Gurren Lagann – 02

Summary:

Faced with the two new enemies, Simon runs the Lagann away as Yoko explains that there were originally three Ganmen, one of which was the one that fell down into the underground village. Simon starts trying to dig his way back down, but the Lagann gets kicked before he gets very far. When Kamina then emerges from the cockpit to face the Ganmen, they attempt to crush him. Simon has the Lagann carry him away before he gets squished, but an unsatisfied Kamina questions how long Simon is going to keep running away. Yoko manages to keep the Ganmen at bay by standing up and firing several shots with her gun, however, the Lagann then seems to run out of power and won’t move anymore. Fortunately for the three of them, a hail of gunfire comes flying from behind them, courtesy of Yoko’s friends. All the bullets manage to bring down one of the Ganmen, so the other one picks up the hairy pilot and makes its escape. Yoko explains to Kamina that the pilot was a beast man, and strangely enough, they come attack in the morning and leave in the evening.

As it gets dark, Kamina tries to cheer Simon up by thanking Simon for saving him. The two are approached by an effeminate man named Leeron who seems fascinated by the Lagann. After Leeron gets called away, Kamina admires the starry night sky and is quite happy that they came above ground. Simon wonders about why the stars have names and thinks that people from long ago saw the same night sky. Leeron comes back and suggests that long ago, man probably lived above ground. Yoko then asks a favor of Simon: to use the Lagann to carry back the remains of the downed Ganmen. The problem is that Simon’s small drill remains inactive – that is, until Yoko gets closer to him, and he notices her body. As a result, the drill lights up and he’s able to start up the Lagann again. The small mecha leads the convoy back to Yoko’s home, but along the way, they stop at a skull that Yoko thinks belongs to someone killed by a Ganmen. After they bury it and continue on, Yoko makes it clear to Kamina that this isn’t the wonderful place he thinks it is. Her village Rittner was underground, but an accident happened so they couldn’t live there anymore. They came up to the surface and now have no choice but to fight the Ganmen.

The group eventually arrives at Yoko’s cave village, and by the time she brings Simon and Kamina some food, they’re both already fast asleep. Kamina ends up having a dream of his own youth when his father showed him the surface of the planet. His father had left him at that time and had told him to come when he was able to come. Kamina wakes up the next morning to a loud rumbling that signifies the arrival of the Ganmen. While everyone heads out ahead of him, Simon gets on the Lagann, but it doesn’t want to start up. Outside, there is another crash and rumbling because a third Ganmen has arrived. Simon suddenly experiences a flashback of when his parents died, and realizes that the third Ganmen is the same as the one that caused the earthquake that killed them. Simon’s feelings power up the Lagann, and he rushes out of the cave just as Kamina has decided to take that orange-colored Ganmen for himself. Seeing how furious Simon is, Kamina says that he needs a hot heart and a cool mind to win a fight. Explaining how he intends to board the Ganmen, Kamina has Simon get them closer, and after some close calls and a little help from Yoko, Kamina manages to get on the Ganmen.

Simon allows Kamina to get aboard by taking care of one of the other green Ganmens and then prying open the orange Ganmen’s cockpit. Once inside the cockpit, however, the orange Ganmen’s controls lock up, keeping Kamina from controlling it. With Kamina being unable to do anything, the two green Ganmen start beating up on their former orange ally. They throw the orange Ganmen into the air, but after it crashed back down onto the ground, Kamina notices that there is a skull on the ground in front of him. This triggers a reaction inside of him that leads to the activation of the orange Ganmen’s controls. This happens just in the nick of time because Kamina soon has to use this Ganmen to save the Lagann from being stepped on. To finish the two green Ganmen off, Kamina throws the Lagann in a cannonball attack that pierces through the enemies and destroys them both at once. In the aftermath, Kamina names his new vehicle the Gurren. He then goes to rebury the skeleton that was unearthed during the fight – the one that allowed him to use the Gurren. To his shock though, he notices a familiar bracelet on the skeleton and then unearths a red cloak – both signs of his father. Realizing that his father died here, Kamina starts crying and yelling in pain.

ED Sequence:

ED: 「UNDERGROUND」 by HIGH VOLTAGE
Watch the ED! Mirror 1, Mirror 2
Last week had only 30 seconds of the ending, but this week features the entire minute-30. I like the song a little better after hearing more of it, but it’s still not that great for me.

Preview:

I enjoyed last week’s episode, but it just doesn’t compare to this week. They kept up the animation quality quite nicely, and of course there was more gratuitous Yoko fanservice. All the action was really the big draw though, and Kamina now has the other half of the Gurren Lagann. The only thing I’m worried about now is that the story will peak too soon. I would have thought Kamina would use his father as motivation to continue, but if he’s already has found his father’s remains, then he’ll need something else. That’s more of a minor worry though, because they’re currently delivering some very exciting and fun to watch episodes.
Next week appears to be the introduction of the main villain, Viral, and it looks like the Gurren and the Lagann will be combining into the *drumroll* Gurren Lagann (just like the title).