Today I watched episodes 4 to 6 of Last Exile Ginyoku no Fam and I have to say they really managed to ramp up the hype for me. Tatiana Wisla is here together with her navigator Alister Agrew and they seem to be the captain and vice captain of the Silvius, a phantom ship that looks like it will be central to the storyline. The moment they appeared I felt that familiar mix of nostalgia and excitement since their presence connects the world much more to the one of the original series.

They basically took the role once filled by Alexander Row and Sophia Forrester, who served as captain and vice captain of the Silvana in the first anime. The parallels are clearer than ever. Fam is the stand in for Claus and Millia mirrors Al, although their personalities give the story a fresh dynamic. I honestly prefer Fam to Claus by a good margin so that feels like an upgrade for the overall pacing and energy of the show.

The Dio introduced in the first three episodes is the same Dio from the original series, which means Claus, Lavie and Al must also exist somewhere in this world. I doubt they will show up soon since their presence could easily overshadow the current cast. Keeping them in the background for now is probably the right decision and it adds a bit of tension since you never know when the writers might finally bring them back.

These episodes feel like deliberate build up for the coming clash between the main forces. Tatiana wants to use Millia's declaration of a Government in Exile as a justification to launch a war against the Ades Federation which is abusing the Exile as a weapon rather than treating it as a colony ship. The moral contrast is becoming sharper with every episode and it gives the conflict a weight that I like.

At the same time Luscinia is purging anyone who opposes him within the Ades Federation. He keeps using the name of the empress to justify these actions which makes it even more unsettling. This level of internal power grabbing almost certainly paints him as the main antagonist going forward and the show is slowly revealing just how far he is willing to go.

There was a scene showing what I assumed to be the previous empress on her death bed and I guess he had some sort of connection to her that will only be explained much later in the series.

The series continues to alternate really well between the cute and lively character moments shared by the girls in the main cast and the brutal scenes tied to the war and political purges within the Ades Federation. That contrast gives the show a rhythm that is easy to watch even when the plot gets heavy. It also keeps the characters feeling grounded since their quiet scenes never feel disconnected from the chaos around them.

By the way both the OP song Buddy by Sakamoto Maaya and the ED song Starboard by Hitomi are fantastic. They fit the tone of the anime perfectly and I am probably going to keep listening to them on loop until I burn myself out over the next few weeks.

Now it is time to jump into the next episodes. I am really looking forward to seeing where the story takes us from here.