Found on /m/. Lot's of BAAWWWWWing about Getter 2 and the ending. Whatever. Here it is.
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Original Source:
http://mainichi.jp/enta/mantan/news/...00035000c.htmlGurren Lagann: The Heroine's Tragedy was "intended to be a happy ending" - Director Hiroyuki Imaishi Tells All
The popular anime "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann" created by Gainax, known for "Neon Genesis Evangelion." From the royal road of robot anime, a series of dizzying developments unfold, such as the abrupt exit of a popular character, the fall of the protagonist, and the heroine's tragedy. To find out how such a "heavy" story came to be born, we asked Director Hiroyuki Imaishi to reveal to us the inside story behind the production.
--How did you feel about directing a robot anime?
Imaishi: Personally, it is my favorite genre, and since I started working with anime I wanted to do it at least once, so I was very into it.
--Surprisingly, there aren't any robots with drills that have leading roles as mecha.
Imaishi: Yes, there wasn't anyone who used drills seriously to that extent yet (laugh). Drills that appear in robot anime have a weak sense of realism, and it's hard to use them in a realistic way, so they haven't been used very much. That's why, contrary to that, I thought I'd put them in the center of the story, and deliberately use a style that doesn't have much realism.
--Why did you appoint Kazuki Nakajima-san to write the script?
Imaishi: Before, we'd both worked on "Re: Cutey Honey" together, so I was thinking that no one other than Nakajima-san could do the script. Nakajima-san and I have extremely close tastes, so I thought I'd leave it to him.
--Specifically, where do your tastes match?
Imaishi: Development that is quick and crammed full of material, and hotheadedness (laugh).
--It's amazing how he condensed so much material into Episode 27.
Imaishi: There were also parts that I forced in (laugh). But, I think that there's no one else out there who could come up with something in such a form.
--In Episode 1, they came up to the surface all of a sudden.
Imaishi: When we were creating the setting, everyone was talking about what kind of lives they had underground, what kind of animals they had.....they kept thinking about all those things. But that's only going to appear in half an episode (laugh).
--It was also surprising how quickly Kamina made his "exit."
Imaishi: It was a realistic problem; as long as that character was around, Simon couldn't become the main character. If we're going to depict Simon's growth or "biography," Aniki really had to be gone.
--About the structure of all four arcs, which part is your favorite?
Imaishi: I wanted to do the 3rd arc the most. Because for the 1st and 2nd arcs, it's obvious that with this much staff, we could make it interesting. But whether I'd properly be able to depict the universal drama of "once a person has accomplished something, what will he do after that?" became a big theme for me personally.
--The climax "broke through the heavens," and it finished nicely.
Imaishi: It was thanks to Nakajima-san having finished writing it such a long time ago. Because the script was done, we knew just how difficult it would be in the future, and were able to be prepared.
--Was the heroine Nia's tragedy at the end planned early too?
Imaishi: I think it was quite early. It is a tragedy, but none of the characters have any regrets remaining, and accept it with their own will. So I created it intending it to be a happy ending.
Thoughts?
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