No, it’s not going to stop, so just… give up

I’ve lost a good chunk of this evening to skipping through Taku Iwasaki’s soundtrack for Gurren Lagann and reliving my favourite moments. This happens from time to time. I always go back to certain scenes, like the last few minutes of episode 26, the beginning and end of 27. The recap episode too; it’s probably the best recap episode I’ve ever seen. It’s something like this that really epitomises why Gurren Lagann was so good; that it worked all its originality and soul into a formulaic plot recap is more than notable. Looking back on those moments, it really feels like Gurren Lagann had something to say. It goes beyond mere entertainment and feels genuinely important; inspiring. Its themes are whole, cohesive and optimistic, as if everything in Simon’s world happens for a reason, culminating with his poetic epilogue. Watching anime, I suppose it’s kind of rare to finish a series feeling genuinely satisfied, there are so many rushed, poorly handled endings out there, but this was just right. At its end, mixed in with our happiness for the Gurren-dan’s success, is a slight taste of melancholy, or sadness, because our heroes are getting old, dying. I think it’s kind of horrifying to see Simon like that because it really brings home that nothing is forever, and no matter who you are or what you want to be, life goes on. It’s a beautifully human thing to feel, I guess, this happiness tempered by melancholy.