SSSS.Gridman

When SSSS.Gridman first began, people really didn’t like it. I think a lot of the surface-level elements turned people away, especially since the first few episodes were fairly slow and predictable. But once the show actually got going, the actual content there kept us coming back week after week, and it ended up being not just one of my favorite shows of its season, but of the year as a whole.

Gridman is a precarious mix of genres, balancing seemingly everyday school life against giant mecha fights. The former goes against what people expect from mecha anime, and is likely responsible for the show being labeled ... as slow. However, these two disparate halves somehow built off each other, with the tension of the daily life feeding into the catharsis of the action scenes. Since it's the more mundane material that seems to have garnered the most criticism, that'll be the focus of this review.

Interestingly enough, this means I really don’t need to talk about Yuta. While he may pilot Gridman, his amnesiac protagonist bit gets in the way of him having a particularly interesting school life, and instead Rikka steps forward as the protagonist. Rikka is the more emotionally-driven of the two, and while she’s aware of all the kaiju shenanigans going on in the show, it’s never really her main drive.

Instead, Rikka’s conflict is her trying to reconnect with Akane, the antagonist of the series with whom she used to be close friends. Akane creates the kaiju that terrorize the city, and it would be so easy to just view her as the villain, especially since this is how she presents herself. But unlike the other protagonists, Rikka doesn't look at her through this lens. By refusing to play on Akane’s terms of mecha and kaiju, she is the one who is able to genuinely reach out to Akane and save her from her isolation. This story of reconnection could have been treated as secondary to the main action, but instead it’s given the same level of attention, receiving much of the show’s expressive animation and relatable character moments.

Also, the show absolutely nails atmosphere. Though everything seems mostly normal for the first half of the run, the show's use of its claustrophobic camera and tendency for long pauses serve to constantly instill a sense of discomfort in the viewer as they try to figure out why the world seems off. The summer heat is tangible and oppressive, and the rainy days are all the more miserable. The soundtrack goes a long way to sell these scenes, and the opening and ending are both fantastic.

Briefly, I’ll talk about how the show handles homage. I think a lot of the criticism leveled at the show is based on it being too steeped in references to other shows, to the point that animator for the original Gridman Obari Masami complained that they weren’t doing anything new with the material. With that said, I don’t mind having these callbacks as fanservice to fans of the original, especially since they don’t conflict with the story being told. Plus, how upset can I really be over all of the character designs being based on obscure Transformers? That’s adorable.

In conclusion, Gridman is just really good, you know? If you’ve been on the fence about watching Gridman because of the initial negative reception, I'd say it's worth trying for yourself. I'm still not entirely clear why so much of the community is down on this show, but I absolutely loved it, and I hope that more people will give it a chance.

This show is so under-rated. I don't know how it's rating is so low on MyAnimeList. Big shotout to PhenomSage for recommending.

It proves that you really can't judge a book by its cover, or review on MAL.

So to start off, a lot of you will probably look at this anime and think: "Ew, its UltraMan animated". This is for kids... Next.

But not so fast, while this anime does borrow a lot of inspiration from UltraMan, it is in a differnt league. The story is very fresh and creative, with it's own spin on the UltraMan genre that is obviously intented for a more mature ... audience. The closest anime I can think of is Madoka Magica and its adoptation of the SaliorMoon genre.

The story started off awesomely and is getting more and more interesting every episode. You just need to watch it without any prejudice. Yes, it's about a boy who transforms into an UltraMan-like hero and fights monsters, but this is only a cover-up for a deeper underlying story. There's is clearly some dark mystery going on in the background, but the story doesn't draw more attention to it than it needs to.

I need to applaud the storytelling so far, it's so on-point with its humour, pace, and suspense. The characters are also very interesting and beautifully created. They are super relatable and realistic. They are never oblivious to their situation and stalls out the story. Instead, they are the key driving force of the plot. The whole "battling monsters" acts as more of a background entertainment, which can be pretty nostalgic for those of us growing up watching UltraMan. The art is amazing! Top-tier along side animes like Code Geass and Macross Frontier. Music is awesome too! You can tell the creators are putting a lot of thought and efforts into this.

But seriously, you've got to watch it to believe it. I don't want to spoil anything. And trust me, you won't regret it.

SSSS.Gridman is an anime inspired by the old tokusatsu series Denkou Choujin Gridman. It takes what's interesting about the genre and adjusts it to fit the modern day's standards. Thanks to that the final product turned out to be an interesting mix of old and new. Add to it the outstandingly good execution and you get a masterpiece that can keep you glued to the screen with every episode.

The main character of the anime is Yuuta Hibiki - a high school boy that wakes up at Rikka Takarada's home having no memories at all. At the Junk Shop, which belongs to Rikka's family, there's an ... old computer called Junk. And inside of it there's Gridman - the Hyper Agent telling Yuuta there's a mission he needs to fulfill. Yuuta lets his school friend Utsumi in on what's happened and when huge monsters called kaijuu start attacking the city, these three form the Gridman Alliance and with the help of the robot inside Junk, they start fighting said monsters and begin the journey to discover the truth about the city and everyone in it.

Since the very beginning there's a feeling that there's more to the show than it might appear at first. In what could be labelled as a naive show targetting the younger audience there's always the feeling that something is off and with every episode the eerie atmosphere becomes more apparent, which only makes the experience better. I loved the mysterious atmosphere of the weird, closed off city and the scenery filled with giant dormant monsters reminding you that even the calm days aren't how they should be.

What adds to the atmosphere is the background music, or rather the frequent lack thereof. Because of that (and of the animation) some scenes look pretty slow, but I wouldn't call it a bad thing in this particular case. The music does always appear during the fight scenes, though, and it's fitting and good. I also liked both the opening and ending song. There's a song I liked even more, though, and namely Yume no Hero - the original Gridman's opening song - which the original version of we can hear in the last episode and there was also a rearrangement of it played before.

As for the fights, what's much more outstanding about them than the soundtrack are the visuals. The fight scenes are super good and in my opinion they only get better with every episode. The CGI used during them looks clean and good quality and it also makes Gridman and the kaijuu look kind of heavy like they are supposed to be. We also get to see lots of cool transformations and gattai. Many cool combinations appeared throughout the show.

The visuals are great not only during the fight scenes. There are rather many still frames, but I perceive them as an artistic move, which I like. But when things are moving, the animation is fluid, especially when there's a lot of action going on. The backgrounds are full of details, the characters have nice designs (I also love their eyes) and there is nothing about the visual side of the show that I could complain about.

