Summary:

Before Simon had arrived, the black Anti-Spiral figure had told Nia that she was merely a virtual being included in the Spirals’ genes that would awaken when they rose up in revolt. The fact that she was born to a Spiral warrior and loved by a Spiral warrior is just a coincidence. Despite this, Nia had kept faith that Simon would arrive, and soon enough, he does indeed appear through her ring with the Gurren Lagann. Along with him are all of his friends in drill-shaped pods, and the Anti-Spiral is dumbfounded at how they were able to escape the labyrinth of the multiverse. Simon doesn’t care about any of that since they’re the Dai Gurren-dan, and he and the others proceed to form the galactic-sized Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Still surprised that they made it here, the Anti-Spiral decides to fight them with a similar looking galactic-sized mecha whose purpose to give them absolute despair by winning. Lord Genome is the one who explains this, and he’s also gotten his body back temporarily because they are in a super-spiral universe. After a word of encouragement to Nia, he tells Viral that he’s no longer a king – he’s simply a warrior now, just like Viral.

The two galactic-sized mecha then charge towards each other and meet in a clash of the titans. Unfortunately, the Anti-Spiral has the upper hand and punches the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann into a nearby galaxy. Yoko tries to help by creating a huge version of her rifle and pounding the enemy with bullets, but the Anti-Spiral seems unfazed and declares that there is no chance for the Dai Gurren-dan to win since the Anti-Spirals rule this universe. Through her scope, Yoko notices and fires upon the spherical and shielded object resting on the head of the Anti-Spiral mecha. Nia identifies this as the Anti-Spiral homeworld. The Anti-Spiral then reveals their past, including how they started out as Spirals and how they destroyed those with the Spiral power and confined the remnants to a corner of the universe. Along with keeping themselves in an isolated space and sealing their evolution, the Anti-Spirals also kept their ugly appearance as a symbol of their determination. The Anti-Spiral now questions if the Spirals have the resolution to do the same to protect the universe, and as the battle continues, the Anti-Spiral yells that they don’t.

During all this, the Anti-Spiral mecha had destroyed the swords that Viral pulled out, and it slams the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann through several galaxies. The Anti-Spiral feels that the Spirals don’t have the determination, resolution, or sense since they drown themselves in their power – this is the Spirals’ limit, and it’s why the Anti-Spirals must destroy them. With the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann now losing spiral power fast, the crew worries about not being able to protect Earth, and, as if on cue, they suddenly see Earth in the distance. Cybela thinks that this is a distortion of space-time, and Leeron and Lord Genome theorize that this battle has interfered with the spiral transport system, creating a bypass. Amused to see the Dai Gurren-dan’s homeworld, the Anti-Spiral mecha reaches for it. On the planet’s surface, Kiyal, Kiyoh, Kinon, and Rossiu all see the giant figure looming, but right before it grabs the planet, Dayakka and Gabal use a spiral powered rope to grab the Anti-Spiral mecha and swing it around. Even Attenborough manages to get in some hits by unleashing a wave of probability variation missiles.

When the Anti-Spiral comments on how the Spirals are still struggling, Simon retorts that the tomorrow that they’re grabbing is not the one decided by the Anti-Spirals. He feels that they’ll choose their future from the boundless universe, and they’ll fight to the end to protect this universe, including stopping the Spiral Nemesis. The Anti-Spiral doesn’t think that Simon and company can do that, and in order to beat them, the Anti-Spiral forms a ball of energy out of two galaxies and launches an Infinity Big Bang attack. Things look bad for the crew as Spiral power drops throughout the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, but back on Earth, the population believes in how the Dai Gurren-dan won’t let things end like this. Indeed, Lord Genome tells Simon to leave things up to him, and from within the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann appears the Lazengann. Putting it into overload mode, Lord Genome is able to stop the oncoming energy blast, and he tells Nia not to grieve after she cries out his name. Having come here after his soul sank into a sea of despair and weariness, Lord Genome sees creating a spiral life tomorrow as his heart’s desire.

Nia’s body flickers as she agrees with her father, and it causes Simon to realize something. Seeing Simon’s shocked face, Nia reminds him that he came here to do what he must do. Simon knows that they have to win, and Lord Genome helps them out by turning the enemy attack into a giant drill when the Lazengann finally gets vaporized. In his final act, Lord Genome has the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann swallow this drill, giving it off-the-charts amounts of spiral power. The Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann now has enough energy to swing endlessly at the Anti-Spiral even if its arm drill breaks each time. The Anti-Spiral doesn’t understand where they got such power, so Simon declares that they’ve evolved from themselves from one minute ago. Each rotation moves them forward a little more – that’s what a drill does. The Anti-Spiral believes that this is the road to perdition and questions why they’re oblivious to the limit of the Spirals. Simon, however, feels that this limit is actually the Anti-Spiral’s own limit.

Simon then tells the Anti-Spiral to remember this: his drill opens a hole in the universe, and this hole becomes a path for the people who follow afterwards. The wishes of the fallen and the hopes of the people who follow after – these two desires are woven into a double helix, and it will dig up the path that leads to tomorrow. Saying that his drill is the drill that pierces the heavens, Simon charges the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann forward once more, and in the ensuing clash and explosion, the Chouginga Gurren Lagann jumps out. When the enemy stops it with tentacles, the Arc Gurren Lagann then jumps out, and when that too is stopped, the Gurren Lagann jumps out. Not quite able to make it all the way to the Anti-Spiral, Viral has the Gurren throw the Lagann, and this is what ultimately barrels through their enemy. The black Anti-Spiral figure realizes that this is the end, and his final words tell Simon to protect this universe. Back on Earth, the people cheer as they watch the grand explosion, and the space around them returns to its normal black color. Rossiu then radios Simon to inform him that they are being communicated with from across the galaxy by Spirals overjoyed with liberation, meaning that they have a lot of allies in this universe.

In the aftermath, Nia returns home where old Coco welcomes her back and gives her a dress. This is her wedding dress, and she and Simon soon get married in front of all their friends. After they kiss however, Yoko notices that Nia is disappearing. Simon was already aware, and he tells Nia that he won’t forget her, even if this universe is destroyed. Nia feels that it won’t be since that’s what everyone worked so hard for, and she finally says that she loves him. After Simon tells her that he loves her too, Nia completely disappears, and her ring falls to Yoko’s feet. Everyone is worried about Simon, but he’s okay with this because he knew defeating the Anti-Spirals would lead to this since Nia was a virtual being created by them. Gimmy thinks that they should use the Spiral power to bring her and all their dead friends back, however Yoko reminds him that Simon isn’t God. Agreeing that the dead are dead and that they shouldn’t be forcibly brought back, Simon hands Gimmy his core drill and leaves everything else in Rossiu’s hands. He feels that he’s just Digger Simon and that there’s someone more suitable out there to go through the hole that was dug. Putting on his Dai Gurren-dan coat, Simon catches Nia’s ring when Yoko throws it to him, and he walks off.

20 years later, Rossiu and Leeron are discussing the Galactic Spiral Peace Conference, and how the different Spirals have different ways of thinking. When Rossiu wonders how Simon is doing, Leeron reassures him that Simon is watching somewhere. Elsewhere on an island, Principal Yoko listens to a transmission from Nakimu as she waves goodbye to her current students. Nakimu has joined the Gulaparl Corps and is one of the pilots under Gimmy and Darry, the former of whom still has the core drill for the Gurren Lagann. They are headed for the Chouginga Dai Gurren – now under the command of Viral – and the ship will be leaving for deep space as a representative of Earth. That night, in a seaside town, a cloaked man finds a boy trying to drill into a coconut-like fruit and gives him some advice on how to do it. The boy is successful and very impressed by the man, causing the man to start to ask who the boy thinks he is, but he stops midway through the signature line because the boy isn’t paying attention anymore. Realizing that he’s no one now, the man watches as the boy cheers over the sight of the Gurren Lagann and the Gulaparls taking off into space in the distant sky. The boy dreams of going too, and the man describes how all the lights of heaven are all stars. This man is of course Simon, and Boota reminds him that these are the stars where their Spiral friends wait.

