First Impressions / Gurren Lagann

Summary:

In bringing out the Chouginga Gurren Lagann, Simon grabs the main face of the enemy ship and digs into it, creating a large explosion. The other battleship then starts bombarding them with planets, but Simon responds with the Gurren Boomerang which rips through the enemy. The Anti-Spirals answer right back with a barrage of missiles that manage to hit the Chouginga Gurren Lagann through its spiral field because the enemy shells are of the probability variation type. According to Lord Genome, this type of attack neutralizes the probability of them defending against it, causing Darry to point out that controlling probability is in god’s domain. When a bright light then appears in front of them, it is accompanied by the Anti-Spiral voice questioning if they’re going to move ahead at the expense of their comrades. The voice claims that the spiral power which only thinks about evolving will conclude in the destruction of the universe and explains that it’s the power that connects life and the universe. The growth of the galaxy is proportional to the growth of life, and developing forms to gain more spiral power is evolution. However, this power is uncontrollable, and it will lead to a black hole that will return the universe to nothingness – this is the Spiral Nemesis.

With Simon completely shocked upon hearing this, Lord Genome confirms it as truth and suggests that Simon had intuitively realized it because he had been using the power. However, Lord Genome also says that there is one more truth: Nia is waiting for him. Simon feels that Lord Genome is right and regains his fighting spirit, and when the Anti-Spiral voice wonders if he’d destroy the universe for short-lived emotion, Simon replies that he’ll protect both the girl and the universe. Not knowing what’s going to happen tomorrow but not wanting to regret right now is what the Dai Gurren-dan is about. He then directs a twister type ability at the enemy ship, but the ship disappears through a portal. Lord Genome warns the crew that their enemy is using Random Schrödinger Warping where they control multidimensional probability variation, though fortunately the Chouginga Gurren Lagann has a weapons system that can launch a barrage of fire into the space and time axes. This succeeds in flushing out the enemy ship, and Simon finishes it off with the Chouginga Giga Drill Breaker. The avatar of Nia smiles at this, but she soon disappears. Lord Genome then reports that the interference is gone, so they can go to the real Nia now, and Simon is able to visualize where she is.

Nia is happy to see Simon, but a dark face suddenly clouds his view, and the Anti-Spiral voice decides to make them pursue the same fate as the spiral warriors of old times. Before Simon realizes what’s going on, he’s taken back to his younger self back on Earth digging holes. He and Kamina are jewel thieves, and Simon’s drill allows them to break into places to steal. Yoko is also in this alternate universe, and her identity is that of the famous bounty hunter Yoko Ritona. In fact, the entire crew of the Chouginga Gurren Lagann is there, and Lord Genome and Boota are the only ones left unaffected. Taking the form of a black, featureless, and shadowy being, the Anti-Spiral voice confirms that the crew is trapped in a multiverse that they can’t get out of as long as they have their intelligence. After a brief chat about how Lord Genome is here to settle things after his past fight, the black Anti-Spiral prepares to fire a blast at the head. However, Lord Genome notes that the Anti-Spiral is being too polite and thinks that if the Anti-Spirals were acting serious, they would have no trouble annihilating the Spirals. The Anti-Spiral admits that it was because they felt an unidentifiable spiral power, and the analysis was marred by holes.

Before the Anti-Spiral can fire, Boota jumps into the path of the blast and starts powering up. His attack having been blocked, the Anti-Spiral recognizes this power as the strange one they had been feeling. Boota then changes into humanoid form, and Lord Genome attributes it to his individual growth energy changing into species evolution energy. Such a rapid change would have been impossible if it hadn’t been for Lord Genome’s own spiral power, and Boota quickly gets to work punching the Anti-Spiral. Unfortunately, the black Anti-Spiral appears again behind him, and since Boota is now human, the Anti-Spiral sends him into the multiverse. With all the holes in the analysis now been filled, the Anti-Spiral declares that this is the end for the crew and disappears. Meanwhile in that universe, Kamina and Simon have gotten caught by the authorities, and Kamina is on his knees begging for his life. Behind them is a glowing container with a hole for a core drill, but Simon notices that it’s no longer hanging around his neck. A voice from behind Simon suddenly asks him what’s wrong and if he lost his drill, and that voice belongs to Kamina.

