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Gurren Lagann can be described in one word: Fun. This show is damn fun. It's a non-stop action show with an alluring plot, a beautiful gritty art style, music that gets your blood pumping, and characters who have the fighting spirit (or should I say spiral?) of champions.

The characters are charismatic; I don't see how you can't like them. Kamina has contagious confidence, ambition, and will stop at nothing to achieve his dreams. Simon, on the other hand, has some growing up to do. Kamina being his "big bro" helps him grow up as a man and learn how to carry himself and be okay ... with who he is. I think a lot of people are able to empathize with Simon, learning how to be okay with who you are and learning to reach for the heavens is something we all strive for.

The art style is one of my favorites. I think it looks like a mix between Space Dandy and a more vibrant looking Fooly Cooly, to give you an idea. It's just flat-out cool. The style also adds to each fight scene astronomically, enhancing each punch thrown and each kick blocked in order to improve the deliverance of each episode.

The music is also phenomenal. I would often find myself humming one particular song when walking to class or when bumming around in my apartment. However, there were a couple tracks in there that felt misplaced, an opera piece being one of them. Luckily, it wasn't played much.

The one and only complaint I have is the lack of downtime. Most of the time in shows, there will be maybe one or two episodes where there aren't major plot developments during it. This lets viewers see the characters interact with each other, maybe throw some jokes around, and just see day-to-day life. Unforunately, Gurren Lagann doesn't have anything like that. Most of the show is very serious, but I suppose that goes with its mantra: "nothing can stop you, keep going until you make it, be yourself, and never give up."

Anyway, give Gurren Lagann a try if you have the time. It's a must-watch for any anime lover. You won't be disappointed.

Golden time being predominately Romance and School Life-themed doesn't stop it from containing other interesting elements peppered throughout, making this otherwise humdrum university romance story unique.

Complaint #1: The characters. The main character: Tada Banri is one of the least impressive characters in the entire show. As a viewer, it's absolutely frustrating witnessing the romance in this show and where Banri decides to take it. The romance only being frustrating because of Banri choosing one of the most invasive, clingy, and annoying characters I've ever encountered. Her personality along with the romance that surrounds her keeps each and every viewer's frustration ... to a maximum. To top it off, the ending was extremely underwhelming. When watching the final episode occur, I became extremely irritated how the creator of this story could make it end the way it did. Is it to make a statement? That not all love stories end with the viewer pleased in the character's decision? Perhaps it's because the writer is showing that the character has control over their story, not the writer like most people think. Whatever the case, the characters and ending thoroughly disappointed me.

Complaint #2: The flow. The flow of the story is profoundly important. It impacts my decision as to whether I continue with the show or not, whether I enjoy the show or merely tolerate it. For this show, it was tolerance. It's hard to place my finger on, but something about this show's flow seemed off; each episode felt different from the last, almost like a discontinuation. The story should be just that: a story. Not a sequence of episodes. In a romance story, this overarching story becomes exponentially important, and the lack of it creates a difficult situation for viewers to see the progression of romance. When the flow of a show isn't good, the viewer becomes distracted from the plot and/or the message, hurting the overall reception of the story.

Commend #1: Interesting plot. I won't say much about the plot, but to be frank, this is the one and only thing about this show that kept me going. It was a very interesting plot that kept me wanting more, to see how the creators concluded it. Without this plot, there felt no reason at all for me to finish out this show.

Rating and Ending Thoughts

My disapproval of the ending, general flow of the story, the main characters, as well as the interesting plot, incline me to give this the mediocre rating of 5/10. The plot completely carries the entire show because, obviously, the characters can't do it worth anything. This plot kept me on the edge of my seat and powered me through to the end, simply to see how the writers decided to finish this dull, romantic story.