Name(s): Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann / Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann / Making Break-Through Gurren Lagann / Heavenly Breakthrough Gurren Lagann / TTGL/ Gurren Laggan / 天元突破グレンラガン
Format: TV series (27 episodes)
Studio(s): Gainax
Related: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: My Gurren is Shiny!! (2007) / Gurren Lagann: Sparkle★Yoko Box – Pieces of Sweet Stars (2009)

It bothers me that the consensus is more often than not that mech anime is stupid and not of interest to anyone without some born predisposition towards them. It also bothers me even further that Gurren Lagann (TTGL) has been doted as some sort of exception to that rule when it’s such a strong homage to the genre at large, and in my opinion I think there’s better stuff out there for a lot of hidden mecha fans to watch. Although I think Gurren Lagann is certainly a good super robot show and also a good introduction to the genre, I have several hang ups that prevent me from feeling strongly about it.

In a general sense, memorable characters are the most important thing to me in any fiction, and Gurren Lagann almost completely lacks this. The main trio are two-dimensional, the supporting cast even less so, and basically only one character gets any real development, and their apex is just imitating the personality of another character. The cast is also far, far too large to be effectively used and most add nothing to the show. TTGL characters are little more than their various one-liners, most of which have now been adapted for modern times with the Courage Wolf meme. It’s also very hard to take Simon’s transition into a “badass” genuinely when he can’t muster up the courage to fucking kiss someone after several years.

The direction of the second half is just all kinds of bizarre. Kazuki Nakashima tries to suddenly write a melodramatic story but the whole appeal of the first half was that it didn’t put on such pretenses, and not only does it betray its personality by going this way but it’s just asking too much to get suddenly invested in character drama when the cast has been so shallow and the show so silly beforehand. It’s a sloppy transition and even taken on its own the drama of the second half just isn’t fun or intriguing.

With those major complaints out of the way, there are some commendable aspects about this show. The art design at large is very smooth yet jagged like a comic book roughly sketched in a hurry, and they even made two whole great mech designs with Gurren Lagann and King Kittan, even though the rest are pretty boring since they’re usually disposed of quickly. Fights are lightning quick and hot blooded, backed up by the awesome soundtrack.

But overall I think TTGL is the equivalent of a shallow motivational trainer. “You can do it! Just don’t think about it.”. Is this really overcoming weakness? There’s no real introspection. If I could fix all my problems by yelling to increase my power and bulldoze my way through any obstacle I could, but it’s not so simple. I get the symbolism of the drill being about continuous effort, but I can never see things that straightforwardly and I find things that try to tackle specific personality flaws individually and logically refute them to be more inspirational.

Anyway, a good but not exceptional super robot series that follows the rulebook while taking it to new extremes, but never going beyond it and in rare instances succumbing to the same problems as older series.

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Sparkle★Yoko Box – Pieces of Sweet Stars

AKA: 天元突破グレンラガン キラメキ★ヨーコBOX~Pieces of sweet stars~ / Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Kirameki★Yoko Box – Pieces of Sweet Stars
Format: Music video (1 4-minute episode)
Studio(s): Gainax
Related: Gurren Lagann (2007)

A music video featuring one of Gurren Lagann’s main characters. Why do I watch these things?

Why do I do these things to myself? Completionism should be diagnosable in the DSM. Though it arguably already is, under a different name…

This is a music video meant to promote fictional character Yoko Littner’s Japanese voice actress’s pop idol career. The song is “S.t.a.r.S,” performed by Marina Inoue. I kind of hope it failed as a promotion, because I thought the song was awful. It’s 90% chorus with a melody so basic that it sounds like a keyboard sample. I don’t hate pop music, I just don’t find this to be a good example of it.

You don’t need to be Nostradamus to predict that the video itself is full of Yoko fanservice. This isn’t a celebration of her character, which could’ve been fun, but a celebration of her body. Gratuitous shots of legs, hips, ass, and of course, tits distract the audience from remembering that Yoko has any personality traits aside from the shame she feels from being ogled. Countless set pieces depict Yoko in a variety of different outfits and contexts from cyborg girl, to cowgirl, to full-on nudity, seemingly to ensure that there’s something for everyone to get off to.

Props for it being well-animated and for some inspired stylistic choices, such as the model segment, but this is otherwise both a bad music video and a bad Yoko tribute. Regardless, I anxiously await the day the world is ready to admit Kiyoh was the best Gurren Lagann girl.

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Gurren Lagann: My Gurren is Shiny!!

AKA: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Ore no Gurren wa Pikka-Pika!! / Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Episode 5.5 / Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann OVA / TTGL DS OVA / Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann My Gurren is Sparkling!!
Format: Original video animation [OVA] (1 12-minute episode)
Studio(s): Gainax
Related: Gurren Lagann (2007)

A bonus animation for the Gurren Lagann TV series included on copies of a tie-in Nintendo DS video game. It’s not good.

This blows. It’s a lousy half-length episode comedy romp originally included as bonus content for the IP’s video game on the Nintendo DS. Choppy, sloppy animation and low-stakes slapstick ensure that nothing that made the series good is in this special. What’s actually funny is how terribly the OVA’s original characters are inserted into the iconic series opening animation. There’s a lot of “why did they bother” sentiment here, especially for myself.