First Impressions / Suisei no Gargantia

「野望の島」 (Yabo no Shima)
“Island of Ambition”

“For now, it doesn’t look like we’re in any danger.” If there’s one thing I’ve learned from various mediums, it’s that the second you start out an episode with those words, you’re likely pretty toast. And as the end of Suisei no Gargantia nears, so does what seems to be the beginning of the end for Pinion and Co.

Continuing off from last week, the successful elimination of the whalesquid opens up a new can of worms: the question of what exactly one does with an endless amount of treasure. As we see early on, a schism starts opening up between the members of the expedition regarding this, and the difference is stark. On one side, we have Flange—the one who wishes to use the treasure to enrich not only their own lives, but the entire human race. On the other hand however, there’s Pinion. Now drunk with a mixture of a revenge high, ambition (greed), and power—he advocates the enriching of their lives first and foremost, and the removal of those who would stand in his way. Needless the say, they’re views on opposite extremes of the spectrum, and mutually exclusive as a result. In the end, one can argue who’s right or wrong (and why)… but with the shipmasters starting to align themselves with Pinion instead, Melty’s mid-episode question ends up hitting the nail on the head: “Are we going to be okay? Are you alright with this?” They’re million dollar questions if I’ve ever seen one—and likely, the answers won’t be pleasant.

Either way, the fact is that this episode brings with it game-changing developments and revelations, and they’re all arguably routed in human ambition (such an aptly named episode title!). Indeed, that’s what Pinion pretty much represents here this week: both the best and worst of human ambition. Sure, it led him to the successful avenging of his brother and a treasure beyond any previously salvaged… but it’s also likely to be what causes his ultimate downfall. In many ways, what we get here is a cautionary tale about tempering one’s ambitions—especially upon accomplishing something particularly significant early on in one’s lifetime—and it’s a testament to both the series’ focus on human nature and society, as well as to the double-edged sword that is human potential. As I discussed a few weeks back, mankind (and life in general) is just filled with fragile elements, and it’s something that really holds true when one tries to overreach their bounds in an attempt to accomplish the impossible.

To this end, it must also be noted how significant it is that creation of the Hideazue—confirmed to be a product of directed, human evolution via nanomachines—was something made in an attempt to literally combat against this fragility. As we see once again though, the path toward the impossible is littered with potholes, and it’s here where human ambition arguably lead to the twisting of the original intent—survival—and the start of the war that threatens to finish off humanity once and for all…

…though as Ledo’s anguished comments note, both sides are theoretically human… and theoretically, there isn’t even a reason for him to fight the Hideazue anymore. Still, those with power usually end up having to fulfill the obligation of using it to do something—anything—in cases like these, and Chamber ends up being quite right in this regard. There really is no luxury of choice for Ledo—though the way I see it, it’s definitely not as black and white as Chamber seems to make it. But, there in lies the reason for having Ledo as a pilot and Chamber as a pilot support interface—that is, the fact that some situations have solutions that only humans capable of abstract thought and emotional compulsion with no sound factual backing can reveal. It’s quite the significant concept to say the least, and one notably tackled in the sci-fi novel series Yukikaze (Kambayashi Chohei) as well.

Looking forward, it really looks like the best is yet to come as expected. A few developments here surprised me this week, but in general, it feels as though my prior predictions are still likely possibilities in the coming episodes—including the non-violent resolution, Pinion’s probable demise etc. Admittedly though, I’m really starting to feel a tad nervous at the lack of time left to resolve everything here, and it’s starting to make me wonder how exactly things will solve themselves in the span of three episodes without something being rushed or things being left out. To top things off, Commander Kugel makes a sudden supposed return as well… and it just adds yet another thing to be solved too. I’m still confident that we’ll get a satisfying resolution, but gosh darn, it makes you wonder if it wouldn’t do to have another episode or two’s worth of buffer.

89 Comments

    2. He was the one that went back to hold off the forces, pretty much sacrificing himself to save Ledo because he believe Ledo can live longer, which can kill more Hideazue as a result.

