SSSS.GRIDMAN

AndoCommando

__(An Abridged Take Inside TRIGGER Studios)__ Director [claps hands]: _Okay. Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I just wanted to discuss some further details on the series that I thought appropriate._ [Staff members nod their heads and grunt in agreement] Director [smiling]: _Great! Okay. Masaru [Sakamoto], you are in charge of the character designs, right?_ Masaru [nodding]: _Yes, that is correct._ Director: _Okay. May I see how they look so far?_ [Masaru nods and shows him a clipboard containing several designs of the main characters. The director takes his time glancing at each of the female designs.] Director: _Okay. I like what you have here, but I think we can make both of these female characters stand out more._ Masaru [intrigued]: _Sure. What would you want to change about them?_ Director [pointing at Rikka]: _Okay._ [leans towards Masaru’s ear and whispers in a serious tone] _I want dat ass big and her thighs thicc!_ Masaru [choking in absolute shock]: _Uhh sir, I mean… are you sure about that?_ Director [grabs Masaru by the collar]: _Okay listen here bucko, I’ve been in this industry for over a decade. I was an animator for one of the most successful anime from this year, Darling in the FranXX, so I think I know a thing or two about what sells in this business._ [Releases his grip on Masaru and returns to a light-hearted tone] _And try and make the other girl look cute, but not with thicc thighs. Only one girl gets that._ Masaru [still stunned after what had just transpired]: _Wh-what do you mean, “look cute”?_ Director [walking away]: _Just think what I would look like if I were a high school girl. Okay?_ [Masaru has no idea how to respond and decides to ask mechanical designer Shigeto Koyama on his opinion. Koyama sees the designs of both girls and a slick smile forms across his face.] Shigeto [amused]: _Well, when all else fails, you can always make dem titties big!_ Masaru: …. _(Inner Masaru [sighing]: __What the hell did I sign up for!?__)_ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Regardless of how seriously you take the transcript written above, it’s hard to argue just how much attention to detail went into the creation of SSSS.Gridman. While being heavily inspired by the 1993 live-action series Gridman the Hyper Agent, this version is loaded with visual references to numerous tokusetsu series and mecha anime of the past – Space Runaway Ideon, Getter Robo, Evangelion, several iterations of Gundam and more receive stunning rendition scenes that serve as quick but effective throwbacks appealing to nostalgia for the die-hard fans of yesterday. Whilst on the other side of the community, Gridman had managed to conquer the ever-present “best girl” debate of the season, with each week providing more material and support for why each girl and this series is worth one’s attention. Hell, there was even a theory made halfway into Gridman about whether or not Rikka was secretly pregnant with the protagonist’s child the entire time (there’s actually a fair amount of evidence about it, not gonna lie.) But first impressions are usually not what they seem and this saying holds true for Gridman, as the very first episode comes off as anything but the fun mecha shows its constantly compared to. SSSS.Gridman introduces its audience with several long shots lasting for uncomfortable periods of time – focusing on rather mundane things like a pile of shoes and dozens of students leaving school for the day, with only the sounds of cicadas being heard. Our protagonist Yuta wakes up in an unfamiliar room, with an unfamiliar female sitting across from him. The unfamiliarity continues as shots continue having characters fail to dominate the frames they are in, often outsized by their environment; constrained into small spaces of scenes. And when characters are allowed to dominate frames, the camera often takes weird perspectives placed either above or below their eyelines, almost intimately close to these characters. There’s a strong, distinct direction present that forces the viewer to rarely ever feel comfortable about what is being presented, coupled by a minimalist-style soundtrack that further emphasizes a quiet, environmental atmosphere rarely ever attributed with mecha shows. Its presentation is one that is more inclined to push anime fans away given just how different the show appears to contrast with the majority of anime airing nowadays. Some may call it a series with striking directing techniques that ultimately lacks proper direction. but I would urge