This is part 2 of a series exploring Gurren Lagann.
Part 1
If there is one thing Gurren Lagann is not afraid of being, it is passionate. Well, that and epic, but that is a different issue. This animated story runs rampant with excitement, tragedy, comedy and downright awesomeness. All this is fueled by characters who show drive, fury, caring and weakness in a great display of human nature.
Our hero, Simon, begins as a young, fearful boy. It is his friend, idol and blood-brother Kamina who drives him to do more. He may be meek, but he has an inner-fire which comes out with fury. A major focus of Simon’s story is self belief. He has to come to believe in himself, if sometimes through a convoluted network of surrogate-belief, so that he can fight for humanity.
Eventually overcoming a terrible tragedy by discovering his self-confidence, Simon begins to evolve into a confident man capable of facing any challenge. Along the way he finds his love, and he is not afraid to show how he feels, for her or his other friends. There is no awkward hiding of feelings here, luckily. Simon is shown to obviously care about those he fights with and so he fights for them. Simon may stutter in expressing his feelings a few times, but not from fear of his emotions, just natural human doubt.
Even as he grows older and stronger, Simon continues to show his vulnerable side as he must fight against untold odds to save his world and the life of his love. There is never any sense of macho-pride here, just pure human emotion, truthful and heartfelt. The characters never have a sense of invincibility, but they never give-up when their backs are to the wall.
Overall, the characters of Gurren Lagann, both male and female, show great heart and emotion, often better portrayed than in many live-action films. A core theme is the power of the human spirit, so the show undeniably encourages getting in touch with your emotions and using your positive feelings to drive you. Its male characters strike a balance between strength and weakness which is refreshing. Elsewhere, many characters (especially men) are either weaklings with emotion or tough-guys without emotions, both despised. Here we have believable men who are as strong as it gets but are still human, and so have feelings and vulnerabilities.
The message? Feelings do not make you weak, they make you strong. Embrace them and be the best you can be.
I also love the sense of classical romance this show has. Some might call me a chauvinist, but there isn’t anything more romantic than the hero holding his woman on his lap as he pilots his mecha into battle with the ultimate forces of evil. And she doesn’t have to just be a pretty flower. She can and should kick in all her energy and passion too.
Next time I will look at how all this heart and soul comes into play in the relationships between the men of the series.
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