I love both.
I could not choose between any of those series.
Evangelion tells something about the suffering that every human being experiences and Gurren Lagann tells how to deal with it.
No, it's Panty & Stockings, the guy directed both GL and PS and when it came to propose a second season for PS, Gainax wanted to take a direction no one on the team agreed to, so they left.
However, GL was a lot more successful than PS, so they kept the recipe of GL to have immediate success.
But they used this recipe a bit too much and now it fell out of fashion and Trigger does trash OG animes but are wonderful as an animation studio.
Can agree on this, but I've definitely rewatched Gurren Lagann more than Eva, the payoff in the end is just so much better with Gurren, especially if you just watch the two movies, so much hype.
I'd say Nadia: Secret of Blue Water is the best place to start before Evangelion. Nadia is a great adventure tale with lots of lighthearted moments, plus Evangelion was going to be a sequel to Nadia.
Yes! The Angels were originally going to be >!the Adams originating from the 16 spheres that were ejected from the Red Noah when it exploded. This explosion would have caused an event called the Dead Sea Evaporation Incident, which later became the Second Impact.!< However, Anno was forced to rework this idea into Evangelion when NHK wouldn't give Gainax the rights to Nadia. This isn't to mention that Shinji is a male Nadia by face structure.
Although imagine Simon the Digger listening to these two songs: [Sakura Nagashi](https://youtu.be/7SeiwBKuFNA) and [One Last Kiss](https://youtu.be/0Uhh62MUEic).
Itโs will give him melancholy, butterflies in the stomach, and hope.
Evangelion was good, but Gurren Lagann, I don't know if it was just the timing or what, but that had a huge emotional impact on me.
I started that series knowing next to nothing about it aside from "Ohh, so this is the show the bikini girl with the big sniper rifle is from!" I had such a great nostalgia blast starting it off. But then they pulled the rug out from under me 4-5 times and I love that but it stirred me up.
Then my brother started it (without any prompting from me)...
I still remember being in my room on the computer and him telling me about this show (Gurren Lagann) he'd started and how much he was loving it. I thought, "He must not be that far into it" and ask him where he's at and he lets me know that he's pretty much not to *\*that point\** yet. I grinned like the evil brother I am and was relishing the opportunity to see his reaction in real time, and then he drained all the blood from my body with what he said next:
"I really like Kamina, he reminds me of my friend Seth and Simon reminds me of me and how we got along."
His friend Seth had passed away in an accident a few years before and it was a hard loss to take for him.
I haven't felt such dread before about someone watching an animated show. I debated saying anything and ended up texting him on my way to work that night that "You should *probably* not continue to watch Gurren Lagann bud." He did anyways and later texted me about him jokingly throwing the dog at the television (no dogs were thrown). I don't know how he ultimately handled it because I wasn't there and he wasn't very forthcoming with me about it later so maybe he was okay, but still, that punched me right in the feels because I remembered how *I* handled it, and I wasn't the one associating Kamina with a deceased dear friend.
Anyhow, thanks for reading all this if you did.
Haven't seen Eva yet, but hot damn is Gurren Lagann a banger. I do not regret spending all that money on the damned Aniplex Blu-Rays (fuck Aniplex's pricing, Kill la Kill was 130 bucks and this one was 140)
Yep, having a 24 episode series split into six releases is insane. I think the logic of the Aniplex shows being at that price is that it's about the same price as each of those individual releases together.
You don't have to believe in Gurren Lagann just believe in the me that believes in the you that believes in Gurren Lagann.
Best Shonen dialogue of all time in my opinion.
Both are the same in that they both center around a young man coming of age in a confusing and complicated world. Both do a great job way of playing it all out as well.
However, the tones are each just so different, itโs difficult to compare them for me.
Gurren is classic shonen, and embraces it fully, while Eva is very emotional and deliberate.
I don't know, I feel like in the arc >!after Kamina's death!< Gurren shows what it could have been like if the people around Shinji cared more about him as anything other than an Eva pilot (Or conversely if Shinji had realised that the people around him cared about him without having to end the world to figure it out.)
Could not have picked a more apples to oranges question.
I love both for different reasons.
If you're asking about mech design, I prefer eva.
If you're asking about plot/characters I prefer guren.
Music is a bit of a toss-up.
Well let's be honest the Japanese anime fans have very different taste then American fans. Cowboy Bebop was huge here in the states compared to when it it aired in Japan and Big I was such a success here in America they created a second season. But it barely made a blip in Japan.
And outside of anime in Japan Carranger was a huge hit the reinvigorated the Super Sentai series while Power Rangers Turbo was damn near the down fall of the series in the states and probably still amongst the least liked.
So yeah our tastes tend to be much different.
tell them what? it's even hard to compare those two given they don't want to convey the same thing. And haven't found something similar to TTGL . Perhaps the last episodes of Gunbuster and Getter Robo perhaps , haven't read much yet
Evangelion is okay but the fact it goes with like 2-3 separates movies in their own ending + the manga with his own ending + another remake series isn't great tbh.
TTGL stands on its own without any sequel or remakes, only movies that changed minor details and added heckton of visual and actions and mechs and thats it
the rebuild series is phenomenal what are you smoking? Two very different series can both be excellent at what they were trying to accomplish.
The original Evangelion series, even ignoring End of Evangelion is a top-tier anime that simply ran out of budget. But it literally single-handedly saved anime, without Eva you wouldn't have TTGL
This is most correct response. Evangelion is more consistently better than Gurren Lagann. I think everybody is forgetting how mid the 2nd half of Gurren Lagann is.
