uhuels - 2013-09-14 17:01:57

Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet is a show that wanted to do something different in the Mecha genre. Personally, I'm fine with shows trying to do things differently compared to the other shows in its genre, but Gargantia is that show that doesn't execute it all perfectly. Needless to say that it is the best Spring 2013 Mecha, but it is far from being the show that you could praise all day.

Gargantia is a show about Ledo, a pilot from The Human Galactic Alliance, which is a military branch in space that fights a race of beings called the "Hidiaazu". During one of the battles, Ledo and his humanoid Mecha, Chamber, gets teleported to Earth. In this setting, Earth is primarily filled with seas and the people are forced to live on fleets. Ledo and Chamber enter a fleet known as Gargantia and "meet" a girl known as Amy, who is the messenger on Gargantia. She tries to help Ledo cope with this new society of peace.

Gargantia easily takes influence from Full Metal Panic!, which contains good and bad points to it. With this story set-up, Gargantia isn't the kind of show that was made for action 24/7, but when it isn't focusing on some sort of action, the story feels dull and extremely uninteresting. There are even times when full episodes are just focused on fanservice rather than moving the characters forward. The main theme of Gargantia is to get out and explore the world, but it is hardly able to be presented in a meaningful way through the pointless first half of the show.

With that being said, the second half of Gargantia is easily a big improvement, bringing in a much more serious tone. This is also where the influence from Full Metal Panic! comes in, where the much more serious arcs of that show were the parts of it that were much more meaningful to the overall story, rather than in the light-hearted portions. Gargantia does a nice job of bringing in smaller themes that compliment the show very nicely, like the senseless killing of animals being a good or bad thing.

The last few episodes of the show introduce a nice plot twist with a very entertaining ending to it all, along with having the best quote from a Mecha you'll find out there. Getting to this point of the show was the hard part, since the first half loved to take its sweet time trying to move forward. It just felt like more of a slow-paced slice-of-life comedy before you got anywhere meaningful. The second half of the show was easily the less painful part of it to sit through, but you can't help but wish that the first half decided to take the same path that the latter did. You can easily tell that more effort was put forth in the second half with the progression of the story actually being existent.

Gargantia's characters also have some spitting images of the main leads in Full Metal Panic!, but it doesn't have the likable cast to carry the show's lacking story like FMP! did. Ledo is that character that only knew how to behave in the military, so his involvement in a society outside of it all was nice, but just felt lackluster at times, since he started to show development in some areas, but would lose all of it the next coming scene. This is especially a shame since there are scenes where some genuine emotion was released out of him, but didn't impact the show as much as you would like.

The rest of the cast is honestly just a group of people that shouldn't be mentioned as much. Amy isn't necessarily a plot device, but she doesn't serve a great purpose in the show, even when she has a use in the first half. She's really only there to give Ledo some boost to try out different things in Gargantia, like helping him get a job and whatnot.

The supporting cast is very weak and doesn't do too much throughout the show. Their main purpose throughout the show was to try and give their opposing thoughts to Ledo's every single time they were around. For example, if Ledo decided to use force against someone, the supporting cast would be there to tell him that he is wrong and should try to be as peaceful as possible. While I do understand entirely that Gargantia was meant to be that peaceful environment, it just got annoying to see them reiterate their ideas over and over.

All in all, the lack of character development is what disappointed me the most. The character archetypes introduced were ones that had a bunch of potential to be developed, but Gargantia was one of those kinds of shows where the result of the development was present at the end, but the process of it wasn't present. Instead, you get a nice little time-skip for all of your troubles.

First things first, the OP and ED songs are very nice compliments to the setting of Gargantia in the first half, being songs that present a more light-hearted and peaceful sound. That feeling starts to go away with the latter parts of the show, but they served their purpose when it was needed. The sound effects feel right and each characters seiyuu also played their parts well.

Gargantia contains some very nice and fluid fight scenes when they actually occur. Every move the Mecha's make just feel right and well-done. Chamber was also paid some heavy attention to, but every other Mecha also had some love to them as well. Even the smallest actions were made to impress. If only this show had more fight scenes to drool over. Character designs aren't all that well done, however. Some of the characters just feel look seriously disgusting.

The setting of Gargantia is something that is very bright and beautiful. It never feels dull when you're looking at it and at times, you could probably tell yourself that you would not mind living there (if you're into that kind of thing, of course). In the latter parts of the show, it does look dull at times due to their setting, but even then, some of the colors do come out and just give more life to the seemingly lifeless areas.