 
 
 

The bitter-sweetness of this ending due to Nia and Simon’s fates evoked a lot of emotion in me – if last week almost made me cry, this week definitely did. I had always thought that the two of them would die together or end up happy together. It always seemed like Simon and friends managed to find the way to succeed, particularly after setbacks, so it was a bit surprising to see them end on the loss of a character, even if it was under the happy wedding setting. It also seems unlike Simon to just resign himself to the loss of Nia and to a wanderer’s life (especially since he’s like a spitting image of Kamina in this shot). It’s as if he lost his own motivation to continue on as a leader of the people, though he still holds a lot of hope for the future generations. I wonder why they’re sending this kind of message at the end here after spending pretty much the entire series essentially saying that you can do anything by believing in yourself and trying your hardest. I guess you could argue that he had done what he had to do and left things up to those future generations.

I don’t want to sound too disappointed in this one regard though because I really did enjoy the ending overall. The battle was one of the best this series has to offer since it felt like it was in overdrive from the very beginning, due in part to the massive scale it was taking place on. I did think that using the opening song during the entire latter half of the battle was a bit unnecessary (I would have preferred the “fight the power” song instead), but that’s mainly because as soon as they started playing it, you knew that the good guys were gonna start winning. I also appreciated that the 20-years-after part offered a good deal of closure and ended on a relatively high note.

Final Thoughts: I originally approached this show with a great deal of skepticism, some of it due to the Sunday morning timeslot this was airing in. Looking back at it now, that sounds really naive since Gurren Lagann turned out to be my favorite series that started in this past spring season. The word “epic” gets tossed around a lot, but I really think that it’s applicable here. Not only was this show incredible from an animation quality point of view, the story just kept growing in scale until they were literally fighting for the fate of the entire universe. Add to that all the memorable characters and inspiring moments, and I have no problem calling this the must-see show of 2007.

265 Comments

  1. Best ending I’ve seen in a long, long time. I cried a lot. But it was a bittersweet ending, so I ended up loving it anyway.

    And I did enjoy Gurren Lagann, A LOT. I personally think this has been without much doubts the best show of year.

    Thanks for having blogged it, Omni.

  2. Sorry…but the follow message conveys my mixed emotions of excitment, happiness,saddness,WTF-ness, omfg-ness,and every other random feeling you can think of:LKHVSKJBGAKJSBJWBJWEKJAEWRGLWRNGWHWLRHKNWRHREJHERJRJAREJEDJFGKJFDKKTKFYKYKDYKDTYKLTYLTLTDLHGLDGLT

    klazyguy
  3. //https://randomc.net/image/Gurren%20Lagann/Gurren%20Lagann%20-%2027%20-%20Large%2051.jpg

    Kamina’s dad or what? lol

    The ending ages the characters an extra 20 years or so. That’s Simon

    Anyway it looks like Ideon just got upsurped as the most powerful robot in Anime History.

    mikemil828
  4. “of course, who do you think I….huh? heh. no, I guess I’m no one.”
    ;_;

    I started to think about this last week with Viral’s dream, but in the end this always did apply to Simon as well:
    the old cliches are always the best ones. true heroes are never meant to be happy, but instead wander the earth bringing happiness to others.

    couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful end to an excellent series.

    Ashlay
  5. Simon wed Nia and said the final goodbye on the same time.
    Yoko went back the teaching (now she elder),
    And Simon (now he is old) now the wander and help the others but never forget his past adventures.

    ededdeddy
  6. It’s good that most of you liked the ending. But i was too shabby for ma taste. I didn’t get to cry neither. I mean, i am a sentimental person too. Maybe it is because the episode didn’t quite lure me well towards the sadness for Nia’s death.

    What is even more that the people got so damn old. I mean, i thought at least they would leave Yoko pretty but she was so old. Well, at least there the fact which people never stay young forever.

    The last puzzle is what happened to Simon. His left eye looks like a spiral while the right one human.

    banzemanga
  7. Truly an amazing but poignant end to the series. I hate to say it, but Gurren Lagann now has Ideon beat, at least in the over-the-top universe-moving power department.

    This does raise an interesting fact though… That the person on the bridge in the first episode ISN’T Simon at all, but someone else, who probably took over Simon’s mantle as commander.

    Myssa Rei
  8. Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
    they Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Ending
    what wrong making a good happe ending from Nia & Simon?????

    Dark
  9. sigh…from the looks of things…Nia’s gone…*Sniffle*. In the end, this was one of the best (if not THE best) mecha-uber-awsome-random-gar-sad-etc anime ive watched. It left this big gap in my soul now that its over…maybe i can fill the gap with something else…who knows…but i know one thing, it maybe over, but it will not be forgotten.

    And on another note, about simon’s eye, there could be 2 possibilities. 1. Lord G. is inside him, which is improbable. 2. Because he is a spiral user, he’s becoming like lord G. He may be even imortal or longer-lasting than others. All that’s left to do is to imagine. Doubt there’s second season. And if there is, i probably wouldnt watch it, in fear that it may not be as good as the one b4 it.

    klazyguy
  10. the american in me wishes for happy ending …..but hey, when the shit is this GREAT!! who the hell cares!!! THANK YOU GAINAX, and THANK YOU OMNI!!!!!
    +++++++++++++NOW GIMME MORE GUNBUSTER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    BROOKLYN otaku
  11. Okay they make this ending for a possible season 2 lol……..
    This time around…

    Viral is immortal he won’t aged anyway..
    Simon is the old man supporter, what’s this something like Star Wars haha… Simon become the old man that guided the young Skywalker. (not Anakin)

    A new group of heroes (teenagers I say) would emerged probably the story would start at Yoko’s school something like that 20+ years later after this.

    Good idea for Gainax to start doing second soon that’s if they want to take the risk and hope it would be successful as season 1…..

    arigatou
  12. This was a good ending for me, YOKO survived and went back to her children! IT was not my perfect ending but after Yoko was thrown to the sidelines to give room for Nia, I take anything good that can happen to her. She seemed happy, but darn to spend her life alone like Simon. still, Nia’s death didn’t affect me at all, I can even say it was satisfying.

    golthin
  13. @arigatou

    Personally want there to be another season. But consider some of of the following reasons.
    1. Second seasons suck. Yes…o, how can a second season of one of the greatest anime suck? Look at ZnT. That was somewhat horrible. Look at gundam seed destiny. The first one was okay. The second just made you want to skin yourself. Hell, im starting to wonder if Shakugan no shana will be okay. Just want to let you know not all sequels will turn out great, and i’d rather be one full good season than having one good season plus some half-assed stuff.

    2. The meaning of this whole thing. You know where some episodes start with the narrator going on about how one kid’s destiny changes his whole life or sth like that? Yeah, it’s about how Simon turns from a wimpy kid to a man who defends what he believes in with his might. Not about other kids taking over his work.

    3. I don’t see how the end doesn’t tie everything up. The anti-spirals got owned, Simon and nia were together for one final moment, everybody grew up and simon is travelling aroud helping the helpless. The only way i see how they could get the plot to support another season is to have another “OMFG-UBER-I DEFY YOUR SPECIES AND IT WILL BRING US DOOM” enemy, or miraculously deus ex machina somebody back to life. But that would be pushing it way too far.

    So overall, as much as i want there to be a second season as the next guy, i cant just over look these points. I wouldn’t mind side stories like from the grappal squads or from the previous underground village rebels, but a sequel is a no-no.

    klazyguy
  14. Yoko did a good job completing her meaningless appearance on the show. Her importance vanished bit by bit after Kamina’s death… retreating to some island to babysit poorly drawn kids is the perfect conclusion for her.

    Rukia
  15. wow despite all the quality that was a really stupid ending, they just threw a bunch of random crap together and called it an epilogue. And the whole thing with Nia was just undramatic and non-sensical. In fact the whole anti-spiral story mostly ignored the interpersonal parts that made the first half of the series good. Not to mention the faceless and unknown enemy that was played so mysteriously that turns out to have a ridiculously simple intent. Seriously Gainax stop firing your writers halfway through a series and letting the janitors finish it.

