OP

OP animation sequence changed a bit this week to reflect that Kamina is gone. The void was filled with new shots of Nia, the bad guys, and the Gurren Brigade without Kamina. Having said that, I should note that Kamina is still in the ED.

Summary:

Inside the capital city of Teppelin, the three remaining generals – Cytomander the Swift, Guame the Immovable, and Adiane the Elegant – are meeting with the Spiral King Lordgenome about Thymilph’s death and the stolen Daigunzan. Cytomander offers to go recovery the Daigunzan, but Adiane gets the mission because she claims to want revenge for Thymilph, her friend. Meanwhile, on a dark and wet battlefield, Simon forces Kittan – who is currently piloting the Gurren – to give him control over the entire Gurren Lagann and proceeds to completely annihilate the Gunmen that they’re fighting. In the time since Kamina’s death, the group has taken over control of the Daigunzan which they have renamed to the Daigurren on Yoko’s insistence. They’ve also repaired the Gurren, though Leeron comments on how you can’t repair someone’s heart in reference to how Simon has been acting recently. At that moment, Kittan is angrily confronting Simon over going at it alone and the need for teamwork. After the argument gets broken up by Kiyol, Simon agrees with what Kittan implied about him killing Kamina. Simon feels that he has to get stronger so that he can do Kamina’s share of the fighting. As he starts to walk away, he questions why Rossiu’s god didn’t save Kamina, and then answers his own question, saying that it’s because Rossiu had been praying to a Gunmen. Using that logic, Simon feels that Kamina was killed by god. Dayakka makes him realize that he said too much, so Simon returns to his own room and collapses on his bed, still thinking about Kamina.

With Kamina gone, some of the other members of the team are feeling that the Gurren-dan is done for, though Yoko reminds them that their name is the Daigurren-dan. When Dayakka notices her eating a lot in the lunchroom, Yoko explains that she has to keep her physical strength up since there are still many enemies, and their battle will continue. She had just finished a round of target practice and feels that before all this happened, she couldn’t have imagined eating right after – it’s all thanks to that person. When Dayakka changes the subject to her being bothered, Yoko recalls the names of the people who sacrificed themselves to protect her old village and how the survivors did their best. She had been prepared for that, but this time it is useless. In the shower, Yoko remembers how Kamina had said he’d give her back tenfold kisses and how she instead got a tenfold hole in her heart. Meanwhile, the team detects enemy Gunmen headed their way, and although Simon wants to go out alone, Rossiu convinces Simon to let him take the Gurren. During the battle, however, Simon is once again the reckless force behind everything as he pushes the Gurren Lagann to the point where Rossiu noticed unstable output in the mecha. Simon fights how he thinks Kamina would have and claims that Kamina wouldn’t have run away. In the middle of the battle though, Simon suddenly throws up, and the Gurren Lagann starts spewing out energy from all orifices. The Lagann then detaches from the Gurren and jumps down the nearby ravine.

Simon wakes up at the bottom and is able to still move the Lagann, so he explores the ravine a bit. Around him are numerous boxes lying in a smoldering landscape, and he sees a Gunmen dumps another box from above the ravine. When Simon investigates this box, he notices that it has a glowing keyhole that his drill would fit into, so he gets it and sticks it in. Inside, Simon finds a girl sleeping in a bed adorned with flowers. This girl soon wakes up to greet him in a very formal manner and then inquires who he is. Before he can answer though, she notices the rain like she’s never experienced it before, and she also likes the feeling of the muddy ground when she steps out of the box. Getting close enough to Simon to make him blush, she questions why he’s the same as her since he lacks a tail or fangs. Simon tells her that he’s a human, but because this girl is unfamiliar with the term, he attempts to explain it to her. As the rain stops and sunlight starts peeking through the clouds, the girl wonders why she’s outside. Although Simon doesn’t know the answer, he feels that they should get out of here, so he gives her his shoes to wear. The girl then introduces herself Nia, and Simon blushes again when she says that Simon is a good name. Nia suddenly notices something behind them, and Simon turns around to see a Gunmen. It starts firing at them, so Simon pulls Nia with him towards the Lagann and starts it up. The Lagann protects them from the enemy’s missiles, but Simon isn’t able to finish an attack because the Lagann starts spewing energy again.

