I'd almost given up on anime since the days of Robotech. Boy was I wrong. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is the definitive anime of the next generation of illuminatti anime freaks, other than maybe Distorted Dreams... Shameless plug --- GO!
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann begins as the story of men living in the shadows of their ancestors, triumphing against adversity. This echoes a famous parable about coming into the light of reason. Simon and his brother Kamina escape the underground labor camp when they find an ancient relic of the spiral war. Like his father Kamina dies in battle. He becomes symbolic of this repetition of death through war, and sacrifice. The first season chronicles the human spirit, yet it is also symbollic of the sacrifices that are to come.
Kamina becomes a figure of martyrdom much like the symbol of Jesus Christ. Simon becomes symbolic of the Holy Spirit as in the case of the human spirit. Their father represents the old ways like the elder god Jehova. The fact they came from the ground like the meccha or golemn; lagann represents the first man who was of clay, Adam Kadmon. The spiral is a symbol of coming into enlightenment. The story itself follows the typical mythical epic story structure that Joseph Campbell discovered. In all ways even the first season is a mystical retelling of much older legends.
When they reach the surface they discover that lord Genome and the beast men have been battling anyone who breaches the surface. The first seasons story takes on the mantle of the stereotypical battle of a scrappy skeleton crew against an overwhelming but largely inept force. Other than Genome's resistance the others prove little problem. Genome seems more intelligent than the others but the reasoning for this only becomes apparent to those who watch the 18th episode carefully.
Just before the second season the drill simon wears becomes a symbol of the human genome itself. This is where the story arc takes a wicked turn. The symbolism then changes into an allegory of the battle of the illuminatti to keep the human population low to avoid death of the entire race. Those who are still attached to the first plot train miss the illuminatti arc entirely.
Humans are then discussed in the 18th episode as an infection rather than as the hopeful entity. They become complacent with the gifts of the light that they have recieved. Now out of the darkness their greed is boundless. In the midst of a war they bitch about their housing! Instead of the unity which aided them in leaving the underground labor camps, the people riot for their new found prosperity to remain. The people lash out against the government even though the problem is due to the fact that they continued to breed even against the warnings of the ancient prophecy and the governments efforts to responsibly control the breeding through a census. In 7 years (think magic 7) the people are no longer an ally but instead a hinderance. This series is almost a snapshot of us in 2005, aka 7 years before 2012...
The entity of the dark spiral seeks to bring down the moon (occultation + black sun + spiral!) The warning is that they will destroy the universe that created them. In episode 18 politics is refered to as a practice of finding a figure to blame to pacify the people! Genome reveals that the humans will become exterminated and that his efforts to keep populations low were a cold hearted attempt to save them from the anti-spiral mugans or the faceless ones (nature!).
Simon's contempt for Rossiu and the spirit of the system becomes apparent when he is blamed for the continual destruction of the city through battle. His struggle with Rossiu becomes the struggle of the chaos of man against the order of nature. The anti-spiral will symbolize chaos to the sheep yet in fact in death order is restored. The human will symbolize order to the sheep when in fact it is their chaos which started this mess!
The entire series depends upon this juxtaposition between the anthropromorphic buildings and meccha's faces and the ever present spirals. This is another symbolic reference between the face or mask of humanity against the chaos of the evolution of our genes. A humorous scene arises when while licking a spiral twisty cone the homosexual mechanic's chair is spun signaling the chaos as a comedic prop! The spiral is an ever present reminder of the tracking of the occultation and the cyclical chaos that exist within the harmony of nature.
