Soluzar Makes a Breakthrough!

[Soluzar]

Which is my way of saying it's my Gurren-Lagann thread.

I guess... it's a bit egotistical of me to make my own thread for this, so if any of the mods want to merge me back in with the main thread, feel free. However, Leader Desslock created his own thread for watching Zeta Gundam, so I'm just following suit.

Initial Impressions

I'm not that keen on the music. The opening would make for a decent song in another context, but I don't really find it that appropriate for a super robot show. I'd rather have the male tenor that Bradster recently spoke of his distate for. The ending and the BGM similarly don't grab me, but it is nothing so unpleasant as to put me off the series.

The art style is very unusual. Kamina is the only character who really comes close to looking cool, but I think that's intentional. I don't exactly dislike the artwork, but at the same time it doesn't instantly jump out at me as awesome. Especially the animation for the OP sequence seemed so chaotic... they threw everything in but the kitchen sink, moving at full speed.

Episode 01

The episode kicks off with what I can only presume is a flash-forward. It isn't entirely an entirely uncommon device within the genre, so I'm prepared for it. With that in mind I don't make too much of an attempt to understand what is going on, with the assumption that all will become clear in the fullness of time.

My only cogent thought was that "Who the Hell do you think I am?!" is a rather odd catchphrase. I can identify it as a catchphrase thanks to the legions of fans this series has, but that doesn't stop it from sounding rather strange to my ears.

Having got past the introductory portion, I soon found that at least the series has the virtue of being clear and easy to understand. In fact, from a directorial point of view there are many things to appreciate about it, of which more later. Simon is more than adequately portrayed in the role of an uncertain and somewhat timid young man with a potentially great destiny. Such is the tradition of super robot anime that he was irrevocably marked for greatness within approximately the first ten seconds of the scene.

The next introduction to be made is that of Kamina, who I must say is quite the consumate badass. Although I remain unsure if he deserves a position at the pinnacle of super robot heroism, I must admit that he does prove himself over the course of the next two episodes to be an excellent example of the type. His voice sounded incredibly familiar, so I looked him up and discovered that he voiced Volfogg in GaoGaiGar. This makes him unquestionably ideal for the role, having studied at the feet of one of the masters of the art of hot-blooded heroism. In fact his performance here bears a substantial resemblance to that of Nobuyuki Hiyama in GaoGaiGar.

My next impression of the character was that he also bears some resemblance in temperament to Monkey D. Luffy. He has that same absolute self-belief, and tendency to make important decisions unilaterally on the spur of the moment.

The village leader makes for a suitably contemptable counterpoint to the two protagonists as he maintains that there is no surface to reach, and that all those who believe differently should be imprisoned as traitors. It came as no surprise when he was rapidly cast aside towards the end of the episode.

the remainder of the first episode was very much enjoyable as Simon discovered his robot, which was then named on the spur of the moment by Kamina. His attempts to learn how to pilot the robot were typical of the genre, if competently executed. I don't mean it as a criticism to say that this first episode is typical of the genre; there are forms which must be observed for a good reason - they serve to establish the basic situation, which doesn't change that much from one super robot anime to the next.

To be expected from a first episode, we still were not yet done with the parade of new characters. Yoko seems to be far more intelligent than either of the main male characters, which serves as a nice counterpoint to her physical appearance which... is pure fanservice. I don't care for sexual fanservice in a serious anime, but since this seems to be anything but, I'm happy to appreciate the eye-candy. :D

The first sign of a plot twist came when they reached the surface only to discover that it was not the paradise they had hoped for. Although I call it a plot twist, it was not entirely difficult to anticipate. If the surface had indeed been a paradise, where would the antagonist for the next part of the series come from?

The director should be greatly commended for the way in which his selection of shots and special effects conveys the sense of disorientation and movement felt by the three people within the Lagann. Also greatly appreciated the motto of the Gurren-dan. "Surpass the impossible and kick off with momentum!" seems very fitting for this series.

Episode 2

I'll begin my comments on this episode by saying how much I like the Lagann. Having previously seen pictures of the combined form of the robot, I don't find it particularly impressive. The Lagann alone is a diffferent matter, and I find it to have a distinct charm.

A shame the same cannot be said for the other Gunmen, who strike me for the most part as being incredibly ugly, including the Gurren, which makes an appearance in this episode.

The situation in which our heroes find themselves was quickly established, and Simon became overcome with fear, attempting to dig back through to his village, which prompted Kamina to deliver a motivational speech. It would seem that among the revelations for this episode is that the Lagann responds to the emotions of the pilot. This is once again a fairly standard plot element for the genre. I won't condemn the series for using standard plot elements, but so far there's nothing I haven't seen before... executed with aplomb, no doubt... but not original.

After being introduced to a friendly installation on the surface, and to a delightfully camp young mechanic, the next morning it was time to fight the Gunmen again, and it was at this point that Kamina obtained a robot of his own. It would appear to be missing an arm, but he got one... and in the process he managed to impress his new comrades in arms substantially.

I enjoyed this scene a lot, actually. It was executed beautifully by the director, and Kamina's combination of a typical robot pilot with elements of Luffy is extremely compelling. The catchphrase was introduced for the first time in the chronological course of events, and was even adapted to provide the "Who the Hell do you think I am kick!" :lol:


The climax of the episode of course was Simon drilling right through the center of the two enemy Gunmen, and that also deserves significant praise. It was in fact the finest moment of the two episodes I've watched, although no doubt it can be surpassed soon enough.

Today's Conclusions

It's a super robot anime. :P

[ryushe]

...I can't wait for the day when you do watch it [Gurren Lagann] so I can archive all your post about it and see the evolution from the Soluzar that didn't watch GL to the new and more improved Soluzar during and after he watches GL :lol:Needless to say, this is going to be good :)

I'm going to warn you about episode 4 though. A few real interesting characters get introduced for the first time, but the episode isn't that good. Not as bad as many vocal fans made it out to be, but definitely one of the weaker, if not weakest episode in the series.

[Soluzar]

I'm going to warn you about episode 4 though. A few real interesting characters get introduced for the first time, but the episode isn't that good. Not as bad as many vocal fans made it out to be, but definitely one of the weaker, if not weakest episode in the series.
Is that the one which got a Gainax founder fired, because he said that listening to 2Chan was like putting your nose to an anus and inhaling deeply? I'll never forget that comment. :lol:

[Buicovo]

I don't know if I should continue reading this thread because its making me feel like I need to rewatch it so that I may experience Gurren Lagann once more...

[ryushe]

Is that the one which got a Gainax founder fired, because he said that listening to 2Chan was like putting your nose to an anus and inhaling deeply? I'll never forget that comment. :lol:The very same.

I don't know if I should continue reading this thread because its making me feel like I need to rewatch it so that I may experience Gurren Lagann once more...And what's wrong with that? Reading about the first two episodes again made me feel like I'm about too watch the series over again for the 5th time. That's if the mood strikes right anyway :naughty:

[Neko]

Blah I want to watch it again now, and it's only been about a month or so since I watched it for the first time.

I honestly wasn't really too into it at first but after the first few episodes it goes so far uphill that it's crazy.

[Bradster]

The art style is very unusual. Kamina is the only character who really comes close to looking cool, but I think that's intentional. I don't exactly dislike the artwork, but at the same time it doesn't instantly jump out at me as awesome. Especially the animation for the OP sequence seemed so chaotic... they threw everything in but the kitchen sink, moving at full speed.


The episode kicks off with what I can only presume is a flash-forward. It isn't entirely an entirely uncommon device within the genre, so I'm prepared for it. With that in mind I don't make too much of an attempt to understand what is going on, with the assumption that all will become clear in the fullness of time.


Yoko seems to be far more intelligent than either of the main male characters, which serves as a nice counterpoint to her physical appearance which... is pure fanservice. I don't care for sexual fanservice in a serious anime, but since this seems to be anything but, I'm happy to appreciate the eye-candy.



* I think if you distilled TTGL down to a few words, one choice would be "over the top" (i.e. Rule of Cool), so you might want to simply filter that impression out.

* The art struck me as falling in the FLCL/Gunbuster 2 category, vs Nadia/Eva, or KonoMini/Abenobashi.

* I've never really followed TTGL discussions with any regularity, so I don't know if it was ever established that this was Lordgenome, or simply a distinguishing characteristic of anyone who gets far enough along to directly challenge the anti-Spirals

* Fanservice capping of Yoko and the sisters is probably what will motivate me to watch the series again.... except for the fact that I'll have to watch it raw due to getting the first (single language) version that came out in the States

[Soluzar]

* The art struck me as falling in the FLCL category, vs Nadia/Eva, or KonoMini/Abenobashi.
At least Soluzar is a man of consistent opinions. I really didn't like FLCL at all. Not even a little bit. In any way.

[DavenIII]

Episode 6 (I think) is the one that Hooked me, It was such a "What!! did they just do that!?" moment, and then you think the series is ruined but to my shock, it actually got BETTER!

[Leader Desslock]

I will continue reading this thread with great enjoyment.

I was also initially concerned about the fanservice elements (Yoko in particular), but in my opinion, it was handled well. She's there for the jiggle, but she's not just there for the jiggle. She's a good character, and since the series good-naturedly pokes fun of its own fanservice (and by association, the use of in the genre), it ends up working rather well. It doesn't get in the way, which was what I originally feared would happen.

Yeah, I can see the FLCL animation similarities, but since I liked FLCL, that was a positive note for me. Before I watched it, I thought the Gunmen designs were kinda... dumb?... but once I got into it, the "over the top" nature of the show or the "rule of cool" soon pushed any such concerns into the background. I mean, the giant Kamina sunglasses on Gurren are really stupid, when you think about it - but when they work them into the function of Gurren-Lagann, they become as cool as that big red breastplate of Mazinger, you know?

I remember thinking that the animation style was a necessary choice for the show, much like the "cartoony" animation in NTHT. In NTHT, the simple and cartoony animation style was juxtaposed with the extremely graphic subject matter to reinforce the "these are kids" point and give the theme that much more punch. In TTGL, the exaggerated animation style lets it go that much farther over the top than a more realistic (or even rational) animation style would allow.

[333jeffery]

The inspiration for the whole drill motif came from an ova called "Dead Leaves", which is by some of the same animators, if I recall correctly....

[Jinto117]

I thought Gurren-Lagann's soundtrack was mighty keen.

[ryushe]

I thought Gurren-Lagann's soundtrack was mighty keen.I personally thought it was on par, if not better than the Rurouni Kenshin Tsuiokuhen OST. And That is saying a whole lot.

[Soluzar]

EPISODE 03

While Kamina was telling his slightly exaggerated tales of heroism, it would appear that Yoko has developed somewhat of a crush on him. In the background what appeared at first to be a giant pair of sunglasses turned out to be the human engineers remodelling the Gurren. I was rather pleased, because damn, all the enemy mechs fell down from the ugly tree and hit every single branch on their way.


The next morning, Kamina was admiring his mecha when Yoko walked up to him and asked him to spend some quality time with her. Kamina apparently had no idea what she wanted from him, because he chose to also invite Simon, much to her disappointment. Simon understood, but Kamina was utterly oblivious. Yoko's afternoon plans were ruined, and she didn't bother to conceal her feelings. It's a fairly amusing scene, I can only assume they don't have courtship in Kamina's village.

During the course of their excursion, Yoko explained that she and her comrades rather fortunately happened to live in a village which was also a weapon stockpile, which conveniently explains why they are in their current situation. Since the pretext for this quiet afternoon with Kamina was a hunting expedition, Yoko passed the time while they talked by shooting some rather strange looking animals while Simon used the Lagann to operate a comedically diminutive water pump. Rather less action-packed than I was expecting, but I suppose even the most over-the-top anime ever needs the occasional quiet scene.

Kamina attempted to bring down some prey with the strange rifle Yoko had been using, and just then, a villain appeared. I could tell he must be a villain because of the music, and because of the way he spoke. The fact that he claims to be a member of the Human Eradication Army is merely confirmation of what I already knew. That his voice was provided by Hiyama Nobuyuki is worthy of note, but then I had already gleaned that detail from what I'd read on ANF before watching.

As an antagonist, I must admit Viral seemed pretty cool. He sounded menacing, mysterious and dangerous. After testing each other with swords a little, the two of them entered their Gunmen, and Lagann also joined the fight. It soon becomes apparent that Viral is a much better pilot than average, which may mean he is destined to take on the role of the "rival ace" which is so common in mecha anime. I wonder if it was a tribute to Gundam that the two rivals used red and white mecha respectively in this fight.

Viral not only won, but looked good winning. His moves were almost balletic in their precision and grace, whereas his opponents still had only the one simple move they learned in the previous episode. Viral was able to dodge it with almost contemptuous ease, and although our heroes escaped with their lives and mecha intact, it was obvious they would need to seek a way to power up a little, since Viral was likely to come after them.

Back at the base, Yoko suggested that the way to seek that additional power was to put her at the controls of the Lagann, which Kamina naturally rejected as an option. She insisted that Simon was not the fighting type, but Kamina embarked on another one of his rather convoluted speeches, the upshot of which was that he had full confidence in his partner. I assume Kamina must have seen some mecha anime before, since we all know this type of character comes through in the end.

