ROW, ROW, FIGHT THE POWAH!!! Gurren Lagann complete simulwatch

[Lordhippos]

One example would be fake kawaii (high-pitch voiced, unrealistically innocent characters annoy me deeply)

I totally agree with that. I also can't stand stupid characters when they are just stupid for the sake of it. Aho-girl for example just drove me nuts, couldn't even watch 1 episode of that.

I can do without male-targeted fanservice but at the same time I think Prison School is brilliant in its comedy, so I don't know if that makes me a hypocrite or something of the sort.

Also, while Yoko's appearance may be considered objectionable, the fact that Kamina is mostly topless throughout helps balance it out a bit. There is plenty of male flesh on display as well as female.

You are both right here, I know exactly what you mean. Male-targeted fan service isn't my bag either, but I find it's hypocritical to completely say it's not OK to have it, so some is acceptable as long as there is a balance, to me, anyway. Prison School seemed to strike the right tone.

 

[ayase]

Well, that took a bit of setting up. My PC for whatever reason didn't want to play the disc, and since it's the only thing I have with a screen at the moment I had to hook my blu-ray player up to the monitor... Only to remember the monitor doesn't have sound. All ready to drag my amp and floor-standing speakers upstairs, I was saved by a phono to 3.5mm cable I just happened to find which I could then run from the blu-ray player to my PC speakers. Wew.

And wow. Sometimes it really is worth waiting to rewatch something you enjoy, this is going to be a blast to experience in HD for the first time and because it's been so long it almost feels like a new experience again. I forgot just how fast everything happened at the start here, but the pace actually feels fine even given its breakneck speed. Love seeing Simon grin as he gets his first taste of real excitement, risk taking and victory; a huge part of the appeal of this show is how it revels in the human desire to go further, do better and overcome (which is why, as I've said before, I consider it to be very much in the spirit of Gunbuster) and it really is quite a joy to behold.

It reminds me a lot Kill La Kill, which I didn't like (I gave up after four episodes). It's got a similar visual style, which is just really unappealing to me (GR doesn't look as as gross as KLK though).

That's interesting, I really do like Lagann's visual style a lot and my first impression of seeing it in HD just had me grinning. Whether it's the cutaways of Simon drilling, that beautiful shot when you witness the surface for the first time or the sketchlike ad buffers, I just think it all looks great. I need to get my hands on KLK part 1 so I can finally watch it, it would probably have made great filler for this simulwatch. After this first episode I really had to force myself to stop, but then I remembered all the unwatched stuff I have I can fill the gaps with.

I think it went a bit too heavy with some of the fanservice .

I dunno, I mean it never really feels particularly out of place given the OTT nature of the show in general. The only time fanservice really bothers me is when it's boring. Like it just goes on and on and the plot seems more like a hinderance to the directors showing some more T&A than a reason to watch and you think "Why didn't you just make a goddamn hentai? At least then people would know what they're getting". Also Gainax knows boobage and Yoko's are appropriately weighted for their size most of the time iirc (rather than behaving like balloons - either air filled of overfilled with water) which gets them high marks from me.

Also, while Yoko's appearance may be considered objectionable, the fact that Kamina is mostly topless throughout helps balance it out a bit. There is plenty of male flesh on display as well as female.

I... actually have real trouble seeing how the sexualisation of fictional characters can ever be objectionable, like what is the objection? What exactly is it that's offensive? You can't objectify an object, no real person is ever being made to feel uncomfortable in the way it could be argued live action actors can be. It isn't like a camera lingering on an actor's body because there isn't a camera, there isn't an actor, there is only paper and screens. It might not be to some people's tastes, but that's perfectly understandable because everyone has things they like and don't like seeing. Not that I disagree with you in general there at all Ian, just ruminating on the subject as it came up.

 

[João Gomes]

@Geriatric hedgehog

Here's a load of pics of my ultimate edition, and Yes, I cherish it a lot, but I was trying to make you feel better about it ahaha. Spoiler: s.h.i.t lighting because my daughter's sleeping next room and she's pretty sensitive to light. Was gonna snap some shots of the digipak, but the illustrations are pretty end game, and I don't want to ruin anything for anyone.

Spoiler: Pics. Lots of pics.

And now, for some plagiarism of @Birdie Num Num's patented simulwatch enhancer™®, only in much worse quality:




There's not a whole lot of setting art, so that's a shame. I suppose I can post characters and mechas as they get revealed!