  16. “Seriously Gainax stop firing your writers halfway through a series and letting the janitors finish it.”

    what are you talking about? the director wasn’t ever replaced. get your facts straight

    takamachi
  17. One of the best anime i ever sow, from under the ground to haven, no anime ever done some thing like that, but the ending was not what i exsepict, all the heros died so there shoud be no more deing but still they killed Nia, this action give Gurren Lagann a
    bad flaver at the end.

    if there will be a 2nd seson then it will be about Spiral Nemeses and some one traying to use it for him self or some thing like that, i hope there will be news about that

    hahahaha
  18. Yeah how great, Nia diead >.>
    But that’s so typical for Gainax anime that great character die. And the ending is really Gainax typical too.
    Completely unsatisfied with it. Nia deserved something better and Simon being an old man and “living on” is just a joke. I really hate those “live on” endings in animes. In my eyes they are just completely unrealistic.
    I’m just curious to know the reason why Nia died.

    The most funny is how people rate this anime on the poll. Gurren Lagan is great I agree, but never better than Suzumiya Haruhi or Kanon 2006, definitely NOT perfect anyways. Give it a 8 cause of the ending, otherwise it’d be a 9.

  19. Wow, such whiners, focusing one one aspect that they dislike from the show and letting it detract from the enjoyment of the series as a whole. An unrealistic ending? This from a series that went from humans living their existences underground to a battle where GALAXIES WERE USED AS AMMO? Please, as if we expected any less from a mecha anime that didn’t hide its roots in SR stories.

    Japanese storytelling convention, especially in anime, has a tendency for ‘open’ or ‘life-goes-on’ endings. It’s better than the alternatives: a vague and confusing finish, or something in the lines of samurai drama, where tragedy strikes all sides.

    Myssa Rei
  20. Nia died because she’s an anti-spiral and all of anti-spiral was destroyed, so she passed with their perishing. Simple as that.

    Epic in all senses, but I agree that Simon living on as some sort of vagabond for TWENTY YEARS was anticlimatic.

    W-General
  21. “Did anyone notice Simon’s left eye in the final picture?”

    After the events of the final episode, Simon gained the power of the Spiral Geass. It makes him 10x more GAR, and he now has the mystical power to make anyone he wants cry Manly Tears™ just by initiating eye contact (or by yelling mangled English in a gravelly voice). Unfortunately, some time before the last episode, he also picked up the heroic curse of “dramatically doomed love interest” from having unprotected sex with Yoko (always remember to use a condom, boys and girls), so he has to walk the earth…you know, like Caine from Kung Fu.

    quigonkenny
  22. The end was good, very good, but so sad that even thinking about it makes me wanna cry T_T
    I know the best ends are the sad ones but Nia’s death + Simon back to being no one + Yoko old and alone = Tears.

    Platypus
  23. @U~K

    He’s not rotting or anything of the sort, and he’s definitely not living a life contrary to his beliefs. He’s actually living a life true to his own character, believe it or not.

    anonymous
  24. I really hate those “live on” endings in animes. In my eyes they are just completely unrealistic.

    What? That is life! Living on is what people do. Gainax took the most realistic path by far. It’s not the happy end, but it’s not the bad end. No matter what Simon’s powers he couldn’t save his old friends. He did end up saving Nia and the world. Her time on Earth just ended. Simon was never hot blooded Kamina. He was on a mission to do something and he did it. But he was never one for adventure on his own. He was Simon a simple driller. The ending is fitting for him.

    ann
  25. Epic in all senses, but I agree that Simon living on as some sort of vagabond for TWENTY YEARS was anticlimatic.

    We don’t know what he did for 20 years. Obviously considering his eye, he used some power over the years. We just know now he’s a simple driller going around helping? people. He doesn’t look sad or depressed. He’s happy with what he did. He obviously accomplished a lot in his life, but couldn’t save everyone. People seriously don’t understand Simon’s character at all. The Gar hot blooded stuff was when he had a reason to fight. Right now, he doesn’t.

    ann
  26. Apparently people really don’t understand storytelling and are only interested in the most base elements of anything, such as GAR, or Moe. The old unwilling to look below the top most layer of what is presented problem people have resurfaces yet again.

    Also thanks to the anonymous for pointing out the obvious; that Simon’s choice is fully within the bounds of his beliefs in selflessness and heroism. He doesn’t need to be “GAR” anymore because his story has ended. Being GAR isn’t just about being manly and making flashy speeches and poses, it’s also about being heroic, selfless and compassionate. If you followed Simon’s character closely and made note of these traits, you could probably assume that since he is such a humble character, he would have left the centre stage after fulfilling his role even if Nia had survived. Simon didn’t give up, he just made his peace. People should probably also watch GaoGaiGar Final to see that self-sacrificing trait that defines GAR heroes in it’s most visible form.

  27. If Simon had stayed on, others will forever be in the shadow of his greatness, and people will start to become complacent and take things for granted again like in the Rossiu story arc, because the all mighty Simon will always be there to solve their problems. Simon probably realized this and thought it best to step out of the limelight and let humanity stand on its own two feet and seize its own destiny. He has already showed them the way, all they have to do is just follow his path of “piercing the heavens with your drill”, in the meantime, he will choose the life of a wanderer guiding mankind from the sidelines, but making sure he is not at the forefront so as not to steal people’s thunder. It is asacirfice that he as a true hero is willing to bear. But Simon is content with this, he is not one for regrets and will always look towards tommorow and as long as humanity’s future is bright, he can live happily knowing he did a good job. That I feel is the real theme of Gurren Lagann, to not regret the past but to look forward to a shining future and trying to seize it.

    Primeparadigm
  28. I don’t think Simon resigned himself to the fact of losing everything, I think he knows that nothing is impossible. He commands time and space after all in the end and also rather than taking the I’m god route, simply decided to be a guardian.

    It’s kinda along the lines I know I can, but let’s not. It would cheapen the sacrifices made if they did a My Hime/Otome reset of things…

    That also leaves the fanfics open… is Simon Kamina’s dad lol???

    Slade
  29. Truly a horrible ending for Simon and this show..the future of the world was built on the death of his happiness.
    Where is the “do the impossible and kick reason to the curb” when Nia was dieing eh?
    GG Gainax..good job at not respecting your own goddamn motto that you followed for 26 episodes.

    Ciupy
  30. Kaoshin and Primeparadigm actually summed up my thoughts on just why Simon decided to just fade away… To those basing their opinions on knee-jerk reactions, it helps if they read those two posts. The ending was good, and while not happy, fit with the overall theme of the series.

    Also, I’m coming to think that the people shown in the first episode are the ones that ‘followed’ in Simon’s footsteps. The fact that the Spiral drill was passed on to Gimmy alludes to it.

    Myssa Rei
  31. 岸尾のBLジャンルでのアレっぷりは異常。

    収録時の態度最悪で、2社ぐらい
    出入り禁止になっている会社がある。
    スタッフがマネージャーに注意しても
    「良いじゃないですか、それでも岸尾使いたいんでしょw」
    と注意しない態度が岸尾をつけあがらせてる。

    BLだから当たり前じゃんwって言う人もいるだろうが
    金もらってる(しかもBL価格=通常の20倍くらい)んだから
    仕事しろよ!良い大人だろ!

    Platypus
  32. 避難所の儲酷すぎ、何だアレ
    管理人は自分の味方とでも思ってるのか?
    アレで規制導入するくらいなら、当の昔に規制されてるだろ
    岸尾儲は最近になって出入りしてるせいか、
    某とか某の叩きを知らないんだなぁ
    岸尾の叩かれ方なんてまだまだなのにな

    blue
  33. 楽しませようという気持ちそのものはありがたく受け止めたかったが
    キャラや作品を壊してまでやってほしいとは思わない
    それを踏まえた言動をするのは役者として当然のことじゃないか?
    コルダも柚木も好きだが、岸尾には二度とお目にかかりたくない

    zenger
  34. The more I think about the ending, the more I love it.

    People will whine endlessly about it but Gainax knew exactly what they were doing with it. Simon is like a god right now, he could have prevented Nia’s death, make himself eternally young and rule humanity.

    Just like Genome and the anti-spirals did.

    Nia and Simon chose not to. That’s why Simon is so at peace as Nia fades away. That’s why he left after giving his core drill to Darry, death is as much a part of evolution as love, and Simon wanted to leave to let humanity reach it’s fullest potential outside his shadow.

    Besides, does Simon looks like he’s unhappy to you?

