I was watching Precure chronologically while back before dropping off partway through Go Princess. I thought Smile was a lot of fun though, probably one of the best I had seen from the series! It has a lot of vibrant, madcap energy that made it unusually entertaining to me, plus some thoughtful characterization and a well balanced cast focus. I also liked Fresh from among the shows I had tried, which was a bit more dramatic than your standard Precure entry.

Well, Beauty, like Sunny, was translated literally, but at the same time they took not the first analogue offered by the dictionary, but the one that was more suitable both thematically and as a nickname. As a result, the names of the heroines turned out to be a little more connected than in the original (I heard that some viewers had complaints about this).

Yeah, the type of energy that Smile exudes almost made me think that it was a parody in its early episodes. But it certainly utilizes that energy to make it a mostly endearing show.

Hey all. This is just a quick post to let you all know that I'm not entirely sure how often you should expect this thread to be updated during the coming year, as not only has life been busy for me as of late, but I have some other project ideas cooking up that'd cut into my time for this one. I do still have shows that I wanna cover though, so the thread won't be totally abandoned. But yeah, just a heads up that updates will be kinda staggered.

Take your time if other important things take top priority in life.

Normally I wouldn't've bothered watching this.

It's no secret that I wasn't exactly a huge fan of the original SSSS.Dynazenon. I didn't find the show unbearable, but it just wasn't for me.

So why bother watching the compilation movie version of it? Well, one of my biggest gripes with the original was how, despite it only being 12 episodes, there was a ton of meandering going on in terms of its pacing.

Thus my logic was that perhaps a movie that condenses everything down to two hours might help with the show picking up speed. And hey, if done right, maybe I'd come out of it with a bit of a higher opinion of the story, if nothing else? Afterall, there were aspects of Dynazenon that I did like.

But um, here's a question: Is there anyone who watched the anime that literally only cared about the romance between Yomogi and Yume? Because I sure as heck didn't. Infact, it was one of the things that made watching the show a bit of a drag for me. But hey, if you loved them as a couple, then boy are you in luck because this movie is practically about that and nothing but.

I'm not kidding by the way. 90% of the movie is basically just a supercut of every scene that Yomogi and Yume have together, to the point that what little of an arc that Yomogi had is almost entirely gone, and any and all scenes concerning the other characters are reduced to only the most absolutely necessary plot important ones. I'm not kidding when I say that Koyomi might as well not even be in the movie, as almost the entirety of his screen time from the show is cut.

The result is a very weird double-edged sword when it comes to comparing the movie to the show that it's based on. Like, yes, technically, the pacing is better for the movie overall, especially if all you care about is the romance. On the other hand, in terms of the flow of the plot, a ton of context is cut without any new transition scenes made to help things along. As a result, alot of events just sort of happen suddenly with very little reason. And that's not even getting into what little character work Dynazenon had in the first place getting reduced even more.

To be honest, I in the end really can't say which is the "better" of the two. The best advice I can give to anyone debating over the show or the movie, is that if the first couple of episodes of the anime aren't doing anything for you, then watching the movie is overall fine. But I feel like anyone who absolutely adored the original anime should be rather upset with how this movie turned out unless literally all they cared about was Yume(and by extension her romance). As a Compilation movie, specifically, this is pretty lackluster. But as a movie by itself without prior context? It's fine, I guess.

Did this make me like the show any more as a result? Not really. Infact if anything it made me dislike it slightly more because I was reminded of certain bits that don't really fit with the overall narrative in my eyes. And as someone who saw the original show beforehand, the movie sort of felt like a waste of time.

But hey, they did remove that agonizingly slow churro scene, so that inherently makes the movie alot more bearable. 10/10 film for that alone I guess.

As this franchise has been known to do, this movie is an attempt at having a cake and eating it too.

There's alot of parts at play in an attempt to make fans of both shows that this movie is crossing over happy. Such having multiple versions of pre-existing characters exist at the same time and fuddling with the overall cosmology of the setting even more.

Aspects like that and more make the last chunk of this movie a major letdown. There's all this intriguing build up about the nature of what exactly is going on all throughout the first two acts, only to lead up to less than satisfactory results.

I most certainly wasn't a fan of how the final boss of the story ended up just being some random Kaiju, even if the premise of Gridman himself getting infected is interesting. And even besides that, the action climax of the whole thing, for as many "cool" moments as it tries to cram in, goes on for way too long. And that's ignoring how toyetic it all is.

