Anime Review: Tengen Toppan Gurren Lagann

Whew. It's been quite awhile since my last post here, and it hasn't been for lack of anything to write about. If anything I've actually had the opposite problem: I've been watching so much new anime lately that I haven't had a chance to write about them or figure out where to start. Well now I do, a series that I enjoyed so much that I can't NOT write about it while it is still at least somewhat fresh in my mind. If I talk (or chat as the case may be) with you on a semi-regular basis there's a good chance I've already mentioned this series to you. Even if I have, and especially if I haven't, here's what the whole thing boils down to: Gurren Lagann is awesome and you should go watch it now.

In a couple of words, "Gurren Lagann" is about Giant Robots. The good guys run around in giant robots, the bad guys run around in giant robots, and everyone fights everyone else in giant robots. Now I'm only speaking about the anime that I remember watching (which is admittedly the tiniest fraction of what's available), but it seems a lot of giant robot shows recently either: have elaborate and complicated socio-political environments and plotlines (pretty much any "Gundam" series ever and "Code Geass"); or have main characters that are adolescents with more baggage than all of LAX airport. This is a gross generalization, but it seems that gone are the giant robot shows of old where it seemed everything was simple, stylish, and larger than life. "Gurren Lagann" hearkens back to these robot shows in the same way that "Shaun of the Dead" pokes fun at and pays homage to zombie movies.

The setup is as follows: Simon and Kamina are two youths living day to day in an underground village digging tunnels outward and down so that the village can expand. Though the two dream of going to the surface (with Kamina doing most of the dreaming and Simon just kind of tagging along) they are forbidden and their attempts end in failure and punishment. One day, Simon (who is apparently some kind of digging genius with his hand drill) makes two astounding discoveries digging around in the dirt. One is a small glowing drill bit and the other is a smell mecha. Shortly after making this discovery the roof of the village collapses and in falls a buxom girl armed with a huge rifle fighting a Giant Robot. The girl, Yoko, teams up with Kamina and Simon and using the small mech that he found, defeat the villain and ascend to the surface.

On the surface this seems like a fairly straightforward plot and you may be wondering what's so special about it. And that's part of it, the story is a straightforward tale of two dreamers and the path they take. The other thing I've not mentioned yet is what the mechas actually look like. They're humanoid, with human looking arms and legs, but they have no head. Instead, the entire torso is one big face with eyes and a mouth that mimics the pilot inside to generally comedic effect. And the mech that Simon finds and pilots? It's about 4-6 ft. tall compared to the 30-50 ft height of his opponents and its special weapons are drills that sprout from its hands, or replace its legs and feet, whatever the situation seems to require. And the homage/parody thing I mentioned earlier is best represented by a gag in the second or third episode involving "combining" mechas to increase their power. You'll just have to see it.

Well setup and mechas are two important ingredients of a good Giant Robot show, but any anime ultimately lives or dies based on its characters, and on this count "Gurren Lagann" doesn't disappoint. Kamina in a lot of ways is the living embodiment of the series and its spirit and he's loudly outspoken, supremely confident in his and Simon's abilities and believes so much in his dream, his friends and his own ability that he comes up with some crazy ideas. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling the surprise, but Kamina, with his boundless machismo and optimism, is an energetic and charismatic enough character that soon he has inspired humans all across the surface to join his banner and fight against their mysterious oppressors, the beastmen. And although Simon comes close to the whining protagonist archetype that bugs me so much, Kamina's presence and his own inner reserves force him to come through in the clinch and ultimately make him a much more likeable character. The story starts out fairly light hearted, but as the series progresses it beccomes more serious and mature as its own characters mature, but never completely loses the element of fun. After all, this is a series where a special attack is named "Super Galaxy Boomerang Megat Cutter" without the slightest bit of shame or irony.

I've gone on and on and could probably continue to do so if I'm not careful, so let me wrap up now before I wear out your patience. "Gurren Lagann" is definitely a Gainax show. The art design, the high level of quality and the blend of humor and action and drama bring to mind good memories of shows like "Gunbuster" and "FLCL". Basically, if anything I've described sounds even the remotest bit interesting, or if you enjoy giant robot action, you owe it to yourself to give "Gurren Lagann" a try. I hear that it's currently airing on the Sci-Fi channel as part of their Anime Mondays block, though it's somewhere in the second arc of the story. However you do it, check it out.

EDIT: If you're curious, one of the guys at the Anime News Network has an interesting column comparing "Gurren Lagann" to some of Gainax's older works and drawing parallels. An amusing read if nothing else. Read it here.