At first, I had to stop watching this show around episode 6, just because of the poor pacing and lack of effort in the show's writing to that point. It wasn't necessarily a snore fest, but it was easily not a lot of fun to sit through. After hearing about the improved second half, the show was much more fun to watch. To keep it short: if you're someone who enjoys seeing great action scenes in your Mecha, you'll find it in Gargantia, but it is short-lived. If you're someone who just likes a more slice-of-life esque feeling to your Mecha, then Gargantia will be a nice watch.

Gargantia had the potential to not only be the best Mecha of Spring 2013, but to be the best show of the season. Sadly, the lack of effort in both the story and characters really ruins the show in general. It's the biggest pain when you have nice production values present, but you don't use some of that money to hire writers that can make a genuinely nice story. If you're into the unorthodox style of Real Robot Mecha shows, it would be best to stay away from this title.

runolfsson.titus - 2013-09-14 11:49:06

Gargantia. I just finished it. I am not feeling the way I expected to feel.

Suisei no Gargantia (I have taken to calling it by it's Japanese title - rolls better off the tongue in my opinion), has heart. After I watched the first three episodes in one sitting, I felt like I was in for something good.

We follow the story of Ensign Ledo, a young soldier serving the Galactic Alliance of Humanity. For some time now, longer than anyone can remember, humanity has been at war with the Hideauze, an alien lifeform bent on the destruction of of humankind and dominance of the stars.

However, if you come into this anime believing you will see this war, you will be disappointed. This is not an action-packed mecha-fest all about war. Well, to be fair, it is about war, but not about showing it. We see the results of it, reflected in a boy who was brought up to know nothing but war. We see how, when stranded on a planet where this war has no relevance, such a person acts.

In his new environment (Gargantia, a large fleet of ships roaming across the ocean-covered world), Ledo meets an array of characters, each with their own problems or internal conflicts to overcome (for the most part). These characters, specifically Amy (a young girl who works as a deliverer of goods), Chamber (Ledo's mech/pilot support system), Pinion (an overconfident and sometimes big-headed scavenger) and Ridget (a high-ranking member of Gargantia's chain of command), are each fleshed out and explored as the 13-episode series goes on. The other members of the supporting cast, especially Bebel (Amy's younger brother), do still bring important elements to the table.

The interactions between Ledo and these characters, who share a very different outlook on life to the stranded soldier, make for a good, heartfelt (and at times comedic) experience. The majority of the characters are all well-rounded and each get their chance for the spotlight.

I said before that Gargantia has heart. I really feel this is most prominent in the early-to-middle episodes. After episode 3, the pacing slows down, and this is something I very much enjoyed. During this time, Gargantia really showcases it's beauty, both artistically and thematically. Some wonderful backdrops make for truly spectacular sights. I can't say enough how much I love staring at the starry skies looming over the world of Gargantia.

However, when the pace starts to pick up again, I thought that it moved perhaps a little too quickly. I think the series would have been better if had had more space to work with, as in the final three episodes things move along quite quickly, and some plot elements feel rushed.

Returning to the positive, and touching again on the artwork/animation, I really loved the closing. Both the music and the sight of Amy riding the calm waves evoked a powerful emotional response from me. It really helped add to that notion of heart that the series instilled in me.

Around the mid-way point of the show, I expected that I would feel rather depressed when it was over. I don't quite feel that. The ending certainly wrapped things up well enough, but it didn't tug at my heartstrings like I thought it would. Disappointingly, I don't feel...much, really. But perhaps I was expecting too much.

Overall, Suisei no Gargantia is a lovely anime, that moves a little too quickly towards the end (and as a result, some things that could have been explained are left for the viewer to figure out themselves, and some plot elements don't get enough time to develop well enough). I would have liked to have seen it stretch out some of its events just a tiny bit more. This is, really, the only problem I see with the series.

So if all you've been watching lately is gritty, action-y or edgy shows, give Gargantia a try. It's a nice change of pace, and does what it sets out to do well. Savvy or experienced viewers will probably have no trouble predicting the course of the plot and the twists that it's packing. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable ride.

rozella90 - 2013-09-08 20:19:54

There's a perpetual belief that the bigger and more explosive a story is, the better it becomes.

In the case of "Suisei no Gargantia", bigger is anything but better. What makes the first half of the anime so special, and so rewarding, is made irrelevant by the bloated mess that follows. And it's a shame- it had the potential to be one of the best anime of these past few years.

Despite being the latest work of the (in)famous Urobuchi Gen, Suisei no Gargantia depicts a much more down-to-earth story. There is no ruthless slaughtering of the characters (though some might deserve it at times), nor are there any plot twists until the last few episodes. Suisei no Gargantia is set in a distant future where the Earth has been flooded. And flooded entirely. What remains of human civilization live their days in fleets of antiquated ships, free from any worry but the rare threat of pirates.

