(L) Last Exile -Fam, The Silver Wing-

[DangerMouse]

Originally Posted by MeggieMay

What did Dio say about Alvis: the official subtitles say this "Despite all the people she's has lost, and all the hardships she's endured, Al is always kind and considerate of others." That doesn't seem to indicate something recent to me. It doesn't rule out the fansub titles bringing something to the fore that the Funico one's are missing but the Funico ones most likely have access to the actual script so I'm going to tend to give them some clout here over the fansubs (and the show could be trying to intentionally drum up some worry here, so it's hard to say what they are thinking about).

Who turned the engines off?:

Spoiler for some speculations that I want to treat as spoilers, at least for now:

You know, I'm thinking Recuise Dagobert did that. I don't think the Ades Guild (for lack of a better name for them at the moment) had made it to the engines yet and we saw a white glove turning the engines off. I'm wondering if Dagobert did that to throw everyone off, both figuratively and literally. While it may not have tossed the Ades Guild people around that much, going off how Dio and Alauda were still going at it, it may have made them think they'd made it to the Engine rooms and thus slowed them down from actually going to them. Dagobert was always a lot smarter than many in his world gave him credit for.

What Dio said to Alauda: The official subtitles said "I've heard of twin bodyguards who serve a Maestro but..." Now that's a set up for next times flashback episode if I've ever seen one . It does look to me from the next weeks preview that that Augusta Farahnaz was the Ades Guild Maestro. Which was a theory I put forward a few episodes back when I mentioned she looked like she might have Guild face markings in that Funeral painting (in the episode with the dissident massacre). She doesn't seem to have them in the flash back but seeing Dio's marks seem to have disappeared that may not be a big deal (maybe they can turn them off and on, if the Guild member is of a high enough level?). Then again, it's also with in reason that Augusta Farahnaz may not be the Maestro but was either closely connected to them (Augusta Sarah's should have a father?) or the bodyguards were loaned out to her for some reason. What is just not clear, and which will hopefully be explored next episode, is what just exactly happened with Farahnaz anyway?

I'll be back to talk later. I need to re-watch the entire episode in one go (I watched the first part at lunch and the last part when I got home from work) but I still have family visiting for the holidays so that's going to have to be put on hold until later.

Ah, good question, I also can't say but those official versions sound much more on target with an introduction and the rest of Dio's introduction (also this is more in line with an intro that works for both new and old viewers), there's little way I could see someone primary like most of Alvis' friends dying off-screen, they're way too important and prominent for off-screen death most likely (though not impossible) and now this line sounds much more like the rest of the introduction in line with describing the type of person she is while hinting at her past and how she's lost people before but still puts others ahead of herself, and Dio's line with Alauda lines up much better as you said now for hinting at what may be coming next, also this potentially very nicely lines up with why the whole thing that went down with Farahnaz has entirely changed Luscinia and potentially effected him so greatly just as we'd theorized a bit way back in the first couple of episodes, especially if he was supposed to be one of her bodyguards and he and Alauda failed (we've theorized some really bad possibilities for something tragic around the time of the last Grand Race that ruined the peace and took her like an assassination).

Originally Posted by pewpewpew

I thought that was a very interesting line. And then in the episode preview we have a young Luscinia and Alauda apparently guarding the Augusta. In the previous Guild Master-bodyguard relationships we've seen, it's always been the bodyguard dying and not vice versa. The "twin" remark implies they're equals, so maybe they flipped a coin to decide who'd lead the Federation.

I think it's interesting that Luscinia's background as a Guild member doesn't seem to be a secret; in the preview he seems to be in his costume in public, and he's been referred to in previous episodes as a "jumped-up bodyguard".

The rest of Dio and Alauda's conversation was also interesting. Dio seems unsure whether Alauda is a member of the Guild proper, and Alauda recognises Dio as being of the same appearance as Earth's "White" Guild.

Yeah Dio and Alauda's conversation is very interesting.