I found the characters to be another really strong point of the anime. Our main trio is totally likeable. Although devoid of some super unique traits, they feel genuine and their actions are understandable. And that's exactly what I like about them. They are just a group of normal high school kids whose everyday life changes because of the strange events happening. One could complain about the main character being bland, but there's a reason behind that, and it's more than just the fact that he has no memories. There's also Akane Shinjou - the girl everyone loves and a friend of Rikka. The Neon Genesis Junior High Students are a crazy but lovable and useful bunch, whose eccentricity doesn't fail to make the viewers smile. There's also a certain kaijuu boy that grew on me over time. The supporting characters are also fine.

As for the references - there seem to be many of them, but as someone that has never been into tokusatsu shows, I can't say much about them, unfortunately. I feel like I'm missing out a bit, but it's not like being knowledgeable about this kind of thing is necessary to enjoy the show. I'm sure the references will add to the experience for people that are more familiar with that stuff, though. I also wanted to mention one thing I looked up before, and namely the background of a certain girl that played an important role in the episode 6. If you are interested in that, I recommend looking up a kaijuu named Anosillus. It's quite moving. Episode 6 is also the one the aforementioned rearrangement of the old opening song was played in.

To sum it up, I see SSSS.Gridman as a show made of love and care for details. In spite of it taking inspirations from other things, it feels like it has its own identity. The quality of the anime is super good. To me this show is one of a kind. Simple, yet interesting and satisfying. I found it to be extremely enjoyable and I highly recommend giving it a try!

Anime consumers typically stay loyal to certain genres or a specific franchise when they purchase goods. I’m not an avid fan of collecting anime merchandise but I've seen people with stacks and shelves filled with anime figures. Out of all the genres though, mecha seems to be one that I’ve always been fascinated by. In recent years, it seems mecha shows have caused a bit of controversy. From Full Metal Panic to Darling in the Frankxx, they can either be really, really good or pretty damn despicable.

Perhaps we shouldn’t jump too far ahead. Studio Trigger has been able to produce series with memorable quality ... from their lineup. Sure, Darling in the Frankxx was a show that had a divided fan base but who can forget some of their other phenomenal work like Kill la Kill or Little Witch Academia? SSSS.Gridman got announced during Summer 2017 and to think, it also stands out as a celebration for the 25th anniversary of the original Denkou Choujin Gridman from 1993. I think if you’re a fan of tokusatsu programs, then you may be prepared for a treat. But if you’re not, be prepared for a wildly bizarre adventure.

I should say right off the bat that SSSS.Gridman’s synopsis may take a few times to read before getting a first impression of what the show may be really about. It reminds me of a bit of blending between the Western and Japanese culture. We have mecha that somehow reminds me of Transformers, action heroes that feel like they are in the role as Power Rangers, and battles that resemble Pacific Rim. When I was young, there was a time when I watched Power Rangers especially the classics like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. However, I was never too big in the Ultraman franchise despite also being a tokusatsu classic. When people mention Ultraman, SSSS.Gridman also comes to my mind with the similar style of presentation. The first few episodes quickly unravels a dark plot about Akane Shinjo. As a central antagonist, she has a troubling personality and holds disturbing grudges towards those who “wrongs her”. She could be someone you would call a sociopath and can be highly manipulative. When we meet Akane the first time, it doesn’t take long to realize that there’s something deeply wrong about her inner personality. And honestly, a type of character like her easily brings in trouble into the main story.

Of course, our main story involves protagonist Yuta Hibiki who wakes up with no apparent memory. As the human host of Gridman, he fulfills the role of an action hero. That is, he fights the Kaiju (the main monsters in the show) and protects the innocent. You could say he is the show’s friendly neighborhood Spiderman type of guy who swings into action when trouble knocks at doors. Thankfully, he gets assistance not just from Gridman but also from his friends. These the Gridman Alliance such as Shou, Rikka, and members of the Neon Genesis Junior High Students. The show reveals more about their roles as Yuta develops an alliance between them. However, the elephant in the room should be addressed. Why should you care about a story that resembles something done over a decade ago?

As I mentioned before, most anime fans tends to favor genres that they’ve really experienced with. SSSS.Gridman blends a variety that’s draws the line of science fiction, mecha, and super hero. The plot isn’t hard to understand but may take some take to get attached to. Mainly, some of the first half resembles more of the Monster of the Week format where a hero fights against an enemy, defeats it, and saves the day. But don’t worry, the show does get more complex later on that deals with their world and Akane herself. I’m not going to throw spoilers as the show gets fairly dark as every episode progresses. Maybe that’s even an understatement because right from the start, this show had an unsettling mood. I’ll make this crystal clear now. Characters that die doesn’t just result in death but disappear completely. Erased from seemingly existing. If that doesn’t instill a sense of fear, then I don’t know what does.

Beyond the dark story, we’re also treated with character relationships that play some key emphasis on the show altogether. Akane, Yuta, and Rikka stars as the main characters and they connect on a level that is fairly important. By understanding each other, they establish character connection that the viewers can get invested in. This is especially true to learn about character motivations such as Rikka’s desire to be a hero despite wanting to live a normal life. Or in the opposite case, Rikka’s resentment and desire for revenge for those who wronged her. Indeed, Rikka is a complex character, perhaps one of the hardest to accept but also incredibly enticing to watch for her unpredictable role. Her character expressions often hides her façade like a monster would. It’s as if she’s always wearing a mask as a beautiful creature on the outside and a harbinger of death on the inside.

With 12 episodes, some questions popped to my head made me wonder if it’s really enough. Despite the show having a more serious storytelling, it still retains lighthearted moments and humor. Not to mention, we also got an obligatory beach episode to service the fans and one other particular episode to showcase Kajiu’s human-like behaviors. Viewers will also likely to poke fun at some of the character interactions and behaviors such as Akane’s hikikomori-like lifestyle. I think what the producers were aiming for is resurrecting this franchise as a way to pay homage to the original series while crafting its own story. It definitely succeeds at that when committing to its genres without stepping out of its comfort zone.

