SSSS.Gridman - Episode 3 (Review)
By: EyeSpyeAlex
I’m back and ready for another action-packed episode of SSSS.Gridman! Need to catch up? Check out my previous review here!
The story
Yuta and Sho show up to class once again to find that no one remembers the previous day’s events. On the other side of town, Rikka is wandering around and comes across a stranger digging through the trash. Later on, we see Akane in touch with this stranger, a boy named Anti. At Akane’s command, Anti transforms into a kaiju.
As soon as the transformation is complete, Yuta’s wrist communicator begins going off. Suddenly, Calibur grabs Yuta from class and takes him to Junk to so he can morph with Gridman. When the kaiju talks to Yuta, he refuses to fight back as he does not want to kill a human. Using a flurry of plasma attacks, the kaiju quickly defeats Gridman. Unlike previous battles, Yuta doesn’t emerge from Junk; the computer simply powers down.
While Sho and Rikka wonder what happened to Yuta, Akane reveals that kaiju don’t have a true form. Not only that, Anti is a kaiju created to copy all of Gridman’s powers. This explains why Anti was able to block and mimic Gridman during battle. It also explains why we saw Akane carving kaiju figurines, which seems to be the way they are “born”.
Just when it seems like all hope is lost, a trio of strangers show up to Rikka’s shop. Max, Vit, and Borr are Neon Genesis Junior High students who not only know who Gridman and Calibur are, but can aid them in battle. Borr suggests Rikka try calling Yuta, and she is able to successfully reach him. After Yuta and Gridman talk to Borr, Junk reboots and Gridman heads into battle.
Back on the battlefield it seems like Gridman will once again be overpowered by Anti. Sensing his friend needs help, Max comes to Gridman’s aid in his tank form. The two fuse together to form Max Gridman and quickly defeat Anti. The city is safe once more!
The Review
This week’s latest episode of SSSS.Gridman definitely benefitted from introducing the Neon Genesis Junior High students. I was quickly growing concerned that the episode was going to follow the same format of introducing a kaiju and having Gridman defeat it. Rinse and repeat. Luckily, the latest additions to the Gridman gang have now introduced several mysteries into the story. How long have they known Gridman? Do they know about Akane and Alexis? How familiar are they with Junk? Given how fast this story is moving I’m sure we’ll find this out sooner rather than later.
One thing that really stuck out to me was the ending credits. The entirety of the ending credits is devoted to a montage of Akane and Rikka hanging out. Every ending to the show has had a different montage, but they all seem related to the plot. If Rikka and Akane are truly friends, what will happen once it comes out that they are on opposite sides of the same battle?
Despite all the questions the plot is raising, one thing remains clear: the animation is awesome. Each character has extremely detailed facial expressions. I really enjoy the continuing homage to magical girl transformations that Gridman has. This episode in particular has a really good shot of Akane standing on Anti in his kaiju form. The fleeting sunlight is focused on Akane. This scene shows that despite the fact that she is smaller than Anti, Akane is the thing the viewer should be focusing on. With this attention to detail, SSSS.Gridman is worth checking out for the animation alone.