I liked this season better than the original Last Exile. I know many will disagree. I get it. The first season was so good and definitely stands out as unique in many ways, especially art-wise. But what drew me to the original was not the story, but the action and the sequencing. Despite not being super interesting all the time, the pacing was phenomenal and always kept me hitting the next episode button. Not to say the story wasn't good. It just wasn't the best thing in the world.
But this season has a great narrative while managing to keep the action that made the original so great! But that story is nothing without knowledge of the returning characters. Their presence in Ginyoku no Fam, coupled with the likable new characters, really won me over.
I will admit that I was bummed that they traded the art style of the original for a more typical anime one. However, they do make nods to it in the design of the returning characters.
One last thing. If you're as upset to not see Claus and Lavie as I was starting out, hang in there. There are clues about where they are and what they're doing. And if, at the very end of the series, you still have a few questions in that department, do a quick google search. There's a bit of story not shown in either anime and it's very touching.
Hope that wasn't too much to swallow. This was a very refreshing anime series. It managed to rise above the noise and leave an impression. Highly recommend!
- Kross
