Lagann-hen Review
Nov. 20th, 2009 12:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pacificpikachuJust for the record, I have to admit my memory is not very good, so I'm just going to post overall impressions more than a truly comprehensive review. I know if I tried to post a truly comprehensive review I'd forget and confuse all kinds of things. If anyone has specific questions, though, either about the movie itself or my reactions to the movie, please feel free to ask!
Lagann-hen was awesome. :D I think, with both of the movies, they should not be used as a substitute for seeing the series itself (as there's only so much one can fit in two movies versus a full series, the pacing in the movies is quite frantic), but as bonuses for the fans, they do an amazing job offering extra footage, new insights, and helped develop the characters more. The first movie, while I certainly enjoyed it, I felt like it was too much fast review and not enough extra footage. With Lagann-hen, this was not a complaint of mine at all, though for the sake of time, some things were rushed through.
I loved just how much new footage there was. In particular, I really appreciated the additional character moments that were added--even if they were small and simple, they really helped me to feel even more strongly for the characters. Simon and Nia were particularly well-fleshed out. I've always been a Simon fan, so naturally I loved all of his new scenes, and I felt like he was a bit easier to understand and sympathize with in this, as the movie seemed to focus more on his struggles than the series did. In particular, some of the scenes with the super-dense space ocean and Simon running out of spiral power during that point, and how hard he works himself (getting all bloody, coughing up blood, passing out) helps us to understand just how hard he works to save everyone. It was also easier to understand his acceptance of Rossiu's arrest of him, and there was something kind of agonizing about watching him be bullied by the prisoners. I'm really eager to get the DVD and see the scenes that were added when he escapes from the alternate reality--I know I saw him with a baby, and there were several others that went by so fast I can't remember what they were.
I also felt like I was able to understand both Nia and the relationship between Simon and Nia a bit better than in the series. There was more of a focus on who Nia was as a person, and that made her easier for me to like. While I certainly didn't hate her or anything in the series, I never quite felt attached to her either. I liked the fact that she was writing letters to Kamina, even though she had never met him, and the scene of her saying she wanted to cover the world in flowers, and how this tied in to the final scene of Simon. Her graceful acceptance of the fact that she was going to disappear felt very bittersweet, and I loved the scene where she gave Yoko her diary before the wedding. Nia seems like more of a solid, respectable character to me now.
I think certain characters were really glossed over and not given much development at all (like Rossiu, for instance, who seems rather hard to understand in the movie), but the majority of characters were given more development rather than less. Kittan had some great scenes, including the one in the alternate reality with Kamina, and I liked that he stopped other members of the Dai-Gurren-Dan from getting into a bar fight when the people in the bar were insulting them. Most of the minor characters were given just enough focus in the movie to make them likable and meaningful.
I don't care what anyone else says, I loved the addition of Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and the scenes of virtually everyone in the Dai Gurren-dan having their own mecha. It really made the teamwork of everyone involved stand out, and while Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann was kind of silly in a way (what in the series isn't, haha), I also found it rather moving what form it took. All the new action scenes were craaaaazy and amazing, and I especially loved the scene with Simon fighting the Anti-Spiral in hand-to-hand combat. Not only was it amazingly animated (I HAVE TO BRAG AT THIS POINT THAT I HAVE HELD THE ACTUAL PENCIL SKETCHES OF THIS ENTIRE SCENE! XD), there was something great about how it broke all this crazy mecha stuff down into the smallest possible unit, and that it was Simon himself fighting instead of Simon in a mecha, or a mecha inside a mecha, etc. How he defeats the Anti-Spiral seems to emphasize that the drill is his soul, that all he needs is himself and his drill (which is practically an extension of him), and I really liked that.
I felt like the strongest part of the movie is definitely the whole last, oh, twenty or thirty or so minutes--all the crazy epic-ness of it all, and insanely animated fight scenes and all that. Let's face it--this is Gurren Lagann, it's not the same without insane fight scenes and amazing action, and the movie seriously delivers in this sense. I'm pretty sure, at least as far as I remember, that my friends at GAINAX acknowledged this would be the last major piece of Gurren Lagann, and to be honest I'm completely okay with that. I feel like it was incredibly satisfying and amazing, and pushing it any further than they did would make it too much, I think. The whole movie is VERY entertaining--I never wanted to look away, and if I could see it another three or four times in theaters I happily would. I was incredibly moved at the end, and while I didn't cry in the movie itself (I'm not a big crier at movies, haha, I'm a tough nut to crack), I did start crying on the way home because I was so overwhelmed with emotion. This is partly because of all the impact Gurren Lagann has had on me and the happy memories it has given me, but also simply because the movie was so overwhelming in pretty much every way.
I do wish everyone could see this in theaters, as I feel like this is how it was meant to be seen. It's all on such a grand scale that it's a shame most people will be seeing this at home on their computer screens or TV screens, and it's fun having the audience along yelling "GIGA DRILL BREAKER!" with the characters and whatnot. (If you have some Gurren Lagann fan friends you can watch this with, I highly recommend doing so! The more the better.)
On a random note, there's this hilarious CG scene with Lord Genome "hacking"...um...I think it was Cathedral Terra, but now I can't remember correctly what it was he was hacking exactly. But, anyway, it's hilarious and the whole theater was laughing at it.
Er, yeah, not sure what else to say. It was truly amazing. There were little complaints here and there that I had, but those were all things that I felt were fine in the TV series, so I feel like between the two one gets a complete picture, if that makes sense.
