[Kamen Rider Die]

SSSS.GRIDMAN EPISODE 11 - “DECISIVE BATTLE”



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.

[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

SSSS.GRIDMAN EPISODE 11 - “DECISIVE BATTLE”

Not just our first two-word title

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?

[Androzani84]

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.

[DreamSword]

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

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

(down to Rikka's non-Akane friends, even)

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!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

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 her 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, W?s once 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.

Neat! Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

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

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

[Kamen Rider Die]

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



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.

[Androzani84]

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

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.

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.

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.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

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.

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!

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Androzani84

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),

"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...



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.

[Kamen Rider Die]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

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!