ssssgridman – Jainituos Presents

Hello my friends.

First and foremost… I just want to wish you Happy New Year 2022 (Well. Not that new anymore). And also a very Happy Chinese New Year for everyone. I hope that the celebrations were really that great for all of you.

Regarding myself… I want to apologise.

Because as of January 31st 2022, it has been a very complicated month for me. I have a lot of work (And a very bad misunderstanding that almost left me… traumatised to say the least). And I have been working in my new book, trying to get some pages done, at least two per day. But because I have been exhausted, and I got a severe pain in my shoulder, I was unable to advance in my blog as much as I wanted.

Everything started shortly after I published my review on Netflix’s Death Note (Well. November was pretty busy too). That is when things got very busy for me. Christmas time came, a lot of responsibilities came as well, a lot of cleaning, a lot of hot weather in Melbourne (last week was average 36 degrees), and visiting a lot of friends for the holidays, and some time off.

So. As you can see. Many events kept me away from writing and watching beautiful anime.

But worry not.

Because I have been preparing a lot of My first Impressions, and the… TOP WAIFU OF 2021. That is a tradition in my blog.

But now. I will start with another tradition. Yep. The title says it all.

Now… I want to start showing my votes for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2021. from Best Film to Best Ending. Then, the rest will come. But little by little, I have so… many things to write.

With that said… let’s START!!!!!!!

BEST FILM

In the words of Rengoku…

Well… It is Demon Slayer. What else can I say? I red the manga of the Demon Train arc, and it was… fantastic. And when I watch the movie… I was in love with both Demon Slayer and Ufotable, more than ever. The ending was heartbreaking, and seeing Akasa for the first time was a feast. Don’t get me wrong. I do not doubt that Belle can be a masterpiece, but I never watch it. The same happened with Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time. But Mugen Train is beautiful.

And my choice for Best Film of 2021.

BEST FANTASY

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation & To Your Eternity.

I have to admit that this was a really tough one. On one hand, I am starting to believe that isekai is like Scooby-Doo! You will always see many versions and proposals and it will never get old (unless we are talking about Scoob!, of course)

So I decided to spread my vote, between Mushoku Tensei and To Your Eternity. Wonder Egg Priority was also great, but, in my opinion, the two series I chose share a common strength – narrative. To Your Eternity has a very good storytelling that helps characters and story to evolve, the same happens with Mushoku Tensei, and the fantasy element is stronger than in Wonder Egg Priority. At least from my perspective.

Fingers crossed.

BEST ROMANCE

I love Beastars, but in regards of romance, Horimiya was my surprise fo 2021. Hori-san is an amazing character, as likeable as Miyamura, and seeing together was a complete feast for my eyes, and the rest of the couples were also incredibly adorable, especially Remi and Sengoku.

Again. It was a tough one, because I enjoy Komi-san (In fact, I will say it now… Both are… BETTER… WAY BETTER than Rent-A-Girlfriend as romantic comedies), bu t I still need to see more episodes of Komi-san and Tadano-kun.

Kudos for Miyamura and Hori-san. Just…

We need more headbutts!!

BEST DRAMA

86: Eighty-Six

Without a doubt, 86: Eighty-Six is one of the best anime of 2021, and a candidate for the second or third best anime produced by A-1 Pictures on the 2020s (Only beaten by Sword Art Online: Alicization and Kaguya-sama: Love is War).

For me, this anime was a big surprise, because it definitely has those vibes that you see in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing or Code Geass, including social commentary, the brutality of war, child soldiers, and big robots. But also, 86: Eighty-Six manages to have its own identity, with very well-written characters and a setting that reminds us the consequences of world wars and Why should we never, ever allow something like that to happen… ever again.

And of course… a story that gets better and better, even in the light novels. Trust me. you read the light novels of 86: Eighty-Six, and the story becomes way better.

And as much as I hate to say this – the only two competition that 86: Eighty-Six might have in this category is either Oddtaxi or Fruits Basket: The Final Season.

BEST COMEDY

I will say this straight away – I was ready to give my absolute vote to Miss Kobayashi-san Dragon Maid S. It is simply one of the best comedies of 2021, and the fact that Kyoto Animation produced this second season after the tragic fire of July, 2019 gives it more merit. But then… I got a big surprise, as big as with 86: Eighty-Six.

And that is Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan.

I was like…

Honestly. Life lessons with Uramichi is pure insanity, every moment was better than the last one. Original jokes, and very hilarious characters. So yeah.

50/50.

BEST ACTION

Triple vote – Vivy – Fluorite Eye’s Song, SSS Dynazenon and Mugen Train.

Ok. Some of you might be thinking:

«Jaime… What the hell is this?»

And yes. It is definitely a fair criticisim if you have it. But I will explain.

First…n

For Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song, Wit Studio did a really good job animating the fighting scenes. Every time I watch Vivy and Elizabeth in a fight, I couldn’t resist. I really was looking forward for what will happen next. Especially in the last episodes of the series. Vivy did great here. It is a shame that it got less nominations than it deserved.

The same happened with SSSS Dynazenon. If there is anything Studio Trigger is an expert in, that is animating action, i.e. Kill la Kill, Darling in the FRANXX, SSSS Gridman, and now here. I hope it really does well.

