Gurren Lagann

Let me throw this out there.....I don't usually look at reviews before I watch something. With that said, I had NO idea what was in store before I started watching this show.

Simply put - this is flat out the most absurdly motivating, surprisingly deep, ridiculously awesome show I've ever seen.

Question: Does it matter that at a few points I said to myself "I'm not really sure I understand what exactly is happening right now"?

Answer: NO!

This show is so over the top it really doesn't matter if you 100% understand whats goin on at certain points (don't get me wrong the story is SUPER good and well thought out). That's not the point. The point is that whatever you believe to be within your grasp....go for it!

Just watch this and enjoy it for what it is....EPIC!

This show is so very stoic and awesome. The way it plays out reminds of some of the Ancient Greek epics like the Odyssey. The characters are expertly designed as well as the action and visuals. If you're looking to get into anime I recommend you start with this one, it's really a modern classic.

People usually think of Gainax for Evangelion, and its obvious because Evangelion got all the people of my generation into anime (even if they don't want to admit it...) It was a freakin crazy i-don't-understand-nothing kind of anime series i've never seen before... but nowadays, now that we've seen more and learn more, its not thaaat great, except for the fact that everything we saw after Evangelion was heavily influenced by it, even western stuff.

Why do i talk about EVA?, well after all (except for the giant robot part) its nothing nothing at all like Gurren Lagann, its not serious, its not heavy, doesn't keep any information from you, and the main concept of the series (you know, like getting better day by day in Dragon Ball, the search for your own ideals in Samurai x, or the blues in Cowboy Bebop) its completely the opposite. While the main idea in EVA is quite dark and depressive and tries to reach the heart of people through emphathizing with the main character weaknesses, the spiral concept of Gurren Lagann is a call to heroism and faith.

So why do I want to compare this two?, first of all the style Gainax made for EVA is clearly present in Gurren Lagann like in most of their series... And second, because for me this two made the same thing in their current time periods, they reminded us why giant robot are so cool!!!

Yeah, Evangelion is clearly built for the nineties's standards, being secretive and revolutionary in its way of telling the story, its what we wanted in those days, an anime series that we could call a masterpiece in front of people that didn't watched anime at all... but today we don't care anymore, and Gainax know exactly what we want, super attacks, great fights, great fun, a good story without too much unnecessary story weight, and the best relation between all those parts, if you don't know what i mean go check Gurren Lagann out. It didn't get me addicted like Death Note, Code Geass, claymore or the first Fullmetal alchemist, but later i started to realize i love each one of the episodes of Gurren more, i don't really want to repeat all those series but its been two years and i still watch a Lagann episode or the movie now and then.

I love Gurren Lagann, and yeah it has issues, i got bored in one episode (Yoko's episode), but damn its good, even though the second half gets really transformed and sometimes gets you confused you will finally make one big universe in your head for this series... also has the best first episode because it puts in line the main concept trough the chapters of the story getting you all the way to the greatest oh-my-god final episode in anime history, the best.

love it love it love it, highly recommend it!

If you want a series that can bring entire classes of people together. If you want a show that can make parents, kids, teens, and even my 60 year old uncle watch, then watch this show. TTGL(Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) is a perfect mix of the elements that make anime the great product that the have become. When most people say cartoons are for kids tie them to a chair and make them watch TTGL. It's comedy has the high and low brow elements that you miss from Hollywood movies. It's action-sequences beat every single anime and action movie I have seen other than Gundam Wing and The Matrix. And the dramatic themes of love, coming of age, depression, grief, forgiveness, friendship, revolution, combine with this underdog as dominator feeling that out does anything you have seen before. You will finish this series and start quoting it after the very first episode. I defy you to not quote Kamina when he says Don't believe in the you that believes in me, or the me that believes in you. Believe in you, the you that believes in yourself. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is truly epic. And to quote the shows fans, completely chock full of GAR!

After a long time of evaluating I think I've finally admitted to myself, this has become my favorite anime (sorry, Berserk).

On the surface it's a "more power" anime with giant robots, over-the-top action and ridiculous characters. However, the show knows this and plays into it while basically saying to itself, "I'm going to be the best more power anime with giant robots, over-the-top action and ridiculous characters that anyone has ever seen, and make it so epic that no other giant robot show can compete". And for me, it basically is.

If I could only use two words to describe Gurren Lagann, it would be "pure energy". As far as entertainment value is concerned, I don't believe I've felt more entertained by any other anime. Not a single episode was boring filler (well half an episode, which is common in most anime), and along with the theme of the show, each episode is progressively bigger and better than the last. They could have easily made this a 2 season show by breaking it after a certain point, but instead kept it compact and fast-paced.

I think what makes the show special is that it never takes itself too seriously (evident by artwork and animation), but ultimately is quite serious in its message, and very thought provoking by the end. Most philosophical anime tend to bog the viewer down in loads of symbolic jargon, and in the end, often end up confusing or boring the audience. Gurren Lagann has all that symbolism that loves to pop up in anime, but basically stays in the background and plays a secondary role. If you wanted to completely ignore the philosophical undertones in the show you could do it, and it would still be very entertaining.

The story is pretty straight forward, but if you're wanting to dig deeper, I think the spiral concept used throughout the show is the most unique theme that has been done in an anime. The music is memorable and used very well throughout, with the Libera Me From Hell track from the final three episodes still occasionally being chanted by me, years after hearing it the first time. The ending is feel-good and appropriate to the series.

I know this review will probably be seen by only a few of the already converted, but to those who are on the bubble, give the show a shot and there is a good chance it might just become your favorite.