Gainax is at it again. This past week saw the release of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, the first new show of the season to properly grab me by the ear and drag me in. The first episode reveals to us a small village underground, where our protagonist, Simon, works drilling new holes for expansion of the settlement. Simon is an orphan, his parents having died in an earthquake some time ago. He’s gota headstrong buddy named Kamina that has dreams of traveling up to the surface, which the village elders deny even exists.

But as with all good Gainax titles, it isn’t the premise, or even the characters, that grab me here; it’s what Gainax does with them. No tedious exposition. No long brooding moments. No pandering to the intellect of the audience. Sequences where Simon is drilling are comical and stylized while still working to show us what he’s made of. Sequences where Kamina is puffing out his chest and trying to be manly walk the fine line between inspiring and laughable. Production values are excellent but not totally over-produced, in keeping with the tone of the story.

There are a couple of specific aspects to this show that get me thinking a bit. Kamina clearly thinks he’s the leading man in this story, what with his bravery, determination, and big ideas, yet Simon is the focus. This immediately makes both more appealing to me as a viewer. Something very similar was done with the character Balthier in Final Fantasy XII, and he was my favorite character in that whole game. This goes well past the normal self-interest you’d expect from any realistically-portrayed actor in a story. Where else has this been used, and was it effective there also?

The other aspect that has me thinking is the presence of giant robots. What the hell is going on when I’m liking giant robot shows? I may have to fire up some old Voltron episodes and do some soul-searching here…