SO! Well... I checked all the old topics on this sub-forum, and there's nothing about Gurren Lagaan so I suppose it's safe to start a topic here.

It's... well it's another mecha anime! It doesn't exactly do much that others haven't, but it's still pretty good. After all, it's not like there's all that much to do in the first place with mecha anime! Originality is over rated.

Plus, Gainax had a hand in it. Wheeee!

Overall I think Gurren Lagaan has a nice plot now that we know why the beastmen were commanded to do what they did, although I kind of liked the story more way back before Nia was even introduced. I'm okay with most cliches, I even enjoy a lot of them, but I have a distaste for the whole "mysterious and innocent girl with dangerous secrets" thing.

Interesting. If Gainax is involved it should be very interesting indeed. :D

Any plot details you could pass along??

It's about genetically modified beings keeping the population of humans low by forcing them to live underground and eliminating any who stray to the surface through the use of giant mecha.

That's the spoiler free version.

The main characters for most of the show are Simon, Kamina, and Yoko. I'd link you to a review or the wikipedia entry, but those have spoilers in them. Basically, Simon is small and somewhat meek, but he's the actual main character.

Kamina is his best friend and older brother figure. He is pretty much the "hero" for most of the anime.

Simon and Kamina are orphan kids who live in an underground city, where Simon was a skilled digger, somebody who expands the village, while Kamina is more of a hooligan who keeps trying to go to the surface because his father took him above the village as a kid when he himself was leaving on an adventure across the surface. Kamina's attempts at breaking through the ceiling are met with contempt by the elder, but Simon's digging skills are well praised. It doesn't get him any friends though, except Kamina.

The first episode is mostly about how Simon discovered two artifacts while digging, first a small drill and later a metal face. The face and drill turn out to be a miniature mecha (like, personal sized) and the key to starting it. Although the key is vital to it starting, it appears to be partially operated by mental action. Seeing as how the controls, as intuitive as they are, don't respond without... well let's just call it "fighting spirit" because that's what it is in the translation I've been watching it under. This all seems like a clever way to make it so that the all too common "dramatic moment of intense emotion during battle which makes you ten times stronger" has an explanation within the anime itself, but it DOES get slightly more detailed much later in the series.

Stuff happens and Simon and Kamina are suddenly fighting a much larger mecha alongside Yoko.

Yoko is a girl from the neighboring hole of a village. Her village was built in an arms storage bunker apparently, but a gas leak forced them to the surface, where they were subject to the attacks of Beastmen in their terrifying mecha, Gunmen (which look like giant faces! Hehe!) It ended up being the weapons that saved them, as Yoko's people were able to somewhat defend themselves against the Gunmen. It turns out that the Gunman which fell through the ceiling of Simon and Kamina's village is one Yoko and her people were fighting above ground. Simon ends up activating the ancient miniature Gunman thing he found and together with Yoko's shooting and Kamina's crazy antics, they defeat the Gunman and explode onto the surface, where the rest of the story follows. I really don't think I should spoil anything important, but the story picks up quickly.

Gurren Lagann is basically packed full of action, comedy, and references to other anime/manga (most of which belong to one of the groups involved in its creation). I like it, and you can count the mecha anime I actually enjoy on one hand. (Eva, 08th MS team, Code Geass, Full Metal Panic).


Also, I like Viral (Vee-rall), one of the Beastman commanders who serves as the primary antagonist for a good portion of the series.

What's funny about the Beastman is the extent to which their genome is modified from humans has a large sweep of variation. Some have more noticeable differences like inhuman features and stature while others just look like really vicious humans.

The Beastmen don't get explained until much later in the series, but I found it interesting.

Thanks for the description. Sounds good, I'll take a look. ;)

best series of 2007

So I finally caught up with where the subbers are currently, and I just have to say holy crap. Episode 22 is so over the top, I love it. And you just know that the intro from episode 1 is going to happen really soon, now that Cathedral Terra has been acquired.


Although I've been wondering something ever since the introduction of the Anti-Spiral lifeforms and the Mugen. What the hell are anti-spirals and why are "spiral" lifeforms so damn bad to them? From what I can understand, "spiral" lifeforms are beings which utilize DNA. What with the whole genetic theme of this show and the references to DNA base pairs (the divine general names) and helix structures. Seeing as how the mugen and Nia's anti-spiral form look like circuit-boards straight out of TRON, I get the feeling that anti-spirals are techno-organic beings. But that doesn't explain why the "spiral energy" of spiral beings must be kept under control by anti-spirals. They make it sound like that if humans grow out of control and produce enough spiral energy (which seems to be strong positive emotions as far as I can tell), that everything the anti-spirals hold dear will be obliterated. How exactly this is possible when the anti-spirals live outside of the milky-way galaxy is beyond me. But it might have something to do with multiple dimensions and how maybe when spiral beings gain energy they draw it from the anti-spiral dimension? It would certainly explain how machines which utilize large quantities of spiral energy are able to seemingly create matter out of nothing. Well that's my current crackpot theory anyway. The anti-spirals DO seems to have some sort of inter-dimensional abilities in that they come out of nowhere and disappear into nothing, although apparently they're not masterful enough in the ways of dimension manipulation to survive getting punched right out of time and space.