    Ninjacat
  35. 飛び飛びにしか観てなかったんだけど、イヤなアニメという感じでした。
    何話か忘れたけど、ロウシが打ちのめされて故郷にフラリと帰ってくる時があったよね。
    そん時に自殺しようとするロウシもダメだけど、それをわざわざ立場的に逆転勝ちのシモンに
    殴らせて説得させてオマケに「おまえを思っているやつがいる」みたいな感じで
    自分の敗北を知る女をあてがう。俺がロウシだったら「馬鹿にするな!!」って叫んで
    シモンを殴るなり撃つなりすると思う。アニメのクウォリティは認める。
    ただなんかイヤ~~なアニメって感じ。熱血なんて人間の1部だし、それ以外の感情描写が稚拙な作品。

    lyrain
  36. ロージェノム、彼は2部で無様な姿をさらしていたが、それを払拭するような
    活躍を見せた。親子の再会も果たせた。4部はロージェノムが主人公だったのかも。
    シモンはニアは結婚式の最中に彼女は消滅してしまう。このシーンをみたときは
    涙が出るとかそういう悲しいとかとは別な心境だった。悲しいというより寂しさかな。
    とにかく悲しいような寂しいような、虚脱感、虚無感ともいえぬ「ああ」という
    不思議な感覚におそわれた。なんだろうプラスでもマイナスでもない不定の感覚だ。
    桜が舞い散っている風景で、色相がずれて露出過多なフィルムのような色調で
    ちょっと非日常的な画面だったのも影響しているのかもしれない。
    そしてシモンは振り向かずに一人仲間の元を離れて行く。どんな心境だったのだろう。

    EDが流れて20年。波もなく平和な時が流れていたようだ。
    シモンはなにもかもを捨てて、どうやら世捨て人に。
    プラスにも考えられるしマイナスにも考えられる。
    難解な最終回でもあったw

    lyrain
  37. ニアは消滅させるなら戦いが終わった直後でよかったような気がするな
    なまじ結婚式なんぞ挙げたからハッピーエンドを期待した人は余計にがっくり来たんだろう
    生かすならご都合主義でいいからきっちり螺旋力で生かせばよかったのに

    ニアがもうすぐ消えてしまうからこそ結婚式だけでも、というパターンで泣かせるんなら
    もうちょい式自体に悲壮だがみんな無理に明るく振舞っているみたいな雰囲気を匂わせるべきだが
    そんな描写もなかったし

    de
  38. 最終回も汚い作画だったな。
    迫力があるから画面から目を離せないのではなく、
    何が起きてるか判りにくいから画面から目を離せないというw
    アニメーター上がりの監督の傲慢さが滲み出てるわ。

    キャラには何の思い入れも無かったが、ニアの死とかCパートとか
    スタッフにもキャラが愛されてなかったんだと思うとさすがに悲しくなった。

    de
  39. ニアはな、ガイナに殺されたんだよ。
    考えてみろよ、いくらアンチスパイラル因子を取り込んでいるからって、ロージェノムの娘なんだぜ?
    アンチスパイラル自身じゃない。

    例えばだ。人物写真があったとして、写ってる人物が死んだとする。
    写ってる人物が死んだからといって、写真に写ってる物が消えるわけじゃ無いだろ?
    ようするにニアが死んだのは、もの凄いこじ付け。屁理屈なんだよ。
    ガイナは無理やり殺したのさ。死なせたかったから殺した。

    さらに言うとだ。
    シモンはアンチスパイラルを倒しに言ったわけじゃない。
    ニアを助けにいったんだ。アンチスパイラルを倒したかったわけじゃない。
    結果的にアンチスパイラルを倒して、アンチスパイラルという種族を本星ごと全滅させた。

    ニアを助けたかっただけなのに、結局シモンは助けられなかったのさ。
    つまりハッピーエンドに見せてるが、まったくハッピーエンドではない。
    ガイナは死ね

    スパイラル
  40. カリスマ性で引っ張る一枚看板
    シリアス思考でヘタレの二枚目
    カリスマはないが馬鹿を晒して愛される三枚目
    この3つのキャラを中心に据えるのが中島かずきの活劇のテンプレート
    グレンラガンでこれらに相当するのは順にカミナ、ロシウ、キタン
    いずれにも該当しないシモンが主人公でまともに描ける筈もない

    lyrain
  41. ニアの死に関しては、前回のカミナのことを考えると納得いくかな。

    死んでも、遺された者がその死を受け入れ生きていく限り、完全な消滅ではなく魂は生きていく。
    だからカミナは死してなおシモンはじめグレン団の心を支え続け、ある意味であの場まで共に戦って来たと思う。
    前回のカミナはシモンたちの心にいるカミナ(故に多元宇宙に依存しない)だけど、紛れもなく本物として現れた。

    ニアの死も、シモンが受け入れシモンが生き続けるかぎり共に生きることができる。
    シモンが戦いのあとにあの生き方を選んだのは、ニアと共に静かな、激動から離れた暮らしを望んだのかな。

    うまくいえないが、これがベストじゃないが、ベターな選択ってことだろうか。

    デス
  42. 見終わった直後は俺シモン無責任だなって思ってたんだが。
    「宇宙の支配者」を倒して、その責任を取るってことは、要するに
    自身が支配者に成り代わるってことなんだよね。それこそ螺旋王
    を倒して地球の最高権力者になった第二部・第三部の繰り返し。
    で、こうなったら後は自らが抑圧者として妥当されるか、より上位
    の敵を求めて、これを打ち倒すという終わりなき戦いを続けるしか
    ない。(正に戦闘因果)この不毛な構図から抜け出すにはああいう
    形(放浪者)で終わるしかなかったんじゃないかな。

    ニア殺したのはあからさまに作り手の作為が感じられて評価できないけど。

    fg
  43. グレンはロミオとジュリエットのオマージュなんだよ
    ロミオ(シモン)と親友のマキューシオ(カミナ)が鏡の関係にあって、
    そしてジュリエット(ニア)と乳母(ヨーコ)も鏡の関係。
    マキューシオが死んで、乳母がジュリエットに伯爵と結婚を勧め、分身役が
    分身でなくなって物語の方向が決定されたように、カミナが死んだ時点で、
    シモンが幸せになる事はないって決定された。
    制作者がそういう物語だって少しでも教養があれば分かったのものを、最終回が
    きにいらないとか、なんていうゆとり。
    しかもシモンが生きて戦った時点で、グレンガランはシェークスピアを超えたね。

    デス
  44. 熱血の皮をかぶった、大人向けの話だった。

    一言で言えば、「ヒーロー年代記」。
    ヒーローというものは、革命家であり、トリックスターであり、
    先頭に立って戦う戦士であり、有事の際のリーダーだ。

    そのヒーローが、危機を解決した後、平和な世界でどう生きるか。
    どう生きられるのか。どう生きるべきなのか。
    さらに、再び危機が訪れた時、さらにそれすらも乗り越えた時、
    ヒーローが失い、得たものは何か。

    グレンラガンでは、全編を通じて、そんな「ヒーローとは何か」を
    テーマにしている。
    その意味ではテーマから全くブレの無い、ストイックな年代記になっている。
    しかも、エンターテインメントとしても成立しているのが、この作品の凄さだ。

    だから、単なるエンターテインメント作品だと思っていた人による、
    読み違いが起こる。「なんでシモンがあんな目に」と。
    簡単に言えば、最後の戦いで死ねなかったからだ。
    腐った指導者(戦後の軍事政権のような)にならないために、自重したわけだ。

    「俺は穴を掘ることしか出来ない。その穴を通るのはもっとふさわしい人がいる」
    この言葉が、グレンラガンのテーマの全てを表している。

    blue
  45. How many times has Simon said, “I’m Driller Simon!” The path makes sense, people. It took him eleven episodes, the death of kamina, and the encouragement of Nia to finally figure out who he is.

    Drizzy
  46. MWAH !! ACTION !! TENGEN TOPPPPPPPPAAAAAA !!! DBZ MODE !!! DIGIMON EVOLUTION LEVEL SUPER MEGA !!! THE ENEMY IS ANTISPIRALMYOTISMON !!!

