First Impressions / Suisei no Gargantia

「離別」 (Ribetsu)
“Separation”

As predicted in my post last week, the coming of Suisei no Gargantia’s eighth episode brings with it the changing of the guard as Ridget takes the reins of Fleet Commander. With this succession though, comes the departure of Pinion, Flange, Ledo, and a large portion of the Gargantian fleet—which combined with Fairlock’s funeral to make this week’s episode quite something to say the least.

Indeed, the funeral procession throughout the episode just gave me chills, and I’d think that I wasn’t the only one who was really feeling it as a result of how the Gargantians do things in situations like this. The fact that everyone was involved—literally—via each of them personally putting some of the sand that covers the deceased body was just exceptionally powerful, and really just showcased the tight knit culture the Gargantians have, as well as the fact that everyone is linked in some way, shape, or form (whether they wanted to or not).

In turn though, this is exactly why I feel like there’s definitely going to be an emotional reunion between most of the cast before it’s all said and done. Because at this point, their fates are inextricably linked. The departing members will reunite. The flute that Ledo gives Bebel, the fact that he shared his story about his younger brother, and the fact that he also takes the time to meet Amy and Bebel at the end just proves this inevitability. The questions that remain though… are just whether or not all of them will make it back alive—as it seems probable to me that a few members of the expedition (such as Pinion and/or Flange) may not survive—and under what circumstances will this reunion happen…

…because combined with the above departure and the assumed finding of some valuable clues regarding the Hideazue/treasure on the expedition to the whalesquid’s nest, there’s also the side development involving Chamber/Ledo’s reunion with the Galactic Alliance this week as well. Granted, the conclusion from Chamber this week that there’s no way they’d be able to return—after all, the SOS message will never reach in time (6500+ WHOLE YEARS!)—but there’s definitely a feeling here that this conclusion is only something impossible under the current circumstances. The key part of this conclusion is that they need some kind of navigational device to assist them… and I for one believe they may yet find that on their upcoming expedition. Still, I do have to add in that assuming this prediction ends up being true, I don’t think Ledo will end up returning to the Galactic Alliance regardless—or at least will return to Amy at some point…

…which is something that I feel fairly strongly about considering how I’ve pretty much managed to nip everything in the bud prediction wise so far. Notably though, that’s not to say I think I’m some godly predictor of future events or to brag or anything, but rather just a confirmation that this is a Murata Kazuya led work through and through. Having been familiar with most of the series’ he has worked on and knowing how his series tend to involve some kind of necessary separation and inevitable reunion, the fact that this necessary separation indeed happened this week lends strongly to the fact that he will likely continue this trend with this series as well. In turn, what this means is that the bloodbath that many people predicted as a result of Gen’s involvement will likely not happen (or at least not be anywhere near the same as his previous works)—and it’s something I’m admittedly fine with, considering how ill of a fit it would be for the series at this point, and the fact that he himself said he wanted to do something different this time around.

Ultimately, it’s just a great episode of Suisei no Gargantia this week as the necessary separation between the members of the Gargantian fleet set up the basis of what could be a truly spectacular ending. In the end, it’s not something that any of the cast wanted (even the ones leaving), but the basic thing is you gotta do what you gotta do, and everyone will come out stronger from this as a result. The separation between Amy and Ledo will be significant toward the development of anything between them (especially once they both realize the reasons for doing what they both did and feeling what they both did), Ridget will need to learn what it means to be a true fleet commander underneath arguably the biggest crisis the fleet has faced in a long time, so on… and so forth. As such, I really just can’t overstate how much potential there is in the coming episodes, and this is one of those series that could really leave its mark for a long time if Murata Kazuya can repeat the magnificence he’s pulled off in some of his other works.

105 Comments

  1. The part of the fleet that is leaving is taking an awfully big risk for some vague promises of a grand reward (of an unknown nature). Pinion is motivated partly by revenge but the rest of them don’t have a very good reason for attacking something that before Ledo’s arrival they were terrified of.

    Absaroka
    Reply

    1. Indeed, it’s definitely a big risk to say the least. But considering how many of the shipmasters pretty much didn’t like the fact that Ridget was leading (or believed she could lead), it’s not so much as leaving for a reward as it is leaving on the basis of them holding differing views about what’s best for their people and their fleet.

      In the context of sheer numbers, having all the fleet ships together is definitely stronger, but it doesn’t quite mean much of the leader is incapable. Basically, the shipmasters believe themselves more capable of protecting their own people with their leadership despite the lowered total number, which not only goes to show how little confidence they have in Ridget (and thus a big reason why they can’t be together anymore), but also that the shipmasters believe the give and take from this equation is significant enough to warrant breaking off from the Gargantia.

