Suisei no Gargantia (Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet)

In the distant future, a majority of humans have left the Earth, and the Galactic Alliance of Humanity is founded to guide exploration and ensure the prosperity of mankind. However, a significant threat arises in the form of strange creatures called Hideauze, resulting in an interstellar war to prevent humanity's extinction. Armed with Chamber, an autonomous robot, 16-year-old lieutenant Ledo of the Galactic Alliance joins the battle against the monsters. In an unfortunate turn of events, Ledo loses control during the battle and is cast out to the far reaches of space, crash-landing on a waterlogged Earth.

On the blue planet, Gargantia—a large fleet of scavenger ships—comes across Chamber and retrieves it from the ocean, thinking they have salvaged something of value. Mistaking their actions for hostility, Ledo sneaks aboard and takes a young messenger girl named Amy hostage, only to realize that the residents of Gargantia are not as dangerous as he had believed. Faced with uncertainty, and unable to communicate with his comrades in space, Ledo attempts to get his bearings and acclimate to a new lifestyle. But his peaceful days are about to be short-lived, as there is more to this ocean-covered planet than meets the eye.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Suisei no Gargantia was nominated for the Seiun Award in April 2014. The series had a preview screening of episodes 1 and 2 on February 9, 2013, with the regular TV airing starting on April 7.

Episode Videos

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Suisei no Gargantia, Suisei no Gargantia
Side story:	Puchitto Gargantia, Suisei no Gargantia Specials
Sequel:	Suisei no Gargantia: Meguru Kouro, Haruka
Summary:	Suisei no Gargantia: Puchitto Furikaerintia

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Ledo

Main

Ishikawa, Kaito
Japanese

Chamber

Main

Sugita, Tomokazu
Japanese

Amy

Main

Kanemoto, Hisako
Japanese

Bellows

Supporting

Itou, Shizuka
Japanese

Melty

Supporting

Asumi, Kana
Japanese

Mayta

Supporting

Tokui, Sora
Japanese

Kugel

Supporting

Ono, Yuuki
Japanese

Ridget

Supporting

Ohara, Sayaka
Japanese

Saaya

Supporting

Kayano, Ai
Japanese

Pinion

Supporting

Konishi, Katsuyuki
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Hirasawa, Nao

Producer

Oogami, Yuuma

Producer

Murata, Kazuya

Director

Aketagawa, Jin

Sound Director

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Opening Theme

"Kono Sekai wa Bokura wo Matteita (この世界は僕らを待っていた)" by Minori Chihara

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Ending Theme

"Sora to Kimi no Message (空とキミのメッセージ)" by ChouCho

More reviews

Reviews

Sep 2, 2013

Veronin

Mixed Feelings

It is a common belief in fiction 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 ...

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Jun 30, 2013

Stark700

Recommended

A utopia.

How many people have ever dreamed about our world ever becoming one? It's an idea that stretches beyond dreams and imaginations. In such a world, there would be peace, paradise, and colonies where humanity can settle down and enjoy their lives. Well, those are just all dreams of course. People may fill their heads with these ideas but for the Human Galactic Alliance, it's one that they hope to fulfill for many years. Then, there's one young boy among all of this and his name is Ledo. After a certain event, he gets swallowed up into a distortion of time and space while ...

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Jul 8, 2013

NeverKnowsBest26

Recommended

Suisei no Gargantia (or Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet) is a show that starts off with plenty of promise. It had famed writer Gen Urobuchi venturing outside the grimness of his previous work to make a more uplifting story, beautiful visuals from Production I.G., and a great premise. It explored thought-provoking concepts while remaining fun and affirming; possessing an optimism and faith in humanity that was simply infectious. However, while the first half of the show flows with a comfortably and naturally (albeit with some wasted time), the second half is clunky and forceful in introducing darker elements to the plot. The end is still ... a decent and interesting show, but it doesn't quite live up to expectation.

