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Feature Presentation:
Special thanks to Geneon Entertainment for sending a copy for a review for this site. After the amazing battle from the last volume & the cliff hanger moment when the Silvana went down, finally, you get to know what happen next. You get to see more in-depth about each characters, especially Claus & Lavie, along with shocking turns of events. Not to mention what is really going on & a little clue what the Exile will be. It will be a surprise to remember! As we left off, Tatiana's Vanship got shot down & at that moment, she was locked in shock because she relized that a promise she made was broken. Claus help her pull her out & managed to land safely. Out in the middle of no where, not knowing what happen to the Silvana, they worked together for survival. You get a few laughing moments, some sweet, some sad. Oh, remembers those birds from that race in a previous episode? They are back! It's cute. In their mist, the reasons why the Disith are at war & somehow, Sophia have an important role. I might want to add that there are many more beautiful moments in the episodes on this volume, while others, you might not understand what's going on, but you can feel the pain.
Video:
Geneon Entertainment did a very great job. I found no problem, the image are clear & the color looks perfect. To top things off, the series is feature on Widescreen format. If you got a Widescreen TV, you're going to enjoy this even more. There is some watermarks done for the introduction & ending credits (they are translated in English). Each episodes are separated into 6 parts: the prologue, the introduction, part A, part B, ending & the preview for the next episode! Since all the episodes are on one single track on the DVD, there is no loading time or changing tracks when you move on to the next episode. I do note that you can skip all those warnings & logos when you first load the DVD by just pressing the "Menu" button on your remote control.
Dubbing: English:
The English dubbing is well done. The voices really suit the characters. I don't know who doing the voice that read the title reading at the beginning of each episode, but it got it exactly as the Japanese reading. The best part of the dubbing is when Claus is calling & trying to snap Tatiana out of her shock! It's really impacting! It's about 80% of the original Japanese.
Audio 01: English 2.0:
No problem found. I just want to note that this series should get a 5.1 audio track. It's just too good to get a standard 2.0 audio track.
Audio 02: Japanese 2.0:
No problem found.
Subtitle:
Geneon Entertainment have selected a great font, very easy to read. They use green for the introduction & ending themes, the rest is yellow for the dialogue. Like before, there is only one subtitling track, which is for the Japanese dialogue. I guess there is no need for Japanese translations for signs & text. However, you won't get any subtitle for the introduction or ending theme, except if you turn it on. I might note that every odd numbered episodes, the intro & ending subtitles are in English, while the even numbered episodes are in Japanese on this volume.
Menu Option:
The menu is also in widescreen format, but if got just a regular full screen TV, it will display in that format with no problem. The menu design remains the same, the side of a Vanship. Selecting any options will move it to another part of the Vanship in a quick dash effect. You can also see a little clip in the middle, reflecting the episodes on this volume. There is the "Play All", "Screen Access", "Set Up" & "Extras". The background music is the introduction theme on the main menu, however, the other parts have no background music.
DVD Extras:
Well, the art gallery remains the same. All the artworks are related to what you see or meet on this volume. This time, there is another extra, a little photo collection from the Last Exile Exhibition in Tokyo. Make you feel you want to get your hands on those for your own collections.
Packaging:
Another cool translucent packaging (it's shines in light), the same design being used again. Now, it's really feels like collecting those special rare cards. A warning though, do not get it wet. It will damaged it. In the front, you see Dio with an army of Guild ships in the background In the back, the background is the Disith fleet along with three screenshots. You can also noticed the new logo "Geneon" along side with the old "Pioneer" name. The insert got the chapter listing, as well a very cute artwork with Claus & Lavie as little kids. They look so happy. Inside the insert, you have the specification of Tatiana's Vanship, giving details what purpose of each section. The DVD disc cover remains the same boring plain fuzzy cover, but the Vanship logo is green now. You can barely see the title on it! Since the DVD case is clear, you get to see a sky with clouds background, reflecting what's this series is about.
PC Viewing:
Watching it on the PC is the same as watching it on the TV. Very clean, no problem at all, very little pixel (little squares popping in & out), both normal mode & full screen mode. The sound is just great. The episodes are place on one single track as you play the episodes, so loading time is really small. You can fast forward to the first episode to the last episode with one move on your mouse! The only thing annoying is the menu option. You have to click on the little arrow to make the selection, instead of the word, for example, "Play". Like on your regular DVD player, you can skip the warnings & logos when you load the disc, just use the "menu" option to go to the menu screen.
Overall DVD Rating:
Honestly, after the ending from the previous volume, I really can't wait to see what happen next. This series still fill with many surprises, along with more secrets. I really enjoy the little flash back about Claus & Lavie, but it's a moment that can touch your heart.
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