Review No 2: Glass no Kantai @ Garakan: The Glass Fleet

As promised, this is meant to be a summative review of Legend Of The Glass Fleet @ Garasu no Kantai. Read the Code Geass review down there for disclaimers and warnings.

I'm always inclined towards space operas so I tend to have higher standards for the ones I watch. I've seen a lot of ads on Animax about this show and even watched a preview episode attached to another anime DVD. I was quite impressed with that episode and was looking forward to the other episodes after getting the box set.


My first impression was that there wasn't a suitable number of episodes. As a general rule, medium paced shows should have more episodes (at least 40) to flesh out the characters. Fast paced shows that have things that change over and over again can survive on a half season of 26 episodes, but not a show like this. Vandread, perhaps but not Glass Fleet.

The characters are interesting enough, even if the cast is ridiculously huge. The lead character Michel Vorban is your perfect combination of Princess Leia and Padme Amidala, combined with a dash of Maid Marion and D'Artagnan. She is very vulnerable to her past, which is why we never really see her act like a woman until we meet the second protagonist, the impossibly named Cleo @ Kureo, who commands the aforementioned Glass Ship (that's some glass, it doesn't shatter easily). The crew of the Glass Ship is your typical motley crew, my favourite being Hizack ,the man with a hundred secret skills and psycho legionnaire helmet (he even finishes the list at one point and has to think). Michel's butler Jean is Alfred Pennyworth-loyal to the end, complete with tea set; so is his niece. I have no idea how a tea set can survive an entire TV series !

The villain(s) are drawn from the wierd and wild, given the nature of the series. You have series of generals and admirals who have all sorts of wierd quirks; I particularly raise an eyebrow at the fat gentleman with the harem. The Holy Royal army is spectacularly presented in CGI, with floating country/continent bases and neatly lined fleets. The volume of the Holy Emperor's army is shown to be its primary strength, one scene in the show shows how a minor lord with his own army is still outnumbered 100 to one despite his huge continent.

That does bring us to the Holy Emperor Vetti. Barring his annoying boy-lover/bodyguard Ralph he is truly a loveless man but a great rival to Cleo. He is a pretty interesting villain, since he is also stuck in the mileu of politics and warfare of his own side, a bit like Char Aznable in the 0079 Gundam series but more in control. If it wasn't for Ralph he would be near the Red Comet in my 'sympathetic villain' ranking. The daughter of the Black Cross Pope starts out as an enigmatic person but turns into a psycho bitch- what do you expect from marrying an openly homosexual megalomaniac? It's interesting that he chases Michel because he thinks she is her brother (Her real name is Lacine, Michel is her brother). The look of disappointment when he finds out the hard way is priceless. He's heartbroken ! Although I'd recommend staying away from Episode 11 due to its genuine creepiness about his past.

Yet there are too many characters who don't have enough time for themselves to shine. We don't get to know Theodoric or the rest of Michel's "People's Army" that well, nor do we learn much about the Church of the Black Cross, or the prisoners who Cleo and Amire escape with. They all seemed like good avenues to explore, the prisoners in particular. One episode of Mospeada had a similar crew who you could feel for, even if they only lasted an episode.

The graphics are state of the art, although the physics have to be ignored in some cases. The Glass Ship is likened to a lance that tears through ships after branding it with the old royal insignia, something I find very cool. The fact that no one uses guns (except Hizack's ship cannon) is interesting, it makes the combat more intimate and personal. The opening scene of 'marrying' two space continents is spectacularly done, so solemn up till the twist of Michel showing up. The lands are unbelievably vast despite appearing to be small continents, complete with lonely cottages (my favourite scene of all occurs in one) , lakes and mountains. The ships all look like cookie cutter ships but that's mass production for you. Admiral Jiwen's whale like ship is good for a laugh ,especially when Cleo can't adapt to its slow speed or archaic messenger style. Over all the technology in this show is a balance of steam power and suspension of disbelief. It also seems like people can survive in hard vacuum, too.

So with all these good elements, just what makes it fall a bit short of what it could have been? A thick plot and a lot of wasted opportunities. Not enough episodes makes it hard to understand anything about the old Royal Family, or why Cleo and Vetti have the Soliel power source in their bodies. The last episodes remind me a bit of Gundam X and D.O.M.E , with the revelation of the Guilty Prophethood and the techno-cube. The Admiral Jiwen is one of the best supporting characters in the show ,despite his lack of use as a character. BB the wine merchant/ warlord is a key player throughout, although we know nothing of her at all. Too many missed opportunities. I have no idea who is it that raised Cleo, because we aren't introduced to him at all.

We have very little about the world pre-Vetti, especially why humans are stuck orbiting the black cross of galaxies. We don't know how twin brothers can be separated so far apart (and for what reason?) . A lot more revalation would be required for such a diverse world of characters. The Black Cross seems like some sort of wicked religion, but why does everyone believe in it? So many plot holes.

Cut to the chase, the show is too short and sums up things too quickly to digest. I can predict a lot of fanfiction expanding the story for that reason alone. The show really missed its chance to really impress me, despite its notable characteristics and attempts at novelty. The good swordplay, ship choreography, exotic fashions and good doses of humour are kind of undone by the wierd pace of the plot, which meanders helplessly after a tragic incident in the middle third of the series before crashing into the end. Potential is wasted for a great many things, romance included. Rachel, the pope's daughter is disappointing indeed and is more stupid than love struck.

Overall score: 7.5/10

next up: Heroic Age