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
...
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.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Suisei no Galgantia
Japanese: 翠星のガルガンティア
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
13
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Apr 7, 2013 to Jun 30, 2013
Premiered:
Spring 2013
Broadcast:
Sundays at 22:00 (JST)
Licensors:
VIZ Media
Studios:
Production I.G
Source:
Original
Theme:
Mecha
Duration:
23 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#20672
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#698
Members:
337,133
Favorites:
1,289
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 110 / 114
Sort
Your Feelings Categories Sep 2, 2013
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 ... Jun 30, 2013
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 ... Jun 2, 2013
After seeing episode nine of this series I feel compelled to write a review about it.
Suisei no Gargantia is by far the best anime of the season, even better than Shingeki no Kyojin and I am really hoping that they renew it for a second season (because I feel they will need more episodes to develop the plot. Essentially if you have followed the series so far you know that Ledo (the main character) is a solider in the Galactic Alliance which has been in a non stop war with the Hideauze for as long as anyone can remember. Ledo like his solider counterparts were ... Jul 8, 2013
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
...
May 18, 2015
This review entails some spoilers and, potentially, offensive regards to anime.
^ ^ So. The two problems this anime faces are characterization and plot. The two key components of what make a good story. I'm just going to condense it down for ease and simplicity. Gargantia had a lot of potential in the first few episodes. We're introduced to Ledo, a young man who lives among a space-colonized community of humans. However, all he and his fellow kin know is war against cephalopod(octopi, squids) aliens. Piloting highly advanced and durable AI, Ledo isn't accustomed to much outside of his mecha, "Chamber". As given by the summary, we pretty ... May 25, 2013
I skipped over this series at first. Didn't know anything about it, and not being a particular fan of mecha anime I just assumed it wasn't going to be for me. Then I happened to decide to finally finish up Psycho-Pass which I had started not too long ago. That series was immensely satisfying for me and left me wanting more. Hopefully a second season of Psycho-Pass will eventually come... but in the mean time, I decided to see what else the writer had his name attached to and came back to this. I decided to shove my preconceptions aside and give it a watch.
...
Jan 29, 2015
**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**
Watching Suisei no Gargantia is like watching someone who is completely incompetent play a good video game for an extended period of time. Is there anything more aggravating? They ignore obvious powerups right in front of their face, they never know what attack to use at what time, and they have absolutely no idea where they are going. As much as you desperately would like to take the reigns or at least guide them in the right direction, you simply can’t. This process is universally frustrating and cringe-worthy because you know that if this person were only playing correctly, you would be able ... Jun 30, 2013
Terse, trite, and tried to do too much.
*This review contains some spoilers for the show* Suisei no Gargantia was my anticipated show of the season; written by Urobuchi Gen [the mind behind novel renditions of derivative works such as Madoka Magica (to Faust), Psycho-Pass (to works such as BNW/1984), Saya no Uta (to Lovecraftian works), Kikokugai, and so forth], and animated by a studio adept with handling most subjects [Production I.G.]. I was looking forward to it; his works not only make the audience think, but they’re often crafted intricately — excelling in both plot, characterization, and ultimately, presentation. But the result? A mercurial series effusive with ... May 13, 2013
Well first I must say this is my first review and english is not my native language, so I apologize for my bad english.
Well in all the news anime who popped out this spring, I guess we could say that the outstanding one is Shingeki No Kyojin, however, when I heard of Suisei No Gargantia, I just thought that this one may be the most beautiful one. Indeed, this is an anime with a storyline who looks goods, I first thought this will be an ordinary mecha, but it's a lot different and this is why this anime is a special one. The graphics and animation are... ... Jun 4, 2013
Suisei no Gargantia is the latest work of the (in)famous Gen Urobuchi, who did Psycho Pass last season (IG) and the more known, Fate/Zero and Madoka Magica.
While I did enjoy the latter, Psycho Pass was pretty bad and so had no high expectations of another sci fi with Gen Urobuchi and IG behind it. The show is still airing and I will edit some parts later on, but my overall impressions of the show are set and will only tweaked slightly after the end which will come soon. Story Suisei no Gargantia (Gargantia) sets in the distant future, humanity has escaped Earth and fights squid like Aliens called ... Sep 12, 2014
Have you travelled into a different country, in the which you can't speak the local language, the culture is completely different and people has different purposes in life? Well, this is what Gargantia is all about. It gives the impression of being an all-out action mecha anime, but before you realize, it becomes something else.
The first episode begins, and we are quickly taken into a rather pro-active exposition of the show's world: The humanity is in danger, and we must fight the ultimate battle against some Whale-squid-like creatures that inhabit the outer space called "Hideazu"!!. Somehow, the attack plan backfires and our Main ... Dec 18, 2013
If I look back on my experience with Suisei no Gargantia, I can feel the chills of the sea and space envelop my body as a whole.
