Customer Reviews

Gurren Lagann 01 Special Edition

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While the others sing the praises of this anime, and they are well deserved, I feel the need to speak out on the CD. For an extra $10 you get a sountrack CD. Normally this is a good value, but not in this case. The CD is 4 tracks. The first is the long version of the opening theme, the 2nd is another different piece, and the other 2 are short versions of the first track that are virtually indistinguishable from each other. Basically, you will be paying $10 more for 2 tracks of music. Not a good deal at all. Save yourself some money and just get the regular edition.

If this is your first foray into the realm of "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann," then shame on you. If you've already shed many a manly tear and generally been blown away by this series, then the R1 release you've been waiting for is finally here in all it's glory. Long story short, this DVD is one heck of a deal. You get 9 episodes where most releases give you 4, at most 5. While the only language is Japanese, the translators at Bandai did a great job of capturing the essence of each character in the subtitles. For those of you that watched the fansubs, you might chafe at the different wording of some favorite lines. Don't. No translation is ever going to be "the right one," and the meanings come across loud and clear in any case. The menus are great and fit the show perfectly. The extras are a little sparse, clean OP and ED only, but that's to be expected.
The bonus-CD with this edition is short but sweet. It contains the full opening song, "Sorairo Days," along with the edits for the first and second set of OP's. "Happily Ever After" makes an appearance as well, rounding out the Shoko Nakagawa contribution to TTGL. The sound quality is clear and crisp, making this CD a small but welcome contribution.
For the fans of the series, this edition is a must-have. The extra price is worth the CD, and the DVD is just a good deal in general. For first-timers, WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! Turn off your terrible reality-show reruns, buy this, and begin your foray into one of the most colorful, explosive, exciting, and GAR-feeling inducing shows for years!

For those that don't know, ADV originally licensed Gurren Lagann and was set to release it this past February. Unfortunately that didn't happen, and the fate of Gurren Lagann was in limbo as far as a US release date was concerned. Luckily, ADV sold (or dropped..not quite sure on the specifics) the license to Gurren, and Bandai entertainment picked it up. This is good for two reasons, the first being that Bandai upped the amount of episodes from the Japanese standard 3 per release, to a more palatable 9 episodes per disc (For a 27 episode series, it should be 3 sets total, which is great news) for an even cheaper price than the 3 episode releases go for in Japan. The second is that Bandai has recently aquired Bandai Visual, and hopefully, their knack for putting things out on Blu-Ray. Gurren Lagann was aired in HD in Japan, so a Blu-Ray release seems like a no brainer. Unfortunately, at this time, there doesn't seem to be any planned Blu-Ray release, but if the DVD sales are good, it should spur them on to announce something (hopefully).

This DVD set includes episodes 1 through 9 in Japanese only (with subtitles). The English voice over release is supposed to come out later in the summer, or in the early fall. If dubs are your thing, this isn't the release for you.

I'll leave others to give a synopsis of the story, because I don't trust myself to leave out spoilers, and this is truly one of those anime where there are megaton spoilers that can be dropped if you are unsuspecting. I will however say that this is one of the best shows I have seen in the past couple of years (if not ever) thanks to it's memorable characters, memorable fight scenes, truly emotional plot twists and turns, and excellent voice work by the Japanese cast. The true strength of any anime (in my opinion) is the connection to the characters that you develop throughout the process of watching the show. In the case of Gurren, you will wholeheartedly root on Simon, Kamina, Yoko and the rest of the Gurren Dan (Gurren Brigade), that is, unless your heart is made of stone. I would easily consider Gurren Lagann to be Gainax's best for-television series ever created (Their OVA FLCL gives it a run, though it's incredibly short) and it would be a shame for anyone that loves Gainax, action, and memorable characters to miss this one.

The only thing slightly holding up my purchase, is the impending re-release of Gurren Lagann with English voice overs. I don't care for English voice overs, but that should bring a collectors edition, and extras like commentary, or behind the scenes looks, etc. Though there is a special edition of this release, with the themesong on a CD, I feel like I could get more if I wait. That said, at 21 dollars for 9 episodes, it's a very hard price to pass up (considering that's 63 dollars for the entire series. For a new series, that's unheard of). If you give this show a chance, and refrain from writing it off as just another giant mecha show (it's more of a giant mecha parody underneath it all) then you won't be sorry with your purchase. I'm greatly looking forward to a Blu-Ray release in the future (come on Bandai..) but this will satisfy me for now.