    Odd ? Kinda… Simon save Nia, Simon kill AS so Simon kill Nia yet Simon save the day and went off to become some vagrant. I’ll put it that way, killing Nia at this point was the most pointless thing ever, if she were to die sooner I guess it would have made more sense, why are they getting married when they can have S*X for at least one time (YOU KNOW THEY DIDN’T DID IT BEFORE GETTING MARRIED) -hum I guess Simon might turn crazy without a regular AS hug- ? Anyway Lordgenome pawns them all, in the end he looses his body a second time in order to become a giant dick drilling throught Tengen Toppa -doesn’t make any sense (-.-)’-

    Another timeskip, everyone grew old, except for Viral the immortal and Leeron the… same-as-always-I-guess, and biggest spoiler, Rossiu is revealed to be the priest’s illegitimate son or a clone, it’s your guess. Alas Simon and Yoko are alone by the end, pretty bitter, kids be aware that you cannot love more than one time. Oh and they all became plain ugly (Yoko was so ugly GAINAX choose not to show her face), except for Darry. Yep Simon will dig his own hole between Kamina’s and Nia’s and be forgotten ever after.

    OWARI.

    Can’t wait for the original soundtrack !!!

    Bogus
  47. EPIC EPIC AND EPIC.
    This seriously is no doubt the best show this year. I loved watching this so much, it had me punching the air, smiling, cheering, and crying. It had me caring for ALL the characters, the music and fights were amazing…. There is nothing not to like about this anime. Thank you Gainex!

    Varg
  48. I for one truly did enjoy this anime in more than one sense. It was sad to see Nia go in the end considering the things Simon had to go through to get her back but I guess sometimes; thats where humans really shine I guess.

    Despite tragedies and setbacks, they did their best without looking back. I didn’t want to see Nia die but the logic of it was she HAD become an anti-spiral and when they killed that crayon guy… it spelled her own end.

    The 20yr time skip certainly was a welcome treat. At least we knew where everyone was in the end. Yeah, Simon became an obscure person but who the heck wouldn’t. Heroes ain’t made. They come from ordinary people and Simon proves that.

    This is the BEST anime ever. Mecha anime ever. Any anime ever.

    I can’t make reviews like the guy who blogs this weekly but I for one feel that Gainax made an anime that simply sets the stage for something even better someday. They raised the bar on anime… now hope we can see something just as good as this in the next couple of years.

    Now.. where’s my GL OST?

    sdliddo
  49. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the end battle, and the ending was OK. But there were a lot of problems with it.
    1. OLD??? OK it was a 20 year timeskip, not 50. Yoko was 14 at the start of the show, that would make her 21 after the first timeskip, and 41 at the end (yes, she’s the same age as Simon). So why do they both look so God Damn OLD? Seriously. It bugs me.

    2. Why was Simon so resigned to Nia disappearing? The entire second half of the series he was all like “WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM” “LIKE THAT’S GOING TO STOP ME” etc etc, he should have done everything he could to try and save Nia, instead they have a shitty wedding instead of THEORIZING WAYS TO KEEP HER ALIVE. Seriously. Spiral power is LIMITLESS, it can do anything, NIA DID NOT HAVE TO DIE.

    3. Simon becomes a bum/hermit/whatever. Enough said.

    Everything before the timeskip was amazing, I just wish Gainax hadn’t screwed up the last couple minutes of the show. Still, I consider this one of the best shows I’ve ever watched. You will be /m/issed, GL.

    Waffo
  50. @Waffo

    >2. Why was Simon so resigned to Nia disappearing? The entire second half of the series he was all like “WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM” “LIKE THAT’S GOING TO STOP ME” etc etc, he should have done everything he could to try and save Nia, instead they have a shitty wedding instead of THEORIZING WAYS TO KEEP HER ALIVE. Seriously. Spiral power is LIMITLESS, it can do anything, NIA DID NOT HAVE TO DIE.

    And if he did do something, he would be just as bad the Anti-Spirals. Using his power to decide who lives and who dies? That’s playing God. Death is a process in the spiral evolution just as life is, and besides…

    As long as Nia remains in his heart, she will never die. Just like how Kamina and the rest of the Dai-Gurren-Dan will live on his heart, so will Nia.

    >3. Simon becomes a bum/hermit/whatever. Enough said.

    What’s wrong with that? His job is over, so he goes around helping people in need. It would be different if he was suicidal or a wasted man, but that’s not the case. Even over twenty years, he clearly still has hope for the future, which shows that he hasn’t changed at all.

    anonymous
  51. I think its Boota’s dream in the AU world and it’s also useful for letting people know theres more to it. People could watch first eps and believe thats all there is to this anime, but theres more to it.

    Kasai
  52. @Kasai: myeah, could be, its still kinda confusin., but no one will have the one and only answer to it I think, cause no one would really know xD;;
    I want Boota back in human form : x I liked him that way

    Voxune
  53. An anime where people actually aged… amazing.

    I was very happy with the rather bittersweet ending. Sure, the world was saved and the bad guys were done for, but it’s nice to see that not every victory gives you EVERYTHING. A few minor plot holes left open here and there, but this is a fantastic ending to an exceptional series.

    Anonymooo
  54. Even though I understand and I can see the significance of the ending and it wrenches my heart…

    I still can’t come to terms with Simon being a… nobody. 🙁

    But I love how they aged the characters, at least we get to see them all through their lives. It’s funny to see Simon old like that and then watch episode 1 with a short worrywart Simon and his Aniki. How times change.

    Keenan
  55. Well in the first part of the first ep they’re fighting the stars which could be other spiral beings and i recall that the boota character tells them to aim the cannon at the great dimensional government. Also when simon walks you hear the clinking of armour which you also hear as the old simon walks towards the kid in the end

    Some Dude
  56. Those people who hate this ending and think they got GAINAX’ed arent thinking deeply enough, Simon had completed what Kamina had left him to do, Breakthrough Heaven and Earth and pierce into tommorrow, to open a path of the future to the next generation, now that job was done with the passing of the core drill to Gimmy, Simon had went back to being Simon the Driller, having fufilled his destiny, with loyal Boota at his side. Bravo Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Bravo Gainax, I’ll never see an anime with this much action and GAR again, or accept anything else, now I want that DVD……..

    lol
  57. Those people who hate this ending and think they got GAINAX’ed arent thinking deeply enough, Simon had completed what Kamina had left him to do, Breakthrough Heaven and Earth and pierce into tommorrow, to open a path of the future to the next generation, now that job was done with the passing of the core drill to Gimmy, Simon headed towards tommorrow and had went back to being Simon the Driller, having fufilled his destiny, with loyal Boota at his side. Bravo Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Bravo Gainax, I’ll never see an anime with this much action and GAR again, or accept anything else, now I want that DVD……..

    lol
  58. i hope this doesn’t go beyond the powers of haruhi. 0_o lol?! wat am i thinking. sorry, this anime is excellent. still, i have to bring up that Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu is staying on my top. ^^

    tahizzy
  59. The ending left me feeling incomplete. Im the type of person who loves happy endings, and this, at least for me, didnt qualify as such. Dont get me wrong, I think the ending was great, but the selfish part of me is saying that this sholdav ended happily…

    zosia
  60. Even though I thought the ending was good, personally I dont like those “They went and never came back” type of endings, and not only Simon wandered around the world, but the rest flew to space (Never coming back?)

    anonymous
  61. Obligatory: Epic, Win, Awesome, etc, at least until 17:45 🙁

    IMHO, a good ending is one that makes sense, regardless if it’s “happily ever after” or “everyone dies”. Unfortunately, I found Simon’s departure before the final time skip nonsensical. It seemed contradictory to the themes of the series. Surely, Simon didn’t just abandon his friends and give up on life after 26 incredible episodes, but without more elaboration there’s no real proof against that outcome.

    Hopefully, this
    http://www.theotaku.com/news/view/gurren_lagann_over?_not_so_fast!/2889/
    will provide some more answers.

    Of course, I wouldn’t mind Gainax producing an even better “End of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann” new canon episode 😉 If they plausibly keep Nia alive and give Yoko a better end, all the better!

    VLSmooth
  62. Wow the writers really know how to pull the rug from under your feet. Just when I thought Simon and Nia is gonna live happily ever after 🙁

    Awesome action scenes in this eps. I thought the moon-cutting and planets flinging in Diebuster was over the top. Love the final (what do you call it, the doll which contains another doll which contains another doll and so on) kamikaze attack, and I thought it’s cool the finishing move is actually the first special move that Gurren Lagann made in the series.

