The power of Gurren Lagann's story is in its telling. It starts as a three-person travelling anime, not unlike Pokemon, with episodes connected just loosely by plot. It then grows exponentially in scale - the size of the cast, the weight of their actions, the insurmountability of their obstacles. The cheeky tone gradually becomes Serious Business, and the flat ensemble becomes whole and integral to the telling. A mediocre show becomes brilliant before your eyes.
And like all good science fiction, the beauty of life is heightened by paralleling facts of existence with the unspoken qualities of human experience. In Evangelion this was done rather negatively, explaining that sadness as a result of being unable to relate with others is an immutable part of being human. In Gurren Lagann, the forces of creation and evolution are revealed to be a result of the love and FIGHTING SPIRIT inside of all living things, a power so great that it could create or destroy the universe, and it is possible that delivering a super encouraging speech will literally increases your likelihood of winning.
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