The next morning, as Kamina began prepare for Viral's return, Ron pointed out that the Lagann had no power. This was just another reminder, for the hard-of-thinking, that it is powered by fighting spirit, which at that moment, was not strong in Simon. In due course Viral made his expected appearance, and was busily kicking Kamina's *** until Yoko pointed out to Simon that Kamina was depending on him and that his believe in Simon had never wavered.

At that point, Simon realised he had to fight, and Lagann's power gauge went crazy! The two of them began to fight together, but then suddenly Kamina went utterly insane and decided to slam the drill of Lagann through the top of Gurren. I had to laugh, since although I realised that it must work, it seemed a really stupid way to combine two robots, especially when Kamina expresses his theory that Gunmen power level is all about the number of faces. :unsure:

The makeshift combined form managed to block Viral's big beam attack, though, and suddenly it became apparent to both of the pilots that Kamina's insanity had paid off. Somehow. All the gauges and displays started flashing green with drill patterns, and the two robots actually did take on a true combined form.

This made Viral very, very cross.

This of course was nothing compared to how upset he became when they managed to destroy the head part of his robot. Kamina decided to salvage the helmet, and quite naturally it became an integral part of their own combined form as soon as he put it on head of the robot which he then named "Gurren Lagann"... followed by a recital of his catchphrase.

The other humans seemed quite impressed. I on the other hand couldn't help but think it was a rather messy transformation, but hey... it was their first time, and to their credit they did proceed to further humiliate Viral. The closing moments of the episode featured the formation of the new and distinctly improved Gurren-dan, as they set out on their journeys accompanied by Yoko and Ron.

I've got another episode to write about, but I don't think the character-limit can take it.

[Soluzar]

Episode 04

I do seem to have written rather a lot about that last episode, don't I? I wonder, could I have trimmed it down somewhat, and should I? I don't plan to write nearly as much about this episode. It didn't seem quite so significant, although it was entertaining enough.

Kamina began this episode by saying the same thing I said. It was a messy combination sequence, and needs to be improved. Somehow he seemed to think the best way to improve matters was use the Gurren to throw rocks at Simon.

Back at their nearby camp, Ron was using some strange insectoid devices to analyse the Lagann, while singing a strange song. He was rather distressed when one of Kamina's rocks crushed his devices, but I was more dissapointed that he didn't get to finish off telling us what was so special about the Lagann, since he seemed to have discovered something.

As the two pilots continue to train, both of them admit to being somewhat hungry, but that is merely a brief aside before they are ambushed by a group of strange people wearing pointy robes with monster faces painted on them. At first I thought they might have actually been monsters, but when (for the second? third time?) Simon ends up with his face buried deep in a bosom, I am forced to concede they might be humans. Meanwhile, the less fortunate Kamina was forced to exit the Gurren due to his hunger pangs and was confronted by a male assailant who initially believes him to be a beastman.

The small group of suit-wearing humans are surprised to find humans in possesion of Gunmen, but were eventually forced to accept the evidence of their eyes. They explained that they too fight the beastmen in their own way using... what appears to be some kind of explosives. The three female members of the team appear to be somewhat infatuated with Kamina, which... is rapidly becoming a trend.

While all the girls went off to grab some grub, Kamina and the male leader of the new group remained back at camp to chew the fat. Kamina revealed their plan, to attack the beastmen at their base, and his new friend was not impressed. He could not believe it would be possible to do anything but die by making the attempt. Soon, the girls returned with a collection of what can only be described as pink tribbles for dinner.

It transpired that dinner was still alive, and greatly resented the attempt to eat it. Furthermore, it also became apparent that dinner were beastmen, and in possession of Gunmen. Unfortunately for the starving pilots, what was to be dinner turned into a battle.

Kamina and Simon soon mobilised their own robots, and attempted to combine. For reasons best known to himself, Kamina wasn't willing to accept Simon's first attempt and knocked the Lagann away with Gurren's arm. He sternly reminded Simon that their combination should be cool, and Simon made the attempt to improve his efforts. As luck would have it, somehow Kamina's insane attempts at training had paid off, giving Simon the ability to dodge easily while attempting to combine, and before too much longer they did in fact manage to pull off a much more graceful combination which satisfied Kamina's sense of aesthetics, and indeed mine.

I am begining to realise that in addition to his many other attributes, Kamina is a little bit genre savvy.

Following the successful combination, the Gurren-Lagann was able to fight... for a while, but then suddenly their hunger began to drain their power. I must admit at this point I was quite unable to believe what I saw, as Simon's pet, Boota, removed his own tail and the two pilots each gratefully ate half of it. I couldn't make this up! Somehow that was enough to re-invigorate them sufficiently to win the battle, impaling all of the enemy Gunmen on their drills.

Incidentally, this would appear to have disproved Kamina's theory, since that Gunmen had 16 faces, and was still defeated by the Gurren-Lagann. :lol:

Today's Conclusions

It's a damn strange super robot anime, but also quite fun. I did notice the different animation in the fourth episode, but it wasn't bad... just very, very different. I've got to say, writing these summaries is probably the best motivation I could have to watch this, because so far... it's only mediocre.

[KatayokuのTenshi]

I'm not that keen on the music. The opening would make for a decent song in another context, but I don't really find it that appropriate for a super robot show.

Hmm... How about now? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNuP677JnKE)

My only cogent thought was that "Who the Hell do you think I am?!" is a rather odd catchphrase.

I always thought that it was a pretty good catchphrase considering Kamina's ... Kaminaness.

In fact his performance here bears a substantial resemblance to that of Nobuyuki Hiyama in GaoGaiGar.

I actually thought that he was being played by Nobuyuki Hiyama until Viral showed up.

[DavenIII]

I can't believe you didn't like the first transformation, the best part of it is how stupid it is and how it ends up working....but it is explained later as to why it works, you will then like it I think, you seem to want "Meaning" behind things which may be a bad thing as the series goes on though.

Kamina just does ****, he doesn't think about it he just does it [:P] that's part of what makes him so great.

[Soluzar]

You seem to want "Meaning" behind things which may be a bad thing as the series goes on though.
I watch One Piece... I don't have a problem with things just not making sense as long as they are cool, it's just the coolness factor of Gurren-Lagann isn't really having the full expected effect on me with the exception of the voice-acting. I do find it cool, but not as cool as I have been assured that I would.

Kamina just does ****, he doesn't think about it he just does it [:P] that's part of what makes him so great.
That's fine by me... it works fine in fact, for the most part I've been entirely satisfied with Kamina as a character, and in fact my objections to the combination scene were exactly the same as those later expressed by Kamina. :P

[DavenIII]

well in reality, the coolest thin about the series imho it how much it encompasses, by episode 16 if related to like a Bleach or Naruto, the amount it encompasses would be hundreds of episodes....you'll see, like I said its a bolder rolling down hill, it's not fast at first...

[tenshi_a]

When it was showing, viewers did react unfavourably to the first few episodes, particularly the 4th one, and dah-de-dah so he got replaced. So, he's just going with mainstream opinion so far.

I don't really want to watch Gurren Lagann. It doesn't sound very good, recent Gainax shows have been pretty dire, and it seems to have made an alarming number of gentlemen incredibly annoying because when they're done with the series, they go around saying how MANLY and GAR things are, discard their old ways (i.e. being nice, being thoughtful, being open to new ideas, etc). They behave similarly to Naruto fans, something else I don't want to watch, and hold in about the same regard.

I thought I would mention that on this thread because there is the chance that my view might affect Soluzar's perception on the series, though in reality we really do disagree in quite polariased ways about certain things which he loves and I hate, and vice versa.

[Soluzar]

I hereby publically promise not to become annoying as a result of watching Gurren-Lagann. I suspect this series will not have a profound impact on me. It's possible, but it doesn't seem likely at all.

[ryushe]

I've got to say, writing these summaries is probably the best motivation I could have to watch this, because so far... it's only mediocre.I'm confused. Did you mean this particular episode, or the series so far?

[DavenIII]

I'm confused. Did you mean this particular episode, or the series so far?

seems like he means the series thus far, but, to tell the truth I'm not that surprised, It takes a little bit to get into it, I think he will see the light soon.

[Soluzar]

I'm confused. Did you mean this particular episode, or the series so far?
The series so far. It's OK, but... not special. Sorry to dissapoint ya.

seems like he means the series thus far, but, to tell the truth I'm not that surprised, It takes a little bit to get into it, I think he will see the light soon.
After all it is a 27 episode series... I'll not drop it before the half-way mark.

[ryushe]

The series so far. It's OK, but... not special. Sorry to dissapoint ya.Oh no, no disappointment here. I just wanted to know since I was confused is all. I will admit though, the first, maybe, 5 episodes are pretty ho hum, so no surprise there. If you don't like it a lot more after episode 10 however, then I've lost hope. :P

[DavenIII]

Oh no, no disappointment here. I just wanted to know since I was confused is all. I will admit though, the first, maybe, 5 episodes are pretty ho hum, so no surprise there. If you don't like it a lot more after episode 10 however, then I've lost hope. :P

The first Simon speech gave me goosebumps....you got a link to the music they play behind that?

Ick I just found it, but in English, my god the english voice acting is horrible :( (IMHO)

Simon's Rebirth, that's it, man that scene is awesome.

[Buicovo]

The series so far. It's OK, but... not special. Sorry to dissapoint ya.

I wouldn't worry. Around episode 7 I was ready to drop the series because I was getting bored as well. I thought the first few episodes were good but then it got boring for me, but in just a few short episodes I became very interested again.

[DavenIII]

I wouldn't worry. Around episode 7 I was ready to drop the series because I was getting bored as well. I thought the first few episodes were good but then it got boring for me, but in just a few short episodes I became very interested again.

yeah, I didn't remember the #'s so I went to look at the episode list, 8 is a biggy, and then I "Think" from the description 13 is another big one anyhow if you are not into it by 16 I'd say you can be pretty sure you won't like it I guess.

[ryushe]

^ You're an optimistic one Daven, 'cause If he doesn't like it more after the Simon speech you mentioned before, then, as they say, is all she wrote.

[Soluzar]

Ick I just found it, but in English, my god the english voice acting is horrible :( (IMHO)
The Japanese are better at melodramatic acting, if ya ask me. :P

If you want someone to serve up thick delicious slices of ham, go ask a Japanese anime voice actor.

[Bradster]

EPISODE 03
At that point, Simon realised he had to fight, and Lagann's power gauge went crazy! The two of them began to fight together, but then suddenly Kamina went utterly insane and decided to slam the drill of Lagann through the top of Gurren.

Amusing but probably out of place in a post-apocalyptic setting was Yoko's (presumably) BL fantasy when Kamina said that they had to "combine" to beat the villain. Do hardscrabble refugees have time for those kinds of leisure fetishes?

At least, I think this was the episode it happened..

[Soluzar]

As you may notice, it has been a few days since my last post in this thread. I apologise for that, and will explain. Over the weekend I've had company, and naturally was distracted from such pursuits as my regular anime viewing and my regular forum posting. However, I have had no such excuse to offer since tuesday, and I can only beg your patience.

I have decided that from now I will write as I watch, instead of attempting to piece together my summary/review from memory. I may also reduce the wordcount per episode a little, in an attempt to tackle the series more quickly. This will probably also result in a shift from what I feel to be the somewhat awkward past tense to the present tense. I must say, tenses were never my strong point, and I tend to mix them in a manner which would make any good English teacher frown at the best of times.

I am now ready to proceed, following a gentle reminder from thewayniac, and so without further ado, I present Soluzar's thoughts on Tengen-Toppa Gurren-Lagann...

Episode 05

The first thing to come to mind as I watch this episode is that these posts of mine have proven useful, what with the long pause between episodes. I need only read this thread in order to fully familiarise myself with the salient points of what has gone before much more thoroughly than could be achieved by any animated recap.

In the first scene, as amusing as the verbal sparring between Kamina and Yoko may be, I can't help but notice that her uranium bullets seem to be rather more squishy than I would expect of such a heavy element. I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to be thinking about that, but there ya go.

Once their lover's quarrel has become violent enough to expose a large hole in the ground(!) the scene shifts to an underground structure, presumably another village much like the ones in which our heroes lived. I'm momentarily puzzled by the monochromatic imagery, but then I realise that it simply indicates the low light level down here.

As Yoko emerges from the giant face-god(!) to the astonishment of the assembled villagers, it would appear that she has misplaced her bikini top. The villagers believe she is an angel, but... do angels normally wear that little? Only when drawn by Boris Vallejo, I suspect.

Have the villagers mistaken Gurren for a god? It's hard to be sure, since there's another giant face, which Kamina also believes to be a Ganmen, in the scene. It appears to be sacred to the village. As the situation unfolds, it becomes apparent that they treat their own giant face as a god, and as such believe that Gurren must also be a god.

It also appears that the villagers are not accustomed to seeing scantily-clad female flesh, since after one particularly extreme example of the "Gainax Bounce" they ask her to dress in a lovely potato-sack much like their own. As soon as she puts it on, Kamina lifts it to take a look underneath, and Yoko inexplicably kicks him for merely taking a look at her the way she normally dresses. :unsure:

Just then, a messenger arrives with news of a birth. It is apparently shocking that there are three children. As I immediately suspected, this is a problem because they have some kind of arbitrary restriction on the village population, and any excess must be reduced by way of sacrifice. This is not stated outright, but is made eminently clear.