Anyway, uh, feel free to ask any questions! \o/
It's raining really hard! I love it. :D
I should probably take a shower and start getting ready to get my seramas~ I'm picking them up at about 4 PM.
Lagann-hen was awesome. :D I think, with both of the movies, they should not be used as a substitute for seeing the series itself (as there's only so much one can fit in two movies versus a full series, the pacing in the movies is quite frantic), but as bonuses for the fans, they do an amazing job offering extra footage, new insights, and helped develop the characters more. The first movie, while I certainly enjoyed it, I felt like it was too much fast review and not enough extra footage. With Lagann-hen, this was not a complaint of mine at all, though for the sake of time, some things were rushed through.
I loved just how much new footage there was. In particular, I really appreciated the additional character moments that were added--even if they were small and simple, they really helped me to feel even more strongly for the characters. Simon and Nia were particularly well-fleshed out. I've always been a Simon fan, so naturally I loved all of his new scenes, and I felt like he was a bit easier to understand and sympathize with in this, as the movie seemed to focus more on his struggles than the series did. In particular, some of the scenes with the super-dense space ocean and Simon running out of spiral power during that point, and how hard he works himself (getting all bloody, coughing up blood, passing out) helps us to understand just how hard he works to save everyone. It was also easier to understand his acceptance of Rossiu's arrest of him, and there was something kind of agonizing about watching him be bullied by the prisoners. I'm really eager to get the DVD and see the scenes that were added when he escapes from the alternate reality--I know I saw him with a baby, and there were several others that went by so fast I can't remember what they were.
I also felt like I was able to understand both Nia and the relationship between Simon and Nia a bit better than in the series. There was more of a focus on who Nia was as a person, and that made her easier for me to like. While I certainly didn't hate her or anything in the series, I never quite felt attached to her either. I liked the fact that she was writing letters to Kamina, even though she had never met him, and the scene of her saying she wanted to cover the world in flowers, and how this tied in to the final scene of Simon. Her graceful acceptance of the fact that she was going to disappear felt very bittersweet, and I loved the scene where she gave Yoko her diary before the wedding. Nia seems like more of a solid, respectable character to me now.
I think certain characters were really glossed over and not given much development at all (like Rossiu, for instance, who seems rather hard to understand in the movie), but the majority of characters were given more development rather than less. Kittan had some great scenes, including the one in the alternate reality with Kamina, and I liked that he stopped other members of the Dai-Gurren-Dan from getting into a bar fight when the people in the bar were insulting them. Most of the minor characters were given just enough focus in the movie to make them likable and meaningful.
I don't care what anyone else says, I loved the addition of Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and the scenes of virtually everyone in the Dai Gurren-dan having their own mecha. It really made the teamwork of everyone involved stand out, and while Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann was kind of silly in a way (what in the series isn't, haha), I also found it rather moving what form it took. All the new action scenes were craaaaazy and amazing, and I especially loved the scene with Simon fighting the Anti-Spiral in hand-to-hand combat. Not only was it amazingly animated (I HAVE TO BRAG AT THIS POINT THAT I HAVE HELD THE ACTUAL PENCIL SKETCHES OF THIS ENTIRE SCENE! XD), there was something great about how it broke all this crazy mecha stuff down into the smallest possible unit, and that it was Simon himself fighting instead of Simon in a mecha, or a mecha inside a mecha, etc. How he defeats the Anti-Spiral seems to emphasize that the drill is his soul, that all he needs is himself and his drill (which is practically an extension of him), and I really liked that.
I felt like the strongest part of the movie is definitely the whole last, oh, twenty or thirty or so minutes--all the crazy epic-ness of it all, and insanely animated fight scenes and all that. Let's face it--this is Gurren Lagann, it's not the same without insane fight scenes and amazing action, and the movie seriously delivers in this sense. I'm pretty sure, at least as far as I remember, that my friends at GAINAX acknowledged this would be the last major piece of Gurren Lagann, and to be honest I'm completely okay with that. I feel like it was incredibly satisfying and amazing, and pushing it any further than they did would make it too much, I think. The whole movie is VERY entertaining--I never wanted to look away, and if I could see it another three or four times in theaters I happily would. I was incredibly moved at the end, and while I didn't cry in the movie itself (I'm not a big crier at movies, haha, I'm a tough nut to crack), I did start crying on the way home because I was so overwhelmed with emotion. This is partly because of all the impact Gurren Lagann has had on me and the happy memories it has given me, but also simply because the movie was so overwhelming in pretty much every way.
I do wish everyone could see this in theaters, as I feel like this is how it was meant to be seen. It's all on such a grand scale that it's a shame most people will be seeing this at home on their computer screens or TV screens, and it's fun having the audience along yelling "GIGA DRILL BREAKER!" with the characters and whatnot. (If you have some Gurren Lagann fan friends you can watch this with, I highly recommend doing so! The more the better.)
On a random note, there's this hilarious CG scene with Lord Genome "hacking"...um...I think it was Cathedral Terra, but now I can't remember correctly what it was he was hacking exactly. But, anyway, it's hilarious and the whole theater was laughing at it.
Er, yeah, not sure what else to say. It was truly amazing. There were little complaints here and there that I had, but those were all things that I felt were fine in the TV series, so I feel like between the two one gets a complete picture, if that makes sense.
Anyway, uh, feel free to ask any questions! \o/
It's raining really hard! I love it. :D
I should probably take a shower and start getting ready to get my seramas~ I'm picking them up at about 4 PM.