After a punch from the enemy Gunmen knocks him out of the cockpit, Simon questions why the Lagann isn’t listening to him. He doesn’t want to see anyone die anymore, so he decides to hold back the Gunmen with a mere drill while Nia runs away. Seeing how much he’s shaking, Nia asks if he wants to die and says that it’s okay for him to run if he’s afraid. She insists that they run away together, but the two cannot outrun the oversized missile the Gunmen just shot at them. Luckily for them, Yoko arrives to shoot it down, and Kittan quickly destroys the Gunmen. Once they bring her onboard the Daigurren, Nia is able to see all the different types of people that she’s never encountered before because the only other human she has seen is her father. She doesn’t know why she was in that box in the ravine either, nor does she know the place where she used to live because she never used to go outside – her father had said that the outside world was dangerous. Nia does, however, remember that she made her father angry by asking why she was born. Simon meanwhile is in the hanger asking the Lagann if it is abandoning him too and questioning what he should do. Rossiu overhears him and wants to say something, but Yoko stops him because she feels whatever Rossiu says will only make the hole in Simon’s heart bigger.

The Daigurren is suddenly shaken by several spouts of water that appear around it. These spouts form a circular wall of water from which a new Gunmen suddenly appears standing on top of another worm-like Gunmen. This new Gunmen is piloted by Adiane the Elegant, who voice Nia immediately recognizes. Although Rossiu is in the process of scrambling the Gurren, Yoko sees that Simon is just sitting lifelessly beside the Lagann in the hanger. Simon doesn’t stand up until he notices Nia rush outside and put herself between Adiane and the Daigurren. Much to everyone’s surprise, she commands Adiane to stop as the first princess of the Spiral King.

Preview:

Well, I was caught off guard by the new Nia-themed title screen, and that font manifests itself in the to be continued screen too. I guess the focus really is shifting now towards Nia as a main character, though I hesitate to call Nia a replacement for Kamina. She initially appears new and innocent to the world around her, yet she shows off a certain spunkiness by the end of the episode. I also find it interesting that she’s the daughter of the Spiral King and that they’re both human. It makes me wonder how a human became king over the beasts, yet has armies for exterminating other humans. I also find it interesting that Simon’s drill opened the box Nia was in, which once again implies that he and that drill are special.
Still, I can’t say that any of this is terribly shocking, especially since I was expecting Nia to become Simon’s love interest. What I am curious about is how Nia being around impacts how the Spiral King and his generals treat the Daigurren-dan, and how Yoko’s character continues to develop (if she finds new love or becomes like Simon’s guardian or dies or what). The answer to that first question might come as soon as next week since this shot from the preview shows that Adiane might not care that Nia is the princess.

57 Comments

  1. Just watched it. lol, the raw sucked, but I can still tell that the animation quality did go down, & the preview doesn’t look all that great itself, but still lets see how this all goes out.

    Deadlyrain
  2. Honestly, I couldn’t care for the animation quality right now, last weeks episode more than makes up for any bad quality.

    It seems like Simon’ll have to bring out his inner GARness to protect Nia next episode.

    And damn, what is it with Nia’s hair? It’s like a cloud.

    Dis
  3. I don’t get where would the quality drop be, animation-wise. Was it animated badly? No. The character designs (how is that related to “animation” btw, as in character’s movement?) were simplified in the first half most likely to underline the difficult moment of Simon and the whole Gurren-dan’s were going through. And “what a coincidence”, designs and colours are back to normal just as Simon finds Nia. 😉

  4. @Death: Well not really, considering they didn’t create a new ED. Although if they did it doesn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t have some sort of memorial of Kamina somewhere in there.

    @Dis: Disgaeamad? :O

    Deadlyrain
  5. lol
    “Deadlyrain at 10:20 pm on May 26th, 2007

    Just watched it. lol, the raw sucked, but I can still tell that the animation quality did go down, & the preview doesn’t look all that great itself, but still lets see how this all goes out.”

    Those words reminds me of the 9th light novel of suzumiya haruhi. Suzumiya said that directors always cheat away their customers by presenting the good parts in movies preview. And after that directors do whatever they want with the rest of the movie – even if the rest of the movie is bad.

    banzemanga
  6. @7th: Lol, now that I see it your right… But yes… episode 4 was horrendous.
    @Karis: lol, should have used

    But now I’m guessing Yoko will fall for Shimon but Shimon has fallen for Nia, & then there will be a triangle shaped love… 😛

    Deadlyrain
  7. Its kinda sad that Kamina was cut from the Op so soon. It already kinda feels like he never existed. However I will never forget the man who took GAR to a whole new level.

    I do like the new character Nia though. The extremly cute voice and awesome character design are great. Having Simoun acting all crazy also helps make of for the lack of manliness after Kamina’s death.

