You know how I said I was going to catch up? I didn't. The Funimation website was being weird and wouldn't let me look at the more recent episodes.
I've got three episodes I need to see (12, 13, and 14, going off the website's labeling of the Recap Episode as 9.5), and the site is working just fine right now. I'll be back to post my thoughts once I've seen them all.
Fam clearly is a less well-constructed series. (Last Exile had a bunch of minor little things, like the colour palette and the musical score that just fit together very well, that Fam really doesen't) Story and character-vise it's a wash though.
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True, but it all boils down to how the execution. Claus, for example, started as idealistic as Fam, if not more, but he gradually realized that idealism is nothing without action to back it. Compare to Fam who, SIXTEEN episodes in, is STILL the same naive girl she was at the start of the series. THAT is where the main contention is right now, as EVERYONE ELSE has had some sort of character development.
Milia is the prime example for this. Compared to her Fam has undergone NO development at all.
Last Exile: Fam does well in world building and actually humanizing the opposing factions. It's just that Fam herself, the titular character, seems extraneous to the proceedings. She's Milia's Silver Wings, true, but only in how she shuttles Milia around and keeps the princess grounded, but that's it.
edited 5th Feb '12 4:24:43 AM by MyssaRei
Fam is just one character, anyway. One of the "mains", but still just one.
In any case, I'm of the opinion that both LE series are equal. Even taking execution into account. You say Fam has no character development? I say Claus wasn't an interesting protagonist either.
(Keep in mind that it's been a long time since I watched the original, but I can at least remember that I wasn't very fond of it)
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I'm going to disagree with this. Like Myssa I'd say Fam's worldbuilding and villains are superior to the original's.
So? Doesn't make Claus an interesting protagonist, honestly. When you say it like that it looks good but I don't think the execution was all that good (from what I remember).
EDIT: Just so we're clear, I'm not fond of Fam too. In all honesty Millia is probably the main character.
edited 5th Feb '12 6:25:08 AM by fillerdude
Claus is very close to what you'd expect a male hero in an adventure series to be for the time period (early 2000s): idealistic, dense, and a hit with the ladies despite his obliviousness (Lavie, Alvis, Tatiana, Alister, Sophia and even DIO all were attracted to him on some level). As I mentioned in another blog, it's what you'd expect of a potato-kun these days.
However this at least was counterbalanced by character development: the Claus in episode 1 is not quite the same Claus who had to sortie against the Urbanus (which I need to remind you was technically an allied ship), nor the same Claus that had to cross the Grand Stream late in the series. The idealism is still there, but it's tempered and grounded in some pragmatism; it's good to think about crossing the Grand Stream, but FIRST there had to be something done about the War, and eventually the Guild.
Compared to *that*, Fam is still at stage 1. The Fam that we saw in episode 1 is STILL literally the Fam that we've seen in episode 15. Nothing has changed. This might have been a good thing (if we see Fam's UNWAVERING and ADAMANTINE idealism as a kind of foil to everyone's pragmatism), if not for the overall serious tone of the show. Fam in a show like, say, Rinne no Lagrange wouldn't be so out of place, but in Silver Wing she sticks out literally like a sore thumb.
edited 5th Feb '12 6:19:31 AM by MyssaRei
Hell, I was watching the latest episode of Rinne and thought "wow, only five episodes in and the main character is still upbeat and optimistic yet is showing that she has a more serious side, kinda wish Fam had gotten a bit more serious." I'm happy that we have someone whose still able to be cheerful while the world goes to hell but her not becoming depressed for too long at all is starting to get a bit unbelievable. Actually, I was thinking while I was watching that I'm fine with Fam being the narrator/Point of View/central character in the show but she shouldn't be the main character, a Supporting Protagonist I guess, but the show is kinda stuck with her as the main character so they keep having to put her in situations that she logically shouldn't be in (like the military meeting).
I do agree that I feel like there's more world-building in this series though, I ended up finding out a lot more about the setting of the original from the wiki than I did in the show, even after watching it twice, but here there is just tons of it in each episode.
