Of all the disarming and disorienting ways this episode approaches its narrative, I think my favorite is how it speedruns the first episode's plot between Rikka and Yuta, mostly for how unnatural and forced Akane's attempts at warmth and caring are. She just... like, she can only ever fake it, in the hopes that it'll turn into something; it's like the kaiju models that she wants to be real, but this little world of dreams and lies instead. Really, really fun use of our attachment to these character relationships.

During this thread’s two days off, I rediscovered that they put out a repaint of the Assist Weapons to match the blue, black and silver form Gridman has in the first episode (dubbed “Primal Fighter” by the toys, while his regular form is “Initial Fighter”) https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ruddnmw1...f_kzFMXT534xmF

Neat! Thanks!

SSSS.GRIDMAN EPISODE 10 - “COLLAPSE”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ssss/gridman10a.png

Fittingly for a series that so expertly balances its teen melodrama heart with its tokusatsu aesthetics, this episode about explosive personal growth and nightmarish self-immolation is more about the way your life only really improves through the steady accrual of small moments; an atomized henshin sequence as reflected through the prism of your daily life.

That’s sort of it, the lesson: just show up, let yourself be open to the world, and you’re more likely than not to turn into the best version of yourself. It’s not a key to unlocking your dreams or anything – things’ll be hard, you won’t necessarily be the You that you thought you’d be – but it’s how you live impossible goals and existential quests for meaning: You meet people; you get to know people; you go to school; you study for tests; you take a shower and eat and all the million little things that make up a day that isn’t about fighting a giant monster that may or may not be the yonic manifestation of a teenage girl’s suicidal ideation. You do the invisible hard work until it becomes the visible upgrade.

On the other hand, the surest way to close out the ability to change and grow is to cut yourself off from the world, to lose yourself in depression and self-loathing. (There’s an entire sequence where Akane’s talking to Anti about kaiju, and she’s basically just talking about herself.) If every other character on this show has been building up scar tissue and memories and bonds, Akane’s been decluttering herself of everything but building kaiju – which is now so rote as to not even require her to acknowledge their existence verbally, turned in like they’re a bit of grudging homework – and sitting in the dark. It’s as blatant a visualization of her tortured and miserable mental state as you could imagine, and it leads to an episode of her giving up on her hobbies, destroying the ability to start anew, and languishing in a shattered dream world.

It’s bleak! It’s a bleak episode, despite the mounting positivity through the Gridman Alliance’s heads-down Do The Work mentality and Anti’s eventual shining upgrade into Gridknight. I guess… maybe melancholy is the better way to put it? I’ve harped on about how much this show reads like a metaphor for the transition of children into adults through the universal crucible of high school, and this episode is replete with examples of how the process becomes the result, while opting out of that process only makes the future seem hopeless. The other kids and Anti don’t know what the future holds for them, but they’re going to face it, and that makes them more prepared to mold their future into what they want it to be. Meanwhile, Akane literally molds the present into a weapon stave off the future, and it’s gotten her nowhere but crushed by her own fear and isolation.

All of that makes for a fight sequence that’s one of the show’s best, where the monster feels appropriately menacing and nihilistic, and the hero feels overmatched, until a former adversary learns enough from our heroes to stop seeing himself as a monster, and start seeing himself as his own kind of hero. It’s a power-up transformation that gives us the briefest hint of sunlight, before the clouds roll back with a broken Akane stabbing Yuta in the chest. It’s a shocking ending, but still with that Gridman mixture of grounded consequences amid the world of gods and monsters. Horrifying, but maybe hopeful? God knows there’s precedent for a monster to recognize that they want to be more than what someone else talked them into…

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ssss/gridman10b.png

So before I translate the kaiju’s cry and tell you its name, I should mention that this anime has some elements that were originally devised for the live action version. Specifically, Yuta, Akane and Alexis Kerib hail from Gridman F, an unproduced sequel idea for the original show, with the role Utsumi played being filled by Ippei Baba, his equivalent from said original show. Anti is similarly based on an old concept that never got used. Specifically, before the new mosnter suit budget ran out prematurely, OG Gridman would've introduced an evil counterpart to Gridman named Khan Knight (Khan because the antagonist was “Khan Digifer”), who would’ve copied Gridman’s abilities to become stronger, before eventually making a face turn and becoming Gridknight. The major difference Anti has is that he’s a pure monster, whereas Khan Knight would’ve been the resident misanthropic kaiju making teen transforming in the same manner as the hero. If the concept had gone through, Syber Squad would’ve adapted the character as “Black Servo”.