The resolutions to many of the character arcs left me wanting more too. We still never learn what the promise Yuta made to Rika was, Gauma's' meeting with the princess doesn't amount to much, and alot of the little plot threads dropped both in the voice dramas as well as Dynazenon proper are never followed up on. And don't even get me started on how CrunchyRoll's' subs of the movie are, at best, passable, with many notable inconsistencies in terminology.

But despite all these factors that made fully immersing myself into the film impossible, I was rather enjoying myself for alot of the first two acts. Like the shows before it, the movie is animated beautifully, with the "Dream" sequence actually being a major highlight here rather than a detriment like I how I felt about the related episodes of the two seasons before this. That off model, distorted style being used to emphasize how the world is unraveling was a great move in terms of overall atmosphere.

And while it's arguably both a footnote in terms of the overall plot as well as possibly me reading far too much into things, for awhile it seemed to me that the movie was sort of a thesis statement about how writers bring about the stories they want to tell. Through the constant revision of the script of the school play comes a discussion about writer's' intent, what they need to compromise to get their work approved, as well as trying to fulfill the wants and desires of an intended audience, and how it's all a very fine line between entertainment value and the intended purpose of the story in the first place.

Interesting as that might be to me and only me, in the end, the star of the show is Yuta. There's a not insignificant effort put into the movie toward fleshing out his character now that he's been separated from Gridman, and I felt they did a pretty solid job at keeping true to SSSS.Gridman's' statement about Yuta's' feelings being channeled through Gridman while also showing other aspects to Yuta's' personality. Sho wasn't wrong when he called Yuta "normal" and it's both because of and in spite of that aspect of Yuta that he's a very interesting and likable character to watch. And it's through him we get to see how his friendships with Sho and Rikka have bloomed over time.

Overall, while I did like this finale to the SSSS saga more than SSSS.Dynazenon, the movie never fully emotionally grabbed me in the same way that the first anime did, and infact carried over many of the problems I had with the second show. It's not a bad movie though, and I'm sure it'll make many fans who aren't me rather happy with the way alot of things turn out. But in the end, in terms of my personal enjoyment, I don't think I could give Gridman Universe anything higher than a 3/6. I'd be willing to bump it up another point if the Dynazenon aspects were downplayed a bit less for more Gridman elements, but that's not what ended up happening, so I can't. Atleast Yume and Yomogi didn't take up the entire movie this time.

Also, shout out to the people who were adamant about S4 Dynazenon taking place in the real world. Boy, you sure showed me!

Fun fact, according to the official notes, the first Kaiju to appear attacks on July 23rd 2019, but the rest that appear after reality begins to collapse attack on July 32nd 2019.

And although this movie doesn’t have a Maya Uchida song like the two shows, she is still in it, voicing the brief role of the unseen until now Princess. And talking of cameos, Masaya Obi’s once a production cameo here made me think that he was reprising his role as Naoto from Denkou Choujin Gridman, considering he knows where to go to find Junk and seems aware of Yuta’s dual identity.

And fun fact, the featured characters in the Ultra Stage show the characters watch early on - Ultraman Legend, Dark Faust, Mother of Ultra, Jean-Bot and Mirror Knight - shared their VAs with Kerib, Namiko, Juuga and Gridman respectively.

I can see that for sure. Make one wonder how exactly he got into the digital world to begin with, but hey, it's cool that he's managed to consistently cameo in each entry of this franchise.

DreamSword watching Gridman Universe:

https://i.imgur.com/XKgO6BP.jpg

Fish Sandwich watching Gridman Universe:

https://i.imgur.com/zywNLHo.jpg

I won't lie, this is probably the best response I could've hoped for, haha.

I'm glad you found enjoyment where I couldn't!

I'll spare you the details on how much I loved this movie and just say that I loved this movie.

Sure, there's some things that could have been done better, but overall, I think Trigger understands and respects the source material which shows. It's really neat to see Anime going the extra mile with Tokusatsu references and details.

Also, Universe is an amazing song.

By all means, please do not spare me on details!

But I will say, as someone who's typically not a fan of the stuff Studio Trigger produces, this movie was a major step up by comparison to be sure.

This wasn't directed at me, but if I might elaborate a bit myself -- since I've used this thread to talk about my weirdly intense personal history with the anime Gridman stuff before -- I thought the movie was an extremely heartfelt and thoughtfully constructed love letter to the entire concept of fiction itself.

