Review of SSSS.Gridman

Gridman was one of several anime this season that blew my expectations to smithereens. I'm not a huge mecha fan, so I was very skeptical at first, and didn't bother starting until halfway through the season. But damn was I impressed. It started out strong, and every episode kept getting better and better, up until the grand finale - one of the best final episodes I can remember. Here's some of the key points. Plot - How many plot twists can an anime have without losing its impact? You could tell that the writers were having a blast working on this, as the entire storyline feltloose and free; nothing was forced, everything came naturally, and minor plot holes were shrugged off only to be patched by the next reveal. Every time a major plot twist happened it felt like it for sure would be the last, so every new event always came as a surprise.

Art - The style was pretty normal, with just a miniscule hint of shaft-y accents, and CGI for the kaiju that wasn't terrible and was appropriate for the circumstance. There was nothing to complain about, and I did like the subtle accentuation.

Sound - UNION is the hypest OP I've heard since OPM. The hook is so good, and the lyrics fit both the melody and the anime. Actually one of the best openings I can think of in terms of lyrical relevance. Others have also praised the voice acting, which I didn't really notice much but I think that was the point. I don't remember anything special about the actual soundtrack though.

Character - Really meh in this department.... which was disappointing because the story was so great. On the other hand, the story explains why there's not a whole lot of character development, and including more background would go against the plot. Knowing the reason, however, doesn't change the fact that the characters are weak.

Enjoyment - This very quickly became one of my favorites this season, and one that I was eagerly waiting for each week. That puts it in 8/10 territory, for me.