Written by Shiggins
10 years today!
In honour of Gurren Lagann’s 10th anniversary, I am releasing my first “Classic Anime Review”, where we look back at anime that have debuted at least 10 years ago and judge the hell out of them with today’s standards. This review has been a long time coming and I’m giddy just thinking about writing it. Let’s talk about what makes Gurren Lagann so fantastic to watch, while brutally stomping on even the tiniest flaws. It’s review time!
Note: Minor SPOILERS.
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For those of you who don’t know, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (shortened to just Gurren Lagann outside Japan because we all lack an attention span to read the full title) is an action-packed mecha anime set in a desolate future where a young boy called Simon (pronounced “see-moan” for some reason…) dreams of escaping his underground city with his adoptive big brother Kamina. Of course, they eventually do reach the surface when a girl called Yoko crashes into their home. Once on the surface, they immediately come across a villain and their journey begins.
The first I should mention is the animation, which is definitely not going to be a plus for everyone out there. The series is done by Gainax, also known for doing FLCL and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, and you can certainly feel it in every frame of video. The characters are given a sketchy style, allowing them to move quickly and with great exaggeration, which can be off-putting to some as it makes them feel unfinished. Personally, I love it but I understand if you don’t. You’re wrong but I understand.
What we can all agree on though is the use of lighting and colour. This series is absolutely gorgeous at times, with beautiful imagery of landscapes, giant robots and the characters themselves all standing out from so many dreary anime out there. When it wants to go dark, it isn’t afraid to do so but the balance of beauty and emotion is always on point. This is probably one of the greatest-looking anime of all time, and I don’t say that lightly.
Another attribute I can’t help but gush over are the characters. Oh how I fucking love these characters. Simon the sensitive, frail little boy who needs to learn to toughen up in a new harsh environment and become a hero. Kamina the loud scene-stealing badass with the great one-liners. Yoko the smartmouth babe with the inappropriate outfit and perfect gun skills. Nia the shy princess who has lived a sheltered life. The list goes on, but all of them feel interesting and layered. Even characters that seem like nothing but stereotypical cliches, such as the flamboyant Leeron or the religious Rossiu, show they have more to them than meets the eye and exceed expectations, for better or worse. If they released an anime where it’s just the characters shooting the shit at a party each episode, I’d watch it. They’re that much fun.
Okay, I’ve praised this series enough for now. Let’s take a short break to talk about some flaws, and this is when the fans are going to want to absolutely murder me… The story.
Actually, the first half of the series in which Simon, Kamina and Yoko travel the world to fight the Beastmen is, to me, some of the most perfect episodes of anime ever. While the story itself is thin on the surface, fight the bad guy to save the world, it acquires depth as it goes along while keeping the focus mostly on the characters. Much like Marvel’s Avengers, the focus is exactly where it should be and makes up for it’s shallow storyline with everything else.
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