Late at night, just after 11:30 PM, in a single-person apartment in Tokyo, Shiga Taka watched the first episode of Gurren Lagann on TV. He muttered to himself, "A village underground? That sounds pretty interesting."
I wonder how the story develops later.
With that thought, he continued watching intently.
On the screen, Kamina was planning a daring escape from the village using Mole Pigs and the Male Lead Simon's drill to reach the surface. Predictably, the plan was too simplistic and failed miserably.
The Village Chief glared at the participants of the action, especially Kamina, who was leading the charge. "It's time you woke up! This 'surface' you keep talking about doesn't exist!"
"That's not true! I've seen it with my own eyes! There are no walls or ceilings up there, just a brilliant blue sky!" Kamina retorted.
"A liar's child is bound to be a liar."
"What did you say?!"
"Your father was the same way, always babbling nonsense about some place with a solid surface. Pure delusion!"
"No, my dad went to the surface, and I went with him!"
"Then why are you here?"
"That's because..."
After a brief argument, the Village Chief quickly asserted his authority and declared that Kamina and the others would be thrown into prison and denied food.
Hearing this, everyone except Kamina and Simon hastily admitted their wrongdoing.
The Male Lead, Simon, didn't apologize, but the Village Chief knew he'd been misled. Besides, he needed Simon to keep digging, so he decided not to punish him.
Just then, the ground trembled violently, sending everyone—including the Village Chief—scrambling for cover in the tunnels.
When the tremors subsided, Kamina shouted, "Are you going to live like this forever, constantly fearing the next earthquake? Up on the surface, there's no ceiling to protect you!"
His words were clearly aimed at the Village Chief.
There was some logic to his argument, but the Chief also had his own difficulties.
He angrily berated Kamina, and soon the young man was locked in prison, bound and denied food.
The Male Lead continued digging, briefly mentioning his parents' fate: they died in an earthquake when he was seven.
If we keep digging like this, sooner or later, the ceiling will collapse and crush us all—the Village Chief, the villagers, and me. It's our destiny.
As he dug, he soon hit something massive that was glowing brightly. The drill-like model he'd found earlier was also glowing, as if responding to the larger object.
Overjoyed, he fully unearthed the glowing thing and went to the prison where Kamina was locked up, eager to show him his discovery.
As they left the prison, they were caught by the Village Chief.
But before long, the ceiling above the village cracked, and a massive object came crashing down.
Villagers screamed, "Monster!" and scattered in panic.
The Village Chief fell to the ground in terror.
Kamina, however, didn't flee. After taunting the chief, he snatched the man's sword and prepared to fight the colossal "monster."
This was, of course, a rash and ill-advised move. Fortunately, a stunning red-haired girl in revealing clothing quickly descended from above, wielding a massive spear. In just a few swift moves, she brought the "monster" down.
However, it wasn't completely defeated. The creature soon rose again, rampaging wildly and nearly crushing Kamina and the red-haired girl with a single blow.
In the nick of time, the Male Lead dug a hole, helping the two escape.
"Quick, this way!"
The Male Lead led the way, urging the others to follow.
Along the way, the red-haired girl introduced the enemy, the "monster," as a "Face."
She had tried to use her spear to immobilize the Face, but Kamina's interference ruined her plan, forcing the trio to flee once more.
The Male Lead continued to guide them until they reached the object he had previously unearthed.
Another Face, but this one was clearly the head of a Knightmare Frame.
Though only the head remained, it was still operational.
The Male Lead opened the cockpit door, intending to let Kamina take the controls. But Kamina refused, saying, "You're the one who dug this thing up, you drive it! I won't steal what belongs to my little brother."
The Male Lead was completely lacking in confidence, certain he couldn't do it. But Kamina encouraged him, "Idiot! We're the Crimson Lotus Gang! We kick reason to the curb with reckless abandon! That's our way!"
Under Kamina's encouragement, the Male Lead finally entered the cockpit.
The drill-like object they'd dug up earlier was clearly the Knightmare Frame's activation key. He inserted it, activated the machine, and transformed its form, causing it to "grow" limbs. With Kamina and the red-haired girl riding along, they charged straight at the enemy Face.
What followed was a fierce battle between the three and the enemy Face.
At first, Simon couldn't even attack and was getting pummeled. But he gradually got the hang of it and managed to activate the drill weapon.
"Big Brother, I think this will work now!" With his weapon activated, the Male Lead finally gained some confidence.
"Alright! Drill that bastard to hell! With the power of the Crimson Lotus Gang's drill!" Kamina shouted.
"Yeah."
The Male Lead nodded, controlling the Knightmare Frame.
The machine erupted in a dazzling light, and then, in addition to the drill on its head, its hands also transformed into drills.
"Go, Simon! Drill your way to the heavens!" Kamina cheered him on.
The Male Lead roared, driving the Knightmare Frame in a flying charge at the enemy Face, leaving a trail of light.
With all three drills unleashed, the machine quickly pierced the enemy Face and plunged toward the ground, leaving behind only a whirlwind and a group of bewildered villagers.
Crashing through the ground and soaring back into the sky, the enemy Face was utterly destroyed.
With the enemy defeated, the trio finally had time to take in the world around them.
"So this is the surface," Kamina said with a sense of wonder.
"It's beautiful!" the Male Lead exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement.
The red-haired girl introduced herself as Yuko.
But their joy was short-lived. The Knightmare Frame began plummeting from the sky, nearly killing them all.
After crashing to the ground, the three were thrown from the cockpit and immediately confronted by two more Faces.
The ending credits rolled, and the first episode concluded.
Watching the credits and the accompanying visuals on his TV, Shiga Taka began to evaluate the episode: Awesome!
The animation was fluid and well-funded, the opening theme was catchy, the setting was novel, and the story was easy to follow. Many of the lines were incredibly passionate and cool.
Yet, perhaps influenced by Death Note and Lelouch, Shiga Taka didn't feel quite as thrilled after watching the first episode. His anticipation for the subsequent plot seemed somewhat weak.
He wondered if the story would take any unexpected turns later on.
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