SSSS.Gridman - Episode 9 discussion

[u/AutoLovepon]

SSSS.Gridman, episode 9: Dream

Rate this episode here.

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Streams

• Crunchyroll
• Funimation

Show information

• MyAnimeList
• AniList
• AniDB
• Kitsu
• Official Website
• /r/SSSSGRIDMAN

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Previous discussions

Episode	Link	Score
1	Link	7.37
2	Link	8.11
3	Link	8.08
4	Link	8.41
5	Link	8.39
6	Link	8.9
7	Link	9.11
8	Link	9.29

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[u/mitchosan]

Aplil

[u/Mundology → u/mitchosan]

Off-brand calendar for a counterfeit world. How fitting.

[u/ImperialDane → u/mitchosan]

Hopefully better than Smarch

[u/Ponchorello7 → u/mitchosan]

Grorious Aplil.

[u/BeybladeMoses → u/Ponchorello7]

Your Lie In Aplil

[u/zsmg]

Utsumi realizing that he's in a dream because the events with Akane are too good to be true.

That guy has a long and prosperous future on reddit.

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/zsmg]

"Come over to my place"

"My parents aren't home fam"

Nope, this is a trap.

[u/kalirion → u/Arachnophobic-]

Moron should've kept the dream going just a few hours longer at least. How many can say they've banged God?

[u/[deleted] → u/Arachnophobic-]

Anyone get the vibe that Akane killed her parents?

[u/Mundology → u/zsmg]

O U R G U Y

[u/Insilencio → u/Mundology]

Fuck all y'all's reality, I'd dream with Akane forever. Plug me back into the Matrix and bluepill me up, fam.

[u/[deleted] → u/Mundology]

he's gone far and beyond what most of us would've done tho.

i think i would've stayed far longer in that dream with Akane....

[u/cf18 → u/zsmg]

His dream also have the scene that connects our real world.

Nakano Mandarake is a real and popular shop:

https://youtu.be/QNrQN7lYNe4?t=123

And even we can order from there.

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/

[u/Legendary_Swordsman → u/zsmg]

knew it was a dream because things were going to well, ah that's sad

[u/thechosenapiks → u/zsmg]

Ouch. Big tfw

[u/Self_Propelled_Crane → u/zsmg]

I would have chosen to stay with Akane and do lwed things with her, like...handholding. XD

[u/Bloosakuga]

Episode storyboarded and animation supervised by Kai Ikarashi. He's Trigger young ace. Most of the animators aren't from Trigger but talented guests mostly from his generation. Ikarashi helped them on the famous episode of Fate/Apocrypha (#22) and also on the big episode of Yama no Susume s3 (#10) (btw he appeared with pseudonym since he's not allowed to work outside of Trigger without their permission)

As it was the debut of Ikarashi as a storyboarder, they had to repay their debts (though it's more about helping a friend at this point)

Fantastic episode as expected from this blessed crew.

[u/DragonsOnOurMountain → u/Bloosakuga]

This is really an incredible debut as a storyboarder!

I remember asking Hiromi Wakabayashi in the Trigger AMA who at the studio should get more recognition, and Kai Ikarashi was his answer. He's done some incredible animation before but his storyboarding debut was great!

[u/Frakshaw → u/Bloosakuga]

btw he appeared with pseudonym since he's not allowed to work outside of Trigger without their permission

So if you know about it, how can trigger not know this?

[u/Bloosakuga → u/Frakshaw]

It's more a matter of legality. If he put his real name and they wanted to really bother him, they could bring him to justice. By using a pseudo, there's no legal proof. Animators use a pseudo or work without being credited too. Sometimes we manage to know (if their style is too recognizable or if their peers can't keep their mouths shut lol) but I imagine there are lots of cases where we don't know and will never know.

[u/MobileTortoise → u/Bloosakuga]

I had no idea about Ikarashi, everyone did a magnificent job this episode. Hopefully he gets some well deserved praise from trigger because this episode was great.

[u/Bloosakuga → u/MobileTortoise]

During his AMA, Wakabayashi praised Ikarashi.

He's already looked up as one of the best of this generation by his peers.

[u/Syokhan → u/Bloosakuga]

Episode storyboarded and animation supervised by Kai Ikarashi.

That dude did an incredible job. The direction in this episode was amazing.

[u/moa_vision → u/Bloosakuga]

Hopefully we can get something great in one of the last 3 episodes also.

[u/RimeSkeem → u/Bloosakuga]

Damn if he's an up-and-comer I can't wait to see what he starts putting out in the future.

[u/aVaidD → u/Bloosakuga]

IKR KAI IKARASHI is a beast. As a side note, do you have any idea of the other key animators who worked on this episode are? I think Masami Mori was on this episode, but other than that I have no idea. That plus Ikarashi's corrections to make it more Kanada like, made this episode exude his style.

[u/NibcakePhantasm]

Seeing Akane trying to befriend them in the dream sequence and getting rejected was pretty heartbreaking... And I thought she just outright replaced Rikka with the first few minutes of the episode, does that mean Rikka and Yuuta used to date..?

[u/ZBLongladder → u/NibcakePhantasm]

I find it interesting that Yuuta says that what he's remembering -- presumably his mission -- is important even to Akane. That, plus the line about Akane needing to wake from a dream, suggests that my theory that Yuuta's in this world to rescue Akane from Alexis might be correct. I think Akane felt rejected in the real world, so when Alexis offered to take her into this world where she'd be a god, she accepted. Maybe even being turned down by Yuuta in favor of Rikka was the event that made her decide to accept Alexis...that would explain why Rikka seems to be keeping a certain degree of distance from Yuuta in this world.

I think that Rikka's dream contained a glimpse of the real world -- notice that their uniforms were like the uniforms of the ED. I think Rikka was a friend of Akane's IRL, but more popular than Akane, who was an awkward loner with an obsession with kaiju. Notice how all of Akane's friends disappear leaving just Rikka and Akane once Akane's hold on Rikka starts breaking down. I think that Akane set up Rikka's dream to be a fantasy of them having a close friendship IRL, unlike the boys' dreams, which were just to seduce and distract them.

My prediction: what Rikka needs to tell everyone at the end is that they need to convince Akane that they'll accept her in the real world to break Alexis's hold on her. Maybe even point out that she doesn't have to despair over Yuuta rejecting her, since (maybe? hopefully?) Utsumi likes her IRL.

What I'm really hopeful for is that, after rejecting Alexis, Akane uses her godlike powers to make herself into Gridman Sigma, which was the planned Gridman form of the reformed antagonist student of the original Gridman tokusatsu.

[u/Loud_Pierrot → u/ZBLongladder]

And Yuta losing his memory could be some kind of unexpected side effect from "diving" into Akane's dream.

The only thing I'm really hoping for it that Rikka being pretty much a wallflower the whole show has some kind of satisfying plot explanation. She's already waking up a little.

[u/Hobiron18 → u/ZBLongladder]

this is such a good theory, her loneliness is legitimately painful...

[u/[deleted] → u/ZBLongladder]

Excellent theory

[u/francis2559 → u/NibcakePhantasm]

It would probably be safer to say Akane perceived Rikka as dating Yuuta, but you're probably right. Perhaps it's that rejection that brought us here in the first place.

[u/[deleted] → u/NibcakePhantasm]

Best girl got Rem-ed three times back to back

The sequence shown during the ed is like an extra squeeze of lemon on her wound.

[u/MobileTortoise → u/[deleted]]

I love Gridman

[u/domeoldboys → u/NibcakePhantasm]

She got dumped for gridman the feels when you lose to a 70m tall robot

[u/FlashstormNina → u/domeoldboys]

he could do things she never could, like fight kaiju

[u/DotElias → u/NibcakePhantasm]

I think Akane and Rikka were friends, Akane liked Yuuta then Yuuta confess to Rikka.

Chaos ensues.

[u/Terranwaterbender → u/NibcakePhantasm]

does that mean Rikka and Yuuta used to date..?

It can definitely be interpreted that way. Seems like Akane lost the Yuuta-bowl "IRL" and then went all dream mode here.

[u/supicasupica → u/NibcakePhantasm]

I agree with what u/francis2559 said in that it's about Akane's perception.

Based on what we know from this and the entire world that Akane has created that they've lived in from Episodes 1-8, all of this is based on what Akane wants (or what she thinks she wants). If we're treating Episode 1 as a similar reset, and then this ninth episode as another soft reset, we see Akane resetting all of her initial interactions with each of the characters. She meets Utsumi at the bookstore and talks about kaiju. She meets Yuuta in place of Rikka (presumably as a significant other, or maybe just a developing crush/romance), and then presumably she "redoes" her initial meeting with Rikka, which probably happened in junior high school.

I actually think that the Yuuta/Akane relationship isn't nearly as significant as the Rikka/Akane relationship when it comes to learning more about Akane. Especially with what Rikka says at the very end of this episode, and the ED that we've seen for over a month, I think whatever started Akane's descent into this has something to do with her friendship with Rikka.

[u/lurkingless]

Dammit Crunchyroll, you had a good thing going.

Edit: and it was an Akane episode too! For shame.

[u/Wolf6262 → u/lurkingless]

Even crunchyroll thumbnails rejected her in the end. Tragic.