I'll keep this relatively short. If you buy these volumes of Gurren Lagann now you'll be saving tons of money instead of buying the dubbed versions that will no doubt come in more volumes, but I digress. The show stars Simon, Kamina, and Yoko. Their fates inter twine in the first episode and for about 9 episodes or so after that. The first volume is filled with tons of shenanigans that will make you want more up until the last two episodes that will no doubt cause any fan to tear up at least at some point. The DVDs themselves are very bare bones so to get the episodes out faster for those you desire a subtitled version instead of a dubbed version. Either one will probably be great but once again if you want to watch this show and prefer subtitles then buy this series right away.

It's a phrase that you will hear quite often in Gainax's latest television series. You probably remember them as the creators of Nadia, Otaku No Video, Gunbuster, FLCL, and Evangelion. Their new series is all about kicking reason to the curb....literally. Take everything that you loved about giant robot shows like Getter Robo, Voltron, Gundam, or Macross and multiply it by a thousand.....no make it a million. The cast of characters are instantly memorable after a few episode and animation is spectacular throughout the entire series. The story keeps progressing forward at a quick pace with action in nearly EVERY episode. It doesn't take itself too seriously and after watching it you'll know why it's one of the greatest anime series' of this decade.

Everyone knows that gurren lagann is one of the classic animes by Gainax. But the only problem i had with the dvd is that the dvd does provide English dub on as an option and only japanese and english subs; but the 2009 release does. If your looking for dub don't buy the 2008 but the 2009 re-releases. Love gurren lagann!

Anime is something that has gotten a bad rap in my part of the country. If you bring up that you are an Anime fan (or Otaku), people tend to take a step back, expecting you to throw sushi at them or smell as though you have not bathed in weeks. I would guess this is the same reaction many got when they said they played Dungeons & Dragons back in the day.

Regardless of the strange looks I have received, I still pursue my love of this varied artform. While watching the previews on another DVD, Gurren Lagann was first brought to my consciousness. Watching the frenzied animation with a buxom, red-haired woman and gundams with large, predominant faces, I was enthralled. As the announcer described the series, I realized I had to watch this. Any commercial that has "Are you ready to chew off your own [butt] from frustration?" as part of its draw will undoubtedly garner attention. So on my next trip to FYE, I picked up this DVD.

All I can say is WOW! I have been borderline unimpressed with the lackluster Anime releases of late. Gurren Lagann delivers, in truckloads, with action, comedy, and a plot that takes a while to develop but is great nonetheless.

The Story

Gurren Lagann centers around the adventures of Kamina, his "bro" Simon, and a young woman from the next village over, Yoko. The story starts out showing that humans now live underground, in self-contained villages. Large metal covers block out the sky, in fact, attempting to escape to find the mythical "aboveground" is strictly prohibited. Consequently, men must dig further and further into the earth to expand their homes, while periodic, violent earthquakes threaten to destroy everything.

After establishing this plot, the story takes off. Kamina, a flamboyant, loudmouthed 20-something, convinces Simon, a teen "digger", to help him escape. Riding pigmoles (a cross between a pig... and a mole) they furiously create a tower of writhing creatures to reach the roof... and are promptly struck down by the village chieftain. Full of bravado, Kamina defies the chieftain, telling him the sky does exist, and is promptly thrown into prison. Simon, the best driller the village has, is released, Kamina even telling him to go on.

Shortly thereafter, the story barely stopping to catch its breath, Simon is digging underground and finds a large face. Around his neck is a small drillbit necklace; getting close to the face, the drillbit he has found begins to glow. Drilling onward, he eventually finds Kamina, rescuing him (a recurring theme in the series), then all hell breaks loose.

After Kamina breaks out and confronts the chieftain, he uses his weapon, what appears to be a rattan staff or sword, to smash the ground, creating such a massive aftershock the cover for the village cracks. Suddenly, a large monster falls through the roof, followed by a buxom, redheaded woman, firing a large gun.

