Gurren Lagann (2007)
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Gurren Lagann Review
Gurren Lagann is a 2007 mecha anime which is one of the more famous of its genre, but I personally did not care for it.
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“Go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb!
That’s how Team Gurren rolls!“
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I generally dislike the mecha genre and although I certainly did not hate this series, I also did not love it. The story is particularly uninspired and I honestly found the magical elements, especially the explanations of such, bothersome. The show features way too much exposition for my personal taste and it just did not flow well at all.
Yes, the pacing is all over the place as some episodes are action-packed and bombastic whereas others are more slow and meditative in their approach. I loved the adventurous episodes the most and also the comedic ones. The giant bath episode is by far the standout one of the entire anime as it was hilarious, so well executed in its goofy humor and a lot of fun.
I wish more episodes were like that one, but unfortunately the show focuses so much on action and spectacle that I was constantly getting bored by it. I do find the action solidly executed, but it isn’t particularly memorable in the bigger scope of things.
The characters are way too weakly developed and forgettable in my opinion. Some are good including the couple of protagonists and their interactions can be a lot of fun, but I just did not care all too much for each of them individually and their arcs are not all that great.
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Gurren Lagann is gorgeously animated, that’s for sure. You can always rely on anime to feature terrific animation and this one is no different as it came out in 2007 and it looks modern, splendid, detailed and particularly colorful which I love. I also liked the score and for the most part the anime was well made across the board. I just did not find its story or characters worth the 27-episode run.
Gurren Lagann is, in the end, a forgettable, highly overrated anime series which has its moments and it looks and sounds good, but the plot and characterization are nothing to write home about and the action is simply too overwhelming.
Worst Episodes: Later, Buddy, Compilation Episode and I’ll Never Forget This Minute, This Second.
Best Episodes: Bust Through the Heavens with Your Drill, Having Multiple Faces Makes You Great?! and My Gurren is Sparkling.
Well first off Gurren Lagann is not supposed to be story driven, nor is it meant to be. And for the characterizations, surely you can’t forget THE pinnacle of manliness: Kamina, or Simons impressive character development throughout the story, which also falls into the fact that these characters were inspired and supported by each other, surely that’s good enough? And especially Simons growth as a character, how could you not forget that?
What the show mainly is trying to achieve is that you must push through the boundaries of your self-limitations and literally do the impossible (pun intended), that’s what it is trying to portray, is to take those flowery words and take it to the next level, which has been executed throughout the show perfectly.
Of course their were some downfalls to the anime, but is it anything really memorable about? Taking the action in contrary, how is it “overwhelming” by any means? It’s meant to be action filled, which are one of the many things that solely shaped Gurren Lagann, into what Gurren Lagann is and was. I feel it’s perfectly balanced as it reconciles with the main message of the series. It’s truly a show to just kick back and enjoy.
Of course, these are just my subjective opinions and so are yours, which I respect. What I can say is that Gurren Lagann isn’t for everyone, the same applies for other anime. But what I can truthfully, and lastly say is that this show is a very enjoyable anime to most audiences.
Great to hear your opinion. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Great to hear your opinion. Thanks for posting the review. 🙂