Alternative Titles
Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann; Making Break-Through Gurren Lagann; Heavenly Breakthrough Gurren Lagann; Gurren Lagann; TTGL
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 27
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 1, 2007 to Sep 30, 2007
Duration:
25 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 9.021 (scored by 13643 users)
Ranked: #12
Popularity: #20
Members: 22,100
Favorites: 3,068 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
action adventure comedy mecha sci-fi |
SynopsisIn 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! |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Side story: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann OVA
Alternative version: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann the Movie
Alternative setting: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Parallel Works
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Recommendations
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Both Gurren Lagann and Eureka Seven center around young boys who are developing into brave young men. Both series include a strange girl that makes the young hero blush, and characters with similar personalities (i.e. Talho and Yoko, or Holland and Kamina). They also both have to do with mecha and alternate worlds. Beings other than humans exist in these worlds. E7 is the longer series.
Mecha anime, mixture of humor, mysterious "aliens", a large cast of unique individuals, not to mention both take place on a devastated planet.
Both are about large groups of people on an adventure to save the world. Both have constant use of mech, though it is more significant in Gurren Lagann. Gurren Lagann has more comedy and ecchi moments, while Eureka Seven has more drama and romance.
Full out comedic mecha action
Mecha,Story comes around great young men love and a great story what ese can you ask 4
Both Tengen Toppen Gurren Laggann and Eureka 7 revolve around small, young male leads coming of age in a world they don't quite feel comfortable with. With the help of their friends, and respective similarly aged love interests, both Simon and Renton find the motivation to better themselves and grow into strong young men. These shows both balance comedy with drama, all the while displaying heavy mecha themes.
Both are Mecha, Sci-fi, Action, Adventures about young average boys that end up accomplishing great things, for the sake of humanity. ^_^
Gurren Lagann is similar to Eureka Seven in the use of mech. But thats not all, it shares a similar young protagonist and a mysterious young girl. But at the same time Gurren is nothing like Eureka Seven, in that it is compleat fun insanity at times, and at other times is much more dramatic.
Same kind of anime, a group of crazy main characters that have their own mechas, and live a lot of adventures.
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Both are pieces of work from GAINAX, have similar art styles (though TTGL's style is a little less polished), and share similar themes. They both deal with humankind's external struggle with a mysterious, alien enemy as well as the internal struggles of the characters as they develop and deal with confidence and identity issues.
both are over the top crazy fun Mecha animes both animated by Gainex,Diebuster 2(AKA: Top wo Nerae!) is the sequel to the 80's classic Gunbuster(AKA: Top wo Nerae),however,unlike the first gunbuster anime which the animation and story style was similar to evangelion which a main female lead grew from a crybaby to a strong woman, the sequel Diebuster however,pays more homage to FLCL(Fooly Cooly) and is very similar to Gurren Lagann in style and humor,Nono(Diebuster),Nia(Gurren),and Yoko(Gurren) are very similar to some of the female cast in Fooly Cooly
Gurren Lagann and Top wo Nerae 2 were in essence tributes to the mecha genre as it progressed, blending classic over-the-top courage and passion with modern, realistic characters. If you liked either Diebuster or Gurren Lagann, you'll want the see the successor/predecessor for a lot of the same intense action, epic moments, and great characters.
Made by the same team, awesome mecha fights, amazing characters, great plot, has the same feel as Tengen does.
Over the top action sequences, cool-looking mecha
Both have ridiculous, over the top fights with the same epic feel. They're also both made from the same company.
Over the top action, crazy mech designs and good mix of comedy and drama. Yes, Diebuster and Gurren-Lagann are much the same.
Both can guarantee you astonishing mecha action. With very similar art styles, you can expect crazy fluid animation. Diebuster is much shorter than Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, but both are stories of epic proportions.
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Reviews
| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
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Oct 3, 200727 of 27 episodes seen 262 of 339 people found this review helpful Only on the rarest of occasions does an anime come along that truly grabs me and elevates itself above mere entertainment and into the realms of gripping television. Gurren Lagann did this with frightening ease, not with complexity or depth of its storyline, nor with its technical excellence, or innovation, but with its boldness, energy, sense of humour, and heart. Some people may be put off with the degree of silliness the show never ceases to deliver, or at least be deterred from becoming deep...ly invested in the plot or its characters, but being the sucker for just this kind of shameless splendour and over-the-top theatrics, I took to it with enthusiasm, and came out of it with a strong sense of appreciation for the fun that the show delivered from week to week. Gurren Lagann is the kind of series that you may scoff at while you’re watching it, or laugh at its unapologetically ridiculous antics, but which still leaves you craving the next episode. I became so swept up in the show’s passion and heavy-handed charm that I quickly learned to turn my brain off and just go along with the ride. And this is how Gurren Lagann is best enjoyed, with an open-mind and a desire to sit back and enjoy yourself; if you can’t refrain from cynicism or pretentiousness, you likely won’t enjoy the show. I also recommend that the series is not watched as marathon fodder, in fact I’m not sure you can truly capture the same experience if you missed out on watching it on a week-by-week basis.
