Called mecha anime 'robots punching each other' until I watched Gurren Lagann

I spent years skipping giant robot shows because I figured they were just loud action with no substance. A buddy sat me down for episode 8 and that scene with Kamina changed my whole view - there's actual heart and philosophy in there. Anyone else get converted by a specific episode of a genre they wrote off?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinperez13d ago

No, I never really came around on that take. Gurren Lagann is a fun show but it's still mostly about people punching cosmic entities really hard. The philosophy is pretty surface level when you think about it - believe in yourself harder and you win. Plenty of the older mecha shows actually have more nuanced ideas baked into them.

parker_bailey12d ago

honestly i think that take is a little harsh but i do get what you're saying @gavinperez. the show is loud and over the top and yeah the message is basically just "believe in yourself" but i feel like that can be said about a lot of things in life too. like how sometimes people act like the answer to everything is just working harder or being more positive but reality is way messier than that. it's like comparing a pep talk to an actual conversation you know? gurren lagann is a good pep talk but it's not gonna replace the deeper stuff.