otherwise as Gridman still has a lot of upside that helped make it one of the most popular shows of the season. The story focuses on amnesiac Yuta Hibike, who after finding himself in the home of fellow classmate Rikka Takarada meets a robot known as Gridman inside of an old computer. This has coincided with a sudden appearance of giant unmoving Kaiji, with one abruptly attacking the city causing Yuta to merge with Gridman to battle the Kaiju. In the aftermath however, the city around them appears rebuilt, with those having died being forgotten and people’s memories being reset around this fact, all bar the main characters. Because of this, Yuta attempts to stop the Kaiji from attacking and uncover the truth behind these disappearances. The mystique behind these events is what ultimately drives the story forward, however majority of the first half of Gridman almost rigidly follows a simple formula akin to tokusetsu monster-of-the-week: slight plot development occurs, monster appears, big hero/monster fight ensues with the heroes coming out on top, maybe some followup and repeat. This is not necessarily a detriment to the show as it works well to further establish most side characters and the setting in general, but once again it’s a tool that can easily alienate more viewers looking to see why Gridman is so well-liked. Gridman’s cast may not be seriously complex in their characterization nor development but still remain a solid aspect of the series, especially with the chemistry between more characters. The way each of the high school students are able to bounce personalities off each other is impressive and the least someone like myself can ask for of characters barely important to the plot. Although there still are some specific characters worth mentioning: Yuta as an amnesiac portrays a relatable human response in trying to carry on as usual to the best of his ability, reflecting how many of us will often try and find a sense of normalcy, coping to the best of our abilities instead of shutting out entirely despite the desire of sometimes wanting to. Meanwhile on the other side of the spectrum, Akane serves as the main antagonist to Yuta and friends, spending most of her time inside her eerie room, creating Kaiji inspired from daily frustrations and petty grudges. Underneath her outward reputation as a talented student lies a psychologically twisted girl barely able to be kept contained. Thematically, the series dangles along threads of memory and connection and both of these characters are integral to these ideas. As far as visuals are concerned, this is where Gridman really shows its strengths. Distinct character designs and colour palette that never overwhelms a single scene, detailed backgrounds that give off an ominous sense of uncertainty, subtle edits to further keep the audience away from any settled feeling. Its animation is somewhat limited considering the number of stills used in Gridman but does utilize a significant amount of 3D animation in conjuction with 2D animation, and here is where opinions can get easily divisive. From the time of Gridman’s airing, anime still has a long way to go with improving CG animation to looking anywhere near as appealing as traditional-style animation, and when both styles are used in the same show, the consensus thought is that it comes off clunky, immersion-breaking and overall detrimental to the show visually. But Gridman stands as an exception to this, with the CG-animated fights coming across more reminiscent to that of tokusetsu battles. In this way, these action scenes give off a similar sense of scale of larger-than-life monsters duking it out, destroying vehicles and buildings as if they were mere toys. These moments also encapsulate what I feel are the best parts of SSSS.Gridman. When a Kaiju attacks and Gridman, the hero and giant ass-kicking robot enters the fray, everything regarding the purposeful directing fades out: the unsettling camera angles, the absence of music, the alienation – all of the uncanniness is annihilated for this moment courtesy of the triumphant emergence of the hero confronting the evil. All of the sudden the cameras move into action, the music blares out, frames are completely dominated by the two behemoths. It doesn’t last very long but for this moment we as viewers finally are at ease and it becomes a glorious release of pent-up emotion. Expert manipulation of the audience that while it may sound simple on paper, could only work under the guise of splendid filmmaking ability. And that, is where SSSS.Gridman truly shines.

