Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Anime Review

So, Gurren Lagann (full name: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann) is an anime that has just recently started airing in the U.S. (on the Sci-fi Channel).

I watched the first couple of episodes in Japanese, and also managed to watch a bit of the dub. The dub sounded decent. Although I should note that I have been hardened to less-than-stellar dub performances since the days of Escaflowne on Fox Kids and Cardcaptors (what a joke that was) on WB Kids. My standards for dubs are quite low. As long as it doesn't sound like HAL 2000 is doing the work, then I am happy.

The basic set-up and plot is unique enough: Simon and Kamina are two very close friends, they're practically like siblings, and they live in a village underground. Simon's job is to dig tunnels through the ground, and he enjoys his job because it helps him find treasure that's buried in the earth. One day, he finds a miniature spiral that can be worn as a necklace. Later on in the episode, a gigantic robot (well, it's closer to being a gigantic robotic face) crashes into the village, and is dead set on destroying everything. Also crashing through, is an extremely well-endowed and scantily clad girl named Yoko, who is battling the robot. Amidst the chaos, Simon and Kamina discover that Simon's spiral can call forth a robot as well, and they team up with Yoko to fight the evil robot with their newly found friend.

The plot overview is simple: beastmen (human intelligence, animal-like appearance) use large robots (mecha) to terrorize humans that live on the earth's surface. Kamina, Simon, and Yoko want to defeat the beastmen so humans can live on the surface in peace.

If what I just wrote doesn't sound appealing to you, no worries. I passed down watching Gurren Lagann for quite some time because the thought of seeing humans battle beast-men in mecha made me snore. But after I watched the first episode, I was hooked enough to watch at least a few more (yeah, yeah, I haven't finished the series, I'll get to it).

What keeps you hooked are the characters. Simon is your average bread-and-butter anime protagonist. He's not too strong, and he whines a lot, but he does pull through in the end. In contrast, Kamina is really headstrong and almost arrogant in battle, he also is hilarious and endearing. Yoko? She's interesting enough. It's good to see a female anime protagonist that isn't completely useless, but the bouncing boobs and ostentatious angle shots we get of her body probably doesn't make this anime appropriate to show your ten year old kid. There's also a fabulously gay mechanic named Leeron, whom I love and adore. Plus, there is an anime mascot boota, a little mole that provides comic relief.

This anime also does also have an intellectual side to it. In one episode, there is a village that is ruled by a mysterious religion, and the person who enforces all of the rules keeps "the truth" hidden from the villagers (for their own good, of course). It's a good way to start a thought or conversation on how faith, authority, and control interact, and what are the ethical implications of using faith to lead people, even if they are not being told the truth.

I recommend this anime primarily for people into action anime. This is a "shounen" series, so it is mainly oriented towards a young, male audience. In other words, lots of explosions and scantily-clad females. However, if you are a girl, don't worry, there are plenty of moments in the show that you can write fanfiction about.