Claus and Lavie are orphans who have been together since childhood. Piloting the vanship their fathers shared, they work as messengers--until Claus accepts a mission from a dying pilot, which takes them aboard the Sylvana. and into the service of the mysterious captain, Alex Rowe.

The world is torn by war, and the Guild supplies power units to all sides, ruling all, being entertained by the wars, and profiting from the destruction. Alex Rowe, searching for a mysterious power source which could eliminate the Guild's control, is a renegade, running from their forces. Claus and Lavie join his quest, and change the role of vanship from messenger to fighting unit forever. There are many secondary characters who have their own storylines--every character has their own agenda and motivations. Mullen Shetland, a musketeer who has survived a stunning number of gun battles. Dio, the runaway Guild prince. Sophia, the captain's kindly second-in-command, who has her own secrets.

The world of Last Exile feels real, solid and gritty. The characters are mostly likeable, and fairly individualized. They have a different look from most anime, with more realistic character designs, set against some seriously compelling CGI ship-to-ship battles. There is a lot of humor at the beginning, but it fades as the plot becomes more and more convoluted.

A few criticisms can be made, though. The many subplots get so involved that it's sometimes hard to keep track of what's going on. One or two plot points are 'out there' enough to cause some disbelief when they happen, or plotlines are resolved abruptly. From time to time the series is completely confusing.

There are some ups and downs, too, things I'm not sure I'd criticize, but--it seems to me that some unresolved issues were left when the series ended, not that it's necessarily a bad thing. And there are some painful deaths of major characters. The first episode is practically a non-stop barrage of ship-to-ship fighting, as I recall, bound to turn-off many more people-oriented viewers. And the CGI elements are very identifiable.

Still, there's a big world out there in Last Exile, and it feels more like real science fiction--and less hero-centric-- than any SF anime I've watched. Frankly, it's a jaw-dropper of a series.