Kendrix: I wonder if the "shield" thing means anything. Is there a japanese word for drill?
thewayneiac: They are actually using the English word "shield" ( シールド). When we were discussing whether to keep "shield" or change it to "drill", as most translators do, Reichu suggested that the A.T. Field light show at the tip was the actual shield. In Gurren Lagann, they seem to always say "drill" in English, so maybe there isn't an indigenous Japanese word. Does anyone here know for certain?