CodeBlazeFate

SSSS.Gridman is a truly bizarre experience. After the monumentally disappointing Darling in the FranXX and the surprisingly worthwhile Planet With, this show completes the year’s holy trinity of super robot anime by being a confusing mixed bag that is a nightmare to discuss. While it doesn’t exactly go full Evangelion, there are still references to it as well as stylistic similarities between the two. However, there’s more to this peculiar anime than just being another run-of-the-mill mecha series. First and foremost, this is both a tokusatsu and super robot anime. Sparing you the lengthy history of both concepts, it’s clear that the trappings of the two genres aren’t easy to deal with in contemporary anime—or any anime in the case of tokusatsu. Case in point: while reused animation is common in mecha series, they’re mainly utilized for robot transformations and special attacks. However, SSSS.Gridman goes as far as to rewind even non-action scenes, creating unnecessary repetition. Studio Trigger also decided to render the Gridman and its Kaiju foes using CGI, and the jarring blend between these 3D models and their 2D environment causes a serious case of the uncanny valley. Not helping matters is how these hulking titans continually swap between 2D and 3D, making everything they interact with --i.e. the road, the cars, the debris, etc.-- become a visual disaster. It’s a shame these graphical problems make the fights harder to follow given their cool choreography and sakuga moments. The art style of this series is far from appealing. Aesthetically, the show is incredibly bland. The inconsistent animation can sometimes make the faces look like deformed potatoes, which are further accentuated by the uninspired character designs. The characters look incredibly plain apart from their vibrant eyes, and even the more appealing individuals such as Anti and Rikka seem lacking. Another problem is the awkward movements, specifically the hand and arm motions. Long story short, this show has a bunch of visual oddities that dampen the experience. In spite of all the aforementioned problems, SSSS.Gridman has a striking direction. There are moments between fights that highlight a sense of discomfort and eerie quietness, similar to the atmospheric pauses in Evangelion. These scenes feel pretentious at times, but the clever framing of shots that illustrate the emotional distance of the characters makes them more engrossing than not. Film buffs might find this directing standard fare, but such a thing is noteworthy in the anime landscape. The dream sequences in episode nine are particularly fun to witness and showcase the creative talent of director Akira Amemiya. S^4 Gridman heavily restrains its usage of background music. Most non-action scenes lack an accompanying soundtrack. You would think the absence of music makes their purpose more meaningful, but sadly this isn’t the case. Since the soundtracks aren’t utilized frequently, none of them are memorable as a result. However, there is one track that stood out: the opening theme “Union” by OxT. As an uplifting song, it works as a call to action that plays when the main cast is gaining the upper hand against their Kaiju opponents. The song doesn’t always mesh properly with the sequence since it’s sometimes too quiet, but when it does, be prepared for some epic moments. Sadly, all this can’t be said for the forgettable ending theme. The cast of SSSS.Gridman is a mixed bag. For every character like Calibur, whose quirkiness comes from his silent, dorky attitude, we have someone boring like Yuta, our unremarkable protagonist. Most of the main characters, including the titular Gridman, are one-dimensional; the most interesting thing about them is their genuine interactions amongst each other. On the other hand, the three antagonists are highly fascinating. Akane is similar to a child trapped in her own sandbox video game world, twisted by her own influence, loneliness, and creations. One of these creations, Anti, is a foil to Gridman. He’s an overly serious edgelord so hell-bent on destroying Gridman that he ends up being hilariously awkward in social interactions. He would even pick fights with other Kaiju simply because of his desire to personally kill Gridman. As for Alexis, his voice and demeanor make him seem incredibly humorous and lackadaisical -- even as he shoves a buzzsaw to someone’s eye. One irksome trait the cast share is their tendency to restrict themselves for no proper reason. For example, in episode three, Yuta, Calibur, and Gridman worry the others by disappearing after a Kaiju defeats them, only for them to be on standby the entire time. One could make the argument that rushing back into battle or retreating immediately would have tipped the Kaiju off, but they could have escaped after it left since they can just warp back to the shop. All this segues perfectly into SSSS.Gridman’s obscure narrative. The mystery surrounding the show’s existentially horrifying world is unnerving in the sense that the narrative gradually becomes more destructive as secrets begin to unravel, a la FranXX. While I don’t feel the show crosses that line enough to destroy any investment I could possibly have --at least until episode 10-- there’s a fundamental aspect of the world-building that doesn’t strike me the right way. Tiptoeing around spoilers, one of the major gimmicks of this show's world is that everyone’s memories of the dead are altered when a character dies at the hands of a Kaiju, or a Kaiju gets destroyed. With the exception of the surviving combatants, everyone’s mind starts to become hazy. It’s not quite on the level of Re:Zero where society begins to doubt the existence of certain individuals, but it’s still a frustrating gimmick that doesn’t entirely make sense. As such, the show’s convoluted narrative makes it difficult to recommend. The asspulls in the second half only adds to this problem. Despite its various shortcomings, SSSS.Gridman is still an entertaining mecha anime. The fights are fun to watch, the banters between the characters are engaging, and the twisted hellhole of a world leaves viewers with much to ponder. Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I’m familiar with the tokusatsu genre, but I doubt such knowledge would make this show any less difficult to unpack. It’s an enigmatic mixed bag that I am glad to have watched. Oh, and on top of the Eva references, this show makes a Gurren Lagann reference, so there’s another link between the Gridman Planet With FranXX trio. Written/Edited by: CodeBlazeFate Proofread by: Peregrine Edited by: Skittles

Azureal

SSSS. Gridman, what an adventure. I'll try to make this review as spoiler-free as possible. From the show's relatively humble beginnings to it's grandiose end, it's was excellent all the way through. SSSS.Gridman is an amusing blend of genres, putting one of the spotlights on the school life aspect of it's main cast but driving itself forward through both elements of Mecha and Kaijuu tokusatsu shows. It's the perfect transition to animation an original Henshin tokusatsu show could ever ask for. Every episode is littered with great cinematography, art and animation accompanied with high energy tracks that compliment the production. It's filled to the brim with 2D sakuga and fluid CG animation which shows just how passionate the staff was about the whole show. The atmosphere's carefully crafted by the proper use of soundtracks and effects combined with the cinematography consisting of airless, sort of confined shots of the blistering summer heat and oppressive cloudy rains. It gives the show a sense of an identity that a lot of recent anime just can't seem to grasp. The sound design is especially amazing at giving audio feedback during these scenes, a vehicle being crushed, the ground crumbling under a monster, and all of the attacks sound so visceral and lifelike. The story is rather formulaic as it sticks to a Monster of The Week format but the archetypical structure of the format is broken down in a few places, making way for an actual overarching plot within the setup. Every plot point the show setup was unveiled at a proper pacing, and while the characters lacked development outside of Akane, the underlying themes still got through and eventually culminated into it's fantastic ending which saw Akane finally facing herself instead of finding fault in everything else. The entire roster is colorful and visually distinct, making them easy to remember, and potentially iconic - someday, down the line. The development for Hibiki, Rikka and Utsumi did feel kind of miniscule in the grand scheme of things and they should've gotten more screen time addressing their personal characteristics but the main focus of the plot didn't really require much on that front so they can be given a pass. Overall it's a great show that's totally worth everyone's time and attention.

