zalena | Last Exile: Fam Silverwing

So despite the fact that I am not generally an anime fan, several years ago

kung_fu_monkey introduced me to Last Exile and I liked it. I suppose you could say its steam, though they are actually fueled by a lighter than air element called "Claudio" and have these little "vanships" that are like flying eggbeaters/vintage aircraft. It has adventure and a spunky female protagonist... what's not to like?

Well, it turns out there is a sequel Last Exile: Fam Silverwing, and it has THREE girl protagonists, and thus far it's even better than the first Last Exile. Although they share common elements, there is only one crossover character and you would probably be able to follow the story without having seen the first one.

Fam Silverwing is about this girl air pirate and her best friend navigator (also female). They live in this world that went through a catastrophe. All the wealthy people left on spaceships called "Exiles" and were gone for a long time. Civilization rebuilt itself. Then the wealthy people came back and wanted to take over where they had been before. But making this conflict even more complicated is that there is also an Empire that is trying to unify everyone through conquering them. So the petty feudal squabbles are now having to deal with this superior military force that has a secret weapon on its hands.

Anyway, the girls, Fam Fan Fan (spunky pilot), Giselle (her navigator friend) get mixed up in it when they rescue a princess while her country is being destroyed. Having sworn their loyalty through friendship, the unaffiliated air pirates are now involved in the conflict.

There is, of course, a girly-boy 'angel' character who seems to come from some kind of alien race with superior technology And it seems that one of the top military leaders for the Empire is also an 'angel.' But what I can't get over is that there is so much *action* in a show that essentially has three teenaged girls as its protagonists. And they just landed in a foreign country and took on a fourth female character. You would never see this many women in a Western action/adventure cartoon. And there are also emotional story arcs about friendship and jealousy. And I absolutely love it.

If you're interested in Last Exile: Fam Silverwing you can see it on Hulu for free. They are adding a new episode every week. Your inner aviatrix will thank you.