Recap: Ledo struggles with finding his place in the fleet and understanding Gargantia’s way of life.

Iro’s Thoughts:
Hey, this was a pretty cool episode! After the ups and downs of the past three weeks, we get a real breather as Ledo gets to settle in on Gargantia. It’s a well-paced episode, filling us in on the bits of the setting that aren’t necessarily important to the A plot but are important to making the fictional world seem alive. This includes stuff like Ridget rattling off a list of utilities they aren’t charging Ledo for and issuing him an invoice for busting up the hanger in episode 1, and a great moment where everyone makes sure to collect drinking water from a passing squall.

The characterization remains strong as well. Ledo’s restlessness serves as a both a good excuse for Amy to drag him around the fleet and for him to do some contemplating on how Gargantia runs things. In another show, the disconnect between his military upbringing and everyone’s comparatively laid back attitude might be tiresome and trite. But, because Ledo remains mostly curious and open instead of adamant about sticking to his own methods, it makes him endearing as the newcomer. The quick flashback towards the end of the episode also manages a backstory drop that’s intriguing instead of obnoxious in its ambiguity.

Gee’s Thoughts:
This episode is definitely a step up from last time, at least as far as I’m concerned. This is how you do slice-of-life. You have your lighthearted fare, you have your relatively conflict-free narrative, but most importantly, you get a chance to watch the characters you like live our their daily lives. Gargantia’s pacing in this episode was nigh perfect and I wish more fish out of water stories and slice of life stories could get it right like it does.

Ledo’s conversation with the others and the difference between his rather harsh living circumstances and the carefree lives of the Gargantians is done well and personally far better executed than the somewhat hamfisted method that the previous episode went about it. While both episodes were essentially focusing on the same concept of Ledo learning about a life beyond the one he’s always known, I felt the calmer pace and more even handed discussion helped it out a lot.

In addition, it looks like we get some narrative development at the very end, it being shown that Ledo, if not a clone, is a relative or twin of somebody else. Raised in a society that eschews compassion and personal relationships, seeing him crying, while a little silly, was a great developing point for him. I’m glad Gargantia is taking things slowly and at its own pace and I eagerly look forward to seeing more of the wonderful world Ledo has founds himself in.

Zigg’s Thoughts:
Yes, I’m still absolutely in love with Gargantia, and this episode is an excellent example of why. It’s a perfect example of the slice-of-life episode done right – instead of silly antics we instead use the time to explore our characters motivations and how their interactions with each other are changing them. It’s gently paced without ever being boring, and suitably relaxed without ever being light on actual content. Indeed, this may actually be the most important episode since the first one in terms of what we learn about the characters and world.

Of course, it’s pretty easy to have character development when your character is essentially a blank slate to start with, as Ledo is/was. The idea of a person trained only for war is pretty old hat at this point, but some light touches here and there help keep it interesting. I think the key is that Ledo is not portrayed as some sort of cold, Terminator-esque bastard, but instead as merely surprised and slightly bemused by the customs of the Gargantia. He doesn’t have some sort of glorious epiphany merely by talking to people, and despite his highly intriguing flashback he seems only slightly changed by the end of the episode. But the ‘slightly’ part is the key – this is genuine character evolution, the beginning of a process that will hopefully carry on throughout the show. The flashback itself is pretty telling though, especially since the boy he’s so attached to seems to be…himself. A clone? It’d make sense in a highly militarised society where interpersonal relationships seem non-existent. Regardless, his crying scene is a powerful moment which the episode sells well, giving us just enough to get interested without giving the game away.

It also helps that the characters Ledo interacts with are so well rounded. Amy continues to be a sparky, energetic girl who’s actually believable rather than being some sort of crazed sugar-rush maniac. I love the little moments where we get an insight into her character, like the bit where she pulls down the dirty washing to hide it, or where her friends tease her about having a boy over. They’re believable human reactions that are both cute but make Amy something a little deeper than a pretty face. As the sick kid who seems to have all the answers Bebel is treading dangerously close to cliche, but he averts it by being generally bright and upbeat and his advice, while maybe unrealistically wise beyond his years, is a little closer to pragmatic rather than sage. The chemistry between him and Amy is good too, and I hope he’s allowed a chance to grow beyond the tagalong kid.

I’d be remiss to go without mentioning the gorgeous animation once more, with the night time ‘light-up’ of the Gargantia a particularly lovely effect. There’s nice little snippets of world building too in these luxurious vistas, showing the size and hodgepodge nature of the ship. Small moments like the rainwater collecting both help reinforce the idea that everything people need has to come from the ship, and also emphasise Ledo’s totally alien nature vs the rough and readiness of the Gargantia inhabitants. Slowly those two worlds are moving closer together (note Ledo’s improved but not yet perfect language skills) and it’s gratifying to see the production team is taking its time to so carefully fill them both in.