Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann – Episode 21
21 August 2007
Elated? Overjoyed? About to throw myself off a very tall building from sheer happiness and excitement? Yes! A thousand times yes! Recently, I’ve lost the will to blog about anything I’ve watched, including the entirety of Planetes and the latest episodes of Baccano!, Darker Than Black and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Gurren Lagann has just resurrected the burning passion I have for anime.
Alright, so basically :
- I love Yoko.
- Viral’s piloting the Gurren Lagann with Simon.
- The Gurren Dan’s back.
- Rossiu got ambushed and subsequently pwned by the Anti-Spirals (I’ll laugh in his face later.)
- I love Yoko.
First
I just can’t express how much love I have for Yoko, especially after this episode. Not only is she kick ass in just about every singly way possible, but she’s also kind, she taught school children. After watching the previews from last week’s episode, I was dying for episode 21, Yoko on a bike in school teacher garb!? I love the kids, the kids were so adorable. I’m not even coherent right now, dear God, I feel like squeezing someone to death, like skipping across a field of flowers, frolicking and dancing like a lunatic. For about two episodes, I spent biting fingernails, fearing for the life of Simon and hating Rossiu’s guts and in one swift moment, I was saved! Behold, Yoko!
This episode cements Yoko as one of the most brilliant female heroines, ever, in my poor, nonexistent heart, next to Nia (even if she’s evil), Sakura (from CCS), and, um, that’s about it. Funny, two of the three came from the same show. Regardless, I was actually pretty surprised that Yoko became a school teacher, but I suppose, in retrospect, it was the most suitable occupation. Freedom fighter turned school teacher. Looking at it now, Yoko made a pretty good teacher. Her deadly chalk, the uncanny resemblance Yomako sensei shared with Yoko in their textbooks, seeing her with a bunch of children, cute, adorable little children killed me, absolutely killed. I still don’t think I’m coherent, but it was just such a wonderful feeling, such a tremendous joy bubbling up in my heart. That scene when Nakim climbed up the tree for his father’s bad and Yoko sat there with him, the sun on one side, the moon on the other, the splendid sea stretching across the horizon, I’m such a sentimental twit. Especially, especially when Yoko mentioned that she shared this view with a boy who was just like Nakim. In all honesty, the first time Yoko, Simon and Kamina broke through the surface, that first shot of the sky took my breath away. Gurren Lagann is too epic, I relent! I surrender! I acquiesce!
When the two ganmen attack the island before the evacuation, I was ready to throw my chair out my window waiting for Yoko to whip out her rifle and blast them to hell. The whole bit where she changes back to her old self was probably the best transformation sequence, hands down. Forget Sailor Moon and what not, banging down a door, ripping off a school teacher blouse, tying back her hair, grabbing a sniper from a secret wall panel just kills the competition. It was such a gratifying moment, Yoko was like a backseat driving throughout the entire Nia arc, I missed seeing her in action. Even if I didn’t watch the episode in HD, the action was incredible.
All this rambling and incoherency aside, point is: I love Yoko. She really grew on me. I wasn’t too impressed by her first appearance, she felt a bit cliche and stereotypical. Boy, was I wrong! I never have the correct first impressions of people, in real life or in anime.
Second
The Gurren Dan is back! With the addition of Viral, everyone’s back and ready to blow a gaping hole through the moon, save mankind and defeat the Anti-Spirals! Even Buuta’s back, loved the part where he sees Yoko and buries himself in her cleavage. I’ll admit it, I enjoy seeing Rossiu constantly running into trouble and being cornered in outer space. Ever since the time skip, I’ve worried about Rossiu. After imprisoning Simon and using him as a scapegoat, I’ve been trying desperately not to hate the poor man, but it was a bit difficult. I was always afraid that, in all of this politics and bureaucracy, Rossiu would make a mistake and doom the rest of humanity. Well, he made it, he left all but two hundred thousand some people to die. Even then, runs into an ambush in outer space. From the looks of it though, it’ll be alright, Simon and the Gurren Dan arriving in time.
Viral’s role in all of this wasn’t much of a surprise. He survived everything, literally, everything. He’s like that sergeant in Halo 2, you know he’s not going to die, so you use him, sometimes, as a human shield. Not saying that they’re going to use Viral like a human shield, but I was expecting that he’d become an ally.