Enter "Ledo", a teenage soldier from across the galaxy who somehow, conveniently enters a wormhole that drops him to the birthplace of humanity-- Earth.

The most interesting aspect of the series is how Ledo copes with (and eventually accepts) a society so distinctly different from his own. Where Ledo comes from, concepts such as peace do not exist. Humans are born and raised for the sole purpose of fighting their enemy, the Hideaze. And naturally there is no such thing as love or friendship.

What follows is a series of amusing, sometimes uncomfortable scenes of Ledo experiencing culture shock. What the heck is the purpose of money? ... to buy more weapons to shoot dudes with? He has no idea. Whenever he experiences something new, he and his AI companion ("Chambers") will inevitably draw some ridiculous contrast to their own society. In one scene, Ledo even asks the person beside him why an injured child is alive. I felt very bad for laughing at that.

Ledo also experiences a rapid period of growth as he becomes closer with the inhabitants of the Gargantia fleet. He learns to enjoy life, how to do ordinary things such as swimming or cooking, and what friendship means. He transforms from a cold, ruthless soldier into a normal human being, one that can feel emotion and remorse. The Ledo at the start of the story is not the Ledo at the end of the story, and this character development is something that deserves no shortage of praise.

Sadly, there's also everything else about the story.

If you enjoyed the relaxed and carefree nature of the first half, prepare to have everything you liked about the show flipped upside down in the second half. The character development slows to a crawl. The comedy becomes nonexistent. What is hammered in its place is a joyless disaster, devoid of anything even remotely interesting.

Where to begin? I suppose the moronic characterization would be a start. While the first half showed signs of the side characters breaking away from their stereotype, the second half seeks instead to bury them in that shell. The only character aside from Ledo who even receives any notable growth is Pinion, but his backstory is so contrived and heavy-handed that there's little reason to care about his suffering.

Even worse are the minor characters who populate the Gargantia fleet. They are insufferably stupid. There is one scene where Ledo is reprimanded by the fleet's commanders for protecting them from a pirate attack, which would have inevitably led to looting and violence. Are you kidding me?

It makes one wonder why this screen time wasn't handed to Amy instead. Aside from Ledo, she is the only character in the show with sense in her brain. She is the one who changed Ledo, who taught him that life is worth living, and yet she is merely relegated to the role of a cheer leader by the end. She deserved much more than that.

Sure, Ledo is plenty developed, but he is just as much a victim as anybody else. The change that the first half had building for him is simply used as a tool to force in cheesy dialogue about the power of friendship. During the climax, he changes his mind over an important decision simply because Amy came flying by on a kite to yell at him. Can I puke now?

This would be bad enough on its own, but the plot itself fares no better. Plot twists and ridiculous contrivances are the name of the game. Everything is somehow tied to Ledo and his own people, and the 'twists' (especially regarding the antagonist) are so cliched that they almost feel as if the writer was playing a joke. And then there's not even a proper ending to wrap all of this mess up! It ends abruptly with little to no context, begging you to follow through with the sequel OVA for answers. There is absolutely no reason why the audience should have to watch a sequel in order to have a proper conclusion to a story that they already invested their time in. That is silly.

On a more positive note, the artwork is generally decent. The characters are modeled consistently while the oceans are rendered with grandeur, effectively making the post-apocalyptic Earth seem more like a paradise. However, the quality plummets in the 11th episode, where entire scenes have crowds of characters drawn as blobs. Literal blobs.

The soundtrack is also one of the better points of the anime. There's nothing here that will stay in your mind for eternity (though the ending song is sure as heck relaxing), but each of the lighthearted tracks do a solid job of conveying the feelings of relaxation and hope which pervade the first half. It's an atmospheric anime when it tries to be, which makes the second half all the more lamentable.

Suisei no Gargantia is an anime with an identity crisis. Is it a dramatic story about the dark secrets of humanity, or is it simply a lighthearted tale about a young man finding his place in life? Who really knows. I don't think it does either.

It didn't have to turn out this way.

allison.ruecker - 2013-08-16 09:47:35

Title: Suisei no Gargantia
Genres:
Action, Mecha, Sci-Fi

Episodes: 13

Summary:

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.

Suisei no Gargantia was pretty predictable for the most part by me, I can't recall how but subconciously I had seen this story before. After seeing the discussion about Gen Urobuchi doing this anime:

Originally Posted by BigBoss0327:

"People are going to die in this anime?!?
I thought it was a happy-go-lucky anime that teaches valuables lessons like the importance of human life and family and stuff..."

