Anime You Should Be Watching: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Posted on August 16, 2026 by Arleigh

“Don’t forget. Believe in yourself. Not in the you who believes in me. Not the me who believes in you. Believe in the you who believes in yourself.” — Kamina

Gurren Lagann is one of those anime that seems to announce itself at maximum volume before the opening theme has even finished. It is loud, ridiculous, earnest, aggressively stylish, and so emotionally committed to its own escalation that it somehow transforms drills, sunglasses, tiny robots, and increasingly impossible acts of defiance into a genuinely moving epic. Produced by Gainax and originally broadcast in 2007, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann begins underground with a timid boy named Simon and ends in a place so cosmically huge that describing it risks making the show sound like parody. But that journey—from cramped tunnels beneath the earth to a battle for humanity’s future among the stars—is exactly why it still lands so hard.

The premise starts simply. Simon lives in an underground village where people have been conditioned to accept a small, confined existence beneath a hostile surface world. He spends his days digging tunnels, largely ignored by the others around him, until his life is upended by Kamina, a reckless older boy who insists that the surface exists and that humans belong there. Kamina’s conviction is less a coherent philosophy than a full-force personality trait: he believes in breaking through walls because walls are there to be broken. When Simon discovers a small drill-shaped device and a miniature mecha called Lagann, the pair’s ambitions become suddenly possible. Their escape to the surface introduces Yoko, the series’ sharp-shooting, level-headed third lead, and kicks off a war against the Beastmen and their towering Gunmen.

On paper, that sounds like a standard mecha adventure. In practice, Gurren Lagann uses that foundation as a launchpad for a story about grief, courage, self-definition, and the strange process of becoming the person you need to be after the person you depended on is gone. Its early episodes are especially effective because Simon is not immediately framed as a hidden hero. He is anxious, withdrawn, and clearly accustomed to having Kamina speak for him. Kamina may be the show’s loudest presence, but Simon is its emotional center. The series understands that confidence is not just something a character “gets” after a training montage. It has to be built through failure, fear, loss, responsibility, and the gradual realization that admiration is not the same thing as identity.

Kamina is still the character most people remember first, and it is easy to see why. His dialogue is endlessly quotable, his poses are absurdly theatrical, and his belief in Simon is powerful precisely because it is so unconditional. Kamina does not believe Simon is capable because Simon has proven himself; he believes Simon will prove himself because he already sees something in him. That relationship gives the early part of Gurren Lagann its heart. Kamina is not merely a mentor figure or a source of comic bravado. He is the force that makes Simon look upward. The show’s famous “believe in the me that believes in you” idea could have been corny in another context, but here it becomes a sincere expression of what it means to lend someone confidence until they can create their own.

The series’ willingness to change after its major emotional turning point is what elevates it beyond a very good action show. Gurren Lagann understands that inspirational speeches cannot erase trauma. Simon does not simply inherit Kamina’s confidence; he has to confront the fact that trying to imitate Kamina leaves him hollow. His eventual growth is about accepting Kamina’s influence without becoming trapped inside it. That distinction gives the show surprising maturity beneath all the bombast. Simon’s ultimate strength comes not from copying another person’s legend, but from finding a voice and resolve that belong to him alone.

Yoko is also more important than the usual “female lead in a shōnen-style action series” label would suggest. She has to serve as both a capable fighter and one of the few people who can puncture the boys’ more reckless impulses, but Gurren Lagann gives her a real emotional presence beyond that function. Her grief, her resilience, and her continued movement through a world that keeps changing around her make her feel essential to the story’s broader ideas about survival. The show’s presentation of Yoko can be very much of its mid-2000s anime era, and some of its fanservice has not aged particularly gracefully. Still, she is never reduced entirely to that material, and the series repeatedly reminds the audience that she is a veteran combatant and a person carrying losses of her own.

Visually, Gurren Lagann remains an absolute blast. Its art style is dynamic in a way that feels almost physically restless. The animation stretches bodies, machines, perspective, and scale for emotional effect rather than strict mechanical realism. Characters lean into poses so hard they feel like they might burst through the frame. Mecha do not merely move; they lunge, twist, slam, and spiral forward with a sense of weight and raw momentum. The show frequently uses exaggerated proportions, thick expressive linework, explosive color, and wild camera angles to make every confrontation feel bigger than the last. Even its stillness has energy, because the designs and compositions are always angled toward motion.

