Gurren Lagann Forum

Forget bouncing boobs… I’m starting to suspect that underage romances and teenage malaise are the real trademarks of Gainax. Shinji and Naota got their fair share of both in EVANGELION and FLCL, and now it’s Simon’s turn.  I finally have a better perspective on that “battle thread” GodLen ran a while back about whether Shinji or Simon was more likely to get a girlfriend. The kid who dresses like Texas Hold ‘Em world champion is going through his own sense of loss but, rather than curling up into a ball and moping, he’s getting mad! And that’s good, because he’s kicking even more ass now because of it.

You know, I’ve always found depression to be a funny thing to properly portray in fiction, especially stories like this. Yes, Simon is obviously throwing himself into his mech piloting to avoid thinking about Kamina's death. Maybe it’s not going to get the kind of closure Dr. Phil would want, but if he’s sublimating his grief into destructive behavior, maybe it’s actually better that he isn’t facing his problems at the moment, because he needs to be destructive right now. It reminds me of this kid I knew from high school who I saw again recently at a party. We all admired the kid back the day because he was hooking up with some of the hottest girls in our class. Of course, these days he’s saying that he was actually depressed back then which really baffled me. When most guys get depressed, they lay on the couch all day and don’t do anything... they don’t go on and do something every other guy wanted to do.

So yeah, I was drawing a comparison to Simon piloting a factory-sized mecha here which, by the way, is pretty crazy in itself. The place got a shooting range, bunks… I’d half expect there to be a bowling alley, too.

Anyway, back on point. It’s clear that Yoko’s avoiding her grief too and the introduction of this innocent princess Nia is adding another complication to Simon’s love triangle. See… this is a demonstration of the value of patience. All he had to do was wait around a little while and the odds went in his favor. Yoko pats him on the head dismissively last episode and now she’s already bristling with jealousy about this little waif.  The question now is whether the girl really this naïve or if she’s actually a double-agent for her Spiral King pappy.

Watch this episode “What, Exactly, Is A Human?” below and decide for yourself, then check out my comments on the previous episode here.  

  

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

this episode was so sad!

Is it just me, or do Nia's eyes look like the clouds from Spongebob? I've always thought that for some reason. 
 
I really hate to beat a dead horse, but I'm going to in this case because I like dubs. I really do (believe me, I'm legally blind; anytime I can avoid reading an anime, I do). But the more I watch this one, the clearer it is to me just how much the english producers missed the ball. A scene in this episode is the clearest example to me I've ever seen of why.
 
In the original Japanese, the scene of Simon's confrontation with some of the gang in the hallway (7:06) is one of the most chilling scenes in the entire show. Simon has been frightened, but he's never been one to take it out on anybody. Here, not only does he pick 'em with Kittan, but he admits responsibility for the death, and he gets angry at Rossiu. 
 
And don't get me wrong, Yuri and the dub cast did adequately, but this show demands more than that sadly. In the scene you saw dubbed, Simon is very matter-of-fact and in-the-moment about taking the blame and getting on Rossiu. But that's not how it is. In the original, there is a very chilling sense of silence in that scene. It's clear Simon is not there right now. You feel he's been stewing for the entire week, and is very, very distant. His head is somewhere else completely as he walks down the hall. The admission of his own guilt is thrown out almost as a casual afterthought, something he's accepted as a historical fact since the day the event happened.  
 
In the dub, when he turns to Rossiu, it's very much an extension of his little scat with Kittan. But in the original, where coming down the hall, he was still inside his own head, the moment he turns, he is now right there. The sight of Rossiu sparks that thought, and the way that taunting question is delivered in the original is borderline manic, sounding like something coming from Light Yagami, not Simon (as the animation hints at). In that moment, it's immediately clear you're not dealing with the same animal anymore. 
 
And as much as I like Yuri, Simon's english voice, his directors either missed or stupidly ignored or changed that. Yeah, these are anally subtle details, but I assure you, in a Gainax show, they speak volumes and dramatically affect how you perceive a character. The dub isn't bad. It's just not great. And this is a great show that requires a dub that delivers far more than this one does. So again I plead, please, when all is said and done, find a subtitled version (preferably on legal DVDs...or somewhere) and take a look again. It's a whole new dimension.

Yeah, lots of spirals in this show. The creators have said they picked it intentionally as a theme because if you think about it, it's a great metaphor. 
 
Again...nothing more on that because it'd spoil stuff.

@Catolf: She's kind of like dropping a kitten on a coffin, in that respect...

@sotyfan16: And you think about it, a DNA ladder runs in a spiral!