[Kaioshin Sama]

The twist that Lilliana would betray Turan was predictable and I knew it would happen as soon as they hinted she was alive, but there's still lots of interest going on here. One thing I like is that the Turanian soldiers didn't just all follow Lilliana blindly, they asked questions and tried to persuade her to change her mind, but alas it was no good and I really have to wonder what her game is here. I'd argue she may have been turned as early as when she was used to turn the Exile against Turan and I can see this developing along the lines of Millia having to wrest control of the Exile from her and using it the right way. What I mean is that somehow I can't really picture Millia using the Exile to destroy the Federation Fleet outright, but more to act as a stop gap against them or possibly Alvis can teach her how to use it like she did, for purification and creation instead of destruction.

As soon as that Guild guy showed up in front of the trio my sole remark was, "Oh they're so dead unless Dio shows up in like 5 seconds" and sure enough he did. I like that although our heroines are pretty capable when it comes to stealing airships and using Vespas that there's some things they clearly can't do and places where they are outmatched and this is when our supporting cast usually steps in to do something awesome, be it Dio with his vast experience in all forms of combat or Tatiana and her strategy. This is how you do casts right.

The way I see it they're going to need to ally with Glacies now in order to match the Turan/Ades alliance as it's really the only way to even the playing field. Anatoray/Glacies vs. Ades/Turan sounds much more fair than Anatoray vs. Ades/Turan doesn't it? It's probably going to be up to Millia to negotiate this treaty and given how the episode ends with that reasonable seeming pilot that they encountered in episode 09 chasing them down I think it might be possible to do this as early as next episode. I have a hunch that she's the ace of Glacies and her word would probably go a long way in convincing their leaders to give this ragtag bunch a chance. They have mutual foes after all.....

[KiraYamatoFan]

I was listening to the soundtrack. That was some very good stuff in there as expected. I must admit that when I listened to "I've Got Friends" (Track 18), I had memories of "Brothers" in FMA. Did you feel the same way when you listened to that cue?

I also can't wait what's going to happen now since Lilliana betrayed Turan.

[MrTerrorist]

Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing's Spinoff Anime Short Posted

[DangerMouse]

So many great tracks, Hitomi Kuroishi's really delivered the goods beyond my expectations which is even more impressive having to match and exceed the fantastic original and the nostalgia of how great those songs were so many years ago and they've been used to great effect so far too both new and old. I'd have something great to say about pretty much all of them but it would take too long lol since even these one word remarks on a bunch of them takes up a decent paragraph since it was hard not to mention a lot of them when talking about one of the many good tracks on the OST.

Oh wow, yet another reason no wonder I've loved the "Brothers" track all this time which is easily one of my favorite tracks from the great FMA OST it really does feel like a Hitomi track in spirit with the mix of breathless vocals and that underlying music, it really does give off a wonderful similar feeling. That's beautiful.

Also I can't help but get a bit choked up by the wonderful "My Favorite Home" and emotionally powerful "Sorrows of Life" and think of the events they were played to in episode 3. Not to mention, the still just as crazy powerful and majestic as it was in ep 2, "Sky to Recovery", and "Sanctuary", and the epicness of "Silver Wing" and "The First Exile" built off the Last Exile theme and the fun celtic sounding "Heart in the Right" and "Back to the Place" that are right at home with their fellow great tracks in season 1, the military themes are always some of the best too (though I'll admit the military highlights for now are ofcourse and likely purposefully still the big carry over ones for the Silvius like "Silvana" and "Fleet of Littleships" and the beginning part of "A New World Has Come" and the great S1 general fleet battle BGMs that complement the great new Ades ones). "Starboard" ofcourse is awesome too just like her ED of the first series (her "Wings of Honor" is fantastic too).

"Amazing Land" is awesome as well, and "Original Sin" sounds incredibly strong, has that been used yet? I could see that being used in the next ep...

I'd love for the old Brave Willing finding a way into the series.

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

The twist that Lilliana would betray Turan was predictable and I knew it would happen as soon as they hinted she was alive, but there's still lots of interest going on here. One thing I like is that the Turanian soldiers didn't just all follow Lilliana blindly, they asked questions and tried to persuade her to change her mind, but alas it was no good and I really have to wonder what her game is here. I'd argue she may have been turned as early as when she was used to turn the Exile against Turan and I can see this developing along the lines of Millia having to wrest control of the Exile from her and using it the right way. What I mean is that somehow I can't really picture Millia using the Exile to destroy the Federation Fleet outright, but more to act as a stop gap against them or possibly Alvis can teach her how to use it like she did, for purification and creation instead of destruction.

