mundens | Last Exile - Per Ardua Ad Astra

Watched the last few episodes to the end of Last Exile this evening. Actually quite a good ending for an anime, with a minimum of waste and death.

Most impressed by the balletic duel between Luciola and Cicada, was saddened by the loss of Dio into the Grand Stream, after his realization of responsibility for Luciola, after he was gone. But poor Dio was broken, long before the sky would open, forasken, almost human, he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone.

Sorry, feeling too poetic at present.

Lovely little touches all the way through.

Alex Row avenging Euris, strangling Delphine.
The XO's sonar operator lying to her that his last word had been "Sophia"
Vincent Alzy sacrificing the Urbanus, Claus and Lavie making it through the Grand Stream.

The little touches of homliness when Al and Claus go back to Claus amd Lavie's home in Norkia.

The boss mechanic Godwin crying and being teased for it.

Mullin being alive after all.

So currently, as always after watching a lot of one, Last Exile is my favourite animé. It is beautiful. It has vanships, which I love. It has Tatiana, whom I love. It has Dio, whom I love. Even Luciola is lovely.

So what if parts of it are reminiscent of Star Wars? The retro-tech, the Range Muratta character designs, the ship designs, the way vanships move,

Walking home in the brisk cold air, bright stars high above, the Scorpion above my head, singing the Who's Behind Blue Eyes to the trees and lights of the valley, I am reminded of the song Have You Seen The Stars Tonight?. This song is the at the end of Paul Kantner's classic Blows Against The Empire album. Kantner, ex Jefferson Starship put together this album before Last Exile, before even the first Star Wars movie, and yet it suits the post-coital quietus at the endings of both series.

So please imagine, if you will, we have defeated the Empire, we have ended the reign of Maestro Delphine, that we have defeated the Emperor Mongo, and our hero looks up from a ship of the line into the deep blue violet sky and sees the stars, he rushes to the Princess, working late into the night, head bowed buy the weight of state now descended upon her beautiful shoulders by the defeat of Empire, and he sings:

Have you seen the stars tonight?
Would you like to go up on A Deck and look at them with me?
Have you seen the stars tonight?
Would you like to go up for a stroll and keep me company?

Don't you know, we could go, for we are free
Any place you can think of, we could be

Have you seen the stars tonight?
Have you looked at all?
Beyond the veil of stars.