A rather interesting quote of myself while I was watching the series, little did I know that this is basically the whole reason of the anime! This is an anime about the meaning of life. Nonetheless, it was magnificently excecuted if I do say so myself, in fact, you could even say it was executed too well. By that, I mean that this anime was on the level of a MOVIE! Not sure if I was the only one who saw it that way, but this could have easily have been a 5-star anime movie. Something about the art, the plot, the characters.. everything! It was so... movie-like y'know what I mean?? Anyways, the point being that this is high-quality stuff we're dealing with here~ I remember when I saw the 1st episode when it aired I was totally blown away and got a tear in my eye, reminiscing that anime has come a long way to the point where we get quality like this. Well, I can't say much without spoiling, but if you read the summary above, you'll get a pretty accurate idea of this anime is all about ;D

Characters: 8/10

The characters in Suisei no Gargantia were very impressive IMO. The things about them that stood out to me the most were that they had feelings, and great voice actors~ Even the side/un-important characters had great famous/popular seiyuu! Though the only important ones were Ledo on Chamber through my percepective..
At the beginnign they introduced many of them, but it was pretty apparent that they disappear and become unimportant to the point where you wonder if there was a reason to introducing them at all. Take Amy for example (the female lead), it's weird and I'm not sure I've seen this in an anime before but the whole time it just felt like she was just "there" but she didn't need to be, almost as if they were forcing her character presense. Some sort of twisted and weird fanservice? No matter, it is but a trifling matter that simply irritated me. Also the other girl Bellows, she's introduced in the anime as if she's important or something but in the end even Amy's friend Melty becomes more impactful than her XD It's even arguable that the pirate queen "Rukkage" is even more important than her! My point in this rant being that, Bellows and Amy were sort of "hyped" in the anime but never really did anything and felt forced IMO. The good stuff though was that Ledo, Chamber and Pinion were excellent in every way.

Music: 10/10

Opening/Ending + OST were all very well-done, nothing felt weird or misplaced and like I said earlier.. I'm talking movie-quality. That's the one point I really have to emphasize about this anime. I find it difficult to even call this an anime. It's a movie. I mean, just look at these videos!!? Totally movie-style. Reminds me of one of them Ghibli movies.

Art: 10/10

All I have to repeat here is... Movie-like-quality. The blu-ray release of this will certainly be impressive~
Examples...

Overall Enjoyment: 8/10

Going with MAL ratings, I'll have to give this anime an 8 (Very Good). I have a feeling that it won't be very memorable for me in the future, however if this was a movie, (like a 2/3/4 hour movie) I'd say hands down that it's one of the best I've ever seen. I admit that there were a couple times were I had no clue what was going to happen and that the anime could have taken many different course - but overall I'm pleased with what they did and it was the expected end result.

FINAL RATE: 45/50

I loved many anime that the Spring '13 lineup had to offer, though I'd have to say Suisei no Gargantia is one of the more forgettable ones out of the bunch. At the end of the day though, Gargantia is a great watch, packed with colorful animation, a well written story, and interesting characters. It might have been a bit better as a movie, but I came out of Gargantia very satisfied regardless.

- Eureka Seven -
Out of everything, Suisei no Gargantia reminded me most of this. Setting aside difference between one another and learning about the wonders of life. If you're interested why not check out my review?~

- Mobile Suit Gundam 00 -
Following blind orders, being in the future, meaningless fighting amoung ourselves, and the order of power through a type of "feudalism". Both these anime are immensely similar in those ways. Find out more about Gundam 00 here

.

ovonrueden - 2013-07-31 16:49:43

STORY:

Urobuchi, could've told the story right if he did not just focused on Gargantia, he should have shown how everything went during a storm or tsunami; imagine a tsunami with that animation, seriously man. He probably had the liberty to go into more detail of that verdurous planet like who were the military? or how many more ships are there? these are the questions still lingering in our head. my judgment is finale for the story if it wasn't told so well, it could have been 5/10

ANIMATION:

Little words are need for this just watch any scene that deal with the night-time ocean or the finale scene of episode one, scenery porn.

SOUND:

I don't know much about sound, but It was great.

CHARACTER:

Gargantians was a headache they lived in this paradisiac world of "we all can get along" "nothing can hurt us" they acted like the citizens from across the universe just less drugged, like what the hell I think this should've been explored more. everybody was shallow too nice, too friendly, not enough dissent and animosity.No one was really thought out too well they just fit into they're environment, for example Amy, she was way too nice yet she was brave like the main heroine should be, place her into any situation or place she would fit in, like everybody else she never really stood out.