I like bothโฆalthough I would actually choose to watch Gurren Lagann more than once over Evangelion
Gurren Lagann is over the top funโฆand Evangelion is extremely emotional and slightly fucked up
I would rather watch Simon over Shinji
i like both - but for different reasons
Eva made the idea of organic mecha (and giant mecha in general) a lot more mainstream. It also has some interesting character exploration, and in the newer movies some spiffy world-buidling.
TTGL is just balls to the wall awesome and insane.
Iโve watched both. Both series are fantastic, but I just canโt help loving Gurren Lagann. Itโs my favorite anime of all time. Itโs just so uplifting and bright, it makes me just so happy to think of
WHO IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?
I very much love Gurren Lagann compared to evangelion.
I also like the philosophy of the show better.
However, I don't know if it aligns with the Gundam anti-war type thing. It's all about believing in yourself and relying on the people around you when you're at your lowest.
As well as Fibonacci sequence being in all parts of math down to helical DNA and how people advance..
All sorts of really interesting philosophical points.
I could talk for days about it, but in general i don't know if it necessarily aligns with Gundam properties. Morally.
Not to mention the plot and overall message of the show actually makes sense. And isn't constantly confusing.
However,
Turn A gundam basically proves that gurren lagann could happen in the gundam timeline!
Gurren. Evangelion never really did it for me, though I do appreciate the recent films acting as in part as a reaction to the reception of the original run.
it's hard to compare these two imo since they're two such completely different vibes. I love both for different reasons cause eva had so many scenes that feel so powerful (and also the EVA's and angels are really cool) but also man there's almost nothing that can get you as hyped as almost any moment in gurren lagann
I wish I saw Gurren Lagann when I was still a kid. No doubt it would have been my favorite show. But watching it as an adult I think I was really able to appreciate it in a special way. Definitely highly rated and one I would recommend to anyone. Eva on the other hand, I personally whole heartedly believe the best time to watch it is when you are depressed. Thatโs not a joke or a dig. Every character in the show is dealing with depression in some way and until youโve dealt with something similar itโs hard to sympathize with all of them
That's interesting because I found myself enjoying it much more the second time around. Or, at least once I figured out the plot truly doesn't matter as much as the characters themselves. Being able to focus much more on character development and dialogue without wondering WTF is going on the whole time made it a much more enjoyable show for me.
I have to disagree I think rewatches of Eva is a lot better because you start to notice more things after you realize what the show was about and all the other little details.
Pretty much other shows like Utena and Madoka have deconstructed their genres while still having characters I can actually like and get invested in and I love those. EVA I get what they were going for with most of them but goddamn I just, I don't like most of the cast and that makes it hard to really care about all their struggles.
Iv rewatched it a few times and nope still end up thinking most of the cast ranges from unlikable to worse: boring.
For me, it is Gurren Lagann over Evangelion. Gurren Lagann is a fun show that is enjoyable on rewatches as it fully embraces the over the top energy. Evangelion, on the other hand, really isnโt great on a re-watch. Personally, I think it has a lot to do with how depressing a lot of the characters are and how it relies on big reveals that don't have the same pay off when you already know what they are and when they will happen.
As for what I'd rate them, it would be Gurren Lagann as a 7.5/10. It is a fun romp that I would recommend people watch even if they aren't mecha fans.
Evangelion is a 6/10. It is an interesting show, but I'd struggle to recommend it to people. It just isn't as accessible as it definitely has a specific viewer in mind on who it is trying to appeal towards.
I feel crazy in this thread bc by comparison, nothing in Gurren feels close to Gundam in plot / vibe / anything, so Iโm quite surprised to see that it appears much more popular. To each their own though.
I can see the appeal of Gurren Lagan but it isnโt for me - the existential dilemmas, bureaucratic governments, and emotional payoff I get from Eva are very in line with what I love about a lot of the Gundam series. I donโt really get any of that from Gurren.
Evangelion. Itโs gorgeous, powerful, thoughtful, somber, and I even love the ending (obviously EoE is great, but I mean I even love the showโs ending). Itโs basically the answer to what if Childhoodโs End were adapted into a therapy session haha
Havenโt watched far into Gurren Lagann though. The hyperactive tone just doesnโt gel with me. I donโt have any outright criticism of it, but the vibe just isnโt my thing, I also couldnโt finish Kill La Kill for basically the exact same reasons.
I found Evangelion more challenging and layered. Itโs still the gold standard for nuance in character development. Itโs definitely up itโs own ass at times, but the controversy it generates speaks for itself. Eva gives you a lot to chew on, to where you can revisit it years later and find yourself with a different perspective on it.
By contrast I think Gurren Lagaan is solid, top tier anime thatโs just less challenging and thus a little less interesting to me.
That said, both are 100% worth watching.
Eva is ass and gets used to shit on gundam and other mecha by people who haven't seen them. Gurren Lagann is actually entertaining and has an uplifting central theme
Eva is so often described by non mecha viewers as such,"it's good because it's about the characters, not the mechs." Anybody who unironically thinks this has never watched Gundam. It is absolutely infuriating to no end.
When I was a kid I felt like I liked Eva because wow symbolism. Wow it's so deep. Wow my teenage angst. Now that I'm older I realized that the parts I loved about Eva was the monster of the week format mixed in with some slice of life and some relatable themes. All this plus there was an undertone that the adults were hiding something sinister. It turns out the adults should have kept hiding it because the reveal truly was ass.
I stopped 5 or 6 episodes away from the end because i just could not bring myself to care. Maybe one day i'll go back to it but at the time i did not like it at all. On the other hand i love Gurren Lagann.
Your time is better spent watching TTGL again. I finally got around to watching all the Eva movies since they finally released the last one. It was not a good time. I watched TTGL again to scratch my nostalgia itch and it was a blast. Definitely hit different than I remember.