That visual approach has had a real influence on anime in the years since its release. You can see echoes of Gurren Lagann’s expressive exaggeration, bold color blocking, elastic action, and preference for emotional impact over restrained realism in much of the work associated with former Gainax talent and Studio Trigger, particularly Kill la Kill, Promare, Little Witch Academia, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Its influence is broader than any one studio, though. The show helped solidify a modern appetite for animation that can be rough-edged, hyperactive, and knowingly excessive without sacrificing sincerity. A lot of later anime have chased its surface energy—the crazy transformations, the screaming declarations, the impossible scale—but fewer have replicated how carefully Gurren Lagann ties that escalation to character growth.

The mecha designs deserve special credit because they capture the show’s philosophy better than any speech could. Lagann starts as a small, almost toy-like machine, while Gurren is clunky, hot-blooded, and visually associated with Kamina’s swagger. When they combine into Gurren Lagann, the result is not sleek or conventionally elegant. It looks improvised, rebellious, and barely interested in obeying the normal rules of robotics. That is exactly the point. In Gurren Lagann, machines become expressions of willpower. They are not military hardware treated with sterile technical reverence; they are emotional extensions of the people piloting them. The more the characters believe they can surpass a limitation, the more absurdly grand their machines become.

The escalation is famously outrageous, but it is not random. The series moves from village-scale conflict to planetary stakes and eventually to something far beyond that, while preserving the same central question: what do people do when someone or something tells them that they have reached their limit? The antagonistic force behind the story, particularly through the Anti-Spiral, represents stagnation disguised as protection. The Anti-Spiral’s logic has a certain bleak rationality: humanity’s capacity to grow is dangerous, so it must be contained. Simon and the rest of Team Dai-Gurren respond with the series’ central rebuttal—that the risk of moving forward is inseparable from being alive. It is a simple message, but the show sells it with such conviction that it feels almost mythic.

This is also where Gurren Lagann separates itself from pure power fantasy. The characters win because they keep pushing forward, but the series does not pretend that forward movement makes pain disappear. People die. Dreams change. The ending, for all its spectacle, is not a cheap promise that determination guarantees a perfect reward. It recognizes that growing up often means accepting the cost of the choices that define you. Simon’s final arc is compelling because he becomes powerful enough to reshape the universe, yet the story still asks him to live with restraint, loss, and the knowledge that not every desire should be fulfilled simply because it can be.

The soundtrack is equally crucial to the experience. Taku Iwasaki’s score knows exactly when to go huge, mixing orchestral intensity, dramatic choral material, rock energy, and hip-hop-inflected momentum. “Libera Me From Hell” is the obvious standout, and it remains one of the most gloriously over-the-top climactic tracks in anime. It should not work as well as it does. The blend of opera and rap sounds like something invented as a joke, but in the context of Gurren Lagann, it feels completely natural. The song captures the entire show’s spirit: dramatic, strange, sincere, and unwilling to accept the idea that two seemingly incompatible things cannot be fused into something incredible.

There are flaws, of course. The first few episodes can feel especially frantic, and the humor occasionally leans into juvenile territory in ways that may test a new viewer’s patience. Some supporting characters get less development than they deserve, especially once the plot begins accelerating toward its larger conflicts. The fanservice is the element most likely to feel dated, since it can interrupt scenes that are otherwise focused on emotional gravity or visual spectacle. Yet even with those issues, Gurren Lagann never loses its sense of purpose. It is too alive, too earnest, and too committed to its own vision to feel disposable.

More than anything, Gurren Lagann endures because it understands the appeal of impossible optimism. It does not tell viewers that the world will always reward them, or that bravery means never being afraid. Instead, it argues that fear, grief, and uncertainty are not final states. You can carry them with you and still move forward. You can outgrow the person you used to be without betraying them. You can take inspiration from someone else without surrendering your own identity. And if the wall in front of you seems impossible to break, maybe the answer is not to wait for permission. Maybe you pick up a drill and start spinning.

