When I was a kid, I remember my dad driving my family to the Regal theater down the street for another installment of the Transformers franchise (Yes, the one lorded over by the incomparable Michael Bay). My father, a huge Transformers fan since pre-adolescence, followed this same routine every time Bay released one of those movies. I personally loved this family tradition as a child because I thought that the plot was always super-intense, that Optimus Prime was the coolest, that the fight scenes were incredibly dope,  and that Megan Fox was the sexiest person ever. Over time, I matured, my viewpoint of the Transformers franchise becoming more subjective and critical. I realized that the plot leans towards the generic, that Optimus Prime is little more than a rust-consumed relic, that the fight scenes are unnecessarily lengthy, that Megan Fox was a forgettable face in the film industry, and that this whole mess is spearheaded by a financially-insane director who cares more about babes, explosions, and big robot fights than creating a film with real substance. That last part was what ultimately turned me off about the Transformers franchise and the mecha genre itself. For the longest time, I upheld the promise I made to myself to never expose myself to anime titles with a big focus on robots… and then Gurren Lagann entered into my life. At first, I didn’t want to watch this seriously-popular series for three reasons: it’s a mecha anime, one of its main characters (Yoko Littner) has become an Internet sensation due entirely to being a fanserivce tool, and it was produced by Gainax (the same studio that introduced the disaster known as FLCL into the anime world). At the time, if you had told me that I would write a mostly positive review for Gurren Lagann, that I would consider one of the main characters as nothing less than an icon, and that I would praise this anime as one of my five favorite series ever, I would’ve call you crazy.

The only reason why I decided to check out Lagann was because I believe in second chances, and that I judged the mecha genre too harshly. What pulled me into this show from the beginning was its spectacular theme song (I love how the theme song ends the same way it begins). After the theme song concludes to begin Gurren Lagann’s pilot episode, the show almost immediately establishes its premise: to follow the adventure towards freedom with the three main characters: (in order of increasing importance from least to greatest) Yoko Littner, my favorite character Kamina (I’ll get to him later; a couple of sentences here isn’t good enough for this guy), and Simon (pronounced “Sea-moan” in the dubbed version). In the beginning, Simon is a young boy in early adolescence, struggling to find his identity and purpose in life, but (unlike all the other main characters in anime that happen to be teenagers) he never digresses into some whiny, pessimistic, angst-machine. At a slow yet realistic pace, Simon develops into a warrior of the highest order; this process is highlighted by Simon’s speech in episode 11 (just an absolute Hall-of-Fame scene, an unforgettable “this is what anime is all about” moment) and concludes in the last seven-or-so episodes in the series, where Simon consistently delivers space-shattering attacks and immortal speeches while donning a visual masterpiece of an outfit. The depth, attention to detail, and passion involved in Simon’s characterization is among my favorite aspects about Gurren Lagann.

On the show’s voyage towards freedom, Gurren Lagann brings other characters into the fold. Rossiu is at first this anime’s resident analytical quiet guy but, later on, he evolves into a psychologically tortured do-gooder with a cold-hearted exterior. Nia is the token shy, hypersensitive girl; however, her overtrusting tendencies are what makes Nia unique from the others and this, along with a truly traumatic backstory, is why Nia is my second favorite character in Gurren Lagann (What also helped was Hynden Walch’s angelic voice in her role as the benevolent young princess). Viral throws himself into the show as a supporting character who views himself as Kamina’s foil but he slowly becomes an honorable antihero that establishes a friendly rivalry with Simon (This climaxes at the very end of episode 21, where (together) they pull off a huge speech in preparation for battle). Kittan is my least favorite character, an egotistical blondie who comes across as the poor man’s Kamina (what severely damaged my opinion of the guy was in episodes 9 to 11, where he snatched Simon’s role as captain and digressed into the belittling jerk of jerks) but Kittan becomes his own man in his finale battle, where he screams “I ain’t sayin no showy crap like ‘Later, buddy’ or something lame like that!”. Even Gurren Lagann’s mascot (a mole named Boota that’s obsessed with Yoko’s, um, guns) has a Hall-of-Fame scene (It’s in episode 25, where the show reveals that Boota is a source of what is known as “Spiral Power”). As for the aforementioned Yoko, she’s a fairly predictable character who has the Kiss of Death and who occasionally proves her statement in episode 4 (“I have my moments”) with a handful of cool scenes (highlighted by her “Class Dismissed” moment in episode 21) but she never really breaks out of her role as the cliché tsundere/fan-service tool. Despite Yoko being a member of this show’s cast, that doesn’t prevent me from hailing Gurren Lagann’s collection of characters as among anime’s finest.