One curious villager wishes to know a little about the world above, and Kamina begins by vehemently declaring that Gunmen are not gods. The village priest intervenes, asking Kamina to not question their beliefs. A little too late, I suspect. The changes began when Gurren fell from the surface.

The next morning, a villager grows curious about the Gunmen, and begins to investigate it. The priest shows up to stop him from further investigation, and is angrily confronted by Kamina, who compares him to the elder of his own village.

Shortly, the villagers gather to draw lots for the human sacrifice. The father of the newborn children begs for them to be exempted, and the priest (predictably) tells him that to be chosen is a blessing from god. The father and his family are spared, but the two cute children who have been popping up throughout the episode draw the unlucky mark.

As one might expect, Kamina and his comrades are somewhat taken aback by this ritual, but when they enquire into the details, it turns out that the chosen ones are not killed, merely exiled to the surface. I admit that I wasn't expecting that, since ya know... high priests (just like grand viziers) are always evil.

I'm not sure how they went about exiling people prior to this episode, since they seem to expect Kamina to take the children to the surface. Maybe they killed all the previous chosen, and only are choosing exile now the opportunity is there. :unsure:

As Kamina protests against the unfair and arbitrary rules, the villager who had been investigating the Gunmen also grows rebellious, and just as matters are about to come to a head, yet another Gunmen falls from the surface! It came looking for Gurren-Lagann, and so the fight is on! Kamina and Simon quickly combine, while Yoko fires on the enemy Gunmen, to the shock of the villagers who see it as sacrilege, and can't understand why the two gods are fighting.

As the Gurren-Lagann is fighting, another combatant emerges to do battle. It would appear to be the sacred Gunmen of the village, and it proceeds to throw the enemy gunmen through a hole in the wall. Rather an anti-climactic end to the battle, and Ganmen only knows where the enemy ended up... they were already underground.

After the battle we learn that the pilot was the high priest, who has been using the superstitious fears of the villagers to limit the population for strictly practical reasons. The religion of which he is the priest is merely a charade to maintain the low population.

In the end... nothing changes. The village still can't support (or so it is claimed) a population of over 50 people, and the two chosen children leave the village as tradition dictates, along with the curious lad who has discovered the truth and choose to leave of his own accord.

Today's Conclusions

That really was not a satisfying ending, but the episode was enjoyable enough. It felt a bit pointless, though... compared with the first three episodes, the last two didn't really do anything.

[thewayneiac]

The main purpose of Ep. 05 was to introduce permanent new characters, in the case of Rossiu, a major new character. Given that, it does its job adequetly. There'll be a couple more "new character introduction" episodes shortly.

[Bradster]

I have decided that from now I will write as I watch, instead of attempting to piece together my summary/review from memory. I may also reduce the wordcount per episode a little, in an attempt to tackle the series more quickly. This will probably also result in a shift from what I feel to be the somewhat awkward past tense to the present tense. I must say, tenses were never my strong point, and I tend to mix them in a manner which would make any good English teacher frown at the best of times. .

Don't you mean 'tenses will never have been my strong point'? :P

[Sharp-kun]

I hereby publically promise not to become annoying as a result of watching Gurren-Lagann. I suspect this series will not have a profound impact on me. It's possible, but it doesn't seem likely at all.
I thought that originally....

[Leader Desslock]

Don't you mean 'tenses will never have been my strong point'? :P
According to Dr. Streetmentioner, it should read "wioll nae haven be".

[DavenIII]

Did you give up already Soluzar? you didn't even start yet...your still in the middle of Character Introductions.

[Soluzar]

I didn't give up! I just sort of put off watching another one while I've been involved in other things. An old interest of mine has been somewhat resurgent lately. Suddenly, putting it off for days has stretched to weeks.

Whoops.

Anyway...

Episode 06.

I've never been so thankful for a recap episode. :P

Our heroes crossed the trackless desert while reminiscing about the events from the previous episode. As a seeming non-sequitur, Yoko pointed out that the two men stink, but it turned out to be relevant when our heroes were invited to an inn with onsen. After eating their fill of some rather suspicious food, Everyone retired to the bath for more reminiscence. Honestly I'm a bit puzzled... OK so I'm watching the show at a snail's pace, but really a recap after so few episodes.

Seems like the producers missed a chance for some fanservice here, I don't recall seeing much of Yoko in the altogether, surrounded by obscuring steam. This is de rigeur for onsen scenes, what happened to the Gainax I know? Anyway, the onsen turned out to be a trap, and our heroes must take on the biggest Gunmen so far.

There wasn't much left to the episode after that, but Gainax sure did make up for their earlier negligence by having Yoko's breasts bounced clear of her towel-bikini, or bra or whatever it was. That's the kind of fanservice I've come to expect from the company which makes anime by otaku and for otaku.

In fact everyone was nearly naked in this scene (nice drill, Simon!) but most of them don't count as 'fanservice' I suspect. I liked how damn near everyone was crammed inside the Lagann at once...

Just before the credits roll, Viral made a surprise appearance

Episode 07

Mostly a straight-up fighting episode featuring Kamina's unbelievably reckless behaviour. I hope fans will forgive me for saying so, but it really does seem like the Gurren-Lagann didn't fight with much in the way of style. It's just pure brute force, a lot of the time. That's not really a criticism of the series, I suspect it's something Simon and Kamina will have to work on as the series progresses. They don't actually have a lot of special moves right now...

It turned out that the giant Gunmen is actually a moving fortress as well as a fighting robot, which to be honest I was expecting. What I wasn't expecting was that Viral wanted his Ganmen's helmet back, which... is a bit confusing. I can see how it could be a matter of pride and all o' that, but surely he could just get a new one.

At some point during the fight, Gurren-Lagann's leg was smashed, and the rest of the party (including Simon) thought they should retreat, but Kamina just wouldn't allow it. The power gauge filled right up as soon as Simon accepted this, and the leg regenerated. I'm thinking... Simon's fighting spirit seems to respond mostly to the knowledge that Kamina is doing idiotic things and needs to be protected.

Gurren-Lagann was holding its own in the fight, but no more than that. Fortunately for them, another Gunmen appeared to join the fight on the side of our heroes. This one was shaped like an elongated star. It turned out that the pilot is an old acquaintance, who was inspired by Kamina stealing the Gurren. There was also another ally with a stolen Gunmen, looks like Kamina has started a trend!

Most of Kamina's allies were in favour of a retreat at this point, but Kamina wouldn't hear of it. Instead they came up with a final move which was, if not all that stylish then certainly pretty awesome. Simon used his drills to destablize the ground under the giant gunmen, dropping them down into a pit, which temporarily disabled them.

After the fight, Kamina and his new allies hatch a plan to steal the giant Gunmen, using Lagann's ability to control other mecha. I don't actually doubt they can do it, Lagann's ability is pretty extraordinary.

Today's Conclusions
Ehh... it's getting better. I admit it. :P

The clip show was pretty awful though, it would bring down the average if I was giving a numeric rating.

[ryushe]

Damn, I forgot there was a recap episode so early in the series. To be fair though, it was masked pretty well..

Edit: Wait, Which version of episode 6 did you watch?

They don't actually have a lot of special moves right now...Hehehe ^_^

[DavenIII]

Damn, I forgot there was a recap episode so early in the series. To be fair though, it was masked pretty well..

Edit: Wait, Which version of episode 6 did you watch?

Hehehe ^_^


Probably not the better one lol, there is another version Soluzar, where Kamina like gives up in order to see the girls naked (you know how the screen was blanked in certain places) well they undo the blanked area's but their in towels lol...it was pretty funny.

BTW soluzar, your at the point where the series takes off, after this fight with the Big Gurren Base, (and and episode or 2 after that to ..well you'll see) every fight will be even more epic then fighting the big gurren, to the point were at like episode 14-16 you'll think to yourself, how can there be more to this, but then you'll see more.

[Soluzar]

Wait, Which version of episode 6 did you watch?
I have no idea... the only version I have? :P

Seriously though, how can I tell? What's the giveaway?

[DavenIII]

I have no idea... the only version I have? :P

Seriously though, how can I tell? What's the giveaway?

It's just an uncut version added to the DVD, I think Kamina sticks his finger in Simon's Arse to send him flying over the wall to see the girls bathing on the other side, I watched both so but it was so long ago I can remember what was in and wasn't in the cut version.

[Edit] LOL no it wasn't Kamina, it was Gimmy, Kamina stands on Simons Shoulders to try and see over the wall with no luck so he tells Gimmy to "Find a Hole".....he finds one...

[Caster13]

You're going to hate the next one.

[thewayneiac]

I have no idea... the only version I have? :P

Seriously though, how can I tell? What's the giveaway?

If you're watching the old broadcast version fansubs you have the censored version. If you're watching the DVD you have the uncensored version. Does it have the announcer saying "gurando suponsah okarishimas"?

[KatayokuのTenshi]

Yeah, the main feature version of ep 6 on the UK DVDs and (as far as I know) the American ones has less in the way of flashback and more in the way of Kamina trying to scale the wall between the men's bath and the women's bath (and so on). The original cut/clipshow version was included on the disc as a special feature.

[DavenIII]

Quitter....

[Soluzar]

Quitter....
Um.

Well...

I actually watched two more episodes and forgot to write them up. Since then, I've been caught up in a lot of other things, but yeah... basically Soluzar is a quitter on this one. However, maybe by the time Christmas madness is over, Soluzar will have become a pauser.

[DavenIII]

Um.

Well...

I actually watched two more episodes and forgot to write them up. Since then, I've been caught up in a lot of other things, but yeah... basically Soluzar is a quitter on this one. However, maybe by the time Christmas madness is over, Soluzar will have become a pauser.

don't take it so hard! I'm just very interested in your responses to this thread, I check it every day and for 20 something days nothing, the quitter comment is more of a reminder then anything, that said, watching it so split up like that ...I think that takes something away from it.

[Soluzar]

don't take it so hard! I'm just very interested in your responses to this thread, I check it every day and for 20 something days nothing, the quitter comment is more of a reminder then anything, that said, watching it so split up like that ...I think that takes something away from it.
I'm just not watching much anime lately. I've really got into some amazing videogames, and then there's my newly-revived model building hobby, and... ehh...Sometimes I marathon through a few series in a week or two, sometimes I watch about 2 episodes a week. XD

[Jon]

Soluzar needs to watch more

[Sharp-kun]

Soluzar needs to watch more
I endorse this statement.

[Soluzar]

Having got through Christmas, and finding my appetite for anime renewed, I am currently watching another episode. I've read through my thread so far, to refresh me on the details. I know some people must think that it ruins the series to watch it so slowly, but... I just don't feel like watching more after I get through with a couple of episodes. That's my pace, as far as this series is concerned.

It's a good series, even great... but I'm not finding it spectacular. For one thing, I feel like I've been there and done that. For another thing, I find this show to be emotionally uninvolving. Sure it may do things bigger and more over-the-top crazy than every other super robot series out there, but take almost any of the better series and you'll find that at the core of them is something to touch your heart. That quality isn't completely lacking here, but it is somewhat deficient when compared with my favourites.

Anyway... starting with the last episode I didn't write up. I've gone back to that point to continue watching, since it's been so long. Here goes...

Episode 08

We start with a brief sequence featuring Simon and Yoko on the eve of the big battle, with distinct hints that Yoko is suffering from a little unrequited love. This comes as no surprise, since Kamina is far too much in love with himself to notice that anyone else has a crush on him. The scene continues with Yoko going off on her own and eventually encountering Kamina. She apparently has decided that the time for direct action is now, and plants a kiss on Kamina. She doesn't miss the opportunity to poke fun at his simple and direct approach to pretty much everything. Kamina's response isn't all she was hoping for in the romance department, but it satisfies her well enough. All the while, Simon looks on in horror. It has been obvious from the start that he had a little crush on her, but it should have been equally obvious even to him that there was no chance. I know she has all the right attributes, Simon, but isn't she twice your age?

Having been blissfully unaware of both Simon's feelings and his presence during the romantic moment, Kamina appears before the lad for some last minute words of encouragement before the battle. Simon's ambivalent feelings regarding pep talk are
plain to see, but of course Kamina isn't the type to notice... anything.

Kamina explains the plan to the massed members of the Dai-Gurren Dan, who are in fine spirits. The potiential for this strategy has been pretty obvious for a while now... even before Kamina suggested it, I was wondering if Lagann could control other Gunmen. The captured Gunmen assemble and move out, and Kamina offers another one of his customary pep talks. He doesn't miss an opportunity to hurt Yoko's feelings, although not intentionally, of course. Meanwhile, in the Lagann, Simon is attempting to get himself in the right frame of mind for combat, and his spiral power gauge is fluctuating a lot, towards the mid-point of the scale. The implications are obvious, and amount to a manifestation of what I mentioned at the end of the last paragraph.

As the first shots are fired, Viral appears, displaying an undiminished zeal to vanquish Kamina. He is soon pinned down by rocks, and is furious that Kamina will not face him directly. The commander of the Dai-Gunzan base is confident though, pointing out that such an attack can have no effect on them. He advises Viral to pay less attention to their taunts. As the battle continues, the attacks change from rocks to cannons, but his confidence is undiminished. The base proceeds to launch some extra Gunmen, but they are just grunts and Yoko is able to easily blow them out of the sky.

