Kamina News

Warning! The following blog contains strong opinions orientated towards Gurren Lagann. Be prepared for a lot of angry/displeased Superevil.
 
Alright, I can admit that this is a must watch anime. Everybody's heard of it, most have watched it. I enjoyed it for the first 5 or so episodes but, frankly it's just not doing it. I'm sitting here with episode 7 or Gurren Lagann and I just can't muster up the strength to watch it. But I can admit that it's a good series. Good animation, art, character design, acting (both Japanese and English), fantastic soundtrack, and a decent attempt at humour. But I'm really just not into this series for three main reasons.

3. The "Humorous" Plot

 Okay, I laughed the first few episodes. Kamina made some humorous acts of stupidity, but after a while, I get bored. The comedy is the show is dry, overused and at some points tasteless. I don't see how the comedy enhances the plot. In fact, the comedy sends the plot train reeling off the tracks and into a ditch of dry, dry dirt. I'm sorry, but I need at least a little bit of character development, or some new adventures in this plot. Nothing is standing out to me, I'm not laughing, and I'm just not interested. The anime is simple, too. Far too simple for my tastes. Maybe I'm just too fond of movies such as The Prestige, Inception, Sherlock Holmes, and Shawshank Redemption, or maybe Gurren Lagann is far too simple minded for anybody really. But the simple humour isn't cutting it. Sure it's totally crazy because it doesn't take itself seriously, but maybe that's it's biggest flaw. Gurren Lagann doesn't take itself seriously so it dries out. It runs out of interesting and good jokes and wallows in a pit of unmoving, uninteresting, simple minded, sexist and demeaning excuses for humour.
 

2. Sexism Vs. Strong Women

 Alright, we've got Yoko. She's strong, independent, and demeaning to women.
"But Superevil! She kicks Kamina's ass when ever he's sexist."
I say, that's exactly what I hate. I can't stand it when the anime stereotype for strong women is the fact that they're able to violently abuse men when they make a move. Sure Yoko kicks ass so hard in other departments, but I'm also close to revolted when it comes to the fanservice. I can handle panty-shots. I can handle the occasional bouncing breast, but when boobs defy gravity every time she turns around the joke runs dry and eventually becomes offensive. I admit, it might have to do with the fact that I'm a straight woman, but it's getting to the point in the anime where the fanservice is no longer passable and it becomes offensive. I'm specifically hung up over the one episode where Kamina spends 20 minutes of the episode trying to sneak a peak at Yoko's boobs. All the women are degraded to objects, who can't even try to fight for themselves and have to wait for Kamina to save them........ after he gets a look at some tits. It's gotten to the point where Gurren Lagann is just offensive.
 

1. Kamina

 Sorry, but I can't stand him. Not one bit. It was okay during the beginning. His overly inflated ego was funny at times, and his stupidity was entertaining. But now, he's just obnoxious. It's painful to see how stupid he can act, I literally cringe at every mistake he makes. His ego has gotten to the point where every time I see his face I wish I could punch it, and his chauvinistic, rude, and plain obnoxious attitude is going to drive me around the bend. I don't really see why people like this character. Sure there are plenty of characters that you would hate if they were real, but you love them in the anime. Kamina is not one of those characters. Let's take my obsession with Claire Stanfield from Baccano! He's obnoxious, egotistical and insane. I would hate him in real life, but I love him in the anime. There are redeeming qualities and events through out the anime that make you love a character like that. Kamina has no redeeming qualities, and there's nothing he does in the anime that make him lovable. Every step he takes I find myself disliking this character even more and more.
 

So, that's why I don't like Gurren Lagann so far. It was good, at the start but my patience is running out. I'm not going to watch another episode unless I get convinced by you guys. I don't want any flame from this article. All I want to do is express my thoughts on an anime that I really don't like. I respect that a lot of people like this anime, but it's really not for me. The reasons stated above are personal. I'm willing to discuss my thoughts, but I don't want people hating on me for them.

 
  
(Made this one a blog post since I had already done 2 "Kamina-kawaii!" articles on the front page. Though this one did make me laugh.)

I got my Tsumugi wig in the mail today and it is safe to say that I don't make a good blonde. Oh well, can't back down now seeing as I've already bought a good chunk of materials for the cosplay already. I guess I'll have to figure out how to put makeup to look half decent... The wig itself is nice if I actually put my hair properly inside the wig but I can't for the life of me find my wig cap so I just put the wig on without one. You can see my black hair creep eerily in the back but pretend you don't see that. It's a bit lighter than what I wanted but ahh life goes on.


As for progress, I've found two things for her hair accessories. One was a plastic coconut drink container which I'll use for her hat; it will get covered with fabric but for now it's just painted white. The other thing I made is her green star that adorns her head. And for good measure, I included a reference shot with MS Painted circles.



And on a completely random note, I got two spiffy art books from Kinokuniya recently. Noizi Ito's Haruhi art book and the Kamina and Simon combo one by Atsushi Nishigori (TTGL's character designer). The Haruhi one is stuff I can easily find online but it's a hardcover art book and is pretty to stare at. The Kamina/Simon one has lovely art that is entirely new to the book and it includes mini prints of some pieces you can put wherever.




If you can recall that one news article with Kamina on a segway, I have proof of where it is from. In the Gurren Lagann: The Movie's Official Fanbook, there's a bunch of doujinshi stuff in the back and one of them has Kamina on the segway. Here's pictures:

And on another random note, I redid my closet doors with more Gurren Lagann stuff. I still haven't finished redoing it but here's my wall of stuff for now:

And I think that's all for now. Until next time~