You seem to believe you might be overthinking the subplot about the script, but if anything, you're *under*thinking it, because if you start looking at the story more from that perspective, especially keeping in mind the creators in this case are fans in their own right, you'll quickly start to see that most of the things in the film are commenting on similar themes in some way or another.

Whether or not that improves your overall view of the movie is a choice only you can make, but speaking for myself, the fact they decided to take the story in that direction resonated with me in a way that's definitely going to be greater than the average person. SSSS Gridman ended up teaching me a lot about myself and how I view stories to begin with, so to have a big movie epilogue come along with this sort of meta narrative going on felt like a perfect culmination of a personal journey I didn't even realize wasn't over after already loving Dynazenon.

It actually prompted me to rewatch not only the film itself several times over, but to go back and watch ALL the prior stuff -- the OG show, both anime, and all the voice dramas -- which was fun just on its own merits, but also gave me an even greater appreciation of just how intricately crafted the anime stuff actually is. This was during that whole Geats/Gotchard period where I was barely on the forum (hence why I could make the time for that!), and the thought that I one day want to get some of the thoughts I have about this stuff out there genuinely helped motivate me to try getting back into the swing of things on here. Which I suppose is just one more thing on the increasingly huge list of things I should be thanking SSSS Gridman for.

By all means!

Hey, entirely possible. I admitted that alot of stuff that Dynazenon seems to be getting at went way over my head back when I watched it, so it wouldn't surprised me if it happened again with Universe here. While the story serving as an allegory for authors and the stories they create is something that I would be totally down with, from my perspective the idea just seemed abandoned once the third act hit and most of it just sort of became an extended action sequence. Not to say those things can't coexist, mind you, but the "story about stories" aspect just seemed to be shoved aside.

I've said before, I'll say it again. I will never blame anyone for finding a story that really resonates with them, even if it's one that I'm not a super huge fan of. Heck, I'm just as guilty on these very forums. I'm the only fan of stuff like Power Rangers and Samurai Flamenco, afterall!

As for trying to see everything under the lens of the meta commentary though... I dunno. Part of me feels like if I were to try and rewatch the film with that lens anytime soon that I'd just be forcing it. Not saying your view isn't totally valid, just that, with my own mental space, it'll take me some time to sort out.

Frankly, that's incredible. And it surprises me that you came back into the swing of things with Kamen Rider Wizard rather than Hyper Agent Gridman, actually(not that I don't appreciate that thread as well). Given how you initially weren't too keen on SSSS.Gridman, this (possible) turnabout is rather nice to see, even if our graphs ended up going in opposite slopes, so to speak.

I've always said that one should keep the time period that a show was made in in mind when watching it.

Because if you go into a show from, say, the 30s and expect it to be built the same as a show from the modern era, you're only setting yourself up for disappointment. And I feel like Futari wa Pretty Cure serves as a good example.

Make no mistake, the original Pretty Cure show became immensely popular and spawned a franchise that continues over 20 years later for a reason. But, if someone comes in with the latest installment of the franchise and expects the first to hit the exact same beats, well, it's just not gonna happen.

For example, despite the Precure franchise having a big reputation for its Dragon Ball-esque fight scenes, the first entry in the series only delivers on that roughly half the time. Many fights are more akin to that of Sailor Moon, wherein our heroes spend the entire time dodging out of harm's' way until they can find an opening to get their finishing attack off.

The animation is pretty standard for the time period too, and as such will almost look lacking or slow when compared to the stuff found in later seasons. And in terms of storytelling everything is kept rather simple for the most part, with maybe only an episode or two going a bit deeper than a baseline moral of the week. If we're talking technicals alone, then Futari would easily be considered one of if not the weakest season in the franchise.

But that all being said, there is a very positive flipside to all of this. The more simplistic storytelling means that the more dramatic or involved episodes stand out all the more. Likewise, when a fight scene is well animated, it too very much stands out. And keeping in mind that this originally aired in 2004, such fights existing in a Magical Girl anime was unheard of, and given the back and forth the franchise has had with parents over the years, it's a bit of a miracle that Together was able to get away with them in the first place. And that's not even going into various other subversions it'd make to the genre, big or small.