    Kroakie
  63. I’m feeling really unsatisfied becos WHAT THE HELL WAS THE FIRST EPISODE’S BATTLE SCENE ON CHOGINGA DAI GURREN ALL ABOUT? DID THEY PUT IT THERE JUZ TO INDUCE SOME INTEREST IN FANS TO CONTINUE WATCHING AND SEE IF WE REACH THAT STAGE IN THE END? NOOOOOOOOO….WE REACHED THE END AND THEN POOOOF, GAINAX COMPLETELY SKIPPED THAT FIRST SCENE IN THE FIRST EPISODE. THIS IS F**KING PISSING ME OFFF.

    apart frm that its a very good episode

    DarklynerZ
  64. The first episode is supposed to be an alternate bad end and what happens if Simon abuses his powers. This is where he causes the whole Spiral Nemesis thing.
    Notice the difference how he says all the lights are enemies in the first episode and does the who do you think I am bit?
    He denies both in the last episode by saying it’s not important who he is and the lights in the sky are friends.

    mu
  65. The ending was a tad disappointing as it loses its continuity with the 1st episode….and somehow it ended with no one getting a happily every after. 🙁 But otherwise…..a salute to Simon.

    wolfx
  66. well thats GAINAX for everyone, everytime i watch a GAINAX mecha film some improtant character dies in the ending, i feel kinda sad for Simon and Yoko Destroyed love life but im happy for Gimmy and Darry, and one thing what is this Spiral Nemesis is this kinda enemy or a side effect for use to much Spiral power?

    Nivala Cross
  67. All I can say is, however I was a bit disappointed at some parts of ep 26, I’m totally out of breath after such a final !
    It’s really one of the best series I’ve ever seen despite it becoming a DBZ*1000 type of series. But the good thing is the series always kept some sense to the storyline. It was not just a succession of who’s-the-stronger battles.
    I doubt that any other series will be able to outdo Gurren Lagann in term of out-of-scale actions.

    Long live Gainax, do not put some shame on Gurren Lagann by making a second season, which obviously cannot make better than this one (I mean there’s nothing beyond fighting for the Universe, is there ?).

    xiny
  68. omg i cried, i wont be able to get over this series for a long time! ugh why why why did it have to end so early?! haha they got so old, i mean Simon should have been like what..40 maybe? >

    Sue
  69. “WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE!?” pretty much sums up the EPIC nature of this show. Maybe they’ll do a side story with Gimmy and Darry during the 20-year gap, or even one with Simon. Maybe Simon runs across Nia reborn as a spiral star of some sort in his adventures. Maybe I shed manly tears at this show’s greatness.

    SpotieXRK
  70. finally the sub came out :[[[[
    oh god i did not want to watch it seriously
    the end of gurren lagann?
    seriously there’s somethings that shouldn’t end
    this is one of them
    an idea
    an ova ep of simons travel during the 20years
    he can fall in love or anything~!!
    😀 but i guess nia would be his only love :]
    how sweet

    Hei
  71. Interestingly enough, on the main Gainax website, there’s a little link there in the Gurren Lagann section that hints to a side story or something in the works. Possibly an ONA like Wings of Rein for Aura battler. I’ve lost the link though. Might be worth checking out.

    Myssa Rei
  72. Wow. After having watched dozens of anime series I was not expecting this to end up in my top 3 but it has. This was quite possibly the greatest last episode ever. I was crying, jumping, punching the air, even holding my mouth because it is after midnight and I am so pumped up. Who the HELL do you think I am indeed! Awesome job blogging btw! And to those that are unhappy, most anime endings cause you to feel a little conflicted, that’s why we watch them!! 🙂

    bitt1
  73. The more I watch the end, the more I am convinced Gainax planned this all from the start. Nia’s death was a forgone conclusion if you paid attention to what the Crayon-guy was talking about.

    She was an artificial life form that was inserted within the spiral genes. The fact that she was the daughter of the Spiral King and the fact she loved Simon was all coincidence. It makes me very sad Nia had to go in the end.

    It was a bittersweet ending. Hell.. I know manly tears poured from mine eyes every times I watched that part. I do also believe that even as Simon knew what would happen, I don’t think Simon — you, me, or anyone else for that matter — could truly get over such a loss so easily despite what was being said.

    The fact that 20 years from now, Simon become all but unknown to anyone.. is a statement of fact. Even in the real world, heroes are often buried in the past and forgotten. Gainax wanted us to know that despite all the heroics, the GAR-ness, the epicness of their story, they chose to end it in a way that made sense.

    There was no happily ever after in it. God knows I wish there was but I felt.. deep down… the end was truly fitting. I won’t argue with anyone else with regards to what I feel about the end.

    To each his or her own.

    I hope — maybe — an alternate end could be made. A movie of sorts. Something to satisfy everyone? Or such. Gainax. Kudos to your epic story. I will never forget it. And it has revived something in me that has faded through time. Perhaps I shall explore it once more and see where it takes me.

    sdliddo
  74. Hey guys i thought about all this show and something went in my mind.

    btw im not rly good in english so sorry :O

    You know in 4th or the 5th episode u see kamina’s flashback about his “father”. I just think that Simon had some sort of spacetime problem (?) and he ended up in the past with the little boy (kamina) this would answer many question i asked myself as: How did kamina end up with the name Gurren-Lagann, whos the old man in his flash back, how kamina was sure there was a surface, it would also explain the origin of the gurren-lagann logo. I asked myself another question… If kamina saw the surface with the old man, how did he end up into the underground city.

    AND!!! when simon appears in the end of the 27th episode, u hear some kind of chain noise, the same noise as the flashback (WOO) omfg. i wonder how the old man died.

    1 more fact: you know in the first episode, u see simon on his battleship then he starts saying : GURREN LAGANN SPINGON or sumthing like that. well watch closely before he say that. theres a man with the same glasses as humanoid boota. why??

    y000
  75. They shoudn’t show us the image of YOKO after 20 years. It’s quite disappointing. You’re destroying my dream GAINAX !!! She must be eternally young !!! Why the homo-mechanic didn’t change at all. It’s unfair!

    Just kidding, i hope there’s going to be the ova with alternate ending soon. If possible
    Wanna see EVANGELION 1.0 T^T too.

    Hentaiman
  76. Yuuzora: I’m inclined to think that the final battle between Gurren Lagann and the Anti-spiral mecha wasn’t *really* of the galactic scale, since we saw that the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann spat out the Cho-Ginga Gurren Lagann. And we know the latter was actually moon-sized. In that vein, you could say that just the head of the Tengen Toppa was easily larger than Earth’s moon.

    It’s not galaxy-sized, granted, but that STILL makes the Tengen Toppa HUGE in the SR scale.

    And it’s very likely that they were just fighting in the ‘dimension’ where the Anti-Spirals hid/made their home. Or else the Gurren-dan would have been indirectly responsible for the destruction of countless spiral races. ^^;

    Myssa Rei
  77. Seems to me that the GARLOCK guy in Ep. 1 is not Simon, but another who has the same semblance to him. Remember what Lord Genome mention to Simon that it’s been a long time that he had fought someone who has the same determination before (Lazengan vs Gurren Lagann).

    IMO, Ep. 1 is really a scene of the previous Spiral vs Anti-Spiral war (which the Spirals had lost). Besides, the ship that GARLOCK was on board doesn’t look like Cathedral Terra, same scale maybe.

    As for Boota-aide, well, the Anti-spiral guy did say that Boota is an anomaly in ep. 26.
    With Ep. 27, the series has come to a full circle.

    ps. i really wished they had an ending where Kamina marries Yoko, along side with Simon with Nia…. T_____T (happy-happy end?)

    BD77
  78. killing Nia makes absolutely no sense. Gainax could’ve easily had her live by saying something along the lines of “since she both anti-spiral and spiral DNA, Simon was able to amplify that into 100 percent spiral and completely eliminating the anti-spiral, thus making her live.” but no, they just had to ruin it for the sole purpose of making the series more memorable. it’s a cheap tactic, and it fails.

    rhodric
  79. That was an amazing show, but I’m still a bit lukewarm about the ending…I agree with rhodric about Nia; the show was so ridiculous that that kind of ridiculous explanation to change her fate seemed like a given to follow up on, but guess not.