If anyone has a dedicated art book with more setting stuff, feel free to post! I won't be able to post from April 1st to the 5th because I won't be at home, so I'll stream the eps on my phone instead.

I totally agree with that. I also can't stand stupid characters when they are just stupid for the sake of it. Aho-girl for example just drove me nuts, couldn't even watch 1 episode of that.

Oh don't even get me started on stupid characters, my good lord. One of the reasons I love Fate Zero so much is that everyone is intelligent and/or cunning. I love that anime so much.

Coming back to fanservice, you know, I don't wanna be that guy from the ProZD skit that tries his hardest to justify exposed anime tiddie, but there's fanservice and then there's fanservice. One thing is for certain, if you can't stand it in general, it won't be any different with Lagann. Maybe if you give it time, you can come to like the anime in spite of it, but you know, I get not having the patience for that. I'm the same with tropes I don't like.

I... actually have real trouble seeing how the sexualisation of fictional characters can ever be objectionable, like what is the objection? What exactly is it that's offensive? You can't objectify an object, no real person is ever being made to feel uncomfortable in the way it could be argued live action actors can be. It isn't like a camera lingering on an actor's body because there isn't a camera, there isn't an actor, there is only paper and screens. It might not be to some people's tastes, but that's perfectly understandable because everyone has things they like and don't like seeing. Not that I disagree with you in general there at all Ian, just ruminating on the subject as it came up.

An argument could be made that it's the kind of thing that gets attached to the idea/expectation of a woman's image and so in that sense it bleeds into the real world, where everything is much more complicated. I dunno, most women probably wouldn't like men intensely staring at their boobs, no matter the attire. For comedy or otherwise.

 

[Loris]

After numerous sabotage attempts by first, my circuit breaker's tripping and second, the all4 player not working, I have finally watched Episode 1.
We see Kamina and Simon's 'regular' jobs which don't seem all that exciting... That changes when they find a big robot!!! (big robots make anything interesting tbf)..
The episode ends with them breaking the surface wile fighting a monster..

I like this one's OP, it's quite a jam. I do also like the art style, that later Trigger would become famous for..
Excited to continue watching~!

 

[HWR]

Episode 1
A decent enough establishing episode and I’m already liking the Japanese VAs. Going to be interesting seeing how people react each episode.

 

[ayase]

If anyone has a dedicated art book with more setting stuff, feel free to post!

I have my Yoko Portraits book, but I imagine that has already been scanned and uploaded online a few times by now

Speaking of images, not being able to watch on my PC is rather frustrating because it stops me from posting amusing screencaps, which is almost my raison d'etre and I'm feeling a little lost without the ability.

An argument could be made that it's the kind of thing that gets attached to the idea/expectation of a woman's image and so in that sense it bleeds into the real world, where everything is much more complicated. I dunno, most women probably wouldn't like men intensely staring at their boobs, no matter the attire. For comedy or otherwise.

Yeah, I've heard that argument before but I don't put much stock in it. I think the only people impressionable enough to copy what they see in fictional media are very young children (and they have very few barriers anyway because they don't yet understand the concept of consent - Thank goodness they don't because otherwise I'd probably be getting metoo'd for kissing girls when I was like, 5. And that had nothing to do with me copying media, we didn't even have a TV back then). The average adult is entirely capable of seperating fantasy and reality, and watching a sexy cartoon character is not going to make them go out and grope anyone any more than watching war films is going to make people go out and shoot Germans.

 

[awadama]

What kind of anime are you into and what kinds of tropes or things can't you stand in anime @awadama fever ?

Some of my favs are:

Angel Beats
Another
Demon Slayer
Eromanga Sensei
Good Luck Girl
Haruhi
Love Live
Oreimo
Watamote

...I know none of them are really anything like what GL seems to be, so yeah

I don't like overly frantic stuff (like FLCL). In general, I'm not interested in big robot/mecha shows (I didn't realise GL was about robots when I got it in a sale ages ago). I don't really like tournament arcs either.

 

[Ian Wolf]

I don't really like tournament arcs either.

Well they don't come up in GL, so you are safe there.

 

[ayase]

I don't like overly frantic stuff (like FLCL).

Speaking of FLCL, I had forgotten and enjoyed the callback when the drill emerges from Lagann’s forehead and the little exchange between Simon and Kamina:
“Where did that come from?”
“I don’t know, it just sort of... popped out”

 

[Neil.T]

Episode 1

"Digging tunnels. Day after day, that's my job."

