When I was, a young girl, my.. wait.. That meme is getting really old. Did I just date myself? I hope not. Today, I am taking part in something very exciting. Scott’s Space is the Place Blog tour. Hopefully, you’ve seen it around because it’s a fun project with some very talented bloggers.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. To me, they were hero-magician wonderpeople and being one makes you “special”. I’m still a space and astronaut fangirl. There are some things you never grow out of. But I no longer want to be an astronaut myself.
Space is exciting and full of possibilities but with time, I also started to see it as lonely. It’s far and dark and that’s not where all my stuff is. Why would you want to leave everything you’ve ever known, would that be sad. Even if things aren’t great, they’re familiar. It’s where you belong, after all. And then, Gurren Lagann reminded me that home isn’t a place and it only exists if you fight for it, if you make it your own and if you see what else is out there.
Have I bored you guys by talking about Gurren Lagann yet? The series made a pretty big impact on me and the more time passes, the greater its influence seems to grow on me. Those final scenes showing our silhouetted heroes grown old and passing the torch to a new generation just flashed in my head and my heart did that funny squeezy thing it does when I have a crush. There is so much subtext and symbolism in that series. I could probably use it as a basis to discuss just about anything.
Today, however, I’m not going to dive into all those ethical quandaries and beautiful philosophical thesis, I’m just going to stick with the actual text. Gurren Lagann is a show about spaceships and aliens. And it reminded me, that home isn’t a place.
Looking to the stars and to outer space has always been a shared dream of humanity. Gurren Lagann shows us that humanity at its worst and humblest. Driven underground and forced to fight for the barest resources, this is a humanity that has been forcibly stripped of its pride an vigour. But even as despair sinks in, they still look to the stars. This drive to capture the mysteries of the universe is one of the most basic shared dreams of humanity. It’s part of who we are. It’s also part of why these people are so recognizable. It’s what spoke to the little kid in me that wanted to travel the milky way.
But as I grew up, I grew timid and cautious. Having nothing is a great freedom. As soon as you start to wrack up relationships and riches, they tie you down. Suddenly there are things you can’t leave behind. Suddenly you have a home.
Kamina and Simon started out with nothing. It was easy for them to strike out into the great unknown of the surface, what did they have to lose? But soon enough they started to make friends, rivals, to fall in love. They build a beautiful home for themselves. Comfortable and warm. Of course, they would take to space to defend it. But it’s from space that you can truly see how beautiful earth is.
It’s by having the courage to leave that you remember all the reasons to stay. What’s more, a home isn’t a place. Yoko was just as home teaching children on her little island as she was fighting among the stars. Simon would have would have followed Nia to another dimension and been comfortable. Part of Rossiu will always live in his underground village.
Space is indeed the place. A place of dreams and ambitions. A place where possibilities are endless. But it’s just too big to be home. A person can’t belong everywhere at once. Space is a place to remind us how nice it is to have somewhere to go back to. That’s a lesson that should never be forgotten.
I hope you enjoyed my attempt at this theme. I adored this series so much that I find it difficult to write about. My little heart just gets a jumbled up. But I love any excuse to talk about it so I’m so happy that Scott came up with this great idea!
If you missed it, yesterday Aria gave us a view of space in Yakusoku no Nanayamatsuri/Starlight Promises which you should definitely go read over HERE. And the fun is far from over, AJ from the Anointed Geek will probably go back to the rich Gurren Lagann well for tomorrow’s post on Studio Trigger in Space!
Gurren Lagann certainly isn’t my favorite anime, but it’s a damn good one. The things it does best are the themes of adventure, freedom, and human progress. Great idea to use this anime to talk about space.
Glad you liked it
One of the best anime of all time. Very inspiring and captures mankind’s eternal desire to grow and surpass its limits.
Gurren Lagann is one of those beautifully weird stories that touches on so many profound points even as it kind of overloads you visually. Great post and great point.
Thank you! The anime is almost too loaded with symbolism for me to properly talk about it but when you break it down to bite size I stand a chance
Ah, Yoko. . .you know, I’m old enough to remember the firestorm of controversy that followed the 1977 airing of the Doonesbury TV special, all because a female character’s bosom was shown to move (rather realistically) while she was jogging. . .Goddess alone knows how those folks might have reacted to Yoko!
I wrote a character study on Yoko. She’s one of mt favourite fictional feminist icons!
This might be my favorite show ever! Not just anime, and yes it’s a better show than Pokémon xD
But yeah you perfectly capture the element of space here I think
Team Dai-Gurren going to space to fight the anti spiral, to me felt like taking a plunge into that cold dark infinity. With them being even tinier than insects in front of this new foe. Which to me at least was very much represented by space itself.
Them being able to go Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, dwarfing even space itself was a metaphor of what you as a person can be capable off if you put your heart into it.
A metaphor that wouldn’t have worked as well had it been on a smaller scale then space itself. While also making it clear that these ambitions and growth are not the final station.
One can aspire to be the mightiest person, without a home.. or someone to fight for, that power in itself is as empty as space itself.
Thank you for thist post, it was really great post!
Now excuse me .. I have to yell “Who the Hell do you think I am ‘to all my non-believers!
I love this show too and it makes me happy to hear others feel the same!
“But it’s from space that you can truly see how beautiful earth is.”
Beautifully said! The whole post, but this quote just summed it up!
Thank you so much Crow. I struggled with this one because it meant a lot to me and I am so happy if it came through.
I also really liked our Demon Slayer post this week. I hope you’re as satisfied with it as I am
“I struggled with this one because it meant a lot to me and I am so happy if it came through.”
The emotions came through loud and clear! It was one of those rejuvenating posts. I read it over my lunch hour, and its sentiment made the afternoon more bearable!
“I also really liked our Demon Slayer post this week. I hope you’re as satisfied with it as I am.”
Yep! I can tell when a collaboration’s working — it makes me want to bring my A game, so I don’t hate my work nearly as much as I usually do!
Honestly, that’s saying something.
You are way too hard on yourself though it seems to have worked so far
“As soon as you start to wrack up relationships and riches, they tie you down. Suddenly there are things you can’t leave behind. Suddenly you have a home” I hope I don’t sound weird when I say that sentence really got to me. That was really beautiful…seriously.
Then again I loved this post in it’s entirety. I haven’t yet had the pleasure to see this one, but after reading this it’s moved up to my list of priorities! 😊
OMG , Irina. What am I supposed to say about this other then you blew this one out of the park. Gurren Lagann is about as found family and breaking through the possible as you can get. Thank you so much for joining this 😁.
Please, honestly thank you for the opportunity! This tour is fantastic and everyone has done an amazing Job. You’re the man!
You’re back at the making people blush thing I see….
Sorry….😅😅 But I truly meant every word 😊😊
Row row, fight the power!
Fantastic song!
Beautiful post, Irina! I know we’ve shared our sentiments on this title, but really, I swear I can see a glow in your eyes and your heart every time you write about Lagann!
That is one of the nicest things I’ve ever heard about a post! Thank you so much, you’ve made my day
Great show! Always find enjoyment watching it.
Me too!
Thank you for reminding me that it’s about time to rewatch Gurren Lagann. Great piece
My job here is done!