Yuuta Hibiki wakes up in the room of Rikka Takarada and notices two things: he has no memories, and he can hear a mysterious voice calling his name from a nearby room. On further inspection, he finds a robot—which introduces itself as Hyper Agent Gridman—behind the screen of an old computer. Much to Yuuta's surprise, Rikka cannot hear Gridman, nor can she see the ominous monsters looming over a thick fog as it envelopes the town outside.
Another giant monster materializes in the city and proceeds to wreak havoc. Amidst the confusion, Yuuta is once again drawn to the old computer and merges with Gridman. Suddenly, he appears in the middle of the battle and is forced to fight the monster. Together with Rikka and fellow classmate Shou Utsumi, Yuuta forms the "Gridman Alliance" to defeat the monsters plaguing the city and find whoever is responsible for their emergence.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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HellLyter
Warning: spoilers and sarcasm are featured below Hey, are you feeling down because you have this great idea for an anime but keep getting rejected by every studio that you try to sell your pitch to? Well it's time to turn that frown upside down, because Studio Trigger will gladly produce your anime for you, as long as your anime contains a few specific things of course. Here are the three easy steps that you must follow in order to have your anime green lit by Studio Trigger! 1. Make sure to have a LOT of steamy hot fan service. It's best if your main source ofsex appeal comes from your leading female character, because being hot waifu material > having a personality and depth.
2. Have your main character (who has to be an edgy teen btw) fly around in a giant mecha all the time because BIG ROBOTS ARE AWESOME!!!
3. ADD ALIENS! Especially as twist villains for the final arc of your story, because there's nothing better than kids in giant robots fighting against aliens in FREAKING SPACE!!!
Follow these simple steps and your anime will be practically guaranteed to end up as Trigger's next unsuccessful imitation of great anime like NGE and TTGL just like SSSS.Gridman is!
...On second thought, maybe you should just try your luck with a no-name studio.
I'm starting to think that creativity died at Studio Trigger. Yet although they seem to consistently recycle the same exact ideas, I've still enjoyed their works. I loved Kill la Kill because it somewhat deviated from the traditional Trigger formula and was just a great and fun anime all around. I even really liked Darling in the FranXX up until they butchered the ending because Trigger just HAD to have aliens. But with StopSoundingSoStupid.Gridman (Seriously, are the four S's supposed to mean something?), it just felt hollow. I never got the impression that this anime was trying to stand out and make a name for itself, and it unfortunately ended up being painfully average because of it.
Interestingly enough, my score for this anime fluctuated several times throughout its run time. I actually did find some episodes to be enjoyable and even thought provoking, yet others were the embodiment of mediocrity equipped with bad character interactions and bland scenarios. The only things that remained consistent throughout were Rikka's sexy legs. But even those thick thighs weren't enough to salvage the dysfunctional plotline of this anime.
The setting is quite bizarre. Our protagonist has come down with a rather unfortunate case of amnesia that is poorly explained near the end of the anime and finds himself in a city surrounded by a bunch of giant kaiju that only he can see. But he doesn't really seem too concerned about any of this. In fact, he doesn't seem to care about anything at all except for getting in Rikka's pants. And when other characters finally realize that our hero Yuuta isn't insane and see the kaiju too, they also don't seem to care too much about their situation. And that's one of the glaring issues with this anime. If the characters are completely nonchalant about basically everything, then why should we the viewers care about what's going on? Not that the story itself is anything exciting. It's just a typical monster of the week that Gridman and Yuuta beat up and then everything resets (the damage to the city and the memories of everyone who isn't an important character) because plot. And despite what you may be thinking, there really isn't much more to this anime than that. If anything, it just became even more confusing and convoluted by the end of the show.
For the most part, the characters are pretty stale. Gridman is the most bland sentient robot ever conceived and is piloted by the most uninspired kid imaginable. Utsumi is that typical friend guy who never does anything useful except crack a joke or two every ten minutes. Rikka is the attractive female lead who's personality unfortunately isn't as good as her looks. Alexis is some random alien that's randomly in this anime because Trigger has an alien fetish. The other characters bar one aren't even worth mentioning.
*This short segment contains spoilers as well as positive thoughts on this anime*
The one person who keeps this anime from falling into garbage territory in my eyes would be Akane. She takes the role of the antagonist, making all of the kaiju herself and trying to kill Gridman and people she doesn't like with them, and the anime literally revolves around her since she is, you know, a god. She seems like a fun and energetic girl at first, but after peeling away her mask, her true colors as a heartless, attention seeking psycho are exposed. And the anime even further sheds light on her intricate and delicate psyche later on in the show. The dream sequence episode, while weird, was one of my favorites from the anime simply because of how it portrayed Akane. She's just a really engaging character who I enjoyed watching. She's also pretty hot, I'd say even more so than Rikka's (Yeah, I said it!) Akane is definitely the highlight of SSSS.Gridman for me.
