Gurren Lagann and the Birth of Odin

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, translating mostly to Heaven Piercing Crimson Face - is a show about the transformation of the soul. It’s about brotherly bonds and finding true love, and recognizing when someone else is oppressing you, and overcoming the evil forces at all odds. It’s a narrative on modern society and the spiritual movements that lead to a collective awakening of the human spirit, and rising to overcome our inner deadness and become full of life, love, and burning willpower! It’s about the activation of the human DNA and the intrinsic evolutionary spiral power inherent within each one of our hearts and how if we work together - there is nothing we can’t accomplish! It’s a story of redemption, grave emotional hardship, the craziest trials and tribulations, and above all else - it’s about learning to believe in yourself.

The series has two parts: the First Part deals with the transcendence of the main cast into the surface world and their fight against the Beastmen, which are terrestrial/earthly obstetrical that the characters must face and defeat if they are to take control of their own destiny. The Second Part deals with their battle against the forces of universal entropy themselves, the Anti-spirals. The two parts are interrelated with each other and each contributes to the overall meaning of the plot.

Right from the start, we have this metaphor for our society and the dogmatic ideologies in the world. In the story, the people all live in darkness, and they are convinced that there is no such thing as the expansive surface. The conversations of higher spiritual or heavenly realms, astral dimensions, or other similar concepts are often ridiculed, despite a never-ending stream of testimonials from individuals who have personally experienced these different planes of conscious awareness.

Speaking to Simon and Kamina, they beautifully depict a man in his fullness, and a boy in his weakness. Kamina fulfills many roles for Simon, supporting him and reminding him that he is meant for something great. Simon, who is a digger - is told by Kamina that his drill is the drill that will pierce the heavens! It’s beautiful to see how Kamina’s encouragement gives Simon the confidence and motivation to believe in himself. He says, “Don’t believe in yourself, believe in me that believes in you!”