In the end though what matters most to me is the characters, and despite how simplistic they all are, I did enjoy most of the cast. Most characters play off one another rather well ontop of being likable in their own right. And true to how the show is advertised, the most likable of the bunch are our two leads: Nagisa and Honoka. While Nagisa definitely gets more focus than Honoka, the two's' dynamic really is the show's' main highlight, with the episodes specifically focusing on that dynamic being among the show's' best. It's the classic tale of polar opposites finding a way to come together, and Pretty Cure pulls it off wonderfully.

Is it perfect? Not by a long shot, and the short of it is that there are various aspects that very much wouldn't become refined until later seasons. But one definite advantage to its age is just how unique it is compared to what came after it. So for what the show is, and especially for the time it came out in, I can definitely see why it became such a big hit. It can be rough, but it also has a lot of heart put into it, and that's apparent nearly all the way through.

In the end, I give "Together we are Pretty Cure!" a 4/6. Yes, there are many aspects to it that I personally would've liked to have seen done differently, but it's still a rather enjoyable entry into a franchise I've grown to really appreciate all the same.

Now this is a show I have watched and I agree with these points tbh

It's very much the first of its kind, and that comes with all the little bumps and hurdles that come from creating a new magical girl show that would eventually manage to push its way forward into a franchise.

Nagisa and Honoka are obviously the highlights, and it's nice to see these two girls who felt like strangers turn into a powerhouse duo who managed to save multiple worlds twice over within a single season. Eventually I'll get to Max Heart, but for my third Precure season, it was pretty solid despite its faults.

That is awesome. :rock:

PreCure fandom can be split into three different eras of preference: Those who prefer when it was more of a parody of magical girl tropes (Futari wa through GoGo), when it became more standard magical girl fare (Heartcatch through Star Twinkle) and when it started simulcasting (Healin’ Good to now).

The episode where Nagisa searches for and saves Honoka, who was consumed by darkness, is amazingly strong.

There's a line in the Hug movie where Nagisa proclaims "I am nothing without Honoka!" and having now seen the original show, that line hits way harder than before. They're such a good duo!

It's a really good shot!

I feel like all three eras have their ups and downs. Dunno if I'd be able to pick a specific one I favor, though.

Oh yeah, that was easily the best episode of the second half.

I am currently watching the Android Kikaider anime. I have already rewatched the first five episodes to basically refresh my memory from watching it the first time a couple of years ago and I already just finished its seventh episode.

Heck yeah! I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks, I managed to finish the Android Kikaider anime in its entirety not too long ago and it is a damn good series. I even just watched the OVA that served as a crossover between Kikaider and Inazuman. If I were to count some Toku-based anime into the mix for my top favorite Toku series of all time list, this particular incarnation of Android Kikaider would definitely be there somewhere. It is indeed that good complete with a very solid English dub.

Happy to hear it! That makes a grand total of three Kikaider anime fans, haha!

I also watched this OVA. It's funny that it plays on the similarity between Jiro and Goro, who were played by the same actor in the original shows.

What is Heroman?

Do you all remember The Reflection? If not, it was an anime helmed by Stan Lee, and the entire idea of it was an American comic in anime form.

And really, the idea is very much the same here. While it doesn't have the art style of a US comic book, Heroman very much aims to bring the general vibe of comics into an anime form, which leads to the show's' overall charm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEBpKh9n44c

It's also why, for what might be the first time ever, I want to highlight the show's' ED before its OP in one of these posts, as I feel as though it does a great job at capturing the sort of spirit that the entire anime is basing itself off of. And it's just a really neat song and sequence ontop of that.

But beyond all of that, what's this show even about? Heroman is the story of Joey Jones, your average nerdy kid who lives in the West Coast town of Center City. That's right, the show takes place in the USA, and the very episode makes sure you know it, too. Anyway, Joey a meek high schooler who has to deal with things that would not be out of place in a Spider-Man story; You know 'em.

The Spider-Man comparisons are very much intentional, too. To the point I very much feel that they were done on purpose. We've got Joey as an expy of Peter, his friend Lina as a stand in for both Mary Jane and Gwen, and big bully Will is very much the Flash Thompson of the show. But don't worry, despite the very obvious influences, Heroman will put in the effort to differentiate itself in many ways as it goes on.

And with the Spider-Man comparisons comes superheroics of course! But one immediate difference between Joey and Spidey is that Joey himself isn't actually Heroman. That's actually the name of his robotic companion. And Heroman doesn't come to life via a radioactive spider bite, but rather his origin is a bit more mystical with Joey's' toy robot getting struck by a bolt of lightning during a bad storm. And thankfully there's no dead uncles required for a hero to be born this time around.

