Review - Gridman Universe
(Originally posted November 4, 2023)
My broad thoughts on the constituent pieces of the "Gridman Universe" are that SSSS.Dynazenon is the better show (its character writing in particular is ahead by a fucking mile), but SSSS.Gridman's laser-pointed ending is nearly unimpeachable. The movie is a great time but can't quite escape this dichotomy... not that it necessarily needs to. It's fine just being a good time.
Spoilers ahead.
Gridman Universe is - as the title implies - much more of a follow up to Gridman than to Dynazenon, focusing on how Yuta deals with being part of a group and show of which he has no memory... for about 30 minutes. Then, as is wont to happen in a crossover, something or other causes the Dynazenon crew to show up, there's a bit of cast interaction, and we wrap it all up with a big ol' kaiju battle and a movie-exclusive power-up.
Thing is, I like the SSSS.Gridman cast, but I love the SSSS.Dynazenon cast. I had a good enough time any time the plot focused on Yuta, Utsumi, and Rikka, but I could feel the smile break out on my face when the Dynazenon crew showed up because they really are just on a totally different tier of character depth.
I mean, Yomogi and Gauma can have this heartfelt scene at night where they can quietly communicate how meaningful it is for both of them to have the chance to meet again, not because there was anything actually left unsaid between them but because someone exiting your life abruptly is painful in itself; meanwhile, Yuta is scared to confess his love for Rikka because... she might have a secret college boyfriend! Uh oh!
The movie uses it for deliberate effect, to its credit. Yomogi and Yume are openly dating, comfortable and happy with their relationship in a way that's decidedly uncommon in anime; every other couple is sort of trying to live up to that. There's the whole Yuta and Rikka thing of course, but Utsumi and Hass appear to also be together while keeping it secret from the rest, and even Gauma meets his beloved again only to be forced to contend with the fact that any time he might have had a chance with her is simply long gone.
Meanwhile, Rikka and Utsumi are writing a school play about Gridman, which is the script's way of allowing itself to get meta without being too obnoxious about it. Rikka wants human drama while Utsumi wants more action scenes, and nobody seems to understand this whole plot thread about Akane Shinjo - they're more concerned about her being a popular big-boobed kaiju-nerd than about her depression and inner turmoil. Once they cut her out of the story and add more characters and action, people seem to like it, but the story just loses some of the focus, don't you think?
It's bits like that which show me that the writers understood the assignment. I wouldn't say this movie needs to exist, because both SSSS shows wrapped up so neatly on their own, but the staff knows that too. Maybe there were a couple lingering questions, but nothing so burning that it required a concrete answer, and maybe those answers wouldn't even be satisfying. This movie is here to have a bit of human drama and then to bang action figures together - perhaps about 3-5 minutes of fighting per 20 minutes of drama, not accounting for commercials? - with your favorite series characters because it's a dumb (complimentary) crossover.
And you know, there's some kind of invisible target when it comes to fanservice pandering where - if it's done right - it can really land, even if you don't think they needed to do it. Did I need or want Akane Shinjo to come back? Not really, no. Did it have to happen for the story writ large? Also debatable. When she and Anti, both grown up just a bit, finally meet again and she silently ruffles his hair? Nailed it. They got me.
It's all what you'd want out of a movie follow-up, I think (speaking of, Garo: Divine Flame - the sequel movie to Garo: The Animation - rules). That is to say, it's good! It's a goofy, fun victory lap for two of Trigger's best shows that does all the things you think it will! I don't think I necessarily expected or needed it to be anything else. What I do need is to see whatever Akira Amemiya (and Keiichi Hasegawa, who's currently head writer on Kamen Rider Gotchard [and also was head writer on Rage of Bahamut: Genesis, a personal favorite] so uh I guess that's what he's doing [Gotchard's a lot of fun actually]) does next, and I need it to be something new.
I was there at Anime Expo in 2017 when Trigger first announced SSSS.Gridman (I might have been the only guy in that auditorium who popped off when they said the words "Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad"), and again in 2018 when they premiered the first episode. Akira Amemiya said he wanted this work to surpass both Disney and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. At the time, people were apprehensive about a show by Trigger's younger staff, without the guiding hand of Imaishi or Yoshinari. Could the director of fuckin' Inferno Cop and Ninja Slayer really pull it off?
We were fools to doubt. Stick with Trigger and you'll make it.
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