Some movies are just giant bundles of fun packed into theaters, so I’m glad that I got to experience watching Gridman Universe on the big screen. It’s too bad that theaters in Japan normally discourage cheering and clapping outside of special “cheer screenings”, though. Gridman Universe is exactly the kind of high-energy, crowd-pleasing, rip-roaring anime film experience that will have the audience shout in excitement similar to Promare or Inu-Oh, and there were multiple points in the movie where I had to exert myself to hold back from doing so. If you’re a fan of tokusatsu heroes, giant robots, or both, then Gridman Universe is sure to be a great time.
To those familiar with their Japanese superheroes, Gridman Universe might just be best described as something similar to the yearly Super Sentai “VS” superhero crossover movies, featuring the hero team from the show airing this year and the hero team from the show that aired the previous year. You have two groups of character from two shows interacting with one another in ways fans would want them to, teaming up to face a new threat in ways only these combined teams can. You get to see where the whole gang is at after they’ve completed their character arcs from their respective shows, and resolve any loose ends both shows might have had. You have all the team-up attacks, combined robot forms, and returning character appearances galore that you would ever expect… plus a couple of other surprises. But most of all, it’s another chance to spend some more time with the characters you’ve come to know and love, like having a blast at an all-you-can-eat barbecue party with friends you haven’t seen in a while.
It’s a simple formula that’s guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser for fans of either show, yet Gridman Universe delivers on it so successfully to the point that I have a hard time believing what I’m seeing. Save for a few minor details, it might just be the best version of a Gridman–Dynazenon crossover one could ever make. It’s everything you could ever hope for from a crossover movie between SSSS.Gridman & SSSS.Dynazenon. As a fan of both shows, I find that I couldn’t ask for more. The end result feels like a dream come true, and the golden standard for what a superhero crossover movie should be.
But beneath all of its fanservice, its heartening to see that the film never forgets the underlying thematic threads and beating heart that connect the original Denkou Choujin Gridman (1993) to its “SSSS” iterations. The movie takes note of how the people our titular hero Gridman saves more often than not become heroes in their own right. Yet it also points out how Gridman himself often enlists the aid of others, and is a hero who isn’t all-powerful by himself. Gridman, Yuta, Yomogi, & co. prove that just like with giant robots, people become stronger when they rely on one another and combine together to take on bigger challenges. Whatever they choose to do, Gridman is always there to push people forward and encourage his comrades to take that extra step in their daily lives, and to remind them that they don’t have to go at it alone.
By the time the end credits roll, it feels like you’ve also received a bit of that same courage from Gridman Universe to become a hero yourself too.
Gridman Universe premiered in Japanese theatres on 24 March 2023. It will premiere in North America on 3 July 2023 at Anime Expo, and Hong Kong-based distributor Neofilms have also hinted at releasing the film in Southeast Asia.
The Indonesian Anime Times | Review by Caesar E.S