*End of spoilers and positivity*
Despite my obvious displeasure with a decent chunk of this anime, it was still semi enjoyable to watch. Sure, the anime doesn't have much heart, but watching a giant robot beat up giant monsters is always fun, despite how repetitive it gets. And Rikka and Akane were a pleasure to watch (for more reasons than one~), so that's always a plus.
Show'sStorySeriouslySucks.Gridman is underwhelming. It never really went anywhere and just felt sort of pointless. A lot of things didn't make sense and when the anime did try to explain something, it usually just made it even more confusing. Let's hope that Studio Trigger is able to improve with their next project.
And hopefully not include any aliens.
RiverRode
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 labeledas 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.
Lyree
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 anold 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!
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 frankly awful 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 Gridman's production value is concerned, this is where the series really shows off 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.
Whenever 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.
Krunchyman
SSSS.hit! Is Studio Trigger aware that they are not required to produce wack-ass anime ad infinitum? It feels like they take pleasure in discovering new ways to SSSS.hit all over your computer screens, just to see how desperate we are for a new Mecha anime. Perhaps the success of Inferno Cop went to their heads, giving them a false sense of entitlement to shove even worse rubbish up our collective SSSS.hit(holes), in hopes that we would gobble it up like a bunch of mindless, horny drones. I can’t blame a player for wanting to get paid, but I can certainly blame Studio Triggerfor wanting to get paid………
…What? Why are you staring at your screen like that? Nothing to see here.
SSSS.Gridman is an anime that utilizes a formulaic approach to present a vapid adventure about a young boy who merges with a Mecha to fight outlandish “monsters” in a no holds barred, explosive battle to the death. The fights, themselves, are standard-fare. Emulating the exaggerated absurdity of Gurren Lagann, but never quite reaching the eccentricity of Kill la Kill. But while the former two attempted to stitch together (see what I did there? **Kill la Kill reference**) an acceptable narrative with their own, unique brand of action-comedy, SSSS.Gridman fails to capture the viewer’s attention in any meaningful fashion. Per the cyclical, episodic framework, each 23 minute offering utilizes a “rinse and repeat” approach, where a new “monster”/Kaiju enters the city only to be defeated by the Gridman and reset everyone’s memories (except for those directly involved), as if the crisis never happened.
By virtue of being repetitious, Studio Trigger, once again, displayed a general lack of ambition and creativity, especially with the addition of a superfluous river rafting episode, to give the staff an excuse to animate the girls in scantily clad outfits. Furthermore, SSSS.Gridman is not funny. The entertainment is lackluster, at best. The concepts and themes are tedious. And dare I mention the plot?…It’s not like the staff cared to mention it in any detail.
Perhaps the worst aspect of the show is the prosaic, uninspired characters. None of them say/do anything worth remembering, nor do they come off as likable or worth caring about. Yuta is your typical “only I can save the day” protagonist, with a plain, “nice guy” demeanor and a distinct red hair color. His rival, Akane Shinjou, is a cold, despondent female with a murderous rage that can only be quelled by generating new Kaiju to terrorize the city and anyone who has wronged her. Why, you may ask: because she’s a psychotic bitch (need I elaborate?). Akane’s manipulator, Alexis Kerib, is the show’s token evil “alien,” to guide events to their ultimate conclusion. Studio Trigger, much to my dismay, seems to excel at producing low quality characters that exude pure nothingness, except for some hackneyed quarks and superficial characteristics.
The only positive aspect about SSSS.Gridman is the OST, not that it was anything spectacular, but it accomplished its goal of being mildly entertaining. But if we consider that an OP/ED are merely shallow, trivial components of what a show truly entails, then it’s quite the condemnation to the substantive portions of the show in question.
Wouldn’t you agree?…
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 twogenres 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
TakaCode
I went into SSSS Gridman with high expectations because outside of me being big fan Gainax/Trigger I wanted to see if Trigger its wounds after they got drill blasted by Darling in the Franxx by A1/Cloverworks that left a nasty wound which needed a lot of time to recover from. I actually thought the series would go back it's Little Witch Academia/Kill la Kill days where it a nice blend of style and substance. However, after watching all 12 episodes of this show subbed and the first 8 episodes dubbed I can definitely say that this is not Trigger as it's best. In fact, thisis one of Trigger's weaker shows.
