Is Ledo a headstrong organic battle droid who takes his urge to destroy Hideauze into Suicidal Overconfidence, or a seasoned soldier with a lifelong-trained desire to protect humanity, surrounded by people who consistently refuse to listen to him, even when he has a pretty good point?
Is Ridget a stubborn, cowardly Obstructive Bureaucrat who treats a boy who could be their greatest savior (or destroy them instantly) as a potential enemy, or a pragmatic, secretly insecure leader of a Spartan Scavenger World who shares her peoples' initial distrust of a mysterious being who literally dropped out of the sky, remains somewhat cool and distant, and packs an unthinkable amount of firepower?
Is Pinion a greedy douchebag who foolishly endangers his life and risks provoking a squid attack on Gargantia over some treasure that may or may not even be there, or an adventurous go-getter who genuinely does want to avenge his brother and ensure humanity's safety and prosperity, even if he's putting his life on the line? (It can be argued that him getting rich quick just sweetens the deal).
Whether or not that fact that Pinion actually knew where the treasure horde was, in addition to the knowledge that it wasn't monetarily valuable but the world's largest think tank and scientific center, and therefore mankind's greatest hope of a better future, justifies his crippling his hometown is up in the air for any given viewer.
The Alliance. A ruthless, totalitarian government that does not tolerate weakness or genetic engineering, or Well Intentioned Extremists fighting against aggressive and expansionist genetically engineered monsters?
The original Alliance as well. See the Grey-and-Gray Morality trope on the main page for all the details, but: The Evolvers were asking for sanctions if not all out war due to a lack of regulation and inhumane experiments. Did the Continental Union have the right to take the first shot? Assuming the Union had the legal right to take the first shot and start the war, are they doing the right thing by following universal standards of morality and justice even though it doomed the human race to a shitty future? Should they have held back in order to preserve peace? Or would preserving peace at the cost of inhumanity be intolerable?
A minor example; Ledo recalls a young boy he once knew who taught him how to carve ocarinas and was exterminated for being deficient. After learning about the concept of family he realizes off screen that the boy was probably his legitimate younger brother, adding another layer of tragedy to the whole thing. Ledo is relatively calm about it, considering how much he must have repressed the memories and his complex feelings regarding the issue.
It is averted earlier, with him even crying about the memories without quite realizing their significance, but again there wasn't much of a reaction after he made the connection.
Later episodes show him angsting quite a bit after he kills Hideauze children. He sees the image of his brother over them.
Essentially, the more emotional context he gains, the more the memory comes back to bite him with his new found perspective.
Base-Breaking Character: Some people thought Grace was a bit too cutesy, especially with her constant chirping, while others didn't mind her at all. Her being a flying squirrel (or a sugar glider) in a waterborne scavenger society also stretched Willing Suspension of Disbelief a bit too far for some.
Best Known for the Fanservice: Amy's belly dance from episode 6 happens to be the most famous moment from the show, which mostly flew under the radar. Made all the better known by the fact Ledo (unlike most anime protagonists of his in-universe age) actually reacts in an appropriate way (i.e. thinks it's very sexy) for his age, and straight up asks Amy for an encore (who unlike most anime love interests does it cause she enjoys it and even obliges with the request).
Fans' opinions are divided as to whether the Gargantians' live-and-let-live attitude towards the pirates is well-written, let alone wise. Some view it as an effective solution that avoids wasting resources and needless bloodshed, while others view it as a stopgap that does nothing to actually solve the problem.
Episode 5: Some thought it was a pleasant feel-good moment in a story about a lifelong warrior rediscovering his humanity (and plenty of juicy Fanservice), while some thought it was a plotless waste of time that could've been spent on more standard character development.
Just about everything after Episode 5. Episode 6 was also denounced by some as largely plot-free and driven by fanservice, ignoring that the latter does have a purpose in showcasing Ledo's growth note Ie, him actually noticing/being drawn to the girls' belly-dancing, showing that he's becoming more than just a mindless soldier. The Male Gaze isn't just for us; it's from Ledo's POV too. And then when crap started getting real in Episode 7, the fandom became further split between pro-Ledo fans (those who agree with Ledo's mission to leave Gargantia and destroy the Hideauze) and pro-Gargantia fans (those who believe the Gargantians' statement that the Hideauze are not inherently evil/dangerous, and think he's acting like a mindless drone).
The revelations of Episode 9 brings about a divide with fans on the two major pre-2nd Ice Age groups. Some believing that the Evolvers who would ultimately morph themselves into Hideauze were at fault for the conflict, namely via breaking laws in their experiment and ultimately becoming a rogue state... and others that view the governments that would ultimately become the Galactic Alliance at fault for their unwillingness to coexist with different methods. Or even those who feel that both sides are at fault and/or have a point, perhaps even at the same time.
Complete Monster: "Altar of The Visitor From Afar" (aka "Altar of a Rare Beauty") OVA: Aleria is Linaria's vicious eldest sister who persecutes Linaria on the basis of her religion to claim their father's fleet the latter inherited. Having her other sisters hunt down Linaria, Aleria orders them to massacre all onboard the freighter carrying Linaria, who wound up being the Sole Survivor. Luring the Hideauze forces with a series of seabed mines, Aleria tries to use the mass death to take Kugel's fleet, and upon learning of Linaria's death, smirks and swiftly tries to take command of her dead sister's forces.