Also, my comment from two episodes ago was mistaken. We do get an explanation for the name “Full Powered Gridman” - he’s Gridman operating at his full power, with strong implications that the Assist Programs are fragments of his conscience (which would explain why they’re sentient and can take on human form this time around). And while not in the episode proper, the tie in audio drama for this (which I’m sure can be found somewhere) has Yuta mention he’s never heard of Doujinshi (basically the equivalent of a kid from a major town in America having no idea what fan fiction is).

And for the usual stuff, for once, this mosnter has no name. The Japanese credits call it “Nanashi” (literally “nameless”), while English language material referred to it as “Anonymous”. As for the cry, neither of them is dialogue this time around. The first form’s cry is Akane crying, while the second form has her laughing.

And last but not least… what a cliffhanger.

A cliffjumper cliffhanger, even!

https://i.imgur.com/5baExup.png

Hate to be that guy, but all I could think of when it came to that final sequence was how incredibly contrived the entire scenario was.

Cool episode otherwise though.

Sorry it didn't work for you!

...Which is definitely the beauty/tragedy of the narrative structure here and all -- that Akane so strongly identifies herself with kaiju, that the kaiju she creates herself are such direct reflections of herself, and that she still can't see/doesn't want to see the real significance of how Anti has changed -- but even putting aside some of the deeper storytelling type reasons why it happens... the Gridknight hype is *unreal*???

I've mentioned a few times how I wasn't that into this show at first (to put it mildly), but now would probably be a great time to note Anti in particular was always an exception to that? The OG Gridman monster he's based on was a favorite of mine in that show, I always love Kenichi Suzumura in basically anything, the idea of a rival monster character with bootleg versions of the hero's powers is always a great time, and the sheer childlike innocence with which he diligently pursues his goal of murdering the protagonist was very charming. He already had so much going for him that I simply couldn't hate, but to see that copycat shtick taken to the logical extreme in this specific way? I mean, come on, dude's basically a Kamen Rider at this point, on top of everything else. Was *insanely* gratifying to see, even with the episode surrounding all this being so (compellingly) dour.

It's a real blast, that whole sequence. Any antagonist who goes through the I Want To Defeat You So Badly That I Accidentally Became You arc is always going to pop, and Anti's path to get there is as baffling and ridiculous as it is relatable and memorable. Real high point for this series.

SSSS.GRIDMAN EPISODE 11 - “DECISIVE BATTLE”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ssss/gridman11a.png

Not just our first two-word title, but maybe our first ironic title, in that this one is very much a Part 2 Of 3 episode – where everything is about the consequences of past choices, and the consequences of future options.

It’s a solid episode, but largely in an “individual character moment” way, rather than a locked-down single episode story. While it’s compelling dramatically to have everything hung together by the cast's karmic balance – or a need to pay their debts, as Anti succinctly put it – it leaves the episode feeling like it’s carrying over the shocking events of Episode 10, while setting up the finale of Episode 12; it’s an episode that can’t really be talked about too much on its own, because it lives in the shadow of more important events.

But the way these characters grapple with, internalize, and move on from things is as fascinating a part of the series to me as any of the very cool kaiju battles (Gridknight really earns his place in this one!), so I still found plenty to appreciate in its middle-child status. I like the little beats, of Utsumi coming to grips with both the real-world trauma of the previous consequence-free kaiju battles, and his inability to be more than The Guy In The Chair for his friends because of that fandom; of Anti refusing to live by someone else’s morality or expectations, and determining his value for himself; and of Rikka opting out of a cycle of violence, and looking instead to friendship as something that’s always there if you want it to be.

The Rikka scene with Akane… sort of the best? (The Utsumi stuff was also really good; maybe the best scene in the series for that guy, not counting Episode 9.) Rikka just fundamentally refuses to see the world in the same way, or at the same register, as the rest of the cast. Where characters like Utsumi talk about retribution, or Akane views her actions through the Protagonist/Antagonist lens, Rikka just sees a sad, lonely friend who did a horrible thing, but not a permanent thing, and maybe needs someone to reach out to her before it becomes a permanent thing after all. It’s Rikka looking less at what Akane deserves, and more at what Akane needs, and I like a show that’s willing to put its dramatic chips on a scene like that. It’s asking a lot of the audience to care what Akane needs, but relevant to the entire story being told that it confronts the audience with it anyway. This show is so deeply about how connection is an innate thing that we have to remember, rather than construct, so a scene in the penultimate episode of Rikka reminding Akane that they’ve always been friends, and that it isn’t something Akane can discard when its inconvenient to her conception of herself as worthy only of isolation and vitriol… you’ve gotta have that scene there. You gotta let Akane try and wriggle out of her friendship by painting it as narrative contrivance, and then let Rikka argue that making it a story doesn’t make it any less emotionally valuable.