I actually agree and this hurts me to say because for the longest of time I used to say I liked the rebuilds more then the main show. My reasoning was while I liked the characters of the show the plot was just straight ass and I was a depressed themes so all the symbolism and weird camera shit fell flat for me.
So when I got to the rebuilds and saw them I was happy to have a more streamlined story with a lot less weird shit going on. THEN 3.0 came out and...yea that changed everything. Suddenly things are not making sense again and shit is just happening for no reason. Then 4.0 comes out and...to me it felt like watching Rise of Skywalker...nothing makes sense and things are happening too damn fast.
So yea totally agree with your take.
I love both series' a lot but what drives me to eva more than gundam is my own connection to the characters, many of their own traumas and their difficulties in dealing with it.
I personally haven't had a connection anywhere close to that in the gundam series' ive watched so far (being '79, Zeta, CCA, 08th MS Team, Wing, 00, iBO, GWitch). The stories just never connected with me the same way Eva did. Only one that came close was 8th ms team.
Totally get what you're saying, I think Eva and Gundam are different enough that it's unfair to use one to judge the other. I think they're both beautiful for different reasons.
GL, mostly because to me, it got the mecha genre out of the deep, dark pit that Evangelion put it in for years; stories started getting more optimistic again.
I mean, Eva saved anime as a whole, so without Eva GL wouldn't even exist lol. Publishers deciding to focus on more serious stories instead of childish ones was great for anime
Oh I agree, Eva was the proverbial "shot in the arm" that the genre needed, but it brought on a decade of mecha stories that either ended tragic or bittersweet, usually with themes that trampled on idealism. The few that had "good" endings were made with pretty flimsy storytelling that was held together by plot armor and willing suspension of disbelief. GL reminded us that stories can be both serious and optimistic, even if not all can make the formula work.
Gurren Lagann because I cannot STAND Evangelion. I just cannot connect to any of the characters in E, especially not sex pest Shinji who spends 90% of the show whining and crying, and it doesnโt feel earned. When Amuro gets in moods itโs because he spent three straight days doing nothing but defending White Base and nearly dying, with Shinji itโs because he woke up that morning. The MCs in GL even step up and do what must be done. I get that the point of Evangelion is that everyone sucks and has flaws, but everyoneโs flaws are so exaggerated and insufferable that I only ever liked Asuka and would root for the Angels in fights
Gurren Lagann was just so good and, to be honest, just made more sense to me. As a 46 year old laser engineering technician, Evangelion still makes no sense to meโฆ
Both have their merits. I think Gurren Lagann has a better story and characters though.
Then again I haven't seen the new Eva movies to see how they adjusted things. And honestly I've heard nothing but good things about them.
Neither, and not gonna lie; some of the deconstruction tropes 'reinvented' by Evangelion was done before by original Gundam shows (specifically 0079 and Zeta), where focuses emplaced on what it was meant to be human was already explored before by Yoshiyuki Tomino. The whole NEWTYPE concept was built upon this focus, hence what made Gundam genre defining not only from the aspect of them presenting realistic mecha and conflict, but also in the exploration of humanity as a whole, and its transcendence.
They asked an either or question,if you canโt choose one why comment? We all love Gundam here and so itโs kinda pointless to try selling us on why Gundam is โsuperiorโ when weโre already sold on it. Like trying to convince a car enthusiast that they need to stick to cars when they ask if it is better to ride a horse or a donkey.
Gurren by a long shot.
I'm gonna get lynched for saying this, I watched Evangelion about 3-4 years ago. It felt like I'm watching a poorly written story, which was poorly executed as well.
"ItS AbOuT MenTAL HEalTH and DePresSiOn" yeah, a premise that has no idea where it was trying to go halfway through the show, which ends up in a clusterfuck ending that makes viewers go "Huh?".
Damn, Im so glad to hear my thoughts on Eva echoed. The show does nothing meaningful with its mental health 'themes'. It feels more like misery porn than actual analysis or discussion of how people can be affected in such varied ways by trauma, or trying to present a reasonable idea of support or reconciliation for its audience.
I mean i think the original ending was supposed to be about Support and reconciliation didn't execute it too well but it was there. Annndd then End of EVA just went no fuck that. all is hopeless misery porn up to 11.
That's a great way of summing it up.
Evangelion is entirely up its own ass. It has very good themes/premise but hidekki anno is a terrible writer.
I personally think it speaks volumes that fans love the show's two female leads which he intentionally wrote to be offputting but failed at. And it's funny just how many people love Eba but apparently do not get what Eva is even suppose to be about (Anno famously hates his own fans) because he has no clue how to write an ending that isn't just pure incomprehensible navel gazing.
Eva , i jus simply do't vive with how dumb over the top the figths get at the end of season 2 and the story takes itself to seriouously for how shalow it is, everything abouth Viral is cool tho
Eva is fantastic, but also a little too heavy to rewatch too often. I think Iโve only seen it about 3 times over the years.
Gurren is also fantastic and the tone is obviously a lot more positive and fun oriented. I could watch it at any point without trouble because it hits all the right dopamine marks.
Love em both, but prefer Gurren Lagan, even though Eva is clearly the one with more depth (and is arguably more of a masterpiece).
Both have their merits.
If forced to choose probably Evangelion if you include End of Evangelion. I was never a fan of the series by itself because of the lack of a true ending.
Gurren Lagann is a very slow burn in the first half and fire in the 2nd. Evangelion was opposite. Fire first half and sizzled out the 2nd. I donโt see why people gush over it so much.
Evangelion. I discovered it as a kid and got emotionally attached to it. Loved every bit of it, helped me through a difficult couple of years as a teenโฆeven if the first time i saw it was confusing AFโฆ.then the rebuild movies a few years agoโฆthe perfect reboot/epilogue to a saga thatโll be always in my heart. Iโm curious about GL too though, is it any good?
