So Gurren lagann hasn’t ever been really top of my list when I think of my favorite anime, but everytime I think about a piece of media that really affected me, it’s this anime. I was at a time in my life where I felt very weak. I’ve always been a skinny kid, and my parents would always make jokes about it growing up. They’d make me do pushups whenever guests were over, only to burst out laughing when I couldn’t make it to 10. So my whole life I never felt like a man, being gay never helped either.

I was going through a lot, I eventually cut my toxic parents out of my life at 18 and was working a lot to make ends meet at my own apartment. Dealing with grief from my best friend committing suicide at 15. I was doing drugs to cope (thankfully nothing too bad, and I don’t do them anymore).

But then I watched Gurren Lagann, and it made me realize what a real man is. The way Kamina would never belittle Simon for being small or ‘weak’, only telling him to grit his teeth and dive headfirst into the struggle. I felt so seen, and I realized a real man isn’t defined by his muscles or how much facial hair he has. A man is someone who can grit their teeth and face struggles head on with a smile. Someone who will protect those they love without a second thought. Someone people can look up to for morale, someone who is confident but humble. Then I realized I already had all those qualities in me, I was just too afraid to embrace them thinking I would be an imposter or a poser for what a real man was.

I’ve never even gone back for a second watch of this show, but the impact it left on me was far more than any other show. I began to change my thinking. I gained more confidence in myself. I accepted my skinniness, and I’ve even grown some muscle over time from working my ass off at blue collar jobs. Someone at work the other day said I need to hit the gym, and I could only laugh because this dude has muscles, sure, but he’s overweight and lives with his parents at 43 years old. But he wants to think he’s more of a man because he can eat and push weights. And it made me think about how much I’ve really developed as a man.

It’s not about red pilled bullshit or going to the gym or getting bitches. It’s about being yourself, caring about others, and doing what needs to be done without question. It’s about being kind and having mental fortitude. It’s about gritting my teeth, and accepting whatever comes my way. Nowadays I’m still struggling with money and I hate my job, I have little to no family or friends, but nonetheless I’ll face it with a grin and one day, my hard work, my perseverance, my drill will pierce through the heavens.

Translations:

1. Gashii. (Sound Effect: Clutch)

2. We have total loss of the Starboard side tobidama!! We're unable to maintain altitude!!!

3. It-... It's going to crash!!!

4. I'll leave this outcome for next time. Simon!!

5. Zuoo. (Sound Effect: Mega explosion)

OOOF. Been a while, hasn't it? No, I'm not dead! I was on vacation, lol. (Still am) Every year, I go camping in September-October. This year, I misjudged the amount of service that I was going to have and abruptly couldn't post when I got there! Sorry for kinda disappearing suddenly, I didn't have much of a choice, oops! I've been fine and relaxing. :) After very recent health troubles, it has been nice to unwind in nature. I am about to end my stay, so I am again moved to a location where service is better. I missed you guys! My access to Reddit was very limited. So I will be getting back to messages and catching up! Give me a few days. Posts are going to be returning to a normal schedule, and I've got a couple weeks of stuff to catch up on for ya! Let's get back to the artwork. ♡ Hope you've all had a lovely Autumn. Good to be back!

I will be sorting out all shipments and the monthly event stuff ASAP! There will still be October's event, but I'll be extending the end date into November. Which is fine, since it is just a sign-up month for December's annual exchange. :) Give me a bit, will be doing a bit of cleanup as well. I was still moderating, but my access to messages and such were wiped out, I could only do basic tasks. Things will pick up again! Let's go. :D

My partner and I are trying to find the name for the specific piece of music from Episode 9 right as Adiane the Elegant appears. We were unable to find it in the official soundtrack and want to be able to listen to the song without the characters speaking lol

Any help would be greatly appreciated!