Review of SSSS.Gridman

In general, mecha series seem to skew one of two ways: formulaic monster of the week plots like Super Sentai, or convoluted high-concept sci-fi in the vein of Evangelion. Gridman attempts both and while it's very fun to look at, the end result is kind of a mess. Owing it's inspiration to the 90's toku series of the same name, Gridman has a lot of elements that feel familiar if you're into that sort of thing. Our main character has mysterious amnesia and uses a computer in the local junk shop to fight kaiju by posing with a wristband to turn into the titular mecha. Mostepisodes work a kaiju fight into the third act with generally very good animation.

The plot starts to quickly lose any sense of purpose. By the midway point it's been pretty much fully revealed that reality is a simulation (not that it hadn't been heavily implied from the start), and there were honestly points in the last few episodes where everything felt like a muddled dream. There's a specific group of characters who show up in the early episodes with little to no explanation beyond "oh we're here to help." It's a plot that desperately lacks substance behind its cool ideas.

It's really not all bad though. The mecha fights are cool as hell, and characters like Calibur and Anti are fun to watch, even when it's not particularly clear what their motivations are. I'm not sure if I'm missing key details having not seen the original series, but Gridman is fine enough for what it is even if it doesn't really make much sense.