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EP. REVIEW: SSSS.Dynazenon


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7777ale7777



Joined: 13 Nov 2017
Posts: 105
PostPosted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 4:06 pm Reply with quote
I know that the show is not just "giant robot fights kaiju" and it's more about the characters and stuff and that the show could very well be not taking place in the "real world" but it still bothers me that so far all of the human characters haven't at least tried to find a solution to the fighting, like I don't expect them to go to the police but I don't think they have even talk about it. People are supposedly dying and the "bad guys" are usually just standing there, why don't Gauna and the guys just punch them in the face? This episode revealed that they don't create the kaiju but they sure are the ones that make them big and order them to attack the city so why aren't the main characters actively trying to stop them?
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dm
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Joined: 24 Sep 2010
Posts: 1346
PostPosted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 5:10 pm Reply with quote
Covnam wrote:
I loved the detail that they still had Yomogi coughing throughout the fight.

Yes, Yoyogi coughing and Yume's "Nan to ka BEAM!" were delightful.
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zztop



Joined: 28 Aug 2014
Posts: 642
PostPosted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 8:58 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
just enough mental down-time to try tricking us into decoding the eventual true nature of the world and story they'll be dropping on us...as I would be combing through episodes for twist/ending foreshadowing.


Some viewers have noticed that Dynazenon's been reusing/readapting a lot of backdrops, layouts, and settings from SSSS Gridman.
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1385648619487993860
https://twitter.com/Yuyucow/status/1385649246045495299
https://imgur.com/TO8HNAL
https://imgur.com/hZX3BTV

Plus the river bridge where Gauma likes to organize training is pointed out to resemble the one from SSSS Gridman's swimsuit/riverside episode.

The question is what all this reusing means.
- Is it an extreme corner-cutting measure by reusing existing assets?
- Are they visual easter eggs making meta-references to SSSS Gridman, so Trigger can mess around and distract viewers?
- Are they buildups to an eventual reveal of this world's nature and its connection to the SSSS Gridman universe?

Quote:
the guard-reducing cold she catches from Yomogi by the episode's end continues revealing yet more facets of her

Dynazenon's voice drama Ep 4.4* makes for a nice bookend to Ep 4's ending, where Yomogi goes to visit a sick Yume later on and she opens up more to him (esp. re. her family situation).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9NKg6Fom9s

(*Like SSSS Gridman, Dynazenon also has complimentary voice dramas that help expand on character interactions and plot points which didn't get brought up in the actual episodes. They're up on Youtube for now, but they will get taken down later to be bundled with the Bluray releases.)
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Helix91
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Joined: 30 Apr 2017
Posts: 62
PostPosted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 10:25 pm Reply with quote
I'm really curious to see if they're going to address how nonchalant everyone seems to be about these giant monster battles and huge portions of the city getting destroyed all the time. Maybe the situation is just the same as in Gridman, and I think the audience is probably intended to suspect that.
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Gem-Bug



Joined: 10 Nov 2018
Posts: 1193
PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 12:34 am Reply with quote
zztop wrote:
The question is what all this reusing means.
- Is it an extreme corner-cutting measure by reusing existing assets?
- Are they visual easter eggs making meta-references to SSSS Gridman, so Trigger can mess around and distract viewers?
- Are they buildups to an eventual reveal of this world's nature and its connection to the SSSS Gridman universe?


I wouldn't be surprised if it was a bit of all three, to be honest. Still, the side-by-sides really hammer home the thought of possible connections between both series.

zztop wrote:

Dynazenon's voice drama Ep 4.4* makes for a nice bookend to Ep 4's ending, where Yomogi goes to visit a sick Yume later on and she opens up more to him (esp. re. her family situation).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9NKg6Fom9s

(*Like SSSS Gridman, Dynazenon also has complimentary voice dramas that help expand on character interactions and plot points which didn't get brought up in the actual episodes. They're up on Youtube for now, but they will get taken down later to be bundled with the Bluray releases.)


