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Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann! MY TOPIC IS THE TOPIC THAT WILL PIERCE THE HEAVENS!


Chaos Warp

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Huh, I coulda swore we had this topic O_o. Maybe it was old server haha.

 

ANYWAYS BRO. I've actually been meaning to pick it up on DVD soon or maybe wait out for an eventual bluray release since I haven't watched it in 2-3 years now. It's a great show and love it to death, and has gotten quite a few emotional responses from me haha. Kamina is definitely my favorite hands down, but Simon and Kittan are pretty much up there as well.

 

Speaking of the three I recently read the webcomic of Double K, which includes the cast, but in an over the top (and I mean over the TOP) action 80s buddy cop story just to get my fill of the characters again in a new light.

 

Back on topic with the show however, I gotta say one of my favorite things about it is how it starts from a tiny hole in the ground and eventually ends up in the cosmos. Everything in this show seems to follow something of an epic scaling like that, and that's why I think it's so motivating to watch.

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Huh, I coulda swore we had this topic O_o. Maybe it was old server haha.

 

ANYWAYS BRO. I've actually been meaning to pick it up on DVD soon or maybe wait out for an eventual bluray release since I haven't watched it in 2-3 years now. It's a great show and love it to death, and has gotten quite a few emotional responses from me haha. Kamina is definitely my favorite hands down, but Simon and Kittan are pretty much up there as well.

 

Speaking of the three I recently read the webcomic of Double K, which includes the cast, but in an over the top (and I mean over the TOP) action 80s buddy cop story just to get my fill of the characters again in a new light.

 

Back on topic with the show however, I gotta say one of my favorite things about it is how it starts from a tiny hole in the ground and eventually ends up in the cosmos. Everything in this show seems to follow something of an epic scaling like that, and that's why I think it's so motivating to watch.

Yeah, I've heard some stuff about Double K. I've only up to Page 7 at this point, but I mean to read more sometime. 

 

And I totally agree on the scaling thing, it's a awesome progression, to see how far Team Dai-Gurren goes. 

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Good show, I don't view it as anything groundbreaking but it's just pure, awesome fun. Simon and Viral are my favorites.

I've had a bad experience with the DVD though; the copy I bought was defective even though it was brand new and I heard several reports online that some copies of it had the same problems mine had. As a result, I haven't bothered looking into buying it again, and I might just wait out for a Blu-ray release if it ever happens.

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Good show, I don't view it as anything groundbreaking but it's just pure, awesome fun. Simon and Viral are my favorites.

I've had a bad experience with the DVD though; the copy I bought was defective even though it was brand new and I heard several reports online that some copies of it had the same problems mine had. As a result, I haven't bothered looking into buying it again, and I might just wait out for a Blu-ray release if it ever happens.

 

If your talking about the complete pack, it's just the first disc that's defective in all copies. The seller I got it from included a working volume 1 disc and I bought the special edition of the first volume just in case. All other discs work perfectly yeah, unless you just got a broken copy.

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It's a really good show, but I didn't find it "life changing" nor is it my favorite.

 

I've always loved "Love Letter" shows due to how above and beyond they can go with the genre they're paying tribute to, and this show is probably the best example of a "love letter" show you can find. Also, dat animation and art style... It really has an edgy and manga like style that really fits the tone of the series. It actually had a bit of influence on my own art style and I really want to make a love letter series as over the top as this one. The character development in this series is probably one of the best I've seen in this show, and all of the main characters are very 3 dimensional, even Kamina, despite me finding him overrated has some likability and is a great mentor to Simon.

 

However, one of my main problems with the show is that despite how edgy, stylized, and fun the fights are, they just tend to be pretty formulaic... Most, if not all of the characters win their fights by running in, guns a blazing, with little to no strategy put in and I've always disliked characters like that, and it really doesn't help that pretty much all the characters in this show are like this. Granted, I believe this was how most of the fights were won in the classic mecha anime that Gurren Lagann was inspired by, but I've never really had an interest in that sort of thing. Not to mention I thought the humor and fanservice got pretty immature at times, such as all the philliac innuendos, and a finger getting shoved up Simons asshole, seen through seen from the inside of Simon's rectum in the uncut Bath house episode. (Correct me if i'm wrong?)

