Three episodes in, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann continues its tour de force. The craftsmanship of this story is absolutely top-notch, rivaling Haruhi Suzumiya no Yuutsu in places, surpassing it in others. The animation itself fails to match Kyoto Animation’s masterpiece, but the pacing, voice, and dramatic flair are all second-to-none so far.

The signature quality of this show has got to be Kamina’s Burning Soul. This character is just about the manliest thing to happen since testicles. He’s everything Stephen Colbert wishes he could be: completely abstaining prudence and reason, guided by his gut, emboldened by his own passionate nature. Kamina is simultaneously everything that is best in our gender, and the root of nearly everything that is the worst.

Don’t take this to mean that the brave leader of Gurren-dan is some paper-thin two-dimensional character, for that would be underestimating the writers here. His bravado betrays a softer side of him that is afraid of being helpless, weak, and alone. Happily, Gainax doesn’t hammer us over the head with such mopish emo claptrap, showing just enough of Kamina’s soft underbelly to keep him vibrant, alive, and sympathetic.

Another key supporting character is Yoko, the lovely warrior-woman. I originally took her to be primarily a bit of eye-candy to draw the lonely male demographic in, and to a degree I stand by that initial assessment. She fills in a lot of the knowledge of the setting that Simon and Kamina would otherwise remain utterly ignorant of. Being worldly, smart, and cunning, she provides an excellent foil for Kamina’s prominent characteristics. As a woman she is an obvious foil for his Fiery Manliness.

Being brave and stalwart, Yoko provides a great foil for Simon, who is repeatedly in jeopardy of turning into a milquetoast, retreating to the comfort of the subterranean world he was raised in. Simon is, like Yoko, practical and reasonable. Like Kamina, he is ignorant and sheltered. Simon plays the role of the mandatory shy boy forced into a role he never envisioned for himself (think Shinji from Evangelion). The influence of his aniki Kamina and their newfound ally Yoko combine with the threat of Ganmen-piloting Beastmen to force him out of his shell. We find that he performs well under stressful situations, matching Kamina’s headstrong bravery at times.

I very much look forward to finding out where this story is headed, as Simon, Kamina, Yoko, and Lon (a mechanic that I haven’t formed a strong opinion about yet) head off into the great unknown.