Yeahhhhh, are these supposed to be canon? I'm not really into the idea of 5-ish minutes of character interactions slapped onto another medium instead of being added to the actual episode(especially where this week's was a bit slower). Where this series seems to be emphasizing the character development of it's leads, I would much prefer a few more minutes of that in exchange for a few more minutes of flashy robot fighting/transformation.
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Thatguy3331



Joined: 18 Feb 2012
Posts: 1790
PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:21 am Reply with quote
[quote="zztop"]
Quote:

Dynazenon's voice drama Ep 4.4* makes for a nice bookend to Ep 4's ending, where Yomogi goes to visit a sick Yume later on and she opens up more to him (esp. re. her family situation).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9NKg6Fom9s

(*Like SSSS Gridman, Dynazenon also has complimentary voice dramas that help expand on character interactions and plot points which didn't get brought up in the actual episodes. They're up on Youtube for now, but they will get taken down later to be bundled with the Bluray releases.)


I do wonder why they decide to relegate some of these things to voice dramas. I didn't hear all of them but I recalled it feeling weird when in Gridman I first found out about Yuta's romantic interest in Rikka as well as Rikka's lack of it in Yuta in the voice dramas as opposed to the show itself... granted both of these were brought up in the show in it's subsequent episodes, but I wonder if there was a case/ we will run into a case where we get something that should have just straight up *been* in the show instead of moved over to these.

An extra I remembered liking from the previous show was Rikka's talk with her mom. It was really heartwarming even if it wasn't specifically relevant to anything which is the kind of thing I expect from these things but I guess they have to be worth listening to for some reason? Iunno. I'm still going to try and listen to all of them though.
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zztop



Joined: 28 Aug 2014
Posts: 642
PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 11:11 am Reply with quote
Gem-Bug wrote:
zztop wrote:
The question is what all this reusing means.
- Is it an extreme corner-cutting measure by reusing existing assets?
- Are they visual easter eggs making meta-references to SSSS Gridman, so Trigger can mess around and distract viewers?
- Are they buildups to an eventual reveal of this world's nature and its connection to the SSSS Gridman universe?


I wouldn't be surprised if it was a bit of all three, to be honest. Still, the side-by-sides really hammer home the thought of possible connections between both series.

zztop wrote:

Dynazenon's voice drama Ep 4.4* makes for a nice bookend to Ep 4's ending, where Yomogi goes to visit a sick Yume later on and she opens up more to him (esp. re. her family situation).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9NKg6Fom9s

(*Like SSSS Gridman, Dynazenon also has complimentary voice dramas that help expand on character interactions and plot points which didn't get brought up in the actual episodes. They're up on Youtube for now, but they will get taken down later to be bundled with the Bluray releases.)


Yeahhhhh, are these supposed to be canon? I'm not really into the idea of 5-ish minutes of character interactions slapped onto another medium instead of being added to the actual episode(especially where this week's was a bit slower). Where this series seems to be emphasizing the character development of it's leads, I would much prefer a few more minutes of that in exchange for a few more minutes of flashy robot fighting/transformation.


From what I've seen, they are pretty much canon. They're fairly light and humourous in general, but sometimes they slip in plot beats that help clear up some anime stuff.

Like the Bluray-exclusive Ep 12.12 drama bookending Ep 12's finale, spoiler[where Rikka and Utsumi encounter the actual girl that Akane based her inworld form on, which leads to a chance of new friendships being made. Romance-wise it was kind of a letdown; since Rikka avoids Utsumi's question on whether she truly likes Yuuta, plus Yuuta's not around on account of being hospitalized due to his memory loss.]

On a side note, Twitter has already found the BGM used in the Starbucks clone cafe and the karaoke booth.
Not-Starbucks :
1) 23-ji no Shunrai Shojo by Kito Akari (VA for Nezuko from Kimetsu no Yaiba)
https://twitter.com/mareiw1ngz/status/1385692242401103874

2)The Day I Knew I Needed You by MARLOE (Brisbane-based singer-songwriter)
https://twitter.com/mareiw1ngz/status/1385652725086490625

Karaoke: No Scenario by Uchida Maaya
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87YAkEi0a_c
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tintor2