      I’m quite excited to see what happened to him. Considering he only gave us a short, yet last impression the first episode. I just wished there was a tiny part in the earlier episode where Ledo would flash back to his relationship with Kugel. I think that would have been a great foreshadow and setup to this week’s episode.

      Just A Random Guy
      Reply

    3. Even though that was Kugel’s machine caliber , it’s not for certain it’s actually him until it’s revealed next week

      It’s possible the Kugel is dead and the machine caliber is just killing everything without a pilot , always expect the unexpected

      derprito
      Reply

  2. Looks like instead of trying to adapt himself just like Ledo did, Kugel subdued some humans and made them into a bunch of Zealots. It seems that both he (and his fleet) could care less about the truth behind the Hideauze, leading to the ultimate confront between tolerance and intolerance. The last 3 eps have the potential to be quite a ride.

    Exukvera
    Reply

      1. So 10 episodes in is someone just going to go “Oh hey, did we forget to mention the reports coming in from other fleets about a crazy cult of whalesquid hunters and their super advanced yunburo that looks a lot like chamber? Was that something important?”

        qwert
        Reply

      2. If he´s indeed alive he might the representation of fulfilling a soldier´s duty without regard of the means and concecuences of so called victory. Two faces of a coin: Ledo who has lost his reason of existence and his former commander who refuses to lose his reason existence.

        haseo0408
        Reply

      3. I suspect that he’s not alive, but it’s just his Chamber. It looks like some form of cargo cult has formed and I would think that this is more likely if no one ever emerges from it.

        If this is true I’m not sure who this chamber will form allegiance to. Will Ledo then become in charge of 2 chambers? Chamber was being pretty preachy at Ledo earlier on so perhaps the AI’s will team up against everyone else?

        Scruffy
        Reply

      4. qwert,
        There are no reports from the other fleets. There’s no more newspapers nor internet. There’s radio, but it’s not as far reaching like ours is today. They probably can’t bounce signals off a satellite in orbit.

        NASA fan
        Reply

  3. Wow what a great episode in general. There were depths in the dialog, especially the one with Chamber. They were able to fuse intelligence and machinery together perfectly. What Chamber says is absolutely correct, but at the same time, you can not fully believe in what they say, because Chamber is a machine, meaning it has no soul and emotion, and only acts open the information they gather.

    I’d like to also applaud the decision to draw Chamber during those dialog instead of using the original CGI. I think it really sets the correct atmosphere for the story and for the dialog.

    At this point, all I really wished for was the show to have been longer so we can explore the world that production team has created for us.

    Other than that, I’m still waiting for Pinion to shout out “JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE!”

    Just A Random Guy
    Reply

    1. Chamber showing the ability to think for itself sounds like something that will be important later. Commander Kugel being the highest ranking Alliance member means he could order Chamber to stop following Ledo’s command should a (almost certain) confrontation happen. Want to bet on the odds Chamber will side with Ledo to save the day?

      sortedevaras
      Reply

      2. Kazuya Murata, the director said in a interview “The theme is based around the idea of “work” or “working people”. It’s a robot anime, which will cheer up young people who will enter and have entered society.” Having a Phantom of Inferno ending wouldn’t do much to cheer up young people.

        sortedevaras
        Reply

  4. I only have one thing to say: UroGen strikes again.

    I wasn’t as surprised as something similar occurred in Shin Sekai Yori but Suisei is just amazing and I’m really thankful that you took the time to write this post up that helps to sum Chamber’s statements up.
    I can’t wait for the resolution of all this now. As usual, this replicates the state of our history. I can totally imagine some past commander /general/ king to act similar to Pinion, if not exactly.
    He speaks with such fervor, which is nice…if only it wasn’t going to cause terrors to occur.

