Last Exile - First Move (Vol. 1)
Noted designer Mahiro Maeda gives this sci-fi adventure a striking, muted  look that mixes elements of Buck Rogers, Weimar Germany, and Napoleonic France.  Childhood friends Claus and Lavie dream of becoming a top Vanship team: daring  pilots who serve as mail couriers, flying their small ships to dangerous  destinations. Just as they're about to win an important race and establish the  reputation they desire, Claus insists they stop to aid a disabled ship. The pilot  entrusts them with Al, a mysterious little girl who is being pursued by an  angularmecha-ship. Although Lavie and Claus are clearly in over their  heads, they promise to see Al is taken to safety. The storytelling in this new  action-adventure is considerably less polished than its original visuals, and  the filmmakers fail to set up the odd, war-torn world of the series  satisfactorily. (Rated 13 and older: violence, minor profanity, tobacco use)--Charles Solomon