The show is set in a world quite similar to our own, perhaps two or three hundred years ago. The universe is divided up into three main factions, two groups of humans and one alien race. The humans have been fighting for generations with one side called the Anatoray and the other the Disith. The two are divided by a special abnormality called the Grand Stream that keeps contact between them to a bare minimum except for large warships that are powered by a technology far beyond their means, provided by the alien Guild. The Disith live on a world full of ice and snow most of the time. This leaves them with minimal means of survival most of the year. As the relative paupers of the two human races, they seek space to live on the nicely pleasant Anatoray world; a world with problems of its own. Each world has made due with the scarcity of mineral and other resources, most of which seem devoted to the production of the materials of war.

The nobles rule the worlds with large military compliments. For the most part, they are ferried around in huge capital ships that make use of cannons (powered by steam instead of gunpowder) and musketeers (not the kind from the Mickey Mouse club either). Their main engines are subject to recall by the Guild is certain rules of war are not followed so chivalry and honor have a high value placed on them. They flip a switch and the main drive unit will rip out of the ship, causing it to plunge to the depths below; an effective control mechanism for the "lesser" humans that the Guild oversees. At present, there is only one warship with a so-called "unregistered" unit allowing it the freedom to do as it pleases, The Silvana. Led by Captain Alex Row (as close a Captain Harlock clone as you'll likely find), the ship is rumored to cause people to die if they so much as gaze upon it and the crew is considered a rogue's gallery of characters yet so few people have encountered it in person that the rampant rumors are unverified among any except the Anatoray it is aligned with. Few Disith ships have survived encounters with the Silvana, as much due to the advanced nature of the ship as the skill of its crew.

The story though takes a slightly different approach to telling the larger tale by using a couple of teenage couriers in the form of pilot Claus Valca and navigator/mechanic Lavie Head. Both of them lost their fathers to a mission years prior, fathers who attempted to transverse the Grand Stream in a courier "plane" called a vanship (a light duty flying machine made for fast, maneuverable, communications in an age where radio/television/and other means of communications had not been invented yet-even the capital ships rely on flares and flashing hand lights to relay orders). Both have relied on themselves to put bread on the table and have formed a unique bond that goes far deeper than a usual couple but also seems outside of the sexual realm too. In any case, the show centers on them as they take an important mission during a race that puts them in contact with a little girl, Alvis Hamilton. Alvis is a scared little girl that brings out the protective nature in the two couriers with the Guild sending in advanced star-ships to capture her by any means possible. This puzzles the two who eventually land on the Silvana and become crew members, much to the chagrin of the regular crew who are not in the habit of taking in strays.

As the show evolves, it becomes more apparent that Alvis is a very important figure for some unstated reason, becoming the key to controlling a mythical ship called the Exile, lost in the Grand Stream. Only with such a powerful ship can the human race seek to through off their virtual chains from the controlling Guild but the Guild has ideas of its own in this regard. As an interesting side plot, two of their members, a noble named Dio Eracula, and his manservant Lucciola, become oddly attached to Claus and then the crew of the Silvana but I'd rather not get too into the details as that could ruin some of the fun for you. Suffice it to say, the humans go through a number of realizations after The Silvana breaks free from the authority of the Anatoray to set forth on a course fraught with danger, and perhaps the only way to save the human race from the almost certain destruction by the Guild forces it challenges. Here's what the original box covers said about the volumes as they came out so long ago:

"Japan's top anime creators bring a richly romantic action/adventure fantasy in an imaginary planet where retro-futuristic sky vehicles permeate the skies. Against this lavish background are the lives of a young and heroic air pilot duo --- Claus and Lavie -- whose assignment to make a special human delivery fails. Before they know it, they become entangled in an aerial adventure between two countries gripped in an eternal war of magnificent air battleships, noble generals, and a mysterious war-mediating Guild. With signature, high quality 2D and 3D animation and stunning attention to fantasy detail, LAST EXILE takes us to a place never before dreamed of in the vast reaches of the blue heavens.

Claus and Lavie deliver Alvis to airship Silvana's captain, Alex Row. But much to Claus's anger, Alex Row accepts Alvis inhumanely into Silvana and leaves the duo and their damaged ship behind. Claus and Lavie fly to Silvana to retrieve Alvis, but the airship is savagely attacked by Guild-controlled star-shaped vessels. Claus and Lavie are forced to take on the attackers on a borrowed Silvana vanship. Silvana is severely damaged. Dio Eracula of the Guild flagship notices Claus' unusual flying talents, and vows to have a duel with him. More than ever, Claus and Lavie realize they are wrapped up in the mysterious conspiracies of war controlled by the omnipotent Guild.

Claus and Lavie participate in an eight-hour endurance vanship race, and are joined by Dio Eraclea who tries to befriend Claus. Tatiana also participates in the race, but she is actually on a secret mission under Alex Row's direction.

In the meantime, Alex Row bids for the mysterious "Exile Door" at a black market auction, but he is forced to withdraw from the bidding by the Guild. The Exile Door ends up in the hands of Delphine, the supreme leader of the Guild. And it becomes increasingly apparent that Alvis Hamilton is the key to the Exile.