Sekikunotameni

Gridman is the proof that every TRIGGER show (except Imaishi's directed) are going to be a disappointment, except Little Witch Academia and Inferno Cop. It's 2018 and we got an anime adaptation of Gridman, Tsuburuya's failed attempt to make another ultra series. That was a joke and I haven't seen the original Gridman. But, hey, no one does. In my monthly reading of Tokupedia forums to find a good Toku to watch since Zi-O and Lupin vs Pato is a big disappointment, I found this. This thing is called another disappointment. As a Tokusatsu, the writing is bound to be cheesy. But here's the thing about Gridman, it wasn't cheesy enough. What is the right amount of cheese? If the Toei Spider-Man is the cheesiest, the Power Rangers Movie (the old one) is the right amount, then the Godzilla VS movies are beyond the right amount just because you can see Godzilla "Symbol for Atom Bombs" dicking around and fight other monsters with various comedic ways. After blurting out some Toku references, I forgot that I'm supposed talking about the story. The structure of each episode is repetitive just like every live-action tokusatsu, but in the live action, the monster moves like a baby that can only jump and flail their arms around like an idiot and whenever the mecha are combined it's stood there, gloriously, that what's makes watching Tokusatsu as a grown man is all about. This thing's monster and mecha are fully CG, not the entire show just the most important part of any tokusatsu series. I see this video in my YouTube recommendations talking about how the janky low framerate movement is realistic and it encapsulates the movement of the bodysuit, that video was made by the same person who thinks the Detective Pikachu trailer is good. If a tokusatsu is done in animation, the designs should be more expressive and the movements more fluid. Instead, they use cheap 3DCG with stiff motion. This is even worse than Shin Godzilla. What we can take from all this? Ultraman (2019) is safe to skip. So let's move to the characters, there's amnesia boy, cucked glasses, thigh girl, god girl, and an alien wearing Kamina shades. Whenever I see a TRIGGER character using those shades, I got reminded the fact that Kamina died a virgin. The God girl is TRIGGER's attempt to make another religion, the only thing that stands in their way is that Akaneism doesn't roll off the tongue very well. The character design is the best thing about the show, I found 31 artists to follow just by looking at Danbooru, I only found 14 with Yuru Camp. The subtle naming of the mecha power up cast's school is the most stealthy reference of the decade that only people with high IQ will understand and the voice for Rikka's mom is just Haruko. Despite all this, I fully enjoy it. The dream sequence at episode 9 is exciting, the background kaiju are really cool, the character interactions are fun, the last fight finally uses 2D, the last shot makes me giggle like a little kid and this makes hopeful for another TRIGGER anime.