    Fuhrer
  8. What i wonder is…. who’s gonna be the lagann in gurren-lagann now? Kamina’s done.
    Even though i didn’t like Kamina that much, he still was the one who held the flag in the series.

    Bl@cKCaT
  9. I feel sorry for Simon. I think without him, and the whole thing with finding the small mech, there would be no Lagann. Ive grown very attatched to his character, and to be honest I cant accept the fact that hes not the main character.

    Guy
  10. @Guy

    Umm, what? Simon has ALWAYS been the main character, it’s just that people tend to think Kamina is the main because it focused on him being the leader of a rebellion. But that’s it. Simon is the main character, and it’s the story about him growing up into a man.

    RandomDendohfanboy
  11. I’ve had no interest whatsoever in this anime since it aired. Only briefly looked at this this site’s blogs.

    But now that a character like Nia pops out of nowhere……………..very interesting.

    Gil
  12. Did you guys notice Yoko’s expression at the 8:51 mark when she saw Simon and Nia holding hands. Was she thinking WTF are you flirting with a girl for at a time like this? It seems to me she was annoyed about something…or perhaps a hint of jealously?But I have to agree the animation quality did go down but for times like this just enjoy the story.And yeah I do agree Simon is ONE of the main characters along with Nia and Yoko. And it may look like he isn’t but the story does revolve around him.I don’t think a lot of people like his character because he’s a complete opposite of Kamina but I believe a good story will show a person’s growth. I would get bored eventually if he has Kamina’s personality to begin with until the end honestly.Change is good.I think I’m liking Nia more than Yoko though for a pair up but I’ll have to see how they develop that.

    tabs05
  13. I’m not feeling the impact that everyone else is, but maybe that’s because I never thought of Kamina as a main character at all, for me that spot has always belonged to Simon, since he indeed IS the first character we are introduced to in the series. He’s the first one that gets his hands on real power and strength, and a lot of Kamina’s actions just seemed like foolish bravado instead of manly heroism. Because of that, I’m not feeling the same amount of ‘omgzor tragic loss’ that everyone else is talking about. To me, he was more of a means to an end, and that’s it.

    And yes, I’m definitely looking forward to some Yoko x Simon x Nia (last part as an afterthought) romance dynamic. Bring it on!

    … Time for the flames, I guess.

    Tetsuei
  14. Why do people like to pair up Yoko and Simon? It’s been clear for a while now that Yoko is not romantically involved with Simon. Someone said this last week but Yoko will be more of a big sister figure to Simon rather than a lover. You have to admit Yoko is a LOT more mature about Kamina’s death than Simon, although she’s still heart broken.

    @tab05
    Yoko had that expression because Simon’s being a wimp that couldn’t even control Lagann right. In truth, other members of DaiGurrenDan are not too happy that Simon is their new leader because he’s a total whack off right now compared to Kamina.

    Rasmiel
  15. @rasmiel

    Well,she may have thought he was a wimp but for me there was more to that expression especially with Nia there. And it may be true that Yoko may not be romantically interested in Simon right now but like I said before it is possible right?A lot also commented that she looks too mature but then again he’s bound to catch up eventually(girls mature earlier than boys).As I said before,there may have been subtle hints before that Yoko may have romantic feelings for him but was easily overshadowed with Kamina’s presence.I could be wrong who knows but it’s still early in the series to discount anything.

    I do admit that Yoko is mature at handling the loss but you have to consider that Yoko is an experienced fighter,compared to Simon, who probably has been only fighting for a couple of months at best.So she knows how to cope much better unlike Simon who only lost someone close to him for the second time(first being his parents).More so because he feels that his lack of strength resulted to his death.I think anyone in his shoes would be an emotional wreck for awhile. I’d have to say I agree that Yoko x Simon x Nia romance dynamic is not to far fetched.It would be interesting to me at least.

    tabs05
  16. I was lol when Nia shouted: “Do you have any idea, who the hell I am?” in her version. Welcome the GAR princess.
    At the end of the next episode; Shimon x Nia run away should happen soon… it probably last the rest of the arc :\. Ofcourse I might be wrong

    Quina
  17. Yoko’s feelings for Kamina seem to run pretty deep though, if anything I think Simon is still attached to her and in the end has to make a decision as to whether he likes Nia or Yoko. But look at it, Yoko moving on to Simon so soon after Kamina’s out of the picture is just a little unbelivable. She’s never really led Simon on, except to show she cares in a sisterly/companionship way.