This Kamina, however, is the Kamina of the Gurren-dan, and he tells Simon to choose whichever Kamina he likes. He reminds Simon that his drill is inside of him, and he asks Simon what purpose his drill is there for. The other Kamina then pulls Simon down to make him bow his head too, but Simon declares that his drill is the drill that pierces the heavens, and he punches the other Kamina. The core drill then reappears in Simon’s hand, and he opens the chest behind him to find it filled with light. After this light clears the skies, Kamina urges Simon to go without letting feelings of “if” mislead him – his one chosen thing is his truth in the universe. Back in his adult form now, Simon agrees, so Kamina tells him not to forget that his universe is in Simon’s universe. It’s not just him either, it’s all of their fallen comrades too. When Simon decides that it’s time to go, Kamina says that this time is really goodbye, but Simon feels that it’s not goodbye because they’ll always be together inside of him. Simon then uses his core drill to transform himself into the Gurren Lagann and takes off into the sky. Yoko meanwhile sees herself getting married on TV to Kittan, but she then turns it off and finds Kamina holding the TV. After thanking him, she grabs her own glowing core drill and joins Simon in the sky.

Across the world, each of the Dai Gurren-dan members does the same, with the final one being Viral who is with his family but realizes that it’s all a sweet dream. Unaware of what’s going on, the black Anti-Spiral is currently interrogating Nia about why she opposes them to that extent. Nia believes that Simon will definitely come, but the Anti-Spiral places his hand on her head and causes her a great deal of pain as he drains her. In the middle of this, however, Nia notices her ring pulsating light. She struggles to point it forward, and the pulsating changes to a constant light from which the Gurren Lagann soon emerges. Inside the Gurren Lagann is Simon who has come to save her.

Preview

Wow…just wow. The alternate universe dream sequence was amazing and almost made me want to cry, particularly everything that happened after the insert song started playing (which I love now). I’ve always wanted Kamina to come back so that he can interact with adult Simon and provide one last bit of inspiration since they give him some of the best speeches. It was icing on the cake to see him get to interact a little with Yoko too, even if it wasn’t for real and even if they barely said anything. Instead, that television was heavily symbolic, but I’m not sure whether it was a mirror into Yoko’s own feelings or a look into what she could achieve to remind her of her true self (those two things might not be mutually exclusive). Although it showed her getting married to Kittan, I think it’s also important to note that it was Kamina who was switching the channels for her, and that’s what ultimately brought her back to her normal self so that she could join Simon. She can’t end up with either of them, but it suffices to say that they both have an important place in her heart – Kamina as her first love and Kittan as the dependable one she would have ended up with if he hadn’t died.

Anyway, I’m just impressed that the topic of Yoko and her relationships was revisited again in a way that gave a lot of closure. The same could be said for the part with Viral and his family – which I thought was a beautiful scene – and you could interpret that as a go-ahead for Viral to die in next week’s finale. With the bar set so high now for his happiness, I think there’s now a better-than-before chance of him getting a grand warrior’s death instead. Actually, who knows if anyone is going to survive at all or how the writers are going to end this series. It kind of feels like there’s too much to resolve in any conventional way, but I’d rather not think of what kind of unconventional ending a GAINAX series could have. Anyway, I expect that they’ll somehow work in that scene from the very beginning of episode one now that Boota has turned humanoid, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the finale to be even better than this episode, though I’m not sure that’s possible.

119 Comments

  20. The whole episode was beyond awesome. The mind fuck everyone was down on and bashing last week turned out to be totally amazing and probably some of the best stuff I have seen. Seeing everyone’s dreams (Viral’s was baaaaawwww) and Simon and Kamina together again, was just so emotional and well down. I seriously think Gurren Lagann just silenced all the critics who said it was going to be a Gainax ending and they were going to screw us over. Awesome, AWESOME episode.

    ann
    Reply

  25. Note that Viral’s wife and daughter in the dream sequence look like beastmen (animal ears and all). I think it’s that he wants a family, and an end to the fighting, but not necessarily that he wants to be human.

    Myssa Rei
    Reply

  31. wows…that is awwwwwwshums… i see nice dreams tho, sweet dreams. well i see everybody’s all refreshed and ready to get the battle going again. That last screen with simon smiling makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. o,o,o! i see gurren lagann holding yoko’s rifle next ep!!

    klazyguy
    Reply

  38. Astounding.

    And to judge from the last few minutes and the preview, the largest Gurren Lagann of them all will be even bigger than Chouginga Gurren Lagan— and will be composed of pure GAR energy and fighting spirit, piloted by absolutely everyone!

