Aired in 2007, Studio Gainax

27 episodes, dub by ADTV

Streaming options: English dub on Hulu, Netflix and Youtube (North America only)

Gurren Lagann (as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is known in English markets) is the story of humanity’s struggle to survive in a universe that thwarts their advances at every turn.

No, that’s not quite it. Gurren Lagann is also about giant robots with giant drills and the people who pilot them.

Actually, Gurren Lagann is really about a young man named Simon. He digs tunnels for his underground village: it’s not too exciting, but hey, it’s a life. His friend Kamina, meanwhile, is much less enthusiastic about this whole thing. See, Kamina is convinced that he’s been outside the village, to a place called “the surface,” and drags Simon into his schemes to return there, all of which have failed. In the meantime, however, Simon has been finding strange things in the dirt of the tunnels. Like a metal face with arms and legs, about twice as big as he is – Kamina dubs it the Lagann.

And then, one bright day, the surface comes to them. An even bigger metal face smashes through the ceiling of the village, pursued by a scantily-clad girl named Yoko and her huge laser gun. To make a long story short, Simon gathers the courage needed to power the Lagann, which he uses to pierce through the monster and fly up to the world beyond. And with that, the first episode of our saga ends.

The series can roughly be divided into three parts, and each can be categorized by Simon’s interaction with different characters: the first third is about Simon and Kamina; the next is about Simon and Nia, a girl who shows up in Simon’s hour of need; and the last part is about Simon and the universe. Each part develops Simon in different ways, but taken together, all of them turn him into a more likable and more courageous character, and into the leader his friends need.

The plot for the first two parts are pretty standard super robot stuff: the primary antagonists are the tyrannical Lordgenome and his Beastmen, who forced humanity underground in the first place. As the story progresses, the Lagann gains a body and more attacks, more characters join the main team, and more battles are fought. Of course, not everything is as clear-cut as it would seem, and this becomes more obvious as the plot grows heavier and more dramatic.

However, the show really takes off in the last section. At its beginning, the team is scattered and divided against each other, but a new crisis forces them all to take action once more. This occurs with a massive shift in tone, changing the series from an above-average super robot show into something truly amazing. Without spoiling anything, the climax of this series is one of the best finales in all of anime. For this alone, it’s probably worth watching the series.

The setup may sound cliched at first, but I believe that’s the point: the creators of the series wanted to take that old formula of mecha anime and do something better with it, and at this they succeeded. However, the real strength of Gurren Lagann is not in its concept but in its characters: the unbridled enthusiasm of Kamina, the growing confidence of Simon, Nia’s quiet strength… all of these characters give the show its unique feel, despite being based on familiar forms. If there’s any problem with the setup, it’s that its first few episodes take a bit to get going, spending a couple episodes on side-trips that do little to advance either the characters or the plot. If all you’ve got is 26 episodes, then you’d better use them all, something Gurren Lagann initially fails to do.

Visually, there is no other show like Gurren Lagann. Period. It’s made up of various disparate parts that at first glance, should clash, but instead all works very well together. Its art style is edgy and angular, with lots of thick outlines and sketchy forms, but is still very flexible, and twisting, cartoonish distortions in sizes and shapes of objects are common. Mecha made out of skull-like faces coexist with abstract geometric CG designs and effects. Characters run the gamut from Lordgenome: a huge, bald, muscular man who resembles Sagat from the Street Fighter games, to the minor character Artenborough, who looks more like a rejected Muppet design, and pretty much every design in between. Battles are beautifully animated and choreographed, packed with smooth, exciting action that is incredibly satisfying to watch.

The series’ soundtrack is above average overall, but it does have its great moments. It’s mostly orchestral, with some electronic, rock and world instrumentation, but one of the most interesting songs is “Libera Me from Hell,” which combines sweeping, operatic cues with Engrish-y rap. Another highlight is the second ending song, “Minna no Peace,” an upbeat punk anthem that's about harmonizing with love and rock, whatever that means. Meanwhile, the sound effects aren’t quite as distinctive: it all sounds good, but it just doesn’t stand out from anything else.

Similarly, the English voice acting is well-done, but there are a few characters that stand out from the norm, like Kamina’s irrepressible exuberance as he alternately yells his way through life and acts as the voice of reason for Simon, or the ultra-effeminate Leeron. But in the final episode, everybody (and I mean everybody – special note must be given to the awesome voice of the final enemy) cuts loose and taps into their inner hot-blooded mecha pilot, hamming it up the best they can, making the fight even more entertaining to watch.

Taken together, all of these add up to a brilliant show, definitely worth the watch – with a few precautions.

Violence: 4/10 - Giant robot action: stuff gets blown up, robots get torn apart, things get punched, drilled through and/or shot. A couple characters bleed heavily in scenes.

Sexual Situations/Nudity: 7.5/10 - And here's where Gurren Lagann gets into trouble. There are two huge pitfalls: an early episode, set at a hot spring, and Yoko. In the former, almost all the male leads (and Yoko) end up naked, and uses equally suggestive methods to cover it up. This occurs throughout the whole episode, which was cut to ribbons due to broadcast standards and was combined with clips from earlier in the show to fill the time lost. Fortunately, because of this, the plot doesn't advance very far in this episode, and you can skip it without losing too much.

Not so with Yoko. The camera continuously focuses on Yoko's chest and other curves, following their every bounce and sway. Her outfit really, really isn't helping, either: in the inevitable beach episode, her swimsuit covers more than her normal clothes. It's a shame she's so sexualized, because she's a good enough character that she deserved more characterization that should have spoke louder than than "I'm a girl! I have breasts! Look!" There's some other bits here and there, too: in the aforementioned beach episode, Nia (who looks about 14, tops) is the focus of the other characters' attention when she's in her (much more modest) swimsuit, and in another part of the series, an evil character gives her some lecherous looks.
The character Leeron is another possible sticking point. He is very clearly gay, though he rarely acts on that with regards to other characters. Many other suggestive moments abound, driving home the fact that about 99% of it was unnecessary, distracting us from the focus of the series and what is good about it.

Problematic religious themes: 4/10 - Gurren Lagann is very ambiguous when it comes to religion. An early episode depicts a spiritual leader who uses an ancient holy book to explain his attempts at limiting his village's population. He does this by banishing people to the surface, sending them to their deaths. However, late in the series, it's revealed that he couldn't even read the book. It's unclear what they're trying to say here: Do people who use religion for evil understand their own religion? Is religion itself made to confuse people? It's hard to say, and either way, it's a side plot to the real action.

And speaking of which, one of the primary struggles in the show is of control vs. free will: the villains are powerful regimes who are imposing strict policies of extermination on humanity when they get out of line. In one light, this theme could be seen as rebellion against God, who is seen as unfriendly and even evil. Taken another way, though, it could be seen as destroying entities that have falsely set themselves up as God. Once again, there is no clear answer here.

Other than that, the source of the heroes' power is known as Spiral Power, and is said to be drawn from the force of a species' evolution. Make of that what you will.

Language/Problematic themes: 5/10 - Some d---, b-----d, a-- sprinkled through out; one instance of b----. Kamina's catchphrase, "Who the h--- do you think I am?" is repeated loudly even more commonly. One minor character is never seen without a cigarette in her mouth.

Bottom Line: Gurren Lagann is a giant robot sugar rush: it's familiar, but different from anything else out there, and it's well worth the ride if you take it. However, you'll have to get past the near-constant fanservice it throws at you, and its religious pitfalls.