But if it turns out to be as simple as one of the earlier things mentioned by Nia, that is, that because spiral beings have the potential to ruin the universe, I'm going to be pissed. That's such a lame reason to travel across galaxies and kill people. They have the POTENTIAL to screw the universe? Well gee, it seems having the potential to do stuff is a lot less harmful than traveling across the universe just to beat up those people and CRASH THE MOON INTO THEIR PLANET.

Nia's a lot cooler as a cynical bitch than an innocent airhead though.


Oh yeah! If you're looking for translated episodes that you can't find on Stormberry.TV or youtube/veoh/dailymotion... try googling for Nyoro~ (or Nyoron) fansubs and also anon fansubs.

I'm always scared that BSS and 4chan would eventually crack under the pressure to stop subbing before they finish the whole series.
Any news on 23 yet? It's been about a week already.

Ep 23 had to be one of the most epic I've seen. GARlock awakening in Simon, new colorful outfits unleash, renaming of Cathedral Terra to Chouginga DaiGurren and the beginning of the Universe Arc. Good god this ep kicked so much ass.

One of the best anime series that I watching lately. Really, it's an anime for who like hot-blooded characters and MANY mecha battles with very good animation. Well, in fact, is too rare for me make comments in a non-negima topic...^^"

But it's an excelent show. And I'm surprising on how Simon turning himself so kickass hero...Oh, yes, I have good expectation on next episode, since episode 27 is aparently the last.

That's Captain GARlock Simon to ya :lol: *points at avy*

Well no surprise, I mean Kamina was his role model and it was his spirit who drives and keeps the DaiGurren-dan's blaze burning.

Woot!!! Missed this thread.

It may not be the best anime out there (it is a super robot anime BTW), but I bet GAINAX will be remembered in the 00's for this series. No other anime ever has made me reach levels of wanting so bad to see the next episode like this one. Heck, even non mecha fans are loving GL.

The characters may be something you'd have seen before, the plot not so deep (but there is one), or many cliche things thrown around, but the way they do it, it's so out of this world. There are some episodes that make you think they reached the highest potential, and yet they give us another that totally blow our minds.

After you watch this anime, you will understand completely the following phrases:

"KICK REASON TO THE CURB"
"PIERCE THE HEAVENS WITH YOUR DRILL"
"NEXT TO 0%, SOUNDS 100% TO ME"
"DON'T BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, BELIEVE IN ME WHO BELIEVES IN YOU"
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!!!!"


and finally: I completely understand the meme "GAR" now. Hell yes. If you are a fan of Fate/Stay Night and watched the anime....remember how you felt when you saw Archer do UBW in episode 14.....Gurren Lagann has at least 12 episodes that gives you that feeling of awesome, epic, win, holy s%$·, pwns, etc, etc etc......

So, if you stumble across GL and learn that it is from GAINAX and your first reaction is "LOL GAINAX"; stop. Give this show a try.

This anime is filled with:
Action
Comedy
*&#@'n Pwning Phrases
GAR³²¹³²¹³

HOT CHICKS!!


CUTE LADIES!!!

AWESOME CHARACTERS!

Teh best anime of this year(and it's in my TOP 10 anime too)

I'd be gar for Kamina but Simon still has a ways to go if you ask me. His awesomeness is too directed, while Kamina just blasted manliness in every direction.

I take it you haven't seen the end of ep 23.

@Maedhros
Hell yeah!! That Yoko fanpic owns! It just made me anxious for episode 24!!!!!!!

@Varrel
That is the beauty of this anime. We know Kamina was born GAR but the icing on the cake is us viewers watching SIMON become GAR... Which IMO he already is...

HOLY DRILL SHOOT-!!



Kamina would be so fudging proud.

What I mean is, Simon has GOALS. He has a (rough) PLAN.

He wants to go save Nia, and put an end to the Spiral/Anti-Spiral war, and he has a giant robot to do it with. Which is awesome, yes, but...

Kamina, on the other hand, was just like,

"HEY! What's that? It's MINE now! You wanna stop me? I'll FIGHT YOU!"

after which he would proceed to kick ass and strike a cool pose at least twice.


I won't be gar for Simon until he inevitably punches an entire galaxy out of the universe and then puts it back together again... with explosions! (and it has to be for no good reason, in true Kamina style)


Episode 23 is honestly nothing at all. Heck, 22 was better and that one only had Arc Gurren Lagann and not HYPER GALAXY DAI-GURREN, which we're probably going to have to wait until at least episode 24 in order to see punch things out of existence.

Which begs the question, really, that if Arc-Gurren can punch something out of the space time continuum... what the hell is going to happen when HGD-G punches something?