Viral launches an assault directly against the Gurren, and once more demonstrates his curious fixation on the stolen helment, at which point Kamina brazenly declares that his attack is merely a decoy anyway. Viral notices that he is up against merely Gurren, rather than Gurren-Lagann, and Kamina urges Simon to make his move.

Simon successfully (and rather stylishly) launches his Lagann Impact move. The bad guys are confused, but Kamina triumphantly informs them that this tactic is called "combination", as a large spiral of energy forms above the base. That shape seems to be significant in this series, notes Soluzar.

Kamina taunts Viral that they will be taking 'that big guy' now, and Viral is furious, having realised that this was the plan all along. Worse... he fell for it like a major chump. I don't know if I've seen Kamina using the 'sunglasses' as a melee weapon before, but I love it! :lol:

As the battle continues to rage, it becomes apparent that Simon's control over the giant Gunmen is less than perfect. Ron wonders if something went wrong with the move, but his female companion (whose name I do not know) suspects that the problem is with Simon's state of mind. I'm with her on this one, and the graphics show a broken heart just in case anyone in the audience is as dense as Kamina. Meanwhile, the base commander has decided to take matters into his own hands and sortie using his own personal Gunmen. All the while, Simon is only too well aware of the root of his problem, yet can't help but picture the moment he feels as a betrayal.

Leaving the cockpit of the Gurren, Kamina heads for the Lagann, to administer some Gundam-style 'correction' to Simon. He has a few words of encouragement to offer as well, and miraculously this seems to work. As Simon's control of the Dai-Gunzan becomes almost complete, Kamina returns to the Lagann. Just as he has reached the cockpit, he is blown away by an energy blast from Thymilph's Byakou.

I expect this was supposed to be quite a moving scene... but it didn't work on me so well. It doesn't help that I'm really quite annoyed with Kamina by this point. He's got all the makings of an awesome character, but he's just got too many flaws. He's so utterly oblivious to everything going on around him... I really wasn't feeling especially fond of him in this episode, so him being shot down didn't have the impact it should have.

Viral does not hesitate to rub salt into the wound by throwing the 'sunglasses' at Gurren, puncturing the hull of the Gunmen, which is shortly followed by another mighty blow from Thymilph. Back at 'mission control', all the status indicators for Gurren go dead just to underscore the point that this is very bad indeed. Simon is horrified, even if he felt betrayed by Kamina that doesn't mean that the bond between them was entirely broken. In response to this, his power level dies completely, and the Dai-Gunzan goes entirely out of control.

What's this? Kamina is still able to move? Hearing reports over the comm that the Dai-Gunzan is going out of control, he is motivated to make one more great effort. He flings a giant fist at the Lagann in mimicry of his previous 'correction' of Simon. One super-size motivational speech later, and Simon is back in control. Having shot down the Gurren, the enemy Gunmen are currently in control of the battlefield, so there's only one thing left to do... combine! In spite of his injuries, Kamina declares that they must form Gurren-Lagann one last time. I'm not sure if Simon noticed that he said 'last time' or if he just chose to overlook it in the interests of winning the battle or what...

It must be said that the speeches which were given while combining were the first in this episode which actually carried any weight. Kamina tends to make speeches as other men draw breath, but the majority of them aren't anything special. As is now customary, the Gurren's damage was regenerated by their combined power, and manifesting drills from almost every part of the Gurren-Lagann, Kamina and Simon were easily able to take out all the grunts. Even the weapon of the Byakou was no match for their power, and they finished it off with their first (as far as I recall) named special move, Giga Drill Breaker.

It would appear that Kamina used everything he had left in him to produce that final burst of fighting prowess, as he was found dead in his cockpit after the battle. For reasons as noted above, I can't bring myself to be as sad as I probably should be. Even so, the last few minutes of this episode were about the best stuff this series has produced so far.

[Soluzar]

Episode 9

We begin with a respectful eulogy for Kamina, followed by the introduction of a character known as the Helix King, Lord Genome. He has been mentioned once or twice, so I'm not entirely surprised to see him. If anything I'm surprised it took this long to introduce the Big Bad. I also wonder if there's some kind of an overarching symbology being set up here, between "helix" and "spiral", but that's just a vague thought. They are similar and yet distinct shapes.... one represents DNA, as we are reminded by the name Lord Genome... and a person's fighting spirit seems to be represented by those spiral gauges.

That's all I have so far...

The rest of the scene is very standard, could have been lifted directly from any of several other series in fact. One of the Four Great Generals has been defeated, what shall we do in response to this outrage, even if he was a fool who got careless. Not that I object to it, in fact I smiled a little just from the comfortable familiarity of the setup. I notice that these generals are each known as <name> the <adjective>, which makes me wonder what style Thymilph was afforded.

As the three remaining generals argue their case to be granted the privilege of hunting down these impudent humans who have defeated the great Thymilph, something of their personalities becomes known to us, but the one selected is Adiane the Elegant, the sole female member of the assembly.

We are next introduced to the Dai-Gurren Dan's new base, named Dai-Gurren. That might be a little confusing, but apparently Yoko wouldn't have it any other way. Presumably it was converted from the Dai-Gunzan that they stole in the last episode. Ron remarks that it is a pretty impressive base, with repair facilities and more than enough power. Dayakka replies that they even managed to fix up the Gurren, and they both look quietly satisfied for a moment until the sounds of Simon having an argument with Kittan, which causes Leeron to comment that the only thing they can't fix is the human heart.

Apparently Simon is determined to pilot Gurren-Lagann alone, and not accept any replacement for Kamina as his co-pilot. Simon appears grief-stricken almost to the point of madness, and demonstrates a willingness to lash out verbally at anyone who attempts to talk to him rationally. Continuing to show the aftermath of Kamina's death, the scene switches to Yoko, who appears to have become bitter, angry and troubled. I'm more sad to see the aftermath of Kamina's death than I was to see the death itself.

As enemy Gunmen are detected approaching the base, Simon intends to take the Gurren-Lagann out on his own, claiming that it would be better that way. Just as he is about to sortie, Rossiu approaches him and offers to pilot the Gurren. Simon agrees, apparently more to forestall a tedious debate than because he has any actual enthusiasm for the proposal.

Out on the battlefield, Simon fights with bleak determination and a sort of cold rage which is not at all like his old self. He seems to take pleasure in the destruction, and finds nothing but fault in Rossiu's handling of the Lagann. As Simon's emotional state becomes more and more unstable, so does the energy flow through the Gurren-Lagann, and suddenly the Lagann disconnects in mid-combat, leaving Rossiu all but defenceless. Fortunately some of their comrades show up to protect Rossiu, but it would appear that Simon is no longer fit to be a pilot if he would abandon his partner.

In the next scene, Simon is no longer in the cockpit of the Lagann, and is instead lying face down in the mud next to it, wondering why the controls would no longer respond to his commands. Perhaps it was not intentional then, which at least makes him less of a jerk than I was beginning to suspect. After getting back into the cockpit, and starting to presumably make his way back to the Dai-Gurren, he soon finds a box, which was dropped from a great height in front of him, by an unidentified Gunman.

The box responds to Simon's drill key, and inside he discovers... a young blonde girl, dressed all in pink. She greets him formally, and appears pleased to see him. In fact she is pleased by pretty much everything. This appears to be her first time outside... (outside what I can't guess) and as such everything is new to her. She also pleased (if a trifle confused) to discover that Simon is a human rather than a Beastman. Not that she knows what either of those terms means. Everything is new to her.

Their conversation is necessarily cut short by the appearance of an enemy Gunmen. Simon tries to fight using the Lagann, but it still won't obey his commands. Fortunately, they are saved by the arrival of Yoko and Kittan. Back at the base, Nia (for that is her name) finds many more things to be surprised by, and many more subjects about which she appears to know nothing. The only thing she does seem to know is that she had a father and that she made him angry.

Meanwhile, Simon is even deeper in despair than ever. He asks the Lagann if it has given up on him, and if there is now nothing at all that he can do. Just in case we had by now forgotten all about the first few minutes of the episode, Adiane the Elegant appears in her personal Gunmen to remind us! As the various members of the Dai-Gurren Dan mobilize in order to defend their base, Nia rushes to the frontlines of the battle to confront Adiane. It would appear the two are acquainted, and no surprise since Nia declares herself to be Lord Genome's eldest daughter.

So... Lord Genome is a human? His daughter is, at least...? I'm confused...

Today's Conclusions

Much better. I watched these episodes once before, but didn't get the chance to write them up. I think I'll try not to leave it as long this time, after all I want to know what the hell is going on this time. XD

I had to double-post today, since what I had written was just too long. It was 4000 characters over the limit, so... as ugly as I find double-posts to be, no alternative.

[ryushe]

Even so, the last few minutes of this episode were about the best stuff this series has produced so far.Even though it's pretty much standard fare in Anime, I thought the last scene with the rain was a really powerful one. It always gets me for some reason.

As for the episode itself, I'm not surprised that you didn't really care for it's conclusion and I can definitly see where you're coming from there. I like Kamina and everything, but I think everyone can admit that he's a bit annoying sometimes...well, a lot of the times and honestly, for me, it wasn't his death that made the that moment 'that moment', but as you've stated, it's the effect that he had on everyone, especially Simon, afterwards that made it that much more impactfull, too me at least.

[thewayneiac]

I managed to keep myself unspoiled about this show, so Kamina's death took me totally by surprise. I was rather shocked about it myself. Did you know about it in advance? If you did, how do you think you would have reacted if you had been taken by surprise?

[Sharp-kun]

I managed to keep myself unspoiled about this show, so Kamina's death took me totally by surprise. I was rather shocked about it myself. Did you know about it in advance? If you did, how do you think you would have reacted if you had been taken by surprise?
I'd seen it coming from the start. He wasn't the main lead but completely overshadowed Simon. You could tell just be the reaction places like /m/ had to him that if Simon was to truly take the center stage he'd have to go.

I didn't expect such an epic final combination though. The volcano made it. ^^

[KatayokuのTenshi]

I'm glad you've not abandoned it.

I expect this was supposed to be quite a moving scene... but it didn't work on me so well. It doesn't help that I'm really quite annoyed with Kamina by this point. He's got all the makings of an awesome character, but he's just got too many flaws. He's so utterly oblivious to everything going on around him... I really wasn't feeling especially fond of him in this episode, so him being shot down didn't have the impact it should have.

It didn't? Are you heartless or just made of stone? :O

But seriously, I don't know anyone else who didn't like Kamina (ridiculousness and all) and wasn't moved.

and they finished it off with their first (as far as I recall) named special move, Giga Drill Breaker.

Not the first (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkkFPrNdKu0)

Episode 9followed by the introduction of a character known as the Helix King, Lord Genome.

It's actually "Spiral King" "Lordgenome" (all one word) according to all the official translations.

which makes me wonder what style Thymilph was afforded.

"Thymilph the Crasher"


So... Lord Genome is a human? His daughter is, at least...? I'm confused...

It will all be made (sort of) clear in time. Well clear but odd.

[KT Kore]

I liked Kamina (probably not as much as most people) but the scene didn't have much of an impact on me either. Probably because I saw it coming. Also, probably because I couldn't really take the show seriously enough for any of it to have an "impact."

[Caster13]

Just to tell you Soluzar, Yoko isn't twice Simon's age, she's 14.

Yes, 14. This is why I loathe fanservice. <_<

[KatayokuのTenshi]

There's some speculation (possibly some official extra info, you know how Gainax loves that stuff) that, because they all live underground, they've lost track of time and each village recons time differently. 14 Littner years is slightly different to 14 surface years or whatever-Simon's-village-was-called years. So Yoko's actually like 18.

[Vaikyuko]

There's some speculation (possibly some official extra info, you know how Gainax loves that stuff) that, because they all live underground, they've lost track of time and each village recons time differently. 14 Littner years is slightly different to 14 surface years or whatever-Simon's-village-was-called years. So Yoko's actually like 18.

Word of God, actually. One of the Gainax staff members was asked how old Yoko was, he replied 14, and when everyone exploded he added that underground they may measure years differently.

[DavenIII]

I'm glad you've started watching again, I loved Kamina...maybe because I can relate somewhat, because I'm often quite oblivious to people around me as well who knows so his death was profound for me...partially because I could relate but also because it's not something I'm used to Anime doing in general.

I considered Kamina to be the coolest part of the series up till this point, the series killing off what I considered the best part....shocked me.

the next few episodes I was not sure If I was going to continue to tell the truth, but then [stuff happens] and I realized Kamina was just a small part of the awesomeness....

so, even though you felt differently then me about Kamina I'm still sure you will enjoy this series immensely as you proceed further.

[Soluzar]

It's actually "Spiral King" "Lordgenome" (all one word) according to all the official translations.
Correction noted on the first part, but as for the second, I'll be damned if I'll write it like that. It looks ridiculous, and even though it is written like that in the subtitles I just don't care for it. I'm sure it won't cause a problem if I just write it as "Lord Genome" in this thread

"Thymilph the Crasher"
Did they mention that earlier? If so I must have missed it. If not, I assume it comes up later on. Either way, thank you for the information.

