Lean Bean Meef Machine.

It’s easy for people to write off Leeron as an offensive stereotype of gay men, and they wouldn’t be wrong. He’s a walking stereotype and one of his purposes in the show is to serve as comic relief. I definitely wouldn’t argue that he’s great gay representation or anything. However I think there’s more to it than that.

Manliness is obviously a major theme in Gurren Lagann, and it values it very highly. However the manliness of Gurren Lagann isn’t strictly tied to traditional ideas of masculinity. Manliness in Gurren Lagann is defined by the determination to achieve your goals and putting in the work to achieve those goals no matter what, or how they simply refer to it in the show, fighting spirit. And fighting spirit isn’t something that’s only exemplified only in the masculine men of the show. 

Yoko, one of the main characters of the show, and a woman, also displays plenty of fighting spirit throughout the show. Her fitting into the show’s definition of manliness is treated as an unquestionably good thing. Similarly, even though Leeron’s flamboyant nature is often used by the show for comedy, he’s still displayed as having plenty of fighting spirit. Even if he’s in a support role as the team’s engineer and scientist, not fighting on the front lines himself, he’s still constantly risking his life by being on the battlefield. He’s one of the most important members of Team Dai Gurren, and everyone on the team respects and trusts him completely.

with the goons in question being led by a little kid who uses 'YOU FOOLS' in every other sentence named JOSE VON REICHTER.

JOSE

VON

GODDAMN

REICHTER

who looks like THIS:

AND the animation of FLIPPIN' Trigger!?

Also it was not animated by Trigger. Trigger didn't exist yet. It was animated by TMS who famously did the animation for several early 90s cartoons like Animaniacs and Batman the Animated Series. As well as local anime like Lupin the third, Dr. Stone, and Fruits Basket. They also work in Collaboration shows like Cybersix and the 1990s Moomin show.

Studio Trigger was formed in 2011 by former Gainax studio members.

This is my favourite part!

MY MOM JUST MADE THIS PATTERN EVERYONE LOOK

Look at him!

Also he was separated with one of his parents when I saw him but obviously wanted to Be Where The People Penguins Are so they’d set him up with a little rock stool so he could gaze upon his brethren:

Which enabled me to capture the single funniest video I’ve ever taken of anything in my life:

too—look at him striking a

pose with his new look!