The word dull is honestly the best word to describe the story of SSSS Girdman. While it wasn't actually awful by any means it just so dull and at times uninteresting to follow. The series basically follows your classic monster of the week formula where set kaiju comes in to cause trouble in the city then they get defeated by Girdman and the series goes back to the status quo. Rinse and repeat.
Along with the show's monster/kaiju of the week formula, the series uses a certain plot device that I have grown to dislike over the years and that is Amnesia. If you don't know what Amnesia is then is basically a person who has no memory thanks to a certain event that caused him to lose memories and they essentially walking husks on screen until set character of set series gets they memory back. It is a plot device that essentially takes a big shit of the plot for set show as set show is literally forced to follow every amnesiac plot device possible and it's honestly tedious to watch.
SSSS Gridman is no different to this and as a result, the series was a chore to watch as we just see this our amnesia protagonist defeat Kanju left and right without a second thought.
When the show finally stops being this generic monster of the week in the last couples the series is being a boring God story with our main antagonist Akame and no surprise it's generic.
Finally, you can tell that Trigger was holding back/ I understand Trigger wanted to play itself after the disaster that was Darling in the Franxx but unfortunately there is a huge difference between playing itself and simply holding back for no reason and it really shows.
If there's any silver lining to SSSS Girdman to speak of it was the show is simply a fun throwback to not only the mecha anime genre from the past but the Tokusatsu genre as a whole. While I personally cannot get into the Tokusatsu genre myself, I will admit it genre has its appeal and anyone who is a fan of the Tokusatsu genre would probably have a good time with SSSS Girdman. It's such a shame the narrative isn't all that good to back it up.
The characters in SSSS Girdman were easily the weakest part of SSSS Girdman. They aren't terrible but they don't stand out all that much outside of a certain character trait for the most part.
Yuuta is your typical mecha/high school boy shounen protagonist that we all have seen before. Thanks to his amnesia in the narrative, he has no real personality to speak off. He doesn't grow as a character all that much and just simply a bore to watch. Even more boring than Katsuhira from Kiznaver.
Rikka started off as a decent character at first but she sadly devolved into a meme as the series progressed.
Shou is just there. He doesn't offer much to the story other to be a semi-useless sidekick for Yuuta.
The only slightly decent main character in the show is Akane as she has a decent motivation of killing all the Girdman. I really enjoyed how after she had peeled her cute face as she turned into a proper psycho. She was the most entertaining thing about this mediocre series.
The rest of the characters are just there. They not terrible but they not memorable as well.
Compared to the unpolished Trigger+ Cloverworks that was Darling in the Franxx the visuals in SSSS were pretty appealing for the most part.
The characters deigns are very distant and pretty to look at thanks to the beautiful smooth colour palette that was used to colour each character, Kanj and Gridman mecha itself which was nicely designed. The background scenery was well drawn as it had a lot of detail.
The animation was pretty solid for what it was however at the time it got a bit choppy in certain fights least it's not as bad as Franxx second half although the CGI itself could have been a lot better as it was janky at times.
The soundtrack is alright for what it is but not that memorable.
The opening and ending themes were decent but nothing too special.
As for sub vs dub well, this was a tricky one because I only saw the last 2 episodes subbed as I mainly watched this show dubbed and it was great and it manages to surpass the sub which was already pretty good on its own. The voice actors really did an excellent job with the roles they were given as it was well acted and nicely directed.
I really wanted to like SSSS Girdman I really do, but the series was ultimately average at best and underwhelming at worst. The story is for the most part boring, the characters are as interesting as eating eggs with no salt and the show overall lacked energy. The only things that were good about this show were the visuals, soundtrack and the English dub everything else is mediocre at best.
Unless you're into the Tokusatsu genre I cannot recommend this show to people especially who are Trigger fans such as myself.
You're honestly better watching Planet With or King of Braves series over this.
Better luck next time Trigger.
Stark700
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 qualityfrom 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.
2life
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 hypedabout 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.
xGrenadier
(There will be spoilers in this review.) Art and Animation: For me personally, the word mediocre perfectly encapsulates it. I see people heaping a lot of praise on the CG of the Gridman, but being slightly better that your contemporaries, in this department, hardly warrants all the commendation. 2D animation can be summed up by the word decent. Sound: I think this section is highly subjective. I didn't like nor the OP nor the ED, and can't remember a single piece of background music, but that doesn't mean you won't like any of the music in Gridman aswell, you'll just have to listen to it and findout for yourself.