Though I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself in all of this. What exactly does the first episode detail? Well, it is very much an origin story and nothing but one. And I actually really appreciate that about it. It doesn't need some suddenly huge big evil mastermind blowing up the city to get everything started; Heck, the climax of the episode itself is Joey and Heroman saving Lina and her dad from a car crash. No, the entire episode is focused totally on setup, with character establishment for Joey at the forefront. And yeah, there's a ton to be learned about Joey as a character just from this episode alone, which makes him very likable very fast.

What also helps the experience alot is that this show's animation and art style are very pleasant to look at. I personally feel that this is some of Studio Bones' best work in terms of animation. And it me very sad that, when finding ways to watch this show, I came to learn some very important information: The blu-rays of Heroman actually made the show look worse compared to the original TV broadcast. Based on comparison photos that others have posted, it seems like whoever handled the BDs just slapped a filter over the footage and called it a day, and it results in alot of finer details getting lost. Thankfully, fans have made sure to preserve higher quality rips of the TV masters, which is what I'll be using during this rewatch, and I suggest you all do too.

Anyway, the first episode is very simple in what it presents and what it's trying to say, and that is also its biggest strength. Because it's so straightforward, it's able to easily stay focused on what matters, and executes that idea very well. I wouldn't call it the best anime premiere of all time, but it's one that I could very easily see as being underrated, and I very much enjoy it for what it is. Believe it or not, Heroman is actually one of my favorite anime, and I very much hope that anyone who decides to follow along with this rewatch will be able to see why by the end of the run. And hey, maybe it'll become a show that you love too.

Oh, and Stan Lee cameos in this episode. As he should.

This show was fun. It had Mr. Excelsior himself and the opening theme was a banger. :rock:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFdCDGukIYs

It's very fun!

If you somehow thought this was just a simple slice of life, boy were you off.

The episode deals with two things: First being Joey's' conflict over what to do now that Heroman is around, and the other is the arrival of the Skrugg aliens.

It makes for some solid drama all around. Joey has arguably the most powerful thing in the world now at his fingertips, and the exact way he should handle that sort of thing isn't exactly clear cut.

The Skrugg, however, represent the opposite of Joey's' debacle in pretty much every way. They have no qualms about the perversion of science and using their power to begin their takeover of the Earth. They are a swarm, not an individual, and they take no issue in stripping the life of others.

This is what eventually brings Joey to realize the great power and responsibility he now wields. He and Heroman now fight to defend the world from the extraterrestrial invaders. Joey's' dream of superheroics has now become reality, because him and his robot are now the only things that can stand up to the Skrugg. Though with such a display of power comes various prying eyes...

While episode 1 primarily focused on setting up the characters, episode 2 is more focused on setting up the kickoff events to the plot at large, and I think it handled itself very well. Because not only does it accomplish what it set out to do, but it still left room for character establishment and development. Mainly for Joey, sure, but other characters like Joey's' best friend Psy and Professor Denton get some little moments to shine as well.

It's a simple step forward, but an effective one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-24QcTQt7w

Today's' music highlight is "Roulette (COME ON! Version)" by TETSUYA. It serves as the opening theme for the show, and it's very packed the sort of energy you'd want out of a superhero show. The visuals that accompany the opening are pretty nice too, and both together always manage to bring a smile to my face.

What would you do if your home suddenly became a warzone?

Would you run for the hills? Would you stand your ground and fight? Sure, there are things many of would like to think we'd do, but the reality might not be those.

Personally, I find this episode's' portrayal of the situation to be rather realistic(atleast in regards to superhero stories), in that while the US defense force is out to fight off the invaders, the civilians are mainly out for themselves.

This even extends to our main cast. Rather than take out every Skrugg he sees, Joey's' focus is almost entirely on getting his grandma to safety. And rather than stick with and protect his sister, all Will can think about is upstaging Joey. And all while the world crumbles around them.

The atmosphere throughout a majority of the episode is appropriately intense, and while the focus is mostly on the action side of things, with the military fighting the Skrugg, there's a nice handful of character beats to carry things along. Especially on the side of Joey and Heroman. For a toy robot, Heroman sure is expressive and surprisingly autonomous.

