The Official MSBS Anime Review: Gurren Lagann

Do the impossible! See the invisible!
Row! Row! Fight the power!
Touch the untouchable! Break the unbreakable!
Row! Row! Fight the power!
What you gonna do is what you wanna do,
Just break the roof, and you see the truth, uh-huh,
This is theme of the "G" coming through baby!
Row! Row! Fight the power!

Spin on, happy people of TheTopTens! Today, I'm gonna be reviewing the groundbreaking hit anime TV series Gurren Lagann, known in Japanese as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann! This shall come forth as the fourth anime review of Aniplex's August Lucky 7! As always, I'll be reviewing the entire anime series as a whole, meaning all 27 episodes of this epic masterpiece will be analyzed as a whole by yours truly! Just who the hell do you think I am?! Now, let's begin and pierce the heavens with the drill that is my soul!

Gurren Lagann tells the tale of a man who has yet to realize what his destiny is, taking place in a distant future where humans have been forced to live in subterranean villages under the oppression of the Spiral King for hundreds of years. In these subterranean villages, human civilization is not only isolated by these villages and from the surface world, but they are also under constant threat of deadly earthquakes and cave-ins. In one subterranean village named Jeeha Village, two young men named Simon and his bro Kamina dream of going above their village to see the surface. As the series goes on, our heroes embark on a journey to explore the surface while getting caught into a war against the Beastmen, humanoid creatures who ravage the surface looking to terminate any signs of humans within their vicinity utilizing mecha called Gunmen, fighting alongside many survivors along the way to help take back the surface, all while gradually finding out about the mysteries that not only their world, but their universe holds.

Alright, team! Now let's analyze the animation, art, and music of Gurren Lagann. First off, before I talk about the animation, I would like to mention that episode 4 shouldn't be taken into consideration, because something REALLY went wrong with the animation in that episode. Other than that, for the most part, the animation studio behind Gurren Lagann's animation production named Gainax, did quite a fabulous job on animating the fighting scenes and action of the anime series, if I do say so myself! They especially did pretty well on animating the final battle in the series finale episode of Gurren Lagann! In my opinion, I think that final battle will go down as the greatest anime battle that I have ever witnessed in my life! For me, no other anime battle can rival something like that. Whether it be from Sword Art Online, Attack on Titan, any of ufotable's anime adaptations, Kill la Kill, or any other anime famous for its fighting scenes, no anime battle can stand in comparison to it from my eyes. After all, what would you expect from an animation studio that has also worked on other anime such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and FLCL? Next, as for the art, it's not too shabby and I really liked the designs of the characters and the various Gunmen that appeared throughout Gurren Lagann! Finally, I really enjoyed the songs and OST of Gurren Lagann. They really fitted the themes and tone of this one-of-a-kind mecha anime! The opening song Sorairo Days by Shoko Nakagawa was pretty interstellar and inspirational to listen to, which really suited its role as the song that would play in Gurren Lagann's intro. I even saw a clip of a character named Michiru from the anime series Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend singing a cover of Sorairo Days on YouTube! Man, that song must have pierced the boundaries of Gurren Lagann and went on to pierce the boundaries of Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend or something! Moving along, I also liked the ending songs Underground by High Voltage, Happily Ever After by Shoko Nakagawa, and Minna no Peace by Afromania. Not only were they enjoyable to listen to, but they really matched the tone of the episodes that they were used in as well! As for the OST, it's composed by Taku Iwasaki, whose most well known for his compositions for anime such as Soul Eater, Black Butler, Noragami, The Irregular at Magic High School, Akame ga Kill!, etc. As expected, I really enjoyed the diverse and epic soundtracks that he composed for Gurren Lagann. I might not know the names of the soundtracks off the top of my head, but I sure can remember what they sounded like in general! However, there are two that I can remember the names of, which are Rap is a Man's Soul! and Libera Me From Hell. And for me, they're perhaps the best that Taku Iwasaki has to offer for the OST of Gurren Lagann. Oh, and let's not forget Nikopol as well! Because that theme rocks on, baby! Pretty much, Gurren Lagann did superbly with its animation, art, and music!

