Anime Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann!

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][center][img]http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20060711/gaina01.jpg[/img][/center]

[B]Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann[/B]! (First Heaven Penetration Gurren Lagann) Pierce the heavens with your drill! The true man lives by the path of his soul! Never turn back! Press onward toward the heavens! Never be defeated! Now, let us do battle!

Welcome to the world of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann! This new drop from [B]GAINAX [/B] has everything you could ever want! It's got action! Insane comedy! An over-the-top GAR factor! And the girl in the bikini with the huge boobz!

the series opens up with the most simplistic, awesome explanation of anything ever by the main character, [B]Simon[/B].

"My job is to dig holes. I dig holes so that the vilage grows. If I dig enough, the elder will be happy. He will give me a pig steak. So, 'do you do it for the steaks?' Not exactly..."

Simon, the guy in the middle of the pic, explains this as he tunnels the earth with inane ease using his huge drill. Suddenly it strikes something and he stops.

"...Sometimes you find treasure." What Simon has found appears to be a tiny drill charm on a string. Simon quickly leaves the tunnel, admiring his trinket. He is spotted by a few girls who point and make fun of him for being dirty and strange, then run off. Simon is saddened, but quickly bumps into his friend [B]Kamina [/B] (guy on the left, pre-huge cape). Kamina tells him that he needs to cheer up, because it is his drill that will pierce the heavens.

Kamina drags Simon back into a little alcove where he and three rag-tag teens are plotting to bust straight through the roof of their underground village and run of to freedom. All they need is for Simon to shoot straight up! The group mount a herd of wild boars which takes off up the slopes of the village, and erupts into a giant tower of boars reaching toward the ceiling. The elder, though, stands at the highest ledge and uses the sheath of his massive sword to knock the tower tumbling to the ground once more.

The elder lectures the small group in front of the whole village, reminding them that the ceiling has been off-limits for many generations. he threatens the group to not continue their plans or they will have their food taken away. At this the three other boys chicken out. Kamina argues with the elder that he went to the surface with his father when he was a small child, and that he would follow in his father's footsteps and rise to the surface. During their arguement there is an earthquake and everyone runs into shelter as rocks fall from the sky. Simon is totally terrified, recollecting some terrible past event. Kamina holds him steady, asking "is this how you wish to live? In constant fear of earthquakes?" The elder retorts and has him locked up in jail.

Simon returns to his drilling duties and has memories of his parents dying from an earthquake. He thinks that everyone will eventually die this way, and that's when he discovers a mechanical face the size of his own body poking out if the ground. He quickly tunnels into Kamina's cell and tells him to hurry and follow. While the duo are on the way, though, they are caught by the elder on night patrol and quickly surrounded.

another earthquake occurs, and the villagers all run off, only this time the whole ceiling collapses, and in falls a giant nechanical face with arms and legs! Immediatelly it begins stomping on things and terrorizing the village. The elder is scared to the point of peeing himself, to which Kamina laughs and takes his massive sword, ready for battle. The sword is useless, though, and that's when the monser is suddenly struck by a massive bullet.

Swinging in on a rope and carrying a sniper rifle is the big-breasted beauty [B]Yoko [/B] (right in picture). After delivering some cover fire, she lands next to Simon and Kamina. Simon tells both of them to follow him to the face he found, hoping it may be able to help them in some way. As they tunnel around, introductions are shared. Yoko states that she's dropped in from the surface, but is a resident of "the neighbooring hole" (at which Kamina officially decides that she is ugly for beeing another undergrounder).

The group passes by a window, and Yoko takes aim at the monster's transistor coils to try and kill it in one shot, but this plan is foiled by Kamina yelling at it, claiming that true men fight face-to-face. The three emerge at the place where Simon found the face and has finished diging it out. They notice that there's a cockpit on top of it. Simon asks Kamina to pilot, but he refuses, stating that since Simon found the thing, it is his. Simon is too scared, but Kamina convinces him to pilot it telling him "Don't believe in yourself! Believe in my who believes in you!"

A pair of arms and a pair of legs spring from the mini-mech and it takes off at Simon's command. A masive, crazy, and utterly awesome battle ensues, ending as Simon rockets through the beast and charges it upward, through the hole where the ceiling once was, and up to the surface. The enemy mech explodes in a giant fireball and, after falling a few stories, the team finds themself on ground, but no sooner than they do, two more huge robots are right upon them!