Also, am I the only one who got a little mad when Nia spoke in her old voice right before teleporting away? It's fine if she decides that helping the anti-spirals is wrong, since she never forgot her memories with Simon, but honestly I liked her more harsh personality a lot more. I hope that when they get around to rescuing her, she's still a bitch even while she's helping them out.

We are at 40% now, and the file sizes and frame rates make my bad laptop suffer. Oh well.

I don't really like the latest outfit change, and like the rest of /a/, I'm still waiting for GARlock from ep 1.

"俺を誰だと思ってやがる？"

An awesome series, regardless.

I have to agree with you on that one. Even though that scene squished a tear of my eye, it would have been 100% more fitting if she asked that question in her current dark character....

On episode 24, will wait for the subs to come out until seeing it.

Geez, I was at work today and was absent mindedly pulling up an account when I noticed that it belonged to a mr Garlock.

I had to apologize to the poor confused guy for bursting out laughing while awkwardly avoided discussing the origins of what made his name so damn funny.

I just have to say this~ ep 24 was way full of sacrifices, valiant, noble, brave sacrifices at that *salutes*

You know what I love about GL? That it makes me feels what the protagonists are feeling.

DESPAIR? Damn anti spirals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Either way, episode 24 was awesome.

The Anti Spirals in ep 24 seem more of a deadlier stone challenge than the Mugan anti spirals but, we all know the Dai Gurren is up to the challenge in the final episodes but yeah, dammit...Though their valiant sacrifices shall not be in vain.

Oh dear God and everything that is holy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just watched episode 25!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1...........

There is something that needs to be sung after watching this:

DO THE IMPOSSIBLE

SEE THE INVISIBLE

ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH

TOUCH THE UNTOUCHABLE

BREAK THE UNBREAKABLE

ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH


Hell Yeah!

Ep 25 was purely HAXX win. Kittan...

Yoko has the kiss of death, apparently.

Possible spoilers for 26 and 27~

http://apforums.net/showpost.php?p=640055&postcount=1374

Straight from /m/ being the original source.

All they have to do in order to win is have Yoko kiss the enemy commander so that he dies.

I just started watching this series recently so I am only up to episode 5. I do not consider this a mech series since to me this is more of a comedy with mechs (thus preserving my no mech series motto). I started watching this after seeing a few dozen doujins featuring Roko.

LOL! I hope you like it like we do.

Word on advice: this is NOT a comedy anime. This is supposed to be "EPIC".

Cheers.

Don't worry, jdennis; we can always make exceptions. I myself have the same motto.

Now, we must wait for GARlock and his soon-to-be spiral eyes... The supposed apex of spiral evolution (Lord Genome and Kittan had them).

And who else thinks Boota is the second-in-command? It's not that plausible, but knowing the soundtrack names... ["Will the mole-pig remain a mole-pig?"] ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH!

Ah, poor Doombitc I mean, Yoko. "Well, you're doing this because you want to, right?" ;_;

And Makken (Reo Kaminaga? Ore ga Kamina!)... ;_;

Final point of this point: Who else thinks that there's still one final GATTAI? Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann seems possible, especially if you look at that OP sequence with one more behind Chouginga Gurren Lagann... The one with faces on its knees. Chouginga Gurren Lagann still looks small, after all, compared to those Face chimera anti-spiral ships.

Just watched the raw for episode 26..... GAINAX, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE????????? I want to have your babies!!!!!!!!!!!

Legendary episode is LEGENDARY! .......and the subs aren't even out yet!

Damn, when episode 27 comes, I think I will have the ambulance on speed dial, because I will fear a heart attack because of the awesome the last episode will be....

Hahaha... Anonymous is right on most accounts for now (then again, the collective hivemind that is Anonymous encompasses most ideas anyway...)

Poor Viral.

LOL! Boota is second in command. But still, I don't know if we ever going to see the same scene from episode 1 ever again. ..and about what you said, there is still one last transformation. If you look at the preview for episode 27, it's emerging from inside a GALAXY!!!!


EDIT: Poor Viral indeed. I was crying during that part.

Yeah, I feel sorry for Viral...Other than that, Legendary episode is legendary. Dear god episode 27 will be GOD DIVINE HOLY MAX DRIVE EPIC!!

Is that Lasengann's face in the torso??

I wonder how they will do that?

It's probably Chouginga Dai-Gurren.

Gattai with the sun, let's rock! Nah, probably not. I won't be surprised if they really do call it the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

I'm divided as to what the ending will be like though; a part of me wants a conclusion, and another wants more.

You know, I always wondered about the whole face on the torso thing. Is there some deeper meaning behind it, or is it just supposed to be gimmicky and comical in that if you look at your torso in the mirror the belly button and nipples look like a face?


I mean, look at Adiane's Gunman... the eyeballs are obviously boobs.

OMG, Is that a Doomsday Gurren Lagann? For the 27's preview, it seems that GL that appear in front of Anti-Spiral is fusing with all Gurren Dan last members, so this could explain that eyes (and Gl looks like using Yoko's rifle on the preview).