Suisei no Gargantia - 11 & 12

"Supreme Ruler of Terror" and "Moment of Decision"

If this doesn't convince you that this was the same writer behind Psycho-Pass, I dunno what will.

Episode 11

It comes as no surprise that after the already complicated situation surrounding the Hideauze, the reappearance of Commander Kugel would only further aggravate matters. Ledo's eagerness to meet a comrade on Earth is short-lived, though it is the former Gargantians themselves who realize something is wrong from the start. Personally I found a lot of these scenes as aggravating as the last in terms of characterization, especially when it comes to Pinion. Considering how contemptible he's been as of late, this episode does him no favors; not only is he still pigheaded and paying for his prior stupidity (as he should, but in much too rushed a fashion), but he also accepts the consequences of his actions far too calmly for the sort of character he's been built up to be from the start.

What's more believable is Pinion's quick acceptance of Striker's offer; he's always been a greedy sort of man, quick to improve his own prospects, and while it seems that he's somewhat bothered by the circumstances and the cult atmosphere of Kugel's fleet, he's not overly troubled by the whole thing. In contrast, the rest of the ex-Gargantians are far more apprehensive about their situation. It's a clearly stratified society, one where the higher ups live in more comfort and the normal folk aren't much more than indentured servants, and even worse, the family dynamic is immediately at stake once the Kugel-ites decide keeping the new fleet together is too risky due to the fear of insurgence.

Of course, then there's Kugel himself, along with his own mecha, Striker, and their less than savory plan for the Earth. Like Ledo only just recently, Kugel believes that the best thing to do as a soldier of the Galactic Alliance is to protect humanity form the Hideauze at all costs, even though, unlike Ledo, he already knows the truth about his enemy. More shocking than that however, is the fact that because of his conditioning, he believes his followers are happy and well taken care of, even if his power is through forceful fear and brainwashing. In other words, Kugel's fleet now looks utterly wrong to people like the ex-Gargantians and Ledo, but never more so when it turns out the Gargantia itself is at stake.

Episode 12

I must be really terrible at sci-fi plots because, just as with Psycho-Pass, I did not expect this one till the moment right before it unfolded.

Though I never doubted for a moment that Ledo wouldn't be okay with fighting Gargantia, I didn't really expect him to turn on his commander so quickly and without the angst he's shown when dealing with other conflicting matters. True, he's spent a lot of time on Earth and his priorities have clearly shifted, but even so, wouldn't he feel more conflicted at betraying his old Commander than he shows here? I think it makes more sense, in retrospect, for that long, suffering sequence he underwent when discovering the truth about the Hideauze to have been applied to a situation like this as well. Yes, Ledo would have felt bad at killing innocents, but wouldn't his PTSD cause him similar distress when facing a difficult moral decision like this one?

Still, it's true that innocents are dying here, and that Ledo is in a position to stop it, so I don't disagree with his stance or decision, regardless of how they were depicted. The truth is Kugel is a twisted leader and his means do not justify his methods. He's already re-introduced various Galactic Alliance creeds, some of which have to do with getting rid of the weak, sick, and elderly, and his plan reeks of conquest rather than protection, though to be honest those things can have very similar connotations in such situations. I'm not really sure I like Amy and Ledo's attraction to her used as the catalyst to really get him to change his mind though, but not because it's unrealistic. Ledo definitely likes Amy, yes, but honestly Amy has never felt to me like much more than a plot device, as a method to get Ledo to grow and change, and I dislike that coming back in the end, cementing her as little more than a tool for Ledo's development.

Regardless, no matter what Amy's role, the fact remains that Ledo is poised to do battle with Kugel, and honestly this is one of the things I've been looking forward to the most for this series: a good old-fashioned mecha battle, though heavy on the CGI. Pinion and the rest of the Gargantians (including Melty, who finally left a non-negative impression on me after a whole twelve episodes) are in on the action too, doing their best to overthrow the cult-regime on the fleet. But of course, no one is going to forget the blockbuster reveal at the end, that it was never Kugel at the helm of this catastrophe, but Striker herself. I feel almost stupid for not having considered this possibility, especially considering how I just finished Psycho-Pass not too long ago, and the similarities are definitely there, even if the situations are totally different. Is Striker self-aware? Or is she merely acting on the very principles of the Galactic Alliance? Either way, I can only see things getting messier from here.

N.B.: Thanks to Ivan for the caps, sorry for taking so long to get around to them!