--------

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is full of wild and crazy humor and action that will keep your jaw open, your eyes peeled, and your adrenaline pumping. So far, three episodes have been released, and each has only been better than the last. The show moves fast and is constantly awesome. No matter who you are, you need to see this show. Now. Go.[/COLOR]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR=Blue]You really love this show don't you?! I can tell from the way you posted the threads title.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DimGray]It sounds awesome, but one downside... I probably don't have the channel. After all DirecTV sucks![/COLOR]

[COLOR=DimGray]I really wish they had more channel options, it bores the snot at me that I have to watch caroonnetwork all the time to see a lot of the anime I hear about.[/COLOR]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[QUOTE=ForgotteÑ-HerÖ][COLOR=Blue]You really love this show don't you?! I can tell from the way you posted the threads title.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=DimGray]It sounds awesome, but one downside... I probably don't have the channel. After all DirecTV sucks![/COLOR]

[COLOR=DimGray]I really wish they had more channel options, it bores the snot at me that I have to watch caroonnetwork all the time to see a lot of the anime I hear about.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]3 episodes... in Japan. Do not even remotely expect this series for quite a while -- it's got a planned 26 episode run and only just started in Japan, it won't be out in America for at LEAST a year, if not more.

Go find you a nice download site (or PM me for one) and watch it there.[/COLOR]

[PieFlavoredPie]

That would be forgivable if this forum existed back in the stone age, but nooo. You've got topics for Claymore and Death Note, but not the best anime this season?

It's about a twosome who live underground, Simon the main character, and Kamina, the manliest man....ever. Kamina recruits Simon to go with him to the surface. After thier attempts are thwarted by the village leader, the celing shatters and a giant mech comes down, called a Ganmen/Gunmen. Following it is a scantily-clad girl named Yoko, and once Simon finds a small mech, which Kamina names the Lagann, the trio destroy the mech and head to the surface, with Simon not knowing the Epic destiny that awaits him...

It is, IMO, the best anime this season. It really fluctuates though. 1-3 are very awesome, 4-6 is alright, 7 & 8 are awesome beyone belief, 9 & 10 are kinda fun to watch but still depressing, and episode 11 is so far the series high point. (13 episodes are out so far)

The only excuse anyone has not to watch it is they hate mech shows, hate people who are GAR [GAR = so manly, Chuck Norris feels like a Mary Sue in comparison] or they hate anime. And if you hate anime, you shouldn't even be in this topic.

[Dagger]

A heads up from ADV at AX: They've licensed Gurren Lagann. Guess I'll be watching it on DVD after all!

~Dagger~

[Wondershot]

As it turns out, I did end up recently seeing a couple of episodes of this series, and boy is it something else. At first, I couldn't help but try and draw comparisons between this and FLCL (some similarity between Simon and Naota's character designs, as well as the personality of Kamina as being comparable to Haruko's), and really, the best I could come up with was that if you thought FLCL was complex to the point of being boring, then Gurren-Lagann certainly makes up for it, as it is less about metaphors for growing up or sexuality as it is about giant (and small) mechs pounding the living daylights out of one another.

Really, I think the reason this show is so interesting is that it absolutely revels in its cliches and "same-old, same-old" type of story. It's comparable to, say, the films [I]Shaun of the Dead[/I], or [I]Hot Fuzz[/I] in that it shows an appreciation for the conventions and style of the mech fighting or sentai genres, but still can't help but overblow everything to absurd proportions. I mean, sure, we expect the characters to accomplish their dream of escaping their underground city to see the surface world, but what we weren't expecting was for them to accomplish this [i]by the end of the first episode[/i]. After that, I couldn't help but wonder how in the heck they would keep that level of energy going for more than a couple of episodes, and while the ones I did see had their moments of slowdown, the overall tone and mood of the story is just so gleefully frenetic and, well, as the title claims, "Toppa" (meaning hot-headed), that I couldn't help but be absorbed.

The stream of jokes and references to other mech anime is nearly continuous, and as I said, the creators of the show are more than willing to dig into every cliche they can come across. I mean, the sequence wherein Gurren and Lagann "unite" for the first time was hilarious (not to mention Yoko's expression when Kamina suggested it, just what did she think he meant?), and the fact that they exploited jokes about Yoko's attire and breasts within ten minutes of meeting her is something to be admired, strange as that may sound. Also, Kamina's straightforwardness and utter lack of foresight borders on the legendary, and it actually makes him one of the funniest and most likeable characters on the show. Naturally, Simon contrasts him by being mostly scared or unwilling to adventure, while Yoko is the more cool-headed one who continues to reiterate why she can't "fight like a man", as Kamina put it.

Well, I would have to say that so far, the series has its hooks far enough in me that I'm going to look into getting the DVDs when they come out, and I sincerely hope they manage to find an English voice actor who is up to the task of replicating Kamina's absurd attitude.

