Gurren Lagann is a Japanese mecha anime television series. It ran for 27 episodes on TV Tokyo between April and September 2007. It was directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi and written by veteran playwright Kazuki Nakashima. It takes place in a fictional future where Earth is ruled by the Spiral King, Lordgenome. The plot focuses on two teenagers, Simon and Kamina, who live in a subterranean village and wish to go to the surface.