#Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Gurren-hen

[therosecrest]

[coredrill]

LAGANN-HEN

[deathkoala]

Another gif rehab, this time it's Super Tengen Toppa Giga Drill Break

[devilmaycry3dantesawakening]

Because those words you gave me that day

Are still reaching my heart even now

[alamuts-lair-of-madness]

Such a short, but satisfying slugfest.

[fzzr]

I Can't Quit Gurren Lagann

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is my favorite anime franchise of all time. The second movie, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen is not coincidentally the anime which I have rated 10/10 longer than any other†. So, why is Gurren Lagann great, and Lagann-hen Perfect In Every Way That Matters?

Gurren Lagann starts with only a few minutes to introduce us to the protagonist, Simon, and his slow life digging new tunnels for the underground village he calls home. The first domino of the series falls immediately, with his discovery of a tiny, glowing drill perfect for use as a necklace. From there we move on directly to Simon's "big bro" Kamina trying to break through the roof of the village using a tower of screaming livestock. Next, Simon discovers the lock to which the drill he found is the key - a miniature mecha (later named Lagann), glowing with that same pulsing green. Soon the ceiling cracks open, and in falls a mecha at full scale. It is pursued by a woman with a railgun sniper rifle wearing nothing but a bikini, tights, and ammunition. After some shenanigans and encouragement from Kamina, Simon pilots his miniature mecha to victory and in the same motion launches himself, Kamina, and the lady sharpshooter Yoko into an open sky nigh unimaginable to residents of an underground village.

I could summarize the series blow-by-blow from memory, but I'll cut myself off here. The plot consists of the trio and others they meet along the way building up the titular mecha Gurren Lagann from the parts of the mecha they defeat. They then declare a revolution against the "beastmen" who pilot the hostile mecha, as well as their commander, the Spiral King Lordgenome. The key theme is advancement, with each turn of the drill of your soul moving you forward a bit more. The story is actually four repetitions of the same pattern: Our protagonists seize something small by their own effort and build it up until they can take on and capture something orders of magnitude larger, both literally and emotionally. Lagann is shorter than an adult man. By the end of the first arc, they are up against a battleship. After that, it escalates to them facing a mecha the size of a city, and things get exponential from there as each revolution is succeeded by another.

Around and around and around

What else should I gush about? Speed round!

The music is awesome. From the OP to the eyecatch stings to the hiphop-and-Latin-prayer banger Libera Me From Hell, it's hits all the time. Sorairo Days is so beloved it makes cameos in other anime. It's not just the epic moments, either. Gurren Lagann gets dark sometimes and it takes the music there, but it always has its signature sound. I have a lot of anime songs on my playlist rotations, but Gurren Lagann might have songs on the most diverse playlists.

Animation! When at the top of its game (and especially in the movies), Gurren Lagann's action animation can stand up to anything from Akira to Demon Slayer. Even in regular scenes, there's always something to look at. Still, Gurren Lagann is a show that lives on spectacle, but it doesn't die on it. Fights are always dynamic, and character action both informs and is informed by their unique personality and goals.

And those characters are iconic. Kamina, Yoko, Simon, Nia, Kittan, Viral, all of them except Rossiu. I appreciate how each of them grows in the story and grows on you at the same time. For a series about advancement and moving ever forward, it was critical that the characters progress in their own ways, and so they do. For such a bombastic show, it's crazy how subtly some of them get where they're going.

How to Watch Gurren Lagann

The correct answer is "as soon as possible and as much as is necessary" but that's probably not what you're looking for. Gurren Lagann the series is 27 episodes long. It is broadly split in half by a timeskip. The two movies each summarize and adapt one side of the timeskip give or take an episode. Unfortunately, Gurren-hen, the first movie, does too much summarizing and not enough adapting. As a result it yadda yaddas over a bunch of character introduction and development you need to know for later. Thus the best way to watch the pre-timeskip is the TV series. Lagann-hen on the other hand is Perfect In Every Way That Matters. It pretty much completely obsoletes the post-timeskip part of the series. There is still good stuff to be had, but Lagann-hen is proof that it's not necessary. Unfortunately, the continuity of Lagann-hen is set up to match Gurren-hen, so transitioning from the series into Lagann-hen is not seamless. I think it's worth watching the whole series and then the movies, but if you only want to make one run through the story, go with the TV series for episodes 1-15, then Lagann-hen. Lagann-hen changes some dialogue from episode 15, but don't worry about it - just go with the Lagann-hen version.

Conclusion

Scores: TV series and Gurren-hen: 9/10. Lagann-hen: 10/10.

Recommendation: In my opinion Gurren Lagann is just as suitable to be a first mecha anime as a fiftieth, but the necessary watch order for the best results can lead to either some confusion or some repetition, knocking off points for those not willing to put in that much time. Nonetheless, in my opinion everyone who cares about anime action owes it to themselves to watch Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

Gurren Lagann does require a somewhat elevated power level. In their time, excessive use of bouncy breast physics was known as "Gainaxing" and that is certainly present in some parts of Gurren Lagann. The movies, free of the requirements of broadcast television, don't bother with even token censorship in this matter.

Comparisons

At the time they made Gurren Lagann, Gainax was arguably the studio with the most impact on the Super Robot genre. Eleven years earlier, they had shattered the scene with Neon Genesis Evangelion, the influence of which is inescapable to this day (and not just because Hideaki Anno spent fifteen years cashing in on the IP with the Rebuild movies). Gurren Lagann was their first full-length return to the genre after Evangelion, and they brought their A game.