ENJOYMENT:

I enjoyed everything even the shift in the tone, one of the many plus about this anime you actually enjoy it a lot, sometimes you would want thing to speed up but for most of the time the pacing was great.

OVERALL:

Gargantia score would've been higher if not for character and the one second panty-shot in the opening and the ending(not one second) nobody else saw this but me we never saw Amy panties(which was a good thing) but don't do that. so yea, all-in-all she never reached to that Homeric heights like other mecha anime that's different from the mecha genre.

ajast - 2013-07-22 23:28:48

Urobuchi Gen is without doubt an author that is known. That of course isn't for no reason. His preference to kill characters you like and let everyone go through incredible pain is spread quite wide by now. With Madoka Magika and Fate/Zero being his two best known works, that sure doesn't help him to get rid of this reputation. And along comes Suisei no Gargantia. A Mecha Anime written by the Urobucher himself.Story: The story is set in the far future, when mankind left earth due to climatic circumstances, that lead to the earth being completely covered with ice. Now humankind is battling flowerlike creatures called Hideauze in space, using mechas to extinct them. In one battle the young soldier Ledo gets sucked into a wormhole and gets to a planet completely covered with water, where people live on huge fleets, not knowing of others living in space and seeming to be pretty much left behind in techonology.The story itself is mostly about Ledo adapting to the way people live on the world that he now is in. This certainly is not a Urobuchi like show. While I did enjoy the story of it, it was not what I expected and it felt like everyone was just waiting for the dark plot twist to happen. The twist came and he was as good as expected but it didn't go into the dark direction after that either. This being said, it still is not a bad story, just surprising.In total the story stayed pretty long at the basic concept of adapting to a new life style, but when the pacing got faster, it got pretty good, but nothing mind blowing! The ending also wasn't quite satisfying as it was and it could've been executed better!8/10Characters: The chararcters are the things the show is mostly based on. With the plot moving forward really slow in the beginning, the characters are what carries the show on and that's what they do pretty good. Even later on when the show decides to speed up a lot, the characters still have a major role in bringing the plot forward. The characters are all rather lieable and almost none of the important onesd remain without depht. The only problem I have with this is that the love story we have in here feels a bit rushed. While I do like both characeters involved, it did feel kind of rushed.9/10Art: Production I.G. didn't leave us unsatisfied again! The animation of Gargantia was incredible! Everything was fluent (my favourite scene animationwise was the dancing scene :3) and the colors were pretty. The characters being designed by a hentai artist looked gorgeous!10/10Sound: The Soundtrack of Gargantia was pretty much decent. It mostly fit the scenes quite well and I don't have anything to complain, but it wasn't anything superb. The voice acting was ok as well, but still nothing too special.7/10Enjoyment: Even though most parts of this show were only Ledo adapting to a new lifestyle, the characters were what made it interesting. I found myself really enjoying this even though I was surpriserd to see this kind of story being handled by Urobuchi Gen.8/10All in all I think Gargantia is a show that can be liked by many, since it is something that has a lot of parts in it, ranging from Slice of Life on the fleet, to action filled battle scenes to some dramatic and darker moments. I like this but it isn't anything outstanding and while being handled quite well, it still has flaws!All in all a 8/10

london.kuhn - 2013-07-05 02:33:24

For 13 episodes, this is definitely worth your time. The story is very unique: ad-mist an interstellar battle a young human soldier in a mecha suit is accidentally transported while retreating from battle to what was thought to be the lost civilization of Earth. The plot follows the boy as he tries to cope with the more carefree lifestyle of the ship-city Gargantia. Most of the conflict from this show derives from cultural misunderstandings, which is interesting to watch and unfold. The information and the mystery unfold in a very paced way. The viewer isn't constantly thrown so much information. Gargantia is able to calmly reveal aspects of the story in bits and pieces.That being said nothing really pops from this show. The action is there, light humor is there, the characters are there, but they don't necessarily bring that "wow" factor. These weren't bad, but they weren't great just right smack down the middle. If you're looking for the "WOW" anime of the season personally I don't think it's this one, but I would definitely recommend it.

dallas.wilderman - 2013-07-05 01:16:41

Many came into Suisei no Gargantia or Gargantia on the verdurous planet expecting explosive and grinding mecha action. They came expecting a show that would satisfy their mecha fill for this spring season. They approached this show with high expectations that it would be a show about the attack of the peaceful Earth from the encroaching villain, the Hideauze, judging from what they've heard. Even so, when they heard of Gen Urobochi-sensei, more famously known as the Urobutcher's involvement, they flocked in anticipation of a bloodbath. He was the mastermind behind titles such as the highly acclaimed Mahou Shoujou Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero. Instead what they got was a peaceful coming of age story about an alien stuck on Earth who has to adapt to the strange world's laws and morals. Many were turned off by this however those who stayed and understood the show's premise were able to experience an excellent treat. I implore you to continue on reading my review and see for yourself, the marvelous world that this anime has put before us.