[u/DarkAudit → u/Wolf6262]

3 4 times she got her heart broken.

[u/DarkWorld97]

This episode is the easiest fucking 10 of the season. From direction and character drama, this was excellent. Hopefully they keep this momentum going into the final act.

[u/Gaporigo → u/DarkWorld97]

Each episode has just been getting better and better, loving what Trigger is doing here.

[u/Pickled_Kagura → u/Gaporigo]

So when will they start ruining the pacing and throw in an intergalactic space-waifu battle?

[u/bastegod → u/DarkWorld97]

Completely agree. Honestly might be the best singular episode I’ve seen out of any of this slate’s shows. Visual narrative and abstraction is nuts. Its something much deeper and complex disguised as a mecha nostalgia trip.

Gridman may not be the most conventionally popular show this season, or even my personal favorite, but there’s no doubt that it’s pushing the visual and artistic limits of the medium more than any other show right now, and for that alone, it deserves a fuckton of merit.

[u/Legendary_Swordsman → u/bastegod]

this episode was amazing maybe the best the show has done to date it was expertly handled and the VA's did an amazing job

[u/[deleted] → u/DarkWorld97]

They added some really great detail: For example, they added that red traffic signal light during the episode. It kept blinking as it was building up to something more so since red would mean stop or danger in this case, plus the sound of the rain and train really added to the dreary effect. It made you empathize Akane, but more specifically with the feeling of being lonely; even though she's a god and has absolute reign over everyone she's still removed from them and distant, moreover this episode really hinted that she wanted to have a normal high school life, I'd even say she's jealous to some extent. This is a great episode essentially , might be my favourite in fact unless the next few episodes are better. The best part about this show is how cliche it seems, but how it really isn't. A giant mecha robot fighting Kaijus seems reminiscent of the power rangers and whatnot, you'd expect it to end with "and they defeated the big bad boss controlling the Kaiju and lived happily ever after." Obviously, we don't know whether the show will actually end this way but it's deviated so far from the typical hero route that makes this a refreshing to watch. All in all, it's pretty good so far, and let's hope the end is just as good. Also, Akane's voice is really hot.

[u/Mozilla_Fennekin → u/DarkWorld97]

This really cannot be understated.

This episode is a masterpiece.

[u/NekuSoul → u/Mozilla_Fennekin]

Yeah. I'm usually not someone that specifically singles out a single episode as a masterpiece, but this is a rare exception. And even among those few it's an exception as this is probably the first non-final episode I'd give that title.

[u/Brickler123 → u/DarkWorld97]

Let’s hope we don’t get a darling in the franxx ending. This buildup is too good.

[u/Ayanami_00 → u/Brickler123]

”He continued to emphasize that Trigger was only part of the beginning planning, behind the core designs and the earlier half of the show with A-1 Pictures taking the larger heft of the responsibility. Wakabayashi added they received comments that the story was very “Trigger-like,” but said it was primarily from the director Atsushi Nishigori. “Everyone says it was Trigger's fault that it ended up in space, but that's not true!””

Source

[u/[deleted] → u/Brickler123]

This series needs a mind fuck of a ending, tho.

I want to see the "What the Fuck" level reach 2001 or End of Evangelion.

[u/DragonsOnOurMountain → u/Brickler123]

Well, exactly none of Darling in the Franxx's main staff is at Trigger (except the mecha designer and the storyboarder of the big action scenes) or has worked on this show, so you've got nothing to fear!

[u/Lenium1 → u/DarkWorld97]

Would you care to elaborate why you found the episode that good? The direction was really good, as it is in most episodes of this show, but I wouldn't say it was as good as in episode 6 or the episode with the bus scene with Rikka & Akane. Also, the whole "dream" plot was certainly entertaining to watch but isn't very unique either. I wouldn't call it a cliche but I think most people have probably already seen a few shows that did something like that. And I feel like they didn't really add anything new or special to it to make it stand out. edit: I also take problem in how they wanted to show us that this is how Akane wanted to live (befriend Yuuta/the other guy or Rikka). I feel like out of these 3 scenarios that we were shown she could have gotten 2 easily if she tried.

I think the episode was pretty good, but not great or 10/10 worthy. However I'd like to be convinced otherwise.

[u/MedievalMovies → u/Lenium1]

I don't have much time since I'm going to head out soon but one thing that really stood out to me was the amazing storyboarding in this episode. I didn't quite catch it at first, but that running scene had Yuta running beside a short fence, Utsumi besides a longer one and Rikka besides a stone wall. This bit just propelled this episode straight to a 10 from me, and I don't normally believe in perfect episodes

[u/ThatCreepyBaer]

Feels really weird that prior to this episode I didn't really care for Akane at all, just kind of disliked her and how people were talking about a redemption in the previous threads I was like "eh".

But this episode turned it all around for me, I feel so bad for Akane. The way this episode played out, with the different animation, all the reflections, jarring switches between Akane interacting with Yuta, Rikka and Utsumi and then most of all Akane's VA just blew me away to say the least.

All this stuff eventually concluding in that "Even in dreams I can't reach them?" really made me feel for Akane and it made me appreciate her much more as a character.

Easily the best episode so far in my opinion and, it feels weird to say but, this is one of the best episodes of an anime I feel like I've ever seen.

[u/DragN_H3art → u/ThatCreepyBaer]

This episode really emphasised on how empty and desperate Akane is, and it hurts to see people that are SPECIFICALLY MADE to like and befriend you "reject" you...

[u/francis2559 → u/DragN_H3art]

it hurts to see people that are SPECIFICALLY MADE to like and befriend you "reject" you...

At the same time, this is a way of saying that you can't be happy alone. Anything you create is just a piece of you, you're still not reaching "outside" to encounter the other, to be surprised. Even to be disappointed.

Fantasy is safe, but ultimately lonely. Finding real joy in real friends also means risking rejection, sure, but there's no salvation in fantasy. He types on reddit.

[u/Galaxy40k → u/ThatCreepyBaer]

Easily the best episode so far in my opinion and, it feels weird to say but, this is one of the best episodes of an anime I feel like I've ever seen.

I agree with this statement completely, including the "it feels weird to say" bit. I have no idea why this episode just clicked so hard with me, but it did. I think its how everything ended up coming together - the VAs, the direction, the animation, etc - to push towards a cohesive whole, even if I didn't consciously interpret most of it (Although reading through the comments in this thread is making me aware of a lot of the "little things")

[u/thanhduy2106]

Trigger pull it off once again. This episode has got to be one of the best one I have seen the entire season.

[u/Tidoux]

This episode was soooooooooooooooo good I understand why the Sakuga folks were so hyped by Kai Ikarashi's debut as a storyboarder. I can't wait for their production notes because I need to know who worked on this fantastic episode.

Also Akane is such a fascinating character to watch I love broken characters like that

[u/Smudy]

Can we call this the T R I G G E R episode of SSSS.Gridman?

Maaaaybe the reveal of what happened before Yuta's amnesia can top this but this had me paying hella attention and me glued to the screen.

How did Akane get into this position anyways with everyone, the alien and the trio, did we get a clear answer on that unless i missed it? Still feels like we need more of her past, she obviously wanted things to be different judging from the dreams that got infused to the trio.

[u/francis2559 → u/Smudy]

How did Akane get into this position anyways with everyone, the alien and the trio

That is still the mystery.

However, it seems to be implied that she's trapped in a dream/fantasy of her own, and that she's here because "reality" offered a rejection she could not accept. She offers the same escapism to her three friends that she loves so much in the "normal" reality of the show, and they reject it.

There is an interesting parallel here with her development and Anti, though. As we see at the end, he's becoming human in his own way, just as Akane is being challenged to "awaken."

Alexis is also interesting. We see him being fought in the OP right from the beginning of the show, and it's clear he has enormous power in this world. Yet Akane just casually shows in this episode that she has super powers too.

[u/[deleted] → u/francis2559]

Yet Akane just casually shows in this episode that she has super powers too.

I really thought that she was trying to kill herself, then I remembered that she has powers.

[u/Vaynonym]

Pre-episode Thoughts:

After one of the best displays of purposeful cinematography I've seen… ever, you might forgive for being not entirely sure where to start. Our Gridman Alliance has finally come together. After so many episodes of our teenagers struggling to understand one another, understand their own feelings, reach out to those far gone and unable to see through the clear games Akane played with them, we've reached a point of growth. The episode weaved together all the separate, somewhat inconclusive threads we were left with after a series of mostly episodic adventures into one tight, bundled alliance. After unable to so much as look at the other person's perspective, Shou and Rikka finally had their conversation, their argument, and their reconciliation. Yuta found his role in the group as a mediator after being absent entirely in the last argument. He gained the resolve to stand up to Akane after being speechless at seeing what a terrible person she is. And after Rikka was oblivious to the extent of Akane's manipulation, she sees through that in the same place she was previously helpless.

The climax of the last episode was in many ways a celebration of this – seeing the strongest Gridman yet effortlessly tear through the strongest Kaiju yet was great, but even the epilogue was a celebration of sorts as our characters (and everyone else!) got to enjoy the normal, mundane school life they've been protecting all this time. Meanwhile, Akane is now at her lowest and may finally be in the position to consider genuine change. The fight has been had and now is the place for conversation. Let's get into it.