    In response to sdliddo, I don’t think GAINAX had the words “make sense” anywhere in their vocabulary when they were making this show…and even so, a hero on the scale of Simon isn’t forgotten, but people just don’t recognize his face after 20 years in the dark 😛 Also, why did Rossiu age so much more than Leeron? Too much stress? And does growing older just mean you’ve grown a bigger chin, Yoko?

    I also find it odd that not a single one of the Gurren-dan managed to step closer to the dream they had in the alternate universe sequence (well, Yoko was able to manage a small part of it I guess). Viral, especially..I completely expected him to adopt some child, but no, he’s just running around space. Which is fine and all, but it renders the alternate life sequence somewhat pointless; I guess it wasn’t such a sweet dream to him after all?

    I also get the impression that Simon hasn’t met up with the gang during those 20 years. I mean, it’s fine that he’s a wanderer, but some of his friends (Rossiu) are pretty easily accessible, so I didn’t see the point of that either…I think a better ending would have had some indication that they were still the Gurren-dan at heart, even if the whole theme of the show is to move on.

    Now all GAINAX needs to do is milk the cow and come out with an OVA.

    machan
  80. y000: i checked out what u said and i’m also pretty confuse..
    I think maybe eps 1 was just an animation mistake or something.
    Or theres even more things going on than we think..
    Also GAINAX has the reputation of messing with peoples head (NGE)
    Maybe we can expect a 2nd season or OVA ?

    Jabb
  81. I think there’ll be a continuation of some sort. Why? Because one, the person in the first episode can be anyone, two, the Catheral Terra (ChouGinga Dai-Gurren) didn’t have gun terents in front of the deck. Third, Boota has the potential to evolove like that, and since it doesn;t look like he’ll age, he might actually evolve and help the first episode guy. As the final note, they said massive fleets were fighting them, did they say Anti-Spirals? NO! It could be another race. So I’ll end it at that.

    Andy
  82. Very nice job, gainax. I first approach this series just for entertainment purpose, I didnt expect this series to be this much EPIC and dramatic! The ending is truly bitter-sweet, since the protagonist carves a path for the future of humanity, but some of them lose someones important, very touching indeed.
    Thanks for random animeblogger too for blogging so I can make decision before watching something.

    Moogle
  83. ….what can be said that alreadcy hasn’t been said, this last episode…was…


    was… just~ “beyond”~? awsome~? epic~?
    it was just too much for me~ the level this last episode and generally the WHOLE SERIES was on,
    was just~ Overwhelming, Best Anime of 2007 DEFINATELY and as far as I’ve seen
    MOST POWERFUL MECH IN HISTORY~! TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGANN
    all that can be said is~
    Ore o Dare ga to omoitte aru~?
    Beyond Epic~ ….just~ …wow~

    Sazuko
  84. Thanks a lot Omni, if you hadn’t blogged this show I wouldn’t have wanted to watch it.
    This the best show of 2007 with Lucky Star so far!

    Great ending, i cryed a loot, maybe too much
    Thanks GAINAX

    41nano
  85. YES
    I cried manly tears
    even though I am a girl
    also laughed my ass off…

    Sign of a genius series

    Also the no-obvious-couples-getting-together and Simon wandering around as a dodgy old man was quite a brave ending.. And as some tit on a message board last week was implying that Yoko had died a stupid death and I actually believed them, I was quite relieved at the sensibleness of it all..
    I wish the annoying princess had dissolved a bit sooner though.. like the same episode she appeared…

    mind you this series is a first for having 3 drunk people shouting hurry-up-and-disappear-bitch at the screen and it actually happening

    xx

    centzontotochtin
  86. I can’t see how people can mention Lucky Star in the same sentence as this show. The former settles for mediocrity and it’s studio name brand appeal to see it through the day on all but a few occasions, and the later kicks it into overdrive on almost every level, constantly exceeding acceptable levels of direction.

  87. This series is officially my FAVOURITE anime ever o_o Gainax surely completed a masterpiece here XD haha, ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAH!! The ending was pretty satisfying, though it was bittersweet with Nia disappearing and Simon been left alone at the end ;_; (and it happened at their WEDDING too) I wish Simon didn’t have to just disappear and drop contact with everyone even 20 yrs later..== but i guess even a hero needs a break?

    anyway, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is just…amazing >

    Karuki
  88. i had a feeling the series was going to end with nia leaving, and a 20-years conclusion after watching the nia “disappearance” episode.

    it’s just that this director always seems to work on projects with similar endings, such as “kono minikuku no utsukushii,” and take FLCL for example, the poor dude failed at making his brother’s crush (Mamimi) fall for him. the point is, the main protagonist always seemed to lose the most cherished person, so in a way, it blows.

    andynai
  89. Awesome series, awesome end. though i am sad that Nia had to die T_T

    also, RE those people saying there should be another series…
    Not sure there’s enough stuff left for that, but there could pretty definitely be a movie, to kinda conclude it all, maybe get Nia back somehow ;P
    I just think it worked well for Fullmetal Alchemist, could work here too *shrugs*.

    Ok, and i NEED to see more of this XD Just too awesome, haven’t been so emotional over a TV series in YEARS.

    Noremac7777
  90. I’m all for bittersweet endings but this one just made my heart ache. It would probably be easier to get over if it wasn’t during the wedding. Maybe a few days after…when they get the chance to be a full couple, but I guess that’s life right? You can never get what you really want all the time. Though it seems unlike Simon to become a vagabond (with a weird drill stick) like wanderer, he’s pushing forward. Heh, but we already saw that he’s not the most fit person to be in a political position, maybe a military commander…

    GAAH CAN’T GET OVER NIA!!!!!

    Charlo
  91. The guy in the opening scene of the first episode HAS to be Simon because the cloak is the one that Simon wears, and I don’t think anyone else will be wearing that. I pretty much waited throughout the series to see all those enemies get owned and it never happened =(. It made me sad.

    Also Nia dying made me sad :'(.

    Roar
  92. this show was so good i saw it all in a span of two days…i spent from 10PM to 6AM watching it then i went to school w/o sleep…. i was really… sad about it (i couldn’t wait to get to school to take my mind off of it)… i think i was more hurt them Simon. i mean i was expecting a happily ever after or Simon dies but Nia has a child or something along the lines but no… but i finally realized that this is a legendary end which i will never forget

    wowzerz
  93. [THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL STORY]
    Just can’t get enough of it so I made some thinking what will happen if there is a season 2

    After 10-years

    Spiral became the necessity of every person. Vehicles, structures, and appliances are powered by spiral. The spiral became the centre of life.

    Everyone were able to use a Ganmen.

    The spiral provided convenience to people.

    Until the people begun using the spiral for evil purposes. Gulaparl is now facing criminals with power of spiral. Due the spiral power it became hard for gulaparl to handle the criminals.

    After seeing the destruction on a television news, the veterans, Yoko, Viral, Darry, Gimmy, Dayakka, Gabal, Rossiu, Leeron, Kinon, Kiyoh, Attenborough, Reite, and Tesukan, reunite to stop the destruction. Though, without Simon and his knowledge of spirals, they weren’t able to stop the evil.

    They formed a group “Search for Simon Brigade.” Using Dai Gurren they went around the world searching for Simon. After the searching, they weren’t able to find him. They lost all their hopes and sat on a beach. It was a failure for all of them.

    They felt useless. Attenborough went berserk and fired the cannon to the beach. Rossiu discovered the big hole that the cannon made. It was an underground city that wasn’t on their government list. He told everyone everyone in Dai Gurren about it. With their curiosity, they went to explore the unknown underground city. Inside the city they heard a sound and followed it, but due to echo they weren’t able to pinpoint where it really came so they decided to split up.

    The group went their separate ways. At the end of a tunnel Yoko found a man in a cape digging holes. Yoko asked him why he was working alone. The man replied with a smirk and kept digging. Yoko got irritated and whacked his head removing his hood. The man said, “You’re still violent aren’t ya, Yoko.” Yoko replied with a surprised face, “Who are you? How did you know my name?” The man replied, “I am the drill that will pierce the heavens.”(Posed like Kamina) Yoko answered, “It was a long time, Simon.”