Among the many elements of the show, one that’s impossible to evade is the style of its artwork. Studio Trigger has been known to make some extravagant cinematography with its battle contents. Here, SSSS.Gridman succeeds in similar ways. The action is over the top like how a tokusatsu show should be. From the first few episodes, it manages to showcase just how dangerous the Kajiu are and what they can do. Gridman himself has abilities that can neutralize monsters such as energy lasers and is incredibly durable as a fighting Hyper Agent. Make no mistake though. The monsters themselves are formidable ranging from the debut of Ghoulghalias to the deadly Devadadan. Each of them are decorated with impressive fighting capabilities and poses a threat to humanity. Similar to Godzilla in size, it’s nightmares coming to life in their world. The CGI was easy to get accompanied to and adds a colorful style to the overall character designs. Oh and before I forgot to mention, Rikka has some really meaty legs.

I should say while SSSS.Gridman is more suitable for the Japanese audience, it can hit home for newer fans too. Prior to watching this show, I had little experience with tokusatsu related shows outside of Ultraman. Hell, Ultraman was an iconic franchise but that hasn’t been resurrected as a full anime show in a long time (2019 does have one though). Outside of Asia, tokusatsu had limited popularity so perhaps SSSS.Gridman could raise the bar. Funimation dubbed the series for the Western audience we may see more coming ahead.

Opinions on SSSS.Gridman are widely divided: you either love it or hate it. Interestingly enough, those who hate it all have similar criticisms, mainly the premise is unoriginal, the title is stupid, the action just rips off Ultraman, etc. To such comments I would say: do your homework and maybe you’ll learn something. The source material (because yes, this is based on something) was a sentai show from the height of the tokusatsu era. And let’s face it, every sentai show has at least 87% Ultraman-inspired content. It just goes with the territory.

Regarding the story however, Trigger has decided to move away from the typical ... Power Ranger-esque scenarios and inject more characterization and atypical pacing into the anime. This, I think is a good thing. The original Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad (yes it is a dumb name, and yes it is misspelled for the sake of alliteration. Blame DIC Entertainment, who brought Gridman to the US market for that.) was probably even less popular in the US than contemporary shows like Beetleborgs. So switching up the story for the anime gives opportunity to rise above mediocre sentai action to something with actual substance. The show mixes the expected kaiju fights with slice-of-life scenes along with unexplained plot points yet to be revealed. Is there a *reason* everyone in the town seems somewhat bland and full of ennui? Is there more to the town then appears at first glance? And WTF is with the insanely immense ever-present daikaiju that everyone just kinda ignores? Only story development and plot progression will tell. =)

And the characters themselves play a large role in that development as they themselves progress in their relationships and understanding of the world around them. And character development involves realistic situations in slice-of-life environments, not the continual amped-up, hyper, in your face action of a typical shonen anime. Heck, there’s more fight scenes in MHA, but the cast doesn’t run around in rage mode all the time (except Bakugo, but he’s... unique).

The animation is decent, granted not Trigger’s best, but sufficient for conveying the jagged atmosphere of a robot-versus-giant-monster scenario. And the music, while sparse, matches the understated feel of the characters well.

So, it’s a mecha/kaiju anime with a different slant that pays homage to its roots. It’s not Gundam, it’s not Code Geass, heck, it’s not even the original Gridman. There’s plenty of shows out there like those but there’s not many anime that feel like SSSS.Gridman. But I’m glad there’s at least one =)

SSSS.Gridman was a weird show. It is the result from the makers of Ultraman and Gridman together with studio Trigger. It is good and it is bad. There is a lot which surprised me and there was a lot of lost potential. This anime was not good and not bad, but very likable

Art:
First thing that putt me off was the CG. It felt sluggish and painful to watch as i'm not a fan of bad CG. But in the end it got better and better, so I forgive the first few episodes. The world itself and the monster design are not something to get hyped ... about and are simply lacking something to make it interesting. The details and the cameo's in this show was what did hype me

Sound:
Grue Elise von Mir plays in the background, so that was more than enough. Jk what i missed in this was a badass music track what Trigger always has to hype up the action. The sound effects were okay. The overall sounds impression was average.
The positive: the voice acting of most of the cast was fabulous. Rikka sounds just as soft as her thighs, Akane was a perfect oppai loli. As for the rest of the cast i think they could have more emotion

Characters and Story:
Well the story on itself wouldn't be worth an 8, and the cast neither, so it was really a mix between good plot and good cast. While Trigger gives its own spin to the story and cast, the first few battles feels a lot like Ultra man. Simply beating up bad guys. But as the story and fighting choreography progresses, there are some shocking twists.

Yuuta, a bit generic, but not to cheesy. Has to balls actually try and get a girl, but doesn't push trough. Not much of a mc

Shou, Yuuta's friend but not much of a character either. While he feels much more "weeb", his presence is just to balance out the party.

Rikka, the only right character there is. Thicc thighs, a dreamy voice and a lovely character. While she isn't the one who actually does the action, her dialogues and thoughts show a bit how the world is built up.

Akane, an oppai lolli with marvelous acting talent. Self conflicted she has to find out the trough by herself with hardship.

As you can see the characters themselves are not super interesting, the interactions and the follow up on actions is what was intriguing. The way it played out because they held back information or just spouted it out was what made it enjoyable to figure out and watch. The fights advance in the very end just like the character Anti slowly evolves.

Enjoyment:
Somehow i think this anime was enjoyable and it left me with a good feeling. There are a lot of loose ends and plot holes, but that was actually never the focus of the story. The little cameo's in this anime showed that Trigger still cares and loves its old work. This Trigger made anime is for you if you like mecha, thighs, some existential crisis.

(TLDR at the bottom, thanks for reading.)

When I started watching Gridman I went in with high hopes, these are talented people, trigger was one of my favourite studios. but after 5 episodes I was kind of disappointed. I could appreciate how similar it is to the old tokusatsu shows but that didn't impress me. So after 5 or so episodes, I was ready to write it off as just a passion project that would only appeal to a small group of people.

Boy was I wrong.

After the first few episodes gridman really starts to come into its own and stops being just a passion project and ... starts to be a piece of media worth celebrating. A lot of people have considered gridman to almost be a stain in triggers catalogue. But in my opinion, this is the close thing to a gainax anime the trigger has made.

But after episode 6 we finally get some answers and gridman finally comes into its own as a story. At this point, it's clear that Akane isn't all that she seems, how she is constantly craving attention and how she kills someone she mildly dislikes. But now we find out why.

