Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Studio: Gainax
Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi
Writer: Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Kazumi Nakashima,
Kurasumi Sunayama, Masahiko Otsuka & Shouji Saeki
Producer: Takami Akai & Yasuhiro Takeda
Composer: Taku Iwasaki
Designer: Atsushi Nishigori (characters) & Yoh Yoshinari (mecha)
Released: April 1st, 2007
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Mecha, Sci-Fi
Format: Arcing TV Series
Runtime: 27 episodes, 25 minutes each (675 minutes)
US License: ADV (localization in progess)
This is it, folks. Stop everything. Drown the kids and shoot the neighbors, because I have never said this before, and I'm fairly confident that I will never have to say this ever again; this is the best anime I have ever seen. I hate to sound like I'm just another cog in the hype machine, but unlike the haughty
Death Note[/i]s and sleazy
Hellsing[/i]s that have come our way over the years, this show really is what people say it is.
Now, let me get something straight with you right now. I am by no means a Gainax fanboy, as many
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann [/i] fans are.
Evangelion[/i],
Gunbuster[/i] and
Nadia[/i] are classics. But some of their more recent work, like
Abenobashi[/i] and the dreaded
FLCL[/i], have brought be me close to retching on more than one occasion (which says a lot about
FLCL[/i] because it only has six occasions). When I heard that the
FLCL[/i] crew was working on this, I became disinterested. But people kept pushing me to watch it, and I eventually broke. And I write to you now a better man for it.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann[/i] is the story of a young man named Simon. Simon lives in the dreary subterranean village of Jiiha, where people live in constant fear of their world collapsing. They put up with this lifestyle because supposedly, the surface world is even worse than their village; a scorched wasteland patrolled by horrific denizens that no man has ever returned from. But some are not so content with this lifestyle. In particular, Simon’s “brother”, Kamina. Kamina is ridiculously ambitious, bordering on insane, and will stop at nothing to see what lies beyond the dull grey roof of his home where he and Simon live their lives in depressing monotony. It all seems hopeless, however, as Kamina’s repeated schemes to break out of the village are met with failure.
One day, Simon finds something while digging. A big “face” buried deep within the earth. Simon has no idea what it is, but he's about to find out. Jiiha Village is suddenly pulled into a battle between a giant monster that has come crashing through the roof of their subterranean city and a very voluptuous heroine toting a sniper rifle. Simon, driven to desperation, uses the face-like machine he has found (called a Ganmen) to battle the monster, and along with Kamina and their new cohort, Yoko, he breaks out of the village and lands on the surface. What follows is one of the most epic stories that has ever been told in the world of animation.
Now, “epic” is a tough word to use these days. It gets passed around like a gravity bong at a PETA meeting. It has become so overused that people have almost forgotten what it means.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann[/i], at merely 27 episodes (26 when you lose the recap episode), doesn't have a lot of time to be epic. But, from their tiny underground rat hole to the outer reaches of the unknown universe, the characters in this show go places you could not even begin to imagine, and not just physically, but emotionally as well. And the characters really are what tie this whole, nigh ridiculous, over-the-top, fantastic tale together. The characters develop, grow, and both lose and gain traits as they go on this journey. The interactions and relationships between them are intense and heartfelt, and when one of them is lost, it irrevocably changes every character for the rest of the show. When you think about it, there really is not much to
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann[/i]’s plot. It could even be called predictable and simplistic. But the way the story is told and the way the characters are utilized to tell the story is simply incredible.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann[/i]’s genius stretches far beyond the bounds of its narrative. It's also a breathtakingly beautiful show in terms of presentation. The mostly hand-drawn animation is very reminiscent of
FLCL[/i] and
Diebuster[/i], which makes sense because the same design team worked on it. It's so rare that you see animation like this these days. With beautifully drawn, painstakingly detailed artwork fluidly animated and mostly unaided by computers, brilliant, brilliant use of color and shading, the show is an absolute delight to watch if only for its visuals. And as much as your eyes will adore this show, your ears will adore it even more. The soundtrack borrows elements from every genre of music out there, from bombastic orchestral symphonies, opera and classical music to hard rock, death metal, rap, and even vaudevillian melodies for some of the comic sequences. Its variety is surpassed only by its quality.
I'm not sure what else to say about
Tengen Toppa Gurren[/i] Lagann. The only thing that's coming to mind is, “Watch it. Watch it. Watch it. For God’s sakes, watch it.” You just have to watch this show. I guarantee you that you WILL enjoy it, and it will not leave you for years to come. It's as close to perfection as any form of entertainment I have ever experienced. I will never forget the characters I fell in love with while watching it. I will never cease to be entertained by my favorite scenes no matter how many times I watch them.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann[/i] is a masterpiece, plain and simple.
As a footnote, I would just like to shout out to all you naysayers out there who think you are somehow above
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann[/i] because you watch shit like
Dennou Coil[/i] and
Baccano![/i]. Anime, like any media, is entertainment foremost and art second.
Gurren Lagann[/i] is pure entertainment. It's not meant to be deep or enlightening. If you cannot connect with that inner child you have buried under all that pretentious, snobbish bullshit you front because you think you are some kind of hardcore anime badass who is too sophisticated for shows like
Gurren Lagann[/i], maybe you shouldn't be watching fucking cartoons. Yeah, I said it. That's all anime is. Try to escape it all you want, anime is just cartoons for big kids. Get over it. You are not special.
- Shalashashka
Story: S
Animation: S
Design: S
Music: S
Direction: S
Overall: S
Sub or Dub: N/A
OP1 (1-16): "Sky Blue Days[/url]" by Shoko Nakagawa[/b]
I didn't really like this song at first, but it really grows on you after awhile.
S
OP2 (17-27): "Sky Blue Days[/url]" by Shoko Nakagawa[/b]
Second verse of the same song. Just as awesome.
S
ED1 (1-15): "Underground[/url]" by High Voltage[/b]
Awesome bass, awesome song. The best ending in the show.
S
ED2 (16): "Happily ever after[/url]" by Shoko Nakagawa[/b]
Nice song. Sadly only used in one episode.
A
ED3 (17-27): "Everyone's Peace[/url]" by Afromania[/b]
Another incredible song for an incredible show. Great Engrish.
A+Interested in this anime? Buy it here!.
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