Alright my friend told me to watch this anime to get my opinion on it because him and I usually share similar thoughts and feelings about the anime we watch. My friend doesn't really care for the show all that much and he simply cannot grasp the reason behind why this show is so popular and adored by many. With this in the back of my mind, I started off the show with a slight bias. However, that bias soon disappeared and I realized that perhaps my friend and I are not so alike after all. I'll mention my reasoning behind this later on in the review. My scores and their explanations will be short.
Story- 8: The story overall has a "never give up" attitude throughout the entire show. This kept the story simple, to the point, and easy to fully enjoy.
Art- 10: I loved the animation and you can tell (except for a few small things) that the animators put a lot of work behind the animation of this show. Towards the end there even seems to be a slight increase in quality which makes the fight scenes that much more amazing to watch.
Sound - 10: I am not an expert when it comes to sound (or doing anime reviews for that matter) but the I appreciate the OST's used in this anime. The BGM during certain fight scenes feel heroic and superman-like. At the same time, there are other songs that are surprisingly good at setting a more depressing tone. I also loved the opening of this anime. Really fits Gurren Lagann as a whole.
Characters- 10: Most of the characters in this show are likable and have their own unique, fun things about them that make you enjoy watching them. I felt bad for Yoko in a sense because she pretty much had to take the brunt of the fanservice responsibilities. Haha
Enjoyment- 10: Okay, I have always felt that it's not the anime itself that you are scoring when rating an anime, it's the impact it's had on you. Before watching Gurren Lagann, I was prepared to fully accept the fact that this anime will disappoint me and was just watching it to see why it is raved over so much. However, Gurren Lagann was one hell of a ride. I really enjoyed this anime. It's been a long time since I've been so pumped up while watching an anime. It makes you feel like you are on top of the world at times and that nothing will ever stand in your way.
Overall-9: Gurren Lagann is an anime that was not meant to be taken seriously. The show doesn't even take itself seriously. This show is so extreme and over-the-top that if you tried to take it seriously, you will only be disappointed and probably hate this show. With that said however, this silly, simpleminded, parody of an anime is what makes it so great. It's simplicity is what allows the doors to be opened to display the true beauty and epicness of this show. Getting caught up in the complexities of the show or trying to hang onto every little word is pointless. This is not really an anime that you need to hit the rewind/pause button in an effort to understand what is going on when something "complex" is being said. Just give your brain a rest, relax, and let Gurren Lagann take care of the rest. I usually do not use words such as "epic/epicness" or "badassery" when describing a show but these are the first words that come to mind when I think of Gurren Lagann. This show is also , IMO, the epitome of a shounen. It's testosterone-crazed main characters, epic galaxy-sized mecha fights, memorable bad ass quotes, and the "never give up" attitude perfectly defines a shounen.
Anyways this anime will always be a favorite of mine and I highly recommend it to everyone. Mainly guys though. Lol. This was my first review so I hope everything seemed concise and organized and not so much like I was rambling.