magnifico

This review was written in late 2018. It contains spoilers. SSSS.Gridman makes it very clear from the get-go that it's going to limit itself to a clichéd formula. There was a nice premise - Akane constructing its own world was a really cool idea that just didn’t deliver. A storyline with potential that decides to not invest in what makes it special is, in my view, already a disaster. Instead, it invests exactly in what every other show already did much better than SSSS.Gridman ever could. This show has a personality crisis. SSSS.Gridman has no idea what it wants to be. It's a mecha show, a college slice of life with a twist, a mystery romance all mixed in to create a shapeless blob that accomplishes neither of these. Every episode went like this - the first 10 minutes were college slice of life, and the last 10 minutes were straight mecha action - with little to no connection between the two. I’m certain that if it tried to focus on one of the genres, or if it at least tried to connect one genre to another, it would be a much smoother experience. SSSS.Gridman shows a pointless story. There is a massive screentime problem - It starts and ends too slow for a show with only 12 episodes to spare. The first 6 episodes are all criminally short of explanations and the mecha fights are dragged around and around. Then, out of nowhere, pool episode. This lack of proper screentime management led the show to have MANY plot-holes. SSSS.Gridman creates a universe, but can’t explain it in time. It creates characters but have no time to give them backstories. Hibiki Yuuta is a bland and unappealing main character with no real objective and motivations. He has no personality and he is given a cliché amnesia introduction. No backstory, never recovers from his amnesia, and has only ONE role in the entire show – to be NOT himself, but transform into Gridman to fight some evil giant creatures. The story might have been better off without him taking unneeded screentime for himself. Utsumi and Rikka are simply useless characters that add nothing to the show. They are not involved with Gridman whatsoever, they get absolutely no backstory and no development. Even when the show massively hints at Rikka and Utsumi being important for the storyline, all they get is a few lines of ‘motivational’ dialogue that can’t possibly have changed the outcome of anything. Akane is the only solid character as she is given a unique personality and is quite a decent antagonist. She has proper motivations for her actions and is an understandable character from the viewers point (who, being a omnipotent god, wouldn’t do some shady stuff?). Even though there really isn’t much of her backstory revealed (of when she got to meet Alexis, how did she become a god in the first place, and even the horror that is the last scene shown in the last episode), at least we got what we got and that was okay. When the story has many flaws and the characters can’t stand up for themselves, the conclusion just can’t work. The climax is never there because there was no build-up in the first place. The storyline starts, and then ends, and you are left hanging like “was that it?”. Why did Akane create the world? Why was she always with Alexis? Who are the supporting characters that transform into Gridman parts? Why does Gridman fight? WHO IS GRIDMAN? SSSS.Gridman makes a very strong case that it does NOT want to address these questions. And it is all a damn shame. It’s an okay show animation-wise. I am not a fan of the 2D-CGI mix, even more when the last fight scene suddenly wants to go 2D, but the CGI was bearable. There are A LOT of recycled scenes, which doesn't look too good on the production. SSSS.Gridman's objective was never to be a stand-out series. It probably only wanted us, viewers, to see some oldschool Gridman back in action. But I don't really know who Gridman is, and this show didn't make me want to know.

KatagiriYuichi

SSSS Gridman is one well written show. As mecha has now fallen, Gridman tends to have a low rating. But Gridman is far more than just cliché stories and fanservice; it’s one amazingly thought out mecha anime with many layers beneath the surface. Now for one who hasn’t at all heard about this anime this review is also for you, and I will try my best to explain this to people who are curious in this series... or just here for some reason. **Story** Gridman follows a boy, who is tasked by Gridman to protect the city from *kaiju*. Nonetheless, we are greeted with 6 episodes of happy mecha fighting. Most people decide to drop Gridman by the fourth episode, as Gridman is... well... **repetitive**. The first half is just full of cliché moments and nostalgic mecha fights scenes with the good guys always coming out on top. Personally, I enjoyed it as I didn’t have a childhood with mecha. But the second half is underappreciated. Suddenly, we have themes such as depression and running away from reality implemented into the show. It was filled with themes like those, but in the end, it’s still good. Even though it ended up being slightly dark, it isn’t as dark as Attack On Titan or like that. This show gave some feels of hope, which would make you *want* the good guys to win.

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**Music and Art** Studio Trigger definitely did a good job with this one, the opening sounding so very hopeful whereas the ending sounding very emotional (and quite yuri). The voice acting wasn’t anything special, but it was a fine job. It doesn’t sound exaggerated and sounds more to how Japanese people really speak. The art was nice, too. With the CGI improving every single episode. Even during the first episode the CGI was fairly decent. **Characters** The characters aren’t exactly the best written characters, but even then, they’re mostly likeable. I’d have to say, it does lack a bit of character development and some people don’t get explored enough. This is a story-over-characters-type show, so (Y/N) shouldn’t really watch for the characters.

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**Conclusion** SSSS Gridman was surprisingly good. There were some aspects that they could’ve worked on, but it was able to execute a story very well. I can see why people hate it. There was a fair amount of unnecessary fanservice, and it may have been cheesy, but for someone who never experienced Gridman, I enjoyed it a lot. Going into it blindly was an amazing decision but perhaps your expectations should be lowered a bit. Note: It’s not for everyone, as the good guys win too much, and it is slice-of-lifey, so don’t really expect Steins;Gate level writing.