      Ultimately, it’s a big risk… but some of it gets balanced out. In general though, I actually feel like the remainder of the Gargantian fleet is actually at more risk than anything, but it’ll serve as something that’ll really force Ridget to show her stuff and develop into the commander she’s capable of being.

      Zephyr
      Reply

      1. i don’t belive that what you said is true about the trust in ridget, in my view flange left the gargantia because he know that the way they are living will not last forever and he believes is best to seek these treasure because that may be the answer to make not only gargantia but the entire Earth a better world to live .

        marcos
        Reply

    2. As usual with such situations, it is a question of evaluating the situation. Is Ridgett up to leading the fleet? My opinion is yes, but many of the shipmasters, often veteran leaders themselves might see it differently. Flange is obviously most ambitious of them, but he has actually a point in that he wants to protect his crew and feels that this can be done best on his terms. I am full of respect for the Gargantians to manage such separations so peacefully, compare to our world and how secessions on national scale usually end up in wars.
      There are two things that make me feel optimistic about Ridgett leading Gargantia, support of the veteran crew including Bellows, and the fact that even as some ships leave, new ones are docking in.
      The burial ceremony itself was really something to behold, with everyone literally taking hand in the burial rite.
      The forced separation of Amy and Ledo is heartbreaking, but on the other hand I loved how she put Bebel before her own happiness.
      Regarding Pinion, I was surprised that he extended his vision of attacking whalesquid nest to Ledo only now that the secession was well underway. For a second I imagined that Ledo will refuse, having just received info on his unability to go back to his main force. Still, the brainwashed soldier’s psyche responded with “kill enemy” command. But there is more behind that, Ledo genuinely believes his actions are to protect everyone, especially Amy and Bebel. We cannot know for sure if he is right or wrong. We still dont know how Hideaze are related to whalesquids – and whether one or both of the species is intelligent, for that matter. Hideaze, contrary to squids seem to be using some sort of technology. Can they be some sort of genetically upgraded squids? An experiment gone wrong? We dont know what reasons pulled the spacefaring humans and Hideaze into conflict, so we dont know if similar thing can occur on Earth. Worst thing would be if by attacking whalesquids Ledo would actually trigger a conflict he was trying to protect his friends from…

      ewok40k
      Reply

    3. I don’t think the whole wealth under the ocean thing is really the reason for separating from Gargantia – Flange doesn’t strike me as a man whose only concern is wealth. I think that the reason is far deeper, baser – revenge.

      TQ

      KF
      Reply

    4. to be fair its not like fortune hunters didn’t do… peculiar things for the vague promise of wealth.

      let’s not forget history shows countries sending fleets of ships outwards with only a vague notion of where this “India”, land of wealth and spice, was.
      and entire expeditions were sent to explore the New World because of various parties, private and sovereign, believing there was mysterious wealth to be obtained.

      so as far as vague motivations are concerned, blind greed is one of the easier ones to understand and believe.

      Joe
      Reply

  2. I just can’t find myself being able to sympathize with Ridget over her inability to prevent the Gargantian from separating. Part of the reason is that she has been treating Ledo like crap since the day he arrived on the Gargantian. If she stopped immediately blaming Ledo for every mistake he makes and actually tried listening to him, she may would have been able to win him over to her side. If Ledo stayed with the Gargantian then Pinion would have been unable to rally the ship captains to separate. I guess as the saying goes, you reap what you sow.

    On the other hand, Amy and her brother seem too naive about the potential threat of the Hideazue. They fail to understand the threat that the Hideazue pose to humanity. Ledo has experienced their terror first-hand and witnessed many of his fellow soldiers falling victim to them. It is not considered to be coexistence when you have to turn off all your lights and hide when the Hideazue swim by. That’s just living in fear. As Ledo said, once the Hideazue begin expanding, they will wage war with all of humanity.

    BBQ
    Reply

    1. Yeah, I don’t really sympathize with her much either, and truth be told I think that was intended. What this basically does is set up Ridget as someone whose prior inadequacies led to this situation in the first place. In turn though, what this also does is set up a future scenario where she redeems herself, which I believe is the significance of these developments for the most part — that is, learning from the mistakes you’ve committed and the experiences you’ve had, and growing from them.