Akane is god.

but after Yuuta start defeating her kaiju Akane's fantasy starts to crumble. Akane no longer has control. She is no longer all-powerful and can't do anything about it. So she creates anti. But even anti starts to become more human and defies Akane's control. There is a line in episode seven that is "if you can't find your own identity, then it is impossible to describe who you are as a person" (and as it says person it immediately cuts to Akane) which in my opinion perfectly sums up her character. She has not found an identity and instead is just using her power as a god to make everything work out for her. Because of the way she abuses her power as a god she is lonely. She has never worked on herself and instead uses kaiju to constantly fix all of her problems. She is running away from real life which brings me to the second main theme of gridman. Escapism.

Effectively criticising escapism in anime is hard as anime tends to be an escapist fantasy. Gridman is no different having its first few episodes being a light-hearted tokusatsu show that seems to be aimed at people who are nostalgic for those old tokusatsu shows. But gridman takes a different approach and doesn't just state that escapism is bad but instead shows us someone who has the power to live in their own fantasy and not be troubled by the day-to-day problems of real-life and it shows us how lonely and depressed Akane is because she can't meaningfully connect to anyone because she is a god. People only like her because she made them that way so while Akana is living her fantasies she is truly alone.

Utsumi also used to show the issues with escapism and living a fantasy. Utsumi is living the dream. He gets to see his gridman fighting kaiju and he loves it. But when the rug gets pulled out from underneath him and some actually gets hurt, his best friend Yuta. And then when everyone takes a proactive role in stopping the kaiju assault he can't do anything. He just sits next to an unconscious Yuta. And just reflects on how his dream harms others and how living this escapist fantasy of constantly fighting kaiju is going to eventually cause something horrible to happen.

And while we are on the topic of fantasies it's important to mention episode 9 because it is one of the best episodes of the series and it encompasses this whole theme of dreams. This episode shows the characters in their dreams where everything is perfect for them and Akane. But there is an uncanny feeling that something is wrong. This atmosphere is made by having a distinct lack of background music and then piercing this silence pulling you out of this dream-like atmosphere. In all of these sequences, there is a constant feeling that the characters have that something is off, and while this is perfect they need to wake up and face reality. In Yuta's dream, Akane states that "if you're having fun then what's the matter" in response to Yuta questioning why something feels wrong and she also says "wouldn't you rather dream forever?" which shows the key difference between Akane and the rest of the cast. They chose to wake up. Even though their dreams were perfect they chose to wake up and face reality. While Akane is still dreaming.

In the final scene when Akane becomes a kaiju Anti comes and rips open her closed-off self and pulls her out of her closed-off kaiju and defeats Alexis. A manifestation of her darkest thoughts. And in the final scene live-action scene, Akane wakes up from her dream and faces the light. Akane finally broke out of her dream and faces reality.
A quick note of the visuals of the series. All the characters look extremely distinct and the animation is fluid, visually the show is impressive until you get to the kaiju fights where the CG looks incredibly jarring but it does improve as the series goes on.

The last 6 episodes of gridman are great and if I had to rate them separately it would be an 8/10 but the early few episodes are what drags down the series for me.

TLDR: While gridman is a simple monster of the week tokusatsu show in the first half it becomes its own show in the second half which make up for it.

You started watching this anime for one of two things:


1. You wanted to see what Trigger's latest project is like hoping to see the magic that their previous great works had.

Or...


2.Rikka's Thighs/Akane's Plot.

...


But on a serious note.

At the moment the anime feels like those good old shows we used to watch as kids.Villain plans out how to beat the hero. Villain gets the attention of the hero. And the hero reigns victorious. The Formula for each of the episodes so far is mostly the same. If you were to watch the first episode alone i would not blame you for saying that the shows plot is pretty much non existent. I would like to argue that it was just like goblin slayer's first episode in the sense that they are just giving you a general overview of how everything works in the world. If the first few episode/chapters of goblin slayer are supposed to give you reasons to hate the goblins even more. Then i would argue that the first episode of gridman is to show you what this show has to offer. Big Robots/Mecha's Fighting big Monsters/Kaiju. If you don't like that on it's own its perfectly fine. I would suggest turning off your brain while watching this anime if you are in for a good time.


TL:DR
This serves as a pretty good substitute for your typical moe anime however replace the cute girls with big mecha fights
8.5/10 for me

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.

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.

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.

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.

SSSS Gridman is a pastiche of Tokusatsu media, transformers, and landmark mecha anime; framed in the skin of a reboot of a moderately successful live action Tokusatsu show. It's also an anime that excels in direction, shot composition and in the use of motifs. To the unassuming viewer, it's just another show that references other popular shows. But in the little details does it express it's own unique offerings, eventually surfacing in bombastic moments of action and character expression, often with brutal consequences. But it's biggest achievement is possibly questioning the very act of being in love with the media that is adores. Lets be ... clear, this is a show tailor made for the people who love the things the creators of this show adores and isn't for everyone.

The titular Gridman is a hero of all that is well and good. However this is not his story, rather it is the story of the villain. A rarity in the genre. But more on that later.

First off on the technical side, Gridman excels at the use of clever shot composition and motif. Even unassuming scenes convey the state of minds of the characters that are a part of it. And in certain cases it cleverly hints towards the resolutions of the mysteries that the show presents at the beginning. Everything from the lyrics of it's opening, to the walk cycle of the kaiju Gridman fights against to every reference to other pop cultural works have a dual purpose. Speaking of those Kaiju fights, many of them are animated to imitate the way live action tokusatsu Kaiju move. This takes a bit of time to get used to, apparently both for the people who worked on it and the viewers as this aspect becomes even better integrated later on. The character designs are simple, iconic and tailored for both free flowing animation as well as powerful still shots. The soundtrack is muted for the most part but at points explodes but never forgets to become spine chilling when necessary. The voice acting goes for a more naturalistic tone, which once again feels out of place in a mecha anime, where over the top voice work is the norm. But this helps ground the characters are more vulnerably instead of powerful and heroic.

As a whole SSSS Gridman attempts to tell a story of how belief in the idea of heroism is important for a healthy mind. Characters in the series are rarely spared from trauma. But they are forced to live with it and accept it for what it is. Not everyone will be able to attain what they desire, regardless of how badly they want it and even in cases where much is sacrificed.

Now for the main meat of SSSS Gridman, it's narrative or rather it's meta-narrative. It's rather difficult to explain without discussing spoilers so you have been warned.