Claus and Tatiana are thrown together to fly a vanship to defend the Silvana from a massive attack orchestrated by Anatoray and Tatiana begins to confide in Claus when the two make an emergency landing. Sophia, who is revealed to be of royal lineage, leaves the Silvana and inherits a leading role in the Anatoray army. Then, Claus discovers through an old photograph the secret relationship between his vanship, his and Lavie's deceased fathers, Captain Alex Row and the Grand Stream all of which lead us closer to the meaning of the Last Exile.

Claus and Lavie's fathers died attempting to cross the Grand Stream to deliver a message from Anatoray to Disith. Empress Sophia obtains a copy of the original message and discovers it suggested the two empires join forces to defeat the Guild and obtain peace in the skies!

However, to defeat the Guild, one must take possession of the Exile, so Empress Sophia plans to command the Silvana to cross the turbulent Grand Stream to locate the Exile. Can they accomplish this dangerous feat within the critical six days?

Claus and Dio return to Silvana from their vanship expedition to search for the Exile, only to find that Silvana had been hijacked by the Guild. Delphine holds Alvis, Claus and Alex Row hostage and takes them to the Guild ship. Delphine attempts to lure Alex to provide all the mysterions open Exile gateway. Dio is declared the official successor of his sister Delphine after he is forced to partake of a series of rite of passage ceremonies.

With Lucciola's help, Claus, Alvis and Dio escape the Guild ship while Delphine continues to hold Alex Row hostage and tortures him. Anatoray and Disith continue to wage an all-out war against the Guild and many sacrifice their lives in their attempt to deter complete control of the Exile by Delphine. Under Sophia's orders, Claus, Lavie and Alvis fly through the Grand Stream toward the Exile to complete their final mission in this heart-pounding conclusion!"

Here's a look at the episodes of the series:

1) First Move
2) Luft Vanship
3) Transpose
4) Zugzwang
5) Positional Play
6) Arbiter Attack
7) Interesting Claus
8) Takeback
9) Calculate Alex
10) Swindle
11) Develop
12) Discontinued Attack
13) Isolated Pawn
14) Etude Lavie
15) Fairy Chess
16) Breakthrough
17) Making Material
18) Promotion Sophia
19) Sicilian Defense
20) Grand Stream
21) Rook Dio
22) Queen Delphine
23) Castling Lucciola
24) Sealed Move
25) Quiet Move
26) Resign

The retro feel of the show was a bit disenchanting at first as it came across as something out of Steamboy yet it quickly grew on me as the series progressed. I listed to half the episodes in Japanese and the other half in English and will willingly admit that each was interesting to me and neither struck me as particularly better than the other. The story itself was full of intrigue, excitement, and a lot of great moments, especially as the series hit the midpoint (a time when many series hit the dreaded sophomore slump). While a number of elements used to tell the story seemed borrowed at times, the way they were combined and the manner in which the CGI was worked in as an intricate part of the story also gave me a lot of eye candy to appreciate, not to mention a strong close worthy of the best anime releases I've seen to date. I came close to rating it with our top honors but settled in on a Highly Recommended though an argument could be made for either with this boxed set.

Picture: Last Exile: Complete Box: Range Murata Edition was presented in the original 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen color it was broadcast in on Japanese television. I saw no compression artifacts, the colors were muted in a way needed to properly tell the story, and I can't stress enough how great this one looked. The designs of the machinery were all exemplary and the backgrounds looked superior to the vast majority of titles on the current market, even now, a few years after the release of the episodes. The anime style was a thoughtful mix of traditional anime and CGI done to best effect with even the smallest details worth inspection for art fans looking for a show that could easily have been considered a series of portraits at times. Even visual effects like panning the camera through glasses of fluids showed some attention to detail typically missing so I applaud anyone who had anything to do with the show.

Sound: The audio was presented in 2.0 Dolby Digital with a choice of either the original Japanese or an English language dub. I had to check this out given the separation between the channels, thinking it had a broader range than that but suffice it to say, it was one of the best dual channel presentations you'll find in a modern anime release. As far as the dub versus the original track debate, this was also a chance to see a title with an equally impressive selection whether or not you tend to favor original tracks or dubs. I intend to listen to both straight through when I get the chance but I found a lot to like with both of them and only wish Geneon had provided a cast breakdown on the dub to fully credit the English language vocalists. The music was great and the sound effects added a lot more depth than I expected going into the show so again I bow to the folks at Gonzo (and Geneon of course) for the care they showed here.

Extras: The current trend has been to release boxed sets and dump the extras as the lower price was compensation enough. This was an exception to the rule as the seven thinpak cases all had some great artwork on the second side of the covers, there were trailers, production artwork sessions, an interview with some of the creators, and some ads for the show. If this wasn't all the extras from the original releases, it was darned close and I think fans of the show wanting to buy a lower cost (but equally awesome) set will be happy with the result.

Final Thoughts: Last Exile: Complete Box: Range Murata Edition showed that director Tomohiro Hirata was really on the ball, as was his staff. This is not to say the English language crew were any less important for the well done dub either but I have to credit the original as something that will hold up for a long time to come. I know there are certain names in anime that come to mind for a broader, more mainstream audience but this series was every bit as good as the contemporaries that come to mind and I hope all of you at least give this one a chance. Geneon really hit a home run with Last Exile: Complete Box: Range Murata Edition; one of the most excellent anime releases I've seen to date.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVDTalk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003 and Best Of Anime 2004 article or regular column Anime Talk