Personal Growth in Evangelion and Gurren Lagann
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- Опубликовано: 12 окт 2022
- Neon Genesis Evangelion and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann feel like they should be opposites, but in this epic video essay I try to argue that they are actually cool and chill with each other. Evangelion, despite its bleakness at times, still presents a hopeful message in the end, one that works with many of Gurren Lagann's central themes. This is most clear through the character arcs of Shinji Ikari and Simon, who are some people from an anime idk which one but they're in the thumbnail
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I definitely fell into the "Gurren Lagann is better" camp because it's such an inspirational show told in an incredible way, but you've just showed me what I missed about Eva. Treating them as a pair really does make the message of both stronger. Great video!
glad you got something out of this video! i was also definitely a ttgl > eva guy, but after rewatching eva more recently i've come to appreciate it more. still though, nothing comes close to the inspiration you get from gurren lagann
honestly shinji and simon feel like two sides of the same coin. Shinji is what Simon would have became if he never had the support of the likes of kamina or nia while Simon is someone who Shinji could become if he had people who didn't break any confidence he had in himself.
I love Gurren Lagann and it is a perpetual motivational tool for me.
No other fictional story ever impacted me as much.
I get chills EVERY SINGLE TIME!
fr dude every time i watch that final battle it never gets old
It's funny cause me and my brother both have one of these shows as our favorites and don't like the other as much. I love gurren lagann and he evan. Hes more realistic and I'm more idealistic, But where still best friends. Awsome video, absolutely love it!
v wholesome. glad you liked the video!
In Eva I've seen my depression and walk with it. but in Gurren Lagann it made me feel that there is hope when you believe and strive for it.
Gurren Lagann is about never stop trying.
With each turn of the drill we advance a little further! 🔥
Doesn't mean you'll get there, means you'll never stop trying and advancing.
And of you think about quitting?
Well.. YOU JUST GOTTA GRIT THOSE TEETH!!!
❤️🔥
LOVING YOUR CHANNEL
one other good thing is Kamina's growth, even if he looks like one of the most confident morons to ever exist. He's actually very reasonable but chooses this head-on attittude. Ever since the cave incident where Simon's tenacity saved everyone Kamina decided to be someone worth it of being Simon's big brother, Simon's dream reality may be what would have happened if Kamina chose that "realistic" way, and guess what, Simon chooses to punch it on the face and put his soul/drill into the fight to save Nia
Gurren Lagann is the show I've rewatched the most. I struggle with depressive episodes and the thing that gets me out of it almost every time IS Gurren Lagann. I've failed so many times at so many different things but whats keeps me going IS Gurren Lagann. This show means so much to me. Idk if I would've done certain things If it weren't for the show. I didn't see progress in the gym when for the first 6 months of working out I was on the verge of giving up but then I rewatched GL, reminded myself how I NEED to believe in myself. Now 2 years later, I can deadlift almost 150 kgs at 70kgs bodyweight. My physique is above average. I still listen to sorairo days every time in the gym. Nothing gets me more pumped. This is just one example of many where gurren lagann helped me to believe in myself and progress even if I regress at times to always believe and improve myself.
yeah for a few years now i've basically watched the summary movies once a year and they always get me out of whatever funk i'm in at the time. glad it has helped you out so much as well
I still haven’t seen Eva so the T-posing mech corpses over a blood ocean caught me off guard. I’ve seen the other visuals but that was hilarious.
To me gurren teaches you what a man should be
A little late but, i just watched your Relating to Characters video and thought it helps contextualize more on why people like each of these series. Shinji is a very different character, who for some is difficult to understand and therfore they cannot relate. The series hinges on the thought processes of him and not being able to relate to him will make the rest of the narrative very murky and wont resonate with the message. Gurren Lagan is very on the nose with its messages and is easier to understand. (Eva has direct monologues where they state exactly what someone is thinking however, it is not nearly as clear). Simon has very clear reservations at the beginning that is then chipped away until by the end he is the idealized version of himself. Shinji doesn't get to this point (until maybe arguably in the last rebuild) and so the ending is left vague as to wether Shinji will ever get to that point. You want to relate to Simon and you may not want to relate to Shinji. However, there is value in relating to both as you brought up more in your relating to character’s video. I would also be curious if you thought Shinji in the rebuilds was a good or bad pivot from the original. As he becomes a very different character. Great vids!
very good points here. even though shinji's thoughts are directly stated to the audience i think people who don't relate still find it difficult to even understand fully just because of how internally focused it is, whereas gurren lagann deals with much more straightforward (but still powerful) themes and feelings that can be easily understood by most people
HE JUST LIKE ME!!!
HE JUST LIKE ME FR!!!
