Gurren Lagann
In the year 2007, a story began in a fictional future where humanity lived underground. Simon, a fourteen-year-old digger from Giha village, spent his days expanding tunnels deeper into the earth. He was timid and weak-willed compared to his peers who looked down on him. His best friend Kamina dreamed of seeing the surface world that existed above their dark home. One day, Simon unearthed a drill-shaped key called the Core Drill while working. This discovery led him to find a small Gunmen robot that resembled a face. A giant enemy Gunmen soon crashed through the ceiling and attacked the village. Simon used the Core Drill to activate the smaller Gunmen he had found. The machine named Lagann by Kamina destroyed the attacker and broke through the ceiling for the first time. They emerged into sunlight after living their entire lives in darkness.
Kamina hijacked an enemy Gunmen and named it Gurren to combine with Simon's Lagann. Together they formed the mecha known as Gurren Lagann. Their actions inspired other humans to steal their own Gunmen and join Team Gurren. Kamina renamed this group Team Dai-Gurren to reflect their growing strength. Eventually, the team captured an enemy fortress to use as their base of operations. Lordgenome, the ruler of Earth, sent one of his four generals to destroy them. That general killed Kamina during the preceding battle. Simon sank into depression following the loss of his brother figure. He met Nia, who was revealed to be Lordgenome's daughter. She helped Simon come to terms with the death before the rest of Team Dai-Gurren prompted him to become leader. Simon led them and other teams of humans to Lordgenome's palace which was a gigantic Gunmen called Teppelin. In the final battle, Simon used his Core Drill to defeat Lordgenome for good.
Seven years later, mankind prospered on the surface with Simon serving in the world government. When the human population reached one million, an alien race called the Anti-Spirals emerged. They used Nia as their messenger because they had created her. The Anti-Spirals sent the Moon on a collision course with Earth to wipe out all life. They feared humanity would evolve to the point of destroying the universe in a cataclysmic event known as Spiral Nemesis. Lordgenome was resurrected as a bio-computer to reveal he once belonged to an intergalactic army that failed to stop the Anti-Spirals. With help from Viral, an old enemy of Simon, they prevented the Moon's collision. They discovered the Moon was actually Lordgenome's flagship reprogrammed by the Anti-Spirals. Using it, they retrieved the real Moon from a pocket dimension where the Anti-Spirals had hidden it. Simon and Lagann destroyed the Anti-Spirals in a one-on-one Gunmen battle across the universe. This caused Nia to fade away since her existence was tied to theirs. Simon handed his Core Drill over to Gimmy before leaving his friends to wander the planet.
Gurren Lagann aired in Japan between April 1 and the 30th of September 2007 on TXN stations. The series consisted of 27 episodes plus two specials including an uncensored version of episode six. Gainax produced the show while TV Tokyo handled broadcasting rights alongside Konami Digital Entertainment and Aniplex. Hiroyuki Imaishi directed the animation team after working on Neon Genesis Evangelion. He appointed Kazuki Nakashima as the writer following their collaboration on Re: Cutey Honey. Imaishi decided to include drills as the main weapons for robots despite potential suspension of disbelief issues. Animation producer Yasuhiro Takeda researched how characters would live underground during planning phases. Episode fifteen proved challenging due to the number of shots required by animator Sushio who called himself the super animator. The staff planned ideas to make Simon surpass Kamina during the final arc. Yamaga had the idea of releasing films that retold events to expand the audience once the series ended.
Takami Akai announced he would resign his position effective episode five which aired on the 29th of April 2007. He made disparaging remarks about comments criticizing the animation style of the fourth episode. That episode was completely directed by guest Osamu Kobayashi. Akai stated reading fan criticisms felt like putting his face next to an anus and breathing deeply. Fans later became aware of these comments and he departed from the company he helped found. Another Gainax employee named Keiko Mimori also made similar remarks about the criticism. As a result of airing in a child-friendly time slot, staff members faced problems with episode six. Television stations believed it was suitable when reading the script but said it could not be aired after seeing the finished product. A revised version of the episode was produced to meet broadcast standards.
An animated film titled Childhood's End premiered in Japanese theaters on the 6th of September 2008. It compiled events from episodes one through fifteen with around twenty minutes of newly animated scenes. The DVD release followed on the 22nd of April 2009. In conjunction with this film, Gainax released music videos entitled Gurren Lagann Parallel Works containing alternative stories set to songs from the original soundtrack. The second film The Lights in the Sky are Stars arrived in theaters on the 25th of April 2009. This focused on the second half of the series contributing more new animation than the first film. Shoko Nakagawa sang theme songs for both movies while Taku Iwasaki returned to compose scores. Aniplex of America distributed both films on DVD and Blu-ray Disc starting the 1st of July 2010. At the 15th Anniversary panel at AnimeNYC, North American screenings were held on January 16 and 17, 2024 for Childhood's End.
The success of Gurren Lagann led to the creation of Studio Trigger founded by director Hiroyuki Imaishi in 2011. As of 2021, rights to the series were owned by Studio Trigger alongside Imaishi's other works from Gainax. Mecha designer Shigeto Koyama later worked on concept design for Baymax in the 2014 Disney film Big Hero 6. Comparisons were drawn between that film and Gurren Lagann upon its release in Japan. The French television show Wakfu pays homage to the original series while League of Legends features Rumble's Super Galaxy Rumble skin based on the anime. An April 2019 interview with Diego Molano creator of Victor and Valentino described the series as one of his all-time favorites. He puts it in the background when drawing or writing due to its incredible energy and expressiveness.
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Common questions
When did the anime series Gurren Lagann air in Japan?
Gurren Lagann aired in Japan between April 1 and the 30th of September 2007 on TXN stations. The series consisted of 27 episodes plus two specials including an uncensored version of episode six.
Who created the mecha known as Gurren Lagann?
Kamina hijacked an enemy Gunmen and named it Gurren to combine with Simon's Lagann. Together they formed the mecha known as Gurren Lagann which inspired other humans to steal their own Gunmen and join Team Dai-Gurren.
What happened to Kamina during the battle against Lordgenome?
Lordgenome sent one of his four generals to destroy them and that general killed Kamina during the preceding battle. Simon sank into depression following the loss of his brother figure before meeting Nia who helped him come to terms with the death.
Why did Takami Akai resign from Gurren Lagann effective episode five?
Takami Akai announced he would resign his position effective episode five which aired on the 29th of April 2007 after making disparaging remarks about comments criticizing the animation style of the fourth episode. Fans later became aware of these comments and he departed from the company he helped found.
When was the animated film Childhood's End released in Japanese theaters?
An animated film titled Childhood's End premiered in Japanese theaters on the 6th of September 2008. It compiled events from episodes one through fifteen with around twenty minutes of newly animated scenes.