The Gridman/Yuta stuff… I feel like I want to leave that for next episode. Let’s see how that goes.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ssss/gridman11b.png

It's translated that way, but like every episode title in this show, it's a single Japanese word consisting of two kanji. It's actually the next episode that does something a little special with the formula, even though in contrast, the difference won't be apparent from the translation.

But hey, now *I'm* jumping right over actually talking about this middle chapter! It is admittedly difficult to think of anything to add to what you already said just off the top of my head. The thoroughness of how it tries to give so many characters at least some little moment or another (down to Rikka's non-Akane friends, even) is definitely appreciated for how it helps the overall sense of closure, but it's like, do I really need to explain to anyone who knows this show why it's cool to see stuff like Calibur becoming a sword for Gridknight?

So without discussing the elephant in the room that is Yuta (honestly, next episode is a much better time to talk about it, I’ll have more free reign to discuss things), all I’ll say here is two things.

1. I made a bit of a boo-boo for episode 8. The combination in Syber Squad I was confused about the name of was a different one. The one being homaged here was “Synchro Samurai”, which I kind of get (It’s the synchronisation of Team Samurai).

2. This is where it became clear the kaiju’s cries were edited dialogue, with one of the ones in the final boss rush says “Nikui”, (though the subs and the dub don’t notice it) which from my understanding of Japanese, was the one from episode 4.

https://i.imgur.com/4o2waL4.png

The knife turning bloody in the opening is a neat detail if nothing else.

I wanted to bring them up, but since I can never remember their names, I opted to avoid it. That scene is crucial for nailing down the bonds that a Defeat The Bad Guy plot normally eschews, which is exactly why it's Rikka who thinks to leverage them. Thank you, SG Rosencrantz and SG Guildenstern!

Neat! Thanks!

Gridknight makes it to the opening, as well! An evolved opening, right before the end.

SSSS.GRIDMAN EPISODE 12 - “AWAKENING -FIN-”

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ssss/gridman12a.png

I don’t want to talk about Yuta. I want to talk about Rikka, and about Akane.

Rikka’s the hero of this series, even if she’s a villain for making me cry in the middle of this episode. That Rikka/Akane scene… beautiful. Top 3 toku moment of all time, for how it expresses the themes of accepting every part of yourself without judgment – your cowardice, your cruelty, your shame, your jealousy, your hope, your strength, your love, your potential – and letting yourself be accepted for it. As much as the heroic henshin of the totality of Gridman’s identity is the literalization of that theme, I will always, always prefer the smaller moment of vulnerability, where a character sees another character, doesn’t blink, and tells them that they’re still their friend.

This whole show is about how connected everyone is, even when they don’t know it, so the button on this show for me was never going to be the defeat of Alexis Kerib, or the Truth of Gridman, or any of the niggling details about how/why/when the series shifted into toku dimensions. It only works as a story if you let it be messy, and off-putting, and conflicted. It only works when you let it be a story, and discover its meaning for yourself.

Having the victory condition be that a sad girl who hid herself away from the world in a fandom that eventually became a prison ended up liberating herself from that, so she could look back on that story as a way of processing her loneliness and self-loathing, and here was the show where that story existed for twelve episodes… boy, that’s the show for me. It’s a show equally about the thrills of toku as it is how we use toku to understand ourselves and each other better; Akane is us, the ones who need toku to see things from a different perspective, or to see ourselves a little more honestly. It’s for children who need a path to be an adult, yeah – but it’s also for adults who need to think more about the path they’ve taken.

Waking up to a real world, one where Gridman is the story that helped Akane overcome her trauma, is more hopeful and beautiful to me than all of the little (very sweet) epilogues for our full cast. It’s a perfect message, that we are allowed to put ourselves into these stories to work through things, and then pull ourselves back out a little kinder, a little wiser, a little more willing to connect with each other in the world. Gridman’s a vessel for Rikka’s empathy, Yuta’s bravery, Utsumi’s dedication, and, yes, even Akane’s despair. Gridman is a way of rebuilding a dark world into something more reflective of the light that exists in everyone, if we can see it in ourselves, and help each other see it within themselves.

That’s the story of Gridman, sure. But it’s also the story of Akane, and of Rikka.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ssss/gridman12b.png

The story of Akane continues in the music video for the show’s OP.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=b4CIYS1B...UJOLJ1iLBNWToJ

Honestly, for me the highlight of the episode was OG Gridman making his triumphant return by bringing together all his aspects (and Anti) by having them use the original Accepter. And he proceeds to prove even more impressive in animation, with even the Fixer Beam, which in the live action was just a hand wave as to why there were no lasting effects once the monster was slain, becomes a full on finishing move. Presumably, the cost of creating a new animation model was saved because Trigger had done an animated Gridman short a few years prior.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ETpejXR_...V0jcXbU1GkML49

And now, some small details.