Anime You Should Be Watching

Anime You Should Be Watching: Macross Plus

Posted on November 7, 2025 by Arleigh

“Life without pain isn’t real life!” — Isamu Dyson

Macross Plus is a landmark anime OVA series from 1994 that continues to resonate with both newcomers and longtime fans of the genre. It stands out within the larger Macross franchise—one of the most influential in anime history—that includes various series beginning with the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross in the early 1980s. While Macross Plus is just one of several entries under this umbrella, it serves as a crucial bridge between the earlier incarnation of the series produced during the 1980s and the more modern take that the franchise would eventually develop in the late 1990s and into the 2000s. This OVA represents a stylistic and thematic evolution that helped transition the series from its original space opera roots into a more mature, complex narrative form that appeals to contemporary audiences.

Set decades after the destructive war between humanity and the alien Zentradi featured in the original series, Macross Plus takes place in the year 2040 where the UN Spacy conducts flight trials on a remote planet to select the next generation of Variable Fighters. The story revolves around Isamu Dyson, a cocky and passionate pilot; Guld Goa Bowman, his calm and talented rival who is revealed to be a Zentradi/human hybrid; and Myung Fang Lone, a woman emotionally entangled with both men and managing the artificially intelligent holographic idol Sharon Apple. The narrative explores themes of rivalry, friendship, human connection, and emotional tension with nuance and depth, distinguishing it within the franchise and offering a compelling experience for both newcomers and longtime fans.

Viewers can experience Macross Plus either as a four-episode OVA or through the re-edited movie version titled Macross Plus: Movie Edition. The movie version condenses the original four episodes into a much shorter runtime, around 115 minutes, with certain scenes expanded, some new scenes added, and others shortened or removed entirely. While the movie includes roughly 20 minutes of new or alternate footage, it retains much of the OVA’s original material. The film format emphasizes a more cinematic presentation and features a widescreen format, contrasting the original OVA’s 1.37 aspect ratio. However, while the movie streamlines some narrative aspects and adds a few striking sequences, some fans feel the OVA’s longer runtime allows for richer character development and storytelling depth. Both versions have their merits, with many recommending watching the OVA first to appreciate the fuller experience before exploring the movie edition.

One of Macross Plus’s standout features is its animation quality, especially remarkable for a mid-1990s production. The series blends traditional hand-drawn artistry with pioneering computer graphics, particularly in its spectacular aerial dogfight sequences featuring transforming fighter jets. These dynamic battle scenes convey a vivid sense of speed and intensity, demonstrating a level of technical sophistication that remains impressive today. Though some fans note minor differences in character design from Haruhiko Mikimoto’s original work, the visual impact overall is striking and immersive, providing a thrilling experience for newcomers and a nostalgic appreciation for veteran viewers.

Integral to the anime’s atmosphere is its unforgettable soundtrack, composed by the legendary Yoko Kanno. Her wide-ranging score—from haunting melodies to energetic action themes—perfectly complements the show’s tonal shifts. While “Voices,” performed by Akino Arai, is the song most fans distinctly remember and cherish for encapsulating the emotional core of the series, the rest of the soundtrack stands out as excellent in its own right. Notably, the tracks tied to the Sharon Apple AI subplot add an additional layer of mood and narrative depth. The song “Information High,” performed by Sharon Apple, is particularly praised for its ethereal, electronic style that perfectly captures the AI’s hypnotic and otherworldly presence in the story. This track complements the themes of technology, identity, and artificial emotion explored through Sharon Apple’s character, enhancing the viewer’s immersion in the high-tech world of Macross Plus.

Another rarity in the anime world that Macross Plus represents is its highly regarded English-language dub. Unlike many anime dubs that face criticism, the Macross Plus English dub is considered excellent by fans and critics alike. One notable factor is the casting of a younger Bryan Cranston (before his Breaking Bad fame) as the voice of Isamu Dyson. His performance brings genuine energy and nuance to the role, contributing to the dub’s reputation as a quality adaptation worthy of both newcomers who prefer English audio and longtime fans who appreciate a well-executed dub.