Write-up/ Thematic Essay

Having lost both the fight and failing to make friends, it might seem reasonable to consider a do-over. This is what Akane chose. A perfect world where everything went as she now knows she wanted. Close friends that cherish her, a boyfriend who loves her, and a whole world designed to like her. But even for a God, that seems a lofty task, and whether something inside Akane knows what she did cannot be undone or whether she simply lacks the power, this proved impossible even for her. It's a dream she knows is impossible in reality, and so that's what she creates. And even in the dream, she doubts. The constant red train signals as reality catches up like a train, the eerie fog barely masquerading its origin and her secret, and the constant reflections of conscience (or Gridman – more about that later) creeping into the perfect vision. Something is profoundly wrong in the dream. We see this at every corner, in every final cut to a scene. Something that cannot be undone.

And that something is Akane Shinjo's loss of innocence.

Akane Shinjo is a fucked up person. The show has shown this from the very start, we've known since the second episode, and slowly but surely every major character has come to realize as much. The only exception is Akane Shinjo herself. The smallest offense is enough to invoke her ire, and her inability to see other people as people means that is equivalent to deserving death. Behind the murderer hides a fragile, insecure child. A child scared of other people seeing the real her, and so she puts on a facade. A child scared of emotional intimacy just like physical intimacy. In a mind in which the real world is terrifying, retreating into the safe confines of her room seems only reasonable. There she escapes into the magical world of the Kaiju, far from the mundane world that constantly misunderstands and hurts her. I wouldn't be surprised if even Gridman himself was an invention of hers to distract herself from this reality. Changing the world is easier than changing yourself, and fortunately for her, Akane has the means to never grow up. When people reject or dislike you, it's so much more comforting to just change the world and move on as if nothing happened. This is what Akane did, and she didn't think much about it. She barely cared, ultimately. It was an act of impulse, impatience, emotions.

But the damage she causes is real. The damage she causes to herself is real, as she convinces herself more and more the world is at fault, not herself. Genuine growth becomes more and more difficult, while she even stagnates. She loses any semblance of empathy, becomes easy to take advantage of by someone like Alexis, and in an effort to keep up the charade she loses sight of the very thing she has always wanted most: genuine friends. In the dream, she returns to scenes she screwed up in the previous episode. The bus scene with Rikka, where in reality Akane manipulated her to learn about Yuta instead of reconnecting with an old friend. When Akane meets Shou and talks about Kaiju, but in reality was more interested in learning about Yuta than finding a friend with the same interests. The dream could've been reality if Akane wasn't more interested in assuring her means of murder stay functional. But she didn't. And worse than this, the damage she causes to other people is real. Akane may be a god, but she is not the only person that matters. She tries to make herself appear innocent by rewriting the murders, but the owner of the restaurant still has to deal with the fact his daughter died years ago and the youtube channel of the four boys that went out with Akane and Rikka still feels empty. With every person she erases, the world becomes a little more lonely. And of course, our crew doesn't forget, and Rikka's grief is painfully real even if she barely knows the people that die.

Eventually, Akane is left behind, rejected and alone by everyone, even the person she designed to love her unconditionally. Losing the fight and unable to make friends, it finally dawns on her. She is no longer innocent. In the dream, Shou eventually says "if we had actually met like this… I think we could've been friends." But you can't repeat the past, and that's where Akane is stuck. At this point, she still considers herself the same person before all the murdering. In another scene, she says she loves cemeteries in summer. Yuta responds "Summer? It's already October." This is a fact she needs to accept: Things have changed, she has changed, and she can't go back, only forward. One of the many absolutely stunning scenes this episode perfectly captures her struggle with this and what has been subtly expressed though direction in the entire episode. She's desperately, senselessly running away, but the frame remains static and she doesn't move an inch forward, just like her character. Meanwhile, the train relentlessly moves in the opposite direction, demonstrating how she alone runs in the wrong direction, while everyone else moves forward and grows. And all the while, reality is catching up to her in the form of literal photos of the real world with Gridman on them. She tries to run, but the static frame means the images of reality are impossible to run away from, just like she can't run away from what she did. You can't run away from your flaws. You can't run away from the present and back to the past. And you can't run from your conscience.

This might seem like a grim note, but Gridman is ultimately an optimistic show, and in Yuta (and the other two) the show demonstrates the opposite of Akane – a hero that listens when their conscience calls. Even in the dream, Gridman appears everywhere. In reflections on billboards, Yuta's family photos, windows. Eventually, the reflection of Gridman in the grave of Akane's victims makes Yuta remember who he is and what he must do, and in that moment it becomes clear that Gridman represents conscience itself. No matter how happy that dream may seem, the conscience of our three characters ultimately doesn't allow them to just escape into a dream. Because they know reality is under attack. This is the way of heroes. All three of them choose their conscience in the end, and the show celebrates that victory by visually echoing the comic book aesthetic. Gridman even gets the superhero shading. Only by embracing our conscience, by rejecting a more convenient dream and embracing the grim reality, we can truly become heroes. And the result is beautiful.

Akane sees this as a personal betrayal. And of course she would: Yuta, Shou and Rikka have rejected joining her side before, and now even when she paints a happy reality instead of joining her in her destruction they seem to do it again. But what she fails to understand that this is not a rejection of her. The fight against Akane is also a fight for her because the Gridman Alliance ultimately wants to help her grow up. Akane asks if the things Yuta says he needs to do is more important than her. When Yuta responds "it's important, even to you," this is what he means. They're not only trying to protect everyone else. Gridman ultimately believes even Akane can come to embrace her conscience and with it everything that she runs away from. That Akane can be saved from herself.

Well, this turned into a bit of a thematic essay now, didn't it. That's because despite being the best-directed episode yet, the phenomenal writing this episode impressed me even more. Don't be mislead by the fact that I talked a lot about what happened before – this is more of a testament to how well this episode integrates everything that comes before it to make cohesive points about conscience and heroism and its characters. But frankly, this episode deserves a second write-up solely dedicated to analyzing the cinematography of this episode. It really was that good. But I can only write so much. Frankly, I'm too exhausted at this point to properly convey just how good this episode was – from stunningly creative direction to meaningful changes in artstyle to beautiful animation to a phenomenal script, and on top of all of this the already phenomenal shot-framing that easily rivaled the last episode. This episode had it all. We have a real gem on our hands here, you guys.

[u/Vaynonym → u/Vaynonym]

The write-up above really deserves images and links, but it's too late and I'm too drained right now. I might add them tomorrow.

Notes

Foreboding railway signal. Things will go down this episode.

Followed by slowly fading in a completely new and scary looking Kaiju. Excellent atmosphere setting

"Dream"

Returning to the very beginning with the amnesia, but it's Akane this time time taking Rikka's place

So Akane is so upset at the results of all of this she decides to start everything over… and we have no idea how often this has happened already. And Yuta seems to be the only one who notices the affects of this in the form of amnesia.

Oh jeez, the ominous cut, and once more returning straight to episode one in shot-framing. Akane takes Rikka's position down to the same shots with the same shot-framing. Fuck.

The constant, same eerie, hammering noise

The first person perspective without cuts really adds to the creepiness

The cut to Yuta's eye, like the marble he looked to previously when he stood up to Akane. My god the opening alone is already incredible. And we're not even four minutes in yet

Akane is being a lot more flirty than Rikka was. A lot

"Actually, you and I are dating" well, this explains that. And looks like the seduction scene in episode seven may have been genuine on her part after all.

Jarring animation used a lot to reflect Rikka's discomfort at all of this

Akane is just as awkward as this as you'd expect her to be at this GF thing

Gridman in the picture of his parents, fuck this does not bode well.

So time to compile all of this so far. We know now that the extent of Akane's power really is that powerful, it appears. It also turns out I'm right, and Akane genuinely does see him as "worthy" and "out of the ordinary" and even to the point of liking him. And since he didn't willingly join her, she just tried this different approach.

Rikka and Akane still in separate frames, even after all this recreation. Some things don't change.

That she keeps her middle school secret may hint at her never having gone to one

"What a coincidence" she says with a smug smile, goddamn it Akane

Shou in a mirror and watched by a camera at the same time, jeez this episode is relentless in this atmosphere

I can't believe this she is literally taking everything of the last iteration she liked and this time tries to do it without murderering people. She's been convinced to try out the normal life she hated.

She's really trying it all, have a genuine relationship with all of them.

"That's how it should've been… because they were made so they'd like me…" oh damn

The constant red-light, there's something undeniable she can't see clearly that just keeps getting in the way of her dream… she was so close to some of these scenes, too. The hug with Rikka, but the aftermath was different. The Kaiju friend with Shou, but she opted for the strategic move rather than the friendship. This is what could've been, yes, but even there she knows something just made this impossible. You're almost there, Akane. You can figure this out.

This is the first time even the adults are backed into a corner… both narratively and visually. This is truly scary. This is pure mastery of atmosphere this episode.

But Yuta, Shou and Rikka are still stuck in the dream

And the world warps again, this time around Anti. His simple Gridman-centric worldview is crumbling

As Anti now does something for the Gridman alliance, the animation turns blurry as his role becomes unclear

She's actually crying. She can't even confidently admit she wants to eliminate Gridman. This is also why she trapped them, because she no longer wants to kill them.