And Demon Slayer – Mugen Train… Nothing to say. Better watch.

BEST ENDING

«Shirogane» by LiSA.

Because, as a Demon Slayer fan… How can you say No to such a beaituful song?

Every time I listen to it… I feel the whole arc of Mugen Train.

CONCLUSION

And that is it for now. I must admit that, at the beginning, I was kind of disappointed for some of the nominations. I was expecting something like Vivy being nominated as Anime of the Year, as well as To Your Eternity. And 86: Eighty-Six had less nominations too. I expected Shinei to be nominated as Best Protagonist, and…

What about Rudeus Greyrat?

And for those who are wondering why I haven’t choose any of the categories for Attack on Titan. The answer is simple… I haven’t reach The Final Season: Part I yet. I guess I will get there when I get there.

But that is for today. Stay tuned for Part II.

And now… let’s get some beautiful Uzui waifus…

And what about me?

Who?

I AM PERFECT TO SHIN… MORE THAN LENA.

SSSS Dynazenon

Genre: Mecha, fantasy

Studio: Trigger

Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry.

Again, I am on my own challenge of trying to write as many entries on May as possible. Let’s see if I can break the record of January. Fingers crossed, especially because work is pretty demanding these days, and now, I want to take my time to get the latest anime from Studio Trigger, and perhaps another great entry of the Gridman franchise.

Now, that entry is…

But before I continue, remember to ask you the questions:

Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?

If the answer is yes, then I am very happy.

I still own all of you guys an entry of SSSS Gridman. Don’;t worry, I am working on it, as well as the entries of one of my favourite anime… My Hero Academia. They will come when the time comes. Having said that… let’s start with SSSS Dynazenon.

PREMISE

SSSS Dynazenon is a sequel from SSSS Gridman, and it tells the story of Yomogi Asanaka, a high school student who works in a convenience store and lives with his grandmother and his recently divorced mother; one day, he meets a mysterious guy, called Gauma, in an alley, Yomogi «saves» him by giving him some food; the next day, Gauma comes again and thanks Yomogi, claiming that he is a Kaiju user.

Shortly, a kaiju attacks the city and Gauma summons a great robot, called Dynazenon, dragging Yomogi, his fellow classmate, Yume Minami, a 33-year-old NEET, Koyomi Yamanaka, who all drive Dynazenon. After defeating the Kaiju, Gauma, Yomogi, Yume and Koyomi must fight together to find out who is summoning the kaijus and defend the city at all costs.

Unsurprisingly, the staff of SSSS Gridman returns for this new series, including director Akira Amemiya, writer Keiichi Hasegawa, and composer Shiro Sagisu. On the other hand, Studio Trigger needs no presentation, in fact, I already made a lot of blog entries from their products, including BNA: Brand New Animal, Darling in the FRANXX, Little Witch Academia, and Kill la Kill, and just like its predecessor, SSSS Dynazenon will be composed of 12 episodes.

One thing is for sure, the upcoming episodes of SSSS Dynazenon must include the very best two things that SSSS Gridman had, courtesy of fan-favourite Rikka Takarada.

And…

You thought I will say Thighs? Yes?

STORY

I think I will start pointing about one of the most notorious elements fo SSSS Dynazenon: its animation. Definitely they use the same style from SSSS Gridman, the 2D for all the characters, while most of the sequences of the kaiju and the robots are done in 3D; normally I will say that this mixture is not one of my favourites, especially after witnessing how it was horribly done in Ex-Arm, regardless the fact that the studio of the latter had no previous experience on producing anime.

Luckily, this is not any random studio that obviously didn’t care about the quality of the product (Perhaps I am being too harsh); this is Studio Trigger; and just like it was done with SSSS Gridman, the 2D and 3D mixture gives you a great feeling of having to face a gigantic mecha, or a dreadful kaiju (depending on your perspective), especially after the battles take place.

Again, Trigger has more great experiences with this kind of expressive, nuanced animation, so you will expect something pretty well done, especially from the Gridman franchise.

On the other hand, just like what happens with SSSS Gridman, the introduction of the characters can be a bit slow. Nonetheless is pretty solid, you get to know the characters. Well… I talked about that later.

I had a lot of fun with SSSS Gridman, and I remember many of its episodes. SPOILER ALERT – One thing that I didn’t like too much about the original anime is that the possible romance between Yua Hibiki and Rikka Takarada went nowhere, in fact… it was replaced by the arc of Akane Shinjou – END OF SPOILERS.

And from there, I see a lot of potential to SSSS Dynazenon in terms of story.

CHARACTERS

Now… this part where I am having some trouble. It is not like I didn’t love the characters, but it is just I do not know where to start.

I will start saying that, just like SSSS Gridman, Dynazenon, has a lot of interesting, defined characters; Yomogi, a relatable kid who is trying to grow up and become independent; Yume Minami, an aloof girl who lost her brother some time ago, Koyomi, trying to get some meaning to his life; his cousin, Chise, and Gauma… which I think it is the best character by far.

If Studio Trigger can get them lovely personalities, just like with its predecessor series, then there will be potential for these characters to become popular, or memes, like with Rikka Takarada and Akane Shinjou.

CONCLUSION