One thing I definitely appreciate about the episode more on rewatch is the use of CGI for stuff related to the Skrugg. Especially their giant flying saucer, wherein the way that it's rendered makes it look rather otherworldly compared to almost everything around it. I do wish that the fighter jets were drawn instead of CG to help sell the effect though. But that's a nitpick in the grand scheme of things. This show's' presentation continues to be rather nice.

The climax of the episode makes it clear that the fight between humanity and Skrugg won't be a battle easily won, but that makes it all the more important that people celebrate their smaller victories. For now, Joey's' grandma is safe, and that's certainly something to feel some relief over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o-gKnWgaUU

While it might be labeled as Hero's' theme song, "Rise, Fight, Peace" more often than not tends to play whenever both Joey and Heroman are partaking in heroics. And indeed, a big highlight of the climax in this episode is showing that's not just either of them individually who make the hero, but rather both of them together. This song not only fits the mood made by such moments rather well, but is a very well put together tune in its own right.

Just incase you thought Heroman couldn't hang with other super robos, oh he can.

The plot of this one is that while Will tries to sneak into the Skrugg's' new base, the Skrugg in turn decide to go bowling. With the city as the pins.

There's also an underlying theme of responsibility going on with this episode. And surprisingly, it's more prominent with Professor Denton, who feels that it's his fault the invasion is happening to begin with.

It presents some dramatic irony too, because Will's' entire plan is to steal some Skrugg weaponry to use against the invaders; Meanwhile Joey and Heroman have already secured an enemy blaster for Denton to study. Even if Joey didn't quite do that intentionally.

In terms of the main threat, while it might sound silly that the Skrugg plan to smash all resistance with a giant metal ball, the episode very quickly establishes why that's far more of a threat in execution than it seems on paper. Heroman is very strong, sure, but even he's not tough enough to smash the thing as easily as he has the grunt soldiers.

And I gotta say, this episode does such a great job in handling its mood. The episode is very appropriately intense throughout almost the entire run time, and the way things are framed, I legit had no idea how our heroes were gonna overcome this new threat(And before you ask, yes, I did forget how they did so). And very teasingly, the episode makes you wait until next time to find out the answer. But man, never thought Robot vs Giant Ball could be so intense!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbM3zR7rV9s

It goes without saying that a major player in how well the atmosphere is handled goes towards the soundtrack. Fittingly, the song for today is called "Tama" or "Sphere" in English. It's a very tense track that I think was composed specifically for this episode, and it does a great job pulling double duty as a set piece for the the fight in this episode as well as just being an all around great piece for showcasing tension. And like every other sound on this anime's' soundtrack, it's just great to listen to ontop of all of that.

The episode ends with the Skrugg having captured Will and them now being fully aware of Heroman's' existence, so you can only imagine that things will snowball from here.

I love it when titles have double meanings.

Because not only are our heroes acting as assassins towards the latest squad of Skrugg, but the Skrugg send their own specialized assassins in turn.

While the sphere problem isn't going to be solved anytime soon, the Professor has managed to cook up some other ways to fight the Skrugg. And adding to how this show doesn't take itself too seriously, one way is the power of rock 'n' roll.

It's a silly thing on its face; Adding the Skrugg's' amplifier device to an electric guitar, but not only does it add a layer of fun to everything that's been going on in this show, it also helps sell the ingenuity that the Professor has. He was able to determine so much about how the Skrugg operate in such a short time!

This also allows Psy to take a more active roll in everything, rather than simply be a distraction or solely moral support for Joey. For a guy with a broken leg, he sure is pulling alot of weight in the fight against these alien bugs. Heck, he's even the one who thinks up the hit-and-run tactics that the team uses during the episode's' climax. And it would've worked if not for one stipulation.

One of the big things that anyone who's seen Heroman remembers is how exactly this episode ends. Wherein it's revealed that Will and Nick have been converted into Skrugg, and Will is more than happy to use his newfound status as an experiment to take on and try to show up Joey and Heroman. Not only is the reveal a big one, but the lead up to it is handled great too, with a well choreographed fight and inclusion of Lina at the end of the episode.

The entire situation not only provides a great hook for the next episode(Heroman in general is very smartly serialized), but continues to showcase the big parts of these characters without feeling like too much all at once. The dynamic of everyone involved just shifted a significant deal, and it'll speak miles of everyone's' character with how they end up processing and handling the situation in the end. In whatever case, the fight with the Skrugg isn't going to be in any ways linear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gguCbauVocc

"Fight" is the theme that plays during the, well, fight at the episode's' climax, and once again, it's a song that sets the mood of the scene it's in perfectly. The feeling of combating a very oppressive force, given how much of an advantage that Skrugg Will seems to have over our heroes, is very much showcased in this song.

