Suisei no Gargantia seeks to address some of these problems, and to offer a vision of hope to young people who might feel that despair of growing older. And in this, I believe, lies it's greatest strength. It does not protect us from the realities of life: that people die, that sometimes we make the wrong choice, that perhaps our foundations are not correct or are not applicable to our current situation; but at the same time, it does not ask us, the audience, to wallow in a sea of loss.
At the heart of the show is the main character. Ledo is a child soldier raised in a society that is involved in a war for survival. Some of Ledo's first words are explaining that he has no fear of death, and further that he has no desire for procreation or freedom. His entire existence is defined by his occupation, and his purpose in life is simply to advance the goals of his society. In a great many respects, Ledo represents both the machine and the child. He is a child in that he does not make his own choices, and does not question the authority and rightness of his "parents". He is a machine in that his every action and thought is defined by how it is useful to his people. As much as the mech he pilots, he is just another tool; himself being piloted by the doctrines of his upbringing and the orders of his superiors.
As Ledo learns to make his own choices and begins defining himself outside of his occupation, we are presented with new themes. And it is in this that we run into what is, in my opinion, Gargantia's greatest flaw. It is not a terrible flaw, but the show suffers slightly from not fully exploring many of the themes that it brings up. It is understandable due to both it's length and it's target audience, but I still believe that there was some room for more involved exploration. However, as I said before, the flaw is minor and does not detract from the show in any meaningful way.
Story: 9/10
The story is basic, but stellar. The characters are interesting, the overall plot intriguing, and the themes and symbolism are mature and well thought out. The pacing and dialogue were both excellent, both used to great effect. And more than anything, the payoffs were there. From the fast-paced beginning to the final scene, the story grabs you and doesn't let go. Some might see the middle of the show as dragging, but when taken as a whole, I believe those more character focused episodes were necessary to develop the relationships of our protagonist and also to give weight to later scenes where the story takes a darker, more brooding tone.
Art: 10/10
This is where this anime really shines. I don't know if I can remember seeing such a bright, colorful anime. More than anything, the world looks "lived in". Too many science fiction stories have settings that are entirely sterile, where everything is too new, too shiny, too clean. Gargantia is rusty, with heaps of corrugated metal and twisting, winding avenues that run throughout it's length. It would be hard not to say that this show has some of the best artwork I've seen in a long time.
Sound: 9/10
Nothing out of place. The VA's all did a very good job, and the music was fitting. Sound is easy to get right, but when it's wrong, it can ruin everything. Gargantia did it right.
Character: 9/10
The character development was strong, but not perfect. Some of the side characters were slightly unexplored, but overall this was understandable, and no one really comes off as one-dimensional. Ledo and Chamber are both very interesting, very realistic characters; both of them get the 10/10. We feel for them, and most importantly, we can put ourselves in their shoes. I hesitate giving this a 9/10 instead of a perfect score, but feel that though the target audience was younger, there was still some room for more concise, and deeper characterization.
Enjoyment: 10/10
Simply put: the show achieves it's purpose. It is supposed to be a coming-of-age story with an overall sense of healing, and is supposed to evoke a sense of fascination and wonder at the wide world a teenager or young adult will find themselves in. To this, it succeeds wonderfully. Enjoyment is a very personal factor, with no specific metric that can be appealed to, but I feel comfortable in saying that this show will be enjoyed by most who watch it. As long as you keep your expectations where they belong and your mind open, there is nothing that should drive anyone but the most cynical away.
Overall: 9/10
I really want to give this the 10/10, and perhaps upon a second viewing I will change my score. As of now, I feel that calling it a masterpiece would be too much though. The show is amazing in so many ways, and definitely has moments where it shines brighter than a lot of more popular, more highly rated shows; but at the end of the day, it has it's flaws. They are minor, and do not necessarily detract anything from the show, and every one of them has justification; but still they exist.
I would recommend this to anyone and everyone. Watch it. Even if you don't enjoy it as much as I did, you will almost certainly not regret giving it a shot.
