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Technically any good? The series first aired in Japan back in 2003 so they were a bit ahead of their time in meshing CG animation with cell--sometimes it works well, but often, it's distracting. Generally, the series is edited tightly enough to create enough resonance, excitement and intrigue that it's easy to ignore the flaws in the animation. Of course, the brilliant character designs by Range Murata also distract from the CG failings. WOW are Murata-san's designs good. The acting, as is usually the case in anime with the original Japanese voice-over actors, is spot-on. In fact, the woman who played the little girl was surprisingly good. She sounded like an adult doing the voice, but acting-wise, she spoke with the motivation and spirit of a child. It made her character resonate strongly with me.
Emotionally and character-wise, the script was very solid. I cared about everyone I think the script wanted me to care about. The only tricky bits for me were the cliched brooding captain (incredibly common in anime), the flatly-evil female villain (flat-bad guys who laugh for no apparent reason are cliche in western culture, too) and the pure as snow lead characters. Like Shinji in Evangelion or Renton in Eureka 7, Claus and Lavie are made pristine so they can suffer for our enjoyment. It works fairly well, but that doesn't mean we should ignore the fact that it's wicked-cliche. However, the ending, while slightly predictable, is poignant, bittersweet and generally satisfying.
How did it leave me feeling? Definitely with tears in my eyes. I highly recommend this show. It's not the perfect anime series (still can't work out how the vanships actually fly or what connection Al had with the Exile) but the emotional content of the series is what made me keep watching. I will miss these characters! Sadly, there's a lot (if the show's wikipedia article is to be trusted) that I completely missed, but I didn't care that I did.
Final Rating? SIYL - See If You Like (good storytelling with positive characters and a happy, generally believable ending).
Orignal From: LAST EXILE (2003)
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