Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing—Part One

In the comics-derived Last Exile franchise, after calamity struck the water-dominated Blue World, most of humanity was evacuated via mysterious, powerful giant machines called Exiles, which later returned them home (and now remain in dormant orbit like multiple moons). But these events also created rival kingdoms: the former refugees vs. the Ades Federation of heavily militarized, hardened survivors who never left the planet. Under pretext of peace talks with the returnee kingdom of Turan, the Ades Federation launches an attack, and Millia—the last Turan princess—finds protection with the ragtag Sky Pirates, who prowl the Blue World airways in Robin Hood fashion (assuming that the Merry Men were more like perky 15-year-old girls on cool flying cycles). Fam, an alpha Sky Pirate, becomes Princess Millia's BFF and protector in her quest to gather allies against the Federation. Handsomely visualized (partial CGI brings to life a steam-punk-techno look), this set of the first 12 episodes from the 2011 series features flashbacks to help desperate newbies catch up with the tangled mythology and it ends with a cliffhanger. Presented in a dual-language Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, rated TV-14, extras include episode commentaries, short sketches, and a Q&A with the animators at Anime Expo 2011. Recommended. [Note: Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing—Part Two is also newly available.] (C. Cassady)