Ask John: Will There Be More Gurren Lagann Anime?

Question:
In the prologue of the first episode of Gurren-Lagann, we see a cocky Harlock-esque captain on the bridge of an enormus battleship prepare to engage countless enemies in an otherwordly outerspace battle. This scene has almost no relevance to the rest of the series, and whenever it’s brought up Gainax gives vague answers which often contradict one another. Gainax has mentioned that if Gurren-Lagann is popular enough, it may get a second season or some other kind of animated treat for fans. Does Gurren-Lagann seem popular enough to meet Gainax’s expectations? If so, what are the chances of that amazing prologue getting animated?

Answer:
Based on the phrasing of your question, I can’t tell if you’ve watched the entire Gurren Lagann television series. I hope this statement isn’t a “spoiler,” but the pre-title prologue of the first Gurren Lagann episode does relate to the final quarter of the TV series story. Viewers that have watched the entire Gurren Lagann anime series may argue that specific details depicted in the episode one prologue differ from the situations that occur near the end of the series. Technically that argument is true, but I think that it’s a pedantic argument.

Anime episodes are typically produced in the order that they’re broadcast. When the Gurren Lagann television series went into production, its animation staff clearly had an impression of how the story would develop, allowing animators to create the foreshadowing prologue scene. But at the time the first episode was produced, Gainax’s animators couldn’t have known precisely how episodes near the end of the series would be animated, nor exactly how character personalities and speech styles would have evolved. So viewers should accept the first episode prologue as a hint of what is to come – a vague glimpse into the way the series will develop rather than a literal excerpt from the end of the story.

This early prologue informs viewers from the very outset that the Gurren Lagann story will eventually take on a galactic scale and setting. The prologue sequence’s obvious homage to Captain Harlock also prepares viewers to expect an anime series that relies heavily upon homage and inspiration from previous anime. In fact, after stripping away Gurren Lagann’s references and inspirations from earlier anime including Getter Robo, Captain Harlock, St Seiya, Otoko Juku, Gunbuster, and Evangelion, there’s really not much left.

Finally, regarding the possibility of more Gurren Lagann anime, in one sense, there already is more Gurren Lagann anime. The Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann game for the Nintendo DS, released in Japan on October 25, 2007, included a bonus anime episode. The episode was set between the events of TV episodes 5 & 6 and featured two original characters that appear in the game but not in the broadcast television series. The possibility of still more new animation is uncertain. The TV series conclusion justifies the assertion that the series is resolved and finished, but can also, just as easily, support continued development. Animation studio Gainax isn’t alien to producing sequels and spin-off animation, but also doesn’t continue its franchises frequently enough to make the possibility of a Gurren Lagann sequel probable. My personal gut feeling is that the 27 episode Gurren Lagann television series held back nothing, and fulfilled everything that its animators hoped to accomplish, which would make additional animation unnecessary. So I don’t anticipate an announcement of future Gurren Lagann anime, but I can’t discount the possibility of an eventual movie version re-release or a sequel cum revival a decade from now, as was done with Gunbuster.