All civil disputes are handled by duel to the death and not in court. No wonder there is so many people killing each other.
i was planing to watch LE season 2 before reading this article,
now i know it’s a bad idea
thanks!
Dude make your own opinion? IMO season 2 is better than the first or very much equal.
I love the first season it was amazing but damn the second is total SHIT!!
There is way too much fan service in this show for it be taken even remotely serious as a follow up to Last Exile.
The first serie was good, but it wasn’t such a great anime, there was a lot of inconscience and lacking in the progression of the story… the second serie is better, more action, many returning characters, the animation is great… the opening is not as good as the first serie but it’s still pretty good. I did not watch Last Exile back in 2003, I just watched it… I think you are being nostalgic of something you saw too long ago.
I still thought the second series was good, but for me the biggest issue was just how whiny (and high pitched) the main characters all are.
In the first series you’re mainly watching two kids caught up in a brutal war between adults, trying in vain to protect Al. But the bulk of the cast are adults with complicated pasts and motivations for what they’re doing.
The second series meanwhile has childish characters in it pretty much the whole time. I mean, why make the augusta so young? She could just as easily have been a young woman who had led a ridiculously sheltered life, and thereby scratch a ton of annoying scenes and whiny voice acting. The princess was very whiny, and while she does change over the series, she’s still incredibly annoying except maybe in the final couple of episodes.
Likewise, why are Fam and friend so damned whiny the whole time? Compared to Claus they’re such non-characters; while he could be a bit annoying too at least he’s suitably overwhelmed as he tries desperately to do the right thing, and later becomes determined to do his part. His character evolves over the episodes, and he’s never just stuck on “whine really loudly for half the episode” mode. There’s just less characterisation overall; what I loved about the first season was the Silviana’s crew, but the Silvius crew are largely overlooked.
While a lot of the battles were still enjoyable, they became a bit too generic; the first season’s battles were a lot more tense, while the second season’s reminded me more of Code Geass where they were mostly flair, and not very good at that, often with rampant destruction rather than clever tactics. Though I did enjoy the Silvius easily overcoming the attempts by the sky-pirates to capture it, as well as escaping the federation ambush, and the big battles are still fun to watch, but there’s a lot less impact to them.
On the issue of the sky-pirates; they don’t make a great hook for the show, I mean they are somehow taking out battleships with nothing but harpoons and balloons, yet the federation, or another military, never bothered to reduce them to dust during the ten years before the war? The captures were pretty silly, which makes it hard to decide whether you’re supposed to view the battleships as powerful or not. I would have much rather the series had had far fewer ships, but fought with a greater degree of tension and manoeuvring. There’s also an issue with scale on the ships; some are meant to be fast attack ships, while others are super heavy dreadnoughts or something, yet they both look just as heavy and heavily armed as each other… uh, what?
I dunno, it still makes for good viewing, but it falls far short of the much better first season. I do still hope there’s a third, but it will need to take a closer look at what made the first one so good.
I haven’t seen the series; I wonder if those quotes you list (“War is bad. Why can’t we all just play Nascar in the Sky every day?”) are actual quotes from characters? Or does the reviewer not understand grammar and why you use quotation marks?
Is it expecting too much to demand good writing from a writer? I suppose I shouldn’t seek quality from someone who imagines the word “sucks” is proper criticism (at least for anyone with an age or IQ in double digits).
A bad series gets a bad review from a bad writer.
I feel sorry for whoever had to deal with your retarded ass in English class before failing you out. If you wanna disagree with the post, learn how to read first, cuz I don’t particularly have the time to deal with some dumbass who can’t manage basic fucking literacy.
So how about you run along and try sleeping in a plastic bag tonight? I’ll entertain whatever response you can manage after you fulfill your life’s potential.
The sad thing is: I had to watch all of the fvcking episodes to cast a opinion. -1000/10.
It was bad, very bad. I lost 4 days of my life watching this crappy season 2.
First: They made a stupid main character, no need to go on about it.
Second: Bad visuals, even the first season had better visuals.
Third and last: It sucks. There is not need to explain it we all know it sucked badly.