Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Movie 2: Lagann-hen

Humans have enjoyed their lavish, peaceful, and prosperous lives for seven years since the day the almighty Spiral King was defeated—the day they reclaimed their homeland, Earth. However, the boon of this lifestyle leaves them unprepared when an unknown, hostile threat arises due to the ever-growing human population. This calamity is the Anti-Spiral—a fearsome enemy with unparalleled power.

As the Spiral King's prognosis postulating the destruction of "The Spiral's World" begins to come true, the pieces are in place, and Team Dai-Gurren is ready. With his late brother's hope to see a better future for mankind, Simon—along with Nia Teppelin and the rest of the team—is determined to overthrow the mighty Anti-Spiral in order to revive humanity's lost hope.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Simon Main

Kakihara, Tetsuya Japanese

Teppelin, Nia Main

Fukui, Yukari Japanese

Kamina Supporting

Konishi, Katsuyuki Japanese

Littner, Yoko Supporting

Inoue, Marina Japanese

Viral Supporting

Hiyama, Nobuyuki Japanese

Bachika, Kittan Supporting

Taniyama, Kishou Japanese

Boota Supporting

Itou, Shizuka Japanese

Lordgenome Supporting

Ikeda, Narushi Japanese

Littner, Leeron Supporting

Onosaka, Masaya Japanese

Adai, Rossiu Supporting

Saiga, Mitsuki Japanese

Toba, Yousuke Producer

Takeda, Yasuhiro Producer

Imaishi, Hiroyuki Director, Storyboard, Animation Director, Key Animation

Ootsuka, Masahiko Episode Director, Assistant Director

Reviews

Aug 7, 2024

CaptainSalty

Recommended

The Lights in the Sky are Stars was an unforgettable theater experience that will stay with me forever. Unlike the first movie, this almost has its very own story in comparison to the show. Much is changed due to time constraints and narrative focus. In some regards, it does things worse than the show in terms of side characters like Rossiu. The other thing I didn't like as much was the decision to not kill off almost any character in this portion of the show. Without diving into spoilers, the absolute despair felt in the show is hindered a bit due to the less life ... lost and tensions not being as high as a consequence. However, with its downsides compared to the show, this movie does something astronomically better than the show. The ending. The final conflict somehow is raised even more through the roof than the show, when I thought nothing could match the hype I had in the show I was wrong and right. Only Gurren Lagann can match or even surpass Gurren Lagann. This conflict is much better executed, metaphorically and physically speaking. Therefore it stands on par with the show's version of the second half. I can't in good faith lower it to 9 for how much better it does this ending. When I watched the show for the first time, its when I needed it most in my life. When I watched the movie, I needed that feeling once more to spark hope again in my life. Bless this movie for making me cry for the first time in over 17 months. Gurren Lagann has the power to change your outlook on life, maybe not for long, but enough to really spark a change in you.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jan 27, 2024

Pezguy97

Recommended

This is a really good movie. I was really (pleasantly) surprised by the direction that the movie took from the first. As with the first movie, the animation quality and soundtrack were top notch. Some aspects of the movie were a little bit confusing compared to the first, but it is still easy enough to follow without ever having watched an episode of the anime. My only gripe with this movie is that it is clearly trying to be more philosophical than is maybe helpful. To me, the key of Gurren Lagann is how cool it looks, and I prefer it a lot to the ... typical Mobile Suit Gundam melodrama.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Aug 14, 2022

Touka

Mixed Feelings

Lagann-hen is an exhilarating production with a setting of monumental proportions, though not without its flaws, which - in some cases - are unfortunately more apparent than in the first installment.

The movie picks up right where Gurren-hen left off, though the opening sequences have been hugely condensed in order to quickly drive the plot into the second arc of the story. The setting expands in Lagann-hen, we travel from Earths surface into interstellar territory, in line with the TV show, although small sections of the story have diverged from the series, some understandably and others disappointingly. Certain new ideas seem extremely rushed, dragging what was ... a fairly engrossing - if manic - plot downwards. Nevertheless, the scale of the story is as ever admirable and thrilling, though the developmental issues carry over from Gurren-hen, making it clear the Gurren-hen/Lagann-hen film double was more an excuse to cash in on the series, rather than create a coherent piece separate from the TV show. The dialogue, at times, also encountered issues; present simply to move the story along without any natural flow to it.

As in Gurren-hen, the rehashed sequences barely differ - if at all - from the series, but the new scenes go above and beyond. The new ending sequence is a powerhouse of action and zest, which will leave you wishing there was more, but unfortunately, there aren't as many new additions to Lagann-hen as there were in Gurren-hen. The staff really rely on the climatic sequence to blow you away, and while it may do just that, they don't really attempt anything deserving of praise throughout the opening and middle acts.

Taku Iwasaki's score returns for its third outing with no changes, yet the sound and music is a noticeable drop from the first installment. The music felt poorly timed, jumbled and out of place during much of the film, and often it was at such a low volume it may as well have been absent. Even the sound effects, which could have been turned up a couple of notches it give it that extra umph, were disappointing. The sound department manage to redeem themselves a little towards the end with larger emphasis on the music, but it's a shame an aspect presented so well in the series wasn't handled better in Lagann-hen.

Developmental issues mean that Rossiu and Kittan are still very much unknown characters to the audience of the movies, and Lagann-hen does little to remedy this. The film makes use of its supporting cast, more so than in Gurren-hen, but extra screen time doesn't equal development. They are still empty shells with a single trait, which isn't far below their series counterparts, but disappointing nevertheless as they lack any kind of background or character motivation, and the movie absolutely requires you watch the series in order to comprehend the characters' depth.

The stand-out segment in Lagann-hen is the climatic sequence, which delivers and then some, and is probably the sole reason to venture into the second installment beyond just re-watching the series. Pushed for time, Lagann-hen is always moving, but even so it begins to tire. Undoubtedly, far more could have been done to create a more coherent adaptation of the series, and it's unfortunate the studio behind such an enjoyable work would rather cut corners and cash in, than create a comprehensive piece both long-time fans and those new to the franchise can enjoy.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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	Poll: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Movie Lagann-hen Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) asfasfeafvevev - Jan 26, 2010	265 replies	by arcueidenjoyerr »» Mar 17, 2:54 PM
	Does [spoiler] die in this movie? RedSkittleFox - Mar 30, 2019	3 replies	by ChiefGamer »» Jan 20, 2024 9:16 AM
	Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-Hen worth watching? Zaldun - Jun 11, 2016	6 replies	by Barad5 »» Nov 1, 2020 10:51 AM
	Huge spoiler in the synopsis Yngvi - Apr 14, 2016	2 replies	by who_dat_ninja »» Nov 8, 2016 3:18 PM
	Added scenes (also, spoilers in the synopsis) dextronaut - Mar 12, 2013	1 replies	by EratiK »» Oct 5, 2013 9:45 AM

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