[Fish Sandwich]

Just finished watching episode 20 of Gridman, and now that I'm halfway through, I have to say, it's low-key really great. Not obviously special in the way some mindblowingly epic melodrama is, but subtly special in just how confident, competent, and consistent it is as a straightforward episodic hero show.

I'm not quite sure how to start breaking it down but I think the biggest thing to mention is the tone. Gridman is a very lighthearted show, but it also isn't a farce. There's an emphasis on contrasting mundane, almost sitcom-esque plots in the real world with the villains wreaking havoc in the computer world, which is conversely treated fairly seriously, never making the monsters and the threat they pose out to be a joke. There are episodes that lean more heavily towards comedy or drama but in general it's this nice balance that allows you to have plenty of good laughs without the side effect of it being impossible to take the rest of the show seriously.

The comedy is definitely the star of the show, however. Tons of very funny gags every episode all coming from a very likable cast of characters. Naoto and his friends are a pretty cool bunch (I especially like how actively helpful Ippei and Yuka are), but going back to that whole "sitcom-esque" point, their families are also a huge part of the show and the result is a lot of delightful down-to-earth antics. I think Gridman does a particularly great job making its children feel like children, but everyone else is good too. The overall atmosphere of the show is just really nice.

It's no slouch when it comes time for the action, either. It almost goes without saying, since this is a Tsuburaya production, and at that, one that's entire reason for existing was basically to try out fancy new digital effects and filming techniques. The results speak for themselves, and even when you get the occasionally wonky shot here and there, it's more charming than distracting. Tsuburaya just gets how to make this stuff look cool. I can't even begin to articulate how profoundly happy it makes me every time Gridman uses his Fixer Beam at the end of an episode.

So yeah, Gridman. Pretty dang awesome so far. Can't wait to see the rest of it.