Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet Specials

For many, the Gargantia series was a hit or miss. Personally, I really liked it, but it wasn't as good toward the end as it was at the beginning. I thought they could have done with a few more episodes, since it was the pacing that killed the end for most people. And now that we have 2 more episodes- both depicting backstories of characters who do kind of need development, so how are they? Ep 14: I thought this was a pretty okay episode, but kind of forgettable. It showed the backstory of Rigit, the captain of Gargantia. It was a bit sad but farfrom tearjerking, and it didn't really do much to flesh out her character. But it had a few funny moments and of course we get to see more of that gorgeous animation that I think everyone can agree is always a positive part of this anime. 7/10 Ep 15: I really liked this one. It gave more backstory to the main antagonists and you see how he goes from a pretty good guy to the dickbag you see in the main series. And there is quite a bit of darkness and emotion in this one. I'd give it a 9/10

This isn’t as much of a review as a PSA. These two episodes were made pretty much to fill up the content of the BDs to a neat 5-episodes-per-volume figure. The first one was released on BD Vol.1, the second on BD Vol. 3. As such, referring to them as “episodes 14 & 15” is both wrong and misleading, they aren’t meant to be a follow-up to the main story, rather, the first one is Episode 4.5 and the second one is Episode 13.5. Episode 4.5 suffers the most if seen at a wrong time, because its story, both chronologically and narrative-wise, takes place between Episodes4 and 5, with characters acting according to the story progress up until that point, which creates a jarring discrepancy if watched after the later episodes of the main plotline. The first half of the episode is dedicated to worldbuilding, which again, is pretty pointless after the main story is over. The second half provides some extra backstory for the character of Ridget, who also got her character arc resolved well before the finale of the series, in Episode 8. Overall, even if watched in the right order, this episode is just an inoffensive filler, providing nothing but an opportunity to see the cast do more stuff, 6/10. Episode 13.5 is an immediate follow-up to the final episode of the series (narrative-wise, chronologically it’s a prequel) and is much more relevant to the plot progression. It provides some background on the cultist fleet, which is necessary for connecting the finale of the main series with the follow-up OVAs. It also explains the origin of the second flying squirrel that first appeared in Episode 12 and followed the protagonist ever since. The episode’s storyline of Kugel and Linaria compares and contrasts with the storyline of Ledo and Amy, so it isn’t a filler by any means, but it feels a bit rushed to really work well, 5/10.

We're in the weird situation where you have a "show" made of two episodes where one is a largely decent episode and the other is... forgettable backstory we didn't really need. All of the good points go to 14, but unfortunately 15 is... also there. For those who like the LedoxAmy plot in the main series, probably the best parts of episode 14 are them spending time together. They're rather adorable. Ledo actually comforts Amy at one point and it says a lot about how he's grown as a character since he arrived on Earth. (-cough- a lot more than he did in the actual show-cough-) That being said, the episode does kind of attack your disbelief when something happens to a new character and they just... walk away mostly fine. The rest of the "character development" in the show is kind of stupid, like much of the series. Episode 15 is about Kugel's time on Earth before Ledo "finds" him again. It's emotionless and silly and seems to exist because someone was bored and had no idea what else to write for episode 15. I guess it gives a character we never really meet some screentime? And it gives some more ships for Kugel stans? So if you want, I would suggest watching episode 14 for the cute, and skipping 15. But I also wouldn't recommend watching the series anyway. Just watch "Macross Frontier" or "Promare" if you want drama and mechas and good music.

Yes, much like my review of the main show, I'm over a decade late to the party here too. Now, on many platforms, the Specials of Suisei no Gargantia are called "Episode 14" and "Episode 15", however they do not fit those monikers when looking at the chronology of the main story. Special 1, focussing on giving Ridget some more backstory and depth (and some nice Ledo x Amy moments), would appear to take place quite early, probably being placed at some point around/between Episodes 4, 5 and 6 in the main season. Ultimately, it's the weakest of the 2 specials, as it doesn't really provide oroffer anything substantial. If this was extra content left on the cutting-room floor from the main season, I can see why it was cut. Nice to watch, but ultimately no real substance. Could call it the epitome of a filler episode. Special 2, on the other hand, is a different thing entirely. This one delves into Commander Kugel and Striker ending up on Earth, and how they "ascended to Godhood", leading to them having their massive fleet in the later episodes of the main show. It gives much needed character building on Kugel, and shows his thought process on making the fleet more "efficient". In my review of the main show, I did mention how Kugel and his fleet was a fairly big unexplained "plot-hole", and here it is explained. It could be argued this special isn't a necessity to watch after the main season, but I believe this one really should have been put in as a flashback/world-building episode taking place around Episodes 11 - 13 of the main show. They probably didn't want to break up the action in those later episodes though, so cut it out. Ultimately, these 2 Specials are both held up by the second. If I considered Special 1 as 6/10 "Fine" (watchable, but nothing important), and Special 2 as 8/10 "Very Good", the average here is a 7/10. As one Special is an easy skip, while the other is bordering on a "must-watch", it's Mixed Feelings overall.