 

I saw it and loved it the first time I watched it on TV, but by the second time I watched it, I was so sick of its memetic reputation and hype... well, it kinda ruined it for me.  It's a good show, yes, but I just can't really get into it like I did the first time I watched it. and It really didn't help that of all the fanbases I was in, I caught up in the most drama and overall bad experences in the GL fanbase. (ironic coming from someone who's a part of the pony and sonic fanbases. :V) 

 

I swear If I see "Who the Hell do you think I am," one more time, I'm gonna-

 

 

 

JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!

 

 

....

 

*Shuts down laptop, Snaps it in half over knee, bashes it with a hammer, sets it on fire and throws it out the window*

 

(Nah, but seriously, I like the show, it's just not my cup of tea.) 

Edited by Mr. Mayhem!
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I have a soft spot for Gurren Lagann, and consider it one of the most inspirational pieces I've watched from a purely stylistic standpoint personally. I mean... I never was really into anime as a whole when I was younger and even went through a phase where I was like "fuck anime it is so dumb" because of my first ever college that I went to (that turned out to be such a fucking waste of my time and money) where I was taking traditional animation (during 08-09). I won't get into all that, but I am going to say that my exposure to anime was pretty much limited to Dragonball and Pokemon as a kid, and my friend kinda got me into Hellsing and Trigun. But other than that it wasn't really making a huge mark on me at that point and all I ever drew was Sonic The Hedgehog by that point anyway. I just couldn't really get into anime. But then I noticed the internet was exploding at this anime around 2007-2008, but I didn't actually sit down to watch it until the latter half of 08 I believe. I went into it expecting some cool robots and they all had these faces on them and I was like "That's cool, I dig that and I like robots" and it was all very angular - a stylistic choice that kinda resonated with me at the time and has stuck with me since.

 

I was simply fucking blown away by what I was watching. I don't care who says it rips off what because I honestly don't care, up until that point I had not seen anything like it being animated. I think I was pretty much hooked the moment I started watching and they ended up getting in Lagann. It was just hitting all these right notes for me. I dug the character designs, I dug the robot designs, and I was digging the action like you wouldn't believe. I think what I owe the most to this show is that it introduced me to the work of Hiroyuki Imaishi. A friend in that first college knew that this was pretty much the only anime I was digging at the time whilst in the middle of what I call the "western animation is the only kind that's good" brainwashing stage, so he told me "dude I think you'd really love Dead Leaves".

Need I say more? For those who know me Imaishi is one of my idols and that Dead Leaves is now one of my all time favourite films. I owe all that to getting into Gurren Lagann.

I think a big thing for me is that Gurren Lagann represents that time in my life where I was experiencing a medium in a way that I just simply hadn't experienced yet up to that point, at a time when I was being told it was all shit. It introduced me to one of my biggest inspirations in the realm of art and I think its made my design sense and style pop a lot more than had I not known about it. It opened my mind up to going "no, there is stuff over there that is incredible it's not all about the old-school warner bros for me anymore". It got me exploring the medium to find other people that were catching my eye such as Takeshi Koike. It made me want to be a better artist because I want to one day be able to make something that goes to crazy incredible levels. I owe a lot of what I do now to the fact that I got into this show - so no matter what I'm always gonna look on it fondly. Don't even get me started on that second movie because that entire final fight sequence was just amped up to eleven, even by the original endings standards. I watch it regularly for inspiration.

 

So yeah, I love this series so much. Bummed I am not mega rich because I want that complete collection but its like 600 dollars holy shit. I also need to fill out my groundworks collection as I only have one book for the series and one for the first movie (alongside my Panty and Stocking Groundworks book too :V). I'd love to get all of them sometime as well as I believe there is a concept art book or two kicking around for GL as well.