If it has a plot then I have something to say about it!So, I take this as approval that I move Milia's profile in the character sheet above Fam and Giselle's? I kid, I kid.
Anyway, it looks like next week is a recap of the first series. Not really useful for those who've already watched it before, but enough for the newbies I suppose. I hope we get some new footage, and some answers to niggling questions like where Claus and Lavie are during all this.
Oh, and maybe actually SHOWING how Dio managed to hook up with the Anatoray-Disith alliance, given the last time we saw him he was taking a dive through the Grand Stream. The one-off line in the Aerial Log artbook really doesn't explain much ("Dio was picked up by a passing Guild ship"), heh.
Whoa, WHOA. Now I REALLY need to catch up.
I've got two more episodes to watch, I think. Better get to it.
EDIT: K, just finished watching those two episodes.
15: Good to see that most of Kartoffel is OK, but that's still a ton of damage. It's not often that you get to see Fam get upset, either. Not that it stuck, but still.
I can't say I'm surprised about Vasant taking initiative, but I'm still glad to see it.
16: This was a really good episode. I loved seeing the main trio interact with Sara. It's about time that kid had people that she could talk to normally, you know what I mean? Anyway, the whole thing with the Glacies pilots was pretty depressing. So were the people who used to live in Turan, but in a completely different way.
I'm really curious about that huge Exile that Luscinia found. At least, I think it's an Exile. I'm also hoping that Liliana gets her act together at some point, even thought that's starting to seem unlikely.
Anyway, can't wait for the next episode, especially given what Myssa Rei just said about it. Still, what I'm REALLY wondering is what the main Guild is up to. Their absence so far is awfully suspicious. I'm betting they'll show up within the next few episodes.
edited 11th Feb '12 3:45:24 PM by SapphireBlue
The lack of Guild presence in Fam has REALLY bugged people, especially after the Grand Race episode, and what the Hourglass manga has revealed. When you consider the former, they were active as far back as ten years ago — indeed, Farahnaz mentions that Alauda and Luscinia were assigned specifically from the 'country in the sky' to protect her — and as recently as two years before (their welcome to the Prester people in the Hourglass manga). So where the heck are they now? Were they wiped out, or are they biding their time?
Heck, outside of possibly Alauda and his squad, the only other tech remotely Guild-related that we've seen in Fam was the starfish-vanship hybrid we saw in episode 2. Indeed this episode marks the return of pure Starfishes, but even then it's not clear if they're just stuff that Luscinia found up north, or REALLY are aligned to the Guild, and are finally making their power play.
Well, this still doesn't answer how the heck Dio survived that fall, but doesn't his voice seem to have dropped back to the normal register? Or was he just being ultra-serious?
And yes, it was nice to see Claus and Lavie again, however briefly.
edited 13th Feb '12 3:13:10 PM by frog753
Flora Segunda | World Made By Hand | Monster Blood Tattoo ^You should read these series.I really do like the S1 OP and ED better.
And now that I've seen the season recap episode I'm all the more convinced that Fam is actually better when it comes to story and worldbuilding. YMMV on aspects like sound, etc.
Though it is nice to see Claus and Lavie (spoilered, but it's obvious -.-) again. What are they doing, anyway? I would think they'd be helping out Alvis, or the Silvius in some way.
The fact that Lavie is pushing a WHEELCHAIR (if you haven't noticed) is enough to point that Claus HAS been injured. Whether he's just convalescing, or is really crippled is unclear at this point (and may I point out that it's also possible for him to just climb in using his arms if indeed his legs are injured).
As for why he's in a vanship, he's just sleeping in it, and not actually doing any flying. One of the folk in Animesuki suggested (with the idea that Claus is indeed injured permanently) that he was in the cockpit because it was where he was most comfortable with.
edited 17th Feb '12 5:01:34 AM by MyssaRei
This week on Last Exile!
Well, this turned out as some people predicted, though at the very least we're given a peek at the similar, yet different, perspectives of Orang and Sorush, and why the former eventually turned when he did, yet the latter continued on his course despite knowing it would either alienate him or lead him to his doom. It all boiled down I suppose to what was one really willing to sacrifice to get peace.