    To Be Continued -_-

    I Luv It
  94. Dont forget the first part of the first episode… Simon standing there with Boota whose in human form. I hope we can see the continuation of that story in the movie or in the next series.

    btw best anime:)

    bre
  95. I just rewatched this now… and i must say…

    THIS WAS ONE HELLA OF AN EPIC SHOWWWWW, ITS TIME FOR ME TO DRILL INTO MY INFINITE ENERGY TO PENETRATE MY ASSIGNMENTS!!!!11!!!!!!1

    Typer
  96. “Dont forget the first part of the first episode… Simon standing there with Boota whose in human form. I hope we can see the continuation of that story in the movie or in the next series.

    btw best anime:)”

    LOL, i just rewatched episode 1, you are right, I HOPE THAT IS SIMON! And i would love to see it too!!!!

    Typer
  97. I loved this series, but the ending would have been better if Simon died a lover’s death with Nia after they killed the anti-spiral. It would have been a beautiful parallel to Kamina’s death and it would make more sense than him selfishly deciding to cut himself off from the world and become a hermit. (Because a person does not choose when his time is up; only death does)

    Tigerclaw
  98. Unless Gainax learned and deceided to mess with us on purpose. You know forcing us to accually break down and tear apart the epilouge. We know Simon is the narrator, we know he has a spiral eye, that means in the process he may have became something else. If that is the case, then the parallel AMVs and the ten minute OVA may just be a hint of if not the first movie, maybe the second movie. If and just if Simon is more than what he is showing to be. And that If might explain Simon’s reaction to Nia’s death. Yes, I’m grabbing for straws, very thin straws, but then as I said earlier in this post, they are most likely messing with us. Sick monsters, and they know we like them for it.

    whiskey-man
  99. From start to end, the series was awesome. I have to bow to such an epic series and to such and awesome ending. Whos said the best endings are the happy endings? but it wasn’t a sad ending either, it was….bittersweet and thats what made the ending even more awesome.

    hellishdude
  100. Ending is awesome, it fits series theme and closes story very well. And it leaves a possibility for more Gurren Lagann. Even so I’d like ending like that:
    Nia is alive. Simon stay and entrust new generation – give Core Drill to Gimmy as it was in original ending. After 20 years, remnant members of Dai-Gurren Team watch together youngsters and Viral flying to Spiral Peace Conference…

    Anyways, it was hell good piece of anime. Thanks Gainax!
    I’m looking forward to Gurren Lagann movies.

    katsuro
  101. Just finished it. I’ll make this as short as possible: I loved the series, one of the best I’ve ever seen, totally gripped me. But I didn’t like the epilogue that much. Simon being a hermit, I just didn’t like it. I thought he would stay with his loved ones.

    LONG LIVE TTGL!!

    Vangrim
  102. Seems so^^ Ah well, the ending still disappointed me. Also I can’t really believe, that this series is SO popular – almost no fansubs and if there are any they are hard to get and of average quality. No comparement with the good HD stuff we get these days.

  103. BOOOO not happy why did simon have to become a wanderer he worked so hard to be a great leader and now he was reduced to a “nobody” I don’t like that I feel simon deserves better!!!!!

    kyoko-han
  104. Lol, this anime had a pretty boring beginning imo. Only up to the time Kamina the man died did it become truly great.

    Ending was awesome. Difficult to find any anime series rivalling TTGL and CG from 07 until now.

    Kablack
  105. He could have been a military general because simon made it clear he knew nothing about politics and could have left that in rossiu hands since he proved quite capable if running the country aside from that Simon had the qualities to be the head military general of the force but thats just me. In that way he could have still be looked up and remembered as a great hero that he truly is.

    kyoko-han
  106. This may sound cliche/corny, but…

    1. In the process of fighting a monster (anti-spiral), make sure that you don’t become one yourself, which is why Simon stopped when he accomplished what he set out to do and became a wanderer.

    2. Those who depend on external things (money, relationships, pets, etc.) to be happy will experience heavenly joy when they are around. But when they are taken away, these people become sad/depressed unto death. In the end, Simon and Yoko have found the center of gravity within themselves and no longer depend on Nia, or Kamina to live happily, though they still love each other.

    3. Human life on Earth is limited and un-free. Live life with love, compassion, and courage (what’s Kamina and Simon 2.0’s spirits are all about), and you will be united eternally with your loved ones. Break, or lack any one of these, and you will be sent back to Earth to live another limited and un-free life, until you learn and fix your mistake.

    4. Control is an illusion. You can’t control the world. It is not yours to control. People, who suicide, are simply trying to exert one last expression of control over a world that is spinning out of control. What you CAN control are everything that is within you. Kamina could never control his death, what he did have control over was the expression of his spirit, and that has made all the difference in the world/universe.

    5. Going back to #2, there will always be a bigger battle/a bigger fish to fry/catch. If winning battles, catching/frying a bigger fish everytime makes you more manly, you will never achieve manlihood, as there will always be a bigger battle, etc. In otherwords, you will never be satisfied defeating an external enemy. The hole in you only gets bigger and bigger with every victory. Your only real enemy is within, not without.

    Anyways, that’s enough of my ramblings… Ciao!

    StockStalker
  107. I seriously cried manly tears after seeing Simon all grown up… How we started with him at just around 14, all up til around 55. Whenever I see a character do that, I always get sad… Best series of ’07, possibly all time.

    TTGL rulz
  108. i can’t believe i waited till now to watch this, omg!

    seriously, my guess is that the first part in episodes 1 is the destruction of the universe due to spiral nemesis and the desire to concure all

    The ending itself was simon saying it was important to control his power (thats why he let nia die), also the intergalactic meeting was another way to show the aversion of the spiral nemesis

    my guess
  109. This isn’t the end, remember the first episode, and the opening that made no sense at all? If you look at it you see the pigmole guy in his human form, and kamina is the one at the helm, which must mean that like Lord Genome, Kamina doesn’t age because of his spiral power (check out his eyes in the last pick),so eventually he’ll use his power to be young again, and when the human race is threatened by all others, he’ll be back to fight once again (the “all of the starts are now are enemies” comment and a reference to a “dimensional waterfall”) some people claim the beginning was just Simon’s dream, but I’m pretty sure Simon didn’t know what stars where before reaching the surface. To put it simply, Simon lives on, with near god-like power, and is there to protect humanity when they are needed again, so gainax pulled through this time and gave us a kick ass ending!

    Lee
  110. wow just watched this again for the 2nd time, it really pumps me up like the spiral energyyyy! Live life to the fullest at every moment, even in peace and quiet, savor it! =) ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWAHHH

    guest
  111. guys, this anime, is another crisis core with addition humor 😀 . A true tribute to heroism and romanticism. But wtf, I can’t stand Yoko being single for life and get old and shrivelly. Those awesome milk jugs went to waste. XP

    drunkenprince
  112. ok like i am totally baffeld at the fact that nia could be an anti spiral. Cause first off she was made ny the spiral King that is made with a capital MADE so you would think he would know if he made an anti spiral or a spiral. Also anti spirals are actually spirals who sealed away thier physical bodies on thier home planet so nia is in fact incapable of being a true anti spiral due to the fact that she has a physical form. I could have accepted her being possesd by an anti spiral but not being one the build up of who she is and what the anti spiral are just dont mix. other than that point and the fact that nia disappeared the show was fracken awesome.

    Vandesdelca
  113. @My guess,
    Yeah I felt the same way after finishing the series just a week ago. I like they way Gainax made the anime so full of emotion that you want to jump out of your seat every time there’s something epic going on! I’m currently streaming TTGL’s 1st movie. It’s been a long time since I tried to watch anime movies online for free. I just cant wait for my DVD anymore; I need to watch that movie now! XD

  114. The entire ending was nothing short of a giant middle finger right in the audience’s face. Between all the speeches about not giving up as well as all the grief Simon went through, it makes no logical sense to kill Nia off except for cheap emotional drama. Even if reviving the dead is that bad of an idea, Nia wasn’t dead up to the wedding so Simon could have used Spiral Power to turn her into a full human without contributing to Spiral Nemesis that much. Besides, I’m not too sure that Spiral Nemesis is entirely unavoidable so that just further proves NIa died for nothing.

    john fielding
    1. It felt right for me. We see Simon after the timeskip struggling to work when they were all living in relative peace. It makes sense that in the end he became an aimless wanderer. I don’t think it would’ve been different had Nia lived, except maybe she’d wander with him too.

      Seximus

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