I might get crucified for this, but Eva bored me while Gurren Lagann got me glued to the screen. Idk why. Maybe I just like the more optimistic themes of Gurren Lagann.
I liked Eva more as a part of an SRW game.
They are SO different.
The only thing in common is the protagonist, young protag with godlike insecurity/inferiority/trauma levels, and the support circles that they have, for the best or the worst.
But the way they tell each story are like day and night.
Gurren Lagann talks about doing the impossible, going forward, never surrender and always having hope and confidence in yourself, in those close around you, and that things will be better.
Evangelion is nihilistic and personal, with characters very flawled and a thematic centric around the personal hells of people/individuals, and its ways of working and coming to accept and live with them (or not).
Personally, I prefer the more optimistic story of Gurren Lagann, albeit I don't like some oversexualised characters.
Evangelion is like a big mess to me, not for the story per se and the different series and movies, but for the way the story is told in the Rebuild movies, it's like very chaotic and rushed.
But hey, at the end of thing, gotta love them both.
Personally I can't stand the Eva tv series (movies paid off the TV series' poor ending) so I'll always roll with Gurren Lagann first time everytime. I haven't watched it since the original run so now I've got something to binge with the wife again.
I love both. I could not choose between any of those series. Evangelion tells something about the suffering that every human being experiences and Gurren Lagann tells how to deal with it.
Evangelion -> Gurren Lagann probably the best watch order.
I once saw a yt video titled "how Gurren Lagann answers Evangelion" kinda sums up the deal between those two. They're from the same studio after all
Iโve always felt Gurren Lagann is a Studio Trigger production since a lot of the staff moved there. It was the twilight of Gainax.
Yeah, I feel the same, I was shocked when I learnt it wasn't Trigger.
GL basically birthed Trigger, iirc
No, it's Panty & Stockings, the guy directed both GL and PS and when it came to propose a second season for PS, Gainax wanted to take a direction no one on the team agreed to, so they left. However, GL was a lot more successful than PS, so they kept the recipe of GL to have immediate success. But they used this recipe a bit too much and now it fell out of fashion and Trigger does trash OG animes but are wonderful as an animation studio.
trash OG animes? O.o we must not be talking about the same studio trigger.
I'm might be overreacting a bit, but I think copy pasting the same ending again and again and again doesn't help on the storytelling side.
Can agree on this, but I've definitely rewatched Gurren Lagann more than Eva, the payoff in the end is just so much better with Gurren, especially if you just watch the two movies, so much hype.
Put FLCL in the middle.
I disagree as I think Gurren Lagann would be a much easier entry point for new anime watchers
I'd say Nadia: Secret of Blue Water is the best place to start before Evangelion. Nadia is a great adventure tale with lots of lighthearted moments, plus Evangelion was going to be a sequel to Nadia.
Hold on a minute WHAT???
Yes! The Angels were originally going to be >!the Adams originating from the 16 spheres that were ejected from the Red Noah when it exploded. This explosion would have caused an event called the Dead Sea Evaporation Incident, which later became the Second Impact.!< However, Anno was forced to rework this idea into Evangelion when NHK wouldn't give Gainax the rights to Nadia. This isn't to mention that Shinji is a male Nadia by face structure.
This movie slipped under my radar thx for mentioning it
SEELE had a very specific plan on how to deal with all of human suffering.
Fr I love both to bits
RO RO FITE THE POWAH
Watchew gona doo wen sumbody ??? Brak a mov an yoo sea it threw
RO RO FITE THE POWAH
๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐ข๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ด, ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ข๐ฉ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ / ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ / ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐จ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ / ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐บ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ
Diggin to the core to see the light Let's get outta here babe That's the way to survive
Top of the head, I'm on the set. Do the impossible! Thought chu wan' bet!
Although imagine Simon the Digger listening to these two songs: [Sakura Nagashi](https://youtu.be/7SeiwBKuFNA) and [One Last Kiss](https://youtu.be/0Uhh62MUEic). Itโs will give him melancholy, butterflies in the stomach, and hope.
Do the impossible, touch the untouchable!
Evangelion was good, but Gurren Lagann, I don't know if it was just the timing or what, but that had a huge emotional impact on me. I started that series knowing next to nothing about it aside from "Ohh, so this is the show the bikini girl with the big sniper rifle is from!" I had such a great nostalgia blast starting it off. But then they pulled the rug out from under me 4-5 times and I love that but it stirred me up. Then my brother started it (without any prompting from me)... I still remember being in my room on the computer and him telling me about this show (Gurren Lagann) he'd started and how much he was loving it. I thought, "He must not be that far into it" and ask him where he's at and he lets me know that he's pretty much not to *\*that point\** yet. I grinned like the evil brother I am and was relishing the opportunity to see his reaction in real time, and then he drained all the blood from my body with what he said next: "I really like Kamina, he reminds me of my friend Seth and Simon reminds me of me and how we got along." His friend Seth had passed away in an accident a few years before and it was a hard loss to take for him. I haven't felt such dread before about someone watching an animated show. I debated saying anything and ended up texting him on my way to work that night that "You should *probably* not continue to watch Gurren Lagann bud." He did anyways and later texted me about him jokingly throwing the dog at the television (no dogs were thrown). I don't know how he ultimately handled it because I wasn't there and he wasn't very forthcoming with me about it later so maybe he was okay, but still, that punched me right in the feels because I remembered how *I* handled it, and I wasn't the one associating Kamina with a deceased dear friend. Anyhow, thanks for reading all this if you did.
I can only imagine, but the "you've grown taller than me now" scene towards the end must have hit pretty hard. Hope he's doing well!
