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| The word you're looking for is marry me |
Ledo is so precious.
I watched the first couple of episodes of Gargantia, and honestly didn't
think there was anything too special about it. It seems like your regular slice
of life with mecha on the side and pretty nice animation. But I just finished
watching the third episode and there was so many things that I liked that I
couldn't not blog about it and most of it starts with Ledo is so precious.
The first two took a while to get started, since it was
mostly Ledo sitting by himself without much interaction. The third episode
finally brought it together, after a totally laughable fight scene. I mean, the
pirate lady had a suitably unique character design and even twin slave girl
fighters and a customized lobster mecha thing. But it was established in
episode two that Chamber way outclasses pretty much everything on this earth so
there was literally zero tension when watching them fight. It was just like
haha you’re so done.
Seeing the council members come to a conclusion about
whether or not to use Ledo was, even if it was a foregone one, was interesting
because a) there’s always that one totally irrational council member who jumps
immediately to the worst ideas, and b) there are actual authority figures who
make sense in this show! I like Ridget, and of course the wise looking old guy
is going to be wise so whatever. But I like that Ridget initially was against
Ledo, but changed her opinion because she makes actual sense!
I enjoyed the food
diplomacy, because that’s the way all diplomatic campaigns should be conducted,
and because it was funny seeing Ledo react to being offered ‘animal corpses’
every time. And those moments of
diplomacy, and when Amy ran to him for help during the pirates’ attack, the
time spent not understanding a word each is saying, all culminated in my
favorite moment: when Ledo haltingly pronounces the word that expresses the
good and kindness of humanity, the word that was foreign for him up until now –
‘arigatou’.
I loved that moment, because this slice of life is about
a foreigner. He came from the cold blackness of space, where his entire life
was about fighting and the distant promise of an artificial paradise. He came
to this ever fluid, ever dynamic, ever shifting planet and the people who
called it home were bursting with life and colour. They lived outside under the
sky and casually exchanged phrases of gratitude without even thinking about it.
Theirs is a language of life, of little pleasantries, of meetings between
people, of diplomacy using food. And if you have ever lived in a different
place from where you were born, you can understand a little of what Ledo feels
like. In an era where travel and immigration are so common, it shares that
little bit with the audience. Learning a new language, learning a new life, and
suddenly your heart goes out to Ledo, a foreigner but learning to how to say ‘thank
you’.
Of course, this series is apparently written by Gen
Urobuchi so I’m not taking any bets on the light and fluffiness of later
episodes. Still, I'm interested to see where this ship takes us. (And of course I'm waiting for Amy and Ledo to get together kthxbai)
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