Story: It's sort of there, but at the same time it's not. Essentially, pretty much every episode follows an extremely simplistic formula of "Have 15 minutes of inane chit-chat in a high-school-esque setting, then be alerted to the presence of a new Kaiju and have a 5-minute long one-sided fight", and that's about it. I will elaborate on what final episodes bring us a bit later.
Characters:
Yuuta: He's not a character, he's merely a vessel for Gridman. The fact that he's an amnesiac is also very convenient cause that just takes off some work from the scriptwriter, as the typical amnesic character is defined solely by that trait and, therefore, doesn't require any personality at all.
Utsumi: By his own admission in the last episode, a completely useless character that serve barely any purpose and is defined by a single trait of being a Kaiju fanatic.
Rikka: At first she seems somewhat interesting, as she's protrayed as an apathetic person that sighs every 10 seconds and hardly seems interested in anything, but later evolves (devolves?) into your typical "friendship is paramount and is above all else" character.
Akane: I will cover her more in-depth down the line.
Hyper Agents: They're so cookie-cutter you can guess their personalities from their design. It seems like their reason d'etre is to simply provide upgrades for the primary Gridman unit so he can show a new attack in an episode. They claim they have a purpose and are here to deal with Alexis, but strangely enough spent 85% of their time lounging in Rikka's shop, doing absolutely nothing.
Rikka's mom: She's there. She mostly just cheers the main cast from the sideline, even though she appears to be bewildered by everything that's going on.
Rikka's classmates: They're also there.
Anti: A very moody young man who is defined by a single trait of wanting to destroy Gridman, as that his reason for existance. He later undergoes a character development after standing for 30 seconds in the rain and listening to Akane, after which he decides he's a good guy now.
Alexis: He's an evil man that's evil, he takes pleasure in depraved acts of destruction and suffering of the people. Your typical Trigger antagonist.
Ending analysis: My take on the ending is that Akane is actually a real-life person, that appears to be bullied at school, probably because she's geeky and nerdy, due to her affection for Kaiju and Gundams, so when she comes home she, probably, writes a story (aka the actual Gridman show we see), and that's her method of releasing her frustration and coping with the stress (as she destroys things, then fixes them right back, and also removes umpleasant characters).
What supports this theory is that characters in the show recognize her as a god, just like writer is technically a god to the characters he created. The symbolism in Gridman and Alexis, is that Alexis is the evil within Akane, due to all the bullying, and Gridman is that proverbial remaining light of hope, which fixes everything by the end (he does this quite literally with his Fixer Beam). Rikka is just a perfect friend that Akane wishes she had in a real world. Utsumi low-key looks like a love interest Akane would've liked, as he's a giant Kaiju geek and all. The final frames are also that of real world, shot with an actual camera, and we can see Rikka's gift to Akane on the table, which further confirms my idea.
All said and done, by no means do I think this is correct, or anything plausible to begin with, but who knows. Seems a little too deep for a show that essential a one giant homegae to a lot of different titles.
Overall: A typical Trigger fair, style and action over subtelty and substance. I personally cannot recommend it, even if it had some interesting moments and, perhaps, even some meaningful and intersting concept that ended up being butchered.
I think the original Gridman, with it's abundance of pyrothecnical effects and models of cities being crushed by actors wearing monster suits, is a vastly superior experience. But if that's (understandably) might not be your cup of tea, and you would rather watch some mecha anime, then I would recommend you Shin Getter Robo Armageddon, Gundam franchise (Zeta and 0083, specifically, are quite good) and even TTGL, even though I'm not a fan of it.
Paperypip
This is an utterly perfect show for an incredibly specific niche. It pretends to make concessions to those outside that niche through flashiness and fanservice— but this is maybe halfhearted, because it's the writing that carries the day, and the writing pointedly does not explain itself to anyone outside its specific niche. That specific niche is people who already love Tsuburaya Productions in general, and Ultraman in specific. The fact the characters themselves are constantly making references to Ultraman that go over a general audience's head is your primary warning that this is the case. That this is literally a sequel to a very Ultramanlike-but-not-literally-UltramanTsuburaya Productions show— which only the most hardcore of Ultraman fans are likely to be aware of— is going to be your secondary warning. Fortunately, you don't really need to know much about the original Gridman show. However, characters will say things like "If this were the Ultra series—", and the show will assume you have some ability to complete that thought on your own.