The world of Gridman is not reality. It's a fictional world created as a coping mechanism by the “villain”. However in spite of having utter control over reality that said character does not find solace. SSSS Gridman preaches that there is no happiness to be found in enclosing oneself in escapist thoughts. When minds are enclosed, our own thoughts start to betray us. Rather happiness it is a result of acceptance of reality. Escapist media exists as a powerful relief drug. But as always an over-reliance of such is harmful. Self harm is what draws in evil. And Gridman, the symbol of heroism, exists to drive it out by mending one's soul. Just as works of fiction acts as a brief moment of respite in our everyday life.

If there is one thing that will always be associated with Japan it's Kaijus. Kaijus are a mainstay in popular culture due to their massive size and their ability to level entire cities with their overwhelming strength. They are pop culture icons with monsters like Godzilla being easily recognisable. But you know what also is associated with Japan? Giant robots. With series like Ultraman or mecha series like Gundam helping to strengthen that idea, it is no wonder we have had robot vs Kaiju shows and movies before. Even today, shows like this one are still being made. With Trigger at the helm of this ... anime as well as being a homage to older kaiju movies like the Godzilla and the Ultraman series, it made for some interesting results.

Sit back, relax, put on a rubber costume and roar as loud as you can as I present to you the anime review for SSSS.Gridman. Lets begin.



Story: 6.5/10

Set in modern day Japan, the story follows Yuuta Hibiki who wakes up in Rikka Takarada's (a fellow classman) house while also suffering from amnesia. He is then shocked to see massive Kaiju just standing in the distance with the city covered by a massive fog and for some reason, aw well as a human looking robot in a very old computer. The next day, the city is attacked by a Kaiju and with the help of the robot in the computer who calls himself Gridman and the help of his classmates Rikka and Shou Utsumi, they managed to defeat the Kaiju. From there "The Gridman Alliance" is formed and vows to stop every Kaiju from destroying the city and find out where they come from.

Predictably, the structure for the story is very much a monster of a week type setup. Every episode, they encounter a new Kaiju, smack it around a bit, then get smacked around themselves, only to find a new power and defeat the Kaiju. Meanwhile, the plot is more developed and more is unveiled as they slowly learn the point to all of these Kaiju attacks and why there are massive Kaiju just standing there in the distance. While the plot starts out slow as it is establishing its characters, it starts to pick up and get real interesting, real fast. This is supported by the significance of the characters in the story and some nice curveballs to keep the viewer hooked.

It is pretty standard affair because I would say it doesn't do anything unique or does anything to make itself unique. But it does things that we have seen before pretty well. The fact we get the villains' perspective early on as well help see both sides and what these characters are essentially fighting for and what they desire. However, it does have a plot dump halfway through the show as to why the things are the way they are. So instead of finding these things out naturally, we essentially just get and exposition dump just so we can move the plot forward. Yeah, that's not good storytelling. If we were told these things in small handfuls, then that's fine, but to tell it all at once leaves the story in a state of mind of "where to go now?" Thankfully, it does know where to go next with a greater perspective on the villain and how the villain feels about everything that is happening around his/her perspective.


Characters: 7.5/10

Yuuta is the bog standard protagonist of the show and along with Gridman, is the character that fights the Kaijus. His amnesia allows him to basically make him a blank slate for the story to help develop his character (even if it is a bit cliched). Just like a standard protagonist, he's naive, too kind for his own good and just wants to help people. He doesn't really have qualities that make him stand out but doesn't do things that make me groan in annoyance. He's just there to be the main protagonist.

Shou acts as the comic relief character and is pretty much the enthusiastic one due to his love for Kaijus. Honestly he doesn't have too much relevance to the plot and acts as more as a right hand man for Yuuta to lift his spirit and to motivate him. But it is something that develops later on in the show so you could say it was intentional. But instead lets talk about best girl Rikka as she has some of the best character scenes in the anime and some of the best thighs in anime history due to them being EXTRA THICC. But seriously, she has some interesting development as she doesn't know if everything they are doing is right due to her friendship with the show's villain. She also acts as the middleman when she needs to get some sense into Yutta and Shou or to support them. She slowly becomes a character that stands thighs first above the cast of the show due to her being somewhat relateable. In fact, the show does a nice job of treating these three like actual high school teenagers and not a veteran defence force in stopping Kaijus. It's some nice realism that these are characters that would act like this in real life.

My favourite character in this show though is the shows main villain named Akane Shinjou. She is another character with some delicious thighs as well. But other than that obvious statement, her character arc throughout the show takes some twists and turns as she sees her world slowly crumble around her thanks to Gridman. Being the one that creates the Kaijus along with her accomplice, Alexis Kerib, in order to shape the city to her liking. She essentially has a god complex as she believes everything is done because she is making everything better. So when The Gridman Alliance appears to defeat the Kaijus she helps create, she doesn't know what to do because the everything is not going her way. This makes her fall from grace throughout the show a rather tragic one because she is only doing what she believes is right to make a better place.

Anti is the final character I want to talk about. He is one of the created kaijus by Akane and Alexis designed specifically to defeat Gridman. All he wants to do is to defeat Gridman because that is his purpose in life. So throughout the show, we see him get told that there is more to life than fighting Gridman and that he is more than just a Kaiju. The show makes us question how much humanity Anti has and if he can have a change of heart by embracing it. He makes a good rival and foil for Gridman by being somewhat of a sympathetic character and you hope he can have some redemption.


Animation: 8.5/10

Now this is where things get interesting. Trigger; I will type it again, TRIGGER. The same studio that brought us shows with great animation like Kill La Kill, Little, Witch Academia and Darling in the Franxx uses, in this series, CGI animation...AND IT WORKS. Let me explain. If this show was done using traditional animation, then you wouldn't be able to see all the little details put into the fight scenes to make it feel authentic. The entire show is an homage to all of the Kaiju related movies and TV shows that uses props, rubber suits and wires to make the fight scenes feel like two people fighting in rubber costumes in the studio full of paper mahce buildings and toy cars. To the way the Kaijus are designed and how they attack using flailing parts of their rubber suit to how Gridman makes his entrance, making it look like it is all on a green-screen. The attention to detail put into this must be applauded because Tigger has clearly done their homework on this. Traditional animation just wouldn't work because of how the Kaijus are designed and how they attack just wouldn't feel as authentic.