I managed to keep myself unspoiled about this show, so Kamina's death took me totally by surprise. I was rather shocked about it myself. Did you know about it in advance? If you did, how do you think you would have reacted if you had been taken by surprise?
That is a good question. I did know in advance, and I would probably have been shocked by his death if it had come as a complete surprise. I didn't know anything about the circumstances, or when it would happen, mind you.

Even though I would perhaps have been shocked, I still don't think it would have had an emotional impact on me. That's just the effect Kamina as a character has on me, he doesn't produce an emotional response. He has a thin veneer of coolness, but I find him basically insubstantial.

I don't have that issue with any of the other characters. I find that Simon and Yoko both elicit emotional responses from me. Simon's crush on Yoko, and Yoko's unrequited love for Kamina both produce the appropriate empathic resonance. Kamina's lack of comprehension of these things only serves to further distance me from the character.

I couldn't really take the show seriously enough for any of it to have an "impact."

There's some truth in this. I strongly suspect it wasn't ever intended to carry an emotional impact, the show is working at a very superficial level for me. As much as it can be entertaining, it lacks the emotional depth of other super robot anime I've seen. It's customary for the plot to be as shallow as a coat of paint, but usually the characters, the dialogue and the music in such a series are crafted in such a way as to elicit strong feelings from the viewer.

Anyway... that's quite enough said about Kamina. I trust you'll understand that these paragraphs were in response to the entire thread, and not just to quoted posts.

On with some more. For the record, when it comes to anime ages, I tend to assume that characters are the age they look rather than claim to be. If their station in life (schoolchild, for example) makes it apparent that they must be a particular age then I guess that's what age they are, but Yoko is quite apparently not a child.

I'm typing and editing the post as I watch, so don't jump in to reply just yet.

Episode 10

Adiane seems inclined to follow Admiral Lord Nelson's example and 'see no ships', but her crew reminds her that all communications are recorded. Realising that she can't just ignore the presence of a member of the blood royal, she pauses to consider her next move.

A rather strange looking member of the crew who I believe is named Attenborough becomes rather agitated when Adiane's Gunmen turns away from the Dai Gurren. He insists that they must fire, but he is ignored. Adiene and her troops leave, protesting loudly that this is not a reatreat, while Simon wonders aloud what exactly a "princess" might be. Yoko replies that a princess is the daughter of a king, and the scene shifts to within the Dai Gurren.

Now they know who their guest is, some of the crew seem inclined to treat her as a hostage, and as a potential source of information. We will soon see that they aren't very good at interrogating cute young girls though. Meanwhile at the court of the Spiral King, Lord Genome is receiving a report on what just happened, and he is not pleased. It seems that Nia is no longer considered a princess, and that the king would much rather Adiane had gone ahead with the attack. Unsurprisingly, she is granted a second chance to accomplish her task after only a moderate amount of grovelling.

On the topic of begging for second chances, Viral would like one as well. He seems to be hoping that Adiane will take him along, but not only is she not interested, she also takes the opportunity to pummel him viciously with her tail repeatedly while he is in the process of asking. She's quite furious about Thymilph's death, and Viral makes a good scapegoat. She plans to go alone.

Back aboard the Dai Gurren, various people are crowded around the table where Nia is eating. They are supposed to be interrogating her, but really... they are just fascinated by watching her eat. I think it's because she has table manners, which are not a common skill in this world. Kittan does make some attempt at asking her questions, but even he is far too distracted by her cuteness. Since she doesn't understand a lot of simple concepts, he keeps getting sidetracked, which makes him angry. He seems to vent this anger by aggressively chewing a piece of meat. :unsure:

Since he has to explain almost all of the words he wants to use, she ends up learning more from him than he does from her. Pretty soon he gives up, and hands the job over to Simon, who is sitting out on deck, looking dejected. Simon isn't really interested, but she starts talking to him and asks him a few questions. She's trying to understand why everyone is fighting against her father, basically. She doesn't really understand that her father is the bad guy here. Gradually the topic works around to Kamina, at which point the scene cuts away to the Dai Gurren's engine room.

Leeron is busy repairing the engines, but still finds time to wax philosophical about how Simon's state of mind is closely linked to his level of control over the Lagann. back outside, Simon is talking about all the times Kamina encouraged him to keep going and not to give up... which I admit was the type of thing he was good at. Boundless optimism, cheerfulness, and never giving up.

Simon says that without Kamina he wouldn't be the man he is right now, and as such he has to work much harder now to make up for the loss. He seems to be missing the point that if you can't smile land encourage people ike Kamina, you aren't making up for the loss of Kamina. Nia on the other hand says Simon is fine just on his own, and that he shouldn't be so fixated on his former partner. Yoko is pretty angry, reminding Nia that her father was the one responsible for Kamina's death, but Nia isn't to be discouraged so easily and decides that the solution is to learn more about all of her newfound comrades.

Just then, Adiane returns and demands to see Nia. Simon doesn't like the idea but he's the only one. Everyone else thinks it is a great idea, considering that the Dai Gurren can't even move right now. Nia herself seems determined to confront Adiane, and after a little discussion, that's exactly what she does. Nia has some questions to ask, about the way her father is treating the humans. She doesn't get any satisfactory answers, and demands to see her father. That's when she finds out that she's been cast out, and is no longer considered a princess. She is in fact to be killed along with the rest of the humans.

Nia is slowly but surely getting the picture that daddy dearest is not a nice guy. His underlings follow orders without question, exterminate humans without need of a reason, and would even kill Nia herself. She doesn't like this, and she defiantly declares that what Adiane is doing is wrong. Of course that doesn't make much of a difference, but it's the thought that counts. Adiane moves to strike, and Simon makes for the Lagann, which still won't respond to him. Having no other viable alternative, he attempts to save Nia with nothing but his own physical strength.

Fortunately for Simon, he is quickly backed up by the Gunmen of the Dai Gurren-Dan. Simon isn't the only one aboard who won't stand to see Nia harmed. As it turns out, he soon gets left behind in the rush as a fierce battle ensues. Leeron manages to get the Dai Gurren moving just in time, and Adiane would probably have been defeated if not for the sudden appearance of Viral. Needless to say, the cute girl is saved, and the Dai Gurren-dan are most pleased. It seems like the things she said to Adiane in their defence have formed something of a bond.

After they have made good their escape, Adiane takes the opportunity to beat on Viral some more, and tells him that there's no way they can return to the capital again unless they succeed in their mission. I think the both of them seem to enjoy this violence a bit too much...

To close out the episode, Nia stands outside Simon's room trying to reach out to him through the closed door, but he is lost in despair, and can't be reached by anything right now. It's actually a pretty tragic moment, because she really is trying hard to bond with him, but he won't have it.

Conclusion

Well that episode felt a bit disjointed, really. I liked all the events that happened, but it just didn't seem to fit together into a smooth narrative as well as it could have. It really seemed like a lot of stuff you'd normally see as subplot rather than the main focus of an episode.

Not bad. More tomorrow.

[KatayokuのTenshi]

Correction noted on the first part, but as for the second, I'll be damned if I'll write it like that. It looks ridiculous, and even though it is written like that in the subtitles I just don't care for it. I'm sure it won't cause a problem if I just write it as "Lord Genome" in this thread

I don't have any problem with it. Personally I thought that Lordgenome looked stupid myself. The only reason that it could be important is that the 'Lord' part is his name rather than his title.

Did they mention that earlier? If so I must have missed it. If not, I assume it comes up later on. Either way, thank you for the information.

Uh... I think it was on screen the first time he appeared... I'll have a look.

A rather strange looking member of the crew who I believe is named Attenborough becomes rather agitated when Adiane's Gunmen turns away from the Dai Gurren. He insists that they must fire, but he is ignored.

He'll be doing that a lot.

[Sharp-kun]

Attenborough is teh awesome.

[KatayokuのTenshi]

"Thymilph the Crasher"

Ok, not quite sure where I got that one.

On the Beez DVDs (Bandai translation (?)) he calls himself "Thymilph the Raging Wave" Episode 7 11:38

[Caster13]

Attenborough is teh awesome.

**** yea he is! :smokin: I love that guy.

[DavenIII]

**** yea he is! :smokin: I love that guy.

Dudes awesome, I love him too, that, and the "Old Guy" that always mysteriously appears around Nia.

[Soluzar]

Ahh, I had a great weekend! More Gurren-Lagann will be watched soon, but more important things had to come first! :D

[Caster13]

Attenborough is the most underrated character in the entire series. Almost every time he gets some screen time he's pure awesome.

[ryushe]

Attenborough is the most underrated character in the entire series. Almost every time he gets some screen time he's pure awesome.No. He wasn't.

I'm all for quirky, crazy characters but he was not awesome or cool in any sense of the word.

[DavenIII]

No. He wasn't.

I'm all for quirky, crazy characters but he was not awesome or cool in any sense of the word.

I thought he was :(

[Neko]

Who was Attenborough anyway? Was he the guy who kind of looked like a duck? Big lips or something? Glasses? I remember the name and I remember the guy but I can't remember if they were the same person.

[Caster13]

He's guy who was trigger happy with the weapons on the ships.

[Soluzar]

It is now officially time for some more of Soluzar's slow-paced viewing of Gurren-Lagann. Will Soluzar ever feel like watching more anime than two episodes a week again? Will his videogame habit ever stop taking all his time? Stay tuned to this station for the answers to these and many more questions.

In all seriousness, the need to write about it is slowing me down, not to mention that... with all that I'm trying, with all the vaguely enjoyable parts it has, I don't care about this series. It doesn't hit the magic button for me. Probably because everyone keeps saying how awesome it is, I'm strange like that.

Episode 11

The episode starts where the last one left off, only with the bad guys in voiceover talking about how Adiane screwed up. The general who sounds (and talks) like an old man is requesting to be the next one given the job. He's a bit concerned that the Lagann is something that they don't know enough about, as it seems to have an ability which none of their Gunmen share. The Spiral King isn't concerned though.

It is not explicitly depicted, but the next scene makes it clear that Gaume (for that is his name) was given the opportunity to take on the task Adiane left unfinished. After a few words between Gaume and the other remaining general, we see Nia on the Dai Gurren, asking why the Lagann has been left out with the trash. She is told that it is no use, since Simon is no use anymore. All he does is dig holes in the walls. Isn't that a problem? I mean, he's not in a cave anymore, he's on board a giant Gunmen. :unsure:

She goes to see him. Sure enough, he's looking like an insane person, and making rather detailed statues of Kamina. Lots of them. Scary, insane person quantities of them. Like a demented shrine the kind you find in the room of those scary people who love a celebrity so much they decide to rape-murder them.

Startled by her intrusion, Simon confesses that he has become somewhat strange. Nia says he is not strange, showing that she is not so wise as Simon. She has a few further words of encouragement but Simon is only interested in wallowing in grief and self-pity. Meanwhile on the bridge, the Dai Gurren is receiving a suspicious distress call from three young women wearing clothing made from bedsheets. Kittan decides to go rescue them, in spite of the warnings of the other team members who also think it's highly suspicious.

Clearly this is a trap. No question.

When they arrive, they try being cautious for a second or two, but Attenborough can't hold back and decides to fire wildly in the direction of the enemy Gunmen. Kittan is pretty angry, because they just decided NOT to shoot a second before he opened fire. Regardless of his reckless actions, the enemy retreats, and a whole bunch of cute girls in bedsheets are rescued.

Hey, it's a toga party village. Oh wait, no! It's a trap. I am so surprised. :lol:

As far as Gaume is concerned, his plan worked exactly as he thought it would. They've got back the "Dai Ganzen" and they are about to get Nia and the Lagann. He's amused that they are so unsophisticated in their perception of who is an ally and who an enemy.

Nia is taken, the entire Dai Gurren-Dan is imprisoned, things look pretty hopeless at this point. Gaume then proceeds to have a chat with Nia, explaining some facts to her about the disposable princesses of the Helix King's court. Once again, Nia is pretty shocked by the revelations. Gaume then suggests that he'd like to save Nia, since she is too beautiful to just eliminate. She could become the chief of the toga party village, which is basically a harem for the Spiral King. Something of that nature, anyway.

Nia is even more shocked by now to discover that the immortal Spiral King seems to take such great pleasure in treating humans as toys, so much so that she slaps Gaume. He's not much taken aback by this, and just laughs. Meanwhile, the Dai Gurren-Dan are trying ineffectually to escape from their prison in various amusing ways, like headbutting and biting the solid rock! Before too long they realise that it's pointless and painful. Why did they need to try it in order to realise this? Why!?!?

For a while, nobody really notices the growing pile of dirt at Simon's feet, as they lament the absence of Kamina and the futility of their plight. Then all of a sudden they all realise that Simon has been quietly and without much of a fuss doing what he does best. He's digging a hole, and he's actually succeeding, unlike everyone else. His only tool is the tiny drill which activates Lagann, but for an expert like Simon, it is more than enough. As they watch him dig, Yoko recalls what Kamina said, and what some of us knew all along... Simon was the truly awesome one out of the pair. Kamina was just the loudest and most noticeable, but Simon has the true inner strength. He may not always believe in himself, but Simon has a store of power deep inside that he can draw upon when he does believe.