      As for Amy and her brother, yeah, the basic thing is they don’t understand the threat, but it’s also understandable why they can’t comprehend it either, considering how they haven’t seen what Ledo has seen. Notably though, this in and of itself is something I feel will be exceptionally significant in the future, because I feel like upon Ledo’s impending return, Amy will realize the significance of the whalesquid threat or at least the fact that Ledo was doing this to protect her more than anything else. In turn, I believe Ledo will realize that his desire to protect her stems from more than just a soldier’s duty, and it’s something that will lead to a significant development in regards to their friendship (and potential relationship).

      Zephyr
      Reply

    2. As much as I wanted to hope, I wish the whalesquids tentacle rape Amy and co. after Ledo left Gargantians so that they would know how dangerous they are there would be still a pure Amy to return to when Ledo returns to Gargantia…

      *Secretly winks at Urobutcher*

      Ungas123
      Reply

    4. Is it not possible that the Hideazue are whalesquid that have been modified by the Galactic Alliance?

      I can’t help but think about Babel in episode 4, asking Ledo what will happen when the Galactic Alliance defeats all the Hideauze, and what happens if no more orders come when you’re on stand-by.

      cbhl
      Reply

  3. Thanks for the awesome indepth review.Haven’t been able the watch any anime because of my limited internet usage
    so reading your review has been a great way to keep track of the series..

    Thanks again mate.

    Jaeger
    Reply

  4. There is definitely going to be a link between the Hideazue and humans around the nest. They are going to be some creation of the humans that retaliated against them when the humans tried to exterminate them, most likely out of fear or something like that. Otherwise how could they be so far from the main nest and not have destroyed humanity already. Even when underwater Ledo attacked first.

    There is also going to be some kind of ancient device down there to give Ledo the option to go home. All in all this series is awesome, its so refreshing to have an anime series actually set up a strong plot with believable characters and reactions. Hopefully this series wont end on some super Des ex machina or tropey end.

    Will
    Reply

    1. Yeah, at this point it looks like the Hideazue are likely beings that came into existence in their current form due to some kind of human influence. I’m still slightly hesitant to say that it’s a definitely human creation though, because there’s always the other factor that say, an accident or pollution created mutated versions or something of the sort. Guess we’ll see though.

      As for the deus ex machina… I feel the same way. At the same time though, I’m actually… admittedly not as worried this time around. I can’t quite explain why, but I guess it’s because it feels like they’ve been hinting at a lot of things… which in turn kind of hints at the fact they have some coherent explanation for everything. At least, I hope so.

      Zephyr
      Reply

  5. I have to say, given the slow pace of the series so far, your prediction that Ledo won’t try going back to space seems like it could be right, which would lead to a very low-key ending.

    But I really don’t want that to happen. I’ve been waiting for some kind of conflict between earth humans and their space counterparts that eventually leads to some ultimate revelation about ending war with the Hideauze once and for all.

    There doesn’t seem to be enough episodes left for that, unfortunately.

    Tre
    Reply

    1. Even if the SOS signal could travel at the speed of light, the Alliance might be over 6500 light years away. Kinda like in Mass Effect, if there are no Mass Relays, it would take ships with FTL travel many years to reach other parts of the solar system.

      Taiyo
      Reply

    2. Unless humanity laid communication relays and maintained them from the time they left Earth to the current time there is no way to speed up communications. Even then they would’ve neeeded technology at the time of abandoning Earth to send communications faster-then-light.

      rh75
      Reply

    3. Well, considering the massive distance from Earth to the Galactic Alliance, creating checkpoints wouldn’t really be beneficial due to the maintenance and distance. In addition, nothing can travel faster than light, but since they do utilize wormhole technology, I’m assuming Ledo will have to rely on luck and have someone from the galactic alliance to find him by accident (though by the alliance’s standards they may just disregard him as a mere soldier MIA )

      Dualash
      Reply

  7. Sorry to say this, but this episode disappointed me.
    What did the fleetmaster do that I need to be sad. He was a minor character. Still, it was depressing, but I fail to see why they needed all 24 mins for the funeral when this is a 1 cour show.
    I am getting Angel Beats vibes. Great idea, but not enough episodes and partly spent on “unnecessary” things.

    boingman
    Reply

    1. Necessity wise… I feel like this was one of those things that really needed the full 24 minutes. It wouldn’t have made sense to have them just go off and depart like it was nothing, and the funeral was exceptionally significant in regards to insight regarding Gargantian culture and hinting at their unbreakable bonds even with an impending separation. In addition, it set the basis of various other discussions and developments as well, which really set the tone in terms of the mindset of the various crew members and so on and so forth.

      There have been some things that may have been unnecessary in this series (many people point to the fan service aspects a few episodes back), but I can’t say that this was one of them.

