Do The Impossible (Fight the Powah!) - Watch Gurren Lagann

[Aurora]

and you'll finally understand where those cool pointy sunglasses come from.

[Pony Factory Factory]

SQUIRT, SQUIRT, SQUIRT TLE SQUIRTLE.

[Val HelmetheadDamn it, fire hose doesn't work that way!]

Probably because of his total absence from almost the entirety of the last 6 or 7 episodes.

__________________________________________________________

[W.T. FitsSocii sunt mihi qui olim viri fortes rivalesque erant.Saeve certando pugnandoque splendor crescit.]

I felt bad for Rossiu. Poor guy was stuck in the worst possible situation for a guy like him.

Oh, and those of you who haven't watched this yet, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING READING THIS POST?! GO WATCH THIS SHOW!

[diribigalNeither dirigible nor dirigibal.]

there hasn't been a Double K update for a bit.

That just means he's working hard on remastering everything for the Volume 1 book whose kickstarter ended vaguely recently.

[tdkgunghoulI'm still spinnin'!YEAH YEAHYEAH]

What's this? A Gurren Lagann thread without the most awesome image ever?
Ponygoons, I give you
http://i586.photobucket.com/albums/ss31 ... m/ttgl.jpg link because spoilers.

Because this image is what drove me to finally acquire and watch the damn thing.

[Val HelmetheadDamn it, fire hose doesn't work that way!]

I cannot remember what made me watch it. I don't like robot shows (Big O being the exception that proved the rule). I think it was the concept of "pure fighting spirit" being the fuel source.

[The DoctorTurner Of All Things Timey Wimey]

I'll just leave this here

[Val HelmetheadDamn it, fire hose doesn't work that way!]

I'll just leave this here

Yesssssssss....

[tdkgunghoulI'm still spinnin'!YEAH YEAHYEAH]

This too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3GSMPAZhMU

[NisslMarching bravely into a bold new pony future]

Interesting that this is the one anime that's gotten its own thread here. Are any of you watching any current shows? Pretty much all the reviewers I'm following on Twitter seem to agree this is one of the best seasons in ages. I only manage to watch one or two series at a time, but I'd start a thread if there's any interest.

As for this show, I dropped it after 3 episodes because I wasn't feeling the bro-adventure love (it made me feel like I was watching a show for young teenagers, honestly) and the Yoko fanservice and Leeron jokes were getting to me. But now I got spoiled on a major death that happens and I'm thinking about picking it back up. Funny that the Cowboy Bebop death spoiler on these forums is what got me into anime in the first place. There's something revealing about me in there, but I'm not sure what.

[Val HelmetheadDamn it, fire hose doesn't work that way!]

Absolutely! Start it up! (I'll warn you I'm not a big Anime fan these days - but I'll definitely lurk the hell out of it.)

AND WATCH THE SHOW! It gets better, much better as you go.

[RagnarWhat's older? Unicorns, or stars? Incidentally, you should click on Ragnar's sig. Definitely a good idea.]

Interesting that this is the one anime that's gotten its own thread here. Are any of you watching any current shows? Pretty much all the reviewers I'm following on Twitter seem to agree this is one of the best seasons in ages. I only manage to watch one or two series at a time, but I'd start a thread if there's any interest.

As for this show, I dropped it after 3 episodes because I wasn't feeling the bro-adventure love (it made me feel like I was watching a show for young teenagers, honestly) and the Yoko fanservice and Leeron jokes were getting to me. But now I got spoiled on a major death that happens and I'm thinking about picking it back up. Funny that the Cowboy Bebop death spoiler on these forums is what got me into anime in the first place. There's something revealing about me in there, but I'm not sure what.

It only gets better, except for episode 4.

The last thing I watched was Nichijou ("Nichijowns", said the ADTRW thread) and after that nothing. I'd follow an anime thread and possibly even post in it, though.

ninja edit: oh look, someone already made this post. OH WELL

[Val HelmetheadDamn it, fire hose doesn't work that way!]

It only gets better, except for episode 4.

The last thing I watched was Nichijou ("Nichijowns", said the ADTRW thread) and after that nothing. I'd follow an anime thread and possibly even post in it, though.

ninja edit: oh look, someone already made this post. OH WELL

Not to worry Ragnar. Really loving the avatar, by the way.

[PinkemonIts SO limited edition! :'D]

Interesting that this is the one anime that's gotten its own thread here.

Probabably cause its so popular. I was thinking of making some threads too, but the thing is that all of the constant anime hate I see all over this place made me think that any anime thread other than this would probably shrivel up and die. So, I decided not to bother.

As for this series, after THAT episode it actually becomes and stays a lot more serious than the earlier eps.

[Willsun]

Interesting that this is the one anime that's gotten its own thread here. Are any of you watching any current shows?

