Evangelion’s Perfect Replacement is an underrated crunchyroll mech anime more fans need to see

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a highly unique anime that has become a phenomenon, both in Japan and beyond. This inspired a generation of up-and-coming animators and writers, who then created their own spin on many of the series’ themes and ideas. While no one has quite managed to match Evangelion‘s incredible cultural influence, there are some amazing series that deal with similar themes, and one of the best is SSSS.Gridman.

Evangelion There are many things that can make it quite difficult to condense into a concise description. What begins as a fairly conventional mecha anime soon devolves as protagonist Shinji Ikari’s mental state takes a nosedive. Although it’s not really a mystery series, the anime has a lot of intrigue around exactly how Earth ended up in this desperate situation, battling invading angels who seem dead to wipe out humanity. In his heart, however, Evangelion is a rather strange coming-of-age story for Shinji, as he learns who he is, what life is like, and eventually comes to accept the good with the bad.

SSSS.Gridman shares a broken world

Something is not right with reality

SSSS.Greidman is an anime adaptation of the former live action series Hyper Agent GridmanDrawing the “SSSS” part of the series’ long and alliterative English title, Superhuman Samurai Cyber-Squad. As such, it is not technically a mecha series, drawing more from the live action tokusatsu series (showing similar to Kamen Rider Or Super Sentai/Power Rangers), although Gridman functions much like a mecha. The show reveals in its origins, with one character an in-universe fan of the Ultraman series that Gridman originates from.

like EvangelionIt can be difficult to discuss SSSS.Greidman Without getting into spoiler territory, especially in the ways the two are similar. In both series, there is something very clearly wrong with the world, though in SSSS.Greidman Only the protagonists seem to notice, because no one else has memory of the changes. Both also see attacks from mysterious monsters that threaten to eliminate the people living there. in SSSS.GreidmanThe monsters are clearly kaiju, and the sight of multiple kaiju lurking over the horizon is what initially tips the protagonists to the problems they are facing.

SSSS.Gridman is a production of Studio Trigger, which was founded by former employees of Gainax, the studio that originally produced EvangelionAnd many of its creators even worked on the series, giving it something of a tie back to Evangelion. The series celebrates this fact in the English version, where a group of characters appear known as the “Neon Genesis Junior High students,” despite not being actual students.

SSSS.Gridman flips the script on Shinji

Shinji’s counterpart is a villain, not a hero

Shinji Ikari is the main protagonist of EvangelionAlthough he is about as far from heroism as you can be from being actively evil. Shinji is basically forced to pilot an EVA, and resents this fact greatly, especially as the battles get more and more intense. Shinji is plagued by depression and anxiety, feeling that he has no value outside of his ability to pilot the EVA, which only makes him resent it even more. When his mental state unravels, the feelings turn to rage and bitterness, and when the fate of the world ends up in Shinji’s hands, he almost decides not to save it.

While SSSS.GreidmanThe nominal protagonist Yuta Hibiki has several similarities to Shinji, such as the fact that only he can work Gridman, There is another character whose journey is much more than Shinji’s: Akane Shinjo, the antagonist of the series. Akane, like Shinji, is quite unhappy with her life, but unlike him, she has fantastic powers that allow her to act on her darkest impulses. Where Shinji is forced to join the battles, Akane is the one who starts them, and she quickly tires of Gridman getting in her way – a fact that ultimately pushes her to darker extremes than even Shinji.

Akane is a very complex character; She is socially isolated, but still maintains a friendship with Rikka Takarada, an ally of Gridman (although Akane doesn’t know this). Her loneliness and self-loathing are very reminiscent of Shinji, but rather than Misato watching over her, she has an enabler that reveals her destructive impulses. Even her dark behaviors make some sense, given the context of the world she believes she lives in. Unlike Shinji, she is rarely forced to put herself in danger due to the incredible power she possesses, but ultimately taking matters into her own hands turns out to be the only winning move.

SSSS.Gridman offers a universe just as deep as Evangelion for fans to get lost in

Gridman has built a complex universe of his own

SSSS.Greidman was successful enough that it received a sort of sequel series, SSSS. Dynazenonin 2021. Dinazenon Has a similar setup to GridmanWith the world suddenly coming under kaiju attacks, with an unexpected young boy come to the rescue in the giant mecha Dinazeon. It’s their very own thing, but letters of Gridman And Dinazenon Crossed one another in the 2023 film Gridman Universewhich features a multiverse-threatening plot that requires both to work together if they want to save the world.

Evangelion It has also had quite a lot of spinoffs, most of which retell the story under different circumstances, viz The Shinji Ikari Rising ProjectOr Angel daysBoth manga that showcase how events could be reversed if the characters’ situations were different. These come together to form a sort of Evangelion Multiverse that some characters (such as Kaworu) seem to be fully aware of. This offers the most dedicated fans a lot more content to dig into, with the tone of the story changing dramatically as a result of the altered variables in the characters’ lives.

So, even for fans who like to dig into the deepest parts of Evangelion study, Gridman has plenty to offer with its follow-up projects, giving it a deeper universe to match. It is not clear if there is more now Gridman Happy on the road at the moment, but given its success, it seems likely that another installment will arrive sooner or later.

SSSS.Gridman’s Themes Mirror Evangelion’s

Gridman and Evangelion deal with depression and loneliness

thematic, SSSS.Greidman Does explore some of the same ideas that Evangelion does, although it often handles them differently. The nature of the world is a great mystery in the series, because it is clear that something is very wrong from the first episode. Both shows have a cerebral atmosphere to them, encouraging the audience to think and ponder the questions they pose. Although both series have clear whales, the idea of ​​what is good and what is evil is deliberately kept vague.. The question of whether Akane is redeemable is one that the series continues until literally the last moments of the series.

Perhaps where the two series are most similar is in their endings, which can be a bit confusing for many fans. While EvangelionThe ending was as rude as it needed to be End of Evangelion To explain things, SSSS.Greidman is somewhat clearer. Without going into spoilers, both series finales revolve around the mental state of a certain character, and whether the connections they have built will be enough to put a stop to the world’s problems.

SSSS.Greidman Certainly feels like something of a spiritual successor to EvangelionFrom its themes to its struggling characters, right down to the studio’s ties back to Gainax. SSSS.Greidman is also loaded with Evangelion References that fans of the series will be delighted to see. Although there is nothing out there that is quite like Neon Genesis Evangelion, SSSS.Greidman Uses many of the things that make Evangelion Great in novel and interesting ways, making for a delightfully unique experience all its own.