Wow that's tough.
Haven't seen Eva yet, but hot damn is Gurren Lagann a banger. I do not regret spending all that money on the damned Aniplex Blu-Rays (fuck Aniplex's pricing, Kill la Kill was 130 bucks and this one was 140)
Thatโs some bullshit!
Aniplex is notorious for making their Blu-Rays overpriced. At the very least, the audio and video are always superb and they come in very nice cases.
It could be worse, a lot worse, compared to Japanese anime pricing at least.
Yep, having a 24 episode series split into six releases is insane. I think the logic of the Aniplex shows being at that price is that it's about the same price as each of those individual releases together.
Gurren Lagann
You don't have to believe in Gurren Lagann just believe in the me that believes in the you that believes in Gurren Lagann. Best Shonen dialogue of all time in my opinion.
I actually agree. This dumb little way of approaching being scared or doubt is actually extremely poignant I think.
Gurren Lagann is my favourite shonen series just because the shorter length makes the payoff and hype so much greater.
Gurren
Both are the same in that they both center around a young man coming of age in a confusing and complicated world. Both do a great job way of playing it all out as well. However, the tones are each just so different, itโs difficult to compare them for me. Gurren is classic shonen, and embraces it fully, while Eva is very emotional and deliberate.
I don't know, I feel like in the arc >!after Kamina's death!< Gurren shows what it could have been like if the people around Shinji cared more about him as anything other than an Eva pilot (Or conversely if Shinji had realised that the people around him cared about him without having to end the world to figure it out.)
Gurren Lagann.
Choosing between "Pierce the Heavens" and "Dammit Shinji" Going with Gurren Lagann
Row row fight da powa
Although I really enjoy Eva, but gurren lagann is the GOAT
Gurren Lagann, KICK LOGIC OUT AND DO THE IMPOSSIBLE
Gurren Lagann, I don't like Evangelion at all
Could not have picked a more apples to oranges question. I love both for different reasons. If you're asking about mech design, I prefer eva. If you're asking about plot/characters I prefer guren. Music is a bit of a toss-up.
Gurren Lagann has no equal , be it on land or in the sky !
Tell that to the Japanese. Evangelion also exponentially went out of scale.
Well let's be honest the Japanese anime fans have very different taste then American fans. Cowboy Bebop was huge here in the states compared to when it it aired in Japan and Big I was such a success here in America they created a second season. But it barely made a blip in Japan. And outside of anime in Japan Carranger was a huge hit the reinvigorated the Super Sentai series while Power Rangers Turbo was damn near the down fall of the series in the states and probably still amongst the least liked. So yeah our tastes tend to be much different.
tell them what? it's even hard to compare those two given they don't want to convey the same thing. And haven't found something similar to TTGL . Perhaps the last episodes of Gunbuster and Getter Robo perhaps , haven't read much yet Evangelion is okay but the fact it goes with like 2-3 separates movies in their own ending + the manga with his own ending + another remake series isn't great tbh. TTGL stands on its own without any sequel or remakes, only movies that changed minor details and added heckton of visual and actions and mechs and thats it
the rebuild series is phenomenal what are you smoking? Two very different series can both be excellent at what they were trying to accomplish. The original Evangelion series, even ignoring End of Evangelion is a top-tier anime that simply ran out of budget. But it literally single-handedly saved anime, without Eva you wouldn't have TTGL
Gurren
Both are pretty good but I like evangelion more.
This is most correct response. Evangelion is more consistently better than Gurren Lagann. I think everybody is forgetting how mid the 2nd half of Gurren Lagann is.
I'm a Gurren Lagann fan who just started Gundam. I also like Evangelion but it just lacks those gigantic drills.
Getter Robo
๐๐ผThis person Getter CHANGE!
Instead of believing in yourself or someone else, i chose to believe in getter!!!
Gurren.
Gurren lagann
My son's middle name is Kamina. You tell me.
Evangelion, for mental and emotional reasons.
I also chose this guy's dead wife.
and this guy's emotionally damaged teammate
First watch-Eva(this includes the anime and movies) Rewatching-Gurren
I'd pick gurren lagann over Eva personally. Although my fave gundam show is G Gundam is it kinda tracks ...
If I wanted a reflection of anxiety, depression, self-loathing and unabated horniness, Iโd look in a mirror. Gurren Lagann all the way.
Eva = GOAT, thereโs not even a question about that.
Option 3) "The Big 'O,' motherfucker" - Sam Jackson
Gurren because u see the characters grow up while in Eva they stay the same for decades
Gurren Lagann is my favorite
This is a weird thing to choose between tbh.
Digimon Tamers
That one actually got pretty dark for a kids show at certain moments. Still one of my favorites.
Terriermon is such a great design.
Momentai!
Gurren Lagann is Getter Robo at home Eva is depressed Iโll take Gunbuster
Gunbuster fan? Truly a man of culture.
Gurren Lagann. It very inspiring, it's the reason I graduated highschool and got a job lol
Gurten Lagann. Evangelion is good but I find it over hyped tbh, but I am an idiot so most fans say I just donโt understand it.
I like bothโฆalthough I would actually choose to watch Gurren Lagann more than once over Evangelion Gurren Lagann is over the top funโฆand Evangelion is extremely emotional and slightly fucked up I would rather watch Simon over Shinji
i like both - but for different reasons Eva made the idea of organic mecha (and giant mecha in general) a lot more mainstream. It also has some interesting character exploration, and in the newer movies some spiffy world-buidling. TTGL is just balls to the wall awesome and insane.