And so Simon's story begins. (Well, it technically began with the prologue that came before, but let's ignore that bit for the time being. )

This is my fourth time watching Gurren Lagann, and, a bit like ayase, the thing that immediately strikes me again is the energy and vitality of it. Just hearing the opening song playing on the menu screen got me hyped for what I was about to see. Lordhippos and @Loris speak the truth!

And yes, it's bloody hard to watch only one episode. I know this because I watched episode 1 yesterday... along with episode 2.

I have failed at simulwatching already.

I really do like Lagann's visual style a lot and my first impression of seeing it in HD just had me grinning.

I forgot just how fast everything happened at the start here, but the pace actually feels fine even given its breakneck speed. Love seeing Simon grin as he gets his first taste of real excitement, risk taking and victory; a huge part of the appeal of this show is how it revels in the human desire to go further, do better and overcome

Yeah, it's just an undiluted joy, isn't it? I absolutely love the visual style as well; it's the work of Shigeto Koyama, who would go on to design for the likes of Darling in the FranXX and Evangelion's Rebuild films, and it clearly influenced Sushio's character designs for Kill la Kill.

Speaking of which...

It reminds me a lot Kill La Kill, which I didn't like

I group KLK and GL together thematically, if you like one I think you'd like the other, although I also think the opposite is true.

I agree with Lordhippos here. I really do think that if you don't like Kill la Kill, there's probably nothing for you here. (Similarly, ayase, I reckon you might just like the show, and it's on the list of simulwatch suggestions.)

I do agree with Geriatric hedgehog, though, that it might be worth sticking with GL until episode 8 or 9 to see the full range of what it has to offer, awadama. And while we're at it...

Kamina is really really irritating ... I wouldn't mind if he got killed off soon

Dude, you watch pro wrestling!
Surely that's got more bluster and showmanship than our Kamina!

(And careful what you wish for, man.
Poor Simon would be lost without him.)

I don't remember the section in space they showed at the start at all from my previous watch

To me it doesn't place quite as well as KLK,

I was deeply disappointed in Promare

I'll take these together.

I saw Kill la Kill first, and I rated it the full 10 on MAL. Then I saw Gurren Lagann the following year and gave it 9. Comparison is something that would make a very interesting topic after a potential KlaK simulwatch. (That's my preferred shorthand title for it. )

Promare... Don't get me wrong: I like Promare. But, as I think I've written somewhere here before, there are a lot of people who seem to like Promare much more than I do.


Last couple of things from me for now:

I get there being stuff people can't stand in anime, I'm the same. One example would be fake kawaii (high-pitch voiced, unrealistically innocent characters annoy me deeply)

Same. Moe is really not my thing in anime.

I love the artwork on the Zaavi CE in particular - that would be my dream edition if I could nab one. By the way, if you any of you have that, would you be kind enough to share some photos please?

Here's Anime Limited's unboxing article of it from their blog for you:

[Unboxing] Gurren Lagann Blu-ray Collector’s Edition – All the Anime

I think there is an artbook with the UE

There's an artbook by publisher Udon as well, which I'm lucky enough to own a copy of. Here's a link to this site that reviews artbooks. It has some pictures and a full flick-through in the video underneath them:

Book Review: Gurren Lagann Art Works | Parka Blogs

www.parkablogs.com

 

[Lordhippos]

Some of my favs are:

Angel Beats
Another
Demon Slayer
Eromanga Sensei
Good Luck Girl
Haruhi
Love Live
Oreimo
Watamote

...I know none of them are really anything like what GL seems to be, so yeah

I don't like overly frantic stuff (like FLCL). In general, I'm not interested in big robot/mecha shows (I didn't realise GL was about robots when I got it in a sale ages ago). I don't really like tournament arcs either.

I didn't like FLCL either it was too weird for me. GL is much stronger narrative wise. I am not hugely into mecha either but I'd say mecha is not the focus of GL, especially as it goes on.

 

[João Gomes]

@awadama fever You seem to be into real-life setting/slice of life with a twist a good deal. This is not that, as you already know. I would also say that this isn't a mecha anime, but that's just me, because I expect mecha anime to go into detailed, slick designs, cockpit design, mechanical details and such to the point I find myself drooling at the machines whereas here they're mostly bad looking, but that's beside the point lol.

Yeah, I don't think you'll have the patience to get to the end if you find Kamina irritating. If somehow you stick with this, there's a lot to enjoy, and some really beautiful, heartfelt moments throughout the series.

With that said...

EPISODE 1 OF COMING OUT OF YOUR SHELL FROM THE VERY BEGINNING

Not going straight into episode 2 was painful. I'm watching you, Neil!