Yeah I too thought they did quite good by the Turan soldiers and officers.

Liliana's got some interesting mysteries going on here.

Yeah I think you may be right about that angle of development being involved going forward and I agree it's hard to imagine Millia using it against the Federation even if given the chance, ofcourse as outlined by Dio in this episode for how the power is passed down the family, the only way she'll get control of the Turan Exile is with the death of her sister, though as you said about how Millia would likely use and not use an Exile it's also currently hard to believe she'd be able to do something like that so it'd have to be at someone elses' hand.

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

As soon as that Guild guy showed up in front of the trio my sole remark was, "Oh they're so dead unless Dio shows up in like 5 seconds" and sure enough he did. I like that although our heroines are pretty capable when it comes to stealing airships and using Vespas that there's some things they clearly can't do and places where they are outmatched and this is when our supporting cast usually steps in to do something awesome, be it Dio with his vast experience in all forms of combat or Tatiana and her strategy. This is how you do casts right.

Totally agree!

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

The way I see it they're going to need to ally with Glacies now in order to match the Turan/Ades alliance as it's really the only way to even the playing field. Anatoray/Glacies vs. Ades/Turan sounds much more fair than Anatoray vs. Ades/Turan doesn't it?

It's probably going to be up to Millia to negotiate this treaty and given how the episode ends with that reasonable seeming pilot that they encountered in episode 09 chasing them down I think it might be possible to do this as early as next episode. I have a hunch that she's the ace of Glacies and her word would probably go a long way in convincing their leaders to give this ragtag bunch a chance. They have mutual foes after all.....

Yeah even before it seemed like they'd need the alliance but now they definitely appear to need that alliance with Glacies now that Turan and it's soldiers are part of Ades' forces.

Speaking of which, and their selflessness in saving of one of her team despite having no affiliation to do so may give her the opening to use her word to give them the opportunity to atleast get their case heard by Glacies leadership thanks to that lead Glacies pilot since her subordinate reported that Fam came to her aid even if she wasn't sure if that was their actual full intention/motive based on how she said it.

[Shadow X]

Just a question, is LE: Fam on break this week due to New Year?

[MeoTwister5]

Heh. Fucking cliffhanger. This week seems rife with them. Anyway good to see Alvis again, though unless she's considered high nobility it is a bit weird for her to just be on the Anatoray delegation for no reason.

So this is the episode where shit meets fan. Turan has been turned upside down, Millia disinherited and on the run, and both Fam and the Sylvius are deep in it. As badass as Dio is he can't possibly fight off an entire guild squad.

Blog post tomorrow.

[pewpewpew]

I'm wondering how well Dio is going to come off against Alauda. I suspect that Alauda at least has been partially restrained due to curiousity (it's interesting that he doesn't seem to make any effort to pursue Fam, Giselle and Millia, concentrating on Dio instead). Whether or not Dio/Alauda are physically matched (I can imagine some deterioration* of Guild characterists taking place over centuries in contact with baseline human populations), Alauda surely has considerably more practical experience. That might start to tell if the fight continues into the next episode.

*this has a creepy eugenic vibe when I write it, but you know what I mean.

[Soconfused]

Originally Posted by pewpewpew

I'm wondering how well Dio is going to come off against Alauda. I suspect that Alauda at least has been partially restrained due to curiousity (it's interesting that he doesn't seem to make any effort to pursue Fam, Giselle and Millia, concentrating on Dio instead). Whether or not Dio/Alauda are physically matched (I can imagine some deterioration* of Guild characterists taking place over centuries in contact with baseline human populations), Alauda surely has considerably more practical experience. That might start to tell if the fight continues into the next episode.

*this has a creepy eugenic vibe when I write it, but you know what I mean.

Unless he has some reason to go after the princess, I don't see why Alauda would have chased them. As far as we know, he's just on the ship to slaughter everyone. On that note, I don't think he "surely" has more practical experience, as he's probably use to just slaughtering normal people. Dio on the other hand has been in a deathmatch with dozens of possible guild masters and came out on top. I'd put my money on him.