 

edit: oh cool this was my 1500th post. I can dig that.

Edited by Meow
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I love this series, so very much. I remember watching it and just getting the largest rush of adrenaline ever.

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I've never seen this show at all.

 

It sounds fun, but I've never been able to save up and buy it.

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Awesome show...but it's not my favorite anime, that still goes to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

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I have to say it's either my favourite or second favourite anime, but as awesome as it is, it still makes me sad when I watch through it again.. so rewatches have been tough.

 

I probably have tons more to say on why I adore it so much, but I'm too tired to elaborate right now :P perhaps a bigger post later. But damn this series means a lot to me, I'm not sure if it changed my life, but it changed my life, ya dig?

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Awesome series. I love everything about it, the art style, the music, the dialogue, everything. It's incredibly fun to watch and the first time I saw it really left an impact on me. I even have pair of Kamina shades and a Core Drill necklace I found on a convention and actually went as far as making a Kamina cape for this one costume party my school had so yeah, I'm a pretty big fan.

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Not really new in its material, but this show is one heck of a ride. It started as a parody of the Mecha subgenre and then became what it was supposed to make fun of. But that's not a bad thing at all. My favourite character? It's probably Lordgenome. What can I say? There are some villains I'm a sucker for. Villains of the screw-giant-robots-I'm-gonna-plummel-your-fucking-toy-to-the-ground-with-my-bare-hands type, for example. To those who liked it, though, I would suggest Getter Robot Armageddon and G Gundam. I'm sure you would love them.

Edit: Oh! And "The King Of Braves GaoGaiGar".

Edited by Admiral Nald
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I started watching this series earlier this year (recommended by Inferno). I've been admittedly watching the episodes (dubbed version) at a snail's pace, I watch the next episode every blue moon or so. I believe I'm at the seventh/eight episode right now, albeit I've ran into a rather large spoiler that happens later in the episode though.

 

I think the series is great. Especially like the animation and characters. Very funny too.

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Oh Gurren Lagann, it's definitely one of my favourtie animes just because of how balls-to-the-walls fun it is.

I mean c'mon, scenes like Kamina making Simon "Grit those teeth!", or just about ANY of the scenes involving

Spiral Jesus Kamina are always gonna be good ones.

But I'd like to bring special mention to one of the key aspects that makes the show for me, it's kickass soundtrack.

Whenever I listen to it, I not only think they're good tracks because of what they came from, but because I can legitimately give this OST to

anyone I know and they'll love it without memories of the anime.

 

*snip*

 

Or hell, even the adrenaline pumping theme of the Gurren Lagann Mech, itself:

*snip*

 

*snip*

Aw man thanks I was looking for the second song in particular. Thanks man!

 

I do agree that this show has a absolutely fantastic soundtrack, really contributes to the adrenaline and atmosphere.

 

Standouts for me include this:

 

 

(0:34 is where the "real song" starts, some songs in the OST have this buildup that I've never heard in the show) EDIT: Never mind I realized that the buildup is used in the first episode of the show I am a dumb poopy head

 

And this song:

 

 

This OST just gets your adrenaline pumping!

Edited by Chaos Warp
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TTGL ain't my favourite show or anything and I never got way into it like some folks, but it's definitely really good. It didn't totally hook me until the timeskip, but the five or so episodes immediately after that point are fantastic, and the tail end of the series is pretty great too.

 

...it probably reflects poorly on me that my favourite part of the big fun drills 'n' manly show was the slow political part with the mass-produced clone robots where everybody was miserable and the world was about to end. I'm sure that'd say things about my taste in mecha anime if I actually watched mecha anime with any regularity.

 

For real, though, the actual best thing about this show was the eyecatches. I love a good eyecatch, and I'm not sure I've ever seen ones I've liked more than TTGL's.