Story

It is set on Earth, centuries after humanity escaped extinction at the hands of a second ice age. The ice is already melted by the time our protagonist for this story, Ledo, arrives. The story opens up with a quick set up of who Ledo is and the world around him. He is from the Galactic Alliance, a totalitarian faction of humans who are at war with the Hideauze. In fact, it's this series of opening scenes that may have fooled various viewers into thinking that this anime will constantly have battles like these when it was destined to be a Slice of Life with action elements. The remaining bulk of the show takes place on Gargantia, a large amount of ship fleets manned by surviving humans on Earth who have banned together to create their own livelihood and civilization. Gargantia essentially is country which thrives. The world is more or less ignorant of the past triumphs of human civilization however they do seek more answers while trying to get themselves on the right foot. Gen Urobochi had stated that the message of the story is aimed towards those in their teens and 20s, who are either about to enter into society or recently have, and is meant to cheer them on and to encourage them that "going out into the world isn't scary". He also said that the feeling of this work will be different from others he's been involved with. This is a little feel at what Suisei no Gargantia strives to accomplish. As you can see there were no false promises and as such, I'll be happy to confirm that these elements exist and were fully touched on. For a short series such as this, the story did not feel rushed, instead it slowed down to an understandable pace. I was happy how the story concluded but with the amount of details that were given, it left a large amount of space for a sequel to be possible. Here's to hoping that something like this happens for this new series.

Animation

The animation quality was superb and it never once sank down. The art style was an interesting one to take and for the most part, it was quite refreshing. It captured life on the sea as well they could and for me as a viewer, it really did feel like I was on the sea. The sea was serene and blue, the vivid sky was beautifully drawn and was easy in taking one's breath away. The action scenes were actually a treat, since the series were not fully about non-stop battles, when they did have one, it was always refreshing to watch. There were no problems I could think of concerning the animation quality so I hope that in the future, anime can adopt to this style or keep the quality stable with the same fervor as this did.

Sound

The soundtrack was no masterpiece. However, it did it's job well for the various parts of this show. The action scenes were appropriately accompanied with frantic and heart racing music while the slower scenes were fittingly set with peaceful and soothing background sounds. The ambiance was there to help the viewer believe they were actually on a sailing ship so that helped for immersion. As I said before, it was no masterpiece as no single track left a lasting impression on me. So I'd say the music was fittingly there to merely fill in the gaps. The opening and ending tracks were average at best.

Character

For this title, character development was paramount, particular to our resident marooned alien, Ledo. He was formerly in space fighting for the Galactic Alliance but a hasty escape accidentally led him to be marooned on Earth. Given the story's premise, the goal was to show Ledo's transformation from a cold, battle hardened persona into one who was able to think for themselves and understand the meaning of life. The show showed this off superbly. Initially there was a large language gap however by the end of the show, he was able to fully express himself to the Gargantians. Ledo's personality can be compared to an egg which has an hard exterior but soft interior. The progress and development he went through acted as the catalyst to break down the crusty militaristic nature and bring out the real Ledo (probably had he not been recruited for war). None of this progress could not be possible without the supporting cast that surrounds Ledo from his arrival on Earth. More importantly Amy, the one whom he first encounters and the only one who has the courage to approach the strange visitor on Earth. She served as the romantic interest for Ledo and more importantly, someone he later realized he wanted to protect. In my opinion, Amy had some depth to her unlike many female characters. I believe if not for her ways in educating Ledo, he would have never changed for the better. It's her strong support that drove Ledo throughout the course of the show. That's not to say the rest of the supporting cast were useless or not noteworthy. They all had ways in which they shined and helped Ledo to understand various aspects of life better. I would not say it was an all star cast of characters however for a series like this, I'm willing to say that they did a well deserved good job.

Conclusion

Suisei no Gargantia laid out goals that they wanted to accomplish. I would say that they did what they set out to do. I thoroughly enjoyed this series as it went on and never once felt bored. However this had to do with the fact I knew what the story was about and what it had to offer me as a viewer. If you came looking for mecha action, you would likely have an uncomfortable time watching Suisei no Gargantia. It doesn't make any sense torturing yourself for something that will not come. However if you're willing to stick by for it's slice of life moments and the lessons it tries to teach you, then you are welcome to stick along for the ride. It was a marvel seeing Ledo's progression and if at the end of the show I did not see anything to show for that progression, I would have been very disappointed but that did not come to pass. The show delivered and it did not take itself too serious by repeatedly slamming imagery and throwing around philosophical quotes in hopes of sounding deep. It was a calm, serene and relaxing portal into the anime world, a fitting feeling seen as it's set on the sea. Step into the world of Gargantia on the verdurous planet and take a well deserved rest from the man eating titans.