Joined: 11 Aug 2010
Posts: 1804
PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 5:52 pm Reply with quote
The cast does seem to ring a ball to the ones from Gridman especially Yuta/Yomogi. I hope Trigger gives this time Yomogi more action considering Yuta got completely axed in Gridman. When Yomogi failed to tell Yumi he had interest on her and failed, I got kinda annoyed since it was basically recycled take. I hope things turn out different. At least Gauma stands out a lot within the scenario due to his hotheaded personality which contrast a lot with to the point they fill laidback..
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DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2021 6:52 pm Reply with quote
At this point, I am not sold on the idea that Yume needs or would return romantic feelings towards Yomogi.
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Amuro1X



Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 173
PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2021 9:58 pm Reply with quote
How did I miss that bit about Chise on my first watch!? Good call out.
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3627
PostPosted: Sun May 02, 2021 11:27 pm Reply with quote
I found it a bit odd that they cut off on the mention of suicide as that was the impression I got from early on.

Based on her reaction at the water park, I wonder if Yume is the one who found her sister...

Quote:
And for Koyomi's part, his conversation with Inamoto yields her married status which rather scuttles his clear wonderings about the possibility of romance

I don't know... the way she was talking about being married it wouldn't surprise me if we find them in bed together in a later episode.

Amuro1X wrote:
How did I miss that bit about Chise on my first watch!? Good call out.


Same.
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Gem-Bug



Joined: 10 Nov 2018
Posts: 1193
PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2021 12:00 am Reply with quote
DuskyPredator wrote:
At this point, I am not sold on the idea that Yume needs or would return romantic feelings towards Yomogi.


Agreed. It doesn't help that aside from donating his stepdad/mom's boyfriend's gift money in like the first scene, he has basically been a vague potato of a person. He puts off the seemingly more important role of pilot to earn money, and also stares at/thinks too much about the girl he likes(in a kind of obsessive way). That's kinda it. I think it would be dumb if she falls for him just for being present during her sister investigation.

Speaking of, was this the first time suicide has been mentioned? I feel like I had assumed she had killed herself, but maybe that was my reaction after the split-second scene of her body mid-way through this episode(and I imagine Yume was the one who found her).

I did catch Chise keeping the sleeve on, but for some reason never even considered self-harm. I -do- believe that she looks up to Koyomi/is using his lifestyle as an excuse and/or crutch to live the same way. She definitely seems worried/bothered by his increasing actions outside of their neet life. This could tie in to my theory on the previous page of her possible joining the Eugenicists later.

I'm honestly surprised and amazed Chris got some much out of the churro scene. I initially took it as a gag, slowly waiting for some sort of punchline until realizing that the lack of one probably -was- the punchline. She said she was hungry, and Yomogi just kinda stares at her the whole time she's eating it while asking her awkward questions about it. It's a weird scene that doesn't scream anything socially deep to me. Again, if we're getting time-eating scenes like this(or the entire Dyna Soldier + Car combination scene -twice-) and then additional character-interaction audio clips afterwards on youtube, that seems like a design/planning flaw.

All of that aside, I -am- immensely enjoying this series, with my main issue being that I feel like I'm supposed to care about Yomogi more than the other characters, and I just don't.
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zztop



Joined: 28 Aug 2014
Posts: 642
PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2021 12:02 am Reply with quote
Gem-Bug wrote:
DuskyPredator wrote:
At this point, I am not sold on the idea that Yume needs or would return romantic feelings towards Yomogi.


Agreed. It doesn't help that aside from donating his stepdad/mom's boyfriend's gift money in like the first scene, he has basically been a vague potato of a person. He puts off the seemingly more important role of pilot to earn money, and also stares at/thinks too much about the girl he likes(in a kind of obsessive way). That's kinda it. I think it would be dumb if she falls for him just for being present during her sister investigation.

Speaking of, was this the first time suicide has been mentioned? I feel like I had assumed she had killed herself, but maybe that was my reaction after the split-second scene of her body mid-way through this episode(and I imagine Yume was the one who found her).


On Yomogi, Voice drama 2.2 gives more insight into what he's personally troubled about.
His parents divorced some years back; and he's torn over his personal discomfort about his mother getting into a new relationship already and his trying to respect his mother's decision as her own person.

Yes, this is the 1st time suicide was mentioned. Previously it was implied the sister died in an accident.

