Studio Gonzo in Japan has a turbulent history. No doubt its renaissance period was between 2003 and 2007, when we got classic anime such as "Gantz," "Samurai 7," "Gankutsuou," "Afro Samurai," and many others. This period probably started with the ambitious 2003 anime "Last Exile." "Last Exile" really is ambitious if nothing else: set in a steampunk European in the sky, the opening theme filled with Scottish bagpipes, it feels utterly unique. "Castle in the Sky" or "Fractale" are the only other anime that come to mind as being remotely similar. The thick setting to get lost in is the real reason to watch "Last Exile": as it progresses, it's clear the story is stupid. But there are valid reasons as to why the show is considered a classic, even today.Things start well enough. Claus and Lavie are a duo, working as carrier pilots, flying their small plane to deliver mail in the midst of a international war. After being asked to take a mysterious assignment, they get caught up in a grander scheme that could affect the direction of the world. Most of the show involves them working with the "Silvana," a large airship lead by a quiet and cool man in black named Alex Row. Claus begins working for the Silvana as a pilot, and Lavie, not happy with the decision... hangs around and does nothing?As rich as the world of "Last Exile" is, the story quickly became tedious for me, and I became more and more aware of the faults in the narrative. Claus and Lavie (of which Lavie is the common poster child in the promotional art) as a team should have been the biggest draw. They should have a friendship, they should each have strengths that are important as their adventure progresses. But no... Lavie explores different parts of the ship for the viewer to see, and is mostly forgotten. And not only does Claus begin piloting smaller ships for this rogue army, he is treated as an invincible hero. A hero that the entire crew of the Silvana (both women and men) seems to want to sleep with. It's as if the show mixes both the best and worst that anime tropes have to offer.I'll take an example that occurs late in the series: the second-in-command of the Silvana, a woman, is revealed to secretly be a princess of sorts for one of the empires. Within a couple episodes, she is evacuated from the ship, leads her nation, is attacked in a coup, and returns back to the Silvana as if nothing happened. At the end of this short arc, the woman (still dressed in a low-cut princess outfit) bows slightly to Claus on the ship, giving Claus (and the viewer) a brief shot down her dress at her cleavage. Claus blushes. I nearly threw a fit: they wrote a plot-thread in solely for a fanservice moment. 
It's a massive shame, since there are Shakespeare-levels of drama and tragedy that occur in "Last Exile." It's a world I want to explore and learn more about, a world I want to get lost in. But in the case of this series, the story is so slow and misguided that I couldn't help but be disappointed. Admittedly, the ending is satisfying, and I was happy to see there was an ending at all.Aside from plot, "Last Exile" took everything Studio Gonzo could give it. A lot of hybrid 2D and 3D is involved, but in this context, doesn't look bad. In fact, the show still looks great, in part because of the unique setting and opportuntiies for action and cool poses by certain characters with varied designs. It does get tiresome to always look at orange, brown and grey, but that's a nitpick. The show's opening song is a major highlight, and still one of the better openings you can find in anime, both in terms of music and visuals. By comparison, the music during the series is good, but a bit simple and not as memorable, and harder to appreciate unless you listen to it on its own after the show. I sometimes wonder if I would appreciate "Last Exile" more in a second viewing. I also wonder if I can force myself to watch the whole thing all over again. "Last Exile" is a mess, made up of brilliant pieces, but ruined by poor structure and story. I would still recommend trying to watch a few episodes online to get a taste of it and decide for yourself to watch the rest, since there really is nothing else like it. Few other shows are even as ambitious. More should attempt to shoot for the stars, even if they just fall back to the ground again.