Review of SSSS.Gridman

I often want to call Darling in the Franxx disappointing, but that isn't entirely true. I suspected I might not like it quite early on. SSSS.Gridman had a lot of baggage to overcome. Unlike with Franxx, this was a solo project for Trigger. That boded well for me, but I still had a certain fear that the roots of the company would shine through and we'd end up with another mech-Gainax-wannabe. With both series, I went in not knowing anything except the studio information. And while Franxx was a struggle for me to sift through, SSSS.Gridman kept me binge-watching once it had finished airing. Itwas everything I never knew I wanted.

I think that what I really loved about this show is that it knew its predecessors. Often with shows like Franxx, Attack on Titan, or Sword Art Online, they try to brand themselves as very individual and erase the ancestor-like material. Gridman never pretended to be a hot, fresh take on the mech genre. It dutifully paid homage to the roots of mech pop culture. The art and sound were very impressive to me, and while it wasn't the new Evangelion, the atmosphere of it was extremely captivating. To me, it was like an 80s-90s experience but dressed up in a 2018 style. It was nostalgic and refreshing compared to more mass-produced trending shows.

I haven't written many reviews on anime, because I tend to find them ranging from unnecessary to obnoxious. Generally, there tends to be a massive discourse surrounding certain shows. Whether I agree or disagree, I don't value arguing about anime on the internet. Gridman isn't trying to be a massive statement though. That's why I am so thrilled to make my own statements about it.

I think it's okay that a lot of people weren't enthused with Gridman. Gridman isn't here to capture a massive wave of praise. What it does do, I believe it does well. For the 12 episodes I spent watching it, I was a kid again, experiencing science fiction shows for the first time. It is one of the purest watching experiences that I've had in a while. For people who don't value the same things as me or value them differently, this show was just another drop in the massive bucket of anime. But for me, it was a moment to reflect on what has never ceases to make me smile.