If Shinji has a Kamina-like mentor in his life, he will drill through angels
For sure. Misato is the closest thing he has for a mentor figure but obv she has her own issues
BANGER VIDEO, these are my two favorite shows of all time and this was such a cool analysis of both
thanks! really glad you liked the video
I used to think that Gurren was better. But then I actually watched Evangelion.
At first i didnt like it because of its nihlistic attitude, but then I watched it agian after getting older and experiencing the same sense of isolation and hopelessness that the show conveyed.
After watching the series and the rebuild movies, i can actually say i do love eva now just as much as gurren. But reaching this point made me realize how useless the debate between "which is better" really is.
They're two entirely different approaches on how to prtray growth and motivation that as you said, end up complimenting eachother rather than oppose.
counter point: Gurren Lagann is better because beeg robot throws galaxies at the antagonist
this is a good point
Kamina = god’s name = jesus
Simon = the saint simon peter
This show is biblical
I'm like Shinji but daydream of becoming Simon
Thank you for this video! I've been a big fan of both TTGL and NGE for a very long time, and I'm glad someone finally pointed out that you don't need to treat either of these shows like one is superior to the other. I agree that most people seem to be of the opinion that TTGL is better these days. My guess is that it's mostly zoomer guys who dislike a lot of the attitudes of the previous generation of anime fans; and I understand the feeling there, but here's why I personally think it's a bad way to think about these things.
I understand there were plenty of snobs back in the day who treated TTGL like it was dumb, juvenile, and didn't have anything "intellectual" to say. I disagree with this snobbish attitude too, but I don't think it justifies the attitude so many have today; that NGE is just pseudo-intellectual, 2deep4u, sadboi trash for losers who don't want to improve themselves. At the end of the day, this is just answering toxicity with toxicity. I think, at the heart of both shows is a message of deep compassion for your fellow human beings. TTGL does it by showing that there is no obstacle that humans can't overcome when they believe in themselves, and in each other. NGE does it by showing that every single individual human, in spite of all their ugliest flaws, in spite of all their most miserable failures, is still worthy of life, love, and happiness.
If you define your own identity by being the opposite of the things you hate, then you're still the same as the things you hate. If someone you hate says "A is better than B", and your response is "Well actually B is better than A", then you're still the same person, just 180 degrees flipped. A and B might both be good, they might both be bad, they might both be simply not worth spending much time talking about at all. And you're still not even considering C, D, E, and so on. Simply following the old mainstream zeitgeist is bad for sure, but going out of your way to be the exact inverse just means you're still acting according to the script of the mainstream zeitgeist.
The point is, let's live like in the world of Gurren Lagann, not live like in the world of Evangelion
Hey I am a big fan of both Gurren Lagann and Evangelion and i wanted to use their themes to show unconditional striving for happiness in comparison to the book The Untethered Soul and how it utilizes some parts of another book called the Four Agreements. This helped a lot in showcasing both Simon and Shinji's way of wanting the best for themselves. Especially since Shinji's resolution can give a grounded perspective along with the almost cartoon-y resolution with Simon. It's like having two sides of a spectrum of self improvement.
Again thank you so much.
Glad I was able to provide some thoughts you found helpful!
"sinji and simon both start with S. S stands for sad" ok that was way funnier than it should have been
Still love gurren lagann to bits but I gotta watch the other eva movies to understand what anno was cooking. Also just found your channel, and I think it's a goldmine of great topics, hope you continue with the great work mate :D
thanks so much dude! hope you enjoy those other eva movies
Great video, always been a fan of both shows. Thanks for talking about them.
ofc glad you enjoyed the video!
Neon is black magic/ intelligence where gurren lagann is faith and purity
I might be late but I really loved this video. I love evangelion and gurren lagann is my favorite piece of media ever. This comparison was absolutely amazing. I can really tell that you love these shows a lot, just as I do. Everyday I strive to be like Simon, but remember not to fall in the traps that eva and ttgl both warn of. Even though these shows are really different, they manage to have just as many parallels and connections to make with each other.
Take care of yourself, and remember that the lights in the sky are stars.
