Spoiler warning.

BFFL!!!

There were high expectations for Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet this Spring, and I think it lived up to them well, but not completely. Frankly, although it’s very good, I can’t say it’s as great as we expected, due to certain minor issues. 

The story goes as follows: Earth underwent some type of natural catastrophe. There were two opposing sides when it came to dealing with the situation, and it lead to both sides becoming enemies. One side modified their genes, and became what is known as the Hideauze. The other side remained human and formed a strict military-based society called Gallactic Alliance. Both retreated to space, and waged war, but some humans stayed on Earth as well as some hideauze. Fast forward to the future, and Gallactic Alliance is still in battle with Hideauze. The main character Ledo, is a soldier for the G.A. and somehow, through a distortion of time & space, he gets transported unto Earth. There, people live peacefully among each other on fleets (the earth is now buried deep within water), aside from the occasional visit from pirates. Eventually, Ledo being a hardcore fight-or-die soldier, undergoes a psychological shift because he has to adjust to new methods of thinking and living. He tries to understand the purpose behind Gargantia’s not-so-organized, not-so-strict societal structure, and what they live for. After having met Bebel—my favorite moment of the anime— he starts to question the purpose of his actions on Earth

Without any further ado, onto my favorite part: themes. My favorite theme of the anime was coexistence. This topic was very emphasized and explored, not only amongst humans themselves, but also between humans and other species with whom they share Earth; more specifically the Hideauze. To coexist means to live peacefully amongst one another; not only amongst mankind, but also amongst all of us species who share this one planet. Through this we realize we’re not any more powerful nor important than other animals and societies different from our own. We each just have a different way of living. It’s important that we respect the lifestyles of others.

I thought it would only be about Ledo adapting to his new environment. In the first half of the series, the plot developed smoothly and Ledo's development was slowly and sweetly pacing. But of course every story needs to have a conflict, doesn't it? With this story there was more than one, but they were about Ledo making what Gargantia considered mistakes. Of course they were to contribute to his character development. I thought this was brilliant because it’s a bit of a change from the usual literary structure where only one big conflict arises. We finally see how much he has come to value ethics during the situation with commander Kugel & Striker. However, I thought the second half was a bit rushed. Everything happened quite fast, and there were certain aspects I felt were unnecessary, such as Pinion's initiation into Kugel's society; the minutes Striker spent explaining how much she valued his skills, and the little test she made him do, only to have him reject the offer afterwards? Totally useless. What was also useless was Lukkage’s presence. She didn't contribute much aside from helping out in battle.

It’s possible the second half felt rushed to me because such a big conflict was introduced so late. So, I would have appreciated that Kugel were introduced a bit earlier into the story, and that we’d have gotten to know a bit more of how he operates his fleet; that we could have seen him, more specifically Striker, be the dominating, fearful entity he claims to be in action as oppose to Lukkage simply explaining it to Pinion.

I appreciate the history of the space hideauze and the G.A. Their history showcases that humans are fighting against themselves in a war that has been dragged on so long they've forgotten how they even got to where they are. I think this idea that humans are fighting themselves can be applied to certain other histories in our own world.

Perhaps Gargantia should have had more episodes, where Ledo could have had much longer, detailed flashbacks as oppose to 1 second teasers. This way, perhaps that moment he lost his brother, due to the laws of the Gallactic Alliance, we could've fully experienced it with him. Other moments, like how soldiers are raised, would also have been appreciated.

After all, I enjoyed this anime. I appreciate that this mecha sci-fi digs deep into the roots of their history. Despite the useless ecchi (which the second half surprisingly lacked of), the animation was quite lovely and so were most of the character designs. I didn't like Amy’s rosy joints though; what’s up with that?

I would certainly re-watch it, but maybe only once more.

 I wish they would've kissed in this scene, as one last act of  fan-service, you know?