"Yours is the drill that will pierce the heavens!"
My sister-in-law, Carly Strickland, pitched the show to my husband and I, like this: There are robot shows like Gundam that rely on some common perception of laws like science. It may not be perfect. Someone who knows anything about computers or biology might say "now wait a minute", but the basis is a twist on the laws of nature that we know. That is a robot show. Then we have Gurren Lagann, which knows no such laws and relies on willpower and speeches. There are no limits to how far your powers can go (it's over 9,000!) because that doesn't matter. This is a SUPER robot show.
Tengen Toppa (Heaven-Piercing) Gurren Lagann takes place on a future earth where humans are forced to live underground. Simon, an orphan whose job is to dig tunnels, is the best there is at what he does. Tremors and earth quakes are the biggest fear for these cave dwellers. Then there's Kamina. No idea what his job is, aside from causing problems, but he's loud and never wears a shirt. Kamina is a character not limited by silly things like limitations, and so he breaks Simon free from the earth and from any moral weaknesses and physical boundaries.
Now it turns out that the earth has been run by Beastmen who are keeping filthy humans under ground. They drive giant robots called Gunmen. Simon and Kamina break out of the tunnels with a Gunman found by Simon. It looks like a giant head and Simon uses a drill-like-key to power it. Once on the surface, however, Kamina and Simon meet up with tough-riflewoman, Yoko, who has great sexual tension with Kamina and wears practically nothing.
Together Kamina, Yoko, and Simon start acquiring Gunmen, followers, and start a revolution for human freedom. A MAJOR game-changer is thrown in during episode 8.
THIS EPISODE, THE LAST I CHECKED, HAS BEEN MISSING FROM NETFLIX INSTANT-WATCH FOR MONTHS. IF YOU ARE WATCHING ON NETFLIX, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU WATCH EPISODE 8 SOME OTHER WAY. YOU WILL MISS THE BIGGEST PLOT EVENT POSSIBLE IF YOU SKIP IT!
The only other thing I should say about this series is that 50% through it we skip ahead 7 years and it feels like a very different show for a while. We finally understand why humans were kept below the earth and then all hell breaks loose. It's awesome and heart-wrenching and makes you feel pretty great about the power of the human spirit.
So give Gurren Lagann a watch today and understand why that shirtless guy at the con in the cape keeps shouting "Don't believe in me-- believe in the me who believes in you!"
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