Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Simon and Kamina were born and raised in a deep, underground village, hidden from the fabled surface. Kamina is a free-spirited loose cannon bent on making a name for himself, while Simon is a timid young boy with no real aspirations. One day while excavating the earth, Simon stumbles upon a mysterious object that turns out to be the ignition key to an ancient artifact of war, which the duo dubs Lagann. Using their new weapon, Simon and Kamina fend off a surprise attack from the surface with the help of Yoko Littner, a hot-blooded redhead wielding a massive gun who wanders the world above.

In the aftermath of the battle, the sky is now in plain view, prompting Simon and Kamina to set off on a journey alongside Yoko to explore the wastelands of the surface. Soon, they join the fight against the "Beastmen," humanoid creatures that terrorize the remnants of humanity in powerful robots called "Gunmen." Although they face some challenges and setbacks, the trio bravely fights these new enemies alongside other survivors to reclaim the surface, while slowly unraveling a galaxy-sized mystery.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kamina Main

Konishi, Katsuyuki Japanese

Simon Main

Kakihara, Tetsuya Japanese

Littner, Yoko Main

Inoue, Marina Japanese

Teppelin, Nia Main

Fukui, Yukari Japanese

Viral Supporting

Hiyama, Nobuyuki Japanese

Bachika, Kittan Supporting

Taniyama, Kishou Japanese

Boota Supporting

Itou, Shizuka Japanese

Lordgenome Supporting

Ikeda, Narushi Japanese

Littner, Leeron Supporting

Onosaka, Masaya Japanese

Adai, Rossiu Supporting

Nakata, Jouji Japanese

Kamagata, Eiichi Producer

Takeda, Yasuhiro Producer

Akai, Takami Producer

Yamakawa, Norio Producer

Reviews

Sep 9, 2026

quezgot

Recommended

[Hood Review]

WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!? (You will understand later)

So when I first started watching this anime, I’m not gonna lie it was extremely rough. It felt like a typical old-school anime, and it’s hard going from newer anime like 2021 and up, then trying to jump back into something older. The animation definitely took some getting used to.

But once I got around episode 8, I was hooked. The anime has a different twist to it, and even though I’m not really into mecha anime like that, the storyline was actually super good.

It’s extremely fast-paced, but even with everything moving so quickly, ... I still ended up loving the characters. The character development for the main protagonist was extremely well done, and you actually get attached to the characters as the story progresses.

Now the fight scenes? Mid. 😂 I’m not gonna lie, they are FAST. Like, shit is moving so fast sometimes you can barely tell what’s going on. And I don’t mean that in a Dragon Ball Z, everybody throwing 900 punches a second type of way. I just feel like the fight animation could’ve used a little more work to make everything easier to follow.

But even with that, I was still sucked in. (Pause.) 😂

Then you get to Season 2, and you would think it’s gonna have the same vibe as Season 1, but NOPE. It feels like I’m watching a whole different anime. The character development gets even better, and I started having even more love for the older-school anime style.

They really did their thing with this one. I can honestly say it’s different from a lot of other shonen anime I’ve watched because I genuinely couldn’t predict what was going to happen next.

So if you’re skeptical about watching this, I’d say definitely give it a shot. This is one of those anime you should have under your belt if you’re trying to become a certified Sensei type shit. 😂

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Apr 25, 2026

anonyymio

Mixed Feelings

I really don't like battle shounen. And I like mecha even less.

However, a fansub group had bothered to make a fan translation of this old anime in my obscure language and took its name from it, so I thought it might have something in it.

Expected battles in some apocalyptic wasteland, and perhaps some buried mystery akin to Fallout. The vaults, that is, the underground villages, were explored less than I had hoped for, but the backstory managed to surprise.

So wow. Just wow. This anime managese to surpass itself, and then surpass itself even more, and then surpass itself even more, multiple times again. Indeed ... to drill through the ceiling. And there is also laugh factor and memorable quotes, as the intensity is insane.

It's not good per se, but the wow factor and jaw opening factor is impressive. A bit like Evangelion. Worth watching, although not very deep. But manages to carry all its posturing with honour. 7/10.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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May 9, 2026

Bill_Briff

Not Recommended

Funny

Went into watching this with great expectations, considering the generally very high opinion on the anime. I was sorely disappointed.

The first half of the series is as bog standard as a battle syônen as they come, with the whole shebang of supporting cast, villain, conflict, and the lot. It is not meant to be demeaning, in fact this part is what carries the score for the anime, and up to its first resolution of the underlying conflict, it is pretty enjoyable. It even has more lighthearted moments that help with the pacing and with easing a little the tension; the humour is in general what ... you can expect for the genre, but it kind of works overall. The problem lies in the second half.

Throughout the second half of the series, any possible tension there could be left is dead and gone. Any new threat is dealt with with little effort, often coming to a solution within the very episode they were introduced in, or barely a couple; even the more overarching enemy for this part of the show is overcome pretty quick, with the same (at this point rather trite) topos of human nature. Hype moments and aura are more than fine in such an anime, but they should be done with taste, lest they lose any and all significance they rightfully had in the more decent half.

It is one of the few anime I have had to force myself to finish, and I certainly don't shy away from the "indomitable human spirit" as a plot device. Right until the end I was hoping for a moment that would make it (and the high scores) make sense for me, but this second half of Gurrenn Lagann managed to disattend the expectations each and every time.
I don't pretend to be a conoisseur, nor a better director than a professional, but I cannot fathom how this anime can have the cult following it has to this day.

If I had to find a positive note in all of this, at least on a technical standpoint it is a sound anime, on par with past Gainax works, but it is not enough to justify watching this.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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