[pewpewpew]

Millia must surely qualify as an important target for the Federation. As far as we know, the Guildsmen onboard were there mainly to capture the ship (hence their apparent rush to the engine room), but securing/killing an Exile key should be priority one since they know she's onboard and has no intention of cooperating with them.

As far as experience goes, I'd assume Ades' death-squad train against themselves to at least keep up their proficiency. I'd also wonder how much of Dio's ability in the Trial of Agon was due to the brain-washing he'd received previously, how much due to previous training he'd received, and how much due to innate Guild abilities.

[TheKage]

Originally Posted by Shadow X

Just a question, is LE: Fam on break this week due to New Year?

Yup, at least according to the Funimation blog it is.

[creb]

Liliana has something held over her head. Her smile when she saw her sister escaping I think hinted at that. She had faith in Fam.

I've said before, and I'll say it again, Ades only appears strong. In truth, it's made up of a number of people its annexed (Vasant, for instance). I think this is going to be key to Ades' inevitable fall. I'm sure Liliana will turn against it when the opportunity bears its head.

Anyways, the highlight obviously was the fight that evoked Star Wars with those 'lightsabers'. Gosh, they even got the colors right! Double bladed red vs single blade blue!

Glacies is obviously going to save Fam, and somehow the trio will get that country to open up to the outside.

I'm hoping the comment about Alvis losing people close to her was more of a line for people who never saw the first season than a foreboding of Claus and Lavie being dead.

[Julio C]

Originally Posted by TheKage

Yup, at least according to the Funimation blog it is.

Wait so it's not getting aired in Japan this week?

[MeggieMay]

Originally Posted by Julio C

Wait so it's not getting aired in Japan this week?

No, I don't think it is. I noticed that might be happening when I looked at the official site a week or so back and the Funimation blog is backing it up. Remember, this upcoming weekend is New Years. Going off past experience, regular TV programming in Japan is usually interrupted for this holiday.

[stormwaltzing]

Yeah, the JP official site states this week a pause.

[Julio C]

So basically we have to wait 2 weeks for a flashback, and 3 weeks to see what happens next.

[DangerMouse]

Originally Posted by Soconfused

On that note, I don't think he "surely" has more practical experience, as he's probably use to just slaughtering normal people. Dio on the other hand has been in a deathmatch with dozens of possible guild masters and came out on top. I'd put my money on him.

Yeah, very good point, Dio's not just "a" Guild member.

[DangerMouse]

Originally Posted by creb

I've said before, and I'll say it again, Ades only appears strong. In truth, it's made up of a number of people its annexed (Vasant, for instance). I think this is going to be key to Ades' inevitable fall. I'm sure Liliana will turn against it when the opportunity bears its head.

Anyways, the highlight obviously was the fight that evoked Star Wars with those 'lightsabers'. Gosh, they even got the colors right! Double bladed red vs single blade blue!

Yeah.

Oh man did I love that.

[blewin]

it might seem that by cutting Milia off, Liliana is saving Milia?
but then since Milia had 16 ships, they really had a chance of dueling it out with Luscinia right there and winning the fight. Then why bother taking control back and handing the ships over to the Federation?

I'm much more interested in what Liliana's thinking than the impending alliance between Turan, Anatory and Glacies - this one is too obvious!

Originally Posted by creb

I'm hoping the comment about Alvis losing people close to her was more of a line for people who never saw the first season than a foreboding of Claus and Lavie being dead.

I'm thinking of Guitar and all the others who died before Alvis' first meeting with Claus. so rest assured, Claus and Lavie are too important to have been killed off without our knowledge! (to arrive with the main fleet?)

I wonder where Anatory's exile is right now?

[TheKage]

Originally Posted by Julio C

So basically we have to wait 2 weeks for a flashback, and 3 weeks to see what happens next.

Well personally I'm fine with it. Ep 11 is sure to be even better than ep 9.5 xD
Flashback > Recap. We may even see a little of what happens next or just some small consequences. Maybe.