    Iridescent
    Reply

    1. The worst enemy of men is men himself, and Pinon is about to find out this universal truth the hard way. If he lives through to tell the tale is another story entirely, right now I even have my doubts that Chamber is going to make to end of the story.

      haseo0408
      Reply

    1. I guess at that point, Ledo was still thinking the people on Earth are primitive beings, just like how he thought of the Hideazue as lower life forms of humanity. I guess through his time on Gargantia, he has learned about humanity quite a bit. Lets say Ledo never met anyone on Earth, but still found out about the truth of Hideazue, I think he would just feel angry and betrayed. However after what he has experienced on Gargantia, Ledo now feels not just anger and betrayal, but at the same time disgusted, lost, and conflicted.

      Just A Random Guy
      Reply

    2. Killing pirates or killing the whalesquids isn’t the problem. Ledo’s whole life has been about defeating the enemy called hideauze. The hideauze have always been portrayed as a lesser species that needed to be wiped out.

      He now finds out that everything he has devoted himself to in his life has been a lie (his time on gargantia has already made him aware of the life he has missed while he was a soldier and this just drove home the point). He is conflicted not over just killing a fellow human being, but over the fact that his mortal enemy that he has been tought to hate is not what it is supposed to be.

      Also back when he killed the pirates he was still an ice cold soldier that believed in sacrificing lives for the greater good. Now he has mellowed alot

      Whispo
      Reply

      1. He has an advantage Kugel can´t possibly posses: his youth. Ledo is what 15 years old? He still has the opportunity to change and find a new life in Earth with the Gargantia; Kugel has a lifetime of struguling against the hideazu and real for him to just abandon everything that is deeply carved in his mind, I´m not saying that it´s imposible but adults don´t change that easily, especially in this kind of subject.

        haseo0408
        Reply

    3. I think there’s a big difference between killing those who would harm you or your loved ones and indiscriminately committing an act of genocide including the butchering of infants.

      I felt pretty bad about the murdering of that last curious child, I can’t imagine what someone in Ledo’s position would have felt.

      Eric
      Reply

  6. That electronic equipment they brought up works pretty well for being submerged in salt water for 1000+ years. Also it looks like Kugel’s mech is an object of worship to the people in the approaching fleet. If suppose it could have been found much earlier than Ledos’s was considering Ledo spent 6 month underwater. Question is whether Kugel is still alive or of the mech is autonomous like Chamber. One thing is almost certain: Pinion’s bubble is going to burst one way or another soon.

    Absaroka
    Reply

  10. Chamber being a badass this time around with his explanations.

    I seriously didn’t expect the ending, but now that I see it, I can rest assured that the ending will probably be at least decent.

    Entrav
    Reply

  12. Holy Crap! Chamber can says some pretty thought provoking things.

    Also, Pinion needs to die, or at least get hurt REALLY badly. No matter what happens to him now he won’t get any pity from me.

    bakakubi
    Reply

  14. Forgive me for being a bit stereotyped or not too trusting,
    but letting people who recently attacked you join your ranks, & them being pirates as well?
    I really think Pinion’s decision was heavily based on impulse, & it may prove to be a disastrous one in the future.

    Btw, what’s the current status of the Gargantia franchise?
    Ends with 12 or 13 episodes?
    I think I read somewhere that it’ll be getting an OVA focused on a younger Bridget,
    & definitely read on ANN that Bellows will be getting a prequel spin-off manga.

    Techim
    Reply

    1. Blu-ray releases of Gargantia will have extra OVAs bundled with each package.
      There’ll be 3 Blu-Ray sets, so buyers will get 3 extra OVA eps to complement the main story.

      The sets will be released monthly betwen August to October in Japan.

      zztop
      Reply

    2. Judging by the actions/reactions of the other characters this episode, I would be extremely surprised if it DIDN’T end in a disaster. There seems to be a good amount of foreshadowing that Pinion is is inviting disaster with his brash decisions.

