Gargantia on the Verduous Planet: Episode 7 Review by Skie

Streaming Allegiance: Crunchyroll
Reconnaissance Report by: Skie
Progress: Episode 7

Gargantia remains a vibrant story about high-tech war meeting low-tech cohabitation.  There’s not too much to report on here as the story continues to follow Ledo’s efforts to fit in, map the sky, and understand the strangeness that is Gargantia.  Its cooperative community is so at odds with Ledo’s military efficiency and destruction of the individual that he often finds himself at a loss as to his purpose.  Cue Amy and her attempts to include him in society.  Fishing doesn’t quite work – not unless you want pureed catches fresh from the ocean – farming’s a no-go and poor Ledo’s not quite cut out to navigate the more flamboyant parts of the ship.

I’ll admit I was beginning to worry if the Hideauze were a flavor point and not a focus point with Gargantia.  At its heart, it’s a story about finding one’s place, but it marketed itself as a show about contrasts as well… and if the focus remains wholly on the low tech setting, it takes a bit of that contrast away.  But never fear! Just as the story seems to slow down, as Ledo begins to settle in properly, the Whalesquid make an appearance!  This massive, territorial beast is a sacred symbol to the people of Earth, but Ledo’s aggressive response during a salvage mission sends the fleet into a flurry of superstitious worry and opportunistic greed.  Analysis of the residual squid muck on Chamber reveals these sacred beasts are in fact genetically related to the space-borne menace Ledo is conditioned to destroy on sight.

This was an inevitable conflict for Gargantia, but the transition between idyllic naturalization to kneejerk warmongering still managed to catch me off guard.  The circumstance also has me wondering what ace Gargantia’s got up its sleeve – did Ledo transport back in time and space to Earth, and is it because of his actions here – and the hinted-at treasures deep in Whalesquid territory – that the war between Human and Hideauze becomes a war of extinction?  Dunno! But I’m excited to find out!

Score: 9.00