Suisei no Gargantia - 03

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A three episode rule was never necessary with Suisei no Gargantia, but it did help confirm it as my current favourite from the new season.

As someone who isn't a "mecha fanboy" it's hard to talk about a series like Suisei no Gargantia and sound knowledgeable.  My indifference to the genre does limit me from drawing comparisons to other series from the genre and talk about the clichés.  Still.  I can't seem to stop myself from loving Urobuchi Gen's contribution to Production I.G's extensive sci-fi resume.

What surprises me, is how after three episodes we're still going at the same pace.  The biggest focus of the plot remains the issue of trust between the inhabitants of Gargantia and Ledo.  Our attention isn't pointed elsewhere, and has been directed to this strained relationship for each episode that has aired so far.  After the previous episode's ending, it wasn't surprising to see questions of morality being discussed as one would expect from a Urobuchi anime.  The distinguishing feature here is how effortless these discussions seem to be.  No banquet amongst kings, no literary references to debate, just a difference in backgrounds to divide those who attempt to live in peace and the one person who has fought for his life in outer space.

Then there's the politics being played by both sides, which rounds off the current situation wonderfully.  A power struggle exists and both sides are trying to play each other in attempts to gain the advantage.  Ledo is being revealed as quite the cunning soldier, and emerges as the victor.  How his plans, not to mention the plans of the natives, come into play is looking like an interesting future development and I can't wait to see how it affects Suisei no Gargantia's main story.  Presumably the power-play between the two parties will produce some type of result, pertinent to the direction of the story in its final stages.

Enough on the politics at work, let's look at the other parts of the episode.

Again, I reiterate that Suisei no Gargantia is moving at an ideal pace.  Not rushing, and well aware of its 12-episode time limit.  So much so that we have yet to gain knowledge of the full world.  For now, we're introduced to some lesbian pirates with some funky mechs of their own.  Whether that was intended to be for comedy is beyond me, but it was another fine display of animation.

Besides that, it was an opportunity for Ledo to display his learning or cunning.  An exercise in restraint - hammer throwing a mech instead of obliterating its pilot - which will undoubtedly yield some favours with his hosts and give him more leverage in the future.  It was a little comedic given the situation, and yet there was a significance it held to the previous events of the episode.

All in all, another great episode of Suisei no Gargantia.  With just three episodes, I find myself aching for more.  The series has done everything right so far, and I hope it'll to continue to do so. Suisei no Gargantia is already a contender for the top 10 of the year; no jinx please!