On the 15th anniversary of "GURRENDAN LAGANN," the Great Gurren Gang miraculously combines all of its members! Interview in commemoration of the release of "THE Combination: MUGEN GODAN GURREN LAGANN!

Based on the TV anime "Gurren Lagann" that celebrates the 15th anniversary of its broadcast, Good Smile Company's proud "Mecha Smile" brand proudly presents a toy original complete combined toy "THE Combined Infinity Combined Gurrendan Lagann"!

Gurren Lagann and the gunmen of the Dai-Gurren-dan combine into one!　It is truly a miraculous combination.

If having many faces makes you great, then GrendanLagann, with its nine faces, must be the greatest of all. We asked Yoshihiro Takagi of the Mecasma Planning Department about the appeal of this marvelous combined toy with a dazzling halo of effects on its back.

The product image shown here is a work in progress.

--First of all, I got the impression that the response to this product was tremendous when it was first announced.

Takagi: The work "GURREN LAGANN" featured the keyword "combination" very prominently. Perhaps it was a good thing that the product matched this theme by being a straight-forward combination toy. Since the animation has tremendous "momentum," we were already "motivated" to do this kind of thing (laughs).

--(Laughs.) - It's a pretty big product for you to make on a moment's notice, isn't it?

Takagi: This is the next product from the "Gurren Lagann" series to be released under the MECASMA brand, after "MODEROID Gurren Lagann. It is a surprise even for the creators (laughs).

--(Laughs) - It seems out of the ordinary, but in a way, it seems like a very comfortable product.

Takagi: Some people even said, "I wanted to see this combination in an anime! Some people even said to me, "I wish I could have seen this combination in the anime! I guess there was also the expectation that perhaps the gunmen of the Grand Gurren Clan would combine with ....... It seems that there were quite a few people who thought that the twin bokun would definitely become an arm (laughs).

--(Laughs.) It matches the world view so well that it could be mistakenly thought to have appeared somewhere in .......

Takagi: I think one of the charms of the "Gurren Lagann" works is the depth of nostalgia that accepts projects like this. It's important to note that this is not in the anime. It's a "toy original.

--I think this is the first time in Japan that all the gunmen of the Great Gurren Gang have been assembled in a three-dimensional form.

Takagi: At the time, there were three-dimensional figures of King Kitan and Dayakazer, but this is the first time that all the gunmen have been assembled together to this degree. The entire group of the Grand Gurren Gang is all in one product. If Gurren and Ragan combined to form "Gurren Ragan," then Gurren Ragan and the Dai-Gurren-dan combined to form "Gurren Dan Ragan" (laughs).

(Laughs) -- I also enjoy the detail in the construction of each gunmen.

Takagi: Some of them have been rearranged for the purpose of combining them, but I think we were able to recreate the atmosphere. I was also able to color-code the kid knuckles and Einsor's small arms. Actually, we decided to include Kyarunga later, but as a result, King Kitan has more play value, and I'm glad that it really sums up the first half of the TV series, the Great Guren Dan.

--How did you decide on the concept of the combined group?

Takagi: First of all, we wanted to make sure that all the Gunmen's distinctive "faces" would be visible when they were combined. Also, this is also about the specifications, but we decided at the beginning that we wanted to create a standard "combined toy," even though it is a high-target toy. We could have made the transformation more complex, but we decided to stay the course and let people enjoy "combining" as an easy-to-play with toy.

--The combined robots have a nostalgic feel to them, don't they?

Takagi: In the design, we were conscious of making it easy to tell at a glance which of the robots is combined with which part of the body. Also, "drill" is an important keyword in this work, so I made clear drills appear in various places, as if spiral power is spread throughout the body by the merging.

--I was surprised at how well the combined form moves, even though it is so elaborate.

Takagi: Another feature of this model is that it can be posed even in its Gurren Lagann form, rather than just being combined and finished ....... Gurren Lagann itself, the core of the figure, is fully movable, allowing for actions such as holding the Giga Drill, so we were able to make use of the joints to make Glendan Lagann movable as well.

--The joints for the jointed joints are also designed to be inconspicuous.

Takagi: The joints are not exposed when Gurren Lagann is in the figure. Because of its size, we did not reproduce the separation of Gurren and Lagann, but we were conscious of the transformation gimmick that Gurren originally had in its setting when it transforms into a combined figure. The head can be retracted, and the arms and legs can be shrunk into a combined form, so although the waist armor and other details are different, it can be made into a fake Guren.

--The design of the helmet is also impressive.

