Gargantia eps 9-10: Things Get Serious

Just finished episode 10 of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. Wow. 

[Spoilers ahead]

Earlier today, I reluctantly decided to watch the ninth and tenth episodes, just so I could read Zeroe4’s blog post on the anime without spoilers (which I’ll read after I write this). The episodes leading up to these had been disappointing. I was beginning to wonder if, as wonderful as the world building was, the show would end up with no plot. I was getting bored, and was about ready to give up on it.

But, like I said, wow. Episodes 9 and 10 hit me hard. Things got real serious real fast. Even before we saw the “ancient” news records, I felt sickened by the way Ledo and Chamber were massacring the Hideauze. After we saw them, I was horrified. I found myself speaking to the screen, begging Chamber to stop killing. When he (it?) didn’t, I pushed away my snack. I’d lost my appetite. That “tin can” has too much Artificial Intelligence for my liking. He refused to listen to me or Ledo, and he can actually hear Ledo!

Baby Hideauze, about to be
stepped on by Chamber

And then, in the tenth episode, Pinion’s jerky side showed big time. After Ledo and Chamber killed off the whalesquid and Pinion’s crew salvaged the ancient weaponry, he started acting too big headed. He seemed to think he was invincible, and he wanted to lord it over all the flooded earth. Argh! 

Between Pinion and Chamber’s bullheaded ways, I’m reminded of how I felt when I wrote this post about eps 15 and 16 of Guilty Crown. I’m not feeling nearly as agitated as I did then, but it’s about as close as I’ve gotten in a while. Grr... I have a low tolerance for this particular brand of 2D baka characters.

Pinion, I don't care if they're pirates, or if they
attacked you first. Stop being a jerkface.

Poor Ledo is doing even worse than me. He thought he was killing lower life forms, but he now knows that they are genetically altered human beings. His purpose in life was built on a lie, poor guy. At least he's "had enough of the Alliance's brainwashing," as he says.

It'll be okay... I think. I just don't envy you
when you have to face your friends on the other fleet.

But Ledo doesn’t have time to process everything before the end of the episode. Apparently, the creators decided that there still wasn’t enough pressure building, so they added a twist at the end of the episode: the appearance of another allied mech. 

Oh, snap. I suppose it’s too much to hope that Commander Kugel will agree with a more compassionate look on the Hideauze...? 

Thankfully, I don’t have to wait long before watching the next episode. Though it may be wise to let two or three episodes build up before watching them. Something tells me the suspense will continue to build to an even more uncomfortable level.