I once heard a comparison that I found to be rather interesting.

"US comic books are for reading. Japanese manga are for looking." And while I don't think that's entirely true, I think I get what birthed that idea.

Because really, Heroman and, more specifically, this episode of it, sort of showcases that? Episode 6 is very talky, with the majority of it being the various factions of the cast talking about what their next move is going to be.

Heck, just like in the first episode the action climax is relatively simple, with Heroman fighting against and very, very cooly taking out a giant spy-re that the Skrugg had set up in Center City. Though for the power scalers out there, it does provide a nice basis for just how strong Heroman actually is.

The episode provides a nice drip feed into the characterization of some of the cast too. While the most obvious and most important are Lina and Will, what with the brief flashbacks we get showing how Will really does care for his sister, we also get an unexpected look into the United States President, who's shown to be a rather stern, yet caring and cautious person. It's a very nice ideal to see.

And continuing the trend of this show having really nice hooks into future episodes, this one ends not only with our tiny group of Heroes ready to go take on the Skrugg directly, but a new character, Dr. Minami, making his grand entrance into the thick of everything. The way the scene is framed makes it very obvious that he's about to become an important player in all of this, but I dare not give away exactly how.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjZBGPu9m4c

Following up from "Fight," "Combat" is a track that not only plays when there's a big struggle going on, but also in situations that are treated as rather dire or are a race against the clock. It has the same sort of resonance and tone that "Night of Fate" does, for you Kingdom Hearts fans out there. And I love both songs just as much. And given that the first Kingdom Hearts game has one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time, that should say something about I feel towards the quality of Heroman's' soundtrack.

For an episode with so much intensity, it's surprisingly funny!

In my opinion, this episode has some of the best comedic beats in the show. That moment I screencapped has lived rent free in my brain ever since I saw it.

It's a great bit of levity, really, because right from the outset the episode sets you up for the character drama that the plot of this one entails. And while it's mainly centered on Will, other characters aren't left out.

A great duality is built between Will and Nick, for example. Since episode 1, Will has been a man who takes charge of his own path in life, whereas Nick has always wanted to mooch off of others. And once the Skrugg's' mind control is broken, things don't change.

The Presidental side of things is again included too. With Minami representing the more unsavory side of international politics. Minami sees the sphere crisis as a chance for opportunity and militaristic superiority, wheres Mr. President treats it as many others would: A crisis that needs to be stopped. It's an ugly debacle that unfortunately the world has to deal with even unto today.

But again, Will is arguably the star here despite alot of the action in the episode having to do with infiltrating the Skrugg base. That opening scene is not only appropriately atmospheric, but shows even more insight into Will's' upbringing. Including how he was the one who broke Psy's' leg(on accident), which is why Will always backs down to Psy. And of course, his love of his sister is what ultimately helps him to rebel against the Skrugg. Nick included.

The ending has serious Metal Gear Solid vibes, by the way. If you know, you know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9trKYDXxE8

"Strategy" seemed like the most appropriate song to highlight this time, given how much focus is given on the planning that crew does in infiltrating the enemy stronghold. I rather liked how realistic they were being about the entire process as well. Sure, saving Will and Nick, stopping the spheres, and even beating the Skrugg would all be wonderful things to accomplish in one go, everyone knows that even just achieving one would be more than enough and to hightail it as soon as things start to go south. It should how level headed everyone is trying to be despite the high emotional stakes in everything, and I rather liked that aspect.

Heroman isn't the only one gaining new power as the show goes on.

Kogorr has certainly evolved past the average Skrugg, given his transformation after deciding to deal with our heroes personally.

But surprisingly, Joey is shown to be able to gain power too. Not only in his new ability to jump good shown when he saves Psy, but also gaining access to super speed during the climax of the episode.

Once Will and Lina safely evacuate the ruins of the underground, this episode is practically all action from start to finish. And it's not just Heroman and Joey vs Kogorr(the leader of the Skrugg), but also Psy and the Professor doing their best to run through the legion of Skrugg warriors getting in the way of their mission to stop the spheres.

I really do gotta hand it to the effort put into Kogorr's' action scenes though, because even before his transformation into a dragon-cockroach-thing, he shows off a style of fighting very unlike the average Skrugg and more akin to stuff you'd see in a kung fu film. Maybe he studied up during his time here on Earth?