Like practically every other action series, Gurren Lagann’s soundtrack consists of mostly fast-paced rock; every now and then , it explores other genres of music to complement the mood of the show, like jazz, folk blues, and even opera-style hip-hop (Yes, such a thing exists). Featured in Lagann’s soundtrack are some truly unforgettable songs, like the remixed version of “Row Row Fight the Power” that pops up when Kittan fights Rossiu (just a marvelous display of atmospheric techno-rap) and (my favorite) “Happily Ever After”. It’s a Japanese rock track that plays during Simon’s speech in episode 11, a song overflowing with passion, emotion, and (above all) anger. This anime wouldn’t be what it is without its soundtrack.

As much as I love the characters and soundtrack, I have to admit that the animation and the massive amount of style used in the animation is what really separates Gurren Lagann from the rest. In the latter part of the series, there’s a seven-year timeskip; Gurren Lagann adjusts to this by modifying the character designs (specifically Simon and Nia) to look different but not to the point of being unrecognizable. Without a doubt, the most interesting character design belongs to a warrior of the Anti-Spiral race; it’s a black-and-white outline of a body with dark, grainy images quickly flashing across the character’s skin. Among the best instances of this show’s animation are the combining scenes (the scenes where the head of a robot merges with the body to create the titular robot of the series), in which the transformation occurs with rainbow streaks coloring the background. Every now and then, Gurren Lagann uses what is known as “scenery porn”; for example, in episode 21, the show has Yoko and a schoolboy sitting in a tree, conveniently placed smack in the middle of an orange-pink afternoon sun on the left and a beautiful baby blue moon on the right. This show’s simply awe-inspiring animation is the icing on the cake that is Gurren Lagann.

  Like FLCL, Gurren Lagann operates with a zany, over-the-top atmosphere. The difference between the two, however, lies in Lagann steadily increasing its amount of absurdity until this exaggerated nonsense climaxes in the beginning o episode 24 with a statement made by Attenborough, the trigger-happy member of Simon’s crew:

“THERE’S A GIANT NAKED WOMAN FLOATING IN SPACE!”
Knowing Gurren Lagann, of course there is. Despite its overly excessive silliness, there are also subtle elements here that help refine this series. There are a couple of moments in episode 11 that are used to address the controversial issue of sexism. There is an underrated sequence in episode 13, where the Lagann robot uses drills to swing over, beneath, and through enemies like an 8-foot tall Spiderman. There are occasional religious references that pop up in the show (Gurren Lagann doesn’t bombard you with them like other titles do) and these give the series a sense of intelligent writing. After the seven-year timeskip, there’s an underlying conflict between Simon, who longs for how things used to be, and Rossiu, who represents the New Age method of operating. The smooth blend of subtlety and silliness doesn’t appear in your average anime title.

