天元突破グレンラガン

TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGANN

ANIME

STATUS
COMPLETE
EPISODES
27
RELEASE
September 30, 2007
LENGTH
24 min

DESCRIPTION

In a far away future, mankind lives underground in huge caves, unknowing of a world above with a sky and stars.

In the small village of Jiha, Simon, a shy boy who works as a digger discovers a strange glowing object during excavation. The enterprising Kamina, a young man with a pair of rakish sunglasses and the passion of a firey sun, befriends Simon and forms a small band of brothers, the Gurren Brigade, to escape the village and break through the ceiling of the cave to reach the surface, which few believe exist.

The village elder won't hear of such foolishness and punishes the Brigade. However, when disaster strikes from the world above and the entire village is in jeopardy, it's up to Simon, Kamina, a girl with a big gun named Yoko, and the small yet sturdy robot, Lagann, to save the day.

The new friends journey to the world above and find that the surface is a harsh battlefield, and it's up to them to fight back against the rampaging Beastmen to turn the tide in the humans' favor! Pierce the heavens, Gurren Lagann!

CAST

Kamina
Katsuyuki Konishi
Simon
Tetsuya Kakihara
Youko Littner
Marina Inoue
Nia Teppelin
Yukari Fukui
Narrator
Takayuki Sugou
Viral
Nobuyuki Hiyama
Kittan Bachika
Kishou Taniyama
Boota
Shizuka Itou
Lordgenome
Narushi Ikeda
Leeron Littner
Masaya Onosaka
Rossiu Adai
Jouji Nakata
Anti-Spiral
Takaya Kamikawa
Adiane
Michiko Neya
Kiyal Bachika
Kana Asumi
Kiyoh Bachika
Rina Satou
Darry Adai
Shizuka Itou
Leyte Jokin
Takako Honda
Kinon Bachika
Kana Ueda
Koko-jii
Nobuyuki Hiyama
Gimmy Adai
Takako Honda
Artenborough Cortich
Daisuke Kirii
Jorgun Bakusa
Gou Shinomiya
Balinbow Bakusa
Kouzou Douzaka
Dayakka Littner
Daiki Nakamura
Memu
Shizuka Itou

EPISODES

Dubbed

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REVIEWS

parz
94/100
A magnificent look into what the mecha genre should actually be, pure fun!
Every once in a while, an show just blows your expectations away.

Story: 8/10

Gurren Lagann's story can be described in one word: "Crazy". The story revolves around Simon and his adventures on the surface of Earth in his mecha Lagann. As the show progresses, Simon grows as a character and the story takes darker turns. There is a time jump after episode 16 which was added to progress the story faster and was necessary to set up the amazing ending. Overall, the story is good and enjoyable.

Art: 8/10

The art in this show is very unique compared to other art styles in anime. This particular style is similar to that of a manga and may seem strange at first, but soon begins to grown on you.

Sound: 10/10

The OST for this show is one of the few soundtracks that I have listened to in full after watching the show. The songs are very atmospheric and provide an excellent stage for the numerous battles and action scenes. The opening was used before all the episode through the series and was very catchy. The OP was also used in various important battles in the series. One song that must be mentioned is "Libera Me From Hell." This is a hip hop song with a few epic opera parts that is a very catchy song. I'm not a fan on hip hop/rap song to begin with, but I still find myself listening to this song quite a bit. I really love how this song was utilized in the series and really enhances the show, espechially in the final episodes.

Characters: 10/10

The characters in this show are very well developed, which surprised me the most. This show initially comes across as a dumb, over the top action show, which it is, but has great characters that hold the story together without being too "deep."

Enjoyment: 10/10

There are few times that I can say that I enjoyed an anime from start to finish. The shows progression is very well done and kept me engaged. The action in this show is animated great, especially in the last few episodes. As I have touched on a few times before, the last few episodes of this series. These last 4 episodes are some of the best episodes I have seen in anime. Period. That may come across as a bold statement, but I believe it to be true. These 4 episodes showcased the show's best animation, sound, and character development. This is how a climax is done.

Conclusion

If you have never heard of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, never seen a mecha anime before, are postponing this show or just want a good action show to watch, start this show now. There are few shows that I can claim that a show has changed my view of anime, and this show has. It has given me a new perspective on action shows and mecha shows in general. Overall, this show was an incredibly enjoyable show that I highly recommend.
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KaminaLogic
90/100
I LOVE THIS SHOW IT WAS AWESOME.
Gurren Lagann is my favorite anime of all time, so for me there is a lot to say. To start of with the visuals were great (from the exception of the 4th episode). There was bright colors for the action and dramatic outlines that just made things pop. I don't want to spoil anything, but story got weak at times and character development on the main character was not the best, I wish I knew how Simone met Kamina and what not only because he is dependent on him. Kamina is loud impulsive and crazy, but he knows what he is doing (sometimes), but most of all he is honest with himself and that is something i admire greatly about him. Simone is a person who thinks he doesn't have much going for him except being with Kamina.

