Suisei no Gargantia

[antemortem]

Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet

Suisei no Gargantia 翠星のガルガンティア

Synopsis

The story begins in the distant future in the far reaches of the galaxy. The Human Galactic Alliance has been constantly fighting for its survival against a grotesque race of beings called "Hidiaazu." During an intense battle, the young lieutenant Ledo and his humanoid mobile weapon Chamber are swallowed up into a distortion of time and space. Waking from his artificially induced hibernation, Ledo realizes that he has arrived on Earth, the planet on the lost frontier. On this planet that was completely flooded by the seas, people live in fleets of giant ships, salvaging relics from the seas' depths in order to survive. Ledo arrives on one of the fleets called Gargantia. With no knowledge of the planet's history or culture, he is forced to live alongside Amy, a 15-year-old girl who serves as a messenger aboard the Gargantia fleet. To Ledo, who has lived a life where he knows nothing but fighting, these days of peace continue to surprise him...

source: myanimelist

Information

Episodes: 13
Status: Currently Airing
Aired: Sunday, Apr 7, 2013 to ?
Genres: Action, Mecha, Sci-Fi

 

[Taemin]

That's one of those scifi shows that I figured would be a lot of the other scifi-based anime series, but it's been sitting on my watch list. I should give it a go, I just usually glaze over things with space, and mechs now days, because I've seen so dang many of them. xD;

I like the art style / characters to this one, though. Looks interesting.

 

[Esper]

It seems like an okay premise. I have to admit I'm kind of fond of those mecha stories with a serious-faced young protagonist and a happy, innocent girl foil for his character to play off, but that doesn't fill me with confidence that this show is going to tread any new ground and that's really what I'd want to see: them doing that kind of story but doing something new and different with it. Nothing from that synopsis about it stands out as a big 'no' but nothing stands out as a big 'yes' either.

 

[Oryx]

So far there's very little mech action/any action, it's more slice-of-life cutesy kinds of things. This is my second favorite show this season, after Attack on Titan.

I have noticed that some fansub groups call him Red instead of Ledo. Interesting.

 

[antemortem]

So far there's very little mech action/any action, it's more slice-of-life cutesy kinds of things. This is my second favorite show this season, after Attack on Titan.

I have noticed that some fansub groups call him Red instead of Ledo. Interesting.

Especially episode four/five. Only the first episode had a lot of mecha involvement, though there subtle hints subsequently added to each episode, bar five. It's really hardly even a mecha, haha.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

It's Urobochi, I would watch even if it was crap xD (Which Urobochi cannot do btw :D)
I love the animation, it's really well done.
Story progresses interestingly in the last episodes.
And Amy is so cute~ :D

 

[DrFuji]

I've been enjoying Gargantia, the setting is beautiful and the premise of military-minded Ledo being dumped in a completely 'alien' world of sunshine and happiness is quite interesting. I'm not exactly satisfied with the characters though; aside from Ledo, Amy, Pinion and Ridget (after having an entire episode dedicated to her development) they all seem somewhat empty in my opinion. That being said, I'm definitely looking forward to any future developments and seeing what they get up to from day to day :P

It's Urobochi, I would watch even if it was crap xD (Which Urobochi cannot do btw :D)

He's only written the first and last episodes though... Soooooo, bloodbath at the last second anybody?

 

[antemortem]

I'm not exactly satisfied with the characters though; aside from Ledo, Amy, Pinion and Ridget (after having an entire episode dedicated to her development) they all seem somewhat empty in my opinion. That being said, I'm definitely looking forward to any future developments and seeing what they get up to from day to day :P

Neither am I. Apart from those and maybe Bevel (Bebel? I get different translations each episode) nobody's really had much development going for them storyside, especially Bellows. I'd really like to know more about Bellows, and not just because she reminds me of Yuko Littner from Gurren Lagann. :P She seems pretty chill, but I wouldn't be surprised if she was one of those 'hard exterior to better withdraw her shameful past' characters, I really wouldn't.

 

[DrFuji]

Hoh boy, episode nine brought out the big guns didn't it?

Spoiler:

Honestly the Evolutionists seemed like sore losers in the backstory. Their plan to turn everybody into a long-living Hideauze and drift to the new planet was evidently just one of many proposals. The Union had a duty to shut them down once their ethical failings were brought to light but what do they do in retaliation? Try to destroy the warp that would see humans leave for good and give them peace to remain on earth or expand elsewhere (they obviously don't need the new planet if they can live in space). They were able to differentiate themselves from humans so quickly it seems like they're trying to justify their failings (i.e the idea that they had to remove their humanity to reach the new planet) without losing face. Their solution was unnecessarily extreme so now they have to apparently 'kill all humans' rather than rectify their situation. The Galactic Alliance obviously have an ulterior motive by removing all mention of the human-Hideauze history, but I ultimately think it all boils down to the first Hideauze putting to much faith in their bio-engineering and refusing to back down even when they were wrong both ethically and rationally.

Post-humanist vs purist debate go!

Neither am I. Apart from those and maybe Bevel (Bebel? I get different translations each episode) nobody's really had much development going for them storyside, especially Bellows. I'd really like to know more about Bellows, and not just because she reminds me of Yuko Littner from Gurren Lagann. :P She seems pretty chill, but I wouldn't be surprised if she was one of those 'hard exterior to better withdraw her shameful past' characters, I really wouldn't.