Here, the story takes off. Mixing bravado, comedy (oftentimes a result of the bravado), over-the-top action, and storyline that does not take itself too seriously, Gurren Lagann launches into an epic story about Kamina, Simon, and Yoko traveling to defeat the source of the Gunmen (the large mechs, also the monster that fell into the village), piloted by Beastmen. This DVD has over 8 episodes, a definite increase in the usual number on an Anime DVD. And you will find yourself not wanting to stop watching each episode!

The Animation and Sound

Gurren Lagann is defined by a high-quality, vibrant animation style. The backgrounds are varied, the creatures unique (and oftentimes, silly), and the characters well drawn. Almost every character has a trait that makes them unique. Kamina, for instance, has a set of very pointy, triangulated sunglasses. Yoko wears minimal clothing and carries a very large gun. Combine this with the interaction of the characters and excellent fight sequences between the Gunmen (read, mechs), and you will be on the edge of your seat.

It should be noted that the 4th episode has a guest director, and the animation is slightly varied. I would imagine that only a diehard Anime fan would pick this up, however.

The sound is awesome. A mixture of hard rock and great sound effects, I found myself nearly headbanging at the intermissions for each episode. To that end, if you are vacillating between buying the standard DVD or spending the extra $10 for the deluxe, bonus edition with the soundtrack, I would spend the extra $10. I didn't, and I severely regret it now.

Voiceacting, as of right now, is hard to define. The dubbed version is not yet available stateside. The version I have is the subbed edition. While I do not understand Japanese, the voiceacting is solid and the inflections and tone suit the conversations.

The subtitles make sense and also have a no typographical errors, that I saw.

Overall

This is one of the best Anime series I have seen in a long, long time. If you want comedy, mech fighting, over-the-top acting, insane situations and an awesome soundtrack to tie it all together, this is the series for you. If this is your first consideration for an Anime series, I still recommend it. The series literally left me with tears streaming down my cheeks from laughter.

I just finished watching all these... and all I can say is...

Wow! Talk about a good story for our time...

Watch this... it is great!

Hope, Forgiveness, Finding Peace, Love, Friendship, Faith!

What a fine way to pack tons of humor, action, and adventure into a story that oooooozes the qualities that are most valuable in humanity.

Fatastic!

I've been wanting to buy this entire set for a long time and now that I've seen it I know it is worth the price and then some.

Dynamic!

This is definitely on the top of my anime list for quality... Fan service from every possible angle both visually and emotionally.

Just a top notch production.

WoW!

FYI, I'm going to be duplicating this review for the other two parts in this series. I've been a hardcore anime fan since the mid 80's, I even purchase a lot of Japanese region exclusive anime. I've watched them all, from ROBOTECH to GaoGaiGar to Witchblade. And Gurren Lagann is a very, very good anime series. One of the best.

The story is very well paced, reminiscent of Gunbuster (the original OVA, not the new series). Sorry, I'm not going to give away any hint of spoilers in this review. But let me say that the character development and evolution is handled as well as any anime or film I've seen.

Gurren Lagann's style is a mix of Naruto and GaoGaiGar. Familiarize yourself with those series if you haven't already. Basically it's just WAY over the top!! It doesn't matter if it's the characters, weapons or scale. If the scene can be made any more spectacular, it is. I can't say enough about this series, other than BUY IT!! Support this kind of high grade anime!! And hopefully we can get more amazing anime series like this in the future. Thanks.

Let me start off with saying I have never seen a Gundam series that I have even remotely enjoyed. I hear Evangelion is awesome, I couldn't get into it. Canidate for Godess almost had me... almost.

Already you can tell that I have a general distaste for mecha anime. It usually tries to be overly serious, and tends to depend on the "Cool Factor" of giant robots and their abilities to keep the show interesting.

In comes Gurren Lagann. It had a fairly interesting start, and I felt my interests weaken when I first see the robot discovery. I felt it was going to be a generic "Boy Meets Robot" show.

However, the Robot feature is very likely the most original I've seen in years, the banter between all the characters keeps the show on a humorous tone, and is only serious when it absolutely has to be.

The action scenes are extremely entertaining, and still manage to be humorous, yet action packed... a difficult balance.

I'm only through the first disc, but I'll definitely be picking up the rest.

*Note: T&A(Covered, but still gratuitous) is highlighted quite a lot, though usually in a humorous manner.