Spoiler ahead
~!!~In the first episode there is a flash forward as they featured the final battle but it did not actually go that way. To be honest to see a human Boota (or at least i think that's who it is helping Simone command) command. But the when i saw Galaxy Gurren Lagann I knew shit was gonna go down~!!~
Spoiler end

Simone's character changes over the anime, and it is a very interesting way they did it but for the sake of saving time and not spoiling anything else I'm going to leave it at that . This anime has a wide variety of characters so I'm sure there will be at least one person everyone will like, and that they can relate to in one way or another.

As for the soundtrack it was great, not the best but at least 80-90% of it was catchy epically "Libera me from hell" I love that song.The opening is great and can be catchy, but is doesn't change, only the animations. But the ending are weak at least the first two, bu I absoulutly love the last ending, and i cant help but to sing along. The animations for the ending are good it is just the vocals in the first ending that are just...Uncomfortable.

If you like fast-paced action, loud main characters, and epic fighting music then watch this. Then again I may have been bias about this, but Like i said this anime does have flaws, but it was beautiful . It wouldn't hurt to try. And remember "Believe in the you that believes in yourself"-Kamina
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RoundChestnut
85/100
A review to justify this anime, without spoiling too much.
TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGANN (天元突破グレンラガン）

Hello, my name is TheRoundChestnut, and you're probably here because you either watched the show and want to be certain on your thoughts of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, or you're unsure to watch this show.
I feel as if the other reviews for this anime were not clear as to why they liked it and were too hung up on their enthusiasm to share their thoughts.
But I am not saying I am better than the other reviews, but simply giving more to what is already given.
(Kinda like a chef explaining his own dish compared to the customer's take on it)

As I was watching this anime, I critically analyzed points, topics, and themes to talk about for this review.
Keep in mind there are no number based ratings for my reviews since numbers tend to give certain connotations and assumptions pertaining to something. (Like how 7 is a better sounding number than 6)
Also as for spoilers, I will only spoil only the first episode of this anime because it will justify what I am talking about, so if you did not watch it or forgot, then I strongly encourage you to watch the first episode before indulging in this review.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is probably the most enthusiastic and over the top animes I have ever seen.
Ever since the first episode, this show knew where it was headed. At the beginning of episode 1, there was the opening scene of Simon in his Super Galaxy Gurren Lagann heading into a battle. In an interview with the director Imaishi Hiroyuki, he said that he thought opening scene was going to be the highest they can go in terms of climax, but in the end they went going beyond that. With its super combining with mechs, shouting super moves, and even looking at the wonderful character designs. this show proves that characters and mechs can be well designed and established.
(Not going to lie. I was too sitting on the edge of my seat on every single episode, and shouting the cool quotes shouted by the characters.)

This show knows what its doing in terms of story and character development. Simon, the main character, is the one of those wimpy and weak characters from the beginning, but is developed into one of the most over the top characters due to his relations with Kamina. He becomes aware of his drive and compassion for his fellow allies along the way. This is the part where Gurren Lagann succeeded the most during its run, is its development of its characters and their motivation to fight and live. Everyone in Simon's team unite into one, almost like a drill, which is this show's main symbolism. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5zjo573zlk)

The drill in Gurren Lagann is embodied everywhere throughout the show. Heck, actually its probably safe to say that the whole show is a drill. The story starts with Simon and Kamina underground and its their dream to get out and explore, kind of similar to how a drill is centered around one point and then expands outwards. Same with their influence on other, who join them. And same with their fighting spirit, the more spirit they have the more power, which all derives from the one point: their heart. (I don't think I need to expand on this aspect since its pretty obvious throughout the show.)

Another aspect of this show which shines is the animation and its pacing. The main scenes of this anime are fighting robots and over the top cuts of the characters fighting, but how these are implemented are done so nicely that its directly impacts its pacing of the show. The fighting scenes are quick and fast, which equates to how fighting in reality are. But when characters are talking or on their downtime, its slow and andante and allows the viewers to have breathing and relax room until the next time they fight, much like how the characters in the show are. This direct influence on mental state on the viewer is important for keeping their attention, because if this show was all nonstop mech fighting, the viewers will be tired too. This show utilizes is nonfighting scenes dedicated to character development and exposition. And not to mention its wonderful soundtrack that complements the atmosphere of the scene.
Despite being a 2006 anime, this anime even surpasses most animes in 2016. Almost everything is hand drawn, and not some crappy CG for everything (Ajin). Probably all of the CGI were used for the backgrounds and space scenes in the later episodes, and I know for sure, CG, one way or another, takes away the fresh sense of Japanese anime, and starts becoming a digital animation. (Please leave that to Disney)

In conclusion, this show does a fantastic job in their execution of animating a mech genre with characters that actually drive the story (instead of characters being there for plot convenience), very nice and hype fighting, and lovable characters and their quotes.
Although there are minor flaws that falters this anime a little when dwelling deep into its structure and logic, it still is a fun, wacky, and over the top anime that everyone loves.
And I will rate things with a "should you watch" or "pls dont" (much like how Demolition D+ does)
And I say "YES" completely.
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