SSSS.Gridman - Episode 5 (Review)

By: EyeSpyeAlex

The weather may be cooling down, but things are beginning to heat up in SSSS.Gridman! Need to catch up? Check out my previous review here!

The Recap

It’s class field trip time! Yuta, Sho, Rikka, and the others head out to go rafting in the mountains. What should be an enjoyable day quickly becomes ruined by the appearance of a giant kaiju. Even worse, no one has their cellphone on hand and Junk is miles away! After some quick thinking (and a lot of running), Yuta and the others are able to get in touch with the Neon Genesis Junior High Students, who bring Junk to them. Borr and Gridman quickly team up to clobber the kaiju, saving the city once more!

What is the catalyst to the day’s events? A chance conversation between Akane and Yuta. Under the guise of asking about Yuta’s amnesia, Akane subtly asks Yuta if he’s transforming. When Yuta agrees, Akane scurries off and summons the kaiju. It seems like Akane has figured out that there’s a connection between Yuta and Gridman, but not what the connection is. It will be interesting to see what she is able to piece together after Gridman’s appearance in this episode.

The Review

Overall, this latest episode was a little underwhelming. While we are treated to the classic fan-service bikini episode, it doesn’t make up for the lacking story. Having Yuta and the others so far away from Junk did not make the kaiju scenes any more intense. In fact, it made those scenes feel longer and purposefully dragged out. When Gridman finally shows up there’s almost little effort put into defeating the kaiju. For a show that usually delivers on the action, this felt like a major bummer.

Even though we are seeing more members of the Neon Genesis Junior High Students in action they still feel majorly under-utilized. We know almost nothing about them and only ever see them sitting around waiting for a kaiju attack. It’s also made abundantly clear how much Yuta and Sho exclude Rikka, presumably because she’s a girl. Had she not followed after them, the boys wouldn’t have been able to contact that shop and the Neon Genesis gang. Considering how often we see Rikka questioning where she belongs in her different groups of friends, this may just be a plot device. Still, I hope Sho and Yuta recognize soon how integral Rikka is to their team.