Anime Reviews

[UnknownH]

Here's the topic again. I post some later once I find them again. And I have a big one coming up. With Video.

[UnknownH]

Who The Hell Do you Think I Am!

And if that is familiar or gets you pumped up, then you know Gurren Lagann.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is what happens when you ask Studio Gainax to create a Saturday morning cartoon. Yes, Either you think it's a great anime for of GAR, win, awesome, insanity, and just a good series of comedy and massive amounts of action. Or you think it may be over rated.

Taking place in a future Earth where humans are forced underground and live in villages to where they have no contact with the surface or other villages. In order to grow, the villages must dig and that's what Diggers do.

One such digger is a hero of ours, Simon although it can also be spelled with a u in it which is how the Dub pronounces it. No clue. He's an orphan and the only family he has is his big brother type Kamina. One day Simon finds a little green drill then he finds a face, or rather a robot who's body is a head that Simon pilots using the Core Drill he dug up.

Yes, as Kamina tries to reach the surface, where his dad went once, he keeps getting jailed and so the only one who sticks by him is Simon and the little pig-mole Boota but then, a robot called a Ganman(or Gunman) breaks down and then a girl (in a bathing suit) with a huge gun named Yoko shows up and they climb into Lagann (Kamina named it) and jump up into the surface.

In the next episode, they find a ganman which Kamina names Gurren. And so, they all set off with an another friend name Leeron from Yoko's village (genius mechanic but possibly very gay) and meet many of the surface dwellers, called beastmen, who literally are. They get many more friends and the two robots combine into the title robot Gurren Lagann.

That's all I'll say from now about some of the plot.

Simon: As I said, he find the Core Drill and Lagann and he mostly follows Kamina. Until one big event. He becomes a much different character after this and kicks much ass. He even beats up what might have been a god. At least it had the power of one.

Kamina: Awesome. Just that. One of the most liked characters in recent anime. Simon's big brother figure, his dad went up to the surface world and so he wanted to reach it as well. His famous quotes are,

"Don't believe in yourself. Believe in me, who believes in you!" Said to Simon to help when upset or to give courage.

"Go beyond the impossible, and kick reason to the curb! That's the Team Gurren way!"
Said often as he named the group of people they get, Team Gurren.

"Your drill is a drill that will pierce the heavens!"
Told to Simon often. And it's true.

"Remember this, beast! Combining is where two fighting spirits collide! It's where a man's spirit is ablaze! The farthest combination! Gurren-Lagann! Who the hell do you think we are?! From now on, this mech's name is Gurren-Lagann!"
Said after combining for the first time.

And, one of his most famous lines and also his signature pose, in which he sticks his index finger up into the air, along with his catchphrase, "Who the hell do you think I am?" Others often use this as well.

And here's a quote for the both of them,

Kamina: We brawlers are sustained by willpower! Even when mocked as reckless and crazy!
Simon: When there's a wall in our way, we'll smash it down! Where there isn't a path, we'll carve one ourselves!
Both: The magma of our soul burns with a shining flame! Super ultra combining -- Gurren Lagann!!
Simon: Just who...!
Kamina: In the hell...!
Both: DO YOU THINK WE ARE!?

Boota: the little pig-mole of Simon's that's always around. It often times will jump into Yoko's top. He also is like Chopper from One Piece for an episode. It's pretty cool.

Yoko: She's the hot girl. And she has a gun. A long gun. She also starts the journy to the surface when she crashes down from it. She gets a crush on Kamina (not that hard to understand) and turns into like a big sister to Simon. An odd thing is that both times, something happens when a guy who likes her or she likes kisses her then goes to fight. I won't say what it is though.

Nia: Is the cute girl we see in the later part of the first half of the series after the big change and she becomes Simon's pairing. She's actually a thrown away princess from her father, the king of the beastmen, Lord Genome. She has strange eyes and anime hair. She becomes real important in the second part of the series.

Rossiu: A kid they picked up a village where they kicked someone out when they hit 50 people. He brought with him two kids named Gimmy and Dary. A boy and girl. He has a large forehead, and very intellegent. But in the second half of the series, he turns into quite a jerk. Not exactly his fault really. Was often a sub for Gurren.

Kittan: Another character like Kamina but, much different. He has three sisters and they call themselves the Black Siblings. He really does turn into something as awesome as Kamina later. Gets a thing for Yoko later too.

Viral: A cat/shark like beastman who's the rival character. He's not really a character you can hate as he's not that bad. Just a real rival. Also becomes really important later in the second part.

Lord Genome: The main villian of first part and Nia's father. He actually knows more then he lets on and is more important then you see in the show.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Dai-G...w_text.jpg
There's a big team shot of most of the characters.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Te...Lagann.jpg
This has a shot of Kamina and the mech while this picture here;
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ci...perior.jpg
Is just awesome but never was in the show. It's just cool.

Two big things in the series are the Drill and the Spiral.
The drill is explained here, http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThisIsADrill
While the Spiral is not only is it the basis of strength for the main characters and mankind, but it is presented as a philosophy and way of life, and as a model of physics. Lord Genome notes that it is the natural order of the universe to coordinate itself into a spiral arrangement. The spiral symbolizes the double helix structure of DNA, representing biological evolution, and the spiral structure of a galaxy, representing universal evolution. Simon's spiral drill is used as a motif to symbolize the spiral theme throughout the series. At the same time, the drill motif symbolizes the strength to challenge or 'drill' through tough obstacles.

Here's a link that shows just how large and awesome the mechs are in this series.
http://wtf.animeblogger.net/?p=138 The one in the picture, that's the last mech of the series, Tenga Toppa Gurren Lagann. How it's formed is one of the more awesome/insane parts. The mechs just keep getting bigger and bigger. Which is equal to how awesome/insane they are.

This does kind of have a Gainax ending but it's a great series anyway.

And now, for videos that are awesome from the show. If you haven't seen the series, you may not be able to take the awesome GAR-ness. Two of the most awesomeness in the series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-IkRM9oK8w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcHPb8LE0ns&feature=related

And here's one of the only times the song Welcome to the Black Parade doesn't mostly suck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxRxpnHqfCE

Again, Those have massive spoliers so don't watch if you haven't seen the series already.

And that's just a little bit on a current series I just saw.