LarzLmao

*No Spoilers* *I also didn't watch the original Gridman or any Ultraman type of shows before so Im coming into this anime as a novice to those kinds of tropes (which is still present in this anime). Closest thing I watched was probably Power Rangers when I was a kid. If you can look past the cheesy writing and story telling, it actually is a good anime. The story isn't complex like Neon Genesis Evangelion, but is deep enough to present a meaningful message about dealing with one's own insecurities and with other people. The first half of the show has some cringe dialogue and doesn't make sense at times, but can maybe make you exhale some air out of nostrils as a form of laughter. The action scenes are top-notch as expected from studio Trigger, really cool fight animations. Anyone who enjoyed watching big robots fighting big monsters would really enjoy this show. The characters may seem dull and forgettable at the start, but when you reach the end you receive a whole new perspective on these characters. Because of this, I was able to find a new appreciation on the characters and it made watching from the start feel more fulfilling and I guess helps you really relate to these characters more. Since the anime was only 12 episodes it wasn't really hard to do. Things really get interesting at the second half, it starts explaining why and how everything is happening and it "kinda" makes sense. However, I suggest that if you do pick up this anime to not expect the story to totally makes sense. I think the writers of the show purposely made it that way to not waste time on things that won't really matter? Also I guess sometimes it's okay to leave some things for interpretation to the viewer in order to make a unique connection which can vary from viewer to viewer. So if you're someone who really wants a complete story and everything is explained you'll be disappointed by the story. Despite the prior statement, it really didn't bother me because I think what's important is you understand the message the anime is trying to convey (which can be different from person to person). All in all, I enjoyed watching the anime. If you just want a "light"/chill anime where you can just carelessly watch each episode without thinking then I suggest you check it out. Honestly it surprised me I thought this would be a shallow anime just for pure eye-candy. But, the end left me thinking how important it is to be kind to not only to others but especially yourself. Kudos to the creators of the show. TLDR: If you just wanna watch big robotman fight big monsters, BUT with some cringe writing AND an ending that can possibly make you emotional I suggest you check out this anime.

sushiisawesome

This review will contain spoilers for the entirety of SSSS Gridman. You have been warned. SSSS Gridman being a loosely related sequel to a tokusatsu show even people within the toku fanbase have largely not seen or taken an interest in randomly being adapted in 2018 raised very few alarm bells - while Trigger did showcase a short that was done in tribute to Gridman a few years prior, Gridman itself was an anomaly in every respect, with only a few curious eyes wanting to check it out in 2018. Little did people know that what we'd get out of Gridman is the kickstart of a subfranchise that would critically define Studio Trigger, being the most captivating set of series Trigger has done so far. Gridman's central premise is ironically somewhat hidden in the show's format - playing tokusatsu as well as mecha anime tropes straight albeit as a form of homage - Yuta's the chosen one by Gridman to save the world, Utsumi is the standard friend who cheers him on, Rikka is the aloof love interest and Akane is the popular girl everyone loves who also loves the main character. This betrays a meticulously well-written story about these characters and their relationships to one another - one about their limited agency, self-worth, purpose in their wider world and more importantly, the value of healthy connections instead of blindly giving up on the world in a fit of self-loathing rage. Our apparent trio - Yuta, Utsumi and Rikka - all embody these elements to various levels. Yuta's initially portrayed as an amnesiac, who due to the resets and forgetfulness questions his purpose in even fighting (or existing) before reconciling that with the fact people are getting erased from existence with each reset, putting it onto himself that he must keep fighting as a result. He's a blank slate, robotic man who does the motions of living but nothing more initially, coming onto his own by the end of the series through both his feelings for Rikka and finding worth in what he does as the setting's savior - even despite the twist at the end involving his identity, Yuta retains the lessons learned through the series and chooses to live as free and honest a life as he can, which is relevant to his budding feelings for Rikka - the reality Yuta must face is that he has to embrace the change