Also, the first sixteen episodes' ED, "UNDERGROUND", is one of the best ED tracks I've heard in any recent anime, and it actually reminds me a bit of some of the tracks by The Pillows when they worked on FLCL. Ultimately, I guess the point I would have to make is that you should watch this if you liked FLCL, as it retains the absurd sense of humour and epic mech battles, as well as some of the character mannerisms, and you should also watch it if you didn't like FLCL, as (from what I've seen) it doesn't end up immensely complex and it features even more epic mech battles and genre-bloating comedy than the latter series.

Of course, you shouldn't watch it if you like your anime completely serious or think that the classic mech shows are too awesome to be made fun of, you would really be barking up the wrong tree in this case.

[eleanor]

[font="trebuchet ms"] I just started watching this series, and I've pretty much latched onto it for now. But since I'm lazy, plot summary from Wikipedia:

"Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann takes place in a fictional far future where human beings have been forced underground and thrive in isolated subterranean civilizations.

Jiiha Village is the home of Simon, a fourteen year old digger who was orphaned when his parents were killed in an earthquake. After discovering a special drill key deep in the ground, he is recruited by an eccentric fellow orphan named Kamina into his group, the "Gurren Brigade". Kamina dreams of the surface world, which he visited as a child with his father but had to return home because he was too weak to survive."

(I pretty much massacred the Wiki entry, but it was damn long for a summary. :/)

I love the eccentric style of the anime, and while its plot may not be stunning or its background very original, it's still great fun to watch. The character designs are kick-*** ([spoiler]though I've seen screen caps of Yoko's new and hideous outfit with the white pants and...*shudder*. Those outfits pretty much ALL looked horrible.[/spoiler]) and the character themselves are likable.

Also, Kamina=greatest ever. Spoilers for episode 8 => [spoiler]So when he died, I was just floored. It was just so [i]soon[/i], it was insane. TT_TT Only eight episodes? Far too little.[/spoiler][/font]

[Raiyuu]

I am totally blown away.

I got into this series pretty late, so I watched most of it in pretty quick succession. I'm not given to hyperbole, but this is actually the best thing I have [b]ever[/b] seen. It's hilarious, heartbreaking and life-affirming, often all at the same time. The animation is amazing and I've never seen a series successfully keep the tension at or above boiling point for twenty-seven entire episodes before.

I rated this 'Masterpiece, exquisite beyond words' on ANN, something I've never done before. For goodness' sake, see this show.

[Doublehex]

So, I have the soundtrack, and I must say, this must be the first time that I have actually recited lines from a song as they were said.

RAW RAW FIGHT THE POWER!

So, if just the songs are this awesome, shouldn't it be said that the series itself will be God's answer to our need for an amazing anime?

If you made it this far in the thread without coming to this conclusion, you must explode. Now. There is no alternative.

Watch Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann or die!

*cough* That is all.

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]I just watched all of[B] Gurren-Lagann[/B]. There are no words in the English language to describe this experience. Nothing is comparable. [B]Gurren Lagann is Gurren Lagann[/B] - nothing else can be said. This took everything i've ever experience and kicked it to the curb.[/COLOR]

[eleanor]

[font="trebuchet ms"] >:D Yes, more GL fans! No one can deny the allure of Yoko AND Kamina in the same series.[/font]

[Ikillion]

[COLOR=#001824][SIZE="1"][FONT="Trebuchet MS"]Of course there will always be Gurren Lagann fans I mean come on, GALAXIES! the whole last episode blew me waaaay over my expectations, (although [spoiler]Arc-Gurren Lagann punching a hole through space time[/spoiler] really sealed the deal for me.

Greatest anime ever or GREATEST anime ever?[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[quote name='Ikillion'][COLOR=#001824][SIZE="1"][FONT="Trebuchet MS"]Of course there will always be Gurren Lagann fans I mean come on, GALAXIES! the whole last episode blew me waaaay over my expectations, (although [spoiler]Arc-Gurren Lagann punching a hole through space time[/spoiler] really sealed the deal for me.

Greatest anime ever or GREATEST anime ever?[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]GREATEST ANYTHING EVER. Is more like it. I'd say that the part where galazies get stuck into others when thrown is what made it for me. Utterly ****ing Gurren Lagann. [/COLOR]

[eleanor]

[quote name='Ikillion'][COLOR=#001824][SIZE="1"][FONT="Trebuchet MS"]

Greatest anime ever or GREATEST anime ever?[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[font="trebuchet ms"] Greatest nonsense anime ever, lol. [/font]

[Doublehex]

Oh come on, this is God's answer to anime fans asking for an awesome series. I mean it - this is God's answer to what good anime should be. Its [I]that[/I] good.

