Anime Geek: Gurren Lagann

Gurren Lagann is one of my favorite anime shows. I came to this show looking for a serious action anime. Giant robots and mutants were a bonus. What I didn’t expect was the humor and human drama, which by surprise sold me on the story.

Even though it really doesn’t say, I believe Gurren Lagann takes place in the far flung future. The Earth has been overrun with mutants and humans are forced to live underground for safety. 

The three main characters are Simon, Yoko, and Kamina. Simon is an orphan kid who digs tunnels for his underground village. He has no self-confidence. Kamina is the exact opposite of Simon and uses his boisterous confidence to buoy up Simon. Yoko at first is pure eye candy, but quickly becomes the balance between Simon and Kamina. 

Simon in all his diggings finds a robot shaped like a head with small limbs. With Kamina’s and Yoko’s help Simon defends their village from a mutant attack with their own giant robots. It should be noted that the giant robots are called gunmen. The trio soon leaves the underground pits and venture out onto the surface of the Earth.

On the surface it is one fight after another with the enemy gunmen, but they also recruit more humans to their cause. Eventually they build a large armada to take on the Spiral King, the leader of the mutants. There are two seasons to Gurren Lagann, but to go into the details of the second season would ruin the ending of the first season.

My favorite episode happens about halfway through the first season. Kamina and his crew of resistance fighters find a resort with hot springs. They are treated to food and the springs. The springs are separated between the men and the women. Kamina spends most of the episode trying to get a peek at the girls naked. Of course the resort is a trap and the girls are taken prisoner in their towels. Kamina is told to surrender to save the girls. He’s still only out to see them naked. 

There is a message threaded throughout the entire series of having self-confidence to do whatever you need to do. Kamina sums it up beautifully by saying, “Believe in the you that believes in you.” This is a saying I keep in mind whenever I’m faced with a scary situation.

This entire series will pump you up and make you laugh. At the end you will be ready to face any challenge in your life. If you are struggling I highly recommend you watch this show.