      Monks
      Reply

  16. Oh well… so much interesting food for thought.
    I find Pinion, of all characters to be most interesting this week. Take back what I’ve said few episodes back about him being flat,stereotypical male chauvinist with no competence to back it up. Here we see him at his best, leading his men to victory, and fulfilling revenge oath to fallen brother. He reminds me, after fashion, the charismatic Princess Kushana from the Ghibli masterpiece, Nausicaa. Both want to revive mankind’s glory through recovery of lost tech and extermination of species in his way. “Burn the Wasteland, exterminate the Bugs!” – sounds familiar? And, contrary to Kushana, whose ambition eventually fizzled out as her resurrected Giant War Machine failed, he now has both Ledo and Chamber to back him up, and, as importantly, a host of recovered advanced weapons, which, while puny by standards of Chamber, are still enough to curb-stomp any pirate fleet stupid enough to show up for a fight.
    …that is, until we see a new fleet, centered around Commander Kugel’s mech, shows up. They are obviously been brainwashed into whalesquid-killing cult, and are likely up to spoil Pinion’s dream – and force Ledo into yet another layer of fratricide…

    ewok40k
    Reply

    1. want to revive mankind’s glory

      Errr….that’s Flange,not Pinion.Pinion just wants to keep everything for himself & his crew.I partially agree with Pinion’s ambition of uniting people and seeking out lost treasures of mankind but everything else…no way.Flange however I can totally appreciate,a leader that the men on earth would need right now.Better than the deceased fleet commander of Gargantia,and MUCH better than Ridget.

      MgMaster
      Reply

      1. Point taken on Flange, but he lacks the charisma (and/or bribing power) to make people follow him, ergo, he is not much of a leader… He reminds me of those “tiger rider” politicians that find themselves hostage to extremists tutored under their own wings. I shall stop before directly comparing Pinion to certain German populist of early 30’s, and Flange to Hindenburg, since this would inevitably crash the discourse… (He that shall not be named… I am starting to THINK in tropes… LOL)
        Ridget, on the other hand, seems to be quite in control of her part of Gargantia. Her revulsion at the idea of attacking whalesquids seems vindicated now considering the reveal. For once, an old taboo was not mere superstition.

        ewok40k
        Reply

      2. Hmm,true that.Then maybe Flange should be just the one pulling Pinion’s strings while he play’s the poster boy(Just like real life presidents!).

        Regarding Ridget though,I meant to say she’s not fitting to be a leader that can help humanity regain some of it’s former glory,but more like a good one in maintaining the peacefull status quo of her fleet.

        MgMaster
        Reply

  18. Thank goodness that Chamber didn’t go HAL 2000 like I previously thought. And his explanation at the end somewhat (keyword: somewhat) restores my faith in him.

    Terrorhunt
    Reply

  21. Pinion the Plunderer! A Captain Ahab who has obtained his lifelong ambition and thirsts for evermore rather than despair over the annihilation of a lifelong goal.

    But seriously, Pinion is getting to be a pretty frightening person. He’s someone who recognizes the power of salvaged technology that goes beyond of what he’s capable of, but tries to utilize it to the effectiveness of Ledo’s capabilities. He’s going to get in over his head, especially if Ledo decides to not align himself with Pinion anymore, who is probably the only one who could curb or direct his eagerness in obtaining power beyond his means.

    Also, anyone kinda seeing those ominous zealots with the corpses of whalesquid hanging like trophies upon the ships brow as… something very very bad?

    Also, Chamber has made sound arguments in his speech for Ledo, and what it really comes down to is that even though the Hideauze are evolved humans, they’re no longer in the same definition as how people like Ledo are, even though they go through eerily creepy levels of human reproduction in which everyone kinda looks alike in an assembly line. I really feel for Ledo, really, to know that he’s been killing fetuses and human lifeforms, but wouldn’t that also be a mix of horror at knowing what humans were willing to go through in order to be beyond their biology? It doesn’t even look like they have conscious thought anymore, unless there’s somehow squid telepathy where Ledo would somehow find communication with.

    Also, would this newfound knowledge that Ledo discovered be shared with the rest of the Gargantia people? What are they going to do with it, and I’m hoping that it’s not what those people in robes are going to propogate.