Third
You can’t have the return of the Gurren Dan without impossibly epic battles and speeches. Simon and Viral’s bit at the end felt so, well, good! Wanted to get up and scream, “Damn right! Who the hell do you think they are?!” Best part of watching Gurren Lagann is how brilliant it makes you feel, like you’re the best goddamn thing in the world, foolishly invincible in the face of impossible odds, liking downing a can of soda in one gulp, or similarly like punching a wall. Or, like watching a sports game on television and your team scores and the whole stadium starts screaming and you’re screaming even if it’s going to annoy the hell out of your neighbors. Makes you feel like you’re part of something, something big, something so freakin’ epic it’s like a time bomb.
Well, it’s 13:37 (1337, ha), nothing I’ve been babbling about makes sense. When I get up tomorrow and reread all of this rubbish, even I won’t understand a word. So, long story short: Gurren Lagann > Everything else right now. And if you’re going to argue with me, “Who the hell do you think I am!?”
so about planetes….
Did anyone notice that Yoko was oddly reminiscent of Rahuru Harahu (better known as Haru Haru Haruko) of FLCL. She rides around on a yellow flying moped, which does look a lot like a vespa, and carries a super power gun. Granted, Haruko’s was installed in her Rickenbacker, but you get my point.
Personally, I think I’m getting too much into this anime. I’m thinking about it so much that I’ve started to make Kamina-like speeches in my head, and when my friend asked me a question, I responded with “Who the Hell do you think I am?”
That reminds me… I was so happy to finally hear “Victory” again. That the song that I think was first played when Kamina and Simon killed Thymilph. I don’t know if that’s the name of the song, but it’s what I call it. If there going to play that, a song that almost explodes the sense of drama, for just Gurren-Lagann entrance, I can only imagine what kind of heart palpitating score will be used for the introduction of Arc-Gurren-Lagann. If that’s what we see for about 2 seconds in the new OP, I think I’m going to wet myself when it happens.
But in the end, I’m actually disappointed in Rossiu. If it was some other goverment offical who was spearheading Simon’s fall from grace, I could understand. But Rossiu was a former pilot for Gurren, and a member of the Gurren Brigade (sorry, I don’t know why I can’t call it the Gurren Dan). He of all people should understand that Simon can make the impossible happen. Not just because he had Gurren-Lagann (though that definetly helped), but because Simon is a man who does things. In the end, all Kamina could do was talk, and Rossiu failed miserably at action. I don’t know exactly what it is that Simon possesses… a killer instinct, a quick witted mind, maybe just incredible amounts of dumb luck… but if there is a wall called impossible in your way, you can be sure that Simon the digger will tear it down.
Sorry, that’s and example of the Kamina speeches I’ve been making. I said I was making them, I didn’t say I was good at it.
@kauldron – About Planetes…ahaha…I’m going to piece together something in due time. ^^;
@The Laughing Fool – Me! Me noticed! First thing that went through my mind, and totally escaped me in the process of writing this, was that Yoko on that bike looked just like Haruko!
If you’re getting too much into this anime, I’m right there with you! We can give Kamina-like speeches together! We can save humanity with epic music playing in the background! Speaking of music, I need the Gurren Lagann soundtrack. Everything, everything about this show is, is…just brilliant. Epic, I don’t even know anymore.
I’m with you on that too, Rossiu seemed to me like a superfluous character after a while. Spearheading Simon’s fall from grace, as you put it, didn’t seem like something Rossiu would do, ever. He was the pilot of the Gurren, he was there when Simon defeated Lord Genome. Something really changed about him during that time skip, I think that’s what I can’t get over, sudden shift that was not befitting his personality.
As for Simon, there’s something about Simon. His drill is the drill that will pierce the heavens! Legend in the making, Simon the Digger. Who the hell do you think he is?! Nothing is impossible for Simon and the Gurren Dan! Nothing!
The phrase, who the hell do you think I am, will be a permanent addition to my vocabulary and speech. And, why are you apologizing for your Kamina speeches!? XD
I think I’ve watched the last five minutes of this episode three or four times now. It’s the ultimate “right guys, time to take out the trash” moment I’ve been waiting for during Rossiu’s whole arc. I loved the moment the prison gates open and all the guys are waiting there for Simon. Just too perfect!
@bateszi – Everything about this episode was perfect! The ending felt so satisfying, for once I didn’t feel like shooting someone out of sheer frustration at Simon’s predicament. Best episode this arc. XD!!
Best episode “YET”!
@The Laughing Fool – Oh my god, XD! I saw the Simpsons twice in theaters, even though I didn’t really want to the second time. But that line is great. XD Best episode “YET”!