Gurren Lagan | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

Gurren Lagann

THE PERFECT AND SHORT SHOUNEN EXPERIENCE

When talking about shounen anime, most of us usually think about a long-running show with tons of episodes. Of course, there are short shounen anime, but most of these anime shows don’t provide you with a satisfying conclusion.

Gurren Lagann is an exceptional anime in the world of shounen for many reasons. This anime is short, exciting, and provides us with a complete story filled to the brim with brilliantly written twists and turns. Today, I am going to give you guys my spoiler-free and honest review of this series! We will be taking a closer look at all of this show’s aspects that make it a must-watch shounen anime.

A UNIQUE STORY WITH AWESOME PROGRESSION

Having a unique and fantastic story is, of course, challenging. However, what’s even more difficult is evolving this story to keep all the fans interested throughout the entire run of the show. Well, Gurren Lagann is an anime that manages to do both of these things. Let’s take a closer look at its plot!

Gurren Lagann follows the story of a young boy named Simon. Together with Kamina, Simon lives in an underground village. Simon finds a mysterious object that later turns out to be the key to an ancient relic used for war. One day, a Beastman attacks out of nowhere, and a girl named Yoko comes from the surface to defeat this monster.

While fighting against the Beastman, Simon, Kamina, and Yoko discover the ancient relic that Simon had found the key. Simon uses the key to launch this weird thing and defeats the Beastman. After this strange encounter, Simon, Kamina, and Yoko’s journey begin as they try to create a world safe for humans.

CHARACTERS THAT GET YOU INVESTED

The characters in Gurren Lagann might not seem like much at first glance. However, you will get entirely captivated by their personalities after watching only a few episodes. These characters show us natural character development as they learn from their mistakes and keep on moving forward. Also, the designs of these characters are highly memorable. Let us talk about some of the main characters from the series in detail. One thing that I dislike regarding the characters’ aspect of Gurren Lagann is the fact that the show didn’t focus enough on the side characters.

Simon

Simon is my favorite character in the entire series because of his development as the show progresses. While he starts as a timid young boy with no real aspirations, he eventually becomes someone responsible that everyone can look up to. Simon’s low self-esteem is the product of him being ignored by everyone in his village and his fear of earthquakes.

The character design of Simon ultimately represents his personality. He is just a short and unintimidating 14-year-old boy. Though, of course, as the series progresses, we see our boy turn into a real man!

Kamina

Kamina is someone that Simon looks up to, and his personality is the complete opposite of our protagonist. Just like Simon, Kamina grew up in the underground village. However, this boy has big dreams for the future! Kamina wants to go to the surface and see all the wonders of this beautiful world first-hand. While we don’t see much character development for Kamina, I love his character because of how he affects all of the people around him, especially Simon.

Kamina is a handsome 18-year-old boy with blue hair. This guy stands tall in front of every challenge and never backs down.

Yoko Littner

Honestly, at first, Yoko’s character seemed pretty dull to me. She just seemed like that one oversexualized female that is only present in the show for fan service. However, as the series progresses, you quickly realize that this girl has a real personality, and she is an integral part of the show. Yoko is a trained fighter who lives on the surface and fights against the Beastmen.

This girl wears extremely flashy clothes and carries around a colossal sniper-rifle. Being only 16, she is in the same age-group as Simon and Kamina, but her thinking is way more mature.

A UNIQUE ART-STYLE COMBINED WITH AWESOME ANIMATION

The art-style of Gurren Lagann is quite cartoonish and instantly recognizable. This anime gives us an art-style that brilliantly blends with its quirkiness. The animation quality might not be the best thing ever, according to today’s standards. However, considering the age of this anime, it is still remarkable. This anime has been animated by studio Gainax that is also responsible for the unforgettable masterpiece Evangelion. The fight scenes are pretty intense, and they will get you completely immersed.

WHAT MAKES IT BETTER THAN MOST SHOUNEN SERIES?

I can say this without the shadow of a doubt that Gurren Lagann is one of the best shounen anime that you can watch right now. This anime isn’t a masterpiece. However, it beautifully wraps up a fantastic story in just 27 episodes. Despite being a short shounen series, Gurren Lagann does not seem rushed and lets us fully discover each character’s personalities.

I also really love the fact that this anime does not lose its light-heartedness. The story can get pretty intense at times; however, the anime’s general mood is always preserved!

Conclusion

Gurren Lagann is a must-watch for every fan of the shounen genre. With an intensive amount of fanservice and somewhat weak side characters, this anime does have its flaws and shortcomings. However, Gurren Lagann is still a complete shounen experience that is enjoyable for everyone.

This anime is pretty short, and it is perfect for someone who just wants to binge-watch something over the weekend. If you are new to the shounen genre and are looking for something light-hearted, I would recommend Gurren Lagann.