I'm just getting pumped up, fellas! Now it's time to analyze the story of Gurren Lagann! According to the Gurren Lagann wikia, the anime can be considered as divided into two halves. The first half of Gurren Lagann consists of 16 episodes, which revolve around Simon, who happens to just be an average digger that helps dig new tunnels for his village in case they need to relocate due to earthquakes or cave-ins. One day, he finds a Core Drill, which leads him to the discovery of a strange robot that he names Lagann. Upon finding Lagann, his hotheaded and courageous bro by manly bond Kamina advises him to use Lagann in order to reach the surface above Jeeha Village. They do so successfully, but not before meeting the hot sniper girl Yoko Littner, who joins them as they fight against the Beastmen and the Spiral King that have kept humanity underground for years under their tyranny. As for the second half of Gurren Lagann that consists of 11 episodes, it takes place 7 years after the conclusion of the first half, where now our hero Simon and humanity must deal with a new problem that literally goes to galactic lengths... Damn, this truly is the tale of a man who has yet to realize his destiny. With that aside, I found Gurren Lagann's story to be perhaps the manliest and greatest story I've ever seen in existence! As I watched the entire anime, meaningful character deaths, mighty ideology and philosophical clashes, hilarious comedy, and loads of major character development all proved to be the best that I could ever see in the anime medium! Lemme tell you one thing, team. If I could describe Gurren Lagann's story in just one word, that word would be the word INSPIRATIONAL.

Almost there, my friends! Now I just need to analyze the characters of Gurren Lagann. So we have our main protagonist Simon, who starts out as a little shy and introverted young boy, but grows over the course of Gurren Lagann and becomes more brave and outgoing as he evolves like a drill to eventually become a respected and leading man who stands tall on his feet as the savior of humanity. Then we have our deuteragonist Kamina, a boisterous but very determined man who acts as the big bro and inspiration for Simon. Though he does often take usually drastically crazy actions, Kamina is actually quite a very insightful person, even stating at one point in the series that his motive for going to the surface and defeating the Beastmen was not for his own personal gain, but rather for future generations who he wants to live in a better world, which he is willing to fight hard for. Being much more complex of a character on the inside than when looked at at first glance, Kamina is such an incredible character that he even overlooks Simon despite not being the main protagonist. Not to mention that just his very character and influence on the characters of the anime left a lot of impact on them over the course of the series! This brings us to Yoko Littner, a skilled sniper who is quite mature and knowledgeable in many areas. Not only is she hot as hell, but Yoko is actually a very interesting character when looked at deeply, being a very nice and caring person. If you already watched the entire series, you would know that she even has one episode starring her as the main protagonist, helping to highlight her as an intriguing and important character to the anime! Now while those three are all very great characters, they're only just a fraction of the entire galaxy-sized cast of characters that this anime has, whether it be the eccentric and devoted Kittan Bachika, elegant and innocent Nia Teppelin, the proud and cocky Viral, or even the tyrannical and mighty Spiral King Lordgenome. To sum things up, I absolutely loved the entire cast of Gurren Lagann (though, that big forehead Rossiu Adai isn't really a favorite of mine)!

Now as for the flaws of Gurren Lagann, I don't really have any to state at all. I was only irritated by the poor animation for episode 4, which was due to it being directed by the friend and guest of one of the producers of Gurren Lagann, which even resulted in said producer resigning from his position! However, disregarding the poor animation, episode 4 of Gurren Lagann was still actually quite a great episode. I also liked the conclusion to Gurren Lagann, as I felt like it really gave a satisfying ending to such a revolutionary series. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that there aren't really any flaws that I could point out about Gurren Lagann, which is great!

Let's forget about how much I adore the Fate series and any other anime I love that I watched. On my remix, the Fate series is on top. But in my heart and soul, Gurren Lagann still remains as my favorite anime of all time. For a mecha anime, Gurren Lagann sure brings something delicious and delectable to the dinner table when it comes to the dynamic story and characters, insane humor, over-the-top fights, and some of the saddest anime deaths in anime that it has to offer! All I can ask is this: Just what the hell do you think this anime series is?! Leaving little to no imperfections in hindering the drill-like experience of this epic anime, Gurren Lagann is something that every anime fan must watch if they ever want to be a true anime fan. As I end this anime review, here is my final score for Gurren Lagann:

10.0 out of 10.0 stars

Next anime review: The Official MSBS Anime Review: Kill la Kill

But before I go, lemme leave you with a little something...

