Review by Scott

July 29, 2007

Having just barely managed to escape Teppelin's shedding of its outer shell, the Great Gurren Brigade and her allies look back to see that the entire city is actually a massive Gunmen. To their further shock, Dai-Gurren reads an energy signal at Teppelin's center which reads exactly like Gurren-Lagann. Hearing this, Simon flies up through the clouds for a better look. On Teppelin's highest tower, he sees the Helix King's throne. Simon sends Gurren-Lagann diving toward the Helix King, but Teppelin's huge hand shoots up through the clouds and flicks Gurren-Lagann away. Fortunately, Gurren-Lagann is caught by Dai-Gurren before it can get too far. As the brigade tries to formulate a plan, Nia comes onto the bridge and asks Simon to take her to talk to her father. Rossiu protests that it won't be that easy to approach him, and instead suggests that they attempt a ranged attack first. Simon and Leeron overrule him, however and Old Coco opens a hatch to allow Nia to join Simon in Lagann's cockpit. Kittan and the other pilots also pop up, also wanting a shot at the Helix King, but Dayakka reports that Teppelin is launching a huge number of enemy Gunmen--the approach will not be easy. Looking out over the massive force heading their way, Kiyoh suggests that this many enemies is perfect for showing the power of the Black siblings. Kittan agrees, but informs her that instead of showing the power of the Black siblings, they'll be showing the power of the Great Gurren Brigade. Dayakka tells Simon that the brigade will clear a path for him, and asks that he deliver their share of pain to the Helix King as well. With that, the Great Gurren Brigade and her combined allies launch themselves straight into the breach. After an intense, chaotic battle, Dai-Gurren manages to find an opening and with Gurren-Lagann standing on its nose, plunges forward into it. The Helix King sees them coming, however, and the mallet-like fist of Teppelin comes tearing out of the clouds to meet the trespassers. Not even flinching, the brigade charges straight ahead, smashing Dai-Gurren's knife-like nose into the mallet and simultaneously firing off all its weapons, blowing a hole all the way through to the other side. With the path cleared, they fire off the nose with Gurren-Lagann wielding a giant drill standing on top, riding it all the way into the Helix King's throne room. With Dai-Gurren crippled, the bridge crew decides to detonate the engine room while the crew ejects along with Dai-Gurren's main body. The resulting explosion obliterates Teppelin's arm. Gurren-Lagann looks down at an amused, Helix King, but before they can attack, a new, four-armed Enkidudu attacks them. 

