After all the flashy vanship races and glamorous aristocrats of previous volumes, Last Exile #4 turns out to be this series most low key and story driven volume yet. Of course it's a jarring change of pace after the sugary sweet eye candy we've been treated to up until this point, but with fiery love triangles and frayed friendships now popping up all over the Silvana and our clueless hero Claus seemingly in the middle of it all, it's these kind of episodes that really make or break a series.

Watching the Silvana slowly sink from the beautiful clear blue skies of Prestale, distraught vanship pilots Claus and Tatiana, who had been defending their ship from a deadly Anatorary attack, find themselves stranded in a remote desert with two broken engines and little fuel. Tatiana, who had already reached her wits end when old navi and closest friend Alistia quit on her, has all but lost the will to live and it's left to the ever-optimistic Claus to find a way back to the Silvana and to inspire the flagging spirit of Tatiana along the way.

Upon his return to the Silvana, Claus soon finds out, courtesy of a photograph stolen by the mischievous Guild runaway Dio, that Captain Alex Row has more of a connection to him (and indeed, his and Lavie's deceased fathers) than he ever dared to imagine.
Elsewhere, the war of Prestale takes on darker shades of desperation as the homeless Disith fleet fly against the odds to attack the Anatorary capital. It is revealed that the Disith people don't want to fight, but just to settle on Anatorary territory since their land has become too cold. The Anatorary King, himself worried about a sudden spike in temperature, fears a lack of water and outright rejects peace with the Disith people.
Everything is left in the warm and loving hands of the soon to be Queen of Anatorary, Sophia.

Treating us to more character development and story exposition than I expected, this fourth volume of Last Exile makes for an intriguing, if slow experience. These episodes excel at intertwining an epic story of warring countries and naive politics with well developed personal relationships, romance and engrossing drama. Claus is the hub of love here, with now no less than three girls (including one major, if rather disturbing surprise!) chasing his affection; and while I'm not sure if I understand exactly why, it makes interesting viewing none the less. I do find myself questioning Tatiana's sudden change of attitude, but I suspect this is just how people grow and after all, it only takes a few seconds to fall in love.

Ambiguous love triangles aside, the close friendship between Claus and Lavie is touchingly reinforced on this volume with several extended flashbacks to their days as young kids, fending for themselves and reaching for a compelling dream of flight in the clear blue sky. Their steely determination is perfectly underlined as we meet their doomed parents and watch as these heart-broken children eventually have no-one left but themselves. Its obvious Claus and Lavie love flying together and their euphoric reactions and completely awe-struck faces during their first flight with their fathers is a beautifully directed moment.

In Summary

While Last Exile #4 contains none of the sheer excitement seen in previous volumes, fans of this series should enjoy watching the story develop and seeing their favourite characters continue to grow and change. The wonderfully handled flashback to the young lives of Claus and Lavie was a particular high point and with the epic scale of Last Exile set to explode in the next volume as Sophia becomes the Queen of Anatorary, I am still thoroughly enjoying this exciting, romantic journey.