One of Gen Urobuchi's works, not much to be said. But the Title's flashy. Like seriously, I didn't know Verdurous was even a word. A new word at that.
To put in a review, short and sweet, Gargantia is a sort of political and social commentary directed at Teens and those in their early 20's. Gen Urobuchi stated that the intent of the anime would be to convince the youth that "going out into
...
One of Gen Urobuchi's works, not much to be said. But the Title's flashy. Like seriously, I didn't know Verdurous was even a word. A new word at that.
To put in a review, short and sweet, Gargantia is a sort of political and social commentary directed at Teens and those in their early 20's. Gen Urobuchi stated that the intent of the anime would be to convince the youth that "going out into the world isn't scary". You can definitely see it in the anime as the opening and ending songs are especially tailored to this theme.
Oh Gen Urobuchi, as if anyone would believe you and your dark styles. I still have scars from the time that I got into Madoka Magica believing it was just another carefree magical girl anime. *shiver*
But yes, the political and social allegories that run throughout the series are impactful in this anime, and it is because of some of the dark twists that come up in the series. So don't believe Gen Urobuchi's words, and enjoy this short anime knowing that you can make connections to its content and the real world.
More specifically, the social commentary is heavily influenced by observations on socialism, fascism, racism, wars, and blind obedience (as if we haven't seen that in anime enough). I'm tempted to draw a fictitious line between this series and animal farm, as the bad guys often reminded me of the Soviet Union.
More or less, I feel like the message that Gen Urobuchi tried to leave was to tell youths to question their upbringings and make decisions for themselves. It's in part a social commentary, but also a coming-of-age story that focuses on challenging ones own beliefs as an individual.
The main cast was filled with youths who mainly struggle to fulfill the roles that they were either given, or that they believed they had to fulfill. The characters were easy to follow for the most part, and the main cast is all likeable enough to help the story flow. I came to like the main cast a lot, even if some of their personalities were bland and a bit cliche to fill in certain roles in order to keep the plot progressing. The character designs had a refreshing style pinched into them, and everyone's character growth and development really nailed the message of the anime.
I'd like to say that this anime was flawless. The production went smoothly and was enjoyable, but that's it. Just because it has no major flaws, doesn't make it an amazing work. It doesn't have that in your face action that something like Gurren Lagann has, the emotional impact in Clannad: Afterstory, or the depth that exists in Fate/Zero. It was a fairly underwhelming piece, despite it's clean execution. A well paced, well thought out, and overall well made anime. But, it's because it stops there and doesn't try to be anything more that Gargantia will never go down as a masterpiece.
So if you're looking for something that is meaningful; if it's an anime that's not too light, but not as dark as Gen Urobuchi's previous works, then chances are, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet is for you.
8/10
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