Review of SSSS.Gridman

I'm a fan of mechs and mecha animes, to the point where I spend tons of money on pieces of plastic I put together for hours and put on display for no one else but me. I put this anime to the side as I didn't feel confident in it before watching it. Happy to say, I was proven wrong. The story is very strong and interesting. At a quick glance, you'd think this anime is made for kids. This isn't the case whatsoever. When compared to what it has on display on the surface, the story is very dark, twisted, and deep. From the atmosphereto the unraveling world around the characters, the story does everything it wants to do and more. The pacing is so well done, especially in the first few episodes where it felt so claustrophobic and stretched which gives off a sense of discomfort. The later episodes all have a different pacing style, but it is still well done. The story CAN feel standard at times, especially since SSSS.GRIDMAN is kind of a spiritual successor to the original Gridman. It delivers the story with confidence and is aware of what it's trying to be. The ending was a bit odd, and to be honest I didn't like it as much. It was implied throughout the anime, but still.

The characters are all bright and vivid, and all have their own unique styles that contrast with one another. These characters are all so expressive it's amazing. They all feel as though you could meet them and they would be exactly what you'd think they'd be. From their designs to their poses, they all contribute a lot to this world. The Kaiju and Mechs designs all feel so nostalgic and fresh at the same time. If there is a model kit for this show, I'm definitely snagging them.

The animation is superb, which is to be expected from Studio Trigger. The character animations are all fluid, and the use of CGI is extremely well done. The camera work is very dynamic and makes almost every scene seem so significant and bold. The fighting scenes are all CGI, which is good as 2D animation wouldn't be able to achieve what they were trying to go for here.

Overall, this is a close second to my favorite mecha anime (the first being Knights and Magic). I absolutely loved every second of it. This anime is very underrated, but this is because it is a mecha anime that not everyone is into and turns it away just because of the genre itself. However, I really recommend this anime to anyone interested, whether you're into mechs or not.