    The Truth is in the Axe
    Reply

  22. Someone needs to punch Pinion. Real hard. He’s has chosen to monopolize the salvaged technology and provoke all other factions to attack them. Nevermind concepts such as world peace or equality among all since it might not cross his mind but picking a fight just because you have a big stick is so wrong. If Ledo got a lecture from Bellows about co-existence, the whole Gargantia crew missed a bigger trouble-maker, if not as big as Ledo when he was still the strict military man.

    Quervo
    Reply

  23. Ledo could always try a third choice, co-existence on Gargantia. I’m sure Amy, Bellows and Ridget would accept him back into their fold. I doubt the Hideauze will return to Earth and it’s not like Ledo can go home. The whalesquid aren’t the same threat as the Hideauze… So once again that live and let live option is looking pretty good.

    Though the appearance of Kugel might complicate things quite a bit. Unlike Ledo, he’s been quite busy gathering a cult and all. I suppose he didn’t find Earth to be a curiosity/learning experience in quite the same way Ledo did. (Why does everyone in his cult look so malnourished?)

    silver_huskey
    Reply

  24. Hummm… Chambers arguments also worry me. It almost sounds like its more like AI vs the whalesquid than a human vs human fight. Could the AIs have taken over in Ledo’s Galactic Alliance? Perhaps they are farming humans to get around a programming override the AIs cant reprogram.

    Sounds almost like a novel by David Weber called Armageddon inheritance in which humanity has been in a million year war with an Alien race that keeps destroying everyone (other alien races too). Turns out the AIs took over in that Alien race and needs wars to continue for it to keep its power of ruling over the Aliens as it is allowed enormous leaway when the race is in danger.

    My guess kugel s machine caliber will be final boss.

    T-Man
    Reply

    1. It’s possible that they could introduce an AI take-over plot, but it would feel kind or rush being the last few episodes of the series. However, I think that Chamber was simply saying that the Hideauze despite starting as humans, in trying to become something greater, gave up their humanity and that the Machine Calibers are one of the pinnacles of human ingenuity and engineering, showing what humans are capable of and what makes them great as well. It’s these two idea that are hitting against each other and causing a fight for survival.

      Irenesharda
      Reply

  25. Welp, this episode pretty much confirmed that Chamber will turn on Ledo at some point and with the appearance of the Colonel, who is higher ranked than Ledo, I bet he can order Chamber to stop doing what Ledo says or something of that nature.

    Next episode is where Urobutcher does his thing, I can feel it.Characters will die and Pinion is the one most likely to die along with others that’d probably include Melty and Flange’s entire group.

    I noticed the Hideauze insignia on the back of those cult looking hooded people.This leads me to believe that the Colonel was either captured and killed or he joined their side.Also, there’s the implication of clones being used during the scene of all the white haired soldiers.I thought the little boy in the capsule was Ledo, but the feminine looking person was Ledo and the little boy was his presumed brother.

    Next episode can’t come soon enough, this episode has the type of cliffhanger that I hate, the type that just leaves you in suspense, making the wait that much harder >.<

    Magoiichi
    Reply

    1. I honestly don’t think they’re clones. From what supplemental materials I could find for Gargantia it turns out cloning is illegal in the Galactic Alliance. (I can’t remember the source right now, sorry.) I’m guessing the soldiers were developed from a very small gene-pool causing some traits to be dominant. Using the similar genes over and over again resulted in people born with silver/grey/white hair and purple eyes.

      silver_huskey
      Reply

  26. Remember three episodes ago when we saw the enormous whalesquid fleet cross paths with Gargantia, who shut down all systems and “ran silent”? Where were all those whalesquid going to? Commander Kugel’s ships? And now the whalesquid are decorating their ships as war trophies?

    jhpace1
    Reply

  27. wow looks like its tough and hard to get a good ending…
    I wonder what will Kugel say?
    And I am surprised that since he’s [maybe] at the site earlier than Ledo? Why haven’t him destroy all the whale squids?

