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GARGANTIA #7 - - Watch & Learn
Well well well… there’s that inevitable conflict we
feared.
In the final scheme of things, GARGANTIA may not be wind up being as
ballsy a genre experiment as a high-stakes mecha that abruptly switches into a
slice-of-life sitcom for good. It is still shaping up to be a well-written
adventure, though, and I’m impressed by the dramatic and thematic reversals that
arrive at this halfway point.
There’s the tension of these seemingly-passive whalesquid and their
potential link to the villainous Hideauze…
There’s clever ‘shoe on the other foot’ switch where the Earthlings are
now begging Ledo not to kill aquatic life after they’ve repeatedly hoisted
seafood on him despite his hesitance…
…and there’s the continued, nigh-Randian subtext of the Gargantia crew
trying to coerce Ledo into cooperating when, all along, he could easily wipe
them out with Chamber. In this case, if Atlas ever shrugs, he’d potentially vaporize an entire fleet of people.
That’s tight writing there. No matter how sharp the plot’s switchback
turns are, they never feel like they’ve been ‘cheated.’ The show’s been
consistently planting seeds about the differences in customs and values between
Ledo and his new neighbors (as well as the importance of the whalesquid,
specifically).Now that those seeds are blooming, you can’t but feel a
little silly for not noticing their growth.
Outside of something mysterious and significant being unearthed during Pinion’s
forthcoming deepsea excavation, I really can’t call where this going. Ledo’s
suspicions may very prove unfounded, and this show might be sending a
conservationist message. Or Ledo’s suspicions could prove right, and this show
might be making a point about the dangers of good people burying their heads in
the sand.
More importantly, will Ledo swallow his pride and re-open his heart to
Amy? Let’s be real - - that’s all we should care about here.
Watch this episode, “A
Soldier’s Fate" here and decide for yourself, then read my comments on the
previous episode here.
About the Author
 | Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk |
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