The set-up for the show is great. Due to some great catastrophe, most humans have left Earth and are now engaged in a constant battle for survival against bizarre monstrosities called Hideauze, becoming a militaristic society called the Galactic Alliance of Humankind. Our hero Ledo is a young man who was born into this endless war, knowing nothing but battle. Due to an accident he is transported far away from this conflict, to a water covered planet; the Earth which humankind had left so long ago. He comes across the (mostly) peaceful boat-dwelling indigenous people living in a fleet named Gargantia, and has to adapt to their drastically different culture in order to survive in this unfamiliar world. This set-up works for so many reasons. It allows the show's world to open up as Ledo learns more about his new surroundings; its culture and its people. It provides contrast between Ledo's militaristic way of life and the more laid-back way of life on Gargantia. Most importantly, it gives Ledo a lot of potential for development as he grows accustom to the ways of Gargania, and makes personal connections with its people.

Ledo is by far the most developed character in the show, as it should be because the story hinges on his growth. He starts off as hard-edged, serious young man lacking in personality and understanding of the nuances of human interaction; which is no fault of his own, of course. Despite not understanding of the world he landed in, he knows that he must adapt to his surroundings, which of course includes adjusting to Gargatnia's society and finding his place in it. Completely foreign to him are many of Gargantia's core values: co-existence, caring for the deficient, and using violence as a last resort. The lax organization of the fleet and laid-back way of life seem inefficient to him. However, as he continues to meet and interact with the residents of Gargantia, he begins to understand and appreciate their way of life. This leads to an inner conflict between the ideas that have been instilled in him at a young age, and these new feelings he is developing; which comes to a head when he finds creatures living beneath the water that are genetically identical to the Hideauze. Ledo's development throughout the show is the driving factor on the show, and seeing him change and loosen up is the greatest satisfaction of the show.

The rest of the cast don't have anywhere near the amount of development Ledo has; really do feel secondary. The exception is Ledo's battle mech and support unit, Chamber. Despite not being human, Chamber has a surprising amount of charm; his (Chamber has a male voice) duty to serve and protect Ledo actually grants him some personality. Though his A.I. gives him great analytical ability, being a robot Chamber doesn't really understand human interaction, which is often used for some good laughs. Amy is the spunky girl who volunteers to be Ledo's guide in Gargantia; she's the catalyst to much of Ledo's changes, and his love interest later in the show. She doesn't develop much beyond her feelings for Ledo, but she is a ray of sunshine and a good foil for our stoic lead. Her disabled younger brother Bevel also has a profound, if limited, effect on the show. Through his conversations with Bevel, Ledo learns the value that every person, even someone who is disabled, brings. Most of the other characters are less remarkable; they do get some development, but not enough to make them really memorable. Which is a shame because the show could have done something interesting with many of these characters, but ultimately focuses on them only enough for them to be plot devices. Some of the their actions later in the story feel like they happened for plot convenience, rather than something the characters would do.

The world of Gargaintia is rich in detail and well developed through the early stages of the show. The show begins with a detailed introduction to the Galactic Alliance of Humankind, a bit of its history and social structure, and it isn't even where the main story takes place. When Ledo lands on Earth, it opens up a new world to explore. The show does a good job of depicting first contact between two unfamiliar cultures. Along with the difference of environment and culture, Ledo doesn't even speak the same language as the people of Gargantia. It takes him some time to learn their language; he has to rely on Chamber to decipher and translate for him regularly at first. This really adds to the show's immersion; as a viewer, it feels like you are discovering a new world alongside Ledo. Details of Gargaintia's society and Earth's ecosystem are introduced gradually through situations, rather than just being explained in information dumps. Not to say it always uses its time effectively, episode 5 is a completely unnecessary fan-service episode that is also the low point in the show's writing, and there are moments which are a bit too quaint every once in a while. Still, all in all, it is a very good approach, building the settings in a very natural way.