Viral informs Simon that he's a little different today--he's been given a body that can fight on tirelessly forever, beyond the limits of ordinary beastmen. Viral attacks, but despite his new power, Gurren-Lagann near effortlessly fights him off with one arm, eventually shattering his swords and crippling the machine with a single powerful punch, sending Viral flying across the room. The Helix King calls Viral helpless and tells him that the power he gave him is not one for fighting against humans--no beastman can even dream of defeating a human who has the power of the spiral. The reason the Helix King gave Viral a body that will live forever was not so he could fight, but so he could witness this battle and pass the story of the Helix King's victory on for all eternity to ensure that everyone knows that it is meaningless to stand against him. At this point, Nia steps out of Lagann's cockpit and greets her father before asking him why he trapped the humans underground, killing any who come to the surface. The Helix King laughs at her and tells her that ignorance is a thing to be feared. They may think that they are doing the right thing, but in truth, it is the Helix King who is the guardian of mankind--the world he has created is the only kind of world where mankind can survive. But now that they have broken free of that world, they must die for the sake of humanity. Suddenly, a whip-like appendage shoots out of the ground in front of the throne and nearly kills Nia before Gurren-Lagann knocks it away. The Helix King compliments Simon on his spiral power, but proclaims that he will teach them that such power will only lead to their doom--for they are not the only ones with this power. The ground under the throne opens up, revealing a Gurren-Lagann-type mech--the Helix King's personal machine, the Razengan. Promising to show them the true power of the spiral, the Helix King boards Razengan and immediately attacks Gurren-Lagann with such power and ferocity that it is all Simon can do to simply block the worst of the attacks. The Helix King tells Simon that there was once another man who fought like him. Finally managing to get in a hit, which knocks Razengan back slightly, Simon attempts a Giga Drill Breaker, but to his and Rossiu's horror Razengan's lower face catches the drill with its teeth, completely defeating the previously invincible attack. Razengan knocks Gurren-Lagann away and knocks it against the wall. Rossiu begins to panic, believing they have no chance of winning, but Simon tells him to calm down--as a member of the Gurren Brigade, they'll go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb! Simon asks Rossiu to believe in him, who believes in Rossiu! Re-energized, Gurren-Lagann picks itself back up and rushes Razengan. Amused, the Helix King simply has Razengan produce a large drill out of its mid-section, impaling Gurren-Lagann, narrowly missing Rossiu. Unfazed, Rossiu has Gurren grab Razengan and tells Simon to finish it with Lagann while he holds him down. Lagann detaches an shoots into the air, just as Razengan effortlessly knocks Gurren to the ground. Simon sends Lagann screaming down towards Razengan, which catches it with its left hand. Simon attempts to unite with Razengan through its hand, but the Helix King sees what he's trying to do and detonates the arm to protect the rest of the body. Somewhat impressed, the Helix King admits that it wasn't just luck that got them this far, but tells them that this is the end--Lagann has no chance without its body. Simon tells him to shut his mouth--everyone in the brigade believes in him, his brother believed in him, and he believes in himself. And because of that, he will never lose to someone like him! With a sudden surge of power, Lagann produces a huge drill. The Helix King tells him that, in that case, he won't hold back, and transforms Razengan into a massive drill, shattering the walls of the throne room. The two drills meet in a massive display of power, but slowly, Lagann gains the upper hand, and Razengan's drill fractures, allowing Lagann to pierce it up to its mid-section. The Helix King notes that Razengan fails him in the end, jumps out of the cockpit, and walks down to Lagann. To Simon and Nia's horror, he begins to beat Lagann with his bare fists, breaking through Lagann's cockpit walls. Nia winds up falling out of the cockpit, and when she comes to she witnesses a badly beaten Simon in Lagann going toe-to-toe with the Helix King. As Nia, Rossiu, and Viral look on, Simon valiantly tries to fight off the Helix King, but simply can't match his overwhelming power. Seeing Simon in danger, Nia tells him that if belief in him becomes his strength, then she will believe in him with all her heart. Despite this, the Helix King finally manages to rip off Lagann's arms in one last show of power. Defeated, Lagann shuts down as the Helix King tells an utterly exhausted Simon that he hasn't had this much fun in a long time. He grabs the boy by the head, intending to end their battle once and for all, but as he's pulled out of Lagann's cockpit, Simon removes the core drill and then in one quick movement uses it to stab the Helix King in the chest. Simon tells a shocked Helix King that he is the Great Gurren Brigade's leader, Simon the Driller, and if the Helix King is going to become a wall blocking their path, then he will drill and hole in him and blow him apart anytime! With that, he turns the core drill, resulting in a blast of energy which blows a hole straight through the Helix King's chest. As the dust begins to settle, a dying Helix King begins to laugh and weakly tells Simon that once he becomes aware of the burden that goes with his spiral power, he will regret what he has done. The Helix King tells Simon that when one million apes fill the Earth, the moon will become a messenger of hell and will destroy the spiral planet. And with those last words, the Helix King allows him to fall from the tower to his death. Looking over the side, Nia says good bye and tells her father that she will face tomorrow. Apparently dependent on the Helix King's power, Teppelin begins to crumble and the enemy Gunmen lose power. On this, the dawn of the seventh day of the Battle of Teppelin's Capture, the Great Gurren Brigade celebrates as Gurren-Lagann returns to them victorious. 

Wow. That was... impressive to say the least. The animation for this episode is nothing short of drop-dead gorgeous--beyond movie-quality in some cases. The Great Gurren Brigade verses swarms of enemy Gunmen and the incredibly massive city-Gunmen of Teppelin, all leading up to the epic showdown between the Helix King and Simon--a showdown which results in the destruction of both their machines, leading to the Helix King leaving Razengan to physically punch Lagann. And in the end, when Lagann's power fails, Simon delivers the final blow, stabbing the Helix King with his core drill of all things. Most series can only dream of having a conclusion this epic--but there's more to come! This is only the end of the second arc--although what they plan to do to top this I can't even imagine. What lurks on the moon, waiting to wipe out humanity once their population reaches one million? 

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Buy the DVD Subbed (eps 10-18) from DVD Empire

<<back to Gurren-Lagann