I love how Kamina is so uplifting with Simon from the very start, and protective of him but not overly so. I love their relationship and I love Simon as a character, and the journey ahead of him. Man, what a great anime.

The mechas look so silly, but everything else is so on-point. The shot of the three of them coming out into the real world was even better than I remembered and set the tone perfectly. Positive, uplifting, feel good!

We gotta change the rules to 3 episodes a day.

Please.

 

[Neil.T]

Not going straight into episode 2 was painful. I'm watching you, Neil!

"I swear it won't happen again."

I love how Kamina is so uplifting with Simon from the very start, and protective of him but not overly so. I love their relationship and I love Simon as a character, and the journey ahead of him. Man, what a great anime.

You said it, João. to all of that.

The mechas look so silly

It's funny, because I seem to remember a time that I wasn't that sold on the design of the main robot in this show, but now it's iconic to me.

I think it's partly because of watching and enjoying Darling in the FranXX in the years since that I got to that stage, because I think that if you can come to accept the designs of the robots in that then anything else is a piece of cake!

 

[Dai]

Some people have flagged that there are some video issues on episodes 5, 7 and 10 for Gurren Lagann. These issues were flagged in QC – at these points the images froze and the audio continued. We tracked down the reason for this – it was down to the masters we received having the audio but no video at these points.

If you’re curious about them and haven’t noticed them you’ll find them in these points only:

Episode 5: 20:47 – 20:56 (9 seconds)
Episode 7: 08:29 – 08:42 (13 seconds)
Episode 10: 17:27 (momentary)

At these points we made a call – we had to switch in the DVD footage as the best solution since no re-supply was possible in this case. Otherwise, you would have had 9 seconds, 13 seconds and a momentary image freeze with ongoing audio in its place.​

Archived on:

All The Anime Addresses the Gurren Lagann Ultimate Edition Issues

Earlier in the week reports came in that the Ultimate Edition of Gurren Lagann suffered from some rather amsuing but disappointg issues; well today All The Anime have provided an update to these is…

animeblurayuk.wordpress.com

Those are the video issues. The audio issues were covered in a post by AUKN member @Mangaranga:

21 of the 27 episodes have mono audio and/or an audio defect of sorts for the Japanese track. Considering I've never actually fully played back the retail discs, I went through each episode to confirm, and to break it down:

Episodes 1 - 10 and 23 - 27 have mono audio.
Episode 11 - 16 are... in the only way I can describe it, screwed... They may(?) be stereo but something has gone completely wrong with the audio mix.
Episodes 17 - 22 appear to have correct stereo audio.​

Original post here:

UK Anime Distributor - Anime Limited Discussion Thread

Has it been revealed what the Belladonna of Sadness and Momotaro releases will include, extras-wise? Can't wait for those. Saw that there's a silly 1-star review of the former on Amazon, not sure if you could get rid of it somehow. I believe AL can report it as defamatory and submit a formal...

forums.animeuknews.net

Yikes, suddenly I'm glad I never 'upgraded' from the US DVDs. Or rather, I'll be glad if said DVDs all still work. After having a disc apiece in Witch Hunter Robin and Land of the Lustrous both croak out on me in the last month, I'm eyeing up everything I watch with suspicion, especially DVDs that are over a decade old.

It's my first time watching the show. Obviously it's only the first episode, so I can't write it off yet - but I'm not sure if this is going to be for me.

It reminds me a lot Kill La Kill, which I didn't like (I gave up after four episodes). It's got a similar visual style, which is just really unappealing to me (GR doesn't look as as gross as KLK though).

Simon and Yoko seem OK as main characters, but Kamina is really really irritating. I assume he's going to be a big part of the story, but I wouldn't mind if he got killed off soon (preferably offscreen before episode 2).

I agree with @João Gomes your tastes might just be different, I group KLK and GL together thematically, if you like one I think you'd like the other, although I also think the opposite is true.

I'm that guy who loves GL, but not KLK. This will be my fifth time watching GL, but I've never made it through KLK despite two attempts. I got halfway once, and zoned out after one episode the second time. For me, KLK has nothing to ground all of the wild energy that's flying around, nothing to make me actually care about what's happening. GL has Simon. He's this show's lightning rod, grounding out all of that energy and giving it focus. First-time watchers might not believe this right now, but Simon has one of the most compelling character arcs of any giant robot show protagonist. It just takes several episodes of manic flailing before it starts to take shape.