Fam gets her moment here, and we see something similar to Claus' first sortie in an armed vanship. However we see here that, despite being in a situation where she could very well die, Fam hesitates. Okay, she's never shot at anyone before, but I'd think when someone was shooting at you to KILL you, you'd at least defend yourself. It's war, after all.
Frustrated, Fam goes back to her old standby: if she can't shoot at the enemy, then she can just their ships instead. They're pirates, not soldiers... Except this time around, even their normal tactics don't work on Sorush at all. Great contribution, Fam and friends, but I suppose the effort counts in itself.
I kind of pity Sara at this point. Seeing Sorush go down really did a number on her.
So the Alliance has won Boreas, but despite all this Luscinia isn't fazed. As he mentions to Alauda, their path had been set since that day ten years before, and all they have to do is to see things through to the end. More mysterious brooding shots of Liliana, and again I REALLY have to wonder what's going on in that head of hers.
Dio and Alvis are back, though the preview implies that Dio's VERY hurt (unless those arms were from a different person).
Anyone know the name of the song that starts around the 15:45 mark (on the Funimation stream) of episode 16?
Follow me on tumblr!This week on Last Exile!
As predicted by some people, Dio was only hungry! How's that for misleading previews!
Funny how Chiaki Omigawa, I mean, Magnolia has pretty much stuck like glue to Dian. Blushing and getting jealous at Fam of all people? Subtext? We don't need any!
Well, Dian's thirst for revenge is really overriding all reason at this point. Firing on the Third Fleet SERIOUSLY compromised the Alliance's ability to fight off Sadri's incoming ships. It's amazing how Orang held his hand, as anyone else would have retaliated. And even worse, she was this close to shooting down Fam, who's never had any ill intentions at all.
That said, even with the arrival of the Silvius, there seemed no tenable way for the remaining Alliance ships to defend Boreas. The ceasefire order by Augusta was very timely and merited.
And as expected, the connection between Sadri and Fam couldn't have been more blatant.
Next up seems to be an impromptu conference with Luscinia in attendance. Obviously Dian will want to take him out... which will likely cause things to go spiraling down further.
This week on Last Exile!
Well well, this was certainly a dialogue-heavy episode. Interesting how the civil war between the Ades generals was essentially stopped by Augusta Sara's "pretty please?" For all the opposing views her staff have, in their own ways they were doing things all for her. A little convenient a resolution, I guess, but kind of fits in with this setting. No way this was going fly in the real world though.
And talk about an awkward party. Sadri aside — his probing questions on Fam's heritage shows that even HE has a suspicion about his relationship with Fam — it sure was an awkward party. One has to remember that, until recently, many of the military in attendance were actually firing at each other (and Sadri and Orang's conversation says as much).
The Turan military want Liliana out of the way. No surprise there, but I thought it was kind of harsh that they tried to push Milia into doing the deed... But with Alauda's interference, Milia's credibility was pretty much crushed as well. A calculated move, for sure.
We FINALLY get some details on the Guild, as well as the Exile project. Although Liliana finally comes clean with her views on the Ades issue to her sister, it all comes off as making an excuse for what she's done, and a lame one at that.
Then we have the end of the episode. Who didn't see THAT coming? With Liliana dead, the role of the Key passes to Milia... Which means Luscinia will want to use her to further his plans in her sister's place. But I think Fam won't have any of that, no sir.

This week on Last Exile!
Gosh, for a moment there at the end it seemed like Luscinia had truly lost it. It was a laugh of triumph, but I don't think I'm wrong in thinking that there was a hint of madness there.
So a motley alliance has formed around taking down Luscinia for good. With the premiere's discovery at Boreas though, I don't think it's going to be enough, especially since Luscinia still has Liliana at his side.
Next week looks like something for watchers not familiar with the previous series, and bring them up to speed on what happened back at Prester. Hopefully some of the time is used to show Dio's miraculous survival (and not just, you know, tell us, like they've been doing so for the past eight years).