    Joybot
    Reply

  28. A little look at the reality of the financial world. We may have some ruthless bosses running our companies, focused on reaching their target growth and profits, trying their hardest to take down competitors, but you can’t say they aren’t playing by the rules and it’s not up to you to tell them that their agendas are right or wrong. He’s harsh, but Pinion is, to some extent, right about taking care of their own people first. And newbies like Ledo are just gonna get used and tossed out later on when they’re of no use.

    I can see how Gen is trying hard to get the message out to the young upstarts facing the daunting task of integrating into the working world.

    junglepenguin
    Reply

    1. dunno if an EMP shock will affect the Nanomachines. Why? Well, we humans heart still working. Imagine if the EMP will stop even our Heartbeat…

      They are still to small, to be affective. I think

      Germanguy
      Reply

  30. See, even now Pinion want to use this new Weapon. And sacrifice many Light bugs just to use it. This will not turn in a good way…

    The Light bugs are the source of their Life, and he is going to use them for evil…

    Germanguy
    Reply

    1. Oh, first i need the see the Commander in Person. Or do we see here only the “empty” AI of his Chamber. And it is important, in what Time-line he “crashed” on Earth. From the many “followers” he must be a bit more Longer then Ledo, or his Chamber

      Germanguy
      Reply

  31. I think Kugel and Pinion would get along great. One is getting corrupted by his revenge high and all the tech they’ve gained while the other appears to have turned himself into some kind of cult leader. I could certainly see someone with Kugel’s military leadership deciding to force the people he met into submission and have them assist with his war against the Hideauze. Unlike Ledo who tried to work within the system that he found himself in, Kugel may have gone in the other direction.

    I suppose an option remains for Ledo to just not fight right now. You figure with the damage done here and with Kugel’s group the Hideauze in the ocean should be fairly decimated right now. If he can’t find a reason for him to fight right now maybe he shouldn’t.

    But I can see some ow that Chamber is saying. Regardless of what the Hideauze started out as, they are now a threat to humanity. They will wipe out the humans we know and that will be the end of them. All that will remain are things that used to be human and may not have any intelligence remaining. Chamber kind of hit on what I thought last week. When you abandon your human body what else are you discarding? Sentience? Intelligence? Culture? Now just because something isn’t human doesn’t mean it’s fine to annihilate it. But if something is going to wipe you out shouldn’t you try to prevent that? That aspect of the conflict hasn’t changed. Humanity and the Hideauze aren’t going to break out a peace treaty.

    I’m curious to see how the series turns out. Not going to be pretty if a fight breaks out here.

    FlareKnight
    Reply

  32. Ledo’s development in this episode was great. Contemplating over why he’s even fighting if they’re human as well… and why he was lied to. He thought they were lower beings all this time, but it was actually the opposite…!

    I’m getting tired of Pinion. I had high hopes for his character since I’m biased about Katsuyuki Konishi also having voiced Kamina from Gurren Lagann. Just waiting for Pinion to get overthrown. Also, it seems that Pinion accepted the pirates to be a part of the crew quite easily… don’t think this is gonna turn out well… Pinion… come on…

    The exchange between Ledo and Chamber was also intriguing. Chamber also repeats a line from the first episode, “I am but an interface system that supports and oversees the development of pilots. I exist solely to set you up for success.” In the first episode Ledo merely responds with an “I appreciate it,” yet in this episode… he’s merely dumbfounded. “You, a machine, are telling me, a human, what to do?”

    So now it’s turned into a matter of natural selection? A matter of surviving? Whaaaaat, I really don’t get it. Why are they even fighting each other in the first place? Were the humans afraid of these evolved humans? So they thought of killing them to extinction? So now they have to kill or be killed…?!?!?

    Also, Colonel Kugel at the end… man… this is so exciting. Can’t wait for next week.

    Another burning question for me is… are they in the future? The past? I’m still on the edge about this. Gargantia seems to be an underdeveloped society compared to Ledo’s, yet he was asleep for 6 months… so did he travel back in time, or is he just 6 months in the future?

