Gurren Lagann Ep5: I Don't Get It, Not One Bit!

As we have noted on more than one occasion here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic, Gurren Lagann is very much a love letter to the machisimatastic (my word) mecha anime of the 1970s.

 

 

Even Gurren Lagann writer Kazuki Nakashima has cited the late manga artist and animator Ken Ishikawa (1948-2006) as a primary influence on his anime world view. Ishikawa was the chief engineer behind such manga and anime as Getter Robo, first established in manga form in 1972.

 

There was a great desire to create throwback weaponry like the one found on Getter Liger. Thus the latest episode reflects this new drill-heavy universe with, Gurren Lagann, Episode 5, I Don't Get It, Not One Bit!, as the gunmen that is Gurren Lagann sports a drill bit as its primary weapon of choice. Gurren Lagann fights with a bloody drill bit for cryin' out loud. That's quite a bit of fun really!

 

 

This screams throwback mecha. The Getter Liger was one of the first mecha toys I ever held in my hot little hand as a kid. It was a wee little diescast gem that fit snugly in the palm of your hands and it was bad ass complete with a drill.

 

In the Blu-Ray liner notes, Nakashima cites the love of the theme of drills for the series and notes there are a plethora of "drill meacha devotees in this world" noting a love of all things that drill. Who knew drills had such a wild effect on geeks. Though it stands to reason when you consider it a bit. As a geek who certainly enjoys a good drilling mecha let's not forget our love of The Mole in Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds (1965-1966) (here) or the Polar Borer in The Last Dinosaur (1977) (here) and of course a film called The Core (2003) to name a few. It's certainly true. Men love a good drill. I think women enjoy them too. That doesn't sound right.

 

 

Ultimately it's clear thematically that Nakashima hoped to create the ultimate statement in drill mecha anime with Gurren Lagann. And given the sheer magnitude of the effort here and no holds barred approach by Nakashima and director Hiroyuki Imaishi it's clear all others within the medium will likely be screwed in their efforts to compete. Clearly, to borrow a phrase from the series, "your drill is the drill that will pierce the heavens." Yes, Gurren Lagann and the series creators are pretty mighty.

 

 

The latest episode, beyond the action excitement centers on a wonderful slice of science fiction drama too as Kamina, Simon and Yoko stumble upon another village civilization living underground suppressed by the false teachings of its village leader. Note the creative minds and their artistic vision of the series by switching the color palette for latest installment too.

 

 

Clearly enlightened and essentially acting as symbols of freedom, Kamina, Simon and Yoko Littner come crashing down upon this quiet rule-based society where population control is mandatory according to the rules of their little kingdom. With the trio arriving down upon them with their perceived face god, Gurren Lagann, life in the village will never be the same as all are enlightened by the truth of what's beyond their world. Once your eyes are open you can never unlearn what you discover.

 

 

I Don't Get It One Bit! is potentially the most potent episode emotionally to date, but, in general, Gurren Lagann rarely shies away from those quieter more sensitive character moments. This is one of the reasons why Gurren Lagann excels as a standout mecha series with heart.

 

That my friends is a near, would-be snot rocket. The series is always surprising and funny, okay and gross.

Gurren Lagann Ep4: Having Lots Of Faces Doesn't Make You Great!

"Drill baby drill!"

 

 

The positively zany, wildly thrilling adventures continue with Gurren Lagann, Episode 4, Having Lots Of Faces Doesn't Make You Great!. That is unless of course you are the creator of a series with lots of faces! Because Gurren Lagann is pretty great for what it is. It's colorful. Its characters are infinitely likable and interesting. Its world is indeed vast. It's giant robot hero uses a drill as its primary weapon against the many other faces. All of these characters take you on this journey with them and you just enjoy every step of it like you're one of Team Gurren Lagann on an exploratory expedition.

 

 

The latest entry gives us more exhilarating mecha action with Gurren Lagann combining and battling a group of nasty beastmen to boot.

 

The robots or mecha themselves were also created to be quite organic as you can see from the images below. It allows for the action to be much more fluid while at the same time images are often employed for comedic effect. Mecha can sometimes be as exaggerated as the people or beastmen who pilot them.

 

 

Having Lots Of Faces, Doesn't Make You Great! is a notable entry in Studio Gainax history. The entry was met with a touch of controversy in Japan. Now understanding that Studio Gainax had given us a breadth of amazing works in Royal Space Force: The Wings Of Honneamise (1987), Gunbuster (1988-1989), Nadia The Secret Of Blue Water (1990-1991), Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996), His And Her Circumstances (1998-1999) and FLCL (2000).

 

 

This Gurren Lagann episode was assigned to a guest director named Osamu Kobayashi. Kobayashi had actually provided key animation on Program for The Animatrix (2003), that entry written and directed by none other than Yoshiaki Kawajiri (The Running Man from Neo Tokyo, Ninja Scroll, Wicked City, etc.). Ten years earlier Kobayashi had also done some animation work on the sole animated release, the OVA Battle Angel (1993), for the popular long-running manga Battle Angel Alita.

 

 

Despite the fact Episode 4 is actually beautifully animated, again outstanding for a TV Series, it still received a degree of unexpected fan criticism for its animating style. Personally, it's difficult to differentiate from a novice perspective any differences in the expert style seen throughout these first five entries. Go figure. But, the Japanese likely see things we might not.

 

 

Nevertheless, as a result of that criticism, founding member of Studio Gainax, Takami Akai and another Gainax employee, Keiko Mimori, allegedly made disparaging remarks toward fans for those critical comments. Akai stated that it was (likely translated) "like putting his face next to an anus and breathing deeply." Fan backlash was intense and Akai supposedly resigned from the studio as a result of the posting incident surrounding the Japanese fan forum in defense of friend and guest Kobayashi. Strange if true. Akai certainly had an impact on the success of Gainax and here he was resigning from the company he helped found in 1984 with the likes of Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Hiroyuki Yamaga and others some 24 years later. It seems surprising but all of it swirls around the events of this particular Gurren Lagann episode.

 

 

So you can see the kind of passions inspired by Gurren Lagann. Though I'm not quite sure what all the fuss was about. The whole things looks pretty dynamic to me.

 

Each episode of Gurren Lagann is truly built, designed, written and animated to be an experience. I know I've gushed over these first many episodes here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic, but if you don't believe me here is a smattering of opinions out there on the matrix.

 

 

Anime News Network called Gurren Lagann "one of the liveliest series of the decade" and that its "macho mecha action delivers in triumphant fashion." High praise to be sure.

 

IGN taps into the writing of the series and how the characters are handled by the creators noting "an inspiring story" and "a great tale of the indomitable spirit of determined people."

 

Mania.com described the series as "chaotic, magical and engaging." The writer highlighted the "non-standard storytelling ideas" and referred to it as "fun, exciting and unpredictable."

 

Should we really expect much more from such an original anime?



It's a Beastmen shish kebab!