GAINAX is a company known for giving us some of the best giant robot anime out there. They have gained much notoriety from giving anime fans classics such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and FLCI. But not only have they brought us some of the popular and majestic robot anime on the market, they have also given us the most epic, most masculine, and most heaven splitting anime series ever to be drawn. That anime is the awesome Gurren Lagann.
Gurren Lagann is a story of a boy named Simon, a young driller for a city deep underground, who later grabs hold of his destiny and takes flight to drill through the heavens. He comes into contact with a man named Kamina, a guy who reeks of manliness and who’s dream is to reach the surface and explore it’s many horizons. The two of them succeed in accomplishing this goal after a “beast man” piloting a mech crashes deep into their community, along with a young beautiful girl named Yoko. The story then follows the three of them as they move forward, exploring the surface world, and eventually taking flight towards the stars as Simon embraces his destiny.
The overall story is good, there is plenty of growth for Simon and the rest of the cast throughout the entire series, which only last no more then 50 episodes. The first 20 – 25 episodes follow a young Simon, while the last half has Simon and the rest of Team Gurren Lagann grown up and mature. There are plenty of other characters that the team picks up on the way of their adventures, and they also lose some team members as well during some of the more critical situations. There is a great feeling of change and evolution with each episode, since most of the problems and scenarios the team finds themselves in usually help to make all the characters grow and move towards their end story.
One of the things that needs to be clear is that most of what happens in Gurren Lagann needs to be taken in stride. There are some parts and areas that defy common logic and reason, with no clear explanation as to why, yet it still happens anyway. In times like these, it’s just better to role with it and accept what is happening on screen. Going in expecting for a clear and rational explanation of everything will only make you lost and dislike the anime. Perfect example of this would be when Simon and Kamina combine their mechs, they combine in an odd way (jamming a small mech atop the large one) and tons of drills come out of the mech’s hands and sides. It is unorthodox at first, but rather enjoyable if you just accept that it can be done and role with it.
The action in this anime is top notch. There is great choreography of fight scenes and some sweet looking animation during some of the crazier scenes involving transformations and special effects. There is hardly any recycled animation during the course of the anime, as it feels like each episode had everything redrawn from the ground up. This makes each episode feel fresh and epic in their own right, making for a new experience each time you watch a new episode. Even the fights between characters outside of their mechs feel as epic as the rest of the fights throughout the anime.
Gurren Lagann is a man’s anime. Not to say that women will not like this, because there plenty out there who do. This anime oozes with masculinity and themes of being honorable and sticking to your code. GAINAX really brought their A-Game with all the animation and story, bringing us an epic tale of giant robot mecha and memorable characters. While most people who just look for reason and explanation all over will not like this anime too much, those who just want to have a fun and great time will love Gurren Lagann. So grab your drill and aim to pierce through the heavens. “Just Who The Hell Do You Think We Are?!?!”