    Jel
    Reply

      1. But there is explicit time travel in the first episode as Ledo arrived on Gargantia as he is swallowed up by a distortion of time and space. He reaches a society that worships the beings that he was trained to kill all his life. A society that is also underdeveloped and inefficient compared to his. I don’t see how the time period wouldn’t be relevant unless they’re in an alternate universe.

        Jel
        Reply

      2. Scruffy is right both the Gargantians and Ledo in episode two confirm there was an ice age. But after centuries or thousands of years Earth is a legend to Space Colonists such as the Galactic Alliance and Wandering Tribes while to Earthers like the Gargantians the Space Colonization was just a myth. Thing is the Galactic Alliance doesn’t know the ice age ended and doesn’t know Earth’s location.

        The reason the Earthes lost technology is that they’ve experienced two apocalypses. The ice age and the flooding when the ice age ended.

        Note the episode before indicated a comet near Earth. My guess it had a role in the increased water.

        Also it is theorized Kugel and his Striker Machine Caliber arrived in episode two as the shooting star is them entering the atmosphere.

        Why did they end up on Earth of all places? The Wormhole Gate wasn’t destroyed despite the propaganda Evolvers were spewing at the time.

        ReddyRedWolf
        Reply

  33. One big question still unanswered, where did the human currently on earth come from?
    Definitely not survivor of ice age, else their technology should be pretty advanced to be able to survive.
    De-evolution of Hideazue? Looks too weak to be the case.
    1 other possibility is the survivor of abandoned human of Galactic Alliance of Humankind.

    J
    Reply

    1. They are descendants of Union’s people who were left behind after the Union self-destructed the first Worm Hole drive to prevent Evolver having that tech.

      As I thought before, the existence of Hideauze was a mistake from beginning. They completely forgot about the original goal of their birth and succumb to the lust of domination over the human race. Now they are only an extreme life form just like Chamber said, if human cannot win in this war, then it is the end for the civilization and for humanity.

      black_cat1
      Reply

      1. So those human were able to survive the cold without any advanced technology? If you look at technologies on Gargantia and those Yumboroid, it’s highly impossible for the human to survive the ice age. I’m ok with the show if the question is unanswered, but this might just lead to something else, second route of human evolution besides Hideauze while maintaining human-self.

        J
        Reply

  35. It seems kinda obvious now (or pretty much from the start of the show) that the humans and Hideazue are going to make peace one way or another. I just hope it doesn’t end up as a simple conversation between Ledo and one of the Hideazue (assuming they find a way to communicate). It would be really disappointing if they suddenly make peace through a few minutes of conversation after however many years of war. Obviously the Hideazue aren’t going to be wiped out, so my guess is somehow the Hideazue agree to go off to another galaxy or somewhere where they can continue living without any human interference.

    Final scene prediction: Kugel/alliance finds a way to wipe out the Hideazue once and for all, Ledo has another revelation and stops him + convinces the Hideazue to go someplace else far away (another wormhole??).

    Tomer
    Reply

  36. It seems to me that the Hideauze no longer have any higher mental functions due to their simplified animal like behavior. So instead of evolving, the Evolvers ended up degenerating into something that is below what they previously were.

    Taiyo
    Reply

    1. Isn’t it pathetic? What kind of fanatics would choose to evolve the humankind into beings with below-human intelligence? To the point where the squids do not even use verbal communication. It seems that because the squids were engineered to be physically well-adapted to various environments, their intelligence was of little use and it regressed. Congratulations Sirs and Madams of the Evolver Scientific Cult! Your shitting on the entire humankind has turned out unmatchable!

      SherrisLok
      Reply

  37. Well said Chamber (+1 cookie) , almost what I had in mind. War is war after all, no reason to stop fighting if the enemies is clearly aim to exterminate us in Outer Space.

    However, I still do not approve the actions on old-Earth. Would rather not attack if they show any sign of willingness toward co-existing peace. =/

    Bakaro
    Reply

  38. Chamber’s “propaganda” speech was full of BS.

    >mankind and hideauze will never come to an understanding because they have rejected civilization itself
    I don’t see how hideauze rejecting their humanity justifies the annihilation of their entire species.