Iโve watched both. Both series are fantastic, but I just canโt help loving Gurren Lagann. Itโs my favorite anime of all time. Itโs just so uplifting and bright, it makes me just so happy to think of
TENGEN TOPPA...GURREN LAGANN. ORE WO DARE DA TO OMOTTE YAGERU!
WHO IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM? I very much love Gurren Lagann compared to evangelion. I also like the philosophy of the show better. However, I don't know if it aligns with the Gundam anti-war type thing. It's all about believing in yourself and relying on the people around you when you're at your lowest. As well as Fibonacci sequence being in all parts of math down to helical DNA and how people advance.. All sorts of really interesting philosophical points. I could talk for days about it, but in general i don't know if it necessarily aligns with Gundam properties. Morally. Not to mention the plot and overall message of the show actually makes sense. And isn't constantly confusing. However, Turn A gundam basically proves that gurren lagann could happen in the gundam timeline!
Evangelion
Evangelion
Eva, I like that the Evaโs arenโt the main focus and itโs more psychological. Amazing series
Gurren. Evangelion never really did it for me, though I do appreciate the recent films acting as in part as a reaction to the reception of the original run.
Eva.
My favorite Gainax mecha anime is Gunbuster! Prolly Evangelion between the two tho
Definitely Evangelion
it's hard to compare these two imo since they're two such completely different vibes. I love both for different reasons cause eva had so many scenes that feel so powerful (and also the EVA's and angels are really cool) but also man there's almost nothing that can get you as hyped as almost any moment in gurren lagann
Eva is a good psychological story. Gurren is just fun to watch.
I wish I saw Gurren Lagann when I was still a kid. No doubt it would have been my favorite show. But watching it as an adult I think I was really able to appreciate it in a special way. Definitely highly rated and one I would recommend to anyone. Eva on the other hand, I personally whole heartedly believe the best time to watch it is when you are depressed. Thatโs not a joke or a dig. Every character in the show is dealing with depression in some way and until youโve dealt with something similar itโs hard to sympathize with all of them
Who the hell do you think I am! Gurrem Lagan not even a contest!
I have to hand to to Gurren Lagann, purely for being so much fun to watch.
GL
Gaogaigar
Could've asked between Robotech and Super Dimension Fortress Macross
Evangelion was Anno's pessimism, Gurren Lagann was a renewed optimism. For that, I gotta say... ROW ROW! FIGHT THE POWAH!
Eva because it feels like an even more real Gundam in how the characters interact.
Oooh that's a tough one, but probably Eva
TTGL, Eva isn't really as good on subsequent rewatches and I'm not particularly emotional about anybody from the cast
That's interesting because I found myself enjoying it much more the second time around. Or, at least once I figured out the plot truly doesn't matter as much as the characters themselves. Being able to focus much more on character development and dialogue without wondering WTF is going on the whole time made it a much more enjoyable show for me.
I have to disagree I think rewatches of Eva is a lot better because you start to notice more things after you realize what the show was about and all the other little details.
Pretty much other shows like Utena and Madoka have deconstructed their genres while still having characters I can actually like and get invested in and I love those. EVA I get what they were going for with most of them but goddamn I just, I don't like most of the cast and that makes it hard to really care about all their struggles. Iv rewatched it a few times and nope still end up thinking most of the cast ranges from unlikable to worse: boring.
Evangelion. Not really a fan of Gurren-Lagann's tone.
For me, it is Gurren Lagann over Evangelion. Gurren Lagann is a fun show that is enjoyable on rewatches as it fully embraces the over the top energy. Evangelion, on the other hand, really isnโt great on a re-watch. Personally, I think it has a lot to do with how depressing a lot of the characters are and how it relies on big reveals that don't have the same pay off when you already know what they are and when they will happen. As for what I'd rate them, it would be Gurren Lagann as a 7.5/10. It is a fun romp that I would recommend people watch even if they aren't mecha fans. Evangelion is a 6/10. It is an interesting show, but I'd struggle to recommend it to people. It just isn't as accessible as it definitely has a specific viewer in mind on who it is trying to appeal towards.
Eva and it's not even close
I feel crazy in this thread bc by comparison, nothing in Gurren feels close to Gundam in plot / vibe / anything, so Iโm quite surprised to see that it appears much more popular. To each their own though.
There's nothing in Gurren that's close to anything to Gundam, and personally, there's nothing in Gurren that's good either.
I can see the appeal of Gurren Lagan but it isnโt for me - the existential dilemmas, bureaucratic governments, and emotional payoff I get from Eva are very in line with what I love about a lot of the Gundam series. I donโt really get any of that from Gurren.
Evangelion. Itโs gorgeous, powerful, thoughtful, somber, and I even love the ending (obviously EoE is great, but I mean I even love the showโs ending). Itโs basically the answer to what if Childhoodโs End were adapted into a therapy session haha Havenโt watched far into Gurren Lagann though. The hyperactive tone just doesnโt gel with me. I donโt have any outright criticism of it, but the vibe just isnโt my thing, I also couldnโt finish Kill La Kill for basically the exact same reasons.
1 is Mecha and fan service while the other is a does depressing takes on philosophical ideas. Iโll take the fan service
I found Evangelion more challenging and layered. Itโs still the gold standard for nuance in character development. Itโs definitely up itโs own ass at times, but the controversy it generates speaks for itself. Eva gives you a lot to chew on, to where you can revisit it years later and find yourself with a different perspective on it. By contrast I think Gurren Lagaan is solid, top tier anime thatโs just less challenging and thus a little less interesting to me. That said, both are 100% worth watching.
Lagann good. GELION masterpiece.
Gurren because it has the better red haired waifu
Eva. It feels like a full substantial meal. Gurren is like a microwave tv dinner.
