Saturday, July 17th.
Just after 11:20 PM, Shiga Taka finally finished his daily chores and settled in front of the TV to watch the sixteenth episode of Gurren Lagann.
After watching the first seven episodes, he had found the anime rather bland, even considering dropping it. But starting from the eighth episode, after Kamina's death, the story finally began to pick up.
The subsequent battles against the remaining three of the Four Heavenly Kings and the final showdown with the Spiral King were incredibly thrilling, with explosive storyboards, stunning animation, and fiery dialogue that set his blood racing.
While it still wasn't a masterpiece by any means—just a solid, entertaining work with some standout moments—he no longer felt like dropping it. In fact, he was now curious to see how the story would unfold.
At 11:30 PM, the animation finally began.
The opening theme remained the same: "Sky Blue Time." Yet, it felt slightly different from the previous fifteen episodes, and the accompanying visuals had completely changed. The younger characters who had previously appeared—including the Male Lead, Nia, Kimi, and Dali—had all grown up.
"So, starting from the sixteenth episode, it's the story after the Male Lead has grown up?" Shiga Taka muttered to himself.
The opening sequence quickly ended.
After a brief GG sequence, the main story finally began.
A title card appeared immediately: "Seven years after the fall of Teppelin, the new capital..."
This was followed by the male lead's introductory monologue:
"Seizing the opportunity to defeat Lordgenome, the people who had lived underground finally emerged onto the surface."
"What exactly are Lagann, the drill, and Spiral Power? Why did Lordgenome try to seal humanity underground? Many mysteries remain, but we've been fully focused on building our new lives. Rather than dwelling on the past, we've prioritized hope for the future."
"For seven years, we've reveled in peace. Even though Lordgenome's words still ache in our hearts, we pretend not to notice."
The monologue was accompanied by scenes of the new capital: towering skyscrapers, flying cars soaring through the air, and bustling highways with overpasses teeming with traffic. In one park stood a colossal statue of Big Bro Kamina.
"Huh?"
Shiga Taka looked bewildered.
Seven years? Has technology advanced this rapidly? It's like we've gone from the Stone Age straight to the cyberpunk era. That's just absurd!
After a moment's thought, he realized it wasn't just rapid technological development. The main reason was that during the Spiral King's reign, technology had been almost entirely monopolized by him. Most of humanity had been sealed underground, living like savages. Now that the Spiral King had been defeated, it was natural that they could now access the technology he left behind and achieve this level of advancement.
In fact, this level of technology was the normal level; otherwise, how could they have created the "Face," which was actually a Knightmare Frame?
With the war over and peace established, the Dai-Gurren Brigade's nature had transformed. They went from being a team dedicated to overthrowing the Spiral King to a governing body.
The Male Lead transitioned from leading the Dai-Gurren Brigade to heading the political team. His daily duties shifted from combat to sitting in an office, sifting through mountains of documents and attending frequent leadership conferences.
After Big Bro Kamina's death, Lushu, who had been driving the Gurren, became the Male Lead's aide.
Kittan the Beastman, a transgender mechanic, became the Chief of Science and led a team that launched a lunar rocket.
Kotang, the eldest of the Three Sisters, was appointed Chief of Defense.
Other members also rose to positions of power.
In fact, everyone in a position of power was a former member of the Dai-Gurren Brigade.
However, the Dai-Gurren Brigade, which once united under the common goal of defeating Lordgenome and liberating the humans sealed underground, was now deeply divided. Lushu, in particular, openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the others.
The launch of the moon rocket was driven by the Male Lead's lingering obsession with the Spiral King's warning—his fear that an envoy from hell might truly reside on the moon and destroy humanity.
Yet many, including Kotang, found the Spiral King's claims highly dubious and dismissed the possibility outright.
The scene shifted to the Three Sisters' home.
The second sister was absent. The eldest sister had married a man from Yuko's village, a prominent member of the Dai-Gurren Brigade.
Now married, she was visibly pregnant.
The third sister stayed by her side.
The doorbell rang. The third sister answered to find Nia at the door.