What a ride. Suisei no Gargantia was definitely one of the animes I always looked forward to watching every week when a new episode came out, and I believe it does deserve plenty of recognition for what it has done. Story: 8 The premise from the get-go was very promising - humanity has been forced to leave Earth and is driven to the deep reaches of space, developing highly advanced technology to combat strange foes that spell doom for ... Jul 15, 2013
Epic crazy battle robot? Or maybe a full-suspense atmoshphere?
Well, thats usually appears in every mecha anime, but have you ever feel a mecha anime with heartwarming feeling? I bet not every mecha had that feeling before. I usually avoided mecha anime, I dont have any particular reasons. I always thought every mecha anime is quite generic like you have robot, you used that for battle then WHAM! (put battle scene in here) and voila! Here is a mecha anime. Surprisingly, Suisei no Gargantia is more than that. STORY (9/10) Suisei no Gargantia is not your usual mecha anime, if you’re looking for epicness mecha like Tengen Toppa ... Sep 1, 2013
"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch, we are going back from whence we came."
The ocean is a grand, mysterious, and beautiful thing. At times the ocean is calm and soothing; at other times it is chaotic and disastrous. While the ocean can bring us many memorable spectacles and experiences, it can also be seen as tedious and tiresome. Suisei no Gargantia began with a lot of potential. Boasting action, mecha, sci-fi genres, beautiful animation, a gorgeous ocean scenery, and a strong pilot episode, one can’t help but anticipate ... Jul 1, 2013
Suisei no Gargantia (Gargantia On The Verdurous Planet) is a 13 episode television series produced by Production IG, and notable for being primarily written by Gen Urobuchi, the mind behind such shows as Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero. Now before I start this review proper, I feel it's important to note that while Urobuchi has a track record of writing very dark shows with many characters dying and falling into despair, Gargantia is a very much different kind of show for him, for while it contains many similar themes to what he has tackled before, the show has an overall much more positive message to it.
...
Jul 2, 2013
There’s a certain kind of excellence that I always pursue to discover within an anime - one that doesn’t have categories for scores, but rather, lives by one rationale - the desire to achieve and execute a goal. If I can see such a desire within the production team of said anime, I don’t have to rely on 1-10 scores or categories to judge an anime - I’ll simply know that it will be good, because the people behind it, are passionate souls with a love for what they do.
Of course, I’m not here to rattle on about my definition about a “good anime” but ... Aug 7, 2013
Suisei no Gargantia is a recent mecha series from Production I.G, which doesn't tell me much since they've been involved in quite a few projects some good and some terrible. There is an ongoing manga adaptation by Mitogawa Wataru. It came out before the actual anime, but the anime was in production long before the manga's release. I have heard virtually nothing about it, so I'm going into this one pretty much blind. I hope it turns out better than the last time I said that. I need something at least tolerable after Cheese Steak Suppository and School Days or I may have to start
...
Jul 7, 2013
Urobutchi Gen is an extremely divisive creator, that is nothing new. Urobutcher happens to flourish in the age of the moe boom. Over 70% of anime each season involves high school, club, imouto or some variation of a pandering orgy, Butcher’s butchings were definitely minty treats for twisted buzzards like me. However, just as moe cheapens itself by turning up at every facets of the Anime industry, Gen’s sadistic tendencies also begin to get tired. By the time Psycho Pass was conceived, there were cries of predictability.
Many believe that Gargantia was somewhat a failure, and some of them even called it ... May 24, 2014
An epic anime with a tremendous misplaced potential. Produced by studio Production IG, one of the most promising anime-studio there is, plus made by the renowned Gen Urobuchi, who's notable for his works: Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Psycho Pass, and Fate/Zero---well, meet their cousin: Suisei no Gargantia (Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet). The stage is set for one of the most misplaced potential anime there is.
Just by looking at these titles: Madoka Magica, Psycho Pass, and Fate/Zero, the veil of darkness is wrapped on these (in)famous anime, yet Gargantia took the opposite take; it's lighter and less casualty-oriented, among other themes that you would not ... Nov 7, 2013
Suisei no Gargantia voyeurs off into something different, from what it originally suggests from the first episode. A vast collection of ideas are collaborated, but bringing together such an abundant amount of concepts in a short frame of time, doesn't do itself justice. Consequently the anime is left unrefined and falls into a continuous decline, squandering its uncharted potential. But in the end, it still remains a decent anime.
It is apparent that Suisei no Gargantia had alot of potential, from just the first few episodes. Beginning in space, fighting against the alien race, only to be shifted into an opposing world, of conflicting ideals. The ... |