Like Ragnar said, Nichijou is fantastic, but it takes a certain kind of humor. I think everyone who's given a try so far has loved it. If you want to know what it is, my summary is that Nichijou is about people suffering horrible/strange fates in comedic fashion using over-the-top animation. If you watch the first episode, you'll know when you've hit "the wiener scene" (food). Every episode is better than the last and hit its peak around episode 16 or 18. Very very good.

If you like drama, I'm watching a currently-running one called Kids on the Slope (Sakamichi no Apollon). All I'll say is that it's directed by the guy who directed Cowboy Bebop and the music is by the same lady who composed everything for Cowboy Bebop. The setting is in the 60s about the booming jazz scene surrounding a group of high school students in southern Japan. I enjoy it, but I wouldn't dive in expecting the same sort of gritty noir you can find in Cowboy Bebop. It plays a lot more on the friendship and bro-hood of discovering jazz and getting through life. Top-notch animation quality.

Anyway, enough of the TTGL derail. I can't believe Double K is left on a cliffhanger just as we're about to see Yoko in action for the first time.

[tdkgunghoulI'm still spinnin'!YEAH YEAHYEAH]

That, and all the new questions.

Adine and Viral were good guys all along?

Why is Yoko helping them?

And most importantly: what happens to Simon now that Kamina and Kittan are now BEST BROFRIENDS FOREVER?!

[Dodger]

All we want is to watch someone's progression as they go through this show for the first time. In this thread.

Alright then. I've never seen the show before, and one of my friends had always been talking and discussing the show and what not, I think he's even done some fan art of the show before. In any case, I'll bite. After hearing so much praise for it I'm sure it's gotta be something good.

I just finished Episode 1 on Hulu, and so far I'm really not seeing a lot to be desired. I'll keep watching, of course, but really. Some whiny little kid found MODOK buried underground and fought off a monster with him. So far it just reminds me a lot of like FLCL or Neon Genesis Evangelion. No disrespect intended or anything. Like I said, it just hasn't really grabbed me yet.

Ah well, maybe I'll watch more later tonight, or tomorrow or something.

[diribigalNeither dirigible nor dirigibal.]

So far it just reminds me a lot of like FLCL

Admittedly, I may have enjoyed TTGL more than FLCL, but if you can say "just...FLCL", there's a chance this isn't the show for you.

[RagnarWhat's older? Unicorns, or stars? Incidentally, you should click on Ragnar's sig. Definitely a good idea.]

Alright then. I've never seen the show before, and one of my friends had always been talking and discussing the show and what not, I think he's even done some fan art of the show before. In any case, I'll bite. After hearing so much praise for it I'm sure it's gotta be something good.

I just finished Episode 1 on Hulu, and so far I'm really not seeing a lot to be desired. I'll keep watching, of course, but really. Some whiny little kid found MODOK buried underground and fought off a monster with him. So far it just reminds me a lot of like FLCL or Neon Genesis Evangelion. No disrespect intended or anything. Like I said, it just hasn't really grabbed me yet.

Ah well, maybe I'll watch more later tonight, or tomorrow or something.

The whiny little kid gets better, as does MODOK.

I hope all the hype you've heard and seen doesn't get in the way of your enjoying this.

[The DoctorTurner Of All Things Timey Wimey]

Alright then. I've never seen the show before, and one of my friends had always been talking and discussing the show and what not, I think he's even done some fan art of the show before. In any case, I'll bite. After hearing so much praise for it I'm sure it's gotta be something good.

I just finished Episode 1 on Hulu, and so far I'm really not seeing a lot to be desired. I'll keep watching, of course, but really. Some whiny little kid found MODOK buried underground and fought off a monster with him. So far it just reminds me a lot of like FLCL or Neon Genesis Evangelion. No disrespect intended or anything. Like I said, it just hasn't really grabbed me yet.

Ah well, maybe I'll watch more later tonight, or tomorrow or something.

Ideally, get to episode 8 before deciding. And don't give up after episode 4 (not going to lie, it's bad. Really bad. People got fired bad), which is thankfully the series only really bad episode. Rest is solid.

As for Evangelion, my view of this show has always been one Gurren Lagann was Gainax's apology for Evangelion. Not that Evangelion was bad, just that the show totally changed the mech genre. Pretty much everything after tried to emulate Evangelion's psychobabble. Only show that ever pulled it off was Rahxephon, which differentiated itself from Evangelion by giving it's characters some social skills. Gurren Lagann seemed a tribute to the Mech Genre before Evangelion, lots of action, lots of fun.

And as others have said, don't write off Simon. He is not Shinji. Gurren lagann at it's core is a mech version of the Hero's Quest story structure. Hero rises from humble beginnings. Simon is the Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, and Harry Potter character.

