Admin's Anime Review: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann - Heaven Piercing Gurren Lagann

Title: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Studio: Gainax
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Fantasy, Adventure, Mecha, Action
Original Run: April 1, 2007- September 30, 2008
Episodes: 27
Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi
Original Character Design: Atsushi Nishigori
Number One Theme Song: Opening Theme "Sorairo Days" by Shoko Nakagawa

Admin's Score:
Story: 91
Character Development: 90
Artwork: 90
Songs: 90
Animation/ Battle Depiction: 92



Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann main protagonists (left to right): Kamina, Simon, Yoko Littner. At their back is Gurren Lagann.


Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagan has been adapted from the original anime to many media like manga, light novel, video-games, and the movie. This is Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann the movie Gurren-hen, the first part of the movie that compiles all of the act in the first arc + some additional scenes and alterations.


Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann for NDS, adding some new scenes to the original story in the anime.

Synopsis
In the future, humans are forced to live underground, in a subterranean civilization, isolated from other human and the surface. They live in a colony with the village system. In a village named Giha, lived a boy named Simon. He is an ostracized digger that has the task to dig underground in order to expand the village and anticipate the frequent earthquakes. One day, during his digging session, he found a small glowing drill. He kept that drill with him from that time and he was recruited at that time into the Gurren Brigade lead by an orphan fellow named Kamina, whose dream is to break through to the surface, following his father's path. After their first attempt to break the roof to the surface failed, Kamina was jailed. However, Simon continue his digging session illegally during night, just to find another weird thing, this time, a big robotic face. When he tried to tell his discovery to Kamina, he was captured by the elders and before their punishment is given, a huge mecha break through the roof and fall on the village. Apparently it was a Ganmen, mechas that terrors human in surface world. Following that, a woman with rifle descended to the village, fighting against the Ganmen. She was Yoko, who came from neighboring village. As their power wasn't enough to stop the Ganmen, Simon finally decided to use his discovery. It worked, the head turned to a mecha by inserting the core drill. Together with Yoko & Kamina, they crushed the Ganmen and ascend gloriously to the surface. But what awaits them on the surface ?

Strength:
Unique character design (get the best character design award). Nice original idea, well developed into a good story with many plot twists and suspense. The action here is of a grand, huge scale. Every battle is so epic, and the level of the battle rise along with the story progress (it's on the galaxy scale at the end, wow). The battle depiction and the suspense are very well made, supported by some cool music theme that built the heat of the battle. Mecha designs are unique, flexible and cool. The use of battleships built even more heat in wars. The main protagonists' character are well-developed.

Weakness:
Episodes 4's total failure. Its artwork is so lame and the animation sucks (I don't know why, it seems like another studio/ staff taking over the task...).

Screenshot:



Simon the driller found the core drill while digging. This was the beginning of his fate as a mankind's warrior who will fight to give human freedom.



The Dai-Gurren troops. In the middle is the big battleship Dai-Gurren (formerly Dai-Ganzan), stolen from enemy and then modified. The other mechas were Ganmen taken over by human from the beastmen. This is the grand battle against the capital city Teppelin. One of the best war scene in the anime.



The battle against Viral in the hot spring. Simon and friends were being trapped by hot spring Ganmen and forced to battle enemy's Ganmen. This is one heck of a scene, because, all of them are naked, except Rosshiu at the left and Leeron, the guy at the back. Even Viral gave them time to wear some clothes and called them the naked apes. (Note: At the end of the battle, Yoko's bra went off, because she still wore the hot-spring suit...)

One of the best anime I've ever seen. In terms of action, I say this is the best I've ever watch. For your consideration, this anime won 7th annual Tokyo's Anime Award in 2008. Also, Excellence Prize 2007 at Japan Media Arts Festival and Personal Best for its director. I highly recommend this anime as a must-watch.