On the internet, some viewers expressed their dissatisfaction:
"This Gurren Lagann animation is so boring. For several episodes in a row, there's been nothing interesting."
"The first episode was good, and the fifth episode, with Lushu's village, was barely interesting. The rest is just mediocre."
"The dialogue is fiery, and the fight scenes are well-done, but beyond that, it's just so formulaic. You can predict the plot from a mile away. I'm so disappointed that the person who made masterpieces like Death Note and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is now making something like this."
"The main problem is that the male lead is so un-male-lead-like. If you start from the first episode, you at least know Simon is the male lead. But if you jump in later, anyone would mistake Kamina for the male lead."
"True, there's nothing wrong with mistaking Kamina for the male lead, especially in a hot-blooded anime."
"The main issue is the plot is too bland. It's a far cry from Death Note and Code Geass."
"Sigh, Lin Zhiyan has definitely fallen from grace this time. We can't call him 'Lord Hayashi' anymore. But now that I think about it, he only made two masterpieces. While his multi-talented work is impressive, he doesn't really deserve the title of 'god'."
"If the eighth episode doesn't have some kind of divine twist, I might give up."
In another timeline, when Imaishi Hiroyuki was directing Gurren Lagann, he was still a relatively new director with a small fanbase. Even then, some viewers expressed dissatisfaction.
For Lin Zhiyan's version of Gurren Lagann, many fans had come over from Death Note and Lelouch. They had high expectations before the premiere, and were even more critical when the quality fell far short of their expectations.
Not directly calling Gurren Lagann "trash" was already being quite polite.
Of course, it wasn't that bad.
The plot was indeed a bit bland and unfocused, but at least it didn't feel like a toxic waste dump. With solid production values and a generous budget, viewers who didn't set their expectations too high and patiently stuck with it could still enjoy it.
Nothing was fundamentally wrong with it.
Therefore, while some viewers expressed dissatisfaction, others staunchly defended the animation:
"I think it's alright, not as terrible as you all say."
"Lin Zhiyan himself said he wanted to try a different approach, a new style. Just be patient and watch it! Why keep comparing it to Death Note and Lelouch?"
"I haven't seen Death Note or Lelouch, but I'm finding Gurren Lagann quite interesting."
"After all, it's a half-year series and a hot-blooded, action-packed anime. These types of shows usually take time to warm up. At least stick with it for the first thirteen episodes before deciding if it's boring."
"It's impossible for the first half to be all high-octane action. If it were, what would be left for the second half? A slower start is fine, as long as the quality improves later. With Lin Zhiyan's skill, I'm not worried about the latter half at all."
"You need to compare it properly. Compared to Death Note and Lelouch, the current plot quality is indeed slightly lacking. But compared to other anime from the same season, Gurren Lagann is far superior."
"Those who say it's bad are just spoiled by Death Note and Lelouch. Honestly, it's still pretty good so far. As for the protagonist, this is clearly a dual-protagonist show. Simon just doesn't seem like the main character now, but Kamina will definitely guide him to grow. You can see that from the beginning of the first episode."
At Lin Zhiyan's home.
Nanase Mayumi, scrolling through online reviews of the anime Gurren Lagann, was indignant. "It's outrageous! These people are so harsh! They're not just criticizing the flaws; they're complaining that it's not as spectacular as they expected, even though it's not actually bad!"
Lin Zhiyan, as the person responsible, remained unfazed. He had anticipated this when he chose to adapt Gurren Lagann. After all, it was an anime that started off rather ordinary before becoming legendary in its latter half.
He couldn't possibly overhaul the first half of Gurren Lagann just to satisfy fans who had come from Death Note and Code Geass. A few minor tweaks to address genuine issues would suffice. There was no need to change anything that was already well-done.
Let them complain. The real climax would come in the middle and end.
He wrapped his arm around Nanase Mayumi and reassured her, "It's fine. If most people stick around until episode eight, we'll have won."
So predictable, the plot is practically laid out from the start?
He hoped the viewers would still think that way after watching episode eight.
That evening, after dinner, Nanase Mayumi settled on the sofa to watch television.
Lin Zhiyan sat at his computer, chatting and browsing the group.
[ Sail Village ]: @Tokyo Handsome Guy, I finally landed a quarter-year anime project.
[ Tokyo Handsome Guy ]: Really? Congratulations!
Tokyo Handsome Guy was Lin Zhiyan's group nickname. He'd originally used Tokyo's Top Star, but changed it later, feeling it was too inappropriate.
As for Sail Village, that was Akiyuki Shinbo's nickname, taken from one of his aliases, Sail Village Soji. He was the only person in the group whose true identity both of them knew.
As they chatted, another person quickly chimed in.
[ Edogawa Ryunosuke ]: What kind of project? Keyframes? Could it be the Supervising Director? What's the theme? When does it air?
[ Sail Village ]: It's a magical girl theme. I can't reveal more details.
[ Sakurako ]: I'm so tired. I never realized animation production was such exhausting work.
[ Edogawa Ryunosuke ]: Sakurako-san, you've joined the animation industry too? When did that happen? How come I didn't know?
[ Sakurako ]: I graduated at the end of March and started in April. I'm at Kyoto Animation now. I'm just a junior animator, but please take care of me.
[ Sail Village: Kyoto Animation? Their Full Metal Panic! 2 last year was pretty good. ]
[ Sakurako: The main reason I chose them was that they're close to home. ]
[ Close to home, Kyoto Animation, started in April 2004... ]
[ Lin Zhiyan stared at the group chat messages, his mind racing as he tried to guess the identity of the user "Sakurako." ]
[ As he pondered, he typed a new message. ]
[ Tokyo Handsome Guy: You went to Kyoto Animation? That's a shame. I was going to recommend you to L.S. Production... By the way, Sakurako-san, have you seen L.S. Production's new anime? ]
[ Sakurako: No, I've been busy with training lately. And I'm not really a fan of that kind of genre. ]
[ Edogawa Ryunosuke: I thought it was decent, just not explicit enough. That Lin Zhiyan guy is such a prude. There were so many opportunities for lewd scenes, but he kept them so restrained. ]
[ Sail Village: Exactly! I heard Minamisawa Juhachi-san was convinced by that guy to start making adult anime. After watching it, he even told Minamisawa-san to make more! Yet when it came to his own work, he was so reserved. The nerve! ]
[ Tokyo Handsome Guy: ( ̄ェ ̄;) ]
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