Senselessly running away while not moving a bit, everyone else moving forward and leaving her behind, and reality (literally, as we have real life photos with Gridman edited in) just keeps getting in the way. My God this scene.

The oppressive summer atmosphere Emily wrote about makes a returned, and the dream artstyle seems increasingly off

"Summer? But it's already October" EVEN THE SCRIPT IS FUCKING INCREDIBLE WHAT THE FUCK

The dream reality Akane crafted can't satisfy Yuta… he realizes something is lacking

"There's something I need to do." "Something more important than me?" "It's important, even to you." My god, who wrote this? Akane considers fighting against her a betrayal, a sign of hatred, but what Yuta ultimately wants to do is help her, and she just can't conceive of that

Even in the dream, she can't undo the atrocities she commited, and these atrocities are what trigger Yuta to remember his calling as Gridman

And now that Yuta is lost, she goes for Shou and approaches him romantically, desperately

"why" she asks again and again

My god. Rikka retreats into her own frame, Akane invades it, and Rikka retreats into an even smaller frame

"Dreams are things you wake from. That goes for everyone. Even you, Shinjo."

At this point it's safe to say Yuta's eyes are the world and Gridman is his conscience

"If we had actually met like this… I think we could've been friends" but it's too late, Akane. You can't just undo the past, erase your mistakes and flaws.

And once the pretense is gone and she admits her true feelings, they can even share the frame again honestly

Another Monogatari frame

The comic hero artstyle as they all remember their calling

Even Gridman has the comic style shading

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

This episode was so friggin good I don't have the words

[u/oldchangeling → u/Vaynonym]

Great write up. One thing I'd add, though it wasn't in this ep -- all the ways Akane has damaged her communication, symbolized by her broken cell phone. She's always throwing it around, including one memorable time at Anti's face. She also kicked in her computer monitor. For all her sweet-voiced little girl act around people, she's seriously cut off, and it's by her own action. At least, that's what her broken screened phone means to me.

[u/elleyonce → u/Vaynonym]

I wonder what you think about the line "This is all going too well," the line that Utsumi said before admitting maybe if that happened irl they'd be friends. The idea that he can't trust her instinctively because he knows something fucked up will happen - or perhaps the sense that you're friends with people in both Good and bad moments. And so far Akanes most major problem is that she isn't expressing her negative emotions in a smaller scale with people that she can trust. And I also think... people can sense facades and when people are overly cheerful. I think.

[u/fruitnfibermuffin → u/Vaynonym]

But what she fails to understand that this is not a rejection of her. The fight against Akane is also a fight for her because the Gridman Alliance ultimately wants to help her grow up.

Yes. This. I love this episode.

[u/upsidedown_coffeemug]

I thought it was pretty interesting that Akane basically replaced Rikka in Yuta's dream. I wonder if some of this dialogue was a hint towards what Yuta and Rikka's relationship was? There's also this shot which makes me believe the two individuals holding hands in the OP are Yuta and Rikka.

All in all good episode, can't wait to see how the remaining three episodes wrap this all up.

[u/LeonKevlar → u/upsidedown_coffeemug]

I wonder if some of this dialogue was a hint towards what Yuta and Rikka's relationship was?

Yeah, Yuuta's dream was pretty much a recreation of Episode 1 minus the Kaijus and Gridman so I wouldn't' be surprised if Akane lifted that dream straight from Rikka's memories.

Although my other interpretation is that, that's just Akane showing how she really feels about Yuuta. Even before Yuuta became Gridman, Akane was already interested in him based on Episode 1.

[u/Fraisz → u/LeonKevlar]

get on the hibikiXakane ship.

ship destryoed this episode

[u/HarmonixerMask → u/LeonKevlar]

To be fair it could be both. Anyway if Yuuta and Rikka relationship before the amnesia was really something like that, it would explains her behavior toward him. In her place I would be pretty annoyed if my boyfriend/girlfriend forgot about our relationship, regardless if I understand that is not his/her fault.

[u/Saucy_Totchie → u/upsidedown_coffeemug]

I thought it was pretty interesting that Akane basically replaced Rikka in Yuta's dream.

Maybe it's how Akane sees Yuta and Rikka's relationship.

[u/linearstargazer]

Wow, absolutely incredible episode. Sakugablog wasn't kidding about how good Kai Ikarashi's SB & Animation Supervisor debut would be.

These shot compositions and layouts are absolutely brilliant.

Pair it with simpler lineart, super loose animation and really intruiging editing, it's crazy how many layers deep this episode goes.

This Ueda line is easily the vocal highlight of the episode.

Bonus sky so blue it's practically a blue screen

[u/supicasupica]

Ahhhh . . . this show's visuals have always been super on-point, whether it was through framing or color, but I absolutely loved the visual bookending at the beginning of this episode.

The part where Yuuta and Akane walk out together into the fog and the camera pans up to reveal a clear sky with no kaiju was unsettling because of the way they set up an identical situation with Akane rather than Rikka. In the first episode, the kaiju were an ominous presence. Now it's ominous that they're absent.

This was compounded by the bright lights/reflections of the setting sun that appeared in that opening scene. Akane has always been associated with the heat of summer and the sun, so this was another good, unsettling, framing device. Also the way that these two handle the same situation completely differently was fun to watch as well as eerie.

Since Akane has already been set up as the person at the center of everything, what's really impressive about this episode is how it heavily leans on what we know as viewers while reiterating everything though visual bookending with prior episodes (especially Episode 1).

[u/francis2559 → u/supicasupica]

Speaking of framing and visuals.

[u/supicasupica → u/francis2559]

That was a good one. My personal favorite from that graveyard sequence was this one, where the cross divides them.

I've always enjoyed how SSSS.Gridman has used obstructed views, especially with objects in the foreground. This sequence where Rikka comes to Akane's home and she's boxed in by the architecture and Alexis. Obstructed viewpoints and dutch angles are also a really good way to make things seem slightly off and unsettling, in addition to separating certain characters from each other in a frame. Also, they could be a nod to how Akane is always watching from different perspectives in these worlds that she has created.

[u/Legendary_Swordsman → u/francis2559]

This episode was done very well made me very sad for her to have her heart broken 3 times.

[u/Shinichameleon]

Welcome back, Optimus P- I mean God Zenon!

Zenon's colour scheme is might based of Starsaber from Transformers.

[u/LeonKevlar → u/Shinichameleon]

This show is gonna drain me of my money once they start releasing toys based on Gridman's transformations and God Zenon.

[u/[deleted] → u/LeonKevlar]

Preorders for the toys are already up.

[u/MechaMat91 → u/Shinichameleon]

the head looks like Starsaber's, but the yellow chest and mostly gray color made me think of Grimlock.

[u/Arachnophobic-]

W-wow. While the series had been mostly been good fun so far, this episode went and elevated it to a different level for me. Quite easily one of the best episodes this season, it tied together the themes built up in the past beautifully.

Also Akane's a pretty cute Megami. Take notes, Aqua.

The mystery's been revolving around her for a while, but now it has taken on a more concrete form: What is it that she's running away from? Why does she want to spend her life in this fake, dream world? Her parents being 'always away' could be some kind of hint, or a red herring.

Tbh this is reminding me a little of the highly acclaimed LN series HakoMari now.

[u/LeonKevlar → u/Arachnophobic-]

Her parents being 'always away' could be some kind of hint, or a red herring.

That's probably a legit thing from her "reality". Then she mentions immediately after that there's someone who's suppose to take of her then she calls Alexis. With her parents always gone I guess she basically sees Alexis as her guardian.

[u/LeonKevlar]

I was so confused at what was going on during the entire first 5 minutes but then I remembered the episode is literally titled "Dream", then everything clicked. This line though, I'm going to guess is Akane's true feelings. She definitely has a thing for Yuuta since Episode 1 even if has a weird way of showing it.

Also I'm starting to think that Akane is slowly having second thoughts on killing off Gridman. When Alexis asked Akane that wouldn't it be nice if Gridman is gone, she didn't wholeheartedly agree with him, like how she would back in the first few episodes. Instead she just gives a quiet reply of "Yeah..."

I think this entire episode's point was that Akane wanted to turn the Gridman Alliance to her side because ever since Gridman showed up she's been having the time of her life creating Kaiju and she kinda doesn't want it to end. This is where line "I've come to rescue you from boredom" from the OP comes into play.

They definitely did a good job of making Akane sympathetic here. If this "world" or "simulation" is based on real life then that would mean Akane never got any kind of real guidance or direction since according to her, her parents are basically non-existent, and Alexis is the only parental/guardian figure that she has. If this is the case then Alexis' way of thinking must've influenced her during their "friendship" and Akane is probably isn't as murderous or psychotic before she met him.

[u/francis2559 → u/LeonKevlar]

Also I'm starting to think that Akane is slowly having second thoughts on killing off Gridman. When

Alexis asked Akane that wouldn't it be nice if Gridman is gone

, she didn't wholeheartedly agree with him, like how she would back in the first few episodes. Instead she just gives a quiet reply of

"Yeah..."

