About Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet stands as a profound meditation on humanity and civilisation, a series that transformed the mecha genre through its emphasis on personal growth over mechanical destruction and philosophical reflection over military action.
Created by Kazuya Murata and Gen Urobuchi in 2013, this groundbreaking franchise challenged conventional mecha storytelling by focusing on what it means to be human rather than what it means to fight, establishing a new template for thoughtful science fiction anime.
The Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet franchise features advanced Machine Calibers, artificial intelligence-equipped mecha from humanity’s spacefaring civilisation. Unlike traditional war machines, these mecha serve as life support systems and companions, with sophisticated AI personalities designed to guide their pilots through combat and survival. The series centres around Chamber, a Machine Caliber whose relationship with his pilot transcends mere mechanical partnership to become genuine friendship.
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet is the original 2013 television series that established the core concepts and world. The franchise has since expanded through sequel OVAs, light novels, manga adaptations, and additional media, with the series’ influence extending far beyond its original run to inspire contemplative approaches to mecha storytelling.
Gargantia emerged as Gen Urobuchi’s departure from his typically dark narrative style, created specifically to encourage young adults entering society. Director Kazuya Murata, who had long harboured dreams of creating a story about people living on ships atop an endless ocean, collaborated with Urobuchi to craft a work that celebrated human potential rather than examining its destruction.
This approach transformed Gargantia from entertainment into a philosophical statement about adaptation, growth, and the discovery of purpose in an unfamiliar world, establishing new standards for introspective storytelling in mecha anime.
Ocean Earth
The primary setting of the Gargantia franchise takes place on a post-glacial Earth completely covered by oceans, where humanity has adapted to life aboard massive fleets of interconnected ships. Following the end of the second Ice Age, Earth has no dry land. Humans survive on Cities formed from linked ships, creating floating civilisations that salvage technology from the submerged remnants of the previous civilisation.
This ocean world represents a unique approach to post-apocalyptic storytelling, where humanity has not merely survived but thrived through cooperation and adaptation. Using electricity provided by the ocean’s Nanotechnology slicks—remnants of Earth’s pre-Ice Age civilization—they scavenge old Technology from the sea floor. The Gargantia fleet itself serves as both home and metaphor for human resilience, a community that has maintained cultural traditions whilst adapting to radically changed circumstances.
The oceanic setting enables the series’ focus on environmental themes and the relationship between technology and nature. Rather than depicting technology as inherently destructive, the franchise presents it as a tool for adaptation and survival, with the ocean itself serving as both challenge and provider through its hidden technological resources.
Galactic Alliance Era
The Gargantia franchise’s spacefaring timeline follows the Galactic Alliance of Humankind, humanity’s militaristic space-based civilisation engaged in perpetual war against the Hideauze. This timeline explores themes of indoctrination, utilitarianism, and the dehumanising effects of endless conflict.
The Galactic Alliance represents a dystopian interpretation of human advancement, where they brainwash children into single-minded drone-soldiers, kill all the infirm and disabled and fight a war of extermination in the name of genetic purity. This civilisation has abandoned Earth as a frozen wasteland, maintaining their existence through strict military hierarchy and the elimination of individual expression.
Machine Calibers serve as the Alliance’s primary weapons against the Hideauze, with AI systems designed to ensure pilot efficiency and adherence to military doctrine. The technology reflects the Alliance’s utilitarian philosophy, where even artificial intelligence is programmed to prioritise mission success over individual survival.
The revelation of the true relationship between the Alliance and the Hideauze forms the series’ central plot twist, challenging both character and audience assumptions about the nature of progress, evolution, and what it means to be human.
Notable series in chronological order:
- Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (spacefaring prologue and Ocean Earth main story)
- Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: Far Beyond the Voyage (six months after the original series)
History of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
Creation and Early Development
In November 2010, Production I.G began development of what would become a revolutionary entry in mecha anime. Development of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet began around November 2010, according to producer Nao Hirasawa. The project initially centred around creating a robot anime that would cheer up young people entering society, focusing on themes of work and purpose rather than warfare and destruction.