Gurren Lagann is among my favorite series ever but there are several faults that prevent this from becoming the greatest of the greats. The supporting characters (like the Spiral King’s Four Supreme Generals and the aforementioned Attenborough, for example) are practically walking clichés that receive near-nonexistent depth. There’s way too much fanserivce her for my tastes (Lagann has two different episodes dedicated to the form of shameless pandering (episodes 6 and 12) but episode 12 doesn’t have the bizarre randomness that episode 6 has not the uniqueness or the massive amount of classic scenes, and is ultimately unnecessary. After the seven-year timeskip, Gurren Lagann transforms from a fun-filled adventure with a free-flowing structure to a high-stakes galactic odyssey of epic proportions with a rigid, unyielding purpose. The last seven episodes are where the series peaks in practically every respect but it loses the eccentric, carefree charm that it once possessed. Last but not least, the entire “animals-evolving-into-humans” concept is more than a little farfetched. Despite its flaws, this is a series that places a ridiculous amount of passion into everything it does, that is simply phenomenal by any statistical calculation (It even passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors, and that doesn’t happen often with anime titles), that has among the greatest recap episodes ever (Episode 16 overflows with animation style and replays the series’ classic moments up to that point), and that pushes itself to obliterate the boundaries it has already shattered before (climaxing in the final battle, which in itself is a visual and musical masterpiece). If you decide to check out the experience that is Gurren Lagann, watch it for the theme song. Watch it for Simon’s Speech in episode 11. Watch it for the immortal soundtrack. Watch it for the over-the-top silliness of it all. Above all else, watch it for Kamina.

“There’s nobody else like him,” – Yoko Littner (Episode 8)

To describe the great Kamina as “unique” or “one-of-a-kind” would be a massive understatement, a feeble attempt at hero worship that doesn’t do justice in capturing the essence of this iconic legend in mere words. I (and practically every human being who’s ever existed) am not talented enough to create an analysis of this one-man force of personality but I will try my best. Who is Kamina? With one of his first lines ever (“Call me bro”), he’s introduced as the older brother Simon never had, the easygoing, optimistic slacker with a heart of gold. As Simon hangs around this charming guy, the show reveals other aspects of Kamina’s being. Confidence oozes from the pores of this man’s skin. Kamina’s every word exudes charisma. Simply put, Kamina’s the leader of leaders (You could imagine that if he were a real person, he would dominate the 2016 USA Presidential Elections). Beyond that, Kamina is a fiery fighter in battle that prides himself in his ability to, in his own words, “never give up, never surrender, [and] never back down.” Among my favorite things about this guy is how he uses his blue hair, his goofy V-shaped sunglasses, and his cheesy speeches (you know, traits that would earn ridicule for anybody else), and proudly displays them to further cement his legend, making these things actually cool. What truly separates our blue-haired warrior from the rest of anime’s finest is how he performs the unbelievable, the superhuman feats that only he can do, as if it’s routine, like the Spinning Sword sequence in episode 1 (Kamina stomps on a katana lying on the ground. The katana soars in the air, and quickly rotates around his neck before he grabs it in-motion), the “Fighting Spirit” scene in episode 7 (where he restores a critically-damaged Lagann with only his mental willpower), and the surreal scene in episode 4, where he makes one of his signature speeches as an opponent exclaims “Wow! That guy’s awesome!” That’s the one thing that stands out most about Kamina: no other anime character is glorified by the cast members like this guy. Kamina’s crew worships the ground he walks on. Every woman who encounters this charismatic character falls in love with him (No lie). Even Kamina’s worst enemies hold him in high regard. Later in the series, the other characters build a magnificent city in his name (the ultimate testament to Kamina’s influence and importance to Gurren Lagann). One of the saddest scenes in this show occurs when the citizens of Kamina City burn down a statue of their hero. After subpar roles in Dragon Ball Z and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Kyle Herbert unleashes a tour de force performance, an award-winning effort, as the great Kamina, injecting energy, confidence, and pain into his role. It is unarguable that Simon eventually surpasses his mentor by leaps and bounds in terms of accomplishments but he never had as much fun in what he did like Kamina. Every episode, every silly speech, every minute, every second with Kamina is a bonafide guarantee of gloriously over-the-top entertainment. Beyond that, no other character in Gurren Lagann contained his unyielding stubbornness, his uncontrollable sorrow, his cheesy sports announcer voice, his phenomenal devotion to his legion of followers, his ceaseless quest for the spectacular in every he did, his instincts-first approach to life, and (above all else) his selflessness, how he never used his larger-than-life personality to set himself apart from the others. Kamina epitomizes the essence of Gurren Lagann and, as far as anime characters are concerned, he is the epitome of epitome.