Gainax Producer Resigns over Gurren-Langann Controversy
Written by Mark Osborne
Published on 05/08/2007
Originally from Binary Culture / [the-lowdown.net]
http://www.binaryculture.net

Tengen Toppa Gurren-Langann, if you've been paying attention, is the smash hit of the new television season in Japan, but less than five episodes in it also became the subject of a massive controversy. After sorting through initial reactions to the first couple of episodes, production manager Mimori Keiko and producer Takami Akai berated otaku and compared popular board 2ch to an anus on social networking site mixi in reaction to the comparatively few negative responces to the series.

Things only got worse once episode four aired, which was guest directed by Kobayashi Osamu (BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad, Paradise Kiss). It's the Don Imus incident meets Batman #663. Thus a backlash from viewers who "didn't get" episode four occured and converged with the outrage over the previous inflammatory comments (which ironically were pretty much warranted in light of the absurd episode four backlash).

By the time the latest episode (number five) aired in Japan, producer Takami Akai resigned from the Gainax board of directors and has stated that she will not be credited as producer on Gurren-Langann on episodes airing past the fifth.

It's tragic and absurd that the show already being touted as Gainax's triumphant return to FLCL level grace has courted this much controversy. The take home lesson is clear, if you're going to berate your audience keep your blog on friends only and don't leave the show's official blog open to public comments when you bring on a guest director you can reasonably assume the majority of your audience will not appreciate.