Mechanical designer Makoto Ishiwata said that he began his design work about two months in, and that the mechanical designs were focused on bringing out aspects of the plot. The roundness of the Machine Caliber’s design was meant to bring out a sense of gentleness and familiarity. The difference between the personalities of Chamber and Striker were to represent a sense of a child and a grown adult.
After about a half year’s worth of production, Kazuya Murata was brought in as the series director. Murata had been harboring the desire to work on a story involving people living on ships atop a world of water about ten years before the series started. When Murata introduced his concept of people living on giant boats, Gen Urobuchi enthusiastically incorporated the idea into the evolving narrative.
Production and Message
Gen Urobuchi explained on the official website that the message of the story is aimed towards those in their teens and 20s, who are either about to enter into society or recently have, and is meant to cheer them on and to encourage them that “going out into the world isn’t scary”. This marked a significant departure from Urobuchi’s typically darker works, establishing Gargantia as a deliberately optimistic exploration of human adaptation and growth.
The anime was directed by Kazuya Murata and produced by Production I.G with character design by Hanaharu Naruko. Gen Urobuchi supervised and wrote the first and last episodes of the series. Music was composed by Taro Iwashiro, who had previously worked with Murata on Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos.
Evolution and Expansion
The original series aired on Tokyo MX from April 7 to June 30, 2013, spanning 13 episodes. It was streamed by Crunchyroll internationally, making it accessible to global audiences from the start.
Production I.G announced a second season of the series October 10, 2013, but due to its Troubled Production, it was instead remade as a pair of light novels released between August 2015 and March 2016. The sequel would instead be published as two novels, titled Suisei no Gargantia Haruka, Kaigō no Tenchi (翠星のガルガンティア ～遥か、邂逅の天地～, “Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: Far Beyond the Chance Meeting of Heaven and Earth”), which were published on August 29, 2015 and March 30, 2016 in Japan.
The two-part OVA sequel, titled Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: Far Beyond the Voyage (翠星のガルガンティア ～めぐる航路、遥か～, Suisei no Gargantia Meguru Kōro, Haruka), was released in Fall 2014 and Spring 2015. Additionally, an online game was released on DMM’s website as a playable Browser Game with its own story in 2014.
Reception
Critical Acclaim
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet received widespread critical acclaim for its thoughtful approach to mecha storytelling and its departure from traditional genre conventions. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (nominated 2014) for the prestigious Seiun Award, Japan’s premier science fiction award recognising outstanding works in speculative fiction.
Nominated for a Seiun Award, this is an impressive, thoughtful and good-looking Anime; Urobuchi has said its intention is to encourage young adults as they enter a society created by the older generation. The nomination placed Gargantia alongside other acclaimed series including Psycho-Pass, Girls und Panzer, and Patema Inverted, recognising its contribution to science fiction storytelling.
Critics praised the series’ animation quality, world-building, and character development. The animation is absolutely spectacular in Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. The series was particularly noted for its environmental design and the convincing portrayal of life aboard the ocean fleets.
International Recognition
At Anime Expo 2013, Viz Media announced their license to the anime, as well as plans to stream the series on their website and Hulu and release it on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in 2014. On January 14, 2014, Manga Entertainment announced that it has licensed the series in the United Kingdom. This rapid international licensing demonstrated global confidence in the series’ appeal.
The series found particular success among viewers seeking more contemplative mecha anime, with many critics noting its accessibility to newcomers to the genre. Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet may have a less than conventional name, but this belies what was one of the better mecha anime to come out of the early 2010s.
Cultural Impact and Legacy
Influence on Mecha Genre
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet established new possibilities for mecha anime by demonstrating that the genre could successfully focus on personal growth and philosophical themes rather than combat and destruction. The mecha elements are almost strangely implemented, and it sometimes feels hard to even call the series a mecha anime. This is somewhat similar to Code Geass, which many times put its mecha aspects on the backburner. Though an unconventional choice, this makes Gargantia into something that even non-mecha fans might enjoy.
The series’ approach to AI relationships influenced subsequent anime explorations of human-artificial intelligence partnerships. Chamber’s evolution from military tool to emotional companion provided a template for depicting AI as genuinely empathetic rather than merely functional.
