Gurren Lagann is an escapist show. It's imaginative, cartoon-esq, and generally speaking, a lot of fun!
The premise is Gurren Lagann's strong suit, as i found the underground beginning, and the way that such large congregations could simply be unaware of the antics that go on "where the sun shines", to be genuinely intreeging. It all invokes a sense of wonder, that captures the attention, particularly of our childish side. So at a glance, the whole thing seems to shape up pretty well. "Mechas, Action, Comedy, Vibrant art, What more could you want?" is something i remember quoting about it...
But after the novelty of all of this wonderment wore off in 5 episodes, i came to realize that i did want more, and that the show was severely lacking in many areas. Now, readers should be advised, that with Gurren Lagann, it's usually a love/hate scenario; but although i didn't love it, i can definitely appreciate its overriding fantasy appeal - which is why i don't despise it either.
Gurren Lagann is a show that doesn't take itself too seriously, and i mean that in every tone of voice. From what i would consider, a relevant amount of watch time, i came to find that i retained little to no attachment between episodes. Even at emotional landmarks where a more sensitive approach would be appropriate, Gurren Lagann's seizure-esq, headache-inducing, action-packed, comical animated style drowns out the possibility of feeling much sentiment, or impact - that isn't the impact of a Mecha slamming into another. This is because EVERYTHING is presented in an immediate scope, to satisfy the thrill seekers, and appease the action fans, and generally, the show progresses too fast for one to be able to properly process all of the "what's, why's, how's" and emotional stances incorporated. (kind of like how you were about to suffocate due to that last sentence's extensive length)
I feel that there is a distance between the viewer, and all of the characters besides Simon - who's character development is the best, as he's relatable and realistic. As for almost everything else though, in my opinion, GAINAX for whatever reason decided to rush through almost everything. In an attempt to maximize the show's intensity, and with little regard to setting the scene - immersing the viewer more. Crucially, this rushing meant cutting corners with the introduction of not only each character, but even the setting... As there's always so much going on, so much jumping into battle that you don't get a sense of the world's atmosphere, and the cast's personalities beyond the war aspect.
For me, this all created a distance between myself, the characters, and even the premise that i was initially taken by. I can appreciate the abundant action, and the creativity, but as i couldn't really "get into" or "become attached to" any part of the show... Characters and the Very one dimensional story line included; i saw no reason to continue, as nothing told me, "hey, this getting good, let's watch more!".
Essentially, the overriding childishness of the show kills the deeper, passionate, often motivational deeper meanings...