    That’s what the extra core drills are for.

    (And why Ultimate Gurren Lagann can whip up a Yoko sniper rifle or whatever else it needs to take on the Anti-Spirals.)

    Silvering
    Reply

  39. “Toast World” was also lots of fun.

    It a lot of ways, Gurren Lagann is Evangelion set on its head. Simon grows from insecure to resourceful, rather than simply growing more contemptable, as Shinji did.

    The two series also have very opposite ideas about human potential and human fellowship. The difference is in great part why Gurren Lagann’s heroes were more willing to leave Toast World than Shinji.

    Silvering
    Reply

  40. Ye i agree Gurren Lagann is very similiar to Envangelion. Judging from the dreamscenes, its fairly similiar to the envangelion ending where the guy meets some alternate reality. Gurren Lagann betr not end that way..

    End0rphine
    Reply

  42. The last two episodes had really chipped away at the faith I had placed in this show and its ending story sequence, but this episode has completely turned every doubt I had on its head. I feel like slapping myself for not trusting the writers… also these next 7 days are going to be some of the longest I’ve ever waited for any series finale.

    8GaugeBrett
    Reply

  45. Okay, I’m actually not too happy with this episode, because it felt like a combination of a number of things, and never really exceeding the sum of its parts:

    A retarded amount of drills, and the multiple layers of mechas piloting and transforming larger mechas, which, contrary to popular belief, gets pretty obnoxious after a while.

    Dream sequence: Wow Gainax, we haven’t seen this one before. Oh wait, yes we have, the classic Neon Genesis Evangelion mindf**k episodes.

    I for one am disappointed.

    Tetsuei
    Reply

  47. A MF episode from Gainax is pretty much par-for-practice. After all, I can only think of 1 Gainax produced anime that didn’t have one in recent memory (that being Petite Princess Yuchie).

    This MF however seems to be in the vein of Abenobashi though. One with a positive outcome.

    Myssa Rei
    Reply

  48. @Tetsuei
    seriously, you sound like you haven’t seen the thing at all.

    the CGGL section is fairly trippy fun, and it moves quickly through various attacks. And the dream sequence, besides the fact that it is a dream sequence, is absolutely NOTHING like evangelion. completely different purpose, completely different outcome.

    Ashlay
    Reply

  50. Dream sequence: Wow Gainax, we haven’t seen this one before. Oh wait, yes we have, the classic Neon Genesis Evangelion mindf**k episodes.

    I for one am disappointed.

    You obviously haven’t seen the episode. The mindfuck in this episode is nothing like Evangelion. At all. It’s probably the best part of the show. It also actually made sense, unlike Evangelion.

    As for your other compliant, there wasn’t any of that even in the show really.

    ann
    Reply

  51. Holy Christ.
    E=MC2
    Epicness = manly cries X infinty…
    Wow. Superb equation Gainax.
    Gotta love this episode.
    Reviews?
    WTF? There is no NEED for reviews on this episode. IT SPEAKS for itself
    I AM SOOOO GETTING THIS ANIME WHEN ITS RELEASED in DVD.. NAY!!!! BLU-RAY?!!!!
    lolz.
    jesus. this anime rocks like nothing ever before.
    Its gonna be a difficult road for any other mecha anime to follow…

    sdliddo
    Reply

  52. What is it with you guys? “Because you say you don’t like it then you didn’t watch the episode!” WTF? What if he did see the RAW and said what he said? Is there something wrong with not liking this ep? What’s wrong with expecting something more out of gainax and getting the same stuff they’ve done before but with a little brighter side? That’s basically all he’s saying, and there is nothing wrong with that.

    GP
    Reply

  53. This anime is so freaking epic. I give 10/10 on every episode. Because there always something new in each episode. And I knew it, it was Boota in humanoid form that is the guy on the first episode!

    QU4RK
    Reply

  56. I have to say though… When I saw Nia, and saw all those chunks *missing* from her, I was struck by a thought… And a rather wacky memory from an old TV series: “We can rebuild her. We have the tools…”

    Myssa Rei
    Reply

  58. this anime has never disappointed and it keeps on getting better.

    i admit to saying my personal fav parts are the early episodes with kamina and 1st lagaan gattai(ROFL)when fighting viral but the story has evolved more than once and given enough action and comedy to justify it as a great IF we get a great last episode.for a 26-28 epi series this is fantastic!

    ark noir
    Reply

  60. I don’t think anyone is really going to die anymore. They had the scene with all the dead people already and I think they can’t add another death, end the show, save Nia and do it all in a matter that is satisfactory. The only people left to die are pretty important to the story. Anyway, I’d be surprised to see Viral die….