Now for the rest of the animation, it does look good with plenty of colour to make it vibrant and the character designs are unique from one another (even if Rikka's mother looks like a character out of flcl). I could go on about Rikka and Akanes' thighs and how you just want to look at them all day but it would make this review too long so I won't dribble on about these "unique" features. But I do have a gripe with the animation and that there is still images throughout the show with the characters doing nothing and you just hear background noises or they are just talking. This is especially noticeable in earlier episodes. How bad is it you may ask. Well I would say it is Evangelion bad but just lasts a little bit shorter.


Sound: 8/10

The Soundtrack can also be considered an homage to shows like Ultraman with its rather cheesy power up moments, its fast beat music in fight scenes, and the fact that the main theme of the show plays whenever Gridman is close to victory. So not only do the fight scenes and designs are authentic, the music is also trying to be authentic by playing the right music at the right time. Sound effects as well help with explosions, sound of collision between Gridman and the Kaijus and how the Kaijus roar also help add to the authenticity.

The opening "UNION" by OxT is made to be more like an opening that you would see in a Saturday morning show with simple zoom ups of the characters and their personalities somewhat to the catchy lyrics that you could sing along to. While it still has some action to get hooked to, it's main selling point for this opening is to kick back and relax as you sing along to the opening. OxT knows how to make a catchy opening song (just look at the first two Overlord openings) and here, I would say there is no exception. It also updates with slight changes to the scenes to keep up with the plot of the show. It is a nice touch.

The ending sequence is used to highlight the two best girls in the show, Rikka and Akane and their friendship. It uses live action backgrounds with the girls being their animated selves. It likes to show the more good side of Akane and how thoughtful and kind Rikka can be. It is just a nice, pleasant ending sequence.


Conclusion:

SSSS.Gridman is a show that wants to pay homage to old Kaiju shows and films and I would say it does that. The animation and sound do that very well with a story that doesn't require alot of thinking and you can just relax while you watch it. Its characters as well are all likeable (well, except the ones you're supposed to hate) and never rubbed me the wrong way. The show is a complete package with not one aspect dragging the others down as they all compliment each other. I think this is the kind of show Trigger needed to make after Darling in the Franxx. Something that they can have fun making and have people who can make it enjoyable for the viewer. Girdman does this and I would recommend this to someone looking for some good old robot on Kaiju action.


My personal enjoyment: 8.5/10


Overall score: 7.8/10 Recommendation: Watch it

For those angsty new anime fans bashing on the 'story', 'character', and other supposed failures, this anime is perhaps one of the greatest homages to the tokusatsu TV shows of the 1970-2000's (mostly the Ultraman franchise, which most people don't even know about nowadays).
Story:
From the first episode, i could pretty much see how the plot will play out - start off with your MC combining with a giant hero who fights the monsters (kaiju) that appear. Each episode has a different monster, and the hero finds some new way to destroy them. This is probably the generic tokusatsu storyline, and for a modern ... remake in anime form, Gridman does this quite well, and adds a few extra plot points in.
Art:
Now, while the CG may seem 'clunky' and annoying, remember that the tokusatsu genre had people in bad-quality plastic constumes acting out the monsters and heroes - so the CG in the anime is already a massive upgrade, not to mention the numerous possibilities that it creates (if you did everything in 2D, the art would be quite horrendous and janky).
Sound:
Not much to say, often comes up with the generic "opening during battle" trope which never fails to create goosebumps.
Character:
The characters are admittedly quite one-dimensional and generic, but considering how the main selling point of the show is the Gridman vs Kaiju battle sequences (much like how tokusatsu was only enjoyable because of the battles), I really couldn't care less about the character developments and individual arcs.
Enjoyment:
If you're looking for some deep, profoundly impacting anime, SSSS. Gridman probably isn't the one to go with. However, if you're simply looking for a quick break from everyday boredom and some superficial fun, Gridman will most likely be one of the more entertaining choices out there.

I couldn't really and I still can't really fully appreciate this anime. Mostly because it is literally "mind storming". What I mean is that the whole story - as I noticed - comes from the old Ultraman story, something my age could not really know.

So basically I was lost from the start and ended up half lost. The whole anime remains very mysterious until something like episode 6-7. Then you will slowly but surely get to know every important point to fully understand the plot. Anyway it doesn't mean SSSS.Gridman represents a full reflexion show, many parts (not to say, every second half of ... each episode) will feature big mecha fights vs Kaijus. Powerful, joyful and explosives as always !

The major positive points are surely the intriguing story (even at the end you might feel quite lost), with a really surprising conclusion. Indeed, to sum up my mind : it in fact tells the story of a young normal girl, inventing in her head, her ideal life, in an ideal city with the ideal persons. But contrary to me, you or any human being, she will actually become the God of her dream and will live in her dream, at a so deep point that she can't figure out how to live normally, she can't turn back.

This, is the daily routine of many persons : going to work / school / college, coming back to their home, listening to some music while thinking - no, dreaming - about an ideal life. I was really astonished by the fact they told a sad story without even showing any sad side until the last episode. I should probably watch it again with another eye, able to see more than it could by the past. A really interesting show with a catching (for some viewers, heart-breaking) ending / conclusion.

Nevertheless, the fact that I was lost and discovered everything progressively cannot be a full positive point. Indeed, it even was a negative point for me, leading to almost dropping the show. What I would like to explain, is that you won't see where the devs wanted to go with their production ; you won't be able to get answer unless you decide to act like "Ok, I don't get it but let's move forward to learn".

If you dislike mysterious and weird stories, better not starting this show. The fighting moments were good but not extremely impressive. Plus, all the characters are quite undevelopped ; you get to know the major parts for the rest of 'em, yuck... Example : what is the real purpose of Hyper Agent ? What is the Neon Genesis High School ? Where does Akane really go at the end ? What would happen to the city ? Who was the little Kaiju girl we see twice in the show ? Etc etc


The global anime was satisfying to watch - not a masterpiece - but still a great mash up of mechas, fight, waifus (I'm not into stuff like this, but shit, every one claims Rikka or Akane were best girls) and complexed plot. Probably a bigger surprise than a deception, but it was close...

Note: SSSS.Gridman, as weird the name is, isn't a per se generic mecha anime. Don't complain, if you don't find what you were looking for.

Many people(I should say men), as they claim to be, are here for a particular character's thighs or another character's boobs. Or for that big black tall shadowy villain who is intriguing if you'll pay attention to him.

But do read my review before you judge this animation for all that it is lacking. For I wish you all to see what this anime is actually all about.