Draco in Leather Pants: Lady Lukkage may be the scumbag leader of a bunch of thieving, murdering, scumbags... but she's so sexy! And her mecha is so cool!
Fanfic Fuel: Leaving aside the obvious, in the final episode the pirate leader says she has feelings for Pinion. By shouting "Pinion Amore!" at the top of her lungs while saving his life, and ruffling his hair and teasing him in the epilogue. And given the implication that she's going to be working closely with Gargantia going forward, that leaves plenty of hijinks for fanfics where she pursues him, even leaving aside the kinky stuff. All part of a well-balanced fanfic.
Following his siding with Ledo instead of Striker to the point he commits Heroic Sacrifice, Cham-bro.
Hollywood Pudgy: Saaya is teased a bit about being "fat", simply because she's built a bit bigger than the other two. Yet while her body type might be pudgy to Japanese society, in others she seems built more like a goddess, and barely any wider than Amy, if at all.
Many people were quick to call bullshit in regard to Kugel's "endemic disease." And among those were people who correctly guessed that he was actually a simulated personality by Striker the moment he started appearing as a hologram.
The second OVA covers what Kugel did when he was on Earth. He was found by a pirate fleet, and the main girl he saved ended up dying from a disease, likely tuberculosis. He too began coughing up blood at the end, and with her death, and Striker's constant influence, he starts succumbing to Sanity Slippage before he too dies from the disease and his "will" is carried out by Striker.
The leader of the pirates is a woman who keeps two scantily-clad female bodyguards chained to her throne. Notably, it's implied to be consensual, given how enthusiastically they aid her in battle.
Also on Episode 5 there was a fairly brief but notable scene with Bellows and Ridget lounging about in swimsuits. Bellows was admiring Ridget's swimsuit in a somewhat flirty tone and finding it rather hot causing Ridget to blush.
"Zenmetsu". Explanation Japanese for "destroy"; the command Ledo uses with Chamber to wipe out the first pirate fleet.
Team Rackage is blasting off again! Explanation Lukkage (i.e. "Rackage," as some translations have rendered it) and her henchwomen reminded some of Team Rocket, as well as how Chamber dispatched them.
Episode 6, when Bellows and Pinion are fighting, trying to convince Ledo to work for them... the problem is, this semi tense/dramatic argument is punctuated with very Fanservicey shots of Amy and her friends belly dancing. However, this is likely intentional: while Ledo gets the gist, and later joins Bellows, his attention to the argument diminishes with each passing second as he becomes focused on the sight of the girls, particularly Amy - the panning shot near the end makes this especially clear. Plus, this moment later leads him to ask Amy to give him a (very sensual) private dance, so one could say it's potentially Narm Charm instead - the ignored argument becomes a humorous element, and the belly dance becomes a rather-heartwarming symbolism of Ledo's growth note Turning from a soldier who only thought about killing to a young man developing his own wants and needs, particularly toward Amy, as he's grown to care for her in numerous ways..
Pretty much any time Lakkage is talked to or about, due to her ridiculous outfit with Navel-Deep Neckline and some subtitles referring to her as Rackage.
Nausea Fuel: The pulped remains of Whalesquid/Hideauze clinging to Chamber's body after crushing some of them to death. Made somuch worse by their Awful Truth, related below. Even in-universe, Ledo vomits upon witnessing this (after gaining new perspective upon learning the whole story.)
Soundtrack Dissonance: Both the OP and ED songs are upbeat J-Pop, and start sounding very much out of place by Episode 7. Even the calm violin strains during the Eye Catch could count.
Strawman Has a Point: In Episode 10, Chamber points out to Ledo that killing Hideauze despite them being evolved humans is justified because their focus on biological advancement has led to the devolution of their own intelligence, as they no longer needed it to survive. Essentially, the Hideauze can no longer be considered human.
Pinion, in turn, gets this as well. Despite the "whale squids" currently not posing much of a threat, they might inevitably become monsters that devastate the human race, and moreover also happen to be standing in the way of progress. Given how hard, even in this lush world, people have to struggle to survive another day, he would have been a fool to hold back because of nothing more than superstition. In fact, it does pay off quite a bit when he gets a serious upgrade in technology.
In episode five, Ledo gets chased by a trio of sexually aggressive transvestites, and he ends up with his clothes ripped and lipstick marks all over his face.
For some, the idea of 14/15-year-olds (Melty/Saaya/Amy) belly-dancing in Fanservice-y outfits is considered uncomfortable, perhaps even unacceptable. However, despite misrepresentation that belly-dancing is a sexual dance, it's not inherently considered such in real life - individuals may perform the dance in a sexual, seductive manner, but otherwise it is merely another form of dancing, like many others. In fact, it's considered acceptable to all ages in it's natural form, not only to see but to perform, as it's meant to make women feel empowered and teach them bodily acceptance, two pertinent and (usually) non-sexual values.
Ledo. Did you ever want to live in a space colony? Well, you certainly wouldn't want to live in one locked in a resource-straining Forever War, and definitely not as a Child Soldier. Now imagine that that's the only lifestyle you've ever known...
Little Elaine Matsumoto and other first-generation child Evolvers. Her father and the other adult Evolvers at least knew what they were getting into; Elaine and the other children probably didn't.
("We've Been Waiting for This World") by Minori Chihara.