in relationship that'll come out of any confession he makes to Rikka, with him over the course of the series getting there. Utsumi's role is as the emotional crutch of the group, being a sort of representation for the average toku fan watching this show craving an adventure of his own. In reality, he's just a guy wandering aimless through life, hoping for something to happen to him to ease his boredom instead of assimilate into the mold and be yet another boring person - his entire character arc is ironically about him seeing worth in his own emotional role, and not use his passion for tokusatsu as a be-all, end-all. His bond with Yuta despite Yuta’s amnesia is pretty great and his frequent tension with Rikka (only for them to grow closer together as characters) is worth mentioning – Rikka is someone he bonds with outside of tokusatsu, and it’s relevant to his character arc about breaking out of his shell and bonding with people outside of his interests. Rikka’s role is to act as the disinterested, grounded one of the three – being the one who often points out the absurdity of situations and has no real interest in tokusatsu tropes; in fact, Rikka doesn’t have much of an interest in anything. If Utsumi’s obsession with tokusatsu is supposed to highlight his own tunnel vision involving interests and interacting with the world around him, Rikka’s lack of interest highlights the person she is; someone who keeps a clear distance from everyone around her and lacks explicit emotional attachment to anyone while clearly keeping her distance. Her characterization is directly relevant to Akane’s, for reasons that involve the story’s central premise. Akane is the real main character of Gridman – she created this entire setting as an escape from reality, and all the different main characters reflect elements of her that she herself has, only the trio reflect positive traits (Yuta her inner altruism, Utsumi her passion for her hobbies but in a more functional person and Rikka being her general ideal for the kind of person she wants to be while also reflecting some of her flaws) and improve as people as they gain sentience away from Akane, and Akane herself slips further and further into a downward spiral as the series goes on; this world is her only escape from depression and suicidality that she lives through in her own life. Ironically, the trio gaining sentience – this including Anti, who debatably is her punching bag for the abuse she suffers in her own life, thereby continuing the cycle of abuse – can be reflective of her subconscious desire for someone to save her, and her own personal desire to finally gain the courage to face reality and be a happier person. The series’s themes tie also into the struggles involving growing up at all, and the desire to establish connections during puberty/adolescence. This is a more subtly hidden them, but it ties into every major character’s arc and Akane’s especially, with a central point being that Akane isn’t wrong for seeking bonds, but wrong for seeking them in such a manipulative manner in a way that wouldn’t help or save her. Alexis Kerib – his obvious connection to the original Gridman TV show notwithstanding – can be seen symbolically as her darkest desires in clinging to escapism no matter what and a symbol of such an unhealthy relationship, foiling him and Akane properly to the trio’s more natural and convincing friendship with each other (and later into the series, Akane herself). The side cast don’t get much characterization but are generally pretty fun to see, and the focus largely stays on the main cast (with the exception of Anti, whose characterization as a more humane kaiju with the capability of being a better person through empathy ironically contrasts with what Akane seeks herself). The story’s honestly insanely straightforward, it just hides its best punches insanely cleverly, seeking to lure in the watcher in the last third of the show, which is where everything magnificently comes together. The animation quality is stunning – while the CG during fights between Gridman and kaiju might be grating to some, it was fine to me and felt like a nice tribute to the style present in tokusatsu live action shows. The facial animations and subtle character movements look gorgeous and add a lot of characterization to the cast – small things like Utsumi and Rikka refusing to sleep during episode 3 or Rikka nervously twitching her fingers behind her back while talking to Yuta do wonders to add to the overall cast. The direction is exceptional – this is especially true in the last four episodes, but the show is a marvel of knowing how to drag the viewer into its pace and atmosphere, episode 9 being an obvious standout but more scenes than I can ever bring out are noteworthy too. This show requires quite a bit of patience, but damn is it oh-so-worth it. I strongly recommend it. Thank you for anyone and everyone who’s read my review to the end, any and all feedback would be appreciated.