Eva is ass and gets used to shit on gundam and other mecha by people who haven't seen them. Gurren Lagann is actually entertaining and has an uplifting central theme
Eva is so often described by non mecha viewers as such,"it's good because it's about the characters, not the mechs." Anybody who unironically thinks this has never watched Gundam. It is absolutely infuriating to no end.
I will say I was guilty of this until I reconnected with Gundam this last year and found it has great character depth.
When I was a kid I felt like I liked Eva because wow symbolism. Wow it's so deep. Wow my teenage angst. Now that I'm older I realized that the parts I loved about Eva was the monster of the week format mixed in with some slice of life and some relatable themes. All this plus there was an undertone that the adults were hiding something sinister. It turns out the adults should have kept hiding it because the reveal truly was ass.
I stopped 5 or 6 episodes away from the end because i just could not bring myself to care. Maybe one day i'll go back to it but at the time i did not like it at all. On the other hand i love Gurren Lagann.
Your time is better spent watching TTGL again. I finally got around to watching all the Eva movies since they finally released the last one. It was not a good time. I watched TTGL again to scratch my nostalgia itch and it was a blast. Definitely hit different than I remember.
I actually agree and this hurts me to say because for the longest of time I used to say I liked the rebuilds more then the main show. My reasoning was while I liked the characters of the show the plot was just straight ass and I was a depressed themes so all the symbolism and weird camera shit fell flat for me. So when I got to the rebuilds and saw them I was happy to have a more streamlined story with a lot less weird shit going on. THEN 3.0 came out and...yea that changed everything. Suddenly things are not making sense again and shit is just happening for no reason. Then 4.0 comes out and...to me it felt like watching Rise of Skywalker...nothing makes sense and things are happening too damn fast. So yea totally agree with your take.
I love both series' a lot but what drives me to eva more than gundam is my own connection to the characters, many of their own traumas and their difficulties in dealing with it. I personally haven't had a connection anywhere close to that in the gundam series' ive watched so far (being '79, Zeta, CCA, 08th MS Team, Wing, 00, iBO, GWitch). The stories just never connected with me the same way Eva did. Only one that came close was 8th ms team. Totally get what you're saying, I think Eva and Gundam are different enough that it's unfair to use one to judge the other. I think they're both beautiful for different reasons.
GL 100 percent
Gurren personally
Yes
Gurren for sure but Gurren is the Hot Fuzz if big robot anime.
Misato best girl
Love both, but prefer Gurren Lagann myself
None of the option but I gravitate towards magical so Magic Knight Rayearth.
GL, mostly because to me, it got the mecha genre out of the deep, dark pit that Evangelion put it in for years; stories started getting more optimistic again.
I mean, Eva saved anime as a whole, so without Eva GL wouldn't even exist lol. Publishers deciding to focus on more serious stories instead of childish ones was great for anime
Oh I agree, Eva was the proverbial "shot in the arm" that the genre needed, but it brought on a decade of mecha stories that either ended tragic or bittersweet, usually with themes that trampled on idealism. The few that had "good" endings were made with pretty flimsy storytelling that was held together by plot armor and willing suspension of disbelief. GL reminded us that stories can be both serious and optimistic, even if not all can make the formula work.
Gurren Lagann is one of if not my favorite series of all time, Eva sure does exist
"Super galaxy, gurren lagann!!! We're gonna show you the power of the human race!"
I like Gurren Lagann more then Gundam ๐๐๐ญ
Gurren Lagann because I cannot STAND Evangelion. I just cannot connect to any of the characters in E, especially not sex pest Shinji who spends 90% of the show whining and crying, and it doesnโt feel earned. When Amuro gets in moods itโs because he spent three straight days doing nothing but defending White Base and nearly dying, with Shinji itโs because he woke up that morning. The MCs in GL even step up and do what must be done. I get that the point of Evangelion is that everyone sucks and has flaws, but everyoneโs flaws are so exaggerated and insufferable that I only ever liked Asuka and would root for the Angels in fights
I'll go with Gurren Lagann, I don't fap in hospitals.
The correct answer is Gurren Lagann.
LETS SEE YOU GRIT THOSE TEETH
Gurren Lagann was just so good and, to be honest, just made more sense to me. As a 46 year old laser engineering technician, Evangelion still makes no sense to meโฆ
Code Geass
I like them both but for different reasons
Gurren. Admittedly have never seen Eva.
Love both, but I prefer Eva.
Big O
Gurren is made for chads of course I'd pick it.
Both have their merits. I think Gurren Lagann has a better story and characters though. Then again I haven't seen the new Eva movies to see how they adjusted things. And honestly I've heard nothing but good things about them.
Gurren Laggan, it's silly, well written, and doesn't require a college thesis to understand the ending
Neither, and not gonna lie; some of the deconstruction tropes 'reinvented' by Evangelion was done before by original Gundam shows (specifically 0079 and Zeta), where focuses emplaced on what it was meant to be human was already explored before by Yoshiyuki Tomino. The whole NEWTYPE concept was built upon this focus, hence what made Gundam genre defining not only from the aspect of them presenting realistic mecha and conflict, but also in the exploration of humanity as a whole, and its transcendence.
Have you seen Victory gundam? Cause if thereโs any gundam thing Evangelion is getting credit over itโs Victory.
They asked an either or question,if you canโt choose one why comment? We all love Gundam here and so itโs kinda pointless to try selling us on why Gundam is โsuperiorโ when weโre already sold on it. Like trying to convince a car enthusiast that they need to stick to cars when they ask if it is better to ride a horse or a donkey.
Regardless of what the thread is about, I'm still obliged to outline my opinion on Evangelion since that show is mentioned here.