The Kaiju created from Akane’s cry is her saying “No!”, which the dub picked up on and actually translated… by which I mean, they overlaid her dub VA Lindsey Seidel screaming no over the Japanese cry.

Look closely as the Access Code: Gridman is input, the computer reads the definition of SSSS when the original meaning is split in ownership between WildBrain and Hasbro: Special Signal to Save a Soul.

While the alert from Junk has been in every episode, here it regains its original purpose as Gridman returns to his true(ish) form: it starts speaking to indicate that Gridman’s transformation and merger with a human is imperfect, and if he doesn’t finish the fight in 3 minutes, then Gridman and Yuta will disappear from the Computer World. (Similar to Ultraman’s colour timer giving him 3 minutes until he dies/transforms back, depending on the show)

While the subtitles have Alexis Kerib call Rikka a “replica” and the dub changes this to “a fake meat-thing” (I’ll let DreamSword explain that particular insult), the actual dialogue has him call her a “repli-Compoid”, with Compoids being humanoid life forms that exist within a digital world (the term is mentioned all of once in OG Gridman proper and the subs for that removed it, which probably indicates why it was removed here).

And finally, with OG Gridman’s return, comes the return of the original version of Yume no Hero.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=nybqhMbWTOI

Gridman
BABY DON DON　BABY DON DON
Dream on

Gridman
BABY DAN DAN　BABY DAN DAN
Shine on

CRY! Your dreams clamour to be heard
FLY! Soar wherever you wish
If ever your spirits be wounded, do not fear
You're alone no more

Gridman
Anybody can become a hero
Gridman
Dance on the STAGE of tomorrow

Always by your side
Electronic Superman

Gridman
BABY DON DON　BABY DON DON
Dream on

Gridman
BABY DAN DAN　BABY DAN DAN

And as he says goodbye, we get an instrumental of his original ED.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=nL8XepSl8mU

It was an incredibly cool choice to have Gridman's acceptance of every part of himself as the key to unlocking not just his full potential, but also the ability to fully heal the world. Great use of toku metaphors!

"Meat-Thing" was what the big bad of Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, Kilokhan, would often call humans. Typically in an insulting manner. Once again, I gotta give it to whoever wrote the dub script for atleast doing some cursory research into the source material when localizing this anime.

As for what I personally plan to bring to this discussion about the episode itself, well...

https://i.imgur.com/Vo2Hh93.png

One moment that I feel goes rather underrated in discussion about this show(even by past me, arguably!), is this one right here, wherein I always felt it was purposefully framed to be ambiguous as to whether or not Anti got to do the Access Flash with everyone or not. I could see it being argued either way about which angle is more fitting, but me personally, I always liked to think that he didn't, as it helps to emphasize Anti's' arc about needing to find his own path in life.

I'm sure most of you disagree on that front, but hey, I'm sticking to it.

Honestly, I'm okay with either viewpoint, but I fully support the idea that Anti doesn't need to be validated by a group. He's got his own way of helping!

This final episode is particularly special to me. I could talk about it in great detail (and I kinda hope to some day), but rather than try and explain how profoundly moved I was by the way in which a story I hadn't previously been all that invested in tied everything together with such purpose and grace that it pretty much singlehandedly made sense of the entire series for me, I'll instead choose to focus in on impressing one particular point, which was how happy I was to see Gridman using the Fixer Beam.

Back in the original show, to me at least, that ability was the crux of the entire fantasy that is Gridman. Imaging this hero that would go into your everyday electronic devices when they start acting up (a universal frustration for all humanity) and have some epic battle with a giant monster, all so you can get AOL working again, or whatever. For drama's sake, the actual episode plots would obviously involve greater consequences to those malfunctioning devices than just missing out on downloading the latest Doom WADs (or whatever), but that was the brilliant, immediately relatable undercurrent to the whole concept.

This new and different Gridman handled the way the fantastic and the mundane mix very differently, and the way the kaiju fights now seemingly played out in a straightforward Ultraman style was a particular sticking point for me. That slick new design for Gridman didn't even have the panels on the chest that would shoot out the Fixer Beam! It's like they didn't even think that was important!

There are a *ton* of reasons beyond this that I loved and love this finale, and I'm not sure this is even necessarily the unequivocal biggest one, but that reveal that the Fixer Beam, even in the anime version, was actually secretly still the most important thing the whole time -- that the entire 12 episodes was essentially one big episode of the original show -- was just about the best Christmas present I could've asked for back in 2018.

And here I didn't even know what I was missing! I'm glad that the climactic reveal of the Fixer Beam could mean so much to fans both new and old.