      Zephyr
      Reply

      2. Because that is what it was all about. And that’s basically what the show was about. This wasn’t an episode about the death of a minor character, it was an episode about change and separation.

        Ledo and Amy
        Flange and Gargantia
        Amy and her friends
        Etc.

        That is what was sad. And the specific nature of Fairlock’s funeral was also pretty depressing.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

    2. I completely agree. At the end I was asking myself “Still not finished?” XD And I am not really sure that showing the strong bonds between characters you will never get to know is necessary. And also its not very convincing. You just got a whole lot of ships leaving without any conflict and stuff,it is hard to think the episode was about “strong bonds”. For example – the funeral didnt convince me that there are no other crew members that want to leave.
      And then there was Ridget, sitting alone in her room all the time only to FINALLY make up her mind to attend the funeral. I knew that such a g** speech was coming, it was just too obvoius, on the other Hand I didnt understand her hesitation about the funeral. So all this stuff was kinda – unnecessary. I wouldnt mind if this series was longer, but I fear all the important plot points will suffer. I see tons of aspects that are more important than a 20-minute-funeral…

      Libelula
      Reply

    3. Pretty much how I feel about the episode.

      Maybe someone had a great idea for a funeral scene & they liked it so much they just HAD to fit in? It would be a masterful episode if they’d built up the commander & the ship captains and this happened just before some final conflict that the commander had prepared Ridget/etc for.

      However, we don’t know the commander. We don’t know the ship captains & we have little sympathy for Ridget. So it didn’t accomplish all that 🙁 This is the director’s fault – they’re the one who is supposed to chain the episodes together and get things ready.

      Despite those sentiments, I still managed to be impressed at the symbolism itself. I hope the writer for this episode goes on to do more in better planned anime series.

      FarHorizon
      Reply

  9. Anyone else getting this “Captain Ahab” vibe from Pinion? Even if he’s all easygoing and palsy with others, I thought there was a hint of some aggression in him being so eager to leave the fleet.

    Like, Ledo’s all ready to raise some Whalesquid/Hideauze hell, but he’s got that training and clarity of mind of how to exterminate them. It just seems more to me that Pinion’s gonna commit some fall from grace at some point. But I could be wrong. Maybe revenge is just a side thing for Pinion and that he’s more into treasure.

    In other news, I for one am on the Ridget/Bellows ship as a side for Ledo/Amy.

    The Truth is in the Axe
    Reply

    1. Speak not to me of blasphemy, man; I’d strike the sun if it insulted me. Look ye, Starbuck, all visible objects are but as pasteboard masks. Some inscrutable yet reasoning thing puts forth the molding of their features. The white whale tasks me; he heaps me. Yet he is but a mask. ‘Tis the thing behind the mask I chiefly hate; the malignant thing that has plagued mankind since time began; the thing that maws and mutilates our race, not killing us outright but letting us live on, with half a heart and half a lung.

      From hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee. Ye damned whale.

      Now that you mention it… just substitute whalesquid for whale… and lo’ and behold. Also, CALL ME ISHMAEL! (Obligatory insert)

      Zephyr
      Reply

    2. I REALLY hope Pinion does get his fall from grace moment as well. The way he’s been acting, showing his true colors bit by bit, and using people is really getting to me. He’s not the idiot he puts out to be, that’s for sure.

      bakakubi
      Reply

    1. Lasers did not work last time so he needed a melee weapon. I am not quite sure what it was supposed to be since you can’t really swing weapons underwater very well. A trident or spear would work better.

      sortedevaras
      Reply

      1. Two things

        1) You can’t swing due to resistance, Chamber is probably strong enough to make resistance negligible.

        2) It’s kind of harpoonish looking, though it seems to be missing a point. Maybe he’s not done? Maybe it’s just throwable in it’s current form? Not sure.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

  12. Rewatching ep 1-8, you can actually see Ledo’s skin getting progressively darker, from his initial ‘pale ghost’ in ep 1 to ep 8’s current flesh toned colour.

    zztop
    Reply

  13. I have a feeling that both sides are going to get harmed from the Hideauze because of the split up. The bigger group will survive simply due to the fact that Ledo saves them and be put into their problems due to Pinion. While Ridget will actually do a better job of keeping her group safe and also I wouldn’t doubt includes getting the pirates that we saw before as member of Gargantia after all is said and done.

    At least that’s how I could see it playing out.