Gurren by a long shot. I'm gonna get lynched for saying this, I watched Evangelion about 3-4 years ago. It felt like I'm watching a poorly written story, which was poorly executed as well. "ItS AbOuT MenTAL HEalTH and DePresSiOn" yeah, a premise that has no idea where it was trying to go halfway through the show, which ends up in a clusterfuck ending that makes viewers go "Huh?".
Damn, Im so glad to hear my thoughts on Eva echoed. The show does nothing meaningful with its mental health 'themes'. It feels more like misery porn than actual analysis or discussion of how people can be affected in such varied ways by trauma, or trying to present a reasonable idea of support or reconciliation for its audience.
I mean i think the original ending was supposed to be about Support and reconciliation didn't execute it too well but it was there. Annndd then End of EVA just went no fuck that. all is hopeless misery porn up to 11.
That's a great way of summing it up. Evangelion is entirely up its own ass. It has very good themes/premise but hidekki anno is a terrible writer. I personally think it speaks volumes that fans love the show's two female leads which he intentionally wrote to be offputting but failed at. And it's funny just how many people love Eba but apparently do not get what Eva is even suppose to be about (Anno famously hates his own fans) because he has no clue how to write an ending that isn't just pure incomprehensible navel gazing.
I dislike them both equally. I don't like the mech designs so I get hung up there.
Does it not help that one of the Mechs is a [banana](https://randomc.net/image/Gurren%20Lagann/Gurren%20Lagann%20-%2007%20-%2020.jpg) ๐?
Underrated comment
EVA. Never managed to enjoy watching Gurren at all, despite trying. Besides, the ending just made me dislike it even further.
Eva , i jus simply do't vive with how dumb over the top the figths get at the end of season 2 and the story takes itself to seriouously for how shalow it is, everything abouth Viral is cool tho
Eva and it's not even close. One is actually good anime
Gurren Lagann. Like, by a mile. Lagann is one of my favorite anime period. Evangelion is highly overrated and in my opinion not very good.
Depends of the day
Both are good but I prefer Nadesico over both
I like Eva more but i wouldnโt say I like it better than Gurren. Itโs really an apples/oranges kinda thing.
Eva cause I haven't seen Gurren
Very different vibe. Curren Lagan is the palette cleanser after Evangelion IMO. Love them both for different reasons.
Eva is fantastic, but also a little too heavy to rewatch too often. I think Iโve only seen it about 3 times over the years. Gurren is also fantastic and the tone is obviously a lot more positive and fun oriented. I could watch it at any point without trouble because it hits all the right dopamine marks. Love em both, but prefer Gurren Lagan, even though Eva is clearly the one with more depth (and is arguably more of a masterpiece).
Both have their merits. If forced to choose probably Evangelion if you include End of Evangelion. I was never a fan of the series by itself because of the lack of a true ending.
Gurren Lagann is a very slow burn in the first half and fire in the 2nd. Evangelion was opposite. Fire first half and sizzled out the 2nd. I donโt see why people gush over it so much.
Neither.
Itโs no contest for me. Evangelion.
Evangelion. I discovered it as a kid and got emotionally attached to it. Loved every bit of it, helped me through a difficult couple of years as a teenโฆeven if the first time i saw it was confusing AFโฆ.then the rebuild movies a few years agoโฆthe perfect reboot/epilogue to a saga thatโll be always in my heart. Iโm curious about GL too though, is it any good?
I might get crucified for this, but Eva bored me while Gurren Lagann got me glued to the screen. Idk why. Maybe I just like the more optimistic themes of Gurren Lagann. I liked Eva more as a part of an SRW game.
I like Gurren Lagann way more and it's not even close. I honestly believe Eva is overrated.
Gurren. Always. EVA series ending - I just wanted a fucking fight scene.
Evangelion. I like any mech series that seem the most realistic.
Gurren Lagann. Even the 2-3 episode stretch where Simon was grieving gave me Shinji PTSD. No emotions/human condition bs in my giant Mecha anime.
Welp, have fun watching Gundam Wing and only Gundam Wing.
What about G Gundam? The Thunderbolt series? Love MSG(Though Amuro was not piloting the Gundam every week. Stayed for the slaps and headshots.
Really hard to choose since i love both but maybe Eva a little bit more xd
They are SO different. The only thing in common is the protagonist, young protag with godlike insecurity/inferiority/trauma levels, and the support circles that they have, for the best or the worst. But the way they tell each story are like day and night. Gurren Lagann talks about doing the impossible, going forward, never surrender and always having hope and confidence in yourself, in those close around you, and that things will be better. Evangelion is nihilistic and personal, with characters very flawled and a thematic centric around the personal hells of people/individuals, and its ways of working and coming to accept and live with them (or not). Personally, I prefer the more optimistic story of Gurren Lagann, albeit I don't like some oversexualised characters. Evangelion is like a big mess to me, not for the story per se and the different series and movies, but for the way the story is told in the Rebuild movies, it's like very chaotic and rushed. But hey, at the end of thing, gotta love them both.
Both is good. Despite their differences, each show has the same message: to fight on even if the stacks are against you.
Space runaway ideon. And cant choose betwen those 2
Mazinger
I dislike evangelion, but ttgl is my favorite anime
No contest, my fav is Gurren Lagann. Evangelion completely disappointed me in the end.
Unpopular opinion I think theyโre both overrated. Not saying that their bad, but after watching both, just not for me.
Eva is the show you want when youโre a teenager. Gurren Lagann is the show you want when youโre 20.
Personally I can't stand the Eva tv series (movies paid off the TV series' poor ending) so I'll always roll with Gurren Lagann first time everytime. I haven't watched it since the original run so now I've got something to binge with the wife again.
They're both "ok"
Gurren lagann because simon stops being a fuckin bitch and gurren lagann is cooler than anorexic """"robots""""