I do not like Evangelion. I have never managed to sit through the whole TV series, and I found the third and fourth Rebuild movies so exasperatingly boring and obtuse that they made me actually mad for how much money was spent on them. Rebuild's baffling storytelling aside, the main reason I don't like Evangelion is the characters are just not fun to be around. Gurren Lagann is the anti-Evangelion in this (and many other) ways. The characters are bright, generally having a good time, take action, and of course kick ass. Even when characters are down in the dumps and act in self-destructive ways, you have had enough time making friends with them to want to stick it out until they're through it. When they do make it through, it's glorious and earned and inspiring.

Final Thoughts

I couldn't fit anywhere near everything I wanted to say in here. I'll leave you with one more thing: It's not notable by general otaku standards, but I am not someone who buys much merch. Gurren Lagann is the only anime franchise for which I have bought third party merch. Specifically I bought a physical printing of the sadly defunct fan webcomic Double K, a buddy cop comedy starring Kamina and Kittan (spoiler, they're BOTH the loose cannon).

† By the way, any time I talk about top rated anime movies, you can assume I excluded Ghibli movies from contention. They are excellent in a way almost completely orthogonal to how I think about most anime, and putting them on the same list would water down the significance of a 10/10 rating through sheer numbers.

[bluecube92]

My Anime List *UPDATED*

Anime I have watched:

Yu-Gi-Oh! Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens Cardcaptor Sakura Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Medabots Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt Astro Boy (2003) Transformers Cybertron Seven of Seven Powerpuff Girls Z Case Closed (Detective Conan) Saru Get You On Air (Ape Escape anime) Megaman NT Warrior Viewtiful Joe Spider Riders Kirby: Right Back At Ya! Lucky Star Digimon Monster Rancher Nichijou Tama and Friends Hamtaro Revolutionary Girl Utena Sherlock Hound Montana Jones Samurai Pizza Cats Serial Experiments Lain Azumanga Daioh Slayers Paranoia Agent Kaitou Saint Tail Dinosaur King The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya The World of Narue Magic User’s Club Phi Brain Puzzle of God Dennou Coil Mawaru Penguindrum Nanana’s Buried Treasure Tiger and Bunny Yuri Kuma Arashi Mutant Turtles: Choujin Densetsu-Hen (TMNT OVA) Descendants of Darkness Alien Nine Ninja Nonsense Samurai Deeper Kyo FLCL The Irresponsible Captain Tylor Princess Tutu No Game No Life His and Her Circumstances Lupin the III Part One Kanon (2006) Pretear Kino's Journey (2003) Samurai Champloo Golion Ghost Hound Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Little Witch Academia (TV) Cowboy Bebop Kino's Journey (2017) Steins;Gate Monster Strike Ghost in the Shell: Arise Robotics;Notes Martian Successor Nadesico Grimoire of Zero Eden of the East FLCL: Progressive FLCL: Alternative Steins;Gate 0 Ergo Proxy Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day Erased Chaos;Head SSSS.Gridman Michiko and Hatchin Emma: A Victorian Romance Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. Occulitc;Nine Chaos;Child Terror in Resonance Heroman Sarazanmai Blood Blockade Battlefront Shingu Secret of the Stellar Wars Star Driver The Reflection The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan Samurai 7 Fruits Basket (2001) Ouran High School Host Club Beastars Neon Genesis Evangelion Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 BNA: Brand New Animal My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Polar Bear's Cafe Blood+ Carole and Tuesday Fruits Basket (2019) Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Allison and Lillia Noein Appleseed XIII Puella Magi Madoka Magica Figure 17 Cyborg 009 vs Devilman Freedom Project Kill la Kill The Way of the Househusband SSSS.Dynazenon The World Ends With You Odd Taxi S-Cry-Ed Devilman Crybaby Eden The Vision of Escaflowne Death Parade Phoenix Godzilla Singular Point Super Crooks Akudama Drive Durarara!! K-ON! Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story The Orbital Children Stellvia Dirty Pair Trigun Black Butler SK8 The Infinity Shaman King (2001) Cyber City Oedo 808 Spy x Family Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle The Prince of Tennis Trigun Stampede xxxHolic Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Darker than Black Planetes Shaman King (2021) given High-Rise Invasion Spice and Wolf Code Geass Gunbuster Chobits Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts RG Veda Boogiepop and Others Boogiepop Phantom Time of Eve Pluto Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok Mushishi

Planning to watch next year: Beastars season 3 Fate/Stay Night Monster

[filmes-online-facil]

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Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen - Filmes Online Fácil

Sete anos após a derrota da espiral rei, Simon e da brigada Dai-Gurren deve expor para a vastidão do espaço para derrotar uma nova ameaça e salvar o universo.

[roseillith]

[0of64]

Im prolly the only mf obssessed over these 2

[clair-audients]

[therosecrest]

[coredrill]

new art by akira amemiya from the booklet released with gurren-hen’s 15th anniversary theater showings!!

[deathkoala]

In honor of the Gurren Lagann films finally hitting US theaters and getting dubbed, I made a nice crisp gif of my boi Simon

And then I got instructed to crunch him, and may have gone a bit overboard

He has been utterly annihilated, down to the very last scrap of DNA

[someawesomeamvs]

Warning: Spoilers, violence, flashing lights

Title: Welcome to the Gurren Brigade

Editor: LacardGraphics

Song: Welcome to the Black Parade

Artist: My Chemical Romance

Anime: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Movie 2: Lagann-hen 

Category: Action

Awards: Shadocon 2011 - Best Action Megacon 2020 - Judge’s Award Megacon 2020 - Fan Favorite

[tetsu444]