    Misty
  18. This show is seriously amazing in every way and totally caught me by surprise. They way it’s developing is great, and I am leaning towards a time skip after episode 12, along with new op and ending. Also, the whole Simon X Yoko X Nia thing is going to be very interesting
    I can’t wait to see what happens. 😀

    foot13
  19. Guy, actually i think that’s why they took Kamina out of the picture; Cause Simon was supposed to be the main character, and Kamina was under the spotlight.
    I don’t mean to say that they decided it on the moment, but it sure feels like it.
    I also felt that Simon was the main character,but i still wonder if it’s okay to still call it Gurren-Lagann…

    Bl@cKCaT
  20. Hey guys, the thing is that both kamina and simon are main characters. But the thing is kamina already had a set strength/attitude/personality so if he had stayed in control of gurren there is no way it woulda gotten any stronger. Kamina was just placed in the anime as a stepping stone and a moral compass for simon as hes just reaching the surface, Because without kamina simon would still be sitting underground digging tunnels but without simon no one will save the universe… i mean come on, the dude standing on the extremely large ship just after the OP in episode 1 looks a lot like simon dont you think? 😛

    BuckRodgers
  21. YALL MAKE ME LAUGH!!! so many of you dudes be THIRSTING!! thirsting for some simon X yoko.. its hilariouse!! AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN!!!! and if it does….WELL MERRY CHRISTMAS!and why would any one hate on kamina??? HE WAS THE MAN!! is there something wrong with being the man??Hmmmmm? and i agree with one of the earlier comments, what the heck do a lot of you guys think the word”ANIMATION” mean’s? BECAUSE DUH! i think the phrase yall are looking for is “ARTISTIC STYLE” and it didnt go down my freinds, it simply CHANGED

    BROOKLYN otaku
  22. yoko? shes a bitch, simon aint gonna fall for her since she already broke his heart.. and i hate KAMINA! that bastard is so lame.. bone head who only relies on simon lagann, he doesnt even realize that he’s borrowing simons pwr.. good thing he died. now simon FTW! gonna really love ep10 onwards…

    p/s R.I.P kamina.. u will forever be rememberd as an anyoning bastard by me..

    anono
  23. oh btw, daimon masaru > kamina, u ppl really need to watch more anime… again, kamina suck balls if compared to masaru or Salaryman Kintaro.. just get over it ppl, kamina is just a cannon fodder to gurren-lagann.. he’s dead!

    anono
  24. What’s with all the Kamina hate? He was a great character, and without him Simon wouldn’t be anything, nor become anything.

    Without him, Gurren-Lagann wouldn’t be Gurren-Lagann.

    Heiae
  25. erm.. did you forget sumthing? wasnt simon was the one who found the drill and the head robot? wasnt he was the one saving both yoko and kamina? kamina wasnt so great.. the fact that he even named simon’s robot lagann was shear stupidity, it wasnt his to begin w/.. (oh is that ur pet, lets name it !@#$%…) mehh.. again just get over it, kamina’s dead.. and thats for the good of the show.. now i’ll be waiting to see how yoko will react whn she finds out that she was the one that caused kamina to die in the 1st place by kissing him thus breaking simon’s heart.. again, gonna be a blast for ep10 onwards.. now im all out rooting for Nia!! now gurren-lagann only needs more milf kind of mature women!!! not sum 14yr who looks old for her age….

    anono
  26. > Heiae
    not many people hate Kamina. Most of the fan like him, me included. He is the reason why I start watching the show after all.
    Now that he is dead, Nia is the only thing pulling me to watch this anime. I don’t care about mecha action or development of Simon.

    quina
  27. oh btw, w/out simon.. kamina would just be a sitting duck like his dad.. the minute he came to the surface, he died… lol. p/s kamina was an ok character.. not great but not that bad also.. its just average except for his big mouth/talk and all..

    anono
  28. I don’t understand the Kamina hate. He is what makes Gurren Lagann so manly and gar. Without him, Simon is just another Shinji wannabe.

    Unless you happen to like wusses for main characters.

    konron
  29. if he WAS so great, then why did he died? just my opinion but i hate the fact that the main protagonist is over shdowed by someone else.. simon act the way he acted was because he was only 14yr/o, dun tell me tht all 14yr old act like THIS IS SPARTA!! so i couldnt undrstnd either if ppl think kamina WAS so great.. sorry but thts wht i think.
    P.s Kazuma from Kaze no stigma was way cooler than kamina was..
    p.ss future Simon pwn kamina.. ;p

    tay

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