Initial Impressions: Suisei no Gargantia

Now that we're well into the first week, the good premieres just keep on coming.

Knowing what Production I.G and Urobuchi Gen are capable of, Suisei no Gargantia is certainly a series I've been keeping an eye out for. It didn't hurt that I knew it would be a sci-fi and mecha, but I've been a little apprehensive about the way Gen would handle this. What the premise reminds me most of are series like Bounen no X'amd or the first half of Eureka Seven, where the communal living experience and character interactions are what drives the story forward. On the other hand, Gen's characters never quite seem to get off the page as forces of their own, and his style reflects a much more philosophical and big-picture focus. While the premiere doesn't remove the fear that this collaboration might go to hell in some form another, it does at least cement this as a work of great production, and I'm pleased to say I enjoyed it highly.

Ledo (Ishikawa Kaito, a newcomer who's actually about my age... what have I done with my life?) is a soldier in the Human Galactic Alliance, which is currently at war with an alien species known as the Hideauze. During a battle in which humanity is forced to retreat, his mecha is thrown off course and into a wormhole, and he awakens six months later in a strange place with unknown people attempting to break open his craft. Unable to understand a word they say, he takes a girl, Amy (Kanemoto Hisako), hostage for self-preservation, only to discover himself aboard a colossal ship on the planet Earth, a place lost to human mythology since historical times. Ledo's incredulous reaction is second only to the ship's occupants, who find his mecha and technology as threatening and alien as he finds them.

Other than the CGI, which I can live with here, the animation production is quite nice, and I like the contrast between Amy's bright colors and Ledo's darker, more subdued ones. In terms of characterization, there's not too much, but there's definitely some of Urobuchi's spin in Ledo's personality, made obvious in his monologue at the beginning of the episode. His desensitization toward war and own admittance that he's lost the ability to fear are points right out of Urobuchi's repertoire, and I wouldn't be surprised if that, and more, lies at the thematic center of Suisei. However, there's also some witty humor to be had here, especially when it comes to the language barrier. The literal translation of expletives by the mecha's control system while Ledo runs around the base with Amy slung over his shoulder leads him to seriously consider the ship's crew barbaric, and his overly serious attitude is broken by his nonchalance while handling his hostage. The last scene was also quite beautiful in the way it captured Ledo's awe, and Urobuchi even managed to get Christian imagery into the very first episode. It's a great premiere for what I hope will be a great series, and if Urobuchi can overcome his issues with characters, I can easily see this becoming a classic.

Episode 1 Screencaps: "Castaway"