I give Suisei no Gargantia, a 7/10.

oliver.gutkowski - 2013-06-29 22:45:25

**I wrote the first part of this after watching the first episode to give a sense of how this series comes across to those well versed in the mecha genre and the rest of the review is written after watching episode 10***Also note, I tried to avoid explicit spoilers writing this (all explicit plot spoilers are in footnotes), but there still are some in it because it wouldn't be possible to write a detailed review without talking about some major plot points. The TL;DR version of my opinions on this series so far is: Don't bother watching this yet if you've seen/read a lot of sci-fi. I say yet because it may get better. If you're new to the scifi/mecha genre, this is probably a great show to jump in on since it introduces a lot of standard sci-fi fare in an easy to digest manner.Breakdown:Extremely stereotypical scifi/mecha anime with main characters so archetypal that I was able to determine their personalities after the first episode, except 1. Only 10 episodes so far, so it may be too early to judge, but there has been only very little character development. The plot is nothing special if you have seen any decent mecha anime (especially if you have seen Eureka 7). There has been 1 (maybe 2) major plot twist(s) so far and I called out both of them by the second episode because they were so painfully obvious. Art and sound are great, but not exceptional. Colors are vibrant, but sometimes too vibrant. Music in the show is pretty average, nothing amazing/wowing/beautiful as of yet.>First Episode ImpressionsThe first episode starts off as archetypal and cliche as a sci-fi/space/mecha show can begin. The background is introduced and the human alliance is proudly declared as humanity's last hope against the alien menace. Despite the pomp and circumstance of this message, a more sinister undertone is revealed soon after (spoiler 1). After this introduction ends, the main character is introduced and their mission is about to begin (spoiler 2). The main character is the archetypal stoic, duty-bound soldier. As the army of mecha and spaceships head into battle, the show cuts away to the title screen of the first episode (spoiler 3). The battle rages on and whatever the result is, it is entirely inconsequential, as explained in spoiler 3. Through whatever scifi mechanism as explained in the show, our protagonist's mecha ends up in a hangar somewhere after the events of the battle and the mecha is being investigated by the people in the hangar, who are obviously completely oblivious to what it is as they seem to be much more primitive (spoiler 4). Several new characters are introduced here and within minutes I am certain of their personalities: * The younger girl with the brown hair is the carefree, happy-go-lucky love interest who will be torn between trying to understand the protagonist and protecting her friends and family.*The blonde guy is the gun-ho guy who thinks he can do anything with just their primitive technology and willpower and he has no use for the fancy pants technology. Protagonist will have to learn to cope with doing things by hand in this primitive society and will eventually prove himself to blonde guy.*The older girl with red hair is the gun-ho female character who will teach our protagonist about the ways of their people. Probably will have some sort of love relationship with the blonde guy.*Girl in glasses is some sort of duty and honor bound commander who initially distrusts the protagonist, but once he helps them out will reluctantly accept him.A chase scene ensues and when that is over, it is revealed that we are now on a planet and the primitive society here has no space faring capabilities, meaning there will be a lot of time for the protagonist to grow on this planet as the story develops (spoiler 5). The first episode then ends>End First Episode ImpressionsEven though I felt this show was going to be extremely formulaic and predictable, I decided to give it a chance and watched all the remaining episodes that had been released at the time (Episode 10) and below are my final cumulative thoughts on the show (heavy spoilers)>Overall OpinionSo I was right about the protagonist going native and so far it seems my prediction for the supporting cast of characters was dead on with the exception of Pinion (the blonde guy). The First plot twist prediction was also pretty much dead on now that it's pretty much confirmed the aliens are/were actually humans and it's going to be the job of our protagonist to somehow broker a peace between the two sides of the war, perhaps with help of the whalesquids.When the pirates were introduced and then destroyed in episode 2, I predicted that there would probably be some kind of "pirate king" who was actually also a soldier from the Galactic Alliance, ruling the pirates through the use of high tech weapons/mechas. I predicted that the interaction between the protagonist and this other GA soldier will most likely be antagonistic. This other soldier may be corrupted and trying to become the ruler of Earth or perhaps he is trying to exploit the primitive Earth natives and return to space and the protagonist will oppose him on philosophical grounds. By the end of episode 10, we find out Commander Kulge's mecha is indeed on Earth, but whether the man is here is another question. I will assume he is on Earth (why else would what seems to be a primitive cult project the silhouette of a mecha into the clouds other than to try and attract the attention of other stranded GA soldiers?). I assume Kulge also arrived on Earth via wormhole/tear in space-time like our protagonist, but it is very likely that he arrived much, much earlier than our protagonist (decades earlier) since they did not travel through the rip in spacetime in tandem and minutes/seconds of separation when entering the rip may result in much longer time differences when exiting. How Kulge and his cult will interact with our protagonist is hard to say, but since it seems like the two had a close relationship in the GA, it will probably be friendly and Kulge (who probably also knows the truth about the aliens) may serve as a mentor to our protagonist. However, it is very possible that Kulge has turned evil or perhaps he became so disillusioned with the GA that he now wants to fight for the aliens/evolvers. The writers have a great opportunity to make this series more interesting by making how this relationship develops completely unpredictable and that's what I'm hoping for and why I'm still watching this show.*****SPOILERS FOOTNOTES BELOW ******(spoiler 1): the narration is actually recurring brainwashing propaganda forced into the soldiers' minds during sleep.(spoiler 2): the soldiers are told that this missions is a do or die mission - that either they succeed in destroying their target or else all of humanity is doomed. Such finality in the VERY FIRST EPISODE of an anime leaves very few choices for what will happen, either they succeed and the rest of the anime is about the soldiers continuing with their missions as they face challenges, OR they fail and the show is about the protagonist fighting for survival against an impossible enemy, OR something happens during the mission that fundamentally changes the setting/storyline currently laid out.(spoiler 3): "Castaway". Immediately this makes it clear that what happens in this "do or die mission" is inconsequential. The protagonist has been introduced and "castaway" will most likely refer to him. He becomes a castaway soldier and the anime will follow him and not the Alliance he fights for. The only question now is to where/whom will he be castaway to? The alien enemies? An unknown third neutral party like space pirates/cowboys?(spoiler 4): So now we find out that none of my guesses in spoiler 3 were correct and the protagonist has actually be stranded on some primitive planet and that should immediately bring to mind stories/plots a la Dances with Wolves or The Last Samurai or Avatar. The protagonist is going to go native as a result of either spending a lot of time with the primitives or some as of yet unseen plot point.(spoiler 5): My guess is that a substantial part (50% or more) of this show will take place on Earth and so, assuming that is true, I asked myself "What significance does the long lost planet of Earth play in this story?" Drawing upon my previous experiences with scifi (such as Eureka Seven and the "Foundation" series of novels by Asimov), I suspect there will be a plot twist involving some sort of "origin story" between Earth, humanity, and the aliens. Perhaps we are all descended from the aliens, perhaps the aliens are/were part of Earth, perhaps humanity's fate is somehow tied with the aliens'. I'm not 100% sure of the reason, but I predict that after his time on Earth, the protagonist will realize we must not kill the aliens, but rather coexist peacefully with them.