    @ GP Nobody is saying that. We are only saying his complaints don’t make much sense since.

    ann
    Reply

  62. Yoko should just kiss the Anti-Spiral humanoid guy…
    DoomBitch never fails… LOL!
    i [HEART] the alternate dimension sequence.
    (d’ja see Lord Genome? i think he’s a professor or sumthin’. LOL!)
    and Boota!!! Boota Pwns Anti-Spiral A$$!

    YamadaShun
    Reply

  68. I’ve watched the raw three times now, and I still tear up at the Simon and Kamina, the Yoko and Kamina, and Viral with his family scenes.
    Unfortunetly, I too think that Viral is doomed to die, which equals my three favorites(Kamina,Kittan, and Viral) dead at the end of the series BUT THAT’S OKAY BEACUSE THIS SHOW IS THE MOST AWESOMLY EPIC THING EVER.

    Varg
    Reply

  70. LOL, Viral’s not going anywhere, not today, not tommorrow, not in the next millenium, you forgot, hes immortal, remember the jail fight? He can heal his wounds just like that and continue to fight, so Viral can enjoy his family life when this is over……

    lol
    Reply

  72. Obviously in the end it’s going to be Yoko xx Boota. I mean, he *was* the first one to put a move on her.

    “What’s this small creature making himself comfortable in my breasts?”
    But yea. This show is teh r0x0rz. I’m already so satisfied with everything about it that the next episode will just be icing on the cake after a 7 course meal of GAR.

    DLazLong
    Reply

  74. That whole Yoko and Kamina scene looked to me like a final closing off of things. They don’t say much, and she just says thanks, but it’s got the feeling of closing that was needed finally. And that whole Kittan bit on the TV isn’t more than just the anti-spirals messing with her and trying to toss her into a fake world they think she wants. It was the same as the one Simon was tossed into and Viral etc, while they seem nice, they’re clear to each that there is something wrong with them and thus they wakeup and break away.

    GP
    Reply

  75. Absolutely epic. Nothing I’ve ever watched, be it acted or animated, has made me actually burst into tears. Many episodes of shows have made me tear up (including many Gurren Lagann episodes), but this one actually made me cry.

    Honestly. The entire dream sequence was amazing, and I burst into tears during the Kamina and Simon talk. It was stunning.

    This show shall be forever cemented into the history of anime. Nothing can stop it now. Only one word could describe this episode: EPIC.

    Also, we’re so seeing episode 1’s beginning next week. It’s time. Boota has changed, and the stage has been set. This is it, people.

    I’m set to be amazed.

    Heiae
    Reply

  76. Everybody call this series as awesome, perfect and such. But don’t forget the mess with ep 4 and 5…
    Actually, in my mind, ep 26 was good but not as wonderful than other good episodes as the one when Kamina died. Because the first part is only about “how my mecha gets bigger” and the second is all about some dreams that went wrong…I mean Kamina cannot just live as a thief !
    Well, I don’t say this ep was bad but there were some stuffs that I didn’t enjoy as much as others seems to.
    Still, I hope we’ll get a good and memorable ending for one of the best series. They can’t screw it after so much goodness !

    xiny
    Reply

  79. Obviously, in the final episode, Simon finally, and quite literally pierces the heavens, becomes GOD himself, and transforms the Chouginga Gurren Lagann into the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. This is delicious finale. You must eat it.

    Waffo
    Reply

  82. mission for next weeks epic episode:
    – prepare tissues
    – watch episode on TV
    – take some breathers
    – talk about this epic anime nonestop
    – cosplay boota

    if ending suck:
    – cry (ANGRY MANLY TEARS)
    – pull HAIR
    – go rewatch Slayers or other classic animes, to remove any thought of gurren lagann.

    kaoboy
    Reply

  84. EPIC. WIN. In fact, epic win for this ep alone but as a series….we’re gonna need to come up with a better word than just epic win for Gurren-Laggan..i mean..JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS!!!!!!

    kitaaaaa
    Reply

  90. Wow…truly amazing….

    Along with Code Geass, this series is one of my all time favourites! I think part of Tengen’s greatness is due to Gainax’s previous series, Gunbuster 2. You can clearly see the similarity in the pseudo-scientific, over-exaggeratedness (made up word, lol) and Nia’s weird (but cute) eyes as well. Yet again, Gainax does not disappoint when it comes to producing a quality series worth our time! All of you who thought this was going to be a mind-f**k episode (or still think it is) should not even bother watching this anime, because you obviously don’t know what it is about! On to the happy ending!

