Suisei no Gargantia - 7

"The Fate of a Soldier"

It seems we're back on track with Gargantia now.

Whatever your personal take on the last two episodes, the general consensus (and I mean very general) seems to be that compared to the finesse and elegance of the first four episodes, the last two have been on a bit of a sidetrip. They weren't bad episodes, per say, but they weren't exactly at the level of intelligence and beauty that I had come to expect of this series. For this reason, this week's episode (or last's, I suppose), really felt like a relief to me, like a nostalgic return to what I remember greatness feeling like, even though the plot and intrigue have only thickened for Ledo and the others.

This is the week that the PTSD really hit the fan, and as usual in Gen anime, there is no real answer to the dilemma Ledo's actions cause. We get confirmation that the "whalesquid" the Gargantians have been coexisting with are truly identical genetically to Ledo's Hideauze, and upon killing one, things start to fall apart. Ledo is now dangerous to the Gargantians, a seeming madman bent on hunting down and killing every single last whalesquid, a species that the people of Earth seem to respect and almost revere (killing one is said to be unlucky). They have their point too; the whalesquid do nothing to attack the Gargantians unless they are first provoked (and then they are fearsome indeed), and having someone to focus the squid's fury on only endangers the crews. Things just get nastier when other people on board (Pinion, whose brother died at the hands of a squid, for one) agree with Ledo and want to use him to dig up sunken treasures in whalesquid territory.

As for Ledo, his newfound fondness for the Gargantians only seems to motivate his life's mission to kill all the Hideauze. In his eyes, the squid are just waiting for a chance to attack (presumably, when human technology advances), and he'll take no chances to wait until that happens. This is the programming from his time served as a Galactic Alliance soldier showing up, and he will have no compromises or coexistence. Yet, does Ledo really have the right to do this while living amongst the Gargantians? Should he "do as the Romans do" and forget about his hatred (always easier said than done)? This is not his planet, nor even his people; is it right that he enforce a mindset, alien as it is, on them for their own safety? Then there's the matter of Ridget, who is facing two crises as Ledo threatens to leave Gargantia and the Commodore suffers a heart attack. How will she lead when forced to take the mantle of responsibility in this crucial moment?

N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for being a lovely person and helping me out this week!