Gurren Lagann is a Japanese mecha anime television series. It was animated by Gainax and co-produced by Aniplex and Konami. It ran for 27 episodes on Japan's TV Tokyo between April 1, 2007, and September 30, 2007. It was directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi. It was written by veteran playwright Kazuki Nakashima. "Gurren Lagann" takes place in a fictional future where Earth is ruled by the Spiral King, Lordgenome. Lordgenome forces people to live under the surface of the earth. The plot focuses on two teenagers, Simon and Kamina. They live in a village under the earth surface and wish to go to the surface. Using a mecha known as Lagann, Simon and Kamina reach the surface. There they and other humans start fighting against Lordgenome's forces.