(Requiem æternam, Dona eis, Domine)
[Eternal rest, grant them, Lord]

Do the impossible, see the invisible
Row! row! Fight the power!
Touch the untouchable, break the unbreakable
Row! Row! fight the power!

Power to the peeps, power for the dreams
Still missing piece scattering, so incomplete
We be the most incredible soldier from underground
See how easy they all fall down

Digging to the core to see the light
Let's get out of here babe, that's the way to survive
Ya top of the head, I'm on the set
Do the impossible, don't you wanna bet?

'Cause a lot of things changed
We be waiting in vain
If you wanna get by no pain no gain
Wow! Fakers wanna test me again
Sorry, my rhyme's gonna snatch your brain yo

I'm still struggling for the straight up skill
We gonna, make it a-happen with the crazy rap skill
Get ready to rumble, now would be the time, uh huh
If you ain't know, now you know

Good luck fellas!

(Libera me, Domine, de morte æterna,
In die illa tremenda. in die illa
Quando coeli movendi sunt et terra,
Dum veneris judicare
Sæculum per ignem.
Tremens factus sum ego et timeo,
Dum discussio venerit atque ventura ira)

[Free me, Lord, from eternal death
On that terrible day, on that day
The heavens and earth will be moved,
When you will come to judge
The age by fire.
I dread and tremble for
The scattering to come and your wrath]

Second verse dedicates to the real peeps
What we got to say is so real thing 'cause
Revolution ain't never gonna televise
Kicking the mad flow, microphone phenotype

Open your third eye, seeing through the overground
I'm about to hit you with a scream from underground
Whole city's covered with a cyber flavor
"G" is in your area, one of the toughest enigma

(Dies illa, dies iræ,
Calamitatis et miseriæ)

[That day, the day of wrath,
Of calamity and wretchedness]

Do the impossible, see the invisible (dies illa) [that day]
Row! Row! Fight the power!
Touch the untouchable, break the unbreakable (dies magna) [Terrible day]
Row! Row! Fight the power!

What you gonna do is what you wanna do (Et amara valde) [And intense bitterness]
Just break the roof, then you see the truth
This is the theme of "G" coming through baby! (Et amara valde) [And intense bitterness]
Row! Row! Fight the power!

FIGHT THE POWER!!

Do the impossible, see the invisible (Requiem æternam) [Eternal rest]
Row! Row! Fight the power!
Touch the untouchable, break the unbreakable
Row! Row! Fight the power!

What you gonna do is what you wanna do (Dona eis Domine) [Grant them, Lord]
Just break the roof, then you see the truth (Row! Row! Fight the power!)
This is the theme of "G" coming through baby!
Row! Row! Fight the power!

Do the impossible, see the invisible (Requiem æternam) [Eternal rest]
Row! Row! Fight the power!
Touch the untouchable, break the unbreakable
Row! Row! Fight the power!

What you gonna do is what you wanna do (Dona eis Requiem) [Grant them rest]
Just break the roof, then you see the truth (Row! Row! Fight the power!)
This is the theme of "G" coming through baby!
Row! Row! Right the power!

What you gonna do is what you wanna do (Et lux perpetua luceat eis) [And eternal light shine upon them]
Just break the roof, then you see the truth
This is the theme of "G" coming through baby!
Row! Row! Fight the power!

Do the impossible, see the invisible (Libera me, Domine) [Free me, Lord]
Row! Row! Fight the power!

Row! Row! Fight the power!
Row! Row! Fight the power!
Row! Row! Fight the power!
Row! Row! Fight the power!
Row! Row! Fight the power!
Row! Row! Fight the power!

Row! Row! Fight the power! (Libera me, Domine) [Free me, Lord]
Row! Row! Fight the power!
Row! Row! Fight the power!
Row! Row! Fight the power!

Until then, peace!

Comments

Good review, and until I comment on one of your posts again, peace! - Skullkid755

Never watch it but I will soon - HollowArrow

I've heard nothing but amazing things about Gurren Lagann, so I should probably watch it. - Absolite

Your writing style is really impressive. Great Review. (But hey,
Rossiu’s great too... nah, just kidding) - visitor