Nia announced to the sisters that Simon had proposed to her.
During the proposal, the Male Lead, Simon, had spoken with utmost sincerity: "I've been wondering if this is the right time. It has nothing to do with being a princess or the Crimson Lotus Gang. It's about sharing the same view, hearing the same sounds, and laughing together. Can we live like that? My eyes should be Nia's eyes, and Nia's ears should be my ears. Can we be like that?"
As he spoke, he produced a diamond ring. "Let's get married, Nia."
Nia was deeply moved, but she refused.
Her Eldest Sister and Third Sister were stunned. They immediately pressed her for her reasons. With a shy blush, Nia replied, "I don't think two people can ever truly become one."
Though she refused, it wasn't a genuine rejection. After all, she was already wearing the diamond ring the Male Lead had proposed with.
Understanding Nia's thoughts, her Eldest Sister picked up the phone and told her to clearly explain her feelings to Simon.
The scene shifted to the Male Lead.
Through his memories, we learned about Yuko's situation: she had left the Royal Capital.
"All this talk of meetings and politics... it just doesn't suit me. You all carry on without me. Goodbye." That's what Yuko had said.
Before leaving, she had also warned the Male Lead to protect Nia well.
"Looks like it won't be that easy to get her to let me protect her, that young lady," the Male Lead muttered with a wry smile.
But soon, Nia called. Once he understood her true feelings, his face lit up. He turned to Kamina's statue and exclaimed, "Yes! It worked! Big Bro, I did it! I succeeded!"
After finishing his report, Lushu approached the Male Lead with news: the southern border regions had been attacked by Viral, a warrior who had once attained immortality.
Viral proved to be a formidable opponent. Upon learning of the situation, the Male Lead immediately volunteered to personally lead the counterattack, but Lushu refused, stating that as commander-in-chief, combat was not his responsibility.
The task of defeating Viral fell to Kimi and Dali, two former members of the Dai-Gurren Brigade who had been mere children back then. Now grown and working in perfect coordination, they piloted their respective Faces and, alongside other forces, successfully defeated Viral and captured him.
Later, a real-time video communication was established. The Male Lead asked Viral why he had continued to resist so fiercely when the war was already over.
Viral explained that some humans were determined to live underground and refused to move to the surface. However, the new regime planned to force them all to the surface. He claimed he was protecting those people and mocked the Male Lead: "What's the difference between the surface and the underground? Aren't you just doing the same thing as the Spiral King?"
This was not actually the Male Lead's order, but Lushu's, issued behind the Male Lead's back.
When the Male Lead asked Lushu why he had kept it from him, Lushu replied, "It's to confirm the population. If we don't keep track of those in areas we can't see, we won't know the true population count. Before we realize it, it could exceed one million. It's our responsibility to prevent that."
"So, if we find the millionth person, we'll throw them off the Earth? Wouldn't that be no different from what happened in Adali Village, where you used to live?" The Male Lead still disapproved of this approach.
Lushu didn't bother arguing. As he walked away, he muttered, "You don't understand anything."
Later, Lushu went to a place where the second of the Three Sisters was present, along with another man.
The man complained to Lushu, saying that both the Council and the citizens had grown foolish from living in such peaceful times. He deeply admired Lushu, believing he was the sole pillar supporting the government.
Lushu responded, "It's not just me. The younger generation is here too."
At these words, everyone present saluted Lushu, showing him their respect.
Sitting in front of the TV, Shiga Taka couldn't shake the premonition that Lushu might be about to sideline Simon and pull off a coup.
The team was now divided into two factions, one led by Lushu and another opposing group, and the situation felt incredibly unstable.
To be fair, the change from episodes 1-15 to the current episode 16 had been drastic.
It had gone from a battle-heavy action series to a political drama, making it feel like a completely different show.
Yet, instead of feeling uncomfortable, he found it more engaging and thrilling.
Perhaps Lin Zhiyan was simply better suited for this kind of animation?
Or maybe, episode 16 marked the true beginning of Gurren Lagann?
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