Gurren Lagann - Review (spoiler free)

It was winter of 2010 when I first watched Gurren Lagann. I remember it well as I bought the DVD set without knowing what the show was even about! The decision based solely on online recommendations - perhaps the spam of waifu posts and revealing cosplays of the bikini sniper Yoko was slightly convincing as well.

During the first few episodes I was already amused by the over the top cartoon-y take on a Mech anime with a post apocalyptic theme, vibrant design and jazz/jrock frenzied music but it wasn’t until around 10 episodes in where the emotional aspect cranked into full gear. That was when I knew I was watching something special.

While the synopsis was very intriguing, at first I didn’t have the urge to take it too seriously plot wise because of the aesthetics given off by the production. It reminded me of a One Piece type, where it’s fun only if you throw away most the logical explanations out the window. The vibe I got was that this super-robot fun, fast paced anime containing a plethora of laughs - and it does all that consistently! From how the Mechs (referred to as Gunmen and Beastmen) are designed, their ways of syncing with their users going as far as portraying facial reactions, the ridiculous signature moves named and improvised in the middle of a battle, down to the fighting mechanics and *ahem* the female character’s jiggle physics all entertainingly over exaggerated.

As the show moves forward the characters undergoes transformation from typical protagonist/antagonist qualities to more compelling beings who each have conflicts within themselves and their crew mates. Simon is the diminutive weak willed protagonist who happen to stumble across THE key item (in this case a tiny drill key) that has the power to save humanity, yet he never feels worthy of possessing it. He relies a heavily on his “BRO” named Kamina, the total opposite of Simon being the extremely confident, vocal, strong but reckless type. Rossiu going from a obedient follower to a leader conflicted between his values and doing what’s right for his people. Yoko, despite the in your face sex appeal is the smart, strong independent woman with lone wolf traits who lets her gun do the talking rather than piloting like the rest. The best part is how this anime implements growth through out the 26 episode series, and I’m not only talking about a time skip manner where seemingly only age is the difference. These characters change their perspectives as well as their relationships with one another, and this was an aspect that I wasn’t expecting but ended up embracing.

Gurren Lagann is highly worth the watch from start to finish. It's emphasis on production, especially the over the top fight scenes (ex: in space using actual planets to throw at each other like mere projectiles) is just as important as the character development. It executes action, comedy, fantasy, drama so well in its own unique way that even non Mech fans will find its charm difficult to resist. A little weeb tear or two dropped from under my eye at the finish of my recent re watch of this series, because 9 years later, Gurren Lagann still digs deeper than Simon’s drill!

Reminds me of: Kill La Kill, FLCL, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Verdict: 5 out of 5