A core thematic insight in Macross Plus lies in its exploration of technology, especially artificial intelligence, highlighting how even advanced AI must learn from humans as templates, inevitably influencing its behavior. Sharon Apple, the AI pop star and central figure of the subplot, cannot authentically generate emotion on her own. Instead, she relies on the emotional input provided by Myung Fang Lone, her producer and the emotional source behind Sharon’s performances. This dependency underlines a profound implication: true sentience and emotional authenticity in AI require imitation and absorption of human feelings, experience, and behavior. Consequently, Sharon’s increasingly autonomous actions become shaped by the complex and sometimes conflicted emotional landscape of the humans around her, illustrating how AI, while synthetic, is ultimately tied to the human condition and its imperfections. The series presents this relationship critically, showing both the potential and danger of AI learning and evolving from human templates, culminating in Sharon’s struggle to assert an identity that is both alien and deeply rooted in human emotions.

Importantly, Macross Plus is recognized as the first official sequel to the original Macross series by its creator Shoji Kawamori. The earlier Macross II was later retconned by Kawamori as an alternate reality or parallel world separate from the main timeline. This status cements Macross Plus as the canonical continuation of the original saga, reinforcing its significance within the franchise and its role in guiding Macross’s future directions.

The narrative structure—whether experienced as the OVA’s four episodes or the condensed movie version—strikes a balance between introspective character moments and exhilarating mech combat, keeping viewers engaged while allowing emotional depth to unfold. Though some supporting characters receive limited development and the antagonist can seem somewhat one-dimensional, these elements do not detract significantly from the memorable storytelling, animation, and thematic richness.

For newcomers, Macross Plus serves as a powerful introduction to anime that blends sophisticated storytelling, technical artistry, and philosophical inquiry. For veterans, it offers a compelling revisit to a milestone work that elegantly bridges the franchise’s classic roots and modern evolution.

Macross Plus holds a revered place within the Macross franchise and the wider anime landscape for several reasons. It was pioneering in its integration of traditional cel animation with early computer-generated imagery (CGI), setting a precedent for the increasing use of digital effects in anime. This blend allowed for its visually stunning aerial combat sequences which remain influential in mecha animation.

The series also marked the start of a significant collaboration between director Shinichirō Watanabe and composer Yoko Kanno, whose work on Macross Plus would lead to iconic projects such as Cowboy Bebop. The soundtrack’s genre-spanning style influenced how music could serve as a narrative force in anime, intertwining with story and character development rather than merely accompanying visuals.

Narratively, Macross Plus helped reaffirm the franchise’s thematic core—the interplay of love, war, and music—while pushing it toward more mature and psychological storytelling, expanding the appeal beyond traditional mecha fans. Its exploration of AI and human emotion was ahead of its time, posing philosophical questions still relevant in today’s discussions about technology and identity.

The excellent English dub, featuring talents like Bryan Cranston, contributed to its international acclaim, helping it become a gateway series for many Western viewers into the Macross universe and anime more broadly.

Its legacy continues not only through ongoing Macross installments but also in manga adaptations and video game tie-ins, as well as in inspiring countless mecha and sci-fi creators. To this day, Macross Plus is frequently cited as a high watermark of 1990s anime, a timeless fusion of innovative animation, memorable music, and complex, emotionally resonant storytelling that helped shape the trajectory of anime as a global medium.

Anime You Should Be Watching

4 Shots from 4 Anime: Mecha Edition

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Arleigh

Mecha: The name derives from a shortening of the English words “mechanism” or “mechanical” into the Japanese “mecha”

Last time I chose 4 shots from some chosen anime I went the isekai route. This time around I have chosen four shots from some of the more popular and well-received anime of the mecha variety.

This genre of anime has been around as far back as the 1940’s with earliest known mecha-related work being the 1940 manga “Electric Octopus” (Denki Dako). Yet, the subgenre of mecha as we we know of it today as the “super robot” was with the landmark anime from 1972 with Go Nagai’s “Mazinger Z.” This series would establish the many tropes and baseline rules of what mecha has become and will continue to be.

So, here are four shots from four very good to great mecha anime that fans new and old has watched at least once.