SSSS.Gridman is a tokusatsu love letter for the 90's live-action TV series of the same ... name. Tokusatsu is the Japanese name for the special effects. The most famous tokusatsu series will be Ultraman. That should give you an idea. Or you should check out Ultraman or a show with tokusatsu before diving into this series, if you wanna understand its true value.

To be honest, the people who have watched a lot of tokusatsu in their life, they are the best ones fit to give this review. And boy my childhood was filled with power rangers tokusatsu, which now makes me blush about it. A lot.

Now this series has tried to replicate tokusatsu effects through its animation, and damn, they did that pretty successfully. Not only the effects, but they also tried to replicate the general tropes, the archetype characters and the lifeless villains who are being bad for sake of being bad.

But just copying isn't enough. They needed to own these stereotypes and boy did they perform an excellent job with that. I was genuinely shocked when they took some archetype filler episode stories and integrated them into the main arc, rather than the main character pointlessly keep on fighting for another 40 episodes like they do in the actual live-action series. And man, they were some sweet plot twists, which left me craving for more.

Yuuta, Hibiki and Rikka are three stereotypical main characters, which many claim are bland, dull and boring. To me, they weren't typical anime characters but typical characteristic human beings. To me, they were characters that were deep, grounded in reality and genuine. That instantly made me fall in love with this series.

The Gridman fights were stereotypical and they were good replicas of the live-action tokusatsu fights. Some might complain that the CGI stands out, but I think that was done on purpose. Cause tokusatsu fights are generally bad looking, if we look back to that time and review those shows with the present standards. And yep, these CGI fights look much better than those special effects.

This isn't just a love letter to tokusatsu, but a clever, recasted series to fit the generic anime we all love watching. Best elements of an Anime and tokusatsu were combined to create this masterpiece and considering the plot twists towards the end of the season, it leaves one on the edge of the seat, wanting for more. And it makes me wanna write a review on MAL, which I would typically never do.

Finally, I would like to tell you that everything you dislike about this anime, there is actually a reasoning behind it. Just watch the whole series before you badmouth it. It will steal your heart, I promise you.

A beautiful story about confronting reality, SSSS Gridman offers a compelling story that will likely appeal to fans of franchises like Evangelion or Power Rangers. Each of the characters are enjoyable and possess unique traits, and every single episode was a fun ride to the very end.

As an antagonist, Akane Shinjo is complex yet sympathetic, which make sure her entertaining. Her arc is a brilliant commentary on the dangers of escapist fantasy, and telling us all that eventually, we have to grow up and enter the outdoor world to comeback towards fragile, mortal reality. Living in the world of a god, isolated from all else, ... drives us mad.

The writing blends action perfectly with an emotional and melancholic storyline while also paying plenty tribute to the show that bore its name: Superman Samurai Syber Squad (and Gridman the Hyper Agent). Each episode escalates events more, and even when an episode feels like potential filler, there’s still something to help push the storyline along. In 12 episodes this show tells a spanning story that creates wonder and justice, while also justifying common tropes seen in shows such as Power Ranges (e.g. how the city repairs collateral damage after every battle).

The giant Tokusatsu battles are undoubtedly incredible, and a testament to the potential that CGI could have in anime if more studios applied it beyond background filler. Each fight feels incredibly powerful, and the first time each new form appears is nothing short of mindblowing. You truly feel the weight of each robot as the fights clash, and every time Gridman gets upgraded, they make sure the transformation is mighty and intensely powerful. TRIGGER makes a good point to ensure that each different mecha gets at least one epic battle, from base form Gridman to even Powered Zenon.

The main theme and music are all pleasure to my ears, and they’ll probably be tunes I’m still humming long after i’ve finished watching.

This is an anime I actually would prefer not get a 2nd season, if only because there’s no way to really top that ending, that beautiful ending. It is certainly beautiful.

SSSS Gridman is an exercise in the beauty of animation and it’s a declarative love letter to the Tokusatsu genre that evolves it to the limits of heroic power. If you can, watch this show because it is amazing.

What a better way to start my first review of the year that with one of the most pleasant surprises that I have taken in the last quarter of 2018. Being the second animated project from the Trigger studio in regards to last year, we move away completely from the whole controversy about whether Darling in the Franxx was a good series or not, to instead witness one of the clearest love letters to the genre of tokusatsu given by the anime industry in recent years.

SSSS.Gridman is an original anime inspired by the tokusatsu live action series 1993-1994 Gridman the Hyper Agent, also referencing with ... the SSSS of the title Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad the American adaptation of Gridman in 1995. Being produced by the studio Trigger with support of Tsuburaya Productions, the company with the rights of Gridman and the Ultra Series (Ultraman, as it is the best known of its work on this side of the world) this series had a total of 12 episodes broadcast between October and December of the year 2018. Directed by Akira Amemiya whose peculiar style had already been seen in Trigger series such as Inferno Cop or Ninja Slayer, with screenplays written by the ultra legendary Keiichi Hasegawa who left his name on the tokusatsu industry being one the main writers of the Ultra Series. The sound direction was provided by Toshiki Kameyama, while the soundtrack was composed by Shirō Sagisu. Meanwhile the design of characters with Masayuki Gotou preparing the designs of Gridman, and Masaru Sakamoto managing the rest of the characters that participated in the story.

The synopsis of this series is the following: Focusing mainly on Yūta Hibiki, a freshman who lives in the city of Tsutsujidai. Suffering a strange case of amnesia and being able to see a mysterious being called Gridman through an old computer, Yuta will be involved with his friends in the mission to stop the sudden attacks of the huge Kaijus that threaten to wipe out the city and all its inhabitants, while trying to find the answers after all the mysteries that are affecting what they know as reality.

Under the guise of a simple, somewhat ridiculous and undoubtedly kitschy tokusatsu aimed at the whole family with its already ancestral monster routine of the week, SSSS.Gridman actually presents us with a story a bit darker and stark compared to the original that aims not only those who grew up consuming this genre but also trying to attract a new generation of viewers. Being a thematic sequel that reinterprets and updates several of the concepts of the original of 1993, this is a work that among multiple references and tributes seeks to demonstrate its own value as an individual work. This being a story that uses fighting against monsters as secondary, when the priority is above all to focus on the development of their characters and the need to accept reality instead of escaping from it.
We are facing a work that does not hesitate to have multiple silent, uncomfortable, or plainly strange scenes that invite you to try to understand the mentality and emotions of its protagonists with what you can infer from their unspoken language or visual narrative. For those who expect great surprises, the turns of this anime may not be satisfactory or even consider how the events progress, but Gridman from the first episode has been a series that has had most of the answers to its mysteries hidden to simple view, waiting for someone to focus on them and get to understand them, thus leading an incredible thematic attachment in all its aspects.