    Konata-chan
    Reply

  91. Oh, I almost forgot! There seems to be an unintended Suzumiya Haruhi-sama reference here (yes, I am reading into this too much…lol). The bit where the Anti-spiral mentioned humanity will evolve until each individual becomes their own universe points to our dear posthuman, O-Haruhi-sama.

    Konata-chan
    Reply

  94. lol after re-watching it the nth time.. i just figured out who that woman in viral’s dream actually looks like.. though it took me time.
    Zelda.
    Wow.
    Still… awesome epic is a stale word to be using with this anime. Manly tears were shed in many an episode. WTF anime did this constantly to me can only be counted in one hand. Gunbuster being one.
    Wow. Pure epicness.
    Gainax has made a complete winner in my book.
    The week of wait for episode 27 makes me sad and happy at the same time.
    God i hope its a one hour episode. two hours or something lolz.
    But alas i know its just gonna be 30mins of pure pure GREATNESS.

    sdliddo
    Reply

  95. Omfg… this beats all previous episodes again, dammit. I had to shed manly tears during the whole dream scenes, every second just glimmers in the light of perfection. Let’s hope Gainax finds a proper way to end this awesome, awesome, awesome and epic anime series.

    Neara
    Reply

  100. Simple answer to that.
    Just watch and see if you like it.
    If manly tears are shed.. then that means it struck something in you the same way it did to those that did watch this anime. Gainax seems to have perfected the art of reaching into the audience and bringing forth the intended emotion out of anyone.
    For me.. an anime fan who will watch anything… this anime stands out so much out there that I seriously doubt anyone else but GAINAX themselves will be able to surpass this anime they’ve made.
    To me and a lot of others… this anime made manly men cry tears of joy and approval.
    Just watch it and figure it out yourselves.
    Just remember… kick reason out of the curb and dont bother thinking in a logical fashion.

    sdliddo
    Reply

  102. …oooo..dayum that was awsome. It was like…eating the best food ever with the best wine or beer or your prefered beverage…with your favourite band or music playing…and the chef gives u 100000$ for no reason whatsoever.

    klazyguy
    Reply

  103. Incredible show. Nuff said. I never thought it’d go this far when i starded watching the first episode. And look at where we are now, one episode short of the end !

    I’ll shed manly tears like everyone else when this ends.

    Peysh
    Reply

  111. “Never afraid of what the future holds
    Never regretful of the present
    That is who we are!
    The Dai-Gurren Brigade”

    A good quote by Simon, that pretty much represents the spirit of this series…

    Darklord
    Reply

  114. I’m pretty sure the scene in the first episode was actually from this episode – the space-time cannons attack in https://randomc.net/image/Gurren%20Lagann/Gurren%20Lagann%20-%2026%20-%20Large%2009.jpg Much of the dialogue is very similar, and the weapons used are the same – not to mention the ship is quite clearly similar in design and identical in weaponry to Chouginga Dai-Gurren. The original plan probably called for Chouginga not to have transformed yet by that point, hence why we see it in its ship form.

    Mallow
    Reply

  115. In all cliche mental attack in anime, this one srsly make me go sob for the entire day, thanks to kamina TnT most epic moment is when kamina guide them out from the mindfuck and showing where they belong. simon and YOOOOOOKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! XDXDXDXD

    p.s. I rather have the first episode prologue as the ending then the episode 27 O_o

    p.s.2. BOOTA!! XD

    XIII
    Reply

  117. Yeah damn epic episode. The way Kamina interacted with Simon was a nice touch to end the series. Btw I love your reviews Omni 😀 In any case the tv switching was not really Yoko’s dreams or her heart. It was other alternate dimensions like the ones they are trapped in created by the anti spirals. Kamina was just showing the other “good” choices she had but in the end chose to face reality in where he and Kittan were the dead. Also what made the scene great was the background of the volcanoes where she and Kamina had a moment. Really touching.

    Arsi
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *