Forum - View topicWill Tengen Toppa Be Topped? (spoilers)
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TranceLimit174
 Posts: 960 |
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I just finished this series yesterday and it's clear Gainax had one goal in mind; to redefine the meaning of epic.
I gotta say in terms of scope they certainly did. Unlike most I was hooked on this series from episode 1. It's unfortunate that the best character spoiler[was killed, but it ended up making the best story]. Gainax has proven that they are masters of compressed storytelling without making it all feel rushed. With just about every episode, to me they felt double their actual length due to the sheer amount of plot crammed in. So many wow moments only to get to the commercial bump which leaves you thinking "That's only half?!" The one drawback to this though was I think they got a little too fanservice-y with their big moments and near the end with all of them together they had less of an impact (although given the thematic elements it makes perfect sense). Also a little heavy with the insert songs but I didn't mind. I have to say overall the first half of the series was better than the second since the timeskip was slightly jarring at first and as stated previously too many big moments too close together. In certain aspects, I want to say that this series is this generation's Gunbuster simply in terms of it's scale and where it goes. What really defines this series is how far everything advances considering it begins with just a boy digging holes. Also the animation was nothing short of mindblowing. Anime has become notorious for dragging things out and Gurren Lagaan wasted 0 time to get to anything which was incredibly refreshing. Normal battles were thrilling, putting the meaningful fights on a whole new level. If anyone cares to, since this is a mystery of the universe to me, can someone compare what the budget of this show was to other recent 26 episode productions? Especially considering if 40% of it went into the last 4, save for the notorious episode 4 (which wasn't quite as bad as some make it sound but tough to swallow) the series stayed remarkably consistent and looks better than most of what's out there today. Gainax must really know how to get the most out of frames because they honestly put their competition to shame. Loved the mecha designs. Quirky, vibrant, more personality than any mecha to date that I can think of, and it's always a plus when you don't look like a Gundam. I do have to say though, after seeing the beast that was the Tenjho Tenge Ikkitoushin Chouginga Gurren Lagaan (just try and tell me that full name isn't badass) and given that it sports probably the strongest moniker of any mecha, I found the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan to be rather disappointing. We go from the TTICGL to what amounts to little more than a skeletal shogun. I'm assuming the reason for this was because A. the age old idea that in order to spoiler[fight a demon you must become one yourself] or more likely B. Gainax needed a design that would be easy to animate so they went with something simple that would be more limber. I just found the final form to be a little underwhelming in its design compared to it's predecessors. While I'm on the subject (hence the topic title but I'm not trying to create a versus topic here) I don't think there's been a creation in fiction (don't throw in religion) to rival the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan. Gainax made sure that virtually nothing could destroy it (when you knock out time travel, extra dimensions, and alternate reality that pretty much seals the deal) and the idea of using spoiler[Sprial Power to super-evolve ]is not only a fantastic idea but it also has to be the best concievable form of powering up since Dragonball Z. You can't help but appreciate the powerhouse that it is. The ending was nothing out of the ordinary for a mecha series, but the one quality that I did like (which a lot seem to disapprove of) is that the spoiler[heroes were not celebrated at the end. In the end, Simon is just a man, no more no less. He's not looking for glory or to be deified, but to just serve a purpose higher than himself or others. He doesn't completely leave like some seem to think. I found it funny when he said he would have to keep others in check in case they got too strong. Two things I noted about this ending were that it still gives a certain truth and sympathy to the Anti-Sprials (a lifeform being just a speck in that which is the universe) and it could also leave room for a sequel in which Simon's power checking leads him to becoming the next Anti-Spiral of sorts (although that'd probably go against who he is, it would need a twist)]. By now I've probably read too much into the series, but I felt that Kamina was Gainax's way of reminding us what anime used to be about and a way to show how fandom has changed. Hot bloodedness is more or less frowned upon these days, and Gainax wanted to bring it back and show everyone what makes anime anime in the first place. The fact that the heroes eventually spoiler[become inspired by Kamina who was first seen as someone who spouted cornball lines may be a bit of symbolism in that they want both the medium and the fans to take a step back and remember what it's all about]. Gainax above all else just wanted to tell a quality story instead of construct a fan pandering property that would hopefully rake in some quick cash which shows and I hope the fandom responds positivley to that. Even though all signs point to yes if this show did get popular among those who typically don't like mecha I don't think it will change their minds. Gurren Lagaan took a formula and made everything bigger, and if this show is loved by those who frown upon other mecha series than I have to say I would see a glaring contradiction in taste. I hope ADV gets this on the shelf soon, as so far as I can tell this is at least the first must buy title for US fans of 08. Especially with Brett Weaver (the only US VA who can do a great hot blooded scream) as Kamina is just an instant win. I see his performance as a cross between his Carrot Glace (the insanity) and Goh Saruwatari from the much underappreciated Godannar (anyone who loved Gurren Lagaan really oughta give this one a shot) which gives me high hopes for the dub overall. Anyway I'm sure this is plenty to chew on and I hope it breeds some good discussion. I just can't believe I was watching Heroic Age while this was airing. |
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sj21
Posts: 312 |
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maybe, i would like to see an ancient japan one from gainax as there next big shot.
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BladeDragoonZETA
 Posts: 586 |
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I really like most of the choices for the dub cast
the only one that worries me is Vic Mignorgna as Viral as for the series itself it's one of the few SR series I'd recommend to my friend who dislikes mecha |
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DonQuigleone
 Posts: 154 Location: Dublin, Ireland |
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Watching Tengen Toppa was a life changing experience for me, that might sound pretty strong but, hot bloodedness and pure honest machismo and heroism is something you don't see too often these days, it was kinda a wake up call to go out there and kick reason to the curb and do the impossible!
With regard to the series itself I think it will be very difficult to top it without seeming like they're ripping it off. The closest I can liken this series is to is in fact gunbuster, in the end they both have similiar emotions conveyed (though gunbuster is more angsty and less hot blooded, still great though). Maybe this means we'll get less emo protagonists like shinji and more passionate ones like simon, I'd certainly like that. |
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v1cious
 Posts: 6217 Location: Houston, TX |
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seriously? i can't think of anyone that sounds closer to Viral than Vic Minogna |
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BladeDragoonZETA
Posts: 586 |
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maybe his Broly voice, but the roles I've seen him play (Edward Elric, Hikaru Ichijo, Kurtz Weber, Neal Gibbons, Raven and Goemon) he just has never had the right tone to depict Viral don't get me wrong I think he can do it I just don't have any good clips of him as a villain (It's always hard to follow in the footsteps of Nobuyuki Hiyama [Link and no I don't mean I want a link I mean he IS Link]) |
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DonQuigleone
Posts: 154 Location: Dublin, Ireland |
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I'm not sure it's THAT great a qualification, he is a silent protagonist after all
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BladeDragoonZETA
Posts: 586 |
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he doesn't speak but he does scream (like "HYAAA" and whatnot) and ever since OoT it's added a lot of feeling to the character alos he played Guy from GaoGaiGar (which if you are a SR fan you know was a great role) (just a note at the end of Virals dream scene in 26 he grunts and sounds exactly like Link) Last edited by BladeDragoonZETA on Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:15 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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TranceLimit174
Posts: 960 |
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I doubt we'll get less of "I don't know if I should fight." or "I can't fight!" type characters since most fans seem to swoon over them, but if we can get a show like this every couple of years I'm content. This series goes to show that it's about quality and not quantity (a long running issue in the industry). Gunbuster was the first and because of that it will always hold a special place in my heart as a fan, but I definitley agree that if any series tries to overcome Gurren Lagaan in terms of power it will feel as if that's its only purpose. And yeah, this show is about as inspirational as it gets. As for Vic Mignona being cast as Viral, I think if he goes with a similar style to his Madarame Ikkaku in Bleach he'll be able to pull it off. That soft spoken raspy tone fits him well. My only worry would be during the yelling, in which he may not be able to keep that tone and raise his volume at the same time. Still, if Godannar is any indication ADV knows how to dub a super robot show and I have faith that they will do this series justice. |
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BladeDragoonZETA
Posts: 586 |
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this makes me even more skeptical (you realize that the Japanese VA for Ikkaku is Nobuyuki Hiyama; same as Viral) as the only clips I can find of his Ikkaku role is his "lucky dance" which doesn't sound at all right for Viral and I never saw Godannar (just seeing the preview turned me off) I did see Gravion(meh), Dai-Guard(better), and Nadesico(Gai Daigoji as Kamina = great) |
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RPGamer246
 Posts: 107 |
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i really hope adv sorts the issue with gurren lagann soon, I've been dying to get my hands on the dvd that was easily my favorite series of 07
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Keonyn
 Subscriber Posts: 5567 Location: Coon Rapids, MN |
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I don't know, I didn't find it all that impressive honestly. Of course, I'm more the E7 type, as it's one of my favorites, which is really sort of the opposite of Tengen Toppa. What you see as straightforward and heroic characters, I found to be poorly developed, reckless and one-dimensional.
It's all in a persons tastes. I think hoping to see things slant towards a different direction is a bit unnecessary. While you may not care for the other series out there, there are those that do. I think this series caters very much to a specific style of viewer, one that I personally don't rank amongst. It's still a good series, I just don't put it atop the pedastle so many others do. If ADV should finally get it out in the states though, I'll still be picking it up. Don't take my comments as an implication that I dislike it, because I do, I just don't rank it quite so high from the episodes I've seen (roughly half). |
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