Disclaimer
This review is an attempt at reviewing a piece of media as unbias as possible. This reviewer hates the idea that an over fluffed opinion counts as a review. I review based off of plot, characterization, emotional pull, episode quality, and creativity and I do not review based off of original source material or other media and material that did a better or worse job. Even if this media comes highly recommended, you may not be interested in it, and that is fine, not everyone is into specific genres or can still dislike something really well made, it happens. Just because you dislike it doesn't make it bad however. Let's review.
WARNING possible spoilers WARNING
So the plot is a bit complex. There are a lot of things going on, Claus and Lavie just want to be in the sky in their vanship, Alex Row wants revenge, and people just want water. Then there is the guild who are run by a crazy woman. Let's try to sum this up. There is a war going on between two countries, the war is about water and is slightly manipulated by a group that just stay in the skies called the guild. The main characters have little to do with this, and are simply trying to surpass their fathers in flying. Claus said it best, that half the time he is jsut a spectator, and I think that sums up a lot of the anime in general.
The plot has a lot to do with the lore of the world, and the issue is that the lore isn't fully explained leaving the plot rather convoluted. It is good, but not good enough to ignore the issues of confusion fully. What is Exile, and why is Al a small girl connected to it? Where the heck do the guild come from? There are a ton of unanswered questions that just leave the audience confused which is a shame. Some of these questions I haven't found answers too even doing research, so I'm not sure what to think. What is there story wise however, outside of the obvious lore, is pretty decent with political strife and a plot that really makes you think about life in our world, so it isn't all bad by any means, and the events in the anime do make sense, even if the questions the events bring make little sense.
Claus is naive and ignorant, but he isn't stupid and he is a great pilot with a natural skill. He often feels like a spectator even though he'd rather do more in his world, but he is no fighter at the same time. Lavie is one who'd rather observe and keeps Claus from becoming a darker person, as she also repairs the vanship as well. Alvis is a small girl, key to everything, and is just a typical girl honestly. Alex Row is the cool guy sharpshooter but while he is intelligent he can be narrow minded at times. There are a bunch of other characters, and while they share traits with cliche anime characters, they aren't exactly like them, and honestly it is hard not to find someone to cheer for in this anime...
... Which makes it equally said if one of the people you are cheering for dies. One character who is a pain and someone that is easily disliked at first, grows on you like he does with other characters which is a nice emotional tug, until that character is tortured and has his mind wiped a bit. Two characters have their coolest moment, fighting and achieving their personal goals, right before they die rather abruptly and heroically. It is sad, but their deaths are not pointless either (pointless death being a character who dies suddenly and for little reason and is barely remembered by other characters). It is sometimes sad, but death done right is that way. The action scenes, mostly dog fights in the sky or racing, is really well done, and you can really feel the confusion of Claus who is trying to continue in this world and make a difference. Characters are shot, people change through experiences, and emotionally the anime grows up but finds some piece of mind in the end. It is a great ride.
The animation is pretty awesome in this anime. It never misses a beat when going from 2-D animation to the 3-D animated ships and fights. It is hardly noticeable and fits perfectly together. Since the series is a bit on the shorter side, not as short as some anime (cough Hellsing cough), but it is short enough and complex enough to not waste a single episode. Things sometimes will happen quickly and rush around a bit, but the episodes, while they do show other characters, never looses too much focus on Claus. The rushing part is problematic and probably has connections with the plot issues as well, since the anime doesn't take much down time before other things happen despite how relaxed the first few episodes are. Yes you notice this more towards the end suggesting a rush to finish which causes a few issues, and looking away for a few seconds left me more lost towards the end of the anime. glad the animation is awesome though.
Look up scenes with Dio a few times. This guy is crazy and annoying but grows on you (yes I mentioned him before). Him and the Guild, their designs are actually pretty weird at first but like Dio, they grow on you. Exile's design is pretty epic, and the ships are designed rather well. The settings are displayed in a way to make the airships and locations seem like mapped out real locations which is fantastic. The only time the settings get disorienting is in the "Grand Stream" an air flow above the world that connects the two countries at war, and while they offer shortcuts like what the Guild uses, the winds are very dangerous especially for a small little vanship which is the origin for Claus and Lavie flying one in the first place. While the lore is confusing and has little answers, it is still pretty creative what you can catch on too, like the Guild's connection to water. Pretty good stuff here.
Overall the main issues is the episodes rushing towards the end and the confusing plot elements that are never answered and seem to make little sense possibly also caused by the rush at the end, though if there is a manga it wasn't answered there either. Other then those two large issues, this anime is amazing. The plot elements you do understand are awesome and paint a good lore to the land, the characters are pretty good, emotional pull is fantastic, and the animation is just wonderful along side the designs of ships and characters from different lands.
I recommend giving this anime a try if you like emotional moments, great airship battles and races, and don't mind a realistic cast of characters that follow relatable traits from obvious cliches, but do them well enough to make them feel a bit more real. If you don't mind some confusing moments in the lore and a bit of a rush in the episodes, then this anime isn't bad at all. If what I just said doesn't appeal to you, then I can't say watch it. If it does appeal to you however, I'd recommend watching first, as the issues could turn some people off from the anime itself.