[tdkgunghoulI'm still spinnin'!YEAH YEAHYEAH]

MASSIVE SPOILERISHISM DON'T HIGHLIGHT
And Kamina is the Obi-Wan, with all that it implies

And should you decide to stick with it the very end, I can pretty much say you won't be disappointed with the final arc.

[Dodger]

Got through episodes 2-4 today. Opinion's largely the same, with a few minor changes. I think perhaps the comparison to both FLCL and Neon Genesis Evangelion were largely premature. Starting to warm up to the humor a little. I'm also beginning to see what people were saying about the first few episodes being parody of anime in general; it feels too close to homage,though, especially if you compare it to something like Excel Saga.

Perhaps I'll get more of that parody feel when I get up to the hot springs episode, but yeah, I'll definitely try to get through to at least episode 8, maybe further. Constantly taking trophies off the other defeated mechs is a nice touch though.

edit: Also, is that Nine Inch Nails I hear in the background sometimes?

[RagnarWhat's older? Unicorns, or stars? Incidentally, you should click on Ragnar's sig. Definitely a good idea.]

The music is all original. It might be inspired by NIN; I don't know.

TTGL can be taken as an homage to the history of super robot anime, in that, as the show goes on, the tone of the show changes to match different eras of anime. The earliest episodes feel like the earliest super robot shows, with a big, goofy, guileless sense of humor and a peculiar brand of carefree machismo. Later episodes follow progressively newer trends, but going into detail might involve minor spoilers. Whether this is true or not, TTGL is proud of its roots. If it's a parody, it's an extremely affectionate one.

[Dodger]

First off: Minor apology for getting distracted with other things and not keeping up with watching. I guess that's kind of the benefit of online shows though, they're always available when you wanna go back to them, and you don't need to eagerly anticipate the next episode every week. This post is gonna be a bit longer 'cause it requires a bit more back story into where I'm coming from on some of this.

Back in Episode 1 I likened their situation to that of the D'ni from the Myst series. In the novelizations, which were written by the creator of the game, specifically the second book, this race of underground dwelling people were trying to drill to the surface, and it was a very long and methodical process. Eventually their council decided that it was too risky to reach the surface and shut down the project altogether. While in the first episode of Gurren Lagann, they weren't exactly trying to reach the surface, it was Kamina's goal, so there was some mild association there.

I didn't really piece it together about how interesting some of this could be until I reached episode 5 though, which I just finished watching. First of all, bravo for the stylistic decision to make the episode mostly in gray scale. Seeing how this civilization (and formerly Yoko's people) was trying to thrive and survive in these very oppressive times is very fascinating and interesting. The different ways of life that adapt in harsh environments is something very interesting.

I made some jokes to my friend that was wanting me to watch it about how similar the plot and characters have been to Final Fantasy XIII in some regards, a game which I actually greatly enjoyed despite the fact that everywhere I seem to go on the internet it's completely despised and hated on. In any case, the quick associations I made off the bat was that Kamina was a lot like Snow, and Simone was a lot like Hope. These associations haven't really changed as of yet, but it does help that I can now draw further connections between the two. The very religious and devout people that were dealing with their population problems by drawing lots and calling the Gunmen dieties and such, just shows this great disconnect between all the cultures that are sprouting up. It's very reminiscent of how different the societies of Cocoon and Pulse were, and how each of them had their own branching and divergent paths and how they ended up.

In any case, that sort of stuff fascinates me, and I'm really disappointed that I watched so much in a row to try and "get through it" to get to when it gets good. I need to just start watching them at my own pace when I'm in the mood.

Then again, the next episode is the hot springs one.

[The DoctorTurner Of All Things Timey Wimey]

For an anime Hot Springs Episode it's probably one of the better ones out there.

Not as good as the Hot Springs episode form Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu (which happens to be one of the funniest episodes in any anime ever), but the episode is still really funny.

[RobotzorThere's no meat in these, just more corndogs]

Surprised I haven't seen this linked here. It is Pony Lagann - don't click if you haven't seen since it spoils the entire ending.

This is by far best anime I have ever seen (even though I will admit the fumoffu hot springs episode, especially that ONE part near the end - you know the part - was the funniest moment in anime ever). My arts is based on it. If the horrible episode 4 gave us anything it is the meat-cloud.

If anything, the dub was decent enough but had major shortcomings. Early on some characters were decidedly overacted, but Steve Blum does a bang up job on Leeron. The problem I have with it is that some of the translations they chose were too blunt or not thought out enough. Gimmy calls Darry, his sister, a dumbass? Yeah. That kind of translation happens a lot through the show, and it is almost always inappropriate to the situation.

The movie compilations are pretty much only good for the beginning of Gurren-hen and Lagann-hen. The ending ... mixed feelings. Sure it was 5 times as epic with SUPA TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGANN but it felt like it dragged on way, way, way longer than it should have with each individual mech.

