<m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent> </m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac>The thing about having high expectations is that you do your best to enjoy the show even before you press play. And once you’ve finished watching, you either feel satisfied that this series truly lived up to the hype and something you too would recommend to others or, more than often, you wind up sitting down, watching the credits roll and wondering why you were looking forward to this wishy-washy stuff in the first place.In 2007, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann pierced its drill not just into the heavens, but also into the hearts of millions of fans across the globe. It is probably one of the most massively raved shows with fans believing the series was a gift from the mecha Gods themselves and critics lavishing praise to the point of reducing the scores of its counterparts just because they didn’t stand up to what was thought to be Gainax’s magnum opus. All build-up and fandom aside, the critical question must be answered: “Does Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann deliver?” To an extent, it does. But this is by no means masterpiece material.In the world of TTGL, humans live in underground cities and must dig to expand and survive. In the tiny village of Jiha, Simon, a young and skilled driller, teams up with Kamina, a hot blooded punk, to break out of their cage. After stumbling upon a mecha head and running into a voluptuous teen named Yoko, the trio manages to break out of their hell hole and reach the surface, where danger and destiny awaits.There are two ways one can look at TTGL: As a homage/tribute to the old school mecha anime. (If you’re a fan of the genre.) As a standalone series. (If your knowledge of mecha anime is little to none.)In the first case, the show is said to be parody/tribute to fans of the genre defining anime of the 20th century – the Super Robot era. I’m referring to the time when the word ‘anime’ was almost synonymous with mecha shows such as Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Macross. This was the period when anime gained its most fervent otaku, who believe this to be the Golden Age of anime. TTGL captures the key elements of these anime and crams it all into a single 27 episode series. Although you may be thinking that the handling might come out as kind of rough and rushed because of the sheer ground that needs to be covered, it does not. The execution is seamless and manages to port every one of those memorable scenarios, which are today clichés because of their success then. It’s a lot of fun for those who closely followed those classics, because TTGL is a wonderful tribute and is sure to get you to join the “Bring back the GAR!” gang. It’s a lot like the warm and nostalgic feeling of watching Star Wars reruns on TV. So, assuming you’re one of those “Old is gold” and “Screw the moe, bring the GAR” people, then you’re sure to find TTGL to be one of the most engrossing stories you’ve ever watched. The pure manliness of it all will win a place in your heart.Now, let’s consider TTGL as a standalone anime and not as a “homage series”. When I watched TTGL, I had no idea that it was a parody/tribute. It was only later when one of my friends told me that it was did I even start thinking from that perspective. The reason for that is probably because I don’t watch a lot of mecha anime and had no idea that most of the scenes were references to the beloved 90s shows. Therefore, not knowing that the clichés were intentional, I found the plot to be a total and complete letdown. It is downright predictable and there were only a handful of moments when I sat up and said “Whoa, I did not see that coming”. The story progresses in the usual style of beating mini bosses until you find out that the main boss was actually a mini boss to another main boss and so on. Trademark, textbook stuff, this one. Take a kid, sit him on a mecha, hand him a shonen script and your TTGL storyline is good to go. If this is your first mecha anime, skip this one at all costs. Nothing surprising, shocking or even mildly original.One other thing that must be known about TTGL is that it is split into two arcs, the second arc beginning just after the halfway mark of the series. The second arc occurs after a time skip of 7 years and this makes it seem like almost a second season. There is a complete overhaul of the TTGL mechanism and there are drastic changes to the point that it is hardly recognizable with the anime you watched a couple of episodes ago.The first arc was about Simon manning up and facing the wrath of the Beastmen Empire. The tale is the usual “boy grows a pair” one, which is shockingly (and intentionally) similar to that of Shinji of Evangelion. While fighting off hordes of mecha (referred to as Ganmen in the show), he also bonds with Kamina and the rest of the cast, slowly paving the way to adulthood. The story moves pretty fast paced here and testosterone charged action is aplenty. While nowhere close to adrenaline pumping, it does retain your attention from start to finish. And then there’s the second arc. Here, the show transforms into something completely different. Many hated it, but I personally preferred the second arc to the first. In fact, if you’re one of those guys who doesn’t have a very large attention span and found the first few episodes of TTGL to be disappointing, then I recommend you watch episode 15, which is a recap episode, and move on to the rest of the series. The second arc is more about the people and less about the mecha. It throws in dashes of politics and psychology. It is still fast paced, but doesn’t quite feel like it because of the sudden lack of explosions, missiles and screaming shonen kids. Things finally get a tad emotional. But don’t let that delude you into thinking that TTGL becomes a more mature show. Hell, no. Which perfectly poises me to break down one of the show’s biggest downfalls (or biggest selling point, depending upon your perspective): Wackiness. What starts out as mere