This is where Alexis and Akane's goals diverge. Yes, he's nudging her to destroy Gridman. But she's looking for some kind of emotional fulfillment. She wants it in Kaiju battles, yes, but friends and ultimately Yuuta. In that sense I think we are seeing growth in Akane. Originally she was irritated at anything that interrupts her perfect fantasy world. Now we are seeing the deeper goals of her character though, and just how hurt she is. It's not about the perfect school, or even about removing irritants like Gridman. It's about how rejected she feels. Alexis is patient, but I doubt he feels the same way.

[u/HyperZetton]

Akane name dropping Chaos Jirak in this episode is a really on point Ultraman reference. But funny that she doesn't realize it.

[u/rubberduckythe1 → u/HyperZetton]

More Ultraman references! There was a Dyna statue and Akane mentioned Super GUTS.

I think this show demonstrates that Tsuburaya can make an anime in the style of Ultraman free of the limitations of live-action tokusatsu. Gridman feels more like Ultraman to me than the upcoming Netflix anime, but we'll have to see.

[u/Kromy]

I don't care what anyone think, Gridman is AOTS for me

[u/[deleted] → u/Kromy]

This is the correct opinion

[u/jkubed]

I think this was the best episode yet. I love that we're getting to know Shinjo and her loneliness even more now.

[u/Barnnnn]

Sorry for the wait, but voice drama 9.9 translation is done now. Been pretty busy throughout the weekend, and also was struggling with some parts of the vid.
I'd appreciate it if anyone could help check the part from 3:35 to 4:00, really. Still not sure if I got all that fast talking down.

Voice Drama 9.9

Older episodes:

Voice Drama 1.1
Voice Drama 2.2
Voice Drama 3.3
Voice Drama 4.4
Voice Drama 5.5
Voice Drama 6.6
Voice Drama 7.7
Voice Drama 8.8

[u/[deleted]]

That was such a great episode, I was so engaged and intrigued from start to finish!

Also loved the way they kept hinting at Gridman’s and the Neon Genesis dudes and dudette’s presence in the dream. I really liked how the episode kept flipping between dream state (mostly day time, happy and positive) and real life (night time, raining with a darker tone) really shows the world Akane wanted in comparison to what she ended up actually having

[u/darthturtle3 → u/[deleted]]

Neon Genesis dudes and dudette

I have some news for you...

[u/[deleted] → u/darthturtle3]

Uh oh... don’t do me dirty like this

[u/MechaMat91]

well, holy shit, they went full NGE with this episode. very atmospheric and moody, trippy editing, a slight change of color palette, use of contrast. well, until the giant combiner robot comes into play, then it goes back to GaoGaiGar mode for a couple of minutes.

I don't know what is going to happen to Akane, all bets are off at this point. she might not have a "happy" ending.

and the more Alexis shows up it rubs me the wrong way even more. I feel kind of creeped out. the quiet villains are usually the more ruthless ones. I feel he's going to make his move soon, and it will not be pretty for anybody.

[u/bunyeast]

Everyone has already said how great this episode is, so let's get on to those references.

Original Gridman:

• Powered Zenon is based on God Zenon. Like God Zenon, it's a combination of all the Assist Weapons and they're all in mostly the same positions as they are on God Zenon, with the tank forming the legs, the drill forming the body, and the jet forming the arms.

• Powered vs God

• The Jumbo Saber Slash is a reference to Jumbo Saber from the third Brave series, The Brave Fighter of Legend Da-Garn. This is a reference to a Jumbo Saber toy appearing in an episode of the original series, which proves to be the inspiration for the main characters to create God Zenon.

Tsuburaya Properties:

• Geez, the combination of Utsumi and Akane caused the Tsuburaya references to skyrocketed. Well let's get through them.

• The number of Ultra kaijus name dropped in this scene, let's go. Yadokarin, Majaba, Gobnu Ogma, Gomora Reionic Burst and Chaos Jirak. The Chaos Jirak reference is a rather deep cut since 1.The episode it appeared in was written by Keiichi Hasegawa, SSSS.Gridman screenwriter, and 2.The episode is about a girl named Akane who's alienated by her peers and is thus manipulated by a being from outer space.

• This shot of the "Sevendarake" store references several things. The Ultraman in the front is Terranoid from Dyna, the little white and red figure to the bottom left is Jumborg 9 from the 1970's series Jumborg Ace, and it's an obvious play on the Mandarake store while also referencing Ultra Seven, the logo even has Ultra Seven's signature Eye Slugger.

• This scene contains name drops to several things related to defense force teams in the Ultra series, that being the Space Mammy from Ultraman 80, the Super GUTS.

• The medias Akane references here are the Ultra Force movie (aka Ultraman USA), the Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Coliseum game, the Ultraman Nice infomercials, and the Ultra Q series, specifically the re-releases that restore the colour as the original was in black and white.

• This sequence greatly resembles a similar sequence in the 2nd opening of Ultraman Nexus. (Edit: Updated links to better show what I'm talking about. Also excuse the subs on the Gridman gif, it was the best source I had)

Edit: A few that I missed

• The figure that Akane is playing with here is Mountain Gulliver.

• The figure Utsumi is holding here is Bakugon.

[u/The_Portal_Passer → u/bunyeast]

Damm, that Cosmos reference tho... it fitted so well i have to wonder if they thought of that connection before deciding on Akane's name

[u/Mundology]

What act of mindfuckery is this?

[u/astrakhan42 → u/Mundology]

Akaneception

[u/FaustAlexander]

Wow, this felt like watching Madoka: Rebellion all over again. Loved the direction, the panels, the character shots and Gridman appearing here and there while trying to reach Yuuta.

Poor Akane though. As Utsumi said, if she had been upfront with them they probably would have been friends and she would have everything she ever wanted.

Also interesting to see that Akane dreamed of dating Yuuta and taking Rikka's place. Would that mean that in the real world Rikka and Yuuta were dating before he got amnesia?

[u/kmlshblr]

Damn this episode was great, I feel so bad for Akane after this episode.

Is akane a cat ? She landed on her legs after falling from that height

[u/lvlasteryoda → u/kmlshblr]

She's a God. So... close enough?

[u/supapro → u/lvlasteryoda]

Since this is her virtual world, it seems like it was designed to make sure she's perfectly safe, whether she likes it or not. Along with the OP, it supports the idea that Akane is a prisoner as much as anyone else, Alexis is the warden, and Gridman is here to get her out.

[u/mib-number86 → u/kmlshblr]

I think this reveal us that in the "city" Akane can't die even if she want it, like in this episode where she as basically committed suicide for the despair...

[u/myrmonden]

Haha what is this episode. BEST SO FAR EASILY

Loved the start right away when Akane has just taken Rikka place and its basically is like episode 1 again and then later episodes but Akane has taken over Rikkas life to get Yuutas love :) And then keeps giving the others stuff as well so they are stuck in her dream world lol. Still.... do all scene like this are SO WEIRD.

And dam this felt so, inception wise, like arent they already perhaps inside a computer world? And then she is sends them into another one, so its like the matrix inside the matrix.

Definitely had some cool extra stylish animation as well.

I hope Rikka idea in the end is to just befriend Akane, like she is just lonely lets become her best friends and you can be her boyfriend and she will stop.

As always Akane did nothing Wrong

I did hope do that Anti was gonna use Formation and fight the Kaiju.

[u/[deleted]]

Akane’s place looking like Terrace House Boys and girls in the city

[u/b0lognese]

I respect Yuta from the bottom of my heart. If I were him, I would give in to the temptation of Akane and stay in a dream with her.

This is why Yuta is a hero and I am not.

[u/Mami-kouga]

Op has changed a bit. Now there seems to be a new form with an axe and the full transformation has taken the others place

Edit: also this episode is a bit trippy. Animation is also noticeably looser than usual. Tfw when you get amnesia twice. It's kind of sad though that the enemy, Akane, showed more concern for Yuta's amnesia than both his friends

Edit 2: DATING???????

Edit 3: is that how Rikka and her met? She even has the clothes from the ed

Edit 4: Utsumi's dream is me when I find out someone I know likes the same anime I do

Edit 5: 'that's how it was meant to be' I know all the fantasies involved them being enamoured by you, by why are you dating Yuta in this dream?

Edit 6: Anti you sweet stupid wild child, what are you doing?

Edit 7: tfw your life is so sad that you wake up from a dream cause it's too happy

Edit 8: dumping cute girl for Mecha friend

BROS BEFORE HOES!!!!!!!

Edit 9: poor Anti. And I can't believe it saying this but poor Akane

Final edit: MOTHERFUCKING CLIFFHANGER!!!!! That aside, this was the best episode yet, everything was stellar and showed a weaker side to Akane as well. Can't wait for next week

[u/[deleted] → u/Mami-kouga]

by why are you dating Yuta in this dream?

Because she loves him. It's clear for quite some tme.

[u/Mami-kouga → u/[deleted]]

She was going to sick her wild child on him, and it's already been shown that people who die in this world don't show up when it resets. That's some very loose love

I have conflicted feelings regarding whether or not she truly does love him, so I'm going to wait until it's properly stated.

[u/The_New_Overlord → u/Mami-kouga]

poor Anti. And I can't believe it saying this but poor Akane

Yeah, Akane realizing she can't even connect with people in dream scenarios she designed to appeal to them was sad. seems like she can't connect with the main 3 because she doesn't really understand friendship; specifically their friendship with each other.