But the show is not just for action junkies and comedy fanatics; it may have more than its share of explosion-riddled skies, sexual innuendo and galaxy-sized mecha, but more than that the show is somehow able to endear the viewer to its characters through all the furore and anarchy of the plot - and it is not afraid to cash in on that either. The characters are all really fun to watch, each of them flamboyant and charismatic in their own peculiar way, and on top of that, the series weaves in a good amount of sincere character development almost without the viewer noticing. Kamina, in particular is instantly likeable and memorable as the unstoppable and inspired leader of the group that the show revolves around. His unquenchable determination and guts are what really caught me into the series to begin with - one cannot help but stand alongside the other characters in the show with their reverence for him. More than being a likeable gang, the characters are used to great dramatic effect; the show has a number of dramatic peaks over its course that won’t easily fade from my memory. Simon’s transformation from a cowardly underling of Kamina, to an empowered and confident hero is also a key part of the story, and it is handled acceptably, though not quite believably. For that type of theme, I defer to Eureka 7’s development of its protagonist, Renton.
Furthermore, the story itself, while inarguably simplistic, revolves around a strong moral core, with themes that are challenging at times and rousing at others. The use of metaphor is vastly overdone, but revelations further into the show made me appreciate the central “drill” metaphor a bit more. My actual interest in the plot varied throughout the series, starting off quite high with the intrigue of the mysterious new world and the immediate threat of the Beastmen, and cooling off until the post-timeskip story kicked in, which introduced a more serious and challenging feel to the series and hence boosted my interests once again. The pacing is probably my biggest complaint for the show, as the constant action, ironically, became tedious at times, particularly in the build-up to the climactic episode 15. The show may always have a sense of fun, but it is inconsistently gripping.
The animation, episode 4 aside (whose director was later fired - although that’s another story), is brimming with vigour and vitality; it is not always consistent, and rarely very detailed, but it seems to adjust itself to the mood of the show in a very unsubtle but fitting manner. There were a number of blatant shortcuts that were used during many of the battle sequences that I couldn’t help but notice, but given the ‘epic’ nature of the show, it is difficult to expect top-class animation right the way through. At times, the art and animation are genuinely amazing, and there is no denying that this was an ambitious and costly undertaking by the usually self-preservational GAINAX. An extra boost of cel detail would have welcome but probably impractical from a budgetary perspective.
The music for the show is much like the show itself, in that it’s hard to take seriously, but it is unavoidably engaging. Rather than cinematic type of score work, the show is packed with insert songs and a handful of key piece of theme music. I am appreciative of the way the music was distributed throughout the series, with new music being added to the mix right up until the end. This prevented it from stagnating. A few of the tracks are stand-out pieces of music, and are used in the show to give it a genuine boost of captivation and emotion. In particular, the main heroic theme of the show never fails to rouse me into a high-spirited love for the series.
At times powerful, almost always senselessly fun, and with a strong moral core top its themes and story, Gurren Lagann is the highlight of 2007, and an anime worthy of anyone’s viewing. Far from flawless, yet somehow rarely flawed, this anime series is inexplicably lovable for those who are easily hooked in by unsubtle fun. Gurren Lagann has something for everyone, and as such I recommend it to everyone. However, I think it appeals more directly to a male audience with its badassery and male hero role models.
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
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Oct 19, 200827 of 27 episodes seen 27 of 37 people found this review helpful It might seem a bit pretentious if not outright outlandish to award Gurren Lagann a perfect 10, but meh, I'm doing it anyway. Just simply put this is a masterpiece of animated storytelling. Everyone, regardless of whether or not they're an anime fan, owes it to themselves to see Gurren Lagann before they die.
Story: 10 (Outstanding)
The story is deceptively simple yet simply hits all the right notes where it needs to. Kamina and Si...mon are diggers living in an underground village. Their job is to dig - digging is the lifeblood of the village, it's what allows the village to expand and grow in population. But it's not the kind of life Kamina wants. Kamina wants to kick logic to the curb and drill through the heavens, just like his long-believed to be dead dad who, as the rumors go, actually makes it to the surface. The desire to drill to the surface is Kamina's one great ambition in life, an ambition that earns him the ire of the rest of the village, and he frequently has to be tempered by his adoptive brother Simon.
Then one day, Simon stumbles upon a strange, drill-like object buried underneath the dirt. He races over to show Kamina, who tells him that the strange object rightly belongs to Simon and shall forever belong to him. Soon afterwards, Simon stumbles upon an even stranger object - it looks like a giant head! Once again he races to tell Kamina, but before he can show him a giant mechanical beast crashes through the heavens and onto the village, along with the beautiful "surface girl" Yoko.
And all of this and more happens in just the first episode!
The plot evolves quickly and is very fast pace, and soon an expanding team headed by Kamina, Simon, Yoko and a field of friends and former enemies soon find themselves staring down what may very well be the complete annihilation of the entire universe!
