On a lot of people's top ten list, including the top anime rankings list for this website is the show Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. So I took a good look at this show and said why not let's give it a try. However, just like any review on this website, this is just a personal opinion and not factual statements. In fact I will say it now: Go watch this show despite what I say in this review.
The art is good...for the most part. Why do I say that? The early episodes are pretty weak in visuals and while there is some great animation here, the actual art of the show is pretty sloppy and often a just a big mess. Often things will happen at once and the colors will be splattered everywhere not giving the time to take in scenery or you know appreciate the animation. The animation certainly gets better as the show progresses but sometimes it become inconsistent and makes everything seem out of any control. The animation is pretty good, I just feel like it needed more artistry and needed to be more visually-stunning.
Sound is a step above the animation. The score provides epic music for those big moments that the show puts fourth and actually does it in a way that will send chills all over the body. The soundtrack is pretty good and yes is probably one of the best soundtracks of an anime. Trust me, after this anime you will not get "ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWAH" out of your head, which is actually a good thing. I did watch this show dubbed which is actually pretty good with strong performances by Yuri Lowenthal, Johnny Yong Bosch, Kyle Hebert, Michelle Ruff (despite the fact that she annoys me a lot), and Steve Blum in probably his strangest yet awesome role. I heard that the subbed Kamina is actually pretty epic but I believe that nonetheless that the show is great in both languages.
By this point, you the reader are probably thinking that I really must've liked this show because of how good it is on the technical side of things. Well, all of you who have seen this show, get ready to push the Not Helpful button in 3...2...1...: I HATE GURREN LAGANN. There I said it because to me this is the most overrated anime of all time. I really don't get why this is so critically acclaimed. Why do I hate this show? This story is dumb and things that occur do not make sense at all. You are probably thinking "Well can't you excuse it for not having logic?" To which I answer NO!
Well okay, I do get that a lot of people like this show because of how manly it is and its conveyance the message of going the distance. I applaud the fact that this is a very inspiring story. However, there are so many flaws in this plot that prevent me from taking it seriously. Things just happen without any logic or acknowledgement for the laws of physics, most evident in the climax of the show. A lot of characters are forgettable, and the ones you get to know the most have moments where you just hate them such as when the most likable character gets killed off leaving one of the characters in an unlikable depressed state. Deus Ex Machinas happen all the time and honestly things happen so fast that trying to understand it will take you a long while. It's amazing how something like this gets made without these flaws ever being acknowledged...but despite all I say about the plot, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it at all, in fact it is the opposite.
As much as I despise this anime and the disgustingly high amount of accolades it gets, you have to realize, I watched this show till the end. Yes, the plot is god awful and really needed a lot of tuning. However, this show can be very fun to watch and when it is fun, it is really fun. There is one episode that I keep watching over again and that is the uncensored episode 6, which in my opinion is freaking hilarious. When I like the characters, I root for them and I know that's the real appeal of the show, the passion and likeability of the ambition of these characters. There are epic mecha battles here and they are fun to watch. If this enjoyment wasn't swayed by the fact that a lot of things doesn't often make sense, then I would've liked Gurren Lagann a lot, but my opinion is my opinion.
GO WATCH THIS SHOW! Seriously, if you have not seen this anime then you are missing out. I may hate Gurren Lagann a lot because of it's ridiculous plot, high amount of forgettable characters, and inconsistent animation, but I think just like Neon Genesis Evangelion, a very similar mecha anime that also despite the accolades it gets is also considered overrated, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann should not be passed because trapped in all the nonsensical bullshit there is an inspiring story. I wish I actually did love this anime like the rest of anime fan base but I honestly can't bear myself to believe that this can be high quality show. In the end, this show really should not be passed up by any anime fan because everyone should experience this anime and make up their own opinions.