    Dorian
    Reply

  15. Now this is how you kill a side character. It was clear to me that the Fleet Commander was going to die after last week’s cliffhanger and the opening segment of him giving his final goodbyes to Ridget still didn’t invoke a reaction from me. Let’s be honest, this guy had a very minor role to play in the past weeks of Gargantia.

    Then the funeral procession happened and I was stunned. From the concept of everyone pouring sand on his grave to the eulogy Flange, of all people, gave, to that bitch Ridget struggling to cope with the burden she was suddenly given and the death of her second dad– this side character’s death had more impact on me than Ledo and Amy’s parting even though it was also well-done.

    I must admit, I was ready to write off Flange as the obligatory greedy idiot politician, but his eulogy and subsequent defense for leaving Gargantia quickly broke that thought. It’s nice to see such maturity in these characters.

    Beedle
    Reply

  16. I wonder if the huge population of “whale squid” will differentiate between the fragile ship hulls of Gargantia from the new fleet that actually attack them.

    They should already know that the Whalesquid are organized and seemingly intelligent beings. A single whalesquid was killed, followed by an entire fleet of enormous whalesquid swiming by Gargantia’s fleet. Either way I predict a battle coming between the two species, that Ledo can’t handle alone. I predict he will get a pretty heavy realization, about his war back home, and his lifes work.

    MrBrownSound
    Reply

  17. I’m sorry if this sounds insincere, but since Ledo and Amy are splitting apart for the time being, can we get a little Ledo/Melty action? I mean strictly as friends; strictly.

    frubam
    Reply

      1. I wouldn’t put it past him.After all,an old man sacrifice isn’t enough to apease Gen and as you previously mentioned he’s already started looking into other shows,constantly seeking worthy sacrifices.

        I’m trully sorry Melty,but if UroButcher’s wrath isn’t appeased soon,calamity might fall upon more shows.Your sacrifice will be a meaningfull one,for the greater good of all cute,nice girls!

        MgMaster
        Reply

  18. I’m not sure if what to think of Melty going off with Flange’s fleet.

    Was it just to add an extra level to Amy’s feelings about Ledo leaving as well… or are we setting up for an extra personal death to deal with when the whalesquids ultimately destroy a chunk of Flange’s fleet?

    qwert
    Reply

    1. i think she had a valid reason in-story. she said that she can;t leave her grandfather, so we could assume that they are both based on flange’s ships, and we can assume that the grand dad is sickly so moving from flange’s section to the main section might not be possible.

      but yeah, this seems to be setting up a sort of rather personal death of a friend (for both ledo and amy).

      flamerounin
      Reply

  19. first thing up: are we sure that this is supposed to be just a single cour? the plot is starting to build up more, but they only have 5 episodes left. i don’t know if that’s enough to do a proper wrap.

    and that’s how you do a death scene. Fairlock did have only a limited screentime, but the emotions in his funeral is really heartfelt. the funeral itself kinda reminds me of real life cultures who do burial at the sea.

    and ledo and amy are now finally unknowingly showing romantic affections towards each other. ledo seems to slowly finding his own desire to protect amy and amy herself is likely about to grow out of her naivete as she comes to terms with her own feelings for ledo.

    maybe it’s time to drop the mecha series tag for this one and call it a love story (much better than twilight 😉 )

    flamerounin
    Reply

      2. I’d say it’s entirely doable, just unfortunate.

        Nothing suggests the ‘war’ is picking up. They’re gonna go to the nest. Presumably dramatic events happen there, and then some sort of climax. Nothing about what we’ve been told suggests more than 1 or 2 battles and some sort of resolution, which can be done in five episodes.

        It’s just sad, because it’s a good show with a fun cast and I would watch fifty episodes of Ledo learning to live a normal life with Amy.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

  20. That funeral scene felt very solemn, the better one i’d ever seen in this medium.

    Hope that Ridget will be able to depend on others just like how the previous Commander depended on her and not burn out again. She may be inexperienced but she does have great potential.

    Cybersteel
    Reply

  21. > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargantia_on_the_Verdurous_Planet
    > Reads the PRODUCTION part.

    Aw. So it isn’t really an I-Uso-Butcher-Everyone-On-The-Gargantia-Tentacle-Raep-Blood-Everywhere type of anime… What good is an anime with Gen Urobuchi in it without death, sadness and despair for a good 11 episodes?

    But that’s just me. A funeral in anime is uncommon, if not rare. Hopefully, Gen will assert his emo-ness and edgy-ness and give it his trademark.

