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 really expect from Urobuchi-san.
Still, after finishing the 13-episodes + 2 OVAs, I dare say this anime is on the same level as the other works I've mentioned here, just that it has the "misplaced potential" on its stead.
STORY = 8
At first, I was certain that the Gundam Series are the only legit mecha-anime that could pull these kind of story themes, wtih Gurren Lagann, and the original Aquarion (the original one, okay~ the "Evol" evolved into ecchi) being able to do just as unforgettable. Gargantia also rivaled those titles with its light-to-dark story, mecha-involved 13-episode (+2 OVA).
ART = 9
Fluid, great anime, something you expect much from Production IG. They made Psycho Pass after all, that anime led me to notice what "Production IG" can do. With Gargantia, it met up with my expectations art-wise.
SOUND = 9
A-ok songs, background music, and most notably, the seiyuu cast.
A "slight error" by my source (aka. friend) told me that Kanae Itou is the one voicing Amy, but when I first heard her voice, without checking it here in MAL, I straight away know its Ika Musume's seiyuu: Hisako Kanemoto. She did a great job alright. Ishikawa Kaito as the voice of Ledo, I kept it particular and acute that he was able to be convincing in "breaking" his Japanese fit for Ledo who has a hard time blending with his language against the people in Gargantia.
Tomokazu Sugita as the voice of Chamber: to say Gintoki and Kyon's voice being able to sound like an AI, these talents of these seiyuus deserve a 10 really---the 9 was intended for the other parameters of this category (like the BGM).
CHARACTER = 10
If I could rate this as 20, 20 it is. This is an anime that transcend to the usual "character types". Here, the character types doesn't necessarily apply being protagonist or antagonist. Urobuchi-san clearly demonstrates what he can do with characterization after making spellbinding anime. I first salute to "Rinne no Lagrange" for breaking the usual protagonist/antagonist archetype, and Gargantia did just as good--with less cliche even.
Characterization here clearly demonstrates the 3D parameters; one that you don't see the "protagonist" being the main cast and main seiyuu, but the antagonist also has the same weigh and reason of the protagonists' existence.
We're talking of out-of-the-book characterization here after all, and not something like Power Rangers where we know exactly who's the protagonist/antagonist the first thing we saw 'em.
ENJOYMENT = 9
From the story, to characters, it's all enjoyable. Reviews here in MAL states that it has a "slow" start, but then again we all know the drill of this by now: Madoka Magica, Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, Gundam Seed, Steins;Gate, AnoHana, etc, every epic unforgettable anime there is has a "s;ow" start.
OVERALL = 9
IF James Cameron has a kind of plot or theme like this, and incorporated it to Avatar, or perhaps made "Avatar 2" with this kind of theme---then we might forget he directed and wrote the script for Titanic.
Borrowing the elements of mecha or not, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet is a solid, ground-breaking anime with three-dimension-characters and nihilistic themes in color rather than in dark---and HENCE the recipe for misplaced potential.
Misplaced Potential--why? Because an anime or a story like this is NOT intended for "anime fans". The slow-pacing, the more dramatic, three-dimensional characterization, and themes that conflicts the essence of humanity needs an appreciation that does not NEED to borrow the essence of either "wicked" or "dark" enough, and does not need to be filled with fight-scenes and effects JUST for anime-fans to appreciate it.
Sure, the term "anime fan" leaves a bad taste in the mouth; but since 2008 this is what I kept on observing. Why I'll slam this context in this review is all because of my observations. Like take it like this: a deep story with light-elements like Gargantia and you get a MAL rating of 7.78.
Meanwhile, getting a high rating is as easy as enticing anime-fans by simply throwing ecchi anime and various fanservice, and you'll never go wrong to say that the MAL rating received on those kind of ecchi goes a rating of 8 and above.
Still, not every anime-fan is ecchi-hungry and "needs to be amused"; there are those who sits intensively on shows like Steins;Gate and PsychoPass.
So for "Gargantia on Verdurous Planet", try to see if you're the kind of fan who watches for the plot, or the kind who watches for the fanservice and being amused; as this is pretty much intended to the former as it holds a promise of a "misplaced potential" great anime.
