Piercing the Heavens

Tengan Toppa Gurren Lagann

This one anime changed my life.

With my life slipping down the drain, I didn't see how I could really fix that year. Around early 2012 my friend Mike "Serphim" suggested to me this show. Since I'd started my anime kick I'd decided to try to it out. This may have been one of the single best decisions of my life.

This show gave me new hope, a new fire burning inside. All of this sounds really cheesy, but I really don't care. The story of the main character's progression really allowed for me to relate to my life. From losing his brother to breaking through countless hopeless situations, this really felt almost like how I was at the time. Lost, hopeless, seeking meaning in life, Simon seemed almost like me.

The last few episodes also really stood out to me, taking absolute despair and then turning it completely around a breaking through the barriers and restraints supposedly placed by fate. Practically almost defeating a god, even though all odds were against them.  Here are just a few quotes from a show that keep me pressing on on bad days:

"Don't believe in yourself! Believe in me! Believe in the Kamina who believes in you!"

— Kamina

"Listen, Simon. Never forget. Just believe in yourself. Not in the Simon that I believe in; not in the Kamina that you believe in. Have faith in the Simon who believes in you."

— Kamina

 If you're gonna dig, dig to the heavens. No matter what's in my way, I won't stop! Once I've dug through - it means that I've won! ... Just who the hell do you think I am? I'mSimon. I'm not my Bro! I'M ME!! Simon the Digger!"

— Simon

Maybe, but it isn't zero. And for me, that makes it the same as a hundred percent chance!

— Simon

"Get going, Simon. Just don't be distracted by the what-ifs, should-haves, and if-onlys. The one thing you choose yourself - that is the truth of your universe."

— Kamina

"Don't underestimate us. We don't care about time, or space or... multi-dimensional whatevers! We don't give a damn about that. Force your way down a path YOU choose to take, and do it all yourself! That's the way Team Dai-Gurren rolls!"

—Simon

"Of course we do! The tomorrow that we're trying to grab for ourselves... is not the tomorrow that you've set out for us! It's the tomorrow that we choose for ourselves: a tomorrow that we choose out of all the infinite universes."

—Simon

"We evolve beyond the person we were a minute before! Little by little, we advance a bit further with each turn. That's how a drill works!!"

— Simon

I watch this clip sometimes on bad days, and it always gets me back up off my feet!

I've never taken any sort of drugs that give a high (or drugs in general), but the feeling I got after finished the series was the closet I'll probably ever get to a drug induced high. Man, I felt like I could do anything after that episode, and quite frankly it's one of the main reasons why I got through my 8th grade year in one piece. 

Since then I still re-watch episodes regularly, and I've watched the series well over 5 times since then as well, and I really wish I could get some DVD's or model figures of it, although at the moment I have no $$$.

No matter what race,gender, or age, I'd recommend any that needs to get inspired, or get some hope into their lives to watch this. Personally it is by far my favorite TV show, anime, and inspiration, and whenever I'm down, I'd think of what Simon would do in my situation, and get back up on my feet and stand my ground!

Maybe later I'll post a review on it actually going over the episodes and story, but for now I think this is enough drilling and diggin' ^^

---Brandon