Parallel Works episode 8

'All you Bastards, get fired up!! is the eighth episode of Gurren Lagann Parallel Works, revealing Lordgenome's past. Part of the episode is used as the beginning to Gurren-Hen.

Plot
Outside of a bustling city, a young Lordgenome sits in a playground, surrounded by animals. He looks up to see the city consumed in a massive explosion, caused by the Anti-Spiral bombardment of Earth. In the ruins of the attack, Lordgenome walks to a crater, accompanied by a small armadillo. At its bottom, he sees a massive metal face-the first of many Laganns the people of Earth would soon use against their attackers.

With an older Lordgenome (strongly resembling the adult Simon) leading it, Earth rebuilds and launches a massive assault against the Anti-Spirals with an army of Gunmen. Lordgenome's Lazengann cuts through legions of the enemy drones, before a full salvo of beams from the fleet of Dai-Guns obliterates the current waves of Mugann and Ashtangas. However, every defeated Anti-Spiral force is rapidly replaced with another wave, drawing the battle into a stalemate.

The leader of the invasion appears to Lordgenome atop his own battleship, revealing the reasons behind the Anti-Spiral attack on Earth. The experience drives Lordgenome mad with despair, turning him against his comrades. Lazengann's mouthplate shatters, and it slaughters its former allies aboard the Cathedral Terra before forcibly taking command of the ship through its smaller Gunman core.

Transforming the ship into a massive robot, Lordgenome proceeds to obliterate the rest of the human fleet and ravage the planet itself. Dekabutsu descends to the surface, carrying legions of animal-human hybrids growing in capsules. As the first of these "Beastmen" awaken, Lordgenome equips them with Gunmen and sends them across the planet to force humanity underground.

With legions of Gunmen and Dai-Guns covering the surface, the former hero takes his throne in the new capital of the world, prepared to do whatever it takes to keep the universe safe...even if it means becoming a tyrannical overlord of the Earth.

Trivia

 * This video's music was normally used during epic battles in the anime, such as the fight against Lazengann, the battle against Cytomander's air force, the battle against Thymilph and his Dai-Gunkai or in the final battle against the Anti-Spiral when his Granzeboma uses the Infinity Big Bang Storm to obliterate Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann the rest of Team Dai-Gurren.
 * Although Guame is the only Beastman stated to be a normal animal before his evolution, some of the animals around the young Lordgenome reference the remaining Supreme Generals; there is a gorilla, a scorpion, and a bird among the many creatures on the structure. Pikachu can also be seen making a cameo appearance.
 * There is a prevailing colour theme of green and red in this video. Notably, Lordgenome and his associated Gunmen are initially green (the "normal" colour of Spiral Power), but after the Anti-Spiral's revelations, they become red (the colour of Lordgenome's Spiral Power in the anime). This may indicate that humans in the grip of despair and madness have red Spiral Power.
 * In a similar colouring vein, the beginning of the movie is shown in orange shades, while the end is mostly blue (orange's contrasting colour). Thise may symbolize how the world under Lordgenome has become the exact opposite of what it once was.
 * This is the only Parallel Work that does not contradict the canon of the anime in any way. In fact, it has become widely accepted as the prequel to the show, depicting Lordgenome's fight against the Anti-Spirals before his fall into madness.
 * The designs of the Gunmen in Lordgenome's army seem to be references from various "Super Robot" anime, including Mazinger Z, Gaiking (The "alternate" Gurren Lagann also seen in Parallel Works 6), Getter Robo, RX-78-2 Gundam, Steel Jeeg, Raideen, Dai-Guard, Combattler V, Patlabor, an Arbalest, Unicorn Gundam, and of course, Gunbuster and Evangelion, also produced by Gainax.
 * The ships that Cathedral Lazengann destroy after it transforms included design references to the White Base and a Musai-class Zeon ship from Mobile Suit Gundam, the Solo Ship and Gando Rowa from Space Runaway Ideon (resembling the Banpresto Logo), the Discovery from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the USS Enterprise from Star Trek, the Gotengo, the Arcadia, as well as more reference designs.