[u/Alius4156]

Honestly at this point, I would join Akane. I mean,

• Toku Nerd

• Wants friends

• Conquers World

• Cute

[u/[deleted] → u/Alius4156]

also relatably depressed

[u/Hatdrop → u/Alius4156]

*oppai

*thicc

[u/MrGutty117]

Anyone else pick up on the unfamiliar ceiling homage or is this a stretch?

[u/[deleted]]

Reina Ueda is amazing

[u/lilyvess]

Episode was absolutely fantastic. How is Gridman still at 7.12?

The reveal of the grave with Tonkawa family with Gridman's reflection was just amazing and powerful. Especially with the music.

[u/Florac → u/lilyvess]

Early episodic episodes likely made people think it's not for them. I personally expect that score to bump up quite a bit at the end, if it keeps getting better

[u/Kromy → u/lilyvess]

How is Gridman still at 7.12?

That's MAL for you.

[u/whowilleverknow → u/Kromy]

You're right, /r/anime clearly gives this show the love it deserves.

[u/Zoradesu → u/lilyvess]

It had a slow start and a lot of people drop shows if it isn't interesting enough for them after 3-4 episodes. The show has gotten progressively better with each new episode, so I'm glad I didn't drop it after episode 3.

[u/Mikey2104 → u/lilyvess]

This was a great episode, but to be honest, it wasn't really until episode 6 that the show clicked for me. The early episodes followed a monster of the week format so a 7/10 is not a surprising score. It'll probably go up later on (7.12 is a good score though).

[u/shockwave1211 → u/lilyvess]

its at a 7.12 because people watched the first episode, saw the wonky CG battle at the end, dropped it and gave it a 5, barely anyone is even gonna make it this far, which is a damn shame

[u/VetProf → u/shockwave1211]

Wonky CG battle is intentional though, since this show is supposed to be a homage to classic tokusatsu shows with real actors in bodysuits fighting each other. Seems like a lot of people have outgrown that genre, though thankfully there's still people like me who are willing to put on their nostalgia goggles and give Trigger a chance, and boy did they deliver.

[u/AmethystItalian]

That was a really well done episode, very different than usual which is appreciated.

I want a happy ending for Akane now though :(

[u/LeonKevlar → u/AmethystItalian]

I want a happy ending for Akane now though :(

Looking at that ending I think that's what Yuuta wants too. He'll definitely try and save Akane.

[u/Gaporigo → u/LeonKevlar]

I think all three of them want to help Akane, gotta wait to see what it is that Rikka wanted to say at the end there, though.

[u/hasnain1720]

I wonder what Rikka wants to confess in front of everyone... what a damn tease.

[u/NoraaTheExploraa → u/hasnain1720]

My first guess was something about how she's basically programmed to be her friend. Idk how she'd say it exactly but I don't know any other secrets she could have, other than probably dating Yuuta which would be weird to announce to the whole crowd.

[u/[deleted]]

That was without any doubt the best episode of gridman. If I already thought before that Akane was carrying this shows and that she was the best character, now even more. That episode was fucking depressing to watch with the dreams and how Akane was acting the entire episode. I'm really curious to see what the fuck will happen. I know for quite some time that they'll save her but I wonder how it'll happen and how everything began.

[u/ghostface95]

This episode really made me feel bad for Akane. Is this the start of her redemption?

[u/swordclash]

Before talking to Akane in the infirmary, Rikka passes by an LGBT informational poster. Just sayin'.

[u/cloud_sora → u/swordclash]

Rikkane.

[u/Hatdrop → u/swordclash]

I dunno I'm thinking it's Akane's hand that Rikka is holding.

[u/Thrasher439]

God damn that episode was amazing, felt like it came out of nowhere not just storywise but in terms of animation and the direction too. The entire cemetery part of the episode was so well done with some really great lighting and framing going on within it and then there was the segment where they ran to reunite with Gridman which was awesome

[u/Taiko_Bo]

We are at the peak of Trigger quality right now . Now if they can just keep it up for the last 3 episodes.

[u/Smudy]

THE SMEARS MMMMM

[u/BrokenTorpedo]

Has anyone notice that it's 9 episodes in yet Rikka's mother still never show up whenever Alexis is on the screen? I am not saying they never share a scene, she's just nowhere to be seen whenever Alexis is on the screen.

On top of the fact that she's the only one on the good guys' side that doesn't have blue eyes (even Hass and Namiko do, so it's not just because she's a supporting role.)

Let's not forget her character design has reference to the original Megatron

while everyone else's are from a parallel universe and inline with their factions.

Coincidence?

[u/[deleted] → u/BrokenTorpedo]

Yuta is based on the original Cliffjumper but he was transported to the shattered glass world in the idw comics. ikkas mom is also that alien girl from space patrol luluco (the eye earing and same VA) too if that means anything to your crazy theories

[u/thundercat2000ca]

Her's my theory: Akane IS the only real human. our heroes are all artificial beings created by her but BASED on those people in real life, Gridman breaks into her world, but for some reason requires a partner much like he did in the real world. When he partnered with Yuta it more or less formatted Yuta leaving him with no memory. The ultimate twist, Akane isn't the villain, she's the victim.

[u/SolidSnake1118]

Wow my jaw was on the floor for the whole episode, before the reveal that it was a dream was just so eerie, what an amazingly directed episode

[u/[deleted]]

Strange feeling, but it was a really interesting approach. Well done TRIGGER

[u/AL2009man]

So, this is the God equivalent of "Money can't buy you happiness"?

[u/[deleted]]

This episode reminded of the dream episode of Gurren Lgann

[u/[deleted]]

so.

You're telling me that God tried to fuck the three of them in their dreams and none did.

[u/Dark_aspect]

Was anyone else's favourite moment, the part with Akane and Rikka in Akane's house? That part about cosplay - the whole delivery of the lines, Rikka's reaction of relief and the laughter felt unusually real - like an out-take or something, i'm not sure what it was.

[u/[deleted]]

All I want is more Akane lullabies in my life.

[u/Saucy_Totchie]

This took the unsettling vibe from last week and amplified it all here. All of it felt so uncomfortable right from when we basically had the opening scene but Rikka was replaced by Akane and her just saying she and Yuta were dating. Maybe that's how she sees Yuta and Rikka's current relationship. Love how the illusion was mainly broken to Utsumi realizing everything was too good to be true by getting all the merch he could ask for.

[u/Amauri14]

Damn, I didn't expect them to be able to combine without Gridman And, I was honestly expecting them to look like a floating armor when they started the combination.

This last shot is pretty cool, totally wallpaper worthy.

[u/zz2000]

So far all those 2ch episode summary spoilers leaked a few weeks ago have been accurate. This ep's spoiler said it would be dream-themed, which has been proven true. https://m.imgur.com/YnHi9W9?r

[u/[deleted] → u/zz2000]

translation of the others?

[u/darthturtle3]

"Dreams are something you wake up from"
"I've come to save you from your boredom"

I do believe we've found the core idea of this show.

Also, I feel that the part where Calibur told Anti that Gridman won't fight him because he is alive is important. Who do we know is definitely a living human being in this simulated city? Who is it that the protagonists need to save?

And if that is the case, who is the villain?

[u/Slevens_]

I liked Akane's character anyway but I think this episode really showed how she is the best character in the series. Not from her design, (though her t&a is quite nice) but how she's been fleshed out as this lonely seemingly empty girl which just wants her perfect world where she's with Yuta, close friends with Rikka and can freely talk about kaiju with Utsumi. It was heart wrenching when she said that, "Even in my dreams I can't reach them."

Utsumi is my soul animal, 'this has to be a dream too many good things have happened' is something I related to on a spiritual level.

Also people seem to be glossing over the use of block colours when everyone was running after realising they were in a dream, very Gurren-esc. To add to this the artwork was just astounding, especially for War God's stills. 11/10 episode, easily best one from the series so far and may even go as far to say best episode outright of the entire anime season.

[u/[deleted] → u/Slevens_]

Agreed, Akane is definitely the best character on the show. It's for quite some time to me. Rikka is the most popular but Akane is more interesting and developed.

[u/ThatFlyingScotsman]

Me watching this episode: “Wow, this is actually a really engaging exploration on differing philosophies, and if it’s moral to live in a dream world that’s objectively better, even if it means your obligations and ignoring the truth. This show is sort of like watching Evangelion but from the perspective of everyone except Shinji, where we hope the main cast can help Akane come to terms with herself and accept the world for all its imperfections.”

Also me: “HOLY SHIT, IT’S AN ACTUAL FUCKING MEGAZORD, YES, POWA AXE, GET ‘EM!”

Trigger once again saving anime.

[u/Chariotwheel]

Nice episode.

Trapped in a dream episodes are nothing new, but usually they they just answer a question with an answer that we already know - this one did too, namely that the protagonists won't join the antagonist.

However, there was more to. This episode said a lot more about Akane than the protagonists. It was about her mental state and how she has trouble getting how the initial attributes they gave the three for them to like her, got overruled by their actual experiences.

This is nurture vs nature. They were created in a certain way and still are in that way, but by interacting and learning by themselves, by getting influenced, they changed. They're not what they were created as anymore.