    >We are the result of pure knowledge given birth by civilization… The Hideauze abandoned that very same knowledge and thus became the culmination of biological beings… You must therefore fight with me for the dignity of mankind
    So since we are the “superior” beings with higher level of intelligence and technological advancement, stamping out something that is different from us is an honorable and respectful act?

    Of course, I’m not leaving out how the hideauze were most likely the aggressor here but this whole propaganda speech by Chamber was full of BS that anyone with a brain would deny it unless you’ve been indoctrinated.

    boki
    Reply

    1. True, it was full of propaganda. Doesn’t change the fact though that the hideauze are trying the same thing too. If the choice was a simple kill or be killed (we don’t know yet if there is another alternative) then no other justification is really needed. Regardless of whether the path the hideauze chose is justified, or the wrongdoings of past humans was the cause, if now the only choice for survival was the eradication of the enemy (again we don’t know if this is the only choice) then thats whats got to be done.

      “mankind and hideauze will never come to an understanding because they have rejected civilization itself
      I don’t see how hideauze rejecting their humanity justifies the annihilation of their entire species.”

      I don’t think he meant here that the hideauze are so wrong in their beliefs that annihilation is the only path. Maybe he was implying it, but I think the main point is as I said above; if no solution of coexistence is available then one side must perish. As Chamber obviously sides with the humans, then he would hope they would be the ones to survive.

      “We are the result of pure knowledge given birth by civilization… The Hideauze abandoned that very same knowledge and thus became the culmination of biological beings… You must therefore fight with me for the dignity of mankind
      So since we are the “superior” beings with higher level of intelligence and technological advancement, stamping out something that is different from us is an honorable and respectful act?”

      Again my understanding here was that he was trying to justify siding with the humans rather than the Hideauze. His argument is simply that whilst humans (as in not the Hideauze) chose to use tools to enable their survival, the Hideauze chose to modify themselves instead. He didn’t say that they were wrong in their choices, or that humanities choices were superior.

      “In a conflict between creatures that are fundamentally the same, defeat is equivalent to annihilation”

      In short: we are the same as the Hideauze, except that we chose different paths for survival. We are too different now to live side by side, so the only choice is either victory (annihilate the enemy) or defeat (be annihilated). If you think the path we chose was the right one, then you must fight.

      Tomer
      Reply

  39. The part where Chamber says that Machine Calibers wouldn’t be needed if the humans went full Hideauze really gives me the feeling that he actually cares for his own survival.

    Mightnare
    Reply

  40. I have another scenario. Kugel was their God. And he died. That would explain his Chamber inside the Glass cage. Perhaps his Chamber are in “harmless” mode, and cannot go in “combat” mode, because he died.

    Pinion, broadcast the dead of a Whale-squid Nest. So, these Guys are in searching of a new “God”. And that would be Ledo.

    Well, lets see how this Followers react. Or Kugel is alive or Dead and his Chamber is 1 man Show all along..

    Or this Guys are the survivors of the Carrier, where Ledo wanted to grab…. That can all be…

    Germanguy
    Reply

    1. I don’t think that radio message reached the planet. Instead, it reached Kugel’s cult ship. I think he go stucked into the worm hole at the beginning of the series.

      Young
      Reply

    1. pirates actually attacked the Gargantia, were armed and dangerous…
      here, he unprovoked invaded something akin to hospital/nursery and slaughtered everybody inside…

      ewok40k
      Reply

  43. one thing i have to say is that Pinion you will get your ass hand it to you in a couple of episode. Those guys that Pinon on board looks like they going to rebel and give Ledo a hard time.

    PS commander Kugel Chamber looks like ironman now that I’am looking at it

    Random
    Reply

  44. Kugel probably stayed behind to switch sides since he might be a whalesquid sympathizer. Probably just stopping by since Ledo killed the nest. It’s pretty obvious if it’s the zealot group.

    Moku
    Reply

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