Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet

How many people have ever imagined different worlds becoming one? It's a concept that goes beyond everyday fantasies and fancies. There could be absolute peace, an utopia, and even colonies where humans can settle down and spend their lives blissfully. But hey, those are all just fantasies.

People can think about these ideas all they want, but the Human Galactic Alliance has been trying to make them come true for a long time. Within all of this is a small boy named Ledo. After a certain event, time and space get messed up for him, and he wakes up somewhere completely different. After all, Earth is a world full of life and wealth.

The Japanese anime TV show Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (Suisei no Gargantia) was made by Production I.G., Bandai Visual, Yomiuri Telecasting, Lantis, Nitroplus, Bushiroad, and the Good Smile Company. Kazuya Murata was the show's creator, VIZ Media was the licensee, and it ran from April to June 2013. The original anime had 13 episodes, which each ran for 23 minutes, and its genres were action, adventure, and sci-fi. The major theme, however, is mechatronics. It was rated PG-13 for audiences aged 13 and up.

In January 2013, the manga version started coming out in the magazine Newtype Ace by Kadokawa Shoten. During each episode, a webisode called "Petit Gargantia" (Puchitto Gargantia) was shown on their official website to add to the overall experience. Bandai Visual's stand at the Anime Contents Expo handed out free 8000 Blu-ray Disc copies of the first two episodes on March 30th and 31st, 2013 to boot!

Starting out a few months before the series debuted, the official website began updating monthly with short tales that expanded on the Gargantia realm. On April 3rd, 2015, at an event in Tokyo, Bandai Visual disclosed that a sequel for the anime was planned but was dropped due to "different reasons." The sequel was instead released as two books in Japan, titled Suisei no Gargantia Haruka, Kaig no Tenchi ("Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: Far Beyond the Accidental Meeting of Heaven and Earth"), on August 29th, 2015, and March 30th, 2016.

Wataru Mitogawa created a manga adaptation of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. The serialization started in the 17th issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Newtype Ace magazine, which came out on January 10, 2013. After the magazine's last issue on July 10, 2013, it continued in Niconico's Kadokawa Niconico Ace web magazine. The manga was also compiled into three tankōbon volumes, which were released between April 8th, 2013, and March 7th, 2014.

On June 7, 2013, a spin-off manga series called Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: Mizuhana no Bellows ("The Headwaters' Bellows") started to be published on the Famitsu Comic Clarity website by Enterbrain. Shu drew it, and Hiroki Uchida helped with the narrative. This was completed on January 30th, 2015.

In the far future, humanity will have traveled to the stars and founded the Galactic Alliance of Humans. The Galactic Alliance is at odds with a squid-like extraterrestrial species known as the Hideauze. Ensign Ledo, a sixteen-year-old Galactic Alliance soldier, drives "Chamber," an artificially intelligent mecha in the shape of a human. When the Galactic Alliance fails to destroy an enemy superweapon, Ledo is pulled into a wormhole and loses consciousness.

As he gets better, he finds out that he and Chamber were "saved" by a group of "primitive" humans who were foraging on the Gargantia, a large fleet of spaceships on a water-covered planet. Chamber tells him that local star charts show that this planet is Earth, the place where people first lived. The Galactic Alliance only knew about Earth through myths and thought it was made up. Ledo must now learn the language, culture, and way of life of the planet while figuring out what his new role is on the Gargantia.

At the start of the series, Ledo is a 16-year-old male Galactic Alliance lieutenant. When he awoke onboard the Gargantia, he was 17 years old. As seen in the first few episodes, Ledo is a cautious individual. He is also quite bright and understands how to thoroughly investigate his environment. He doesn't seem to know anything else besides war and fighting, so his social skills are very low or nonexistent.

He is also prepared to murder anything or anybody if it is hostile and is within his orders. His apathy toward human life may be due to the fact that he battles aliens rather than people and that he was never taught any ethics or moral codes. So, he and Chamber are at first very confused by the way things work on Gargantia, where even killing an opponent is seen as bad. Nevertheless, as the story goes on, his feelings begin to surface. As soon as he sees an old recording device from long ago, he starts to doubt his orders.

Amy is a delivery girl for the Gargantia fleet. She meets Ledo and becomes his guide, which prompts her to fall in love with him. Amy is an outgoing and inquisitive adolescent. She cares about her friends and family and has shown throughout the series that she can deal with tough situations. She is a brave adolescent with a kind heart full of compassion for those she cares about. She usually has a big, bright smile on her face and is a free spirit with no regard for modesty or shame. Appearance-wise, she is a young lady with pale blue eyes, flushed cheeks, and short, light brown hair with a fringe. Her companion is a flying squirrel named Grace.

Ledo's machine, Caliber, is assigned to Pilot Support Enlightenment Interface System Chamber K6821. Its primary role is to supply its pilot with battle guidance and life support. It also serves as Ledo's interpreter and Gargantia's protector on Earth. Chamber is a massive robotic mech with white, orange, and turquoise decorations that rises several meters tall. Its skull serves as its cockpit, and its hips are much broader than its legs.

Even though it is different from Gen Urobuchi's other works, it is still a science fiction story. It may appear to be a slice-of-life narrative at times, but the characters' experiences are much more than that. It tests several facets of life, particularly Ledo's ideals and morals. As an alliance soldier, his specific circumstances change into something radically different from what he is used to.

It's fascinating to watch how he adapts to them. Through worldbuilding and cultural diversity, viewers also get to see Ledo's new situation on the planet. Perhaps it moves a little slower than some viewers might expect from a science fiction program, yet this flow is what makes it such an enjoyable journey. Among other things, I find this series to be a little perplexing too.

This series' aesthetics are fantastic. It's beautiful enough that you should watch it in 720p or even better to get the most out of it. The reason is found in the spectacular combat from the onset. Then there's the planet where Ledo arrives. The ocean on this planet has dramatic scenery to make it look like a beautiful body of water, and the designs of the characters give off a feeling of utopia.

This show's music is quite strong too. Taro Iwashiro is in charge of the background soundtrack, which I think is highly appropriate. It alternates between smooth and strong at times, but there's nothing too shocking. The opening theme is Minori Chihara's “Kono Sekai wa Bokura o Matte Ita” ("This World Has Been Waiting For Us"), while the closing theme is ChouCho's “Sora to Kimi no Message” ("Sky and Your Message").

Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet is far too brief for the growth it requires, but it doesn’t fail to entertain in the least. Overall, I had a great time watching this series and would definitely recommend it to almost any anime fan!