The show loses this quality in the darker later half, which delves into why and how humans left Earth to begin with. After certain events cause tension, Ledo parts ways with Gargantia for a while. This leads to him finding footage chronicling the events before a large populous fled to space. It is interesting, showing that the people of Earth were far from united even in the face of impending disaster, with two factions waging war on each other. However, it is also a huge info dump that feels out of place. It goes on about disagreements of what actions should be taken for mankind's survival, and arguments of ethics concerning genetic modification; as well as the origins of the Galactic Alliance, and the creation of the Hideauze. It is too much information at one time, and is quite jarring, honestly. The pacing also is jarringly different, with majority of the big plot twists taking place in the latter half; the show goes from pacing itself leisurely to being very busy. Because of this, a lot of characters' development is rushed, and there isn't really any closure or catharsis for any characters the show takes time to develop, with the exception of Ledo and Chamber.

Not to say these plot twists are bad. They invoke some interesting ideas about the system a group of people live under and how it can become harmful when it is so rigid that it becomes constrictive; as it has in the Galactic Alliance of Humanity and the cult that is introduced late in the series. Human society needs a system to function, but when that system becomes all encompassing that it determines how everyone living under it thinks, it becomes an oppressive force. This is a theme Urobuchi seems endlessly fascinated with, having explored similar ideas in his past work. The thing is, Gargantia somewhat oversimplifies these ideas by doing too much to vilify the system at work without really going into why such a system might be necessary. The cult introduced near the finale is so brainwashed that it is obvious that the show is skewed against their way of live. It's admirable that the show believes so strongly in a simpler and more loosely constructed way of life, but it is optimistic to the point of naivety in its view. Luckily, Ledo's revaluation of his life gives the show's values enough weight to still be honest and meaningful.

As far as the visuals go, the show looks incredible as would be expected from Production I.G. Right from the beginning, the visuals impress with a stunning space battle that is cold and mechanical, but amazing to behold nonetheless. In contrast, the never-ending ocean of Earth and city-like fleet of Gargantia are brimming with liveliness. There is a naturalistic beauty to the settings: the clear blue sky and the shimmering water below that goes well beyond the horizon, the underwater ecosystems, the light of the glowfish at night; it is all breathtaking to look at. Gargantia itself is quite a sight, equal parts fantastical and makeshift. The boat-dwelling people of Gargantia have a rudimentary grasp on technology compared their ancestors, but resourceful and learned to live with what little lost technology they can scavenge and whatever nature provides them; it is easy to see this by just looking at the place where they live. The character designs by Hanaharu Naruko are diverse, colorful, and lively. Clear emphasis is put on female characters (the show loves to flaunt their bodies), but the guys are also quite distinctive; something that is fairly rare in anime. Of special note is the tan Ledo develops during his time on Earth, which is a nice subtle touch.

The music by Taro Iwashiro is mostly composed of orchestral pieces. It is nothing innovative, but it is very well composed and most certainly effective. The music is broad and versatile, which is for the best because Gargantia has a wide range of tones. The compositions support the calm quite moments and warm touching moments just as effectively as tension filled arguments and battles. Probably the most impressive thing the music accomplishes is capturing a sense of wonder. After living on a confining military space colony all his life, the wind open Earth must be awe inspiring for Ledo; the music as well as the visuals imbues the show with a feeling of discovery and adventure.

Though it is too naive to really be called a mature work, Suisei no Gargantia is certainly not a bad show. It is really quite enjoyable; it has likable characters, great art and animation, and a well developed lead. It's theme of how people in a community support one another is so good-natured that I feel kind of bad calling it out on its naivety. Still, the lack of development to the overall cast outside of being likable, and the simplifying of complex themes prevent it from being something great.

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Poll: Suisei no Gargantia Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Apr 21, 2013	575 replies	by Beatnik »» Jan 16, 10:25 AM
The History Of Humans & Hideauzes Curioplex - May 22, 2019	2 replies	by KR_P »» Dec 8, 2022 7:15 AM
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