That said, I don't want to make this show sound like an utterly impenetrable sequence of in-jokes. Even if it's extremely in-jokey, it doesn't want "people who are in on the joke" to be an exclusive club. If you've watched and enjoyed even a single iteration of Ultraman, everything will be intelligible— the alien antagonist, the bizarre henshin sequence, the light that flashes on Gridman's head, the bizarre snaps back to the status quo, and, most importantly, the dry deadpan hilarity of many of the premises of the episodes and how heartwarming the finale manages to be despite that hilarity. I'll often take off a point from a show— or even rescind a recommendation— if I think it's otherwise excellent at what it's trying to do, but what it's trying to do is too difficult to understand for most people. This isn't that— this show just wants to do something fun and weird with your memories of enjoying tokusatsu shows like Ultraman. However, you need have to have SOME fond memories of tokusatsu shows like Ultraman first, and those aren't exactly being handed out for free.
SSSS.Gridman understands the absurdity of teenage ennui and escapism. It's essentially about putting weird tongue-in-cheek twists on that escapism and warn against its dangers, but without ever really being condescending about it, and without failing to celebrate the positives we also take away from that escapism. It does this by blending the archetypal Ultraman plot with a bizarre, awkward almost slice-of-life alternative to the human cast of an Ultraman story. The cast, as established, feels like they would fit better in almost anything other than a toku tribute. It then alternates between undermining and fulfilling toku expectations in a way that feels fresh and surprising right up until the end, and does it with an odd, dry-but-affectionate wit. The push-pull of undermining and fulfilling is what makes it work. This is not a show about how it would actually suck if Ultraman, or the things that happened in Ultra shows, were real. This is not a cynical deconstruction. There's enough in its premise that could've taken that route, but it doesn't. Instead, this feels like examination of the feelings of hopelessness and alienation that cause people to be fond of fundamentally hopeful characters like Ultraman— and an assertion of belief in the possibility of overcoming that alienation. It's a basically good-hearted show.
People love to treat Studio Trigger as successor to Gainax— SSSS.Gridman makes a stronger case for that than almost any other entry in their catalogue.
Otorez
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 ofeach 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...
CanAKATheIndigo
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 withthe 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.
felipefelix
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 newmonster 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!!!
Snapshot426
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 thisanime 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
RebelPanda
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 withreferences 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.
KamenRiderKuuga
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 showas well, you can find it on YouTube
Also GRIDMAN BABY DAN DAN
Gallade0475
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.
ThatAnimeSnobRE
Gridman is one of those shows that tries to do a lot of things at once, and fails in all of them. The show is a reboot of the homonymous tokusatsu from the 90s. It has lots of similarities to it and tries to be a lot more ambitious at what it’s about. It’s definitely better in terms of themes and presentation, since the creators had the liberty to do a lot more with animation than what the low budget live action could allow them. It’s a shame they didn’t make it fun. And by fun I mean the battles not being exciting. They are fairlybasic in choreography, short, and mostly predictable. Action is the main attraction of these types of shows and Gridman is not particularly good at it. They made the monsters move like people in rubber suits despite being fully CGI, but that is again nothing more than homage and not something that improves the battles.
The show also tries to be homage to tokusatsu in general while smiling at the camera, as if it tells you it’s self-aware. For example, any buildings that get destroyed by the monsters are instantly repaired. That is what was supposed to be happening off screen in all tokusatsu. It doesn’t improve the show in any particular way. It makes it more self aware to its silliness but it also ruins the tension and can be very immersion breaking for the same reason.
It also tries to double down on the homage and have a meta-commentary on the escapism nature of technology. Despite the buildings getting repaired, the same does not happen for the people who get killed. They stay dead and even disappear from the memories of the living. It sounds very creepy when described that way, but it has little to no impact when nobody seems to be bothered by it. The population of the city is literally seeing giant monsters being frozen in the distance and everyone runs away to save their hides on a daily basis, but life is otherwise exactly the same as it would be if there weren’t monster attacks.
The characterization is not much better for the major characters. It’s very bland and even eye-rolling when you have to suspend your disbelief with what they are doing all the time. Yuta for example is a cookie cutter boy scout type of protagonist, suffering from amnesia and the one who has to fight the monsters with no motivation other than to protect his friends. Gah! More generally speaking, male characters are defined by a single trait (usually an emotion or an ideal) while females have the camera constantly ogling all over their feet and thighs.
Down to it, Gridman is not a good tokusatsu. You can still appreciate the visual directing, which is stuffed with easter eggs of the previous version, the genre as whole, and even a few shot-by-shot recreations of Neon Genesis scenes. It’s all about the meta than the actual in-story experience. And even then, it’s not very successful, since the only thing most people remember from this show is Rikka’s thighs.
