Gurren Lagann Forum

This Spiral King isn’t the wisest of rulers. He’s arrogant, I get it. He doesn’t want to be questioned, I understand. But if he keeps setting his generals up into situations where they basically get killed for disagreeing or agreeing with him, he’s going to run out of help really soon. That’d actually make for a funny final confrontation in this show. Team Dai-Gurren ends up beating these this guy simply because he’s killed all his help. Then again, I don’t think he’s actually followed through on any of these threats yet, so maybe he’s just full of hot air.

Usually when you introduce an innocent into the mix like this, things gets contrived, but Nia’s appearance so far has actually added a fun twist to the GURREN LAGANN dynamic in the absence of Kamina. Then again, I don’t know how she could be naïve enough to forget that she’d been disowned and banished by her own father, but whatever… maybe she’s got some convenient amnesia.  I was just laughing when she identified the scorpion lady as “one of those pissed-off people.” I’m still a little confused about what exactly she’s supposed to be, though. Aren’t all of the bad guys and their ilk supposed to be animal hybrids? You’ve seen scorpions, apes, cats, wolves… but I can’t tell what Nia’s animal link is. Maybe she’s got a kitten’s cuteness without any of those pesky whiskers and hair balls.

Simon’s starting to act a bit like Shinji in this episode, furthering my assertion that teenage angst is one of Gainax’s trademarks.  I like how the episode ends with him just laying in bed like a sad sack; Nia just not comprehending why he won’t come out.   I can get behind the rest of Team Dai-Gurren getting a little tired of him being dysfunctional and depressed when they've got work to do... but wasn’t it kind of stupid idea to make a kid their leader in the first place?
 
Watch this episode "Who is this Bro?" below, decide for yourself, and then read my comments on the previous episode here.  

  

Tom Pinchuk’s the writer of HYBRID BASTARDS! & UNIMAGINABLE. Order them on Amazon here & here.

Oh, she’s got some AMAZINGLY convenient amnesia. There's all kinds of stuff this girl doesn't realize. Stay tuned. 
 
I mean...yeah, Simon's moping. What do you want here? He's kinda been traumatized. I mean...his parents were killed in his youth, and the depressing society he was in kept pushing him away. Then, the only kind of "real" family, his biggest motivator, his biggest believer, and his blood brother both leads him to these amazing things...and dies. 
 
I'd be in the dumps for quite a while. As crazy as Gurren Lagann is, one of the reasons I love it is because there are certain elements that are very real. There are certain promises about the human condition that this show keeps. This is one of them: death hurts...it's not something you get over or forget in one day. Life is sacred...and can't be replaced or given back after death. 
 
 But yeah, in the interest of time, things pick up just an ooch, next episode. Grab your popcorn and enjoy.

like Kamina your opinion of  Lord Genome will change with time 
 
P.S.  
next episode is pretty kick ass

You have a lot to look forward to.  I know a guy who couldn't bring himself to watch past episode 8.  But it's definitely worth the angst.  SPIN ON!

Lord Genome wishes he could be as manly as MASTER ASIA 

It's funny...I think Shinji has kinda ruined us on the whole "depressed/angsty kid" kinda thing. I mean, yeah, he did come first...but remember: part of Anno's MO was that everyone in Eva had a psychological problem. So, because Shinji is screwed up, we're now all tired of hearing people whine and mope. 
 
But the scenario in TTGL gives you Simon, who's acting exactly as you'd expect in such a situation. He's just a normal kid who's literally never seen the world and is scared crapless...and now his brother dies. Strange as it may seem, Gurren Lagann presents a more grounded scenario in this regard than Eva does. They do have a bit of fun with Simon's current state-of-mind in the next episode though. ;)

Lord Genome is awseome, is a shame he is tied to the Dr. Hell type of villian that sends his generals to batle, but at the end he kick ass..

The sequence where where Simon snaps out of his depression once and for all is one of my favorite moments in any anime. Totally worth all the moping.