[eleanor]

[quote name='Matt']Oh come on, this is God's answer to anime fans asking for an awesome series. I mean it - this is God's answer to what good anime should be. Its [I]that[/I] good.[/QUOTE]

[font="trebuchet ms"] Well, clearly. It's also half-nonsense, which is equally awesome. :)

[spoiler]Kamina made up for about 50% of the show's goodness. I don't care if he died.[/spoiler][/font]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[quote name='Matt']Oh come on, this is God's answer to anime fans asking for an awesome series. I mean it - this is God's answer to what good anime should be. Its [I]that[/I] good.[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]**** god. God doesn't have the power that he could have created Gurren Lagann. Only GAINAX and pure hot-blooded passion could generate this unequivocal masterpiece.[/COLOR]

[eleanor]

[quote name='Deus ex Machina'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]**** god. God doesn't have the power that he could have created Gurren Lagann. Only GAINAX and pure hot-blooded passion could generate this unequivocal masterpiece.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[font="trebuchet ms"] I think you need to watch Gunbuster/Diebuster now. :D[/font]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[quote name='Lunox'][font="trebuchet ms"] I think you need to watch Gunbuster/Diebuster now. :D[/font][/QUOTE]

[COLOR="DarkOrange"]The only real answer I can think of is this: [url]http://21stcenturydigitalboy.wordpress.com/2007/11/05/just-a-21st-century-digital-boy/[/url][/COLOR]

[eleanor]

[quote name='Deus ex Machina'][COLOR="DarkOrange"]The only real answer I can think of is this: [url]http://21stcenturydigitalboy.wordpress.com/2007/11/05/just-a-21st-century-digital-boy/[/url][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[font="trebuchet ms"] Diebuster was released in 2004, if that was what you were getting at, and it stands on its own. Just a suggestion though, if you liked TTGL! :)[/font]

[Nikorasu]

Gurren Lagann is one of my favorite series of all time. My weeks are a bit bleaker now that I don't have a new episode to look forward to each weekend, but then again, constantly rewatching episodes 26 and 27 help. This show just has so much hotblooded energy and awesomeness. I don't see how it couldn't become the pinnacle super robot anime of this decade.

Now if only ADV would hurry up and start doing something with that license. They've had it since AX in July, yet I haven't heard anything close to even one casting choice since. I don't even care about dub voices. I just want it over here so I can own the series and merchendice.

[eleanor]

[font=trebuchet ms] GAINAX plans to release [b]two[/b] (2!!!!) movies for [b]Gurren Lagann[/b]. Yayayayayayayyay :D

But apparently it'll just be the series crammed into two movies, with new footage. Um, but I'm still happy. [/font]

[Magus]

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]I'm having a hard time trying to convince myself to tune into the series. (It's airing on the Sci-Fi channel somewhere around the end of this month) I'm against protagonists who're kids, unless I'm mistaken about the boy?

I'm also 0 for 2 when it comes to Gainax. I did not like FLCL, nor did I care for Dead Leaves, so that makes me even more skeptical about the series.

Edit: Make that 0 for 3 with Gainax.. Just found out that NGE is done by the same folks.[/COLOR]

[eleanor]

[quote name='Phenom'][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]I'm having a hard time trying to convince myself to tune into the series. (It's airing on the Sci-Fi channel somewhere around the end of this month) I'm against protagonists who're kids, unless I'm mistaken about the boy?

I'm also 0 for 2 when it comes to Gainax. I did not like FLCL, nor did I care for Dead Leaves, so that makes me even more skeptical about the series.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[font=trebuchet ms] TTGL is definitely not the "universal" kind of series that everyone will like. It's a satire/homage of mecha shows, being purposely over-the-top and very "so ridiculous it's awesome". Not really anything like [i]Dead Leaves[/i], and I like to think better than [i]FLCL[/i], but at the same time it's not meant to be taken seriously. And in the end, it's an anime series made for anime fans, no matter how pompous that makes me seem (although by no means am I saying "hardcore lol" anime fans must like this series, the fans just all tend to be old anime fans).

In regards to the protagonist being a kid, there is a time skip in the series and the protagonist grows up.
[/font]

[Aberinkula]

[COLOR="DarkSlateGray"][SIZE="1"]Well, I for one, am really happy this show is going to be on Sci-Fi, I managed to get half-way through episode 4 on Veoh, than to hear this news was a relief to me. I love the show, it's awesome. I do agree, it's not really to be taken seriously, but who cares, not every anime needs to be taken seriously. And also, the action is ****ing sweet.

As for Simon being a kid, it's not that big of a deal. There's still Kamina and Yoko until the time skip, so it's nothing to worry about. Also, I think Simon is a pretty good character, hes not annoying like Naruto, or over-the top 'feel bad for me' like Sasuke is, so you shouldn't really have a problem. He can be a bit naive at times imo, but still hes a cool character. [spoiler]He goes through some boob torture in episode two, poor guy.[/spoiler][/SIZE][/COLOR]