As Simon continues to dig, his tiny drill begins to glow, and suddenly the Lagann appears behind the rocks he is working on. As his courage has grown, the Lagann has answered the call of his heart... or something like that. At that moment, Gaume's men are looking for the Lagann, but of course it is nowhere to be found. Nia wonders if the reason they are so keen to find it is that they are afraid of what Simon can do with it? Simon, the one who rescued her. The one who protected her. Gaume responds that if Simon is the pilot, then they should kill him right away. Nia says that she won't let that happen, and Gaume tells her that if she continues to defy him, he will kill her too.

Just as Gaume is about to make good on his threat, an old man whose name I don't remember appears, to save her by grabbing the barrel of Gaume's gun. Then Simon appears in the Lagann, to save the day, just as Nia had believed he would. Gaume and the Lagann are both thrown clear of the Dai Gurren in the resultant chaos, and Simon explains to Nia (who is in the cockpit along with him) that he finally understands, although what he understands is not clear. Lagann has taught him, he says. She then asks him to move his hands, and she takes the controls.

Meanwhile, Gaume has activated his personal Gunmen, the Genba. Fortunately, Roshiu has also activated the Gurren, and there's a chance for Gurren-Lagann to combine, which it does. Since he has now become the main character, it is time for Simon to give a nonsensical speech of hot-bloodedness, which he does. He even follows up by using Kamina's old catchphrase. You can tell this is a big moment, because there's an insert song.

Simon manages to force the Genba back without any trouble at all, and once he's put some decent distance between the Gurren-Lagann and the Genba, he is able to launch a Giga Drill Breaker which if anything is even more flashy than the previous version. He even finds time to offer a small tribute to his fallen comrade by using two pairs of giant sunglasses as part of the move. Where do the second pair come from exactly?

Gaume does survive, but is forced to retreat. When we see Nia and Simon again, it is obvious that the two of them were holding the controls of the Lagan together, in a symbolic gesture of togetherness. If they weren't so young, I'd assume a romance was inevitable, but who knows. After the battle, Nia wants Simon to take her back to the valley where she was found. It seems as though she wants to give a decent burial to the many abandoned princesses in boxes who have been dumped there over the generations. As she looks over the many, many graves, Simon offers her a green gem he found while digging, and she is delighted with it.

So... the village of toga parties was saved, and the Dai Gurren marches on towards the capital, and the court of the Spiral King.

Today's Concusions

It's not bad. I can see why you guys all like it, it just doesn't do the magic for me. Plus, I get really tired of writing after just a single episode, so I'll have to leave it for tonight. I wish I'd done something different with this thread, but hey... I started, so I'll finish. No matter how long it takes.

[Caster13]

It gets boring for several episodes at one point, but the last episode makes it all worth it.

Keep going and don't stop.

[KT Kore]

How about you skip the recap and just write how you felt about the episode? Or how about you skip that too and just finish up the series and write about how you felt about it overall? It's no wonder you don't feel like writing about it, because look how much you're writing! lol

At least skip the recaps.

I didn't think the show was as great as everyone else, but even I thought you'd like it a bit more than you seem to. Perhaps you'll enjoy it more when things change up in a few episodes.

[Soluzar]

How about you skip the recap and just write how you felt about the episode? Or how about you skip that too and just finish up the series and write about how you felt about it overall? It's no wonder you don't feel like writing about it, because look how much you're writing! lol

At least skip the recaps.
Yeah... maybe I will. At first I started them because... well... because that's how Desslock started his Zeta Gundam thread, and if I finish this, he has to finish that. However, I might well just skip the damn recaps and just write a little bit of post-episode reaction. Like, about as much as I just wrote for this post.

I didn't think the show was as great as everyone else, but even I thought you'd like it a bit more than you seem to. Perhaps you'll enjoy it more when things change up in a few episodes.
It gives me a big old feeling of been there, done that. It's cool and all, but it's nothing exciting or new. Also, I can't get into the characters at all. Only Simon and Nia seem worth caring about and even they aren't particularly well-developed.

Ehh... I avoided it because I knew I wasn't going to like it much. Then someone talked me into watching it, what could the result be other than this? :|

[tenshi_a]

I've only been skimming this thread but you sound like me trying to watch Macross! XD -_-

[Soluzar]

I've only been skimming this thread but you sound like me trying to watch Macross! XD -_-
Pretty much! XD

[DavenIII]

It's not bad. I can see why you guys all like it, it just doesn't do the magic for me. Plus, I get really tired of writing after just a single episode, so I'll have to leave it for tonight. I wish I'd done something different with this thread, but hey... I started, so I'll finish. No matter how long it takes.

I can't believe you weren't the slightest bit moved by Simon's Speech, that was a big one for me, one of the big moments in the entire series, not the biggest but top 5...anyhow, Its "Beginning" to take off now, starts getting crazy soon, I know there was a lot of build up to get thru, but your pretty much done, your reward is nigh.

although I do think some of the excitement of this series is being stolen from you, for a few reasons, having to write a review each episode, the pace at which you watch it, and the build up from the rest of the community for it.

[Sushikins]

I agree with KT, if you're not enjoying the show greatly, you should just skip having to write the huge episode recaps. No wonder you don't look forward to it. :lol:

Anyway, TTGL is a show you should just sit back, relax, and try and enjoy the ride, it's nothing that should be taken seriously.

[ryushe]

I agree with everyone who agreed with KT. Some of your recaps are absolutely massive, and while it's enjoyable to read them, I have to imagine it's a chore to write.

I don't know if you want to change your formula half way through, but if you only gave the summery of the forthcoming episode and then your impressions, you might enjoy a small deal more. It's not like anyone here posting in the thread hasn't seen the series anyway.

[Jayman]

Maybe you could just tone down the recaps a little bit????

I hate to see you change it up after all of this hard work and insight. Makes me think back to when I was watching the series and try and compare your thoughts to mine. I am loving this thread.

[thewayneiac]

I agree with Jayman. You don't need to do such massive recaps. But rather than dropping the recaps altogether, you should include a very brief recap just to remind those of us who haven't seen it for a year which ep. you're talking about.

[Soluzar]

Episode 12

Best one so far, in my opinion. In fact, it was leaps and bounds beyond the others. This one was all about the Dai Gurren's need to cross the ocean. The required modifications gave us plenty of time to see the girls in swimwear, including Yoko whose swimwear was much less revealing than her usual outfit. XD

All the guys seem to ignore Yoko, which really upsets her. Of course, nobody noticed. They were too busy doting on Nia and lusting after the other girls. They must be insane, of course...

Once the Dai Ganzen got out to sea, they were targetted with torpedos. Turns out that our old friend Adiane is back, and this time she brought a submarine. Because of the plot device, Gurren-Lagann is the only Gunmen they can send out, but fortunately the threat of harm to his friends sends Simon's powerlevel raging even further off the chart than ever before, and he saves the day... or so it would appear, until Adiane takes Nia hostage. This time it's Yoko's turn to save the day with her superior marksmanship, and as a result, Yoko and Nia actually bonded a little towards the end of this episode.

Episode 13

Nia wants a job. She has noticed that she's the only one onboard the Dai Gurren who doesn't work, and she's not satisfied with that. After hearing Yoko discuss the importance of eating well, she decides to help out in the kitchens. The whole crew are entranced watching her work, and can't wait to eat the food she's prepared. Meanwhile, Leeron and Yoko are puzzled by the strange illness that has afflicted Roshiu.

Unfortunately, the meal is delayed by the arrival of an airborne giant Gunmen commanded by Cytomander, and called the Dai Gunten. I just knew that at least one of the four great generals was going to be an aerial type, so this doesn't come as too much of a surprise. The most surprising thing about it is that they seem to have used all four of the great generals so soon, which probably implies there's another enemy even greater than the Spiral King.

The Dai Gurren is taking pretty much of a beating until the Gurren-Lagann launches, as you'd expect. They don't have any aerial capabilities of their own. Fortunately the Gurren Lagann is able to use long drills to impale the flying Gunmen. This time Yoko is the one at the controls of Gurren, since Roshiu is ill. During the battle, Yoko figures out that Lagann might be able to use its powers to control one of the flying Gunmen, and Gurren-Lagann acquires the power of flight for itself. I presume this will be a regular part of their arsenal now, it's not an uncommon upgrade for a super robot to get.

Viral soon joins the fight, and is surprised when he learns that Kamina isn't the pilot of Gurren. He's even more surprised when he finds out that Kamina is dead. During the ensuing battle, Cytomander uses his personal Gunmen to take Yoko hostage, and Simon has to continue the fight alone. Cytomander orders Viral to take out the Gurren-Lagann, but he suddenly discovers some moral scruples and won't do it. Meanwhile, the Dai Gurren seems to have literally jumped up to meet the enemy, and stolen a "flight sphere". Now everyone can fly.

That's pretty much the end of the battle, although Cytomander is able to escape with a good chunk of his forces intact. After the battle Leeron learns that Nia's cooking was the cause of Roshiu's illness, since he was the first to try her dishes. Back at the court of the Spiral King, Viral asks why the humans are so strong, and Lord Genome explains, after having dismissed Cytomander, that the beastmen (his own creation) are "incomplete" creatures.

Back on the Dai Gurren, oddly enough, Simon seems to be enjoying Nia's cooking just fine. I think maybe he's the only one though.

Today's Conclusion

The second of these episodes was not as strong as the first, but it was fun. The bit of exposition at the end of the episode showed some promise of being the basis for something interesting. With this volume of text, I can probably proceed faster. Admittedly the second was edging back towards excessive verbosity, but then some episodes will be simpler and more easy to sum up.

I can't believe you weren't the slightest bit moved by Simon's Speech, that was a big one for me, one of the big moments in the entire series, not the biggest but top 5...anyhow, Its "Beginning" to take off now, starts getting crazy soon, I know there was a lot of build up to get thru, but your pretty much done, your reward is nigh.
The moment was moving, the speech was not so much so. Everything from the point where Simon was quietly digging an escape tunnel had good emotional impact, but the speech just didn't do it for me. It was too much like the impassioned phrases Kamina used to spout. Somewhat inspirational, but ultimately void of real meaning.

Episode 14

After visiting Kamina grave, Simon and Yoko return to the Dai Gurren, just in time for the next enemy attack. Cytomander launches a whole load of missiles, but the flight sphere modifications are completed just in time and the Dai Gurren lifts off. They soon launch all Gunmen, and Kittan's personal Gunman seems to combine with a couple of others to form what he refers to as King Kittan Deluxe. It's interesting because I distinctly remember the Spiral King and his henchmen saying that Lagann was unique because of the combination ability. Mind you, this isn't a real combination. The other Gunmen just form equipment which is then carried by the King Kittan.

Just about then, another giant Gunmen appears on the ground, commanded by Gaume. The enemy are throwing everything they've got into this attack because the Dai Gurren has almost reached the capital, Teppelin. Simon tells the others it would be best if they left the Dai Ganten to him while they attack the ground troops. Simon is able to use a kind of drill missile attack to take out most of the airborne troops, but that took most of his energy and afterwards he says he needs to take a rest, while Roshiu handles the controls alone. This gives Roshiu a little bit of trouble, but nothing he can't handle, in spite of the screams.

Seeing the way the situation is developing, Cytomander launches his personal Gunmen and is able to restrain Gurren-Lagann with some kind of cables, and things look bad for a moment, but then suddenly some more humans in their own Gunmen appear, having seen the projections in the sky from a few episodes ago, and decided to come and join the battle. Convenient. :naughty:

The combined force are successful in bringing down the Dai Gunten, and it falls on top of Gaume's Dai Gundo. For a moment our heroes believe their victory has been total, but then as the smoke clears they realise that the Dai Gundo is stronger than that, and hasn't been harmed. By performing a sort of spinning move, the Dai Gundo seems to be able to project an impenatrable spiral barrier around both themselves and Tepelin. A few of the new allies are destroyed by flying into this barrier before Nia somehow projects her image out in front of the allied forces to request that they calm down and leave things to Simon.

Perhaps inspired by her faith in him, Simon has figured out the one direction from which you can approach without the barrier getting in the way and has drilled through the ground, and then proceeds to drill through the bottom of the Dai Gundo, eventually destroying it. At that point, parts of the capital city of Tepelin begin to lower themselves toward ground level, and that's where the episode ends.

Today's Bonus Conclusion

Yeah that was a decent episode. A nice, exciting battle. The only thing that spoils it a bit is the obvious fact that this victory can only be a temporary or hollow one. There's a whole bunch more episodes left, and I seriously doubt this series will spend all of them on the siege of Tepelin.

[Jayman]

You have got a big episode coming up and then the anime "grows up" so to speak.


Thanks for all of your hard work in this thread!! It is very enjoyable to read through your insight.

[ryushe]

Episode 12

Best one so far, in my opinion. In fact, it was leaps and bounds beyond the others. I have too say, I am completely and utterly surprised you thought that about this episode. While good, it never really stood out for me other than the awesome ending.

*shrug*

[Jon]

Shame on you Soluzar, I'd thought you finish something for once :(

[Soluzar]

Soluzar's Confession Time

You see, I actually watched about 8 more episodes of this series after my last post in the thread. It was actually getting quite interesting, but then I made a mistake. Having just passed the point where the human forces decide to head out into space, I got distracted.