Art: 10 (Outstanding)
The art is just terrific, and does much to carry on the incredible fast pace of the series. Simple when it needs to be, detailed when it needs to be, the featureless plains of a desert earth contrasts with a vast, detailed and colorful sky to bring the viewer into the desolate world these characters reside in. The character designs themselves may very well go down in history as some of the best remembered and most celebrated, at times looking more like an animated superhero comic book than a shonen anime. The mecha is fantastic too - very distinct with the main body of most mecha being dominated by a face (indeed, halfway through the anime everything, and I mean everything the humans and beastmen build seems to have a face for unexplained reasons, which only adds to the charm) and the Gurren Lagann itself will probably go down as an icon of mecha alongside EVA-01, Ray Armuro's Gundam and the VFS-1 Valkyrie.
Sound: 10 (Outstanding)
...is perhaps the least that can be said about the sound of Gurren Lagann. The OST is probably filled to the brim with the most memorable music in all of humanity's existence, from the OP Sora ino Days to all three EDs (including Happy Endings, which accompanied only a single episode, the appropriate and unusually well done compilation episode). Perhaps the most legendary of them all is Libra Me aka ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH!, which is now known far and wide to even those who have never heard of Gurren Lagann thanks to its memetic power.
Character: 10 (Outstanding)
The characters of Gurren Lagann are an interesting lot - some are memorable because of their singular motivations and two-dimensions, such as Kamina and his sole ambition to be the best living specimen he can possibly be, a notion so strong it cannot help but infect everyone around him and even his enemies. Other characters are actually very well mapped out and surprisingly deep, such as Simon, who is conflicted by his own insecurities and his aspirations to be just like Kamina. Even Boota, Simon's mute pet pigmole, gets a lot of character development, especially in regards to an incredible, jaw-dropping twist near the end. The bad guys show up as amazing characters as well, especially Viral, who surprisingly only tries to do what he believes is good and useful, and Lord Genome, whose character development turns out to be one of the many developing twists in the series.
Enjoyment: 10 (Outstanding)
As you may have already gathered by now, there is nothing not to like in Gurren Lagann even for those who hate mecha anime. Nary a single second is boring, and the action and story is a non-stop whirlwind.
With all that said, it comes as no surprise that Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann gets a final score of:
10 - Outstanding
Really, nothing more needs to be said. read more
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
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Sep 19, 200827 of 27 episodes seen 22 of 31 people found this review helpful "Who the hell do you think I am?!"
A now famous quote that is Kamina's battle cry, Simon's battle cry, and arguably the show's battle cry. Gurren Lagann is a show that screams this in every way, shattering all limitations placed upon the constraints of its world. In doing so, it becomes what is arguably the most epic anime on the map today, in every sense of the word.
Gurren Lagann is an epic story, because the narrative actually is the layout of classic e...pic poetry. A vast limitless setting to journey across, passionate speeches, and heroes that embody the hopes and dreams of entire civilizations. It is a tried-and-true formula that Lagann follows to the letter. This is especially enjoyable for people such as myself, who need more... much much more, to even consider watching a "mecha" anime. In telling the story as it does, Gainax yet again reinvents the mecha anime. Bravo.
Unfortunately, epics tend to tell the story of one man, not a whole cast. Lagann however has a huge cast of supporting characters, and many of them are hardly necessary to the plot and do nothing but chew (or in this case, blow up) the scenery. The only real key characters to the story are Kamina, Simon, and Nia... yes, Yoko really is just a pair of boobs and a gun. Disagree all you want but tell me how she significantly moved the plot... that's what I thought. So it goes for the majority of the cast in terms of development and usefulness. If the three mentioned aren't on screen, it's kind of hard to care about what's going on. Regardless, this flaw is relatively minor in terms of series quality and the characterization of the three key players is still outstanding.
Lagann is animated expertly by the infamous veteran studio Gainax. A studio known for inventive directing, and this series is no exception. Animation is jerky and sketchy, but given the sheer energy of the material and it's unbridled force, it works and it works perfectly. You may not like the look of it, but that doesn't mean it's not appropriate. Only one episode of the bunch really stands out in quality, but it is a one-time slip... still it is a massive slip so points need to be taken off for it. Everything else is Grade-A material.
The journey of Gurren Lagann is accompanied by Taku Iwasaki's soundtrack. The use of rap doesn't always work, but the majority of the music is not rap, and does well to highlight the epic nature of the series with swelling brass, snare drums, and even opera. The sum of it sounds like a grand call to war, which fits the series perfectly. Shoko Nakagawa's opening song and insert song always do a great job of pumping up the viewers, but I feel mixed about the ending themes. They're not bad, but they don't really add anything.
So here we are at review's end. To be frank, very frank, when I finished Gurren Lagann I felt like my soul had had an orgasm. The passionate dialogue and grandiose animation are rhetorically dynamic. You feel what Simon feels, you want what Simon wants, and you go through it all with a deep sense of satisfaction. Gurren Lagann is a genius anime, but it is also a respectable triumph in general entertainment, anime or otherwise.
Overall, I give Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann a 9 out of 10. read more
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Opening Theme"Sorairo Days (空色デイズ)" by Shoko Nakagawa
Ending Theme#1: "Underground" by High Voltage
#2: "Happily Ever After" by Shoko Nakagawa (ep 16)
#3: "Minna no Peace" by Afromania
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Aya [Aya] (Brazilian Portuguese)
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