Yeah, Bevel (I had to check his name as well) can join all of the cool kids in the 'character development pile'.

Feisty red-head with some great stonking-bazongas? Yup, that's that describes Bellows and Yoko to a T :P

 

[antemortem]

Hoh boy, episode nine brought out the big guns didn't it?
Episode Nine really murdered my feels.

Spoiler:

Honestly the Evolutionists seemed like sore losers in the backstory. Their plan to turn everybody into a long-living Hideauze and drift to the new planet was evidently just one of many proposals. The Union had a duty to shut them down once their ethical failings were brought to light but what do they do in retaliation? Try to destroy the warp that would see humans leave for good and give them peace to remain on earth or expand elsewhere (they obviously don't need the new planet if they can live in space). They were able to differentiate themselves from humans so quickly it seems like they're trying to justify their failings (i.e the idea that they had to remove their humanity to reach the new planet) without losing face. Their solution was unnecessarily extreme so now they have to apparently 'kill all humans' rather than rectify their situation. The Galactic Alliance obviously have an ulterior motive by removing all mention of the human-Hideauze history, but I ultimately think it all boils down to the first Hideauze putting to much faith in their bio-engineering and refusing to back down even when they were wrong both ethically and rationally.

Post-humanist vs purist debate go!

Spoiler:

Basically my take on the whole thing. I feel like trying to force an extremist attitude on the rest of society as a dual-edge ultimatum - freeze to death on the planet being plagued by a fifth Ice Age, or be bio-genetically engineered to be able to live in a totally new environment - was an edgy moved the ultimately lead to their downfall. However, the fact that the Galactic Alliance wants to remove any and all traces of the 'Evolutionists,' or the Hideauze, is a little skeevy since nobody really knows what they're fighting for except for the fact 'the Hideauze are bad and must be annihilated.' Even worse, nobody questions the motives of the higher ups and continue to conform to the motif that the Hideauze are the enemy and the only reason to exist is to kill the enemy.

 

[Weeaboo Name]

SENMETSU.

Spoiler:

Looking forward for seeing what happens when Sugitabot decides Ledo isn't fit to pilot him any more.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

Spoiler:

Looking forward for seeing what happens when Sugitabot decides Ledo isn't fit to pilot him any more.

Spoiler:

I don't think that's gonna happen... Chamber can think that but according to laws of Galactic Alliance Ledo is superior officer so Ledo can order Chamber to work.

 

[Weeaboo Name]

Spoiler:

I don't think that's gonna happen... Chamber can think that but according to laws of Galactic Alliance Ledo is superior officer so Ledo can order Chamber to work.

Spoiler:

Considering all that groundwork they put in with Amy's brother and how they've stated on multiple occasions that people who are unfit for battle are disposed of it seems likely to me.

 

[antemortem]

Spoiler:

Considering all that groundwork they put in with Amy's brother and how they've stated on multiple occasions that people who are unfit for battle are disposed of it seems likely to me.

Spoiler:

Fair enough, but this is not that kind of anime and Ledo is 'fit' for battle, as he is not crippled with any type of disease nor is he injured. Now, if he does come down with something or ends up injuring himself, I could see that happening, but for the time being he is perfectly fit and is the commanding officer on-sight, and Chamber should henceforth stay loyal.

 

[Weeaboo Name]

Spoiler:

A soldier that is not willing to fight and kill is not fit to be a soldier.

 

[Rogue planet]

I thought this series was going to dissapoint me but it is pretty entertaining, I was surprised by how much I like it. It's a nice concept, almost reminds me of a fledgling Ghibli at cetain points.

Unfortunately what didn't surprise me was certain parts of the predictable plot...

Spoiler:

come one, surely we all see it coming that the Hideauze originate from humans? I was hoping it wouldn't be done, seeing as Attack on Titan seems to be going the same route, and Shinsekai Yori did the same thing also...

Also, Lapras, I totally agree. It's been so heavily implied that Chamber is going to turn against Ledo, that I hope it's not true simply because it's been made so predictable.

 

[Weeaboo Name]

Twist will be the fact that Chamber actually contains

Spoiler:

the soul of Ledo's brother, or whoever was in the flashback.

Episode 10

Spoiler:

Squidfags got told.

Cult.

Pinion pretty much confirmed for big bad.

 

[Pokedra]

Spoiler:

Interesting, seems like his Commander is back?

Although I wonder how they'll wrap this up with only 2-3 episodes left?

 

[DrFuji]

Well now that its all over there is only one question that remains unresolved...

Spoiler:

How come we haven't invented a brobot like Chamber yet?

All in all, I think Gargantia's ending worked out nicely. I had fears that Chamber was going to die since the entire theme has been 'growing up' so the loss of Ledo's authority figure was always going to happen in some form or another. I'm really glad he went out with a bang and some epic one-liners though. Pinion also seems to have ended up with Lukkage so I'm totally down for that as well.

I think the past 2-3 episodes as well as the first two were the high points of Gargantia's run. While the intermediary episodes have been fun at points, they felt full of SoL stuff (though this is permissible considering the non-generic setting) and mild filler. Ultimately I think that Suisei Gargantia was a well done anime with a nice message but many of the characters fell flat, leaving the middle episodes which relied almost entirely on their various interactions to feel bad.

 

[Weeaboo Name]

I thought the series turned boring and predictable towards the end, Chamber was the only reason I kept on watching.