I wanted to watch some One Piece. Last time I watched any of that series, there was a crappy filler interrupting my progress, and I make it a policy to never skip episodes even if they are just filler. I watched the filler, then I continued watching. Just a few more, thought Soluzar.

Trouble is, it got exciting. I just didn't want to quit watching or even interrupt my viewing until the current situation was resolved. Well over 100 episodes later, I've honestly got very mixed feelings. On the one hand I ought to finish up Gurren-Lagann, but on the other hand One Piece has reminded me how it feels to really enjoy anime. I just don't have these feelings about Gurren-Lagann, it is of interest to me only in the most detached and sterile way. Like I'm watching it to figure out why you all like it, rather than because I'm enjoying it.

The somewhat inactive Animenation member, Hajime Saitou made a post on my MAL profile page pointing out in a rather dissapointed tone that I seem to have given in to peer pressure. He's right, I should never have watched this series. I knew it wouldn't grab me in the right way, and I've not been wrong. It's a perfectly decent anime, it just doesn't work for me. After I've been an anime viewer for this long, I have developed a sixth sense.

Anyway... I'm going to write up the rest as quickly as possible. Then once that is done, I am never, ever, going to give in to peer pressure again. I'll remind myself whenever necessary that I don't automatically like what everyone else likes. Here goes.

Episode 15

The capital city turns out to be a giant Gunmen. The various movements we saw at the end of the previous episode were part of the process of transformation from static mode to combat mode. Gurren-Lagann ascends to the top of the giant Gunmen, to find Lord Genome's throne room.

At first Lord Genome is easily able to repel Simon's attempts to penetrate his throne room, and Gurren-Lagann is thrown back to the Dai Gurren. Nia asks Simon if he will take her to see her father, and he agrees to take her. The rest of the Dai Gurren-Dan attempt to clear a path for him. Lord Genome attempts to stop their progress with what appears to be a giant hammer, but they just blast their way through and Simon is able to come face to face with Lord Genome.

Viral attempts to confront Gurren-Lagann, mentioning that his body has been enhanced in some way. He is easily beaten though, and Lord Genome points out that it is because a beastman can't win against a human with the spiral power. I guess that's what the big gauge in Lagann measures, since it is a spiral shaped display...

Lord Genome tells Viral that the reason he's been made immortal is so that he can act as... a messenger? One who will always survive to tell this story so that everyone will know not to stand up to the Spiral King. Just then, Nia decides it is time to ask daddy some questions. The same ones she asked Adiane, to be specific. It comes as a surprise to everyone, including me, when Lord Genome responds that everything he has done is necessary for the survival of mankind. He even seems sincere...

Declaring that he will show them true spiral power, Lord Genome starts up his own personal Gunmen, and the fight is on. As the two mecha grapple, he tells Simon that this power can bring about the downfall of mankind, but does not elaborate. Simon tries the Giga Drill Breaker... but Lord Genome is able to block it.

As they continue to fight, the Gurren-Lagann separates, and in the final confrontation it is pretty much just a battle of one drill against another, willpower against willpower, fighting spirit against fighting spirit. Simon is able to defeat the enemy Gunmen, but Lord Genome continues fighting with nothing but his own body's strength against the Lagann. Incredibly, he is able to destroy the Lagann completely, but Simon is able to take him out using the Core Drill. I honestly don't know what to make of that, but hey... it was mostly a cool battle.

Lord Genome has a dire warning to offer before he dies, but I don't need to repeat it here. If you've watched the series, you know what he said, you know what it meant. The battle is over, the war is won, the celebrations begin.

Episode 16

Just a recap. I don't need to write that up, it would be utterly redundant.

Episode 17

The humans have built a giant capital called Kamina City, and have formed a new civilisation with almost suspicious speed. Most of the heroes of the Dai Gurren-Dan are part of the government, but the only one who seems suited to it is Roshiu. He seems to be turning into not a nice person, to be honest.

We're treated to a cabinet meeting or something of that nature, at which the main issue seems to be counting the population just in case there's some truth to Lord Genome's predictions of doom. Meanwhile at the science department, Leeron has launched a probe to the moon, for similar reasons.

Afterwards we get to find out a bit about the domestic situation our heroes find themselves in. Dayakka is married to one of Kittan's sisters and they are expecting their first child. Simon and Nia are getting along nicely, and become engaged during this scene. There's a bit of a comedic misunderstanding which results in Nia actually turning Simon down when he proposes, but it all works out for the best.

Viral has become a freedom fighter, working on behalf of the people against what he sees as acts of oppression by the new regime. There are people who want to live underground, but Roshiu won't allow that on the basis that you can't count people properly when they hide underground.

Towards the middle part of the episode, Dayakka's child is born, and we the audience are privileged to see a hidden counter tick over to 1,000,000 which as we know is the magic number which will lead to disaster.

A strange new mecha emerges from the moon and starts blowing stuff up. The government try to stop it with their own robots based on a new technology and called "Grappearls", but eventually Gurren-Lagann is the only thing that will work. Simon doesn't have official permission to launch, so Roshiu isn't pleased. He's even less pleased when it turns out that when one of these new enemies explodes, every piece of them turns into a tiny explosive and they thus cause devastation even in defeat.

After the battle, Nia appears having changed somewhat. Her body is now covered with fine red lines, and she claims to speak for the "Anti-Spirals", saying that mankind has become too dangerous to be allowed to exist, and they will now destroy the planet.

Today's Conclusions

Both good episodes. I don't exactly dislike Gurren-Lagann, it's just... not something I would ever choose to watch. I wish I knew why it doesn't work for me.

I've watched far more than I've written about, but I'm bored of typing for now. I plan to finish this up, but... it is patently obvious by now, the series just does nothing for me. I don't know why. It just... doesn't produce the desire in me to see more.

Shame on you Soluzar, I'd thought you finish something for once :(
Funny that you write that while I'm typing up my first post in a while. Oh hey, and what exactly does that mean, "for once"? I finish most of the series I watch, when they actually... you know, matter to me. :lol:

This one? I just don't know, it doesn't do for me what anime I enjoy does. In fact it almost made me wonder if I didn't like anime anymore until I watched some Kodocha with tenshi_a and some One Piece on my own.

[KT Kore]

You make this show sound so horrible by your impressions, lol. It's a crazy fighting show, nothing more, nothing less. I thought you'd at least have fun watching the over the top action, as that's the only thing that made it really stand out at all. I know I don't like it nearly as much as most people, and it's probably tied with Haruhi as the most over-hyped anime of the decade, but I certainly thought you'd have more fun than you're having.

Now I feel bad for being one of the people who said you should try it. It's like I helped put you in this pain heh. I only said that because of my "don't knock it 'til you try it" mentality with most things. But hey, sometimes that first impression is right on. At least you tried it though.

[willag]

Meh, if you're intending to finish it, do so and write your overall response to the series. Trying to type even short responses to each episode is a hassle if you're not too in to it.

Certain series just don't work for different people, no sweat. I personally found the series a fresh, fun, fantastic frenzy. I love it and have it on my Top 10 list, but I understand that it doesn't work that way for everyone.

And as for giving in to peer pressure... y'know, I've found that sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. There's nothing wrong with trying something new (even if it's due to the insistence of someone else); however, if it's done mainly to appease others rather than having a genuine curiosity yourself, then it's never going to work. And if you're continuing out of some sort of obligation rather than a personal desire to finish, then it might be better to just cut your losses.

However, if you're looking for some inspiration to finish, then do it as proof to those annoying fans who constantly shoved it in your face that no, it's not a godsend and that yes, different strokes for different folks still applies to everything including this series. Or finish it just because you're so far along anyways (which reminds me that I need to finish Chrono Crusade... the series itself makes me irrationally angry; however, dropping it after getting so far is driving me nuts).

P.S. I am happy to find someone else who prefers Simon over Kamina. Kamina never really did anything for me. It was Simon who really spoke to me and moved me. So, thanks for that, Soluzar.

[Leader Desslock]

As for why you might not be enjoying the series - if you're like me, you might not have been in the mood to watch it.

I liked the series, but if I hadn't been in the right frame of mind when I watched it, I'd probably have hated it. I waited until I was in the right frame of mind before I let it percolate to the top of my rental queue.

I find that I usually have to wait until I'm in the right frame of mind to watch any series.

[Jon]

Funny that you write that while I'm typing up my first post in a while. Oh hey, and what exactly does that mean, "for once"? I finish most of the series I watch, when they actually... you know, matter to me. :lol:

Oh, I didn't mean anime in general...I was kind of thinking video games as well. I've noticed over the years you only actually complete a handful of games, and partly get into many others. Dunno if anime is the same way, since I don't really post too much in the anime sections these days.

As for why you might not be enjoying the series - if you're like me, you might not have been in the mood to watch it.

I liked the series, but if I hadn't been in the right frame of mind when I watched it, I'd probably have hated it. I waited until I was in the right frame of mind before I let it percolate to the top of my rental queue.

I find that I usually have to wait until I'm in the right frame of mind to watch any series.
I agree with you Desslock. If I was kind of in a "intelligent/philosopher" type of mindset, I'd watch something more thought provoking...such as Haibane Renmei or perhaps even Gankutsuou. If I was depressed or something I'd watch such as NTHT and Gungrave.

As for Gurren Lagann, I think you have to be in the mindset of not only over-the-top action, but also wanting to see the characters change their world. It's not really the deep thinking type of mindset, but kind of like "Well I can bring upon change" or "I can do it." type of thing. King of like setting a goal, and going through whatever means possible to achieve that goal. Similar to sports. You also have to be one with the character. Hopefully I made this as clear as possible ;)

So yes, perhaps you weren't in the right mindset (like Dess mentioned) when you started the series. If it wasn't that, maybe you just don't like the characters? I know I can get turned off any show if I don't like the characters, whether the plot is good or not.

[Soluzar]

If it wasn't that, maybe you just don't like the characters? I know I can get turned off any show if I don't like the characters, whether the plot is good or not.
I like Simon pretty well, and Nia. Kittan and his sisters are also cool. Other than that, I can't think of anyone who really sticks in my mind. If I'm writing these posts I have to really think to figure out what name to call most people.

[Leader Desslock]

I like Simon pretty well, and Nia. Kittan and his sisters are also cool. Other than that, I can't think of anyone who really sticks in my mind. If I'm writing these posts I have to really think to figure out what name to call most people.
And now you understand why I call it the Gundaball.

Thinking back, I can remember KamEEEEL, Man Who Is Not Char and Bright Noah. And Four-chan. And Amuro Ray. For Mechs, I remember ... Laserbeak and that... uh... some kind of Behemoth in Hong Kong named the Insane or Berserk or something. And the Rickroll was.... AH! The Rick Dias! I remembered the name of a mech!

...

I've got nothing else. I've no idea what the ship they were all on was named, nor that cool little dark-haired chick pilot that defected from ... the bad guys, whoever they were.

[KT Kore]

If I was depressed or something I'd watch such as NTHT

Isn't that counter-productive? :lol:

[Jon]

Isn't that counter-productive? :lol:
Nah, not really :lol: Maybe I shouldn't have used such a extreme word. Perhaps sad, or something.

[Soluzar]

It's a crazy fighting show, nothing more, nothing less. I thought you'd at least have fun watching the over the top action, as that's the only thing that made it really stand out at all. I know I don't like it nearly as much as most people, and it's probably tied with Haruhi as the most over-hyped anime of the decade, but I certainly thought you'd have more fun than you're having.
Ahh, it's alright. It's not the worst anime I ever saw. It's not even up there on the list, it it just completely failing to connect with me on any level, most of the time. I get an intermittent connection with the character of Simon, but then everything else in the series really just seems to pass before my eyes without impact. If I think hard I can remember most of the significant events, but they don't matter to me.

Now I feel bad for being one of the people who said you should try it. It's like I helped put you in this pain heh. I only said that because of my "don't knock it 'til you try it" mentality with most things. But hey, sometimes that first impression is right on. At least you tried it though.
Really you shouldn't feel bad about it, it was only my idea to start this thread, and although I sound like I hate the series and hate the time I spend watching it, that's only as a natural reaction to the people who love it SO MUCH. In truth it's just washing over me like water, and I don't care if I watch more or not. The write-ups are the most annoying part, but I want to finish them to prove that I can.

P.S. I am happy to find someone else who prefers Simon over Kamina. Kamina never really did anything for me. It was Simon who really spoke to me and moved me. So, thanks for that, Soluzar.
Simon is responsible for every moment in this series where I actually respond to it. Even if I don't find myself responding consistently, there just wouldn't be anything here for me if not for Simon. If not for those moments, I would have quit watching and to hell the opinions of others

And now you understand why I call it the Gundaball.
To be honest, I already understood. You are right however, that I can comprehend it on a more personal level now. There have been other series I didn't much care for which were highly popular, but none which just failed to make a mark on me like this one.

People keep talking about the over-the-top action, I honestly don't even find it interesting on that basis. I don't see how anyone can be expected to unless they find the characters and situations interesting to begin with. If I was looking for over-the-top action I can think of half a dozen series which would be my go-to anime in that situation. This just doesn't even register.