    TheMoondoggie
    Reply

    1. Maybe the guy’s changed, “healed” like hideaki anno.

      Or maybe he’s just making us complacent, then striking at the right time, sending us into a state of utter despair and loneliness for the next few days 3:)

      flamerounin
      Reply

      2. I’m confused. Are you joking, or do you actually want this fairly cutesy, happy, low-key anime to end with horrific violence and death? Because that seems messed up to me.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      3. KaleRylan:

        To admit it: Yes. But only because it’s Gen. He’s the master of all grimdark as we have seen in Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, Saya no Uta, Psycho-Pass and Madoka Magika. And I loved it.

        Never did watch Fate/Zero, but it’s in my backlog.

        Anyway, it’s common for the guy to end his anime in bittersweet and “the story continues….” type so I’d expect that. Sure, it’s ok if he changes style. But unless seen otherwise, I’m expecting Gargantia to sink(no, I didn’t mean the show will suck. I literally mean that ship/colony will sink with it’s captain.)

        If he isn’t gonna do that now, there is still Expelled from Paradise…

        The Moondoggie
        Reply

      4. That’s fair I guess.

        Did all of his other anime spend most of their runs being happy and cute though? I guess if they did then it’s fair to assume that this will end sad.

        However, at this point I think it would be a bit weird to have this end all depressing when it’s been so happy for most of its run. I think even a good writer should be able to do different tones on occasion.

        The show is certainly getting darker in the last two episodes, but because they came a little earlier, I do think they’ll work it out by the end.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      5. @KaleRylan

        I haven’t watched Saya no Uta but all the other shows that TheMoondoggie posted are far from happy-go-lucky & cute(well okay,Madoka still has the cute part).This is why I also don’t think this series will be like Gen’s usual.Just watching that opening makes think that the chances of the Butcher to pick up his axe in this series are pretty null.

        MgMaster
        Reply

  22. I personally didn’t like it when Bellows called all those who were leaving idiots/fools (baka). Even though she may not agree with them leaving the fleet, she has no right the belittle them (even though she may not mean it harshly). Pinion may be the one with the ulterior motives (and maybe even the captain of the fleet that is leaving could be the same), but everyone else decided to leave base on their own decision. They either felt that they’ll be safer by leaving, or felt that Gargantia may no longer benefit them. It didn’t seem like it was due to hate or misjudgement. Plus, there are those who choose to leave due to wanting to set off and discover new areas never visited before. There are those who want play it safe, and there are those who are willing to risk it for a possibly brighter future. Neither way of life is superior to the other, so one shouldn’t criticize others for not agreeing with their own way of life, no matter how much you disagree with them (unless the other party is clearly making a huge mistake or seems to be purposely causing harm to others).

    bakakubi
    Reply

  23. Maybe you should’ve held Flange and the rest of the people who wanted to leave at gunpoint, eh Ridget.

    I don’t sympathize with Ridget in the slightest and I’m expecting her to make a big mistake where everyone blames her for it just like they blamed Ledo.That’s when Urobutcher comes out to play >;).

    Bellows calling Flange and the other people idiots because they don’t want to be lead by Ridget was hilarious hypocritical of her to say.No one wants to be led under someone with shitty leadership skills, only the real idiots do.

    Empress Lukkage needs to come back, let’s see how Gargantia without Flange and Ledo handle themselves under Ridget’s command.

    Bevel did the bro thing and went to go see Ledo.Amy did the opposite because of her “feelings” for Ledo.Not every anime needs romance, so I’m not shipping Amy and Ledo.Ledo may like Amy, but Urobutcher won’t allow that to happen anyway.

    With the technology the Alliance has, 6k plus years in the future, they can definitely receive Chamber’s Signal and open a Black Hole to go back in time.So don’t give me that bs Chamber, I’m not buying it.

    I think Chamber is going HAL on Ledo

    Magoiichi
    Reply

  24. I did sympathize with Ridget. True, she acted wrongly in this episode, and that’s what Bellows and Flange told her. Speaking of that, I didn’t think Bellows could be able to give a moral speech to Ridget, even though they’re of different standings they’re still friends. Bellows’ really the character with my favorite personality in the show. Back to my point, I think some of you are mixing things up. Ridget was one of the first to accept Ledo, she only acted rough toward him during the previous episode. On the contrary Flange and Pinion were the ones who were always talking about getting rid of him, which is why I like the show so much and find it interesting, how they both had a change of heart and are now accepting him even after killing a Whalesquid. Sure they also have interests in killing whalesquids but my point still stands. That’s what I think anyway.

    Rockmanshii
    Reply

    1. I don’t quite agree with your statement that Ridget was one of the first to accept Ledo. When Ledo first arrived on the Gargantian her initial reaction was to disassemble Chambers and reverse engineer him. After Ledo killed the pirates, she stated that “he could not remain there any longer.”