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I know what you mean, one of my favourties being this one:

3xWsL.jpg

Yeah I really like that one as well, but my favorite one would have to be the one with Simon alone and Gurren Lagann. Not sure which episode it is and not sure where to find it alone, but it's the top left one in this picture (spoilered because it's big and some spoilers in the eyecatches)

tumblr_m4tyf7Dfi41qbbq7go1_500.jpg

Edited by Chaos Warp
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In short, loved the first half a lot.  The second half... not so much.  The movie version of the second half was a little better, though.

 

It had awesome music, a ton of great quotable lines, a lot of likeable characters and just some flat-out awesome art and animation.  Nowhere even near my TOP 10 all-time anime, but still fun for what it was.  Even if it kind of sucked after the time-jump.

 

My favorite thing about the series is this little number:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI2zMKyvJyA

 

It's just so badass.

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Before I give the usual appeal to getter robo, just a mention that, as said before here, Double K is a hilarious and amazing webcomic taking the concept "What if the cast of TTGL was in Miami Vice" to hilarious levels. Go read it.
 
Secondly, just saying that TTGL is an amazing show. The best thing it brings to the table is sheer animation- 27 episodes of amazing animation nonstop. Not even Eva can claim that. Imaishi is a master, as always, and this is noticeable.
 
Now, as has been mentioned before, and as I've repeatedly said in the Anime thread, not only is this not a parody of mecha anime, it's an amazingly crafted love letter to it, and to one franchise in specific- Getter Robo.

 

One of the main intentions in Gurren Lagann was to call attention to Getter Robo, to get people to check it. It's more than a homage, it's pure prostration, or near to that. Looking at how great Gurren Lagann is, I just get... it touched my heart, looking at the labour of love it is unto itself, into the genre, and into Ken Ishikawa's oeuvre. I'd go as far as saying you owe the director of Gurren Lagann this. He gave you an amazing show, so you'd go check Getter Robo. So go check Getter Robo already, the manga in particular (although OVAs like Getter Robo Armageddon or Shin Getter Robo are also nice). You'll find everything you've saw in TTGL, but in a darker version, even more hotblooded, more psychotic, crazier overall, but a bit more grounded in setting. You'll also see a great evolution in art as you advance from the first Getter Robo mangas, with Go Nagai-esque art, to the ones where Ishikawa learned how to produce his own style and the art improves from it.

 

Now, enough of Getter, back to Gurren Lagann.

 

One piece of advice I give is to watch the compilation films after watching the anime. Especially the second one, especially for the final fight.

 

Trust me.

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I'll just say that the soundtrack is flippin' amazing. Probably my favorite soundtrack from an anime.

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I liked Double K but the thing that bothers me about it is how Simon seems to be so shittily treated in the comic. It was kind of hard to stomach the part where...

...Kamina ditches Simon. I get that the author probably wrote the comic just to see Kamina and Kittan team up without making Simon such a major player like he was in the show, but still, that's just something I can't ever see anime!Kamina doing. Every other interpretation of the character seems either faithful enough to the show or reasonably different while not letting us forget who these characters are.

Keep in mind that I pretty much stopped reading the comic soon after this part because the author went through an unbearably long hiatus, so I haven't caught up with it and seen how things have developed since.

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Speaking of,

thumb_big_wide_f05fd3c2f93a52aff840eb455

 

 

I actually just caught up with this webcomic after some very strong recommendations to read it, and I have to say it's really good, Most characters are reasonably in character to their anime selves yet are transplanted well into this new setting and the over-the-top-ness is really great and reminds me of the actual show. Only complaint I have so far is that

Kamina is more of a douche to Simon than I think is in character to his anime self. I mean, abandoning Simon for new partner Kitan doesn't strike me as something Anime Kamina would do. 

 

If you can get over that, it's pretty much the only downside to this otherwise great webcomic.

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Yea, that was kind of a dick move of Kamina there but I believe that's going to come back to bite him in the ass later. He is a lot of an ass here tho.

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Double K (and slight TTGL proper):

Keep in mind that A. Kamina seems pretty blissfully unaware of how he's affected Simon and B. Simon does have to man up 

somehow in a universe where Kamina is still alive.

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