Other than that, must watch series on anybody's list. The director went on to make Panty and Stocking...for whatever that's worth.

[Opposing FarceDon't you smile at my faceSpit on my backDo you kiss your mother with a mouth like that?]

Other than that, must watch series on anybody's list. The director went on to make Panty and Stocking...for whatever that's worth.

Imaishi is probably my favorite anime director. Dead Leaves, Gurren Lagann, and Panty & Stocking all have this kind of crazy, manic energy to them along with a great sense of style and awesome action sequences, and even though they're all so dumb at times (especially Dead Leaves and PSG) they're dumb in a way that just works.

[RobotzorThere's no meat in these, just more corndogs]

Imaishi is probably my favorite anime director. Dead Leaves, Gurren Lagann, and Panty & Stocking all have this kind of crazy, manic energy to them along with a great sense of style and awesome action sequences, and even though they're all so dumb at times (especially Dead Leaves and PSG) they're dumb in a way that just works.

I'm going to call p&s impossible to dub. Nothing will carry over...hearing the Japanese characters mangle english swears is 75% of the fun!

[Daionus The 23rd:3]

You'd think so wouldn't you? But it turns out that they make up for it with some good jokes. Take this promotional clip, which takes out the bad english and puts in some new lines.

Click here to view video.

[RobotzorThere's no meat in these, just more corndogs]

No to Stocking's voice. This is not going to work for me, because isn't that the same VA who does -every- shy girl in all of anime dubs?

Plus you will never beat the Garterbelt's HORRRYYYY SHITTT!

[RagnarWhat's older? Unicorns, or stars? Incidentally, you should click on Ragnar's sig. Definitely a good idea.]

I am trying so hard not to buy PSG and Daionus you are NOT HELPING

I prefer dialogue I actually like to mangled English swearing.

[Paperback Writer]

My brother found his DVDs of this show, so I'm thinking I might borrow them and give this another shot, especially if Simon improves as a character past the first arc.

[DiscordWhat have I done? Sweet Chaos, what have I done? Become a beast in the night, Become a God on the run, And have I fallen so far, And is the hour so late, That nothing remains but the cry of my hate, The cries in the dark that nobody hears, Here where I stand at the turning of years]

For an anime Hot Springs Episode it's probably one of the better ones out there.

Not as good as the Hot Springs episode form Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu (which happens to be one of the funniest episodes in any anime ever), but the episode is still really funny.

Oh gosh that episode is awesome. It really is the king of the fanservice comedy episode.

I miss Full Metal Panic. So underrappreciated The second season was kind of but still, an awesome anime all told.

My brother found his DVDs of this show, so I'm thinking I might borrow them and give this another shot, especially if Simon improves as a character past the first arc.

Every character does eventually get turned up to 11 in awesomeness. Simon becoming better is a big reason I stuck with it.

[tdkgunghoulI'm still spinnin'!YEAH YEAHYEAH]

8:52

NEVAR FORGET

[The DoctorTurner Of All Things Timey Wimey]

My brother found his DVDs of this show, so I'm thinking I might borrow them and give this another shot, especially if Simon improves as a character past the first arc.

Simon is not Shinji, probably the best outlook to remember.

[RagnarWhat's older? Unicorns, or stars? Incidentally, you should click on Ragnar's sig. Definitely a good idea.]

I miss Full Metal Panic. So underrappreciated The second season was kind of but still, an awesome anime all told.

Second season? Are we talking about Fumoffu? Because Fumoffu was awesome.

[DiscordWhat have I done? Sweet Chaos, what have I done? Become a beast in the night, Become a God on the run, And have I fallen so far, And is the hour so late, That nothing remains but the cry of my hate, The cries in the dark that nobody hears, Here where I stand at the turning of years]

Second season? Are we talking about Fumoffu? Because Fumoffu was awesome.

Nah, I love Fumoffu. It just kind of does its own thing so I didn't quite count it. I guess you could call it the third season on that line then; I forgot the special name for the season because, again,

[The DoctorTurner Of All Things Timey Wimey]

Third season was called. "The Second Raid". I enjoyed it. Like with Fumoffu, it did not mix the comedy and drama like season 1. Unlike Fumoffu though, it went all dranam not all comedy. Season 1 felt very uneven switching from one to the other.

[RobotzorThere's no meat in these, just more corndogs]

Third season was called. "The Second Raid". I enjoyed it. Like with Fumoffu, it did not mix the comedy and drama like season 1. Unlike Fumoffu though, it went all dranam not all comedy. Season 1 felt very uneven switching from one to the other.

All seasons explained nothing and trolled the audience with every passing episode. I honestly couldn't tell you what the plot of the anime was anymore. All I can remember is "black technology" or whatever it was that was never explained or elaborated.