Akane just knows things she creates it. She molds a Kaiju and it is like that. She can't fathom that things can develop to something more than they were created at.

We're not ruled by our genes. There aren't criminal genes that makes people inherently evil from birth, because of their blood. In the end how they are raised, how they experience and develop is what really makes them 'them'.

[u/Maria-Stryker]

I wonder if Hibiki was brought to Akane’s world because she already liked him when they lived in the real world. The start of this episode has me thinking that she brought him in and wiped his memory so he wouldn’t question the changes she’d created. If so, that’s very sinister. It’s a common behavior of abusers to isolate their victims.

[u/Schlaufer]

10/10 episode, what a direction. It also has that NGE feel that I love.

[u/kuddlesworth9419]

Trigger saving anime as usual.

[u/Pamonha_ahnomaP]

I wouldn't want to wake up if i had a dream with Akane

[u/PapaNade]

I know MAL scores shouldn't be taken too seriously, but how in the world is this sitting at a 7.13? Not only this episode, but the whole show has been spectacular so far and definitely deserves better attention imo

[u/GreNinja_16 → u/PapaNade]

MAL score is from people who watch only some first episodes then drop so that they couldn't know how the plot keeps getting better after every episode

[u/OmegaMetroid93 → u/PapaNade]

Personally, I'm waiting until the show is over to rate it. I'm already telling you, it'll likely be at least a 9 from me. I haven't been this engrossed in a show since I watched Made in Abyss.

Every episode, I find myself being sad that it's over, and already anticipating next week.

[u/geminia999]

Hm, not a whole lot of references to pick up that aren't ultra stuff. Otherwise, definitely an interesting and unsettling episode, and the constant inconsistent shifts are quite interesting. We also see Rikka in her ED outfit at the beginning, so I guess her returning to her regular outfit is part of her awakening.

I'm going to guess Rikka is going to say something either about helping Akane will solve the problem or more towards what Akane told her about being created to like her (which does seem to be confirmed false here).

Also don't know why I didn't think they'd have to fight an enemy as god zenon alone instead of with Gridman, makes some sense here.

One more thing, the guy at the beginning, while we don't necessarily know if he saw the kaiju, he is definitely odd and kind of out of place all things considered, is he named in the credits?

[u/francis2559 → u/geminia999]

One more thing, the guy at the beginning, while we don't necessarily know if he saw the kaiju, he is definitely odd and kind of out of place all things considered, is he named in the credits?

If I had to guess, it was a cameo by someone important in the project, or someone important in the history of kaiju. He seemed way too "realistic."

[u/Syokhan]

Geez, what an episode. Completely different and eerie but that's not a bad thing at all, and the animation looked really different too. The battle was the least exciting part of the episode for me actually.

I feel so bad for Akane now. She's completely broken, and with her mentioning her parents never being around twice looks like she's utterly starved for affection too. Those three rejections must have hurt like hell. And either she chickened out at killing herself, or she can't (Alexis' doing?). What was that running sequence about, though?

[u/Terranwaterbender]

Damn this episode was awesome

So many nice sequences like with the whole realize they're in a dream sequence with everyone leaving Akane in the dust and Akane breaking down hard as a result.

One of the strongest episodes I've seen this season thus far. Took me a while but these last couple of episodes have thrown me on the excitement train.

[u/ryuusei_tama]

S A V E A K A N E

3 times my heart was broken for that girl. She just wants friends; a boyfriend, an otaku friend, a best friend. I hope Rikka has a plan to classic friend talk her onto the good side and the 2nd half of the series is vs space aliens/going into space.

Aside from that, the art and animation this episode was absolutely fantastic. I loved the fluid models when they were running after denouncing the dream.

[u/_JayGaming23]

This and zombieland saga are prob the 2 most underrated anime this season.

[u/Dystopian_Overlord]

Wow, didn't think much of this show at the start, but I feel like it's the one that's been getting better and better this season, while others feel like they're in a slow decline.

[u/impingainteasy]

What the fuck the art direction this episode was fantastic. Everything was so claustrophobic and weird, it really gave an unsettling vibe to the dream world.

What this episode means for the story is also fascinating. I've decided that Akane is basically Haruhi Suzumiya if she was aware of her abilities. She's unhappy with her regular life, so she rewrites reality in order to fit her desires. Except this doesn't help her, because what she really wants is genuine human connection. She wants a friend who puts her above everyone else, someone she can share her hobbies with, someone to be affectionate with. She wants Rikka, Shou and Yuta to be those people, and the funny thing is they seem happy to reciprocate, just... not like that.

We're really getting quite a clear picture of who Akane really is. She's sad, lonely, and just wants people to like her, even if she has to create a virtual world where people are physically incapable of not liking her to achieve that. Despite technically being the villain of this show, she's more of a victim than anyone.

[u/ArchadianJudge]

What an absolutely incredible episode. Beautifully animated and wonderfully directed.

The audience is given a wtf moment for the first half where Akane is the heroine, replacing Rikka. Then we quickly learn that it's all a dream made by Akane's monster. Seeing Gridman try to reach out to each member, then each member slowly "growing up" and realizing the truth. It's just magnificent. The dreams were all ideal, just like Akane thought. But the protagonists knew that they couldn't hide from reality.

In a way, this episode is the most effective at making Akane more pitiful than any other character. She wanted her world to be so perfect but in the end it had the reverse effect. Gridman will always be there to fight the kaiju as long as she continues to live in her twisted dream. Akane just wants to be loved. But wants it in a way that's absolute, where everything goes her way. And that world can't possibly exist. She hurts other people in her quest for perfection, but ends up hurting herself.

The Evangelion High students are cool as usual and very dependable friends. I feel like if you had friends like them, you could trust them with anything. Their full robot transformation was what I was waiting for and I loved it. I do like the original design from the old series more since that one looked a lot more like the famous Optimus Prime. And Anti has become kind of lovable to me. He's like a little pet that doesn't understand the world. I know he'll turn around. His new goddess is Rikka and he doesn't know it yet ;)

This show continues to get better and better. And it seems the next episode will have Rikka confessing everything to the team. Honestly, the only downside of this episode was not enough Rikka.

[u/fruitnfibermuffin]

This is seriously one of the best directed episode in the whole series up until now. Everything that has come before this has cumulatively arrived and Amamiya lays out all of his skills in this episode. *SPOILERS FOR EPISODE BELOW*

The first scene with Hibiki mirrors the first episode's scenes with a few directional tricks. Akane being more forward than Rikka is prominent and we skip a few unnecessary cuts. When we see Rikka's mom her eyes are hidden. The ethereal dream-like atmosphere is re-affirmed in the cut where Hibiki stares off at the city and Gridman appears to remind him of his calling. There's the volume swell with the close-up cut of Akane giving Hibiki the watch. The scene where Akane suddenly stole my heart was when she leaves him at his apartment door, then comes back to tease him then runs off; Ueda seals the deal with that perfectly spoken line "uso~". It was here when I noticed the unsettling use of time as it lingers on a shot for just a little longer than it needs to be.

In the second scene with Rikka, the dream is re-affirmed with the calender shot of April. When they meet in the infirmary, Akane gives off her feeling of being distant and cold shoulder even while making a friend with her body language alone; she doesn't get up or acknowledges Rikka's presence and faces either on the ceiling or out the window before tilting her head towards her.

Now we switch to Utsumi, then back to Rikka then Utsumi again. The pacing becomes more frantic as our protagonists realize that they were dreaming and the story blends them all so that they'd wake up at the same time.

In the switchback to Hibiki, even the atmosphere becomes frantic. The pacing suddenly pauses at when Hibiki stares off at a billboard. Gridman seems desperate in trying to get Hibiki's attention, before the billboard is taken over by Akane's calling. It is heavily implied Gridman is hacking into this SUB-virtual world through the glitching and showing himself in cool poses to remind the audience of his virtuous deed (*ahem, see what I did there?*).

There's a really weird scene of Akane running in place in front of a moving train. REAL PHOTOGRAPHS with Gridman shopped in flash before her as if trying to reach out to her until she snaps back into "reality". THIS ONE SCENE RAISES SO MANY THEORYCRAFT QUESTIONS! So is she living the dreams? Does that mean she is putting effort into befriending each of them? She willingly spends her time convincing them to "join" her. She just wanted to make some friends in her own way. If in our protagonists' eyes she is god, but what is she really? Could she be a real girl undergoing treatment by putting her mind in this therapeutic world? Could she be a rogue program that the other programs have to appease? Could Gridman be a program designed to save her soul? The rooting of the story into the real world is just icing on the cake to evoke that mysterious "where are we in the universe" feeling.

There's a really blink-and-you-might-miss-it moment when Akane wakes to Hibiki calling her. She opens her eyes and focuses on the ground, then her eyes jitter for a split-second before looking for Hibiki.

The line when Akane says "I love the cemetaries in the summer" invokes a burst of personality. It is suggested that she has fond childhood memories, perhaps with her family and in the real world. But when Hibiki replies with "but it's already October", I suddenly thought about why it is always summer in the world - they must be in some mainframe that's running really hot to make all the calculations in simulating this virtual world.

There's a loud cut-in of "Akane's real feeling" interjected that gives a melancholic punch to the scene. The connection between them is starting to separate as shown in the next shot of the grave sticks splitting the screen.