Heck, this episode is full of shots that would end being surprisingly iconic to those who watched Heroman, especially that tag team attack that Joey and Heroman pull off against Kogorr; bouncing him off of Joey's' barrier and whatnot. It really helps to sell the idea that Heroman alone isn't the star of this show; Joey is right there alongside him. And when the two work together as a team, they're practically unstoppable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wPNGFFdN0E

"Invasion" felt like the most appropriate song to highlight this time, given how it seems to be mostly associated with Kogorr himself, given the few times it plays. Namely when Kogorr is utterly dominating our heroes. Like other songs tied to the Skrugg, it certainly sells the vibe of an overwhelming force, that's for sure.

Incase it wasn't obvious up to now, Heroman is alive.

Yes, he needs Joey's' helps for many things, and he can't speak, but he still has a level of autonomy, and most importantly, emotion.

Sure, up to now one could maybe see it as Heroman being an extension of Joey himself rather than the robot being his own being, but the way Heroman react when Joey's' life is threatened makes it clear that Heroman has a mind of his own.

The entire sequence makes for a very emotionally charged climax for the battle with Kogorr. And speaking of Kogorr and things being alive, I really gotta note just how smart of a design choice it is for the Skrugg to have eyes on their chests. It adds a while new layer to how they express themselves as well as being able to read what exactly they're thinking in a given moment. It's an aspect of the character design in this show that I feel goes underrated.

And on the topic of aspects of this show being handled intelligently, Heroman is one of the few shows I've seen where it's acknowledged that just blowing up a console won't just stop a programmed command from running. There's a reason Kogorr had confidence when deciding to flip the self-destruct, afterall.

Heck, even more on that line of thought, this episode surprised me in many ways when I first saw it. Not just the sequences described above, but also how the subplot involving Minami is handled. I expected Minami to take credit for our heroes' efforts, but surprisingly no. Everyone is able to see clear as day that Minami's' plan never even got the chance to start, and he gets no credit at all.

Everything together makes for a wonderfully memorable end to the first arc of this anime, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yivCZseYhlc

Oh, and speaking of memorable, this episode features a preview of the most iconic song in the entire show. Unfortunately, the exact version of it they use isn't on the official soundtrack, so instead I'm provided the version made for Super Robot Wars, which is close enough in execution. I'm going to hold off on gushing all over this song for right now though, because let's just say when the fully realized version of the track comes into play, it makes for one of my favorite things I've ever seen in an anime.

Sudden thought, but looking at Will I wonder if they referred to Jyaian from Doraemon, Flash Thompson, and Eddie Brock, specifically. Reason being he's the bully of the show with a dedicated lackey and Jyaian and Flash especially are intoduced as the resident bullies of their respective comics.

I'd be very surprised if they somehow didn't.

The struggle with Skrugg might be over, but the aftereffects are very much felt.

This episode is all about how everyone tries to regain some sense of normalcy after all the craziness that the Skrugg brought with them.

And some characters certainly fair better than others. Joey decides to utilize Heroman to aid in rebuilding Center City, Will has exiled himself from human society, and Lina tries to use her love of Joey in order to help heal her pain.

What results is definitely a much more slice-of-life style affair than what we've seen in awhile, and I rather dug it. While in a more realistic setting Lina's' behavior might be some cause for concern, in terms of standard romcom style storytelling, it was nice to see the girl trying to snag the guy for once.

There's also now the plot hook of the government trying to look into Heroman, because as it turns out, routinely doing charity work in the middle of the night is bound to grab the attention of someone out there; And that's not even getting into the Skrugg just suddenly blowing up from the perspective of anyone who wasn't there to witness what actually happened.

We also get introduced to a new player in all of this: Special Agent Hughes, who is going to go on to be a major character in the story from here on out, and the episode is not at all shy about letting you know it. But even with that, this episode is very much about setting up and easing the audience into the next section of Heroman's' story, just as the very first episode of the anime was for both the first arc and the show as a whole, and just like before, I really appreciate how it's done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLPc5P7omiY

When I read a title like "Painful" I usually don't immediately think of a more laid back and somewhat humorous tune, but that's what this is. It's one of the more laid back themes that tends to play when the characters are doing their more day-to-day, silly interactions, which this episode was certainly full of. After all the intense drama of the Skrugg, having a more comedic bit of time with Lina was certainly an appreciated break.