beahan.dixie - 2013-05-23 06:27:14

This is Gargantia, the one mecha I like because there are hardly any mechs. Also, this review is a touch early since the first season isn't even done yet, but I felt it must be done. Sorry that this is short, but there's only seven episodes. I have little to rant about.

STORY

This is the absolute reverse of any sci fi mecha adventure you've watched. There's a teenage kid in a world at intergalactic war with alien octopi. He totally gets dragged in and becomes a badass soldier saviour of the human race right? Uh uh, you're completely wrong. It starts with him being an absolute badass and then he gets pulled out of the war and into a wormhole, transporting him to a plant inhabited by primitive (by his sci fi standards) humans that are, for the most part, peaceful. He and his AI controlled mech try to adjust in the new culture, despite not speaking the language and being rather obsessed with octopus alien murder. It's awesome, it's compelling, (often wince inducing as the lead, Ledo, does something really dumb) and the characters are fun.

ANIMATION

Oh so pretty. Just a good example of modern animation capabilities, with no cheap tricks and some absolutely gorgeous visuals. The sunsets over the ocean and the characters especially make me happy here.

ENJOYMENT

I enjoyed this so much. Took a tired, overused genre and turned everything on its head. Feels fresh and new, and you really just connect with everything that happens if you've ever been the awkward new kid anywhere. 

OVERALL

This isn't gonna happen yet. The show isn't over yet people! Initially however I love this. I love sci-fi despite hating mecha, and this made me feel good about the genre again, an impressive feat given my renowned cynicism. Go to anime fans. Watch Gargantia.

There are no AMVs so skip to 1:57 of this video... the sexiest pelvic thrust.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0