[Zanzibak]

@magicmaximus

Take a whole bunch of anime conventions - giant robots, anime babes, unassuming hero, brash tough guys, cartoon humor , tragic misunderstood bad guys, etc etc - and put it all together in an eventually epic in scale story with top notch animation. Thats Gurren Lagann. Definitely watch this series in episode order or you lose out on the story progression and the evolution of the characters. I think this is also better watched in Japanese because the original voices are better caricatures of anime tropes. Its an anime stereotype stew with suprising depth in its themes and symbolism. If you are a fan of all different types of anime, then Gurren Lagann is a well crafted mash-up treat.

There is some silly stuff especially early on but its tempered with poignant sequences and heartbreaking moments. Gurren Lagann is a little bit of everything so the pieces you don't like can affect your appreciation for the series as a whole. Wacky anime humor or Japanese "slice-of-life" stuff probably isn't your thing. Nothing wrong with that - you know what you like. But I think you won't appreciate The Familiar of Zero and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya as much as I did.

So add to your list of "serious" anime, I'm thinking I'd also throw in
Golgo 13 The TV Series (I didn't really enjoy any of the movies)
Gantz
The Last Exile