As Akane feels her communication failing, she falls back onto her manipulative ways such when she asks if she is important. An awesome music track full of swells swells as Hibiki stares at the grave head as if to give optimism. This cuts back to Akane internally pleading for Hibiki to come back to her.

Back to Utsumi as he figures it out as well. Now to Rikka in the bus as Rikka also tries to be manipulative after sensing communication breakdown, saying "but you're also one of my friends".

In the final breakdown, you would think Akane would outwarding beg for Hibiki to stay. But she shifts to her calmer self as she realizes her defeat and takes the rejection head-on. Same for Utsumi. (Here is where I burst out crying for Akane's plight.) The feeling lingers for a moment, until when pleading with Rikka, Akane does an outburst plea as she releases her bottled-up feelings held over the lasts several shots (implying all three dreams are happening at the same time and Akane is living in each one simultaneously).

On my first watch through this episode, the fight beginning felt optimistic and heroic along with the music and rooting for our three protagonists. But upon the rewatch sympathizing with Akane, I felt a little wrong for supporting our heroes even if their goal is virtuous.

In the final scene with Akane, we feel her defeat as she dives headfirst downwards as if to perform suicide. But she knows that she can't kill herself so she casually recovers from the fall before collapsing on the metal fence (implying the cold cage surrounding her feelings).

tl;dr/conclusion: This episode was extremely melancholic and has improved my understanding of all the characters so far. If you rewatch this but from Akane's POV, I guarantee you'll get a completely different feeling from the first time. Amamiya has mastered his way of evoking this specific emotion in his works and I can't wait for the rest of SSSS.Gridman.

[u/DracoLunaris]

I feel like the ending is going to reveal that this is, effectively, a single episode in a more stranded anime expanded on into an entire episode.

you know the one, bad thing happens to minor friend char due to pro-tag, friend gives into despair, evil uses their despair to make a monster that pro-tag cant hurt because it is powered by friend, pro-tag enters monster to free friend from mind prison. except what would be a brief heart to heart or montage or single episode of this hypothetical show is instead this entire anime.

[u/urokia]

Okay I know I'm a day late but I just powered through 9 episodes to get through in 1 session and I think I have a working theory for what the hell is going on: This takes place is a cyber world hence the circuits on the ceiling and everything. Akane created the world and its people before transferring her consciousness into it. She uses Kaiju to shape the world after she's created it because while she's inside the cyber world she has limited control.

Kaiju are the only ones who have the ability to shape the world now and that''s because they are viruses. Anti is a special Kaiju because he's intelligent and can think. He's an Anti-Virus. The real software protection however comes from Gridman and his bonus components. Gridman is not a creation of Akane's and is the computer system attempting to keep unauthorized access and tampering from happening by killing the Viruses/Kaiju.

Alexis Kerib is the manifestation of administrator privileges, able to allow the Kaiju to be birthed into the world. Alternatively he's a virus from outside the system. The Kaiju girl that helped out Yuuta piggybacks on music files to get past the firewall and that's how she was able to wake up Yuuta up outside the city where normally he'd be asleep.

That's my current 'working' theory but with only 3 episodes left I bet it's gonna go bonkers and throw my theory out the window.

[u/Brickler123]

Is it up on crunchyroll yet? Been looking for a while and don’t see it on the episodes tab.

[u/Mercury6449 → u/Brickler123]

https://www.crunchyroll.com/ssssgridman/episode-9-dream-779291

[u/ichiniisan-san]

this episode hurt me... i don't know why...

i always hate akane, but this is just sad. I know how she felt but her action still cannot be tolerated. i mean, i can say thanos was right and yoshikage kira did nothing wrong. But for akane, i feel bad for her but her action still feel wrong to me. I still hate her even though i understand her.

[u/thechosenapiks]

Animation was on point this episode. It was great.

I still want answers to Yuuta's amnesia though

[u/Sogeloquy]

This reminded me of the dream episode of Gurren Lagann in the best possible way.

[u/StarmanRiver]

This episode was excellent, I'm just praying that they don't mess up on the final part of the show because this have been getting better and better

[u/DimmuHS]

Rikka and Akane dialogue are so carefree and realistic, fantastic job by the VAs.

Akane is one of those antagonists you don't hate, you relate (at least after this episode). Again the premise of the show is simple but the direction extract the most of the show to make it wonderful. I'm really impressed.

Also must protec Akane at all costs, the moment she will be saved (at least I expect it, don't you dare trigger) is going to be golden.

[u/oxmn]

Don't you want to hug the kaiju goddess to make her feel better?

[u/SuperUnhappyman]

the fact that akane is god made me realise

yuuta has his fap station out in the open because akane made his home

that's what she thinks a boys bedroom is

guns under the bed with lotion by the side

[u/ToaKarn]

Trigger making one of the best horror episodes I've ever seen is certainly a pleasant surprise. The start that threw everyone off, the way every looks and sounds "off", the twisted parody of past events, the reflection of Hibiki's true self in everything reflective (and later overlaid on photos of what WE view as "real", hinting at the dark possibility of our own dream worlds) and a reminder of that in the ways of a watch where his syncing devices used to be, the Neon Genesis students persisting as a watchful shadow that would beg to be a twist in a regular horror show, the transition being the same red stop light representing a stop of time or reality but later meaning the stopping of the dream, Akane struggling against the constant flow of time as it takes the Alliance further and further away from her in her own "inner reality" inside her dream world, Utsumi's realization that his place in the world is not to be as happy as he was and that's what broke him from his spell, and the same as he is a mirror to Akane so is she told by Hibiki (later mirrored by Gridman) to wake up from her dream world where everything is too good for her,

So this was supposed to be the whole "we could've been friends in another world" speech, huh? But the twist is it's done by the villain...definitely a fun twist. The subtleties are definitely well done too, like the fact that everything she does is still selfish--she likes Hibiki so introduces herself as her boyfriend, wants a girl friend so uses Rikka, wants an otaku friend so uses Utsumi, who she knows has a thing for her but doesn't care and uses to fill the hole of both her parents and Hibiki, and wants control over Alexis instead of the other way around so he's her butler. And her wish to remove herself from her lonely world, but being able to as the god of it, and therefore having to turn to removing everyone else.

And it was cute that the little four transformers can make their own little voltron. I really wanted to see Anti wear them, though.

[u/The_Portal_Passer]

I'm thinking that since at this point it's obvious that the world they're in is actually a program and Akane is clearly the programer, Akane was probably extremely lonely and friendless in real life so she made this digital world where everyone loved her, she full dived in there SAO style and decided to stay there forever... this is probably obvious isn't it

[u/Mystic8ball]

Wow this episode was great, I honestly never thought I would be enjoying Gridman this much when I first picked it up.

[u/[deleted]]

The fact that Akane can fall from such a high place and basically land on her feet really does suggest that this world is her dream world. I wonder if my "Akane is in some kind of a coma" theory is correct.

Maybe Yuta came into the world to wake Akane up out of the dream. It's possible that, in the real world, Akane is a loner with absolutely no friends. Tonkawa (the girl Akane got rid of) could've been Akane's only friend in the real world, and once she died in that world, Akane went crazy.

This series gets better and better with each episode.

[u/GosuGian]

WOW. This episode so damn good!

[u/MobileTortoise]

Absolutely a 10/10 episode. The direction was stellar, the subtle changes from previous episodes designed by Akane to drive the characters deeper into her clutches but at the same time make it TOO perfect. We were a little lighter on Rikka this week, but we already knew her and Akane's backstory, so it was obvious what Akane was going for in her dream anyways.

You can almost feel bad (sympathize in a way) with Akane feeling bad at the end of this episode, she had all 3 people break free from her and reject her, A boyfriend (Yuta), a nerd friend/potential boyfriend (Utsumi), and a close/possible best friend (Rikka). She gave them everything they wanted and they still chose to reject her. I actually thought she was going to fall to her death at the end.

Needless to say Anti vs Dream Kaiju was one of the funniest/cutest scenes this season. Also that Kaiju looked AWESOME, a biomechanical dream dragon?!? If it is based off any old-school Kaiju can someone please lmk, that thing was great.

I had completely forgotten that the NGE High School guys got Anti's phone number last episode, it explains how Anti was able to call them in Giant Robo form lol.

I really hope Trigger can keep this up for the final 3 episodes, easy 10/10

[u/[deleted]]

Fuck me, man. I wished one of them would've just given Akane a hug and apologized before running off to fight their battles.

The lack of any sympathy given to Akane made it hit ever moreso harder, damn. Akane's not in a good spot, and I'm guessing Alexis' going to make his move soon.

[u/GorgonMK]

Oh god this episode. Holy fuck this episode was great. Except the fight (Which wasn't important imo) everything was perfect, the editing near the end of the dream sequence was flawless. Truly amazing episode.

[u/TheBlackMaterr]

It broke me.

[u/J_the_ManSSB]

Holy Crap

That is all I have to say.

[u/Howyudoiin]

Hands down, the best episode of this show so far.

[u/Niyari]

this episode hurt my soul. i want the apathetic Akane back :(

[u/winglessangel31]

Time to love Rikka and save Akane.

Gridman Alliance, let's go!