      While Pinion initially wanted to throw Ledo overboard into the bottom of the ocean, he did make attempts to befriend him afterwards such as inviting him to the beach, giving him jobs to do and taking him out to eat (although he was mostly taking advantage of Ledo). Ridget has shown no attempt at befriending Ledo in any way throughout the series resulting in Ledo more likely to trust Pinion over Ridget.

      BBQ
      Reply

  25. One of the things I liked about this episode was how reasonable Ledo was. In the last episode it seemed like he was going a little ax-crazy towards the Hideauze for no explained reason other than his training.

    This episode though shows that he didn’t just revert, he now wants to fight them for the sake of his friends and to protect what he cares about. He HAS grown and changed, but the Gargantians don’t see it because they don’t understand why he’s still violent.

    Unfortunately for me that is the one thing I don’t think this show has explained well. Why DOES the Alliance hate the Hideauze so much? What happened to start the war? We need an answer in order to accurately judge what’s going on. I REALLY hope it’s not just psychopath humans starting a war with a peaceful creature. I actually hope Ledo’s right and they’re dangerous. I still want him to learn peace, but it’d be nice if the Gargantians had to learn a bit from him too.

    KaleRylan
    Reply

    1. I used to wonder why they started war with the Hideauze as well, but based off what Ledo said about them growing into human territory in this episode I came to this conclusion reviewing the very beginning of the first episode:
      it shows a nice place in space to live. The.. 8 thing? With the greenery and everything. Then it shows a similar shot except it’s destroyed with holes in it and Hideauze crawling over and in it. Based off this I get the idea that humans made an artificial home, a place to live, perhaps even multiple. Then the Hideauze came in and destroyed it and so the war starts.

      3242
      Reply

    2. Well if you were paying attention you’d get the bare bones of it.

      Bears meet Human Suburbia. Bears will invade human habitat as food are there ready for the taking.

      Hideauze as portrayed in the first episode and expounded on the last episode are energy feeders.

      Suns, space colony power generators, or exotic bombs it don’t matter. It is a feeding frenzy.

      Avalon and colonies like it rely on energy to survive. Gargantia has the luxury to power down and go at silent running. They don’t.

      Also as Ledo has explained Gargantians are too primitive to register in their feeding radar. But they do share the same habitat, Earth’s Sea Galaxy nanomachine energy producer. Either Humans advanced technologically or Hideauze expand their territory either way they are nothing but food for the Hideauze.

      Yo can’t negotiate with Hideauze as they are animal driven by instincts. To coexist with them means civilization will always be technologically stagnant.

      ReddyRedWolf
      Reply

      1. Quite frankly, I vaguely hope you’re right, and that’s clearly the truth as Ledo sees it, but I’m not sure it’s actually the whole truth.

        It’s been pretty heavily established that the Alliance didn’t really encourage Ledo to think outside the box, so I’m not 100% sure we can trust his thoughts on the matter.

        I’m not arguing, I’m just not sure where they’re going. Given the overall moral of the story, I’m curious if Ledo won’t have to learn to accept peace or something. I sort of hope not though, because I think that idea of peace is fairly naive.

        KaleRylan
        Reply

      2. Peace and UNDERSTANDING with instinct-driven space squids? Don’t make me laugh… They cannot be negotiated with, the same way humans do not appease or negotiate with parasites, but instead eradicate them. I hope they won’t pull of the sort of thing Gundam 00 the movie was…

        SherrisLok
        Reply

  26. I think that in the next ep they could find Ledo’s commander! in the first episode, that commander chose to be left behind, and since Ledo and Chamber were as well, there isnt any reason why they woudnt both have warped to and landed on earth! that would be amazing, and interesting! i also beloe that in this expedition, they will definitely find something from space that will help Ledo get back home, because where they are searching is whalesquid territory! I can;t wait!

    shinichick39
    Reply

  29. I think some people have already said this before, but he should just show them some combat footage.(we can assume that Chamber has a gun cam that can record and show footage of his battles) And show the Gargantians what kind of crap he has to deal with when being confronted by the Hideauze. Especially, Ridget and Bellows who don’t seem to understand why Ledo hates the Hideauze so much for good reason.

    Well at least we can look forward to Ledo and Chamber going all Medieval on the Hideauze.

    UAC
    Reply

  30. So the theme in this week’s episode was seperation. Very well done I must say. Amy keeps giving me the feels. Ridget though.. meh.