Technological Concepts and Innovation
The franchise introduced distinctive technological concepts that set it apart from traditional mecha series. Machine Calibers have a built-in AI program which is designed to help the pilot in exceeding in their task. They have the ability to communicate with language and use reason and logic as a human would, representing a more sophisticated approach to mecha AI than typically seen in the genre.
The roundness of the Machine Caliber’s design was meant to bring out a sense of gentleness and familiarity. The difference between the personalities of Chamber and Striker were to represent a sense of a child and a grown adult. This design philosophy influenced subsequent mecha designs that prioritised approachability over intimidation.
Merchandise and Model Kits
The franchise’s mechanical designs proved commercially successful, with detailed model kits capturing the unique aesthetic of the Machine Calibers. From the anime series ‘Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet’ comes a PLAMAX model kit of the mecha used by the main character Ledo, ‘Machine Caliber K6821 Chamber’, featuring intricate detail and articulation that reflected the series’ emphasis on mechanical realism.
The success of Chamber model kits demonstrated market appetite for mecha designs that prioritised character and personality over pure combat functionality, influencing subsequent franchise merchandise strategies.
Technological Concepts
Machine Calibers
The Gargantia franchise introduced Machine Calibers as revolutionary mecha that transcended traditional combat roles. The Machine Calibers are military-use robots equipped with an Artificial Intelligence program piloted by soldiers of the Galactic Alliance of Humankind. Unlike conventional mecha, Machine Calibers were designed as comprehensive life support and guidance systems.
Machine calibers fly using artificial gravity sinks; they create a point which they then fall towards. This technology enables them to operate effectively in space, underwater, and atmospheric conditions, making them versatile survival platforms rather than mere weapons.
The AI systems represent the franchise’s most innovative technological concept. They are also equipped with a database of some sort as seen when Chamber recognizes the disputed historical records surrounding earth, as well as when Chamber recognizes the resemblance of earth language to an ‘ancient language’. These systems demonstrate learning capabilities and emotional intelligence that enable genuine relationships with their pilots.
Ocean World Technology
The post-flood Earth setting features sophisticated environmental technology that supports the floating civilisations. Using electricity provided by the ocean’s Nanotechnology slicks – remnants of Earth’s pre-Ice Age civilization – they scavenge old Technology from the sea floor. This creates a unique technological ecosystem where advanced and primitive systems coexist.
The salvage-based economy reflects the series’ themes about adaptation and resourcefulness, showing how technology can serve human needs rather than dominating them. The ocean fleets represent sustainable technology that works in harmony with the environment rather than against it.
Related Media
Manga Adaptations
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet received a manga adaptation, drawn by Wataru Mitogawa. The series’ serialization began in the 17th issue of Kadokawa Shoten’s Newtype Ace magazine, released on January 10, 2013, and after the magazine’s final issue, July 10, 2013, it continued in Niconico’s Kadokawa Niconico Ace web magazine.
A spin-off manga series, titled Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: Mizuhana no Bellows (翠星のガルガンティア 水端のベローズ; lit. “The Headwaters’ Bellows”), drawn by Shū expanded the franchise’s world-building by focusing on supporting characters and their stories within the ocean fleet setting.
Expanded Universe
Starting a few months before the series aired, the official website began updating on a monthly basis to include short stories that further expand on the Gargantia universe. These materials provided additional depth to the world-building and character backgrounds.
The franchise’s expansion into light novels, web stories, and games demonstrated the depth of world-building that supported multiple narrative approaches whilst maintaining thematic consistency across different media formats.
Notable works
Listed in chronological order
- Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (7th April–30th June 2013)
- Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet manga adaptation (January 2013–2014)
- Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: Far Beyond the Voyage OVA (autumn 2014–spring 2015)
- Suisei no Gargantia ~Haruka, Kaigō no Tenchi~ light novels (August 2015–March 2016)
- Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet: Mizuhana no Bellows spin-off manga (2013–2014)
See also
- Gen Urobuchi – Writer and series creator
- Kazuya Murata – Director and series creator
- Production I.G – Animation studio
- Machine Caliber – Mecha technology overview
- Ocean punk – Related genre and aesthetic
- Real robot – Mecha genre classification
- Post-apocalyptic anime – Related thematic works