So, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Major smash of an anime if the number of Kamina fanarts has anything to say about it. I can't stay watching it. I've made it to Episode 5.

I'm on my third try to watch the series. Every other time, I couldn't keep my interest up. I just realized why. None of the characters are fun to watch. Kamina is the epitome of the blind leading the blind. He knows nothing about what he's doing, stumbles around to victory, and it inflates his ego. Yoko is the epitome of fanservice. OMAILOOKBOOBS! Now, I have no problem with boobs. In fact I think they're pretty rad. They should not be half of your character. Simon is the only one with real inner conflict in the story so far and all it does is keep him from doing anything. Kamina resolved his when he accepted his father's death, and Yoko's is just an extension of the boobs. She is the love interest for Kamina. She has no other part in the series as of yet. Now, I know that its only 5 episodes in, not even a quarter of the way, but honestly, where is the character development, or even the room for it?

The first plot advancement point after the party is introduced is Final Boss Let's Go! Now, I'm perfectly aware that this is probably not a problem for what the series intends but lets be honest here. That is a bad idea. For one, humans are scarce on the surface for a reason. It isn't because they decided it was too hot out one day and hid underground. It's because there are fucking mechs running around steppin' on people. Then some shmuck kid finds a little drill-y mech and suddenly everything falls into place? Now, don't even get me started on the combat scenes. These should be bread and butter for mech animes and I haven't seen a good one yet.

Summary of combat:
Simon scared. Kamina encourages him or yells about something. Yoko gives up on Simon and tells him to run. Simon flips her the proverbial bird and accidentally wins. Kamina worships himself.

Once I got to episode 5 I think I found why people watch this show. For everyone besides the main characters. There was a good rich storyline, conflict, resolution, and a decent fight scene. A little deus ex machina, but that was kinda the theme of the episode right? Anyway, the character for the priest was deep and conflicted, the same for Rossiu. They both know the truth that is hidden from the rest of the village and resolve their own conflicts. There was good dialog and a plot device I personally love, that of a harmful truth that people are sheltered from, is central to the episode.

I really hope this plot thickens, because otherwise it validates some of the most generic arguments against anime. Simple plots, little character development and depth, random crazy antics, and very vague direction. And its extremely popular.

Now, this isn't always bad. The problem comes when there is room for depth in the series. Dragonball Z was the epitome of one-dimensional anime. People fight each other, and you can't do it. They shoot hella lasers from their hands. They yell a lot. Goku wins epically. This has metaphors in it all over the place. The most common one is heaven. Over and over I see the surface alluded to as "heaven." They could do so much with this in the main characters. Kamina or at least Simon, who followed society pretty well in their original town, could ascribe to the almost religious aspect that it gives off and Yoko could play the "truth" aspect of what it really is. Instead they instantly become jaded about it once they see it. This series throws away perfectly good conflict without replacing it and at the end of the day, thats what interests us. That is why we watch something fictitious, to see unreal people deal with unreal problems. Take out the problems and you get a 5th grade story that goes "and then they did this, and then they did this, and then they did this" while seeming to try for more.

Either get some new plot or lose the attempt at depth and go for Super Sayian levels of awesome. Right now I just can't commit.




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