When this series is fully decoded it is a great watch to both illuminists and regulars alike. Even those too scared to pull the wool from their eyes will enjoy this series. Even if the sheeple are distracted by the Gainax teams love for bright colors, huge flashy explosions and bouncing busoms, trust me you'll see what I am talking about with more than a few surprises in store for you! Only 27 episodes long, but well worth the cult following. It's zero's pick of the litter.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann begins as the story of men living in the shadows of their ancestors, triumphing against adversity. This echoes a famous parable about coming into the light of reason. Simon and his brother Kamina escape the underground labor camp when they find an ancient relic of the spiral war. Like his father Kamina dies in battle. He becomes symbolic of this repetition of death through war, and sacrifice. The first season chronicles the human spirit, yet it is also symbollic of the sacrifices that are to come.
Kamina becomes a figure of martyrdom much like the symbol of Jesus Christ. Simon becomes symbolic of the Holy Spirit as in the case of the human spirit. Their father represents the old ways like the elder god Jehova. The fact they came from the ground like the meccha or golemn; lagann represents the first man who was of clay, Adam Kadmon. The spiral is a symbol of coming into enlightenment. The story itself follows the typical mythical epic story structure that Joseph Campbell discovered. In all ways even the first season is a mystical retelling of much older legends.
When they reach the surface they discover that lord Genome and the beast men have been battling anyone who breaches the surface. The first seasons story takes on the mantle of the stereotypical battle of a scrappy skeleton crew against an overwhelming but largely inept force. Other than Genome's resistance the others prove little problem. Genome seems more intelligent than the others but the reasoning for this only becomes apparent to those who watch the 18th episode carefully.
Just before the second season the drill simon wears becomes a symbol of the human genome itself. This is where the story arc takes a wicked turn. The symbolism then changes into an allegory of the battle of the illuminatti to keep the human population low to avoid death of the entire race. Those who are still attached to the first plot train miss the illuminatti arc entirely.
Humans are then discussed in the 18th episode as an infection rather than as the hopeful entity. They become complacent with the gifts of the light that they have recieved. Now out of the darkness their greed is boundless. In the midst of a war they bitch about their housing! Instead of the unity which aided them in leaving the underground labor camps, the people riot for their new found prosperity to remain. The people lash out against the government even though the problem is due to the fact that they continued to breed even against the warnings of the ancient prophecy and the governments efforts to responsibly control the breeding through a census. In 7 years (think magic 7) the people are no longer an ally but instead a hinderance. This series is almost a snapshot of us in 2005, aka 7 years before 2012...
The entity of the dark spiral seeks to bring down the moon (occultation + black sun + spiral!) The warning is that they will destroy the universe that created them. In episode 18 politics is refered to as a practice of finding a figure to blame to pacify the people! Genome reveals that the humans will become exterminated and that his efforts to keep populations low were a cold hearted attempt to save them from the anti-spiral mugans or the faceless ones (nature!).
Simon's contempt for Rossiu and the spirit of the system becomes apparent when he is blamed for the continual destruction of the city through battle. His struggle with Rossiu becomes the struggle of the chaos of man against the order of nature. The anti-spiral will symbolize chaos to the sheep yet in fact in death order is restored. The human will symbolize order to the sheep when in fact it is their chaos which started this mess!
The entire series depends upon this juxtaposition between the anthropromorphic buildings and meccha's faces and the ever present spirals. This is another symbolic reference between the face or mask of humanity against the chaos of the evolution of our genes. A humorous scene arises when while licking a spiral twisty cone the homosexual mechanic's chair is spun signaling the chaos as a comedic prop! The spiral is an ever present reminder of the tracking of the occultation and the cyclical chaos that exist within the harmony of nature.
When this series is fully decoded it is a great watch to both illuminists and regulars alike. Even those too scared to pull the wool from their eyes will enjoy this series. Even if the sheeple are distracted by the Gainax teams love for bright colors, huge flashy explosions and bouncing busoms, trust me you'll see what I am talking about with more than a few surprises in store for you! Only 27 episodes long, but well worth the cult following. It's zero's pick of the litter.
FREEBIES FOR THE BLOG --- GO!!!
BTW... Distorted Dreams is temporarily closed pending the arrival of my scanner.
2 comments:
Have you watched shaman king?
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