Episode 1
In some ways, Gurren Lagann can be summed up in one word: escalation. We open on an epic space battle of apocalyptic proportions, and then immediately cut to a kid digging with a hand-held drill in an underground village. Even after watching this show a bunch of times, it still boggles the mind how a 27-episode series manages to get from point A to B. In a comparable show like Gunbuster (my all-time favourite anime, BTW), Noriko starts out training for an established space force fighting an identified enemy. In GL, Team Gurren starts out with nothing, knowing nothing, and yet we're told at the outset that we will get from tiny drills to space battles.

Moore's Law is a concept to keep in mind in GL. Though we can intellectually sit down and do the math, if we don't pay attention then the idea of exponential growth patterns just slides off our monkey brains like ice off teflon. We're not built to cope with them, and they can catch us off guard.

 

[awadama]

Dude, you watch pro wrestling!
Surely that's got more bluster and showmanship than our Kamina!

He's one step away from being this guy (just presumably less racist):

 

[Lordhippos]

The fan service probably didn't help for me also at the time (I have since been immunised to fan service through watching countless animes heh)

Yeah you need to get the fanservice vaccination out of the way then it doesn't become a problem anymore!

I... actually have real trouble seeing how the sexualisation of fictional characters can ever be objectionable, like what is the objection? What exactly is it that's offensive? You can't objectify an object, no real person is ever being made to feel uncomfortable in the way it could be argued live action actors can be.

Even fictional drawings or work can be problematic, I know it's not real, but damn they can get close. Look at things like Your Name, it's not photo realistic, but the art is so good it almost mirrors reality.

I'd have problems with certain things being shown even if it was in an anime, and I think a lot of people would agree. Although as has been said the fan service isn't explicit, and it's not like Trigger don't show practically naked men as well (Kamina without a shirt on, KLK had Nudist Beach which had males in also).

Is Yoko Littner sexualised? yes. Do I personally have issue with it? no. Some people will but that's their problem really. Nothing in GL is really that explicit and the fanservice does fit in with the ridiculousness going on imo. See the same sort of outfits in things like Fast and Furious.

I'm that guy who loves GL, but not KLK. This will be my fifth time watching GL, but I've never made it through KLK despite two attempts. I got halfway once, and zoned out after one episode the second time.

I love them both I think, would re-watch them both and rate both highly.

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Thanks for the photos @João Gomes, much appreciated! And likewise for the links @Neil.T , I'd completely missed that unboxing (these beautiful sets bring a tear to the eye...sob).

Episode 1 was a rollicking ride and watching again with hindsight makes me appreciate it, and Kamina in particular, a lot more. We could all use more Kaminas as leaders (with someone sensible to restrain them also) in real life. Also liking the Japanese VAs a lot! Not a lot to add to what everyone else has said so far so thought I'd take some shots of the TV for also adding some visuals to the thread (until @ayase can get those screenshots from the pc! Impressive determination in setting all that up by the way heh)

Spoiler

Spoiler

The drill innuendos start early.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Beautiful shot that I felt very much had to be added to the thread! Yoko gets extra points for the very chillaxed pose.

@Neil.T this watching one episode a day is going to be incredibly painful (I'm watching the next one now but technically it's due now anyway), so maybe can we do 2 episodes a day with a break every 4 days or something to help catch up and all? Pretty please??

Random thoughts:

Also, while Yoko's appearance may be considered objectionable

There is absolutely nothing objectionable whatsoever about Yoko's appearance. Her outfit choices could arguably be questionable though it looks like a very hot climate so maybe it's practical?

She also had the most un-anime reaction to the trope of boy/jammy git-faceplanting-into-chest, and though this was clearly said fan service trope, she almost came across like an elderly aunt or grandma towards Simon and from my first watch I always found her to be very nurturing towards him, a fact very suited to her future occupation, rather than just a love interest.

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Oh my goodness I have no idea what I've done with that bloody post but it appears to have been "inception-ed" within the spoiler tags... And I can't fix it... Ugh sod it, you're not missing anything anyway

 

[ayase]

it appears to have been "inception-ed" within the spoiler tags...

I remember a loooong time ago when we tried “quote-ceptioning” in the general convo thread. Eventually it got to the point where it would only display a single character on each line so the earliest quotes read vertically.

That first shot of the surface was one I would have added if I could to my comments about the visuals, it really is gorgeous.

 

[Geriatric hedgehog]

Oh and someone mentioned that the opening, which is great and for posterity (though the YouTube link will probably stop working):