Okay, Internet. I get it, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan is awesomely awesome, and no 'mecha' series will ever be as awesome as GL, especially considering how much awesomer GL is compared to every other action series.
My cynicism makes it sounds like I'm being sarcastic, but now that I can see GL legally, you would be surprised to know I like it.
However, I've noticed something. There are some anime properties that people Won't. FUCKING. SHUT. UP. about. GL is one of them. I've noticed something about any of these series popular over the internet. They are always one of two things: they actually are as good as everyone says it is, (Haruhi, Motherfucking Death Note.) or they suck, are overrated, and only beloved by IDIOTS. (Code Geass, nearly every anime from the 1990's.) Luckily, GL belongs in the former.
I saw the first two episodes dubbed in English not too long ago. Now, I was able to compare one of the voices to the Japanese original, that of manly man Kamina. To be honest, he sounds more his part in Japanese. In English, he stills sounds manly, just more subdued. He doesn't sound bad in English, but he could've been better. Of course, that won't stop from people being nit-picky about things, especially dub haters. Many of the other characters sounded good enough, but the highlight was Leeron, who, in English, is played by Steven Blum. Oh my god, he is hilarious! I had no idea he could play the part of a stereotypical gay guy so well! I didn't even know it was him until I fact checked on the web! Still, I would like to see this series in Japanese, without fansubs. I just wanna see if it really sounds better in Japanese, overall.
But enough about dub vs. original broadcast. Gurren Lagaan isn't even that much about dialog, anyways. It's about action. Non stop action. Balls to the wall fury. This is a show for your eyes, not your ears. Practically all exposition is done through imagery. The dialog between characters is mainly just them pointing out things. ("I don't know how to work this thing!" "I don't know how to work it either, but you don't see me whining about it!") The whole show is action, action, action. Nothing slows down for a second. Sure, you might have a breather now, then all of a sudden Gunmen show up and then more action. The show has elements of comedy, and a few dramatic moments, but it is mainly about action, and not much else. It's perhaps as action-packed as an action videogame. Yeah, like that. Don't look away for a second, or you might miss something.
That said, keep in mind, GL is low art. It is not high art, nor middle art. It's a show made primarily for teenage boys. Turn off all higher thinking when you watch Gurren Lagaan, because it's not very complex.
Next time I talk about GL, I think I'll do it in my adolescent teen voice, because this is one of those shows. I can't do it now, because I wanted to point out that the dub, while probably not as good as the Japanese original, is at least not 4kids quality, and also I wanted to issue a disclaimer that GL can't be taken seriously. That said, next time, you'll know just how much I really like GL. But that won't come 'til next week.
P.S. You might've noticed that when referencing to Motherfucking Death Note, that I make the title stand out more. Well, it is my second-favorite animated tv show of all time. Why wouldn't I highlight it like so?
LATE EDIT: More like third favorite animated tv series of all time, but whatever.
