Summary
The Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann movies are still just as good 15 years after their first release. Childhood’s End elevates the art and animation wonderfully and ends with a wonderfully original climax. The Lights in the Sky Are Stars improves on the story by cutting out most of the weaker elements and making the finale an astonishing spectacle, even better than the original.
2024 marks the 15th anniversary of its founding Yes Toppa Gurren Laganntwo compilation films of Childhood’s End and The Lights in the Sky Are Stars. To celebrate, Studio Trigger, after acquiring licensing rights from Studio Gainax, brought the films back to theaters around the world – marking the first time the films received an international theatrical release in the United States. Plus, the films were finally dubbed into English.
It’s been 15 years since the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann movies first premiered in Japan and they were a perfect success. While ensemble films are notorious for being pointless cash grabs and rarely do much to refute this notion, both Yes Toppa Gurren Lagann movies, especially The lights in the sky are the stars, perfectly justifying their existence.
Through their animation, small changes in the story and overall excellent direction will benefit the film. In many ways, the movies even surpass the original anime, so both old and new fans are sure to get a lot out of the series from start to finish.
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Gurren Lagann: The direction of ending childhood makes up for its lack of depth
Gurren Lagann’s first film was a great start for Duology
Between the two Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann movies, the first one, Gurren Lagann The Movie: Childhood’s End, is much more of a typical ensemble film, but its direction is much more than that. The visuals and animation in the anime are already amazing, but Movie Gurren Lagann: End of childhood Give everything a nice upgrade to look as good as possible. The show’s first Giga Drill Break performance is especially great to watch, and it all comes together to create a visual spectacle that far surpasses the already excellent visual spectacle of the anime’s first half.
The last half of Gurren Lagann The Movie: Childhood’s End is where the film is really allowed to get creative. The sequel’s fight against the Four Supreme Generals is condensed into a single battle, and This isn’t just the first time Movie Gurren Lagann: End of childhood featuring original dialogue and animationbut things like the Four Supreme Generals’ banter with Team Dai-Gurren and each other, as well as Yoko and Kittan’s early fight scenes, add to the film’s charm, making up for its rushed nature. of the second half.
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Of course, all of that is brilliantly complemented by Simon’s character arc. Although it may be limited by runtime, End of childhood still does a great job of showing Simon regaining his resolve through Nia and becoming his own person, resulting in a unique and over-the-top fight scene with some of the best animation and direction of anything in the entire series. A climax like that greatly makes up for Childhood’s End’s lack of depth, and while it’s no substitute for the original anime, there’s still plenty for fans old and new to enjoy.
Gurren Lagann: The light in the sky is the stars that make the story in the Anime better
Gurren Lagann’s 2nd movie makes the story even better
While the first film kept many aspects of the original story intact, Gurren Lagann: The Lights in the Sky Are Stars changed the story for the better. One notable way to address this issue is the treatment of Rossiu in the film. While Rossiu still plays the villain, the film cut out many of his most reprehensible actions and dialogue.. Not only does that make Rossiu more sympathetic, but it also adjusts the pace of the story by allowing things to quickly move into action without sacrificing the main narrative rhythm, and the story becomes even better. .
Another notable change in the story is how the film handles Team Dai-Gurren. Many members were mercilessly killed in the anime, but The lights in the sky are stars keeping everyone alive except Kittan, her death has a narrative purpose and is therefore irreversible. Although most of the members of Team Dai-Gurren had very little involvement in the story in the first place, keeping them alive helped the story end on a much more positive note than the anime, and the Their survival was even included in the plot of the extremely compelling film. melodramatic climax.
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The story’s best twist, however, comes from Simon and Nia’s relationship. In contrast to how quickly their relationship progressed in the first movie, The Light In The Sky Are Stars spends a lot of time delving deeper into Simon and Nia’s relationship, adding even more depth by establishing Nia’s personal goals and how they relate to Simon. The fact that Simon’s departure leads him to try to fulfill Nia’s dream by filling the world with flowers leans into that, and it all makes for an even better emotionally paced story. than the original anime.
The end of Gurren Lagann is an even bigger spectacle in the film
The film gave Gurren Lagann the peak it deserved
However, what really sells The Light in the Sky Are Stars as a movie is its big finale. At first, it seems like it will play out like the anime with the final battle against the Anti-Spiral, but then the Anti-Spiral destroys Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and brings out everyone on Team Dai-Gurren, including Nia and the deceased members, get a chance to fight in their own Tengen Toppa Gunman. The animation and music all make perfect use of how big of a change it is, and it more than justifies the previous plot changes.
All of that leads to a final climax that tops itself at every turn. A stunning remix of the theme song, Team Dai-Gurren forms the Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, possibly the greatest machine in all of anime, for a final clash against the Anti-Spiral, and that leads to the final battle between Simon and the Anti-Spiral with some of the best animation and overall direction in the entire series. It’s an incredible climax that elevates the spectacle of the original finale in every way, and it’s one of the biggest things that makes the movie worth watching.
Between the various changes in the story as well as the excellent animation and direction in the old and new scenes, the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann movies all justify their existence perfectly. Old fans of the series can watch them and get even more out of the anime than before, and while it’s still not perfect, new fans can easily watch the series in a different way. of the best ways to experience it. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a series that has stood the test of timeAnd The incredible quality of the movies certainly plays a big role in that.
