Starting right where the last episode ended, SSSS.Dynazenon formally introduces us to the Kaiju Eugenicists – Onija (Yuma Uchida), Juuga (Hiroshi Kamiya), Mujina (Ayaka Suwa), and Shizumu (Koki Uchiyama). These four reveal that Gauma was once part of their team before betraying them. Some of them ask Gauma to rejoin theirs ranks but Gauma refuses. Onija would rather fight Gauma but since Dynazenon is a giant robot and there’s no kaiju left for his team to use, the Kaiju Eugenicists retreat.
While the Kaiju Eugenicists appear to be the bad guys, Onija is the only one who consistently has a temper. Everyone else is pretty darn chill by comparison. Juuga in particular is pretty civil as he has a chat with Yomogi, primarily to see if it’s possible if any of the Dynazenon pilots could join his team though he does answer whatever questions Yomogi asks him. I don’t know if the Kaiju Eugenicists’ attitude makes them a greyer threat compared to SSSS.Gridman‘s Akane but it is something to note.
At school, Yume and Yomogi investigates the former’s older sister, Kano. Yume explains that she and Kano weren’t particularly close but Kano did invite her to a musical recital shortly before her death. Curious about this loose end, Yume visits the music club and the club advisor gives her contact information for Kano’s friend, Kanae. You’d think the show would have Yume mee Kanae in this episode but it’s apparently being saved for later. This is however not the last time the episode brings up this plot thread.
Elsewhere, we see Koyomi bump into an old classmate of his, Inamoto (Mariya Ise), who happens to be Yomogi’s boss at the supermarket. The two exchange contact information, leaving Chise feeling a bit envious (and that’s in spite of the fact that Inamoto is already married). I don’t know how relevant it is that Inamoto is connected to two of the main characters. Her being Yomogi’s boss could simply be a coincidence. I’m curious to see what this show has in store for Chise. Like, she doesn’t have a robot to pilot so if she’s not involved in the action, she has to be involved in the interpersonal drama. Otherwise, what does she have to do in the story?
Eventually, a new kaiju spawns and Onija calls dibs on it. The Dynazenon crew arrive shortly after. I chuckled when Yomogi is concerned about skipping class. Like, is he really contemplating that when people’s lives are at stake? Anyway, the monster is too strong against Dynazenon’s individual components so Gauma suggests combining into the real deal. His teammates however think it won’t work since Gauma is keeping his past a secret from them. I guess Dynazenon requires its pilots’ feelings to be in sync with one another though that confuses me since Gauma was able to control Dynazenon on his own in the first episode. Maybe it’s because everyone were all panicking for their lives and that counts as mutual. But whatever, Gauma does explain who he is.
Apparently, Gauma and the Kaiju Eugenicists were around 5,000 years ago and they’ve somehow been revived in the present day. I find that hard to believe though Juuga does say the same thing in his conversation with Yomogi so I guess I’ll buy it for now. Gauma also reveals that a woman entrusted him with Dynazenon and a goal of his right now is to find her. I honestly have no clue who this woman could be. Gauma later says he met the woman 5,000 years ago and he assumes that she’s been revived alongside him and the Kaiju Eugenicists. The problem is that unless SSSS.Gridman took place that long ago, I don’t know if anyone from that show can fit the bill. The woman could instead be a deep cut to Gridman the Hyper Agent so I can’t make any hunch there but the show does have the same chronological problem as the first anime series.
With Gauma revealing his past to them, the team trusts him again and combine to form Dyanzenon. The final outing with the kaiju is pretty sick with how Dynazenon flies it up into space to negative its ability to create explosions. Turning into Dyna Rex for the finisher is an awesome moment as well. I know it’s early for me to say but SSSS.Dynazenon‘s action scenes are giving SSSS.Gridman a run for its money. The animators have done a great job so far in this department. Hilariously, one of the kaiju’s remains lands on Onija though he does manage to survive the impact so I wonder if he and his team are immortal or undead.
There’s a curious moment where Gauma notes that kaiju defy common sense, making Yume wonder if it’s possible for a kaiju to revive the dead. That’s a very dangerous thought given what we know of her backstory. I worry she might be tempted to take the kaijus’ power to resurrect her sister and that’ll lead to her siding with the Kaiju Eugenicists over her current team. I thought Yume is Rikka 2.0 but maybe she’s Akane 2.0 instead.
Watch SSSS.Dynazenon on Crunchyroll and Funimation
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