RebelPanda

img1000(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IMVH4bvG5GM/maxresdefault.jpg) ~~~~~~~~~~~~_Review originally posted December 22, 2018_ After 25 years since the original Gridman TV series debuted in 1993, Studio Trigger and Tsuburaya Productions, the company behind Gridman and Ultraman, have collaborated to produce the magnificent tokusatsu inspired reboot SSSS.Gridman. For those who are new to Gridman and tokusatsu entertainment, it is the Japanese term attached to any sci-fi/fantasy live-action series that uses an abundance of special effects. More specifically, practical effects; think people wrestling in rubber monster suits smashing through model cities and stop motion animation. That leads us to SSSS.Gridman, the love child of first-time director Akira Amemiya and Keiichi Hasegawa, famed screenwriter of the 1990s Ultraman. It is overflowing with references and callbacks to the live-action series, SSSS is a lovingly crafted modernized take on the original series. The new story takes a theme relevant to today’s audiences and focuses on the youth of Japan and their relationship to technology. The show opens on Yuta Hibiki, an amnesiac first-year in high school who’s just woken up in the home of Rikka Takarada, a girl in his class. With no clue who she is, or who he is for that matter. His standard introduction no doubt had people rolling their eyes, including me, and it does detract from the story, at least until we learn why he lost his memory. Yuta sees hallucinations of a robot named Gridman in an old computer in Takarada's family store, later called ‘Junk’ in reference to its name in the original show. Afterward, he meets Sho Utsumi, his friend before getting amnesia. Sho helps him with his memory loss, which is more or less his role in the series, being Yuta's support. He's a decent character, with a minor arc and some development. Throughout the first episode, the information we’re being fed by the characters is incongruous with what we observe from Yuta’s perspective. Rikka and Utsumi easily accept Yuta’s amnesia and when he sees Kaiju looming in the distance they assume he’s joking because—like his Gridman hallucinations—he is the only one who can see them at first. In spite of the mundane reactions of people around Yuta, the directing of nearly every scene communicates dread. It constantly feels like danger is just off the frame and the next scene will change everything. img1000(https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/gridman1.png) Amemiya lingers on long shots too long for them to feel normal, instead, they communicate anxiety, you constantly are waiting for something to happen that will break the mundanity. Lighting is oversaturated during the daytimes to convey the crushing heat of the summer, and at night is subdued with fog and the monsters are constantly shown looming in the distance over the heroes. In the first episode, a radio playing is placed in between scenes to shift the tone. It bears so much similarity to Neon Genesis Evangelion. It’s no surprise considering the director is a Gainax veteran. No doubt, SSSS.Gridman's greatest strength is the tone, it balances the mundane life of high school students with the dread of a Kaiju attack. Eventually, when the Kaiju do attack, it is equally satisfying to watch play out. The three main characters are together in Rikka’s family store when the first Kaiju begins wreaking havoc on the city, forcing Yuta to work with Gridman fight off the monsters in giant robot form. Together they create the Gridman Alliance, dedicated to defeating any Kaiju that threatens to destroy their city. The animation is fluid, characters are incredibly expressive, storyboards are filled with detail, shots are excellently framed. The camera work is dynamic making the action always exciting and even the CGI used during many of the fight scenes is superb. The sound design is especially amazing at giving audio feedback during these scenes, a vehicle being crushed, the ground crumbling under a monster, and all of the attacks sound so visceral and lifelike. From time to time the show's incredible opening is used as background music in fights, and this would typically grow tiresome but because the song is so good and relevant to the story it never bothered me. At times the monster's movements look janky, but it never feels unintentional, watching old tokusatsu series shows that this is how the monster/giant robot fights looked, they move in ways that make it seem as though someone is inside a suit navigating them. 2D animation could never have achieved the authenticity of the monsters they were aiming for here. Not every scene is exploding with action, but even when the pace slows down, the directing and intruiging storyboarding are still visually arresting. One qualm I would bring up is the overabundance of fanservice placed at awkward moments, this thankfully only happened in certain episodes around the midpoint of the show. All around, this show is incredibly faithful to the original series, visually, audibly, and narratively. img1000(https://theglorioblog.files.wordpress.com/2018/12/gridman0901.jpg) The story is at times too standard to the genre and could have used more originality rather than reliance on the source material. It delivers it's story beats confidently and plenty self-aware of the nostalgia it's evoking, but the times it updates the script to a modern audience are worthwhile. Important information is shown to us rather than told, a characters motivation is never told to us before it is shown, a twist never comes that wasn’t foreshadowed heavily. This showing rather than telling comes across the most in Akane Shinjou's scenes, a classmate of Yuta’s. She offers the most exciting writing in the show. In the first episode alone, her scenes convey more fear than any of the Kaiju scenes. She’s subtle with her dark side and when she gets her quiet moments of angry reflection you get to see how bitter she is. Her psychotic tendencies and lack of care for others are made all the more frightening by how much power she proves to have. img1000(https://i.imgur.com/HEqYo5S.png) Although Yuta's simplistic personality is explained very well in the narrative, Rikka and Akane get far more development than him. Eventually, they even take his place as the protagonists, and the show is much better for it. Rikka gets more development than Yuta and becomes a remarkably sympathetic character right away. While Yuta and Utsumi celebrate their victories against Kaiju she worries about the fallout of the city being attacked and if her friends are safe. She's the most nuanced character in the show, and it often feels like she is a normal person who was placed into the plot of a wild sci-fi kids show. Her apprehension towards conflict and her contemplation of the effects of what's occurring in the story are what makes her so believable. Yuta and Utsumi are at first, ecstatic to escape the mundane life of being a student, then the shock of the danger they’re in forces them to face reality and change their mindsets. Whereas Yuta accepts he has to overcome challenges at face value and follows through like a typical protagonist, Rikka is constantly questioning why she’s in such a dire situation and where her place is in all of it. Her development throughout the show is intertwined with Akane's and they both change in ways that are very engaging to watch play out. The themes of Gridman are showcased throughout the story in the elaborate technology the villain has, all alone in her room, contrasted with the beat-up old computer the Gridman Alliance use. Yet even with basic technology, they prove to be formidable foes to the Kaiju, and they enjoy working together. What the screenwriter is trying to say is rather basic, but it’s nonetheless a well-reinforced theme and consistent throughout the show, you don’t need an abundance of technology to have good relationships and valued friendships. SSSS.Gridman stands as one of the best mecha in recent memory. Stylistically it is much different than the rest of Studio Trigger's anime, but it is one of their greatest works yet. It wears its love for the original series and tokusatsu entertainment on its sleeve. The story is wonderfully nostalgic, and surprisingly enough, thought-provoking. Laden with subtle details building up to every twist, every theme, it is both visually interesting and endlessly analyzable. I look forward to rewatching it time and time again in the future.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~