Quote:
Those are many words digging into the dense, sometimes downright dark aspects still framing the journeys of these characters so far


Some boards have complained about Dynazenon being boring, but I think they might be approaching the series wrongly. If you watch it as a mystery box of character interrelationships and past histories waiting to be revealed and connected, then it becomes more fun imo.

Quote:
Even the obligatory kaiju fight has fun with itself leaning into that ‘obligatory’ aspect, the Eugenicists (save the perpetually-owned Onija, of course) once again treating it as just a job before they can get back to their own time at the waterpark.


Dynazenon’s 5.5 voice drama gives some extra insight into the kaiju eugenicists’ group dynamic and interactions. (like how Onija's the more hungup about the group going off their separate ways at the waterpark in the remaining 30 mins they have, because "we're supposed to be together (as a team)".)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4R1ttSY2n8

The question is whether the casual-obligatory nature of Dynazenon’s “villains” is just some storytelling quirk, or if it’ll have a more impactful meaning down the line. They certainly come off as less-classically evil compared to Gridman's Alexis; I know some other boards have been wondering if they might not end up being the bad guys after all.

Also the kaiju eugenicists enjoying churros.
https://twitter.com/ranunshell61/status/1388541532978913287/photo/1
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2021 3:35 am Reply with quote
I am still loving the naturalistic dialogue and episode 5 had me laughing the whole way through; I was annoyed that the interrupted the water park antics for the kaiju fight (to be fair, so were most of the Eugenicists)! The churro scene was awkward, though. I was cheering Yomogi on to get a snack, pull up a chair and join her properly, but he just...kinda stood there and stared. It be like that sometime!

Gauma’s “Fake dating” plan was just him being a wingman, he’s the biggest Yume/Yomogi shipper around, I’m betting. Not that he didn’t want to capture Simizu, he’s just really bad at it. But how would Yomogi and Yume “fake dating” help at all? They’re already at the water park together. (love that the lifeguard was played by an original Gridman actor).

I think the most sinister part of this episode was Inamoto—both in her “date” with Koyomi despite reconfirming that she’s married and that disturbing flashback of her convincing Koyomi to take the blame for breaking a window at school back in middle school. I don’t know why she’s trying to insert herself in Koyomi’s life now, but I doubt it’s just because she’s unhappy in her marriage...she’s less trustworthy than the Eugenicists, who just want to hang out at the water park and eat churros.

I love the voice dramas, personally. They’re only around ~5 minutes long and they’re done in that same hilarious, naturalistic dialogue style, and add context to the show and the characters. I didn’t know about Gridman’s voice dramas when I watched it and I’m glad I know to look for these now.
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Gem-Bug



Joined: 10 Nov 2018
Posts: 1193
PostPosted: Sat May 08, 2021 6:46 pm Reply with quote
Pretty interesting episode 6, which plays like another slow-burn serving before really ramping up in the last 5-6 minutes! Wow!

Points of interest:

-Yume's sister was maybe bullied. Somewhat unclear as we still don't know a lot about her. The "prank" video her friends/classmates took seems like something on the light side that friends would do?
-Chise's gem/egg thing she's been holding onto since episode two is sprouting like a potato
-Yomogi thinking he's more a part of Yume's business than he actually is
-Mujina's thighs
-Koyomi is unlucky with women and/or booze. Also his relationship with Inamoto back in school is giving me Aku No Hana vibes.
-Mujina's thighs
-The Eugenicists can't seem to agree on anything, whether it's "what to do with this toy car?", or "should we straight up -murder- these kids?".
-Sizumo is giving some otherworldly vibes. Could be a kaiju?
-Mujina's thighs
-A kaiju that needs -two- players!
-...Which then seems to give Mujina genki powers?
-Wow, that is a catastrophic amount of city destruction!
-GRIDKNIGHT?? I think we're still in the matrix, folks!

Yeah, so I'm on the fence with the extra-thigh servings we got this week. On the one hand, if I'm 100% honest, yeah, I like looking at Mujina. She's a cutie. On the other hand, up until now this show has been soooooo much better in regards to fan service compared to it's predecessor, and I kinda wanted it to stay that way?


Last edited by Gem-Bug on Sat May 08, 2021 8:59 pm; edited 1 time in total
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