thanks for the comment. looking back this is one of the videos i'm most proud of so i'm glad to hear you liked it
What Shinji went through reminded to the bad decisions that was kept being made that led to the downfall of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. It's the endless cycle of progress that goes nowhere and when it did, it led to a bad outcome. Here's the details: Prime Minister Churchill refused to uphold the deal of selling two warships manufactured in Britain to the Ottoman Empire resulted in one of the Three Pashas, Enver Pasha, to made a deal with Germany and purchased two warships from their fleet in the Mediterranean instead. And when those warships were still being manned by German crews and commanded by a German admiral, they launched the surprise attack on Russian ports in the Black Sea and dragged the Turks into World War I on the side of the Central Powers by giving those two ships to the navy of the Ottoman Empire when the Germans finished their businesses in the Black Sea. And when the Central Powers lost the war, Britain and France, the former allies of the Ottoman Empire, butchered the once mighty Islamic European empire into pieces, drawing the new map of the Middle East in the process. And when they left after their Middle Eastern mandates gained independence, the Middle East became a mess that it still is today partially because Britain and France redrawn the map of the Middle East and also because Mustafa Kamal abolished the Caliphate, thus making the Middle East and the rest of the Islamic world leaderless. And without the Caliph, the Islamic world fell into chaos as we see on the news in nowadays. What I am trying to say here is that if the Middle East is beyond repair, then why keep trying to fix it at all? So unless the current status quo is destroyed, I see no fixing the Middle East anytime soon. The same case also applied for Shinji as well. If he failed to break that cycle of progress, then what is the point of keep trying anymore? I heard of "No one is too old to learn" before but I also heard of "I am too old to learn new things" and "Do or do not! There is no try" as well. The point here is that if all solutions to end this endless cycle of progress or destroy the status quo yielded no results, then there will be only two options left by that point. Either take the drastic step or a big gamble at the same level as the Rumbling or surrender and do nothing about it. And I know that most of the times, people often picked the second option when there are no other alternatives, even if that option that is considered as the drastic step is presented right in front of them. The reason why many people do not take such a step is because they also concerned about how will taking that step impact the others as well. If it impacted them in the terrible and negative way, they will be the ones at faults and can only blame themselves when that happened. Plus, most of them will either considered the changes they brought to end the cycle of progress either as pyrrhic victory or even a lost cause sometimes because of the costs they spent and the peoples they may have hurt, either intentionally or unintentionally, in order to obtain what they needed to break that cycle of progress. But as the old saying goes: no pain, no gain. So in the end, it is up to the perspectives of each individual that was the time, resources, wealth and manpower they spent to break that cycle of progress worth it or not. Some will say it is not while some will say it is worth it. And of course, there will be those who said that the cycle of progress is unbreakable and endless and just go with the flow depend on each situation they encountered in their lives as well.
In case you're wondering why Britain and France betrayed the Ottoman Empire, it was because when the Ottoman Empire has been nicknamed as the Sick Man of Europe after the last Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and the unification of Germany in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, France decided to ditch Turkey and form an alliance with Russia because France needed an ally in the better shape in order to help in fight the possible future conflict against Germany. As for Britain, it happened because Turkey was tricked into join the Central Powers by Germany but also ultimately because Prime Minister Churchill did not uphold the end of his bargain like I said above because he wanted those two warships for the Royal Navy instead.
Also, have you shared what I said to you in those Attack on Titan's videos to some of your friends? I asked this because I wanted to know what do they think of my view, the Eldian Question and the possibility of Paradis formed an alliance with the nations that made up the Mid-East Alliance by using the examples in our world's history, of course.
And you are still in school? Oh wow! You already sounded like you're an adult! But still, this means I am older than you because I already graduated from the university a few years ago. I'm not rubbing this in your face or anything. I just amazed that you seemed to be wiser than me without making me feel bad about myself too much despite being older than you for some reason. Maybe because we are able to provide the proper contradiction to one another with our fundamentally different worldviews, perhaps?
this is wild i've never had anyone compare evangelion to stuff from history. i would say that shinji is right to continue trying since his problem is mostly just that he has never found a solution to his problems; his lack of a will to live along with other issues constantly pushes him away from others, but in the end he realizes that, and so it makes sense for him to continue trying since he has now figured out something that will help him succeed. however, with some examples, all options have been exhausted and there is nothing to do but give up or try something extreme. i wouldn't say that shinji was in that situation, but it does sound like the Ottomans were.
i have some friends who i've been discussing AoT with, but we haven't had the time to discuss everything you said. but i will get back to you when we talk
also as for my age, i am still in university currently. i just have a deep voice lol. i assumed you were older than me because you seem to know way more about history than i do. but i do enjoy talking about these things, and you are more open to debate than others
@@chryysanth Thank you for the reply! And as you can see, I did not say anything related to Gurren Lagaan in my previous comment but that is because I never heard of it before until I saw this video. But after I watched the video and heard from you about the protagonist's optimistic nature and being an idealist with the series itself is being... illogical, it is something interesting for sure. And while it is not wrong to be an idealist and/or an optimistic person, one needed to look at the surroundings as well. While being an idealistic and optimistic person can boost the morale when it comes to such things as doing group projects or assignments, it will do no good but annoying the people when the plans and/or solutions are not provided after the original plan has been screwed up or when they are running out of time to finish their works. I still do not know to nowadays that I am an idealist or not because sometimes I feel like I am but sometimes I feel like I am not. But most of the time, I think I am since I believed in Legalism and Ash'ari and even combined them together to form my own worldview.