Takagi: The design of this product was supervised by the animation production staff, including director Hiroyuki Imaishi. Since the Daiguren-dan are combined robots, we thought we needed a distinctive motif for the face, so Hiromi Wakabayashi of TRIGGER and designer Shigeto Koyama suggested a helmet with a motif of the symbol on the flag of the Daiguren-dan. Based on the concept drawn by Mr. Koyama, we have been working on a clean design for the toy. As a result, we were happy that even though it was a toy original, it turned out to be a properly distinctive design without destroying the "Gurren Lagann" worldview.

--The sunglasses on the chest are also an attractive feature.

Takagi: Many people noticed that the silhouette of the sunglasses becomes "star-shaped" when King Kitan merges. This was a point we wanted to emphasize, so we are glad that our aim was conveyed properly. The star-shaped sunglasses are created when the King Kittan that is combined with the Gurren Lagann sunglasses on the chest unfolds and overlaps with the original Gurren Lagann sunglasses. The sunglasses for Gurren Lagann include a pair of clear sunglasses that can be replaced before and after the merging, as well as a pair of sunglasses that are fully transformable and have opaque movement. If you are a complete transformation fan, please try attaching those sunglasses.

--The "Gigadrill Spark Effect" of the ten characters is also an interesting trick.

Takagi: First of all, I wanted to reproduce the cross-shaped light used as a key element in the Gurren Lagann production in the product, so I first had the idea of adding an effect to the product. At first, I was only thinking of adding the crosses to the front and back of Gurren Lagann. We were thinking of making it a feature of the product that it would carry the effect like a halo.

--So it was a pure effect part.

Takagi: But then we began to wonder, "What is the role of this part? We came up with the question, "What is the role of this part? "Is it to be held in the hand and thrown like a boomerang?" There was also talk of "holding it in your hand and throwing it like a boomerang," but since this is Gurren Lagann, we thought it should be a drill. So the cross-shaped light transformed into an effect drill, which is how it came to be. Originally, we did not plan to have a special weapon, but as a result, we were able to give Gurren Lagann a drill as well.

-It would be nice to be able to raise the drill with the arms pointing upward in the combined state.

Takagi: The sunglasses part can be moved using King Kitan's deformation structure, so the arms can be raised while avoiding the drill. We also added a notch to Twin Bokun so that the sunglasses can be returned to their original position after the arms are raised (laughs).

--(Laughs.) - The twin bokum can be attached to the front and back, and also to the arms, making it a gorgeous spec.

Takagi: The helmet can also be used as a decorative object by combining it with the Gigadrill for Gurren Lagann. This is an image of a pedestal that can hold all the options for the combined toy.

--Takagi: In general, I feel that you have created a toy that is very easy to play with.

Takagi: Actually, it took about three years from the start of the project to the present. I am glad that we were able to take the time to work out all the details. The fact that we were able to solidify the concept at the beginning was also a big factor.

--Takagi: This is a product commemorating your 15th anniversary, isn't it?

Takagi: The timing was partly a result of the timing, but I think it was significant that we were able to announce the product in time for the 15th anniversary. We were able to make the announcement at a time when the fans were excited. I think the timing was truly optimal in that we were able to present this new product at a time when everyone was anticipating something. Even though this is an original toy product that is a bit out of the ordinary, it was warmly received by everyone. I felt that it must be a happy thing to be able to commercialize a beloved toy even 15 years after its release.

--Finally, how would you sum up the appeal of this product?

Takagi: The combination of the Dai-Gurren-dan that fans of "Gurren Lagann" might have dreamed of--as I mentioned at the beginning, I think the reaction of people who say, "I wish I could have seen such a combination," is everything. We were able to create a new product based on "Gurren Lagann" that matched the ideas of the fans and what they had envisioned. I think the best selling point of this product is the fact that we are able to offer the combined form of the Great Gurren Troupe to everyone as a complete toy that can be bought and played with right away. It may be a bit presumptuous to say that we are proud of this, but I think we can honestly say that we have created a toy that is both original and in line with the mindset of the fans. I would be happy if you could pick it up and play with it.

(Interview and text by Koji Shimada (TARKUS))

Product Information

THE GODIDAI MUGEN GODIDAI Glendan Lagann

Release date: Scheduled for November 2022

Price: 24,900 yen (tax included)

Specifications: Painted plastic figure

Specifications: Painted plastic pre-configured figure - not to scale

Height: approx. 240mm

Sculptor: Caloan (GOD BRAVE STUDIO)

Production Cooperation: Toy House

Manufacturer: Good Smile Company