Episode 18

Opening recap points out what I've been thinking - human society sure did advance quickly, to say they were living in caves a couple of episodes back. No explanation is offered, but that's fine. When the episode starts for real, the main event is the government's reactions to Nia's announcement, which as expected is a mix between fear and confusion. No doubt what the Anti-Spirals wanted.

There was a brief mention of a biological computer last episode, and it turns out that it incorporates Lord Genome's head. Roshiu's new secret project appears to be necromancy. The computer has access to all of the former king's memories, and the head seems to serve as the interface for the computer. It doesn't precisely have his personality though. They seem to have succeeded in making him a bit more docile, although that might just be the natural result of losing everything below your neck.

Meanwhile, Simon is searching for Nia. At first he isn't having much luck, and he's being somewhat obstructed by government officials. Perhaps he should have gone looking for her without using Gurren-Lagann. When he's just about given up, Nia shows up, but in her new persona as the emissary of the Anti-Spirals.

These two scenes are intercut, with Lord Genome's head providing a great deal of exposition. He explains that spiral power is something that humans and other beings like them have, and that it is basically infinite in potential. He also explains that once he was a Spiral Knight, fighting against the Anti-Spirals. Turns out that all the Gunmen were actually weapons of the Spiral Knights, but after their defeat at the hands of the Anti-Spirals, Lord Genome felt he had no choice but to limit the population and development of the human race in order to prevent them becoming a thread to the Anti-Spirals.

In other words, it turns out that Lord Genome was telling the truth at the end of the last episode. He was trying to preserve the human race in the only way he could think of. Nia picks up with the explanation where he left off, explaining that the rapid development of human civilisation is due to the formerly suppressed potential of spiral power. She explains that now the population of Earth exceeds a million, the extermination system will be deployed.

Simon of course is defiant, believing that they can win. He pleads with Nia to return to her old self, but his words produce no response. She explains that in three weeks time the moon will crash into the earth, destroying all human life. At the same time, Roshiu is hearing the same explanation from Lord Genome.

You might think Roshiu has enough bad news to be going on with, but no. Not only is there going to be a disaster, but right then Kittan and Dayakka appear with the news that Nia's latest statements have been broadcast on the TV. Everyone knows about the impending disaster, and there will probably be a mass panic.

To be honest, there was probably going to be a mass panic anyway, due to an attack by two more of those new enemy mecha, which have been called "Mugann". Simon is once again able to destroy them using Gurren-Lagann, but fortunately this time the Grappearls are able to take out the fragments before they can blow up any more of the city.

After these events, there's prety much a riot of scared and angry people who have lost their homes and are afraid that worse is yet to come. Roshiu's response is that of a typical politician, and while it is clear they have no idea what to do about this, someone has to be held responsible. Simon is probably a good candidate politically speaking, although Roshiu is a complete and utter ******** for even considering putting the blame on him

Episode 19

After Simon's arrest, the people seem to be satisfied that they've got a scapegoat. They are displaying some of the worst aspects of human behaviour, and basically want to rip him apart. They also apparently blame Kamina, and pull down his statue. I suppose you could say Kamina is to blame, since Lord Genome's regime would have always kept the population in check, but none of them were unhappy about what he and Simon achieved for the last seven years...

Simon is placed in jail, and Roshiu takes the Core Drill away so that Simon can't possibly use Lagann even if somehow he escapes. Roshiu is becoming even more despicable with each passing episode, and has a lot of nasty things to say to Simon. For any of you who play D&D (or ever have) he's definitely a "Lawful Evil" character.

The natural next step is to develop a defense against the new enemy, and Leeron's science department seem to be the ones with that task. Meanwhile Roshiu is consulting with Lord Genome about the possiblity of using the underground cities as shelter from the impact of the moon. Even if it works, it would only save about a third of the population, so they need another plan. Fortunately, there seems to be something which was hidden by Lord Genome deep underground beneath Kamina City.

These discussions as interesting as they are, must make way for Simon's trial. It would appear that Roshiu has decided Simon will be executed, by what appears to be popular demand. Naturally Roshiu will be the new head of state, but then he was pretty much functioning in that capacity anyway. During the trial, Nia makes another appearance, and explans that the Anti-Spirals would like very much for the human race to spend their remaining time on the planet in fear and despair.

It would seem this is her way of announcing an attack, as a vast number of Mugann appear, moving towards Kamina city. Simon requests and receives permission to launch in Gurren-Lagann, but only on the condition that it is fitted with a remote self-destruct system, so that they can guarantee his good behaviour.

The pilot of Gurren for this mission is Kinon, Roshiu's number one fan. She seems to have been selected on the basis that Simon won't allow her to die, and as such she serves as a further guarantee for the government. Simon isn't thrilled about this, but they launch and proceed to engage the enemy.

While the battle proceeds, Roshiu is making an announcement about the evacuation plans. In addition to the undeground shelters, the mysterious something they found underground turns out to be a giant spacecraft, which can be used to evacuate the entire population of Kamina City. Suddenly Roshiu and his government are back to being popular again, now everyone probably isn't going to die.

Gurren-Lagann is having some trouble defeating the Mugann forces, since there are so many of them. Simon is able to rise to the occasion, by producing not just one Giga Drill, but a whole bunch. Due to this he is able to take out most of the smaller Mugann, but there is still one left, and it is huge. Just then the Grappearls show up, and thankfully they aren't useless anymore, due to a new weapon developed by Leeron. They are able to take out the remaining enemies, and everyone returns to the city.

*more*

[Soluzar]

Upon their return, Roshiu once again confiscates the Core Drill, and declares that they will destroy Gurren Lagann so that they need no longer rely upon Simon. I suppose now they've got an effective weapon they might not need him, but I wouldn't bet on it. Roshiu is somewhere right on that fine borderline between insane and evil right now, and it is my deepest regret of the series so far that Kittan is unable to punch him as he so richly deserves.

Simon is taken to prison, to await execution. He isn't alone though, fortunately he has a cellmate to pass the time with. It turns out to be Viral, who as I mentioned before, has been fighting for the freedom of those who wish to continue living underground.

Episode 20

We pick up right where we left off, with Viral and Simon having a pleasant chat in their prison cell. Viral knows exactly what has been going on outside, and seems rather amused by it. Meanwhile the goverment are monitoring the situation as the moon moves closer and closer to Earth. The evacuation is proceeding as planned, but they are still uncertain about the effects the moon will have on Earth as it moves closer to the planet.

Meanwhile in prison, Simon is confronted by one of Cytomander's former underlings. As you would imagine, the beastman has a few grievances against the man who defeated his former commander and wants to fight. Viral isn't about to allow that though. He wants to be the only one allowed to fight with Simon. During the ensuing three-way brawl we get to see the regenerative powers of Viral's immortal body, but it isn't long before the fight is broken up by prison guards. As a result both Viral and Simon are confined in their cells.

During the preparations for evacuation, Kittan notices that they are taking animals of every kind aboard the Arc-Gurren, and starts to become suspicious. It turns out he had good cause. The reason for the inclusion of animals in the evacuation is because the planet will be uninhabitable for at least a year. Contrary to the previous assumptions, none of the people in the underground shelters will survive, but there isn't room for the entire population of Earth in Arc-Gurren, so they just need to take everything they need in order to survive... since nothing on the surface will remain.

After making these discoveries, he attempts to persuade Kiyoh and Dayakka to relocate to the Arc-Gurren as soon as possible, but there isn't much time for him to worry about it though, before another Mugann attack. During the attack it turns out that several of the Gunmen which the government "destroyed" were actually just disassembled, and had been secretly re-assembled by Leite. These Gunmen prove to be effective against Mugann forces, much to the surprise of the government.

As Arc-Gurren is about to launch, Kittan confronts Roshiu, and says that since they plan to abandon the remaining population of Earth to their fate, the least they could do is return the Core Drill so that those left behind can take their chances with Gurren-Lagann. Roshiu reluctantly accedes to his request.

Meanwhile in prison, Simon and Viral are aware of events outside. Viral says that he didn't expect Simon to die in such a borning way. Simon responds that it's OK as long as other people can survive. Nia then makes an appearance, as though she has been listening, and explains that the underground shelters offer no refuge from destruction. She also says that all which awaits the Arc-Gurren is despair, even in space.

Suddenly a gunshot rings out across the room, and it seems that Yoko has returned at long last. She has some choice words for Nia, just as the episode wraps up.

Today's Conclusions

The plot is getting a little more interesting. I could almost enjoy it if not for Roshiu, who is a contemptible character. Is it really necessary to blame everything on Simon, who was the hero of the war against Lord Genome? Is it really his fault that the liberation of humanity had such unexpected results?

[Soluzar]

You know what? Watching anime to please someone else is stupid. That means I've been stupid, right here in this thread for all to see. You know what else is stupid? Writing about an anime you don't enjoy and thus making yourself dislike it even more. That makes me even more stupid.

The most stupid thing to do of all would be to finish the series right now. There's nothing to be gained by doing so. I won't enjoy it, all I'll do is force myself through the last batch of episodes and write them up in such a way that they sound as unappealing as I found them to be. I'm not going to enjoy them regardless of how good they are.

There's only one answer. Cut my losses. I'm quitting this thread, and this series. Maybe in six months or a year, I'll go back and actually watch Gurren-Lagann again. This time I won't write about it until afterwards, and I probably won't write about it at all.

This entire thread is hardly anything more than passive-agressive trolling on my part, by this point. I couldn't bring myself to admit I enjoyed the series even if I did. Which for the record, I almost did after the timeskip, if not for Roshiu being a jackass.

I can't go on with this. I knew that already, but then... a voice on the wind whispered in my ear and told me to listen to myself. I'm sorry, I can't watch this series, at least not now. I also can't subject Desslock to Zeta Gundam. I wouldn't want to do that to him, especially not after coming to understand how he feels.

This thread is over.

[Leader Desslock]

An excellent effort, and I commend you for it. I enjoyed reading it.

At some point, either I'll make a sequel to my Zeta thread, or else I'll post a thread on the main board and let the forum decide on my next series to watch and document.

But only when I'm in the right frame of mind.

Still, an excellent effort. Kudos.

[DavenIII]

But you didn't even see them throwing Galaxy's at each other yet!

:P good try I guess, I'd like to see you finish it up as the "Over the top action" is coming right up, but if you don't want to don't no reason to torture yourself.

[Jon]

Wait, so you get to episode 20, and just quit? Might as well just finish...c'mon you make this sound like the WORST anime ever. As if it should have never been made.

[DavenIII]

Gurren takes control of the Arc, and then the MOON, come on how you gonna pass that **** up, and that's only like the next 2 episodes....

[Sharp-kun]

Oi! Spoilers! :p

[Soluzar]

Wait, so you get to episode 20, and just quit? Might as well just finish...c'mon you make this sound like the WORST anime ever. As if it should have never been made.
I'm quitting after 20 episodes so that I can later go back and hopefully enjoy the rest a lot more. Without writing about them. Without giving a damn what anyone thinks. When I'm in the mood.

It's not the worst anime ever made, it's not even a bad anime. I'm just not in a position to appreciate it, at least not right now.

Oi! Spoilers! :p
For what it is worth, I already watched those two episodes so, no spoilers for me. Within a few months, when I'm feeling in the right mood I'll pick the series back up from episode 12. That's about when I thought it started to get good. Then I'll watch the whole damn thing in a single afternoon, and maybe I'll enjoy it. What I won't do, what I never should have done... is watch the series because someone told me to.

It is out of character for me to dance to someone else's tune. At least... it usually is. There was one time... but that is far in the past.

[Jon]

So Soulzar, how giving this series another go?

[Sharp-kun]

I hate to psuh series on other people, but Gurren Lagann is one of (if not the) most enjoyable series I've watched in recent years,

It is worth watching all of it. I reiterate this as someone currently rewatching it with friends who haven't seen it.

[Hajime Saitou]

You guys already tried pushing Soluzar endlessly. Then, when it was obvious that it wasn't working, you tried pushing harder. And then... And then... And then... And then... And then... And then...

And now, even after Soluzar decided to stop and watch his cartoons on his own terms, you guys come back to push him again. It's incredibly obvious that most of you don't even want him to enjoy it, you just want him to watch this thing that you like and "join the club."

I gave Gurren Lagann a 9, loved just about every second of it and consider it one of my favorites. That's why I want everyone to STFU. :thumbsup: The more you push Soluzar to watch this, the less he's going to enjoy it. Is that really so hard to comprehend? Soluzar isn't going to have a chance to enjoy it properly until you do.

Soluzar, when you see this, you might want to ask a mod to temporarily lock this thread until the time you decide to attempt to watch this again, if ever. I'd do it myself because I think it's the only thing that will get these people off your back but I realize it's your thread first and foremost so I'll leave it as a suggestion instead.

[ryushe]

^ Yeah, I can definitely see that. GL is definitely one of my favorite Anime, but I don't know if I'd enjoy it if I watched it the way Soluzar did it.

It's kinda the same reason why I didn't really care for Plantes. It's a good show, I can tell, but seeing how everyone was going crazy for it (Online, as well as some of my offline friends), and with having how awesome it's suppose to be in the back of my head as I'm watching it made me not appreciate how good it could have been.

I'll get back to it one day, but when I'm good and ready.