Also, I never exactly watched Evangelion before as well. However, I did hear about it from RUclips and other sites from time to time due to how much popular the series is. I even did read some fanfic about it as well because it happened to be a crossover with something that I like.
And yes, I will be looking forward to see what you discussed with your friends about what I told you and your AOT video about how can Paradis solved its problems diplomatically by allying with the nations of the Mid-East Alliance.
@@lerneanlion you should totally watch gurren lagann! it's definitely a very optimistic/idealistic series but it's also much more nuanced than you would think. though, based on what i've gathered about your worldview, it might be a bit more difficult for you to resonate with its perspective. i'm curious though, what are some of your favorite shows or stories in general?
@@chryysanth What I like in general are the shows about superhumans who involved themselves with politics in some ways somehow while also showing to us, the audiences, they are flawed like other humans, they're the source of the society's problems, that they are not invincible like they believed themselves to be and that their enemies are sort of in the right with the accurate description of the flaws and corruption among the superhumans to a certain degree.
Fantastic video can't wait to see more
Gurren lagann is the best anime i have ever seen
I glad that I watch it at the age of 16 its gave me energy to become a better person
thanks for the video its really good eventhought I cant understand 100% of it cuz English is not my language
I can’t stop thinking how similar this to are
Very good, I found out this comparasion between GL and Eva and now Im addicted to see more haha
Beautiful video
Hi i love gurren lagann and eva and i agree with this video😸👍
ttgl was my first anime and is still my favorite,. honestly both of these shows are like therapy . and they only get better every time you go back .. reality is what you make of it 🤍 take care !
i love both shows as well, and you're totally right saying they're like therapy. both hit on some points of life that i've found are super important
For the most part I am with you on this topic, I think anyone that watches EVA needs to watch TTGL after it, But there is a broader more meta context of these animes that I think should be taken into account in the current times.
When eva came out it was a very different time, the depression loneliness epidemic, the lack of real connections with people hadnt happened in the 90's, the economies hadnt crashed things were atleast on a societal level better in somethings.
Nowadays its very different and the discourse I see when newergens watch eva is that they AGREE with all the 'negative' stuff that happens in the anime, they usually end up hating shinji at the end too, they can meme and laugh about it but young people are alot more hopeless about the future now than in the 90's.
For that reason while EVA is good piece of art, its not something that should be seen without the introspection that most viewers wont do, most folk watch things and take it at face value.
Meanwhile TTGL is the anime that is needed for today, the positive , hopeful , optimistic future that together we can get out of the troubles we face now, no matter how 'galaxy sized' big the mess looks, But not as many people recommended TTGL vs eva especially in japan where the societal depression is even higher and eva is one of the most commercialized properties.
For that reason I always recommended TTGL and its just easier to trash eva, to dissuade from watching it or that they should watch both.
I love you and this video
Amazing video
thanks!
Neon is more inspired it’s like someone was on lsd when they made it where gurren captured the same thing but focused on the most important human element of growth. Let’s go of logic
I love both of these shows. Also I think Im tripping cuz I swear that piano in the beginning to me sounded like a red velvet song
I just finished eva, it’s okay. Eva inspired me to want to never be like any of the characters shown.
You need more views and subs dude. Incredible analysis of these two seemingly opposite series.
Also the double voiceover outro is pretty funny.
thanks a lot! and yeah the outro was actually an accident at first but i thought it was funny so i just left it in
He really do deserves.
Perhaps his channel will soon get in the good side of the algorithm
Eva is the ancient past at the time of gurren lagann's timeline
Hey, that's a pretty good video my guy.
thanks!
i'm genuinly really tired of nihilistic media specially in this point in my life, so i personally get a lot more joy out of gurren laggan, tho both are incredible works of art.
Comment for the algorithm
thanks lol
wait until he realizes EVA, FLCL, Gurren Lagann and KLK all are the stor of the gainax team reworking the same themes over and over and giving better perspectives and stories.
i wouldn't completely agree. eva and gurren lagann are pretty much sister series but FLCL and KLK, while having some similar elements, are largely about different ideas
Me who likes Eva, gurren lagan and flcl 🤑
I love both haha 😂
The main issue I have with Evangelion is that it just kept testing my patience waaay beyond the point of it being acceptable and also that it presents some of it's points kinda poorly.
Good vid but when you said shinji keeps falling back into his old habits and Simon doesn't that's not right. Simon kept going back to being a coward over and over and over up until the last episode. Also gurren lagann doesn't strive for a perfect world in any way. They show you to embrace your imperfections
definitely agree about that in regards to the earlier episodes of gurren lagann (and i feel like i should've made that more clear in the video) but mainly i'm talking about simon once he gives the big speech after kamina's death and after that. after that realization from how i see it he really doesn't regress anywhere back from that point, whereas with shinji it's pretty constant throughout the show