lack of logic soon turns into sheer idiocy. There is only so much nonsensical content one can take. There are moments in this show when you feel like banging your head against the screen because of the fact that even suspending your disbelief cannot eradicate the magnitude of insanity. Ripping dimensions apart to travel to a place faster, using galaxies as bullets, mashing them together to make a bigger bullet, claiming planets to be mechas, it’s all here. But then again, when you can have a bot that relies on emotions as a fuel, what is to be expected other than chaos?The shows TTGL borrows from actually had field tactics, strategies, pilot psychology and other intellectual plot twists. But TTGL itself has nothing of that sort, which is a total misfit if it’s supposed to be a series that should bring memories of the classics. All criticism aside, I finally land on the thing that impressed me most about TTGL – the animation. It’s fresh, funky and fun. Bold and bright colors are thrown around to make the episodes vibrant with life. There is an overall punk-style. The font of the episode name and the mid-screen change, depending upon the character in focus, and it all shows that the artists put some heart and soul into it. The Ganmen look varied enough and there’s hardly any room for confusion even though there are tons of them. My opinion here might be a bit biased since I watched this on Blu-ray, but I’m still not denying the animation department a ten on ten.The soundtrack was on target too. The OP was bad and the EDs, except for Love and Rock Peace, were painful to hear as well. But, there is one track that stands out as one of the most memorable pieces of anime music I’ve heard in a while. Yes, I am of course referring to the rappera (rap + opera) song, Fight the Powah! This one track carries the weight of the ending on its shoulders and is played around 4 times in the last 3 episodes. In fact, here’s a message to the people who’ve watched TTGL and ran around the forums screaming on how epic the ending was: Try to blank out the soundtrack playing in the background and just focus on the video and the voices. You’ll notice how terribly stupid it sounds. Good music makes for a good atmosphere.The characters are, in all honesty, terrible. They are paper cut-outs from the “How to Make Shonen Characters” book. Some of the side characters (Viral, Rossiu, Kittan) were easily more eye-catching than the main cast. Simon is a meek attempt at Shinji Ikari of Neon Genesis Evangelion. He is the usual bloke who throws a tantrum when he doesn’t get what he wants and shouting like a little girl who was bit by a rabid dog seems to solve all the world’s problems. He is totally boring and even the slight addition of layers to his character in the second half aren’t enough to make him an interesting character. Sad stuff, really. I really was expecting more from a character who appears on almost every episode of the series. However, his second arc changes are what made me boost his scores up a bit. Kamina is the hot blooded shonen teen punk, the optimistic happy-go-lucky git. Not too much to say about him because he doesn’t get as much air time as Simon, for reasons you’ve got to watch to know. But Kamina is definitely an embodiment of badass leadership and the sort of hero every nerd wants to be, and you can’t really blame them. Yoko, the wet dream frequenter of thousands of otaku, is actually a pretty complex character. Sadly, she doesn’t live upto her potential because of her poor treatment by the scriptwriters. What could’ve been a fantastic female lead is turned into a jiggle-bimbo with a gun. There is one other female character that deserves a mention. This character was a complete and shameless Ctrl+C – Ctrl+V of Euphemia from Code Geass. Faanboys are bound to blame that on the “tribute factor” too.The enjoyment factor…probably the hardest place for me to rate TTGL on. Why? Because its stupidity was actually entertaining at times. Hearing “Who the hell do you think we are?!” right at the finish of an epic battle sequence, feels, well, epic. Uber-manliness. There were times when I pumped my fist in the air and gave a “Hell, yeah!” to Simon and his gang. But there were also times when I used that same fist to smash the screen because of the WTFness. I just couldn’t handle the clichés under the pretext of homage during the first arc. Once again, your enjoyment will depend on whether you look at TTGL as a tribute or a standalone, the former triumphing over the latter.Overall, TTGL is the kind of anime which you’re going to enjoy depending upon your love for the genre. If you love mecha anime, then this one is sure to give you a bang for your buck. If not, then your experience might be underwhelming. [ THE WRAP-UP ]Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is the sort of anime that ends up being disappointing mainly because of a reputation that precedes it. It’s a matter of whether you look at TTGL to be a mark of respect for the mecha anime over the years or whether you consider it to be a completely detached series. If it is a case of the former with you, then TTGL will be one of the most epic anime to ever hit the screen, but it will be the exact opposite if your opinion is of the latter. It is a giant banner for the “Bring back the GAR!” movement. The story is split into two very different arcs, of which you will love one and hate the other, based on your personal tastes. The animation has a funky punk style and is one of the most richly drawn anime I have ever seen. It is evident that Gainax did not spare any expense in the audio department as well, because the soundtrack is almost as stunning. The characters are a massive let down and do no justice to their massive fandom. My advice is to watch the first five episodes and if you don’t like it, then just watch the recap episode on 15 and move on to the second arc. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is one of those anime I liked, but never really enjoyed.Love and rock. Peace.Rating:7/10
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