Trigger is a studio known for always offering a high quality animation and Gridman is no exception, although it does have curious differences to the standard when we take notice that the main names of the studio are working on Promare leaving the door open for Amemiya and Hasegawa to do the least "Trigger" anime in the history of the Trigger studio. As one would expect the animation is incredible with great care in its scenarios, the action is dynamic with fluid and natural movements that complements the sample character of do not tell of the series, along with a cast of expressive characters that show a lot even in the scenes more silent, however where the average series of this studio would bet to do something bombastic, in Gridman is decided by a much more subtle and intriguing approach, using from the saturation of the light to represent the summer heat to static shots or irregular angles to generate anxiety to create a balance between the most mundane and human of the series with the supernatural of the Kaiju. Speaking of the Kaiju even though it may seem that making them in 3D is a strange decision when most of the elements in the series is 2D, however when we consider how to manage in this way to simulate the movements of a person in a complicated costume crushing a diorama, it can be seen that it is an alternative chosen to capture the originality style of the series.

Regarding the music and soundtrack of the series, Gridman surprises us by balancing the silence with energetic and positive songs for the action scenes together with much more classical or melancholic tunes, some themes seem straight out of the original series with that nineties style, but others take a much more electronic and modern way, but as strange as the mix seems, they never break with the atmosphere that the series wants to build. I recognize that out of a few issues like "HumanLove" that did not drastically alter the atmosphere, does not make them particularly memorable, however it is a soundtrack that deserves to be listened to separately since the work of Shiro Sagisu has no loss. The entry theme to the series is "UNION" of the Japanese duo OxT which perfectly represents the theme of youth in the series allowing to initiate in an energetic and optimistic way each episode, on the other hand the closing theme "youthful beautiful" of the singer Maaya Uchida, although she maintains the theme of youth, focuses more on being a quiet but energetic song about friendship that manages to fit more than well with the themes that the series wants to relate.

SSSS.Gridman is by no means a perfect series, however, what series is it? Although it tried to reach viewers who do not know anything about the Ultra Series, a great fact that affects how you enjoy this series is if you can ignore the ridiculous / inherent kinkiness of the tokusatsu and if you are willing to follow the game of its narrative, since in the worst case it will seem like a boring work. However if you manage to connect with the story, this production, as I said at the beginning, is a tribute and a love letter to everything that makes the tokusatsu great and could easily enter the list of the best works of the Trigger studio.

To simplify things: what a majestic tribute to Tsuburaya Productions' 90's Denkou Choujin Gridman!

My first contact with Gridman was watching Superhuman Samurai, the American version. Back then I loved it but never thought about watching the original tokusatsu series because my SHS's memories were the best and I didn't want to ruin it. SSSS. Gridman came to fit my desire to know better the world from the original Japanese series and I decided to watch it for the nostalgia.

Some elements surprised me a lot during the series. First was the development of the history that differs from the live-action tokusatsu "rule" of getting a new ... monster per episode with minimum or no-story sustaining it. Although I think it is still a teen-series, it has a solid story! Another thing is THE REFERENCES! From Tsuburaya's Superheroes Universe and its monsters. From small lines to literally showing the figures and talking about Ultraman during some episodes - that's something you can only do when you are the owner of the show. You really feel you are watching a tokusatsu series. My third surprise was the amazing work from the guys at TRIGGER Studio to create a 3D that finally doesn't bother me AT ALL!!! Guys, please talk with the staff from "Berserk" to change things there for the next season!!! It's simply beautiful and fluid; all the fighting scenes are really really well choreographed and I have nothing but to be grateful for all the effort they put in it! Finally, the last half of the last episode that is just... please watch the series I guarantee that if you are a tokusatsu fan, you will enjoy it! Better get some information from the original series like watching the first episode at least to get a 100% full experience from the references SSSS. Gridman will show you.

That's it! Access Flash!!!

I'll be fully honest - I was baited into this show from... well, you probably know what.

But this actually was a really enjoyable show - it made me feel like a 5 year old child again, watching cartoons on TV. Giant robot battles, robots combining and transformations, shouting out attack names before performing them - I had such a blast watching this. The action was really entertaining.

The CG did seem a little clunky at times but it didn't interfere much with the thrilling action. I also enjoyed the character development of Rikka and Akane. Ultimately if you want a good time watching an action show ... that makes you feel pumped and excited over giant robot battles, look no further.

SSSS Gridman is fun... there really isn’t much else to say. The show’s got a Saturday morning, Pokemon-in-pyjamas vibe that takes me right back to my childhood and does what a lot of other anime fail to do; be something I want to watch. Apart from all that, the show features and pretty likeable cast of heroes for us to root for and a central mystery that – especially with this last episode – has me excited to keep watching (I mean, the show’s basically power rangers meets the matrix at this point and who can say no to that).

This show largely hinges on ... the kaiju. As it is said “they are the main characters”. With that in mind, I think the first episode is pretty brilliant all that numbing build-up – that sense of weekend morning calm – bursts into a shower of roars and screams as a creature that looks and feels (because of the CG) like an over worldly force, completely incongruous with the misty setting. The appearance of the first kaiju is brilliantly executed in a way that made me root for the characters and cheer when they succeed like I rarely do.
So, to all those people who say its boring, i can't help the feeling that you're just impatient - i mean I'm not saying, "wait till episode 26 it gets good I sear!" - but its a nice, fifteen or so minute ride till the shit hits the fan and with all the cute designs, likable characters and hints of greater mystery, how could you not like it.

A beautiful marriage of animation and tokusatsu, with a dash of thighs thrown in. The fights are all animated in a way that mimics classic tokusatsu techniques used in properties such as Godzilla and Ultraman. The same extends to the designs of Gridman, Anti, the support weapons and the forms they provide, and all of the kaiju. This show also excels at making the villains the actual main characters while they're still antagonists. If you love mecha, kaiju, tokusatasu, or just want to see some juicy thighs then you should absolutely watch this show and if you enjoy it then check out the original show ... as well, you can find it on YouTube
Also GRIDMAN BABY DAN DAN