    The one thing I disliked though was how people kept calling those who left idiots. Is it risky? Sure. Is it idiotic? Definitely not. But perhaps in the eyes of those who prefer the safety of staying behind, leaving Gargantia was a very stupid move.

    Well, to end off, come back soon Ledo! Can’t keep an awesome girl like Amy waiting too long

    WildKaiser
    Reply

  32. Hmm, just as a thought, I’m not sure if it’s been postulated, but perhaps not only did Ledo get sent through SPACE to earth, but also through TIME? Perhaps this event is what makes the Hideauze go Jaws on the human beings and sets the precedent for how he got here in the first place? Quantum causality be damned and all though.

    zabine
    Reply

  33. Ledo might find an FTL capable or at least a warp capable ship / engine that will allow him to somehow return to the Galactic Alliance, or perhaps a communication device that can transmit via subspace [yes~ StarGate reference] that will allow him to contact the Galactic Alliance.
    Since the Whale-Squids are nesting around the area then there could be a plethora of advance tech in the area. Since it has the capability of kicking their ass but has not done so, they settled near it to observe and will attack if it does them any harm.

    Hagiri
    Reply

  34. Playing catch up this week. It’s a little late and in no way trying to make fun of the current story developments but I notice Ledo is developing some form of tan from when he first crashed to earth there two past episodes.

    https://randomc.net/image/Suisei%20no%20Gargantia/Suisei%20no%20Gargantia%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2033.jpg
    https://randomc.net/image/Suisei%20no%20Gargantia/Suisei%20no%20Gargantia%20-%2008%20-%20Large%2006.jpg

    Ledo… I’m jealous that you don’t seem to burn. T-T

    Ani_BEE
    Reply

    1. Someone pointed out earlier in this comment list that his skin has been turning progressively less pale than it was in episode 1, most likely due to being under the sun.

      Bakazuki
      Reply

    1. I don’t think the technology gap is small enough for them to reverse engineer Chamber. It’s something like trying to tell people in dark age to reverse engineer a jet aircraft.

      zeroyuki92
      Reply

      1. Even medieval people would learn a plethora of things from reverse-engineering a jet craft. Especially if they got guidance. Gargantians didn’t even try. Neither did they ask Ledo about Galactic Alliance technology and science… They don’t care. What’s the right word for that? ‘Pathetic’, I think…

        SherrisLok
        Reply

  39. You know it’s funny, at this point in the series I think I’m supposed to sympathies with Amy more than Ledo, but I don’t. For all his stumblings, Ledo is still doing the correct thing. If I knew of an enemy species hell bent on destroying my entire race, and I discovered them hiding on some random backwater planet, I sure as hell would be trying to exterminate every last one of them. There is a history here, and ignoring it because you want to feel warm and fuzzy inside isn’t logical. As they said in Starship Troopers, “We’re in it for the species.”

    Well anyway, there is a horribly awkward comparison one could make between the space squids living peacefully in the ocean and the whaling industry in Japan. Wonder if anyone is thinking about that.

    Tarage
    Reply

    1. The Hideazue on Earth are different from the ones in space if they are different at all – they react aggressively only when they are being attack. Ledo’s argument that they represent a threat to the human race later on is flawed because:

      1)They are not an imminent threat now.

      2)His prediction isn’t always accurate, predicting the future has always been an unpredictable business.

      3)Just because both of them are the same species doesn’t mean that both type of Hideazue operate in the same way.

      TQ

      KF
      Reply

      1. They have a DNA match to the ones in space. It would be akin to completely ignoring the activities of every enemy combatant because ‘they haven’t attacked yet’.

        1. The future Ledo comes from is horrible, and he realizes it. Therefor he would rather nip the problem in the bud than let these people suffer the same fate

        2. He can’t predict the future, but he has a lot of strong evidence that things will end badly if they are left alone. Look at how hostile they become when even one of their own is killed? That’s a legitimate threat.

        3. These are not creatures that can be negotiated with. Be it a language barrier or what have you, they seem to act on instinct, not rational thought.

        Tarage
        Reply

    2. I think my biggest fear at this point is that we’re going to have ‘love and understanding’ forced down our throats like every modern Gundam series to date. There are times when that is appropriate, and there are times when it’s nice to have a story that doesn’t try to push morals where they clearly do not belong. I just have a bad feeling.

      Tarage
      Reply

  40. This was a good change of pace… Now we can see where the plot will take us: a massive war between human and squids/hideauze? Especially, to confirm what feelings do Amy and Ledo have between them. Bebel seems to have given the ok sign… =)

    RB
    Reply

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