Film

Gurren Lagann The Movie: Childhood's End

Name: Gurren Lagann The Movie: Childhood's End
Genre: Action, Comedy, Animation, Science Fiction, Adventure
Released: 2008
Cast: Tetsuya Kakihara, Katsuyuki Konishi, Marina Inoue, Yukari Fukui, Nobuyuki Hiyama

Action
Relentless

A anime film about two young men who find a buried mecha and rise up against their oppressors. It's bombastic, funny, and genuinely moving—a story about belief and willpower that earns its emotional peaks. Made for anyone who loves action with heart, or who discovered anime through shonen but wants something that actually sticks.

TMDb rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you crave giant robots powered by sheer nerve, with swaggering speeches and a hero who refuses to back down, and you want a rowdy, sincere adventure that never apologises for its enthusiasm.

Skip it if the early stretch is all setup and bluster, so if you want a tight, self-contained film with slow-burning drama, its loud comic energy may wear thin over nearly two hours.

What it asks of you: At just under two hours, it runs hot from its first frame, with bursts of shouting, gags and mecha spectacle that rarely pause to breathe.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Kill la Kill2013

Same director, same energy: absurdist action comedy that builds to genuinely transcendent moments. Impossible to look away from, constantly surprising in tone and ambition.

But The fanservice can feel gratuitous, and the second half gets weird about fascism in ways that don't quite resolve cleanly.

Promare2019

Studio Trigger at full throttle: gorgeous animation, ridiculous humor, romance that sneaks up on you, and the exact same DNA as Gurren Lagann. Ninety-one minutes of pure momentum.

But Plot is thin and deliberately so. If you need strong narrative architecture, this is visual and emotional spectacle substituting for story.

Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann2007

The original TV series that inspired this film. Twenty-seven episodes of escalating scale and ambition, with time to let characters breathe and relationships develop.

But It's a TV show, so slower. The pacing is different from the condensed film version, and you'll need to commit to the full arc.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Gurren Lagann The Movie: Childhood's End

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time2006

Both are animated Japanese films about young people discovering hidden power and learning that belief in yourself and others is the real strength. Both trust their emotional moments completely.

A girl discovers she can literally leap backward in time and uses it to fix small heartbreaks. It's tender, funny, and about learning that some things deserve to break. Animation that feels lived-in and true.

But Quiet. Entirely grounded. If you want mecha and cosmic stakes, this is intimate and small-scale in every way.

Redline2009

Hand-drawn frame-by-frame insanity about an illegal space race. If you love animation pushed to its absolute limit and don't care about plot, this is pure visual cocaine.

But The story is genuinely threadbare. It's nearly incomprehensible on a narrative level, and dialogue is sparse and often nonsensical.

Natsume's Book of Friends2008

Supernatural adventure with the same kindness underlying the action. Gorgeous backgrounds, genuine mystery, and characters you'll miss when it ends.

But Much quieter and more contemplative. If you're here for explosions and escalation, this is melancholic and slow by comparison.

Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch2006

Mecha anime about a boy who gains a supernatural power and builds a rebellion. Similar scale of ambition, similar willingness to let things get absurd and emotionally brutal.

But Gets tangled in its own plot by the end. Some character arcs feel abandoned, and the final episodes divide fans sharply.

Carole & Tuesday2019

Two girls on Mars become musicians and fall in love while revolution brews around them. Beautiful, funny, romantic, and surprisingly thoughtful about art and resistance.

But The political plot feels secondary to the romance. Some will find it saccharine or unmotivated where they wanted more teeth.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time2021

The final Evangelion film after sixteen years. Massive, visually stunning, and genuinely concludes the story in a way that respects what came before.

But Assumes you've seen the original series and three rebuild films. Inaccessible as a standalone, and controversial for its ending even among fans.

Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time poster

Michiko e Hatchin2008

Same year, same medium, same willingness to let tone shift wildly. Both feature a determined protagonist discovering that willpower alone isn't enough—you need real connection to survive.

A neglected boy escapes with a woman fresh from prison. It's road-trip anime about belonging, family, and survival—sometimes hilarious, sometimes devastatingly sad. Animation that breathes and moves like real life.

But Bleak. Frequently depressing. The humor is dark and the world is genuinely unkind. Structurally loose and doesn't resolve neatly.

The Lego Movie2014

Both movies are about an ordinary person told they're special learning to actually become it—not through destiny, but through choice and will. Both are secretly about how belief is a form of power.

A cynical construction-worker inherits a magical brick and becomes a chosen one. It's hilarious, visually dense, and actually has something to say about conformity, creativity, and the power of believing in yourself.

But Family film aesthetic. Bright, colorful, aimed at kids. If you're looking for anime darkness, this is relentlessly cheerful.