“In this world, there’s three important things you’ve gotta keep. Promises, love, and…”
What a finale! Dynazenon pulled out all the stops for this one, including all the best versions of its many transformation sequences and a lengthy epilogue with some excellent touches. In my last post I bemoaned the show’s lack of context for the Eugenicists’ history, but a conclusion this good makes up for that omission, at least in my mind. Hell, I’d have been happy even if the cast hadn’t received such a sweet sendoff, given all the high-detail stills of Dynazenon’s damaged frame after the final battle with Sizumu (I could live on those shots for weeks). If I had to select one thing to nitpick here, it’d be Sizumu himself, whose sullen silence in the last episode was a poor payoff for his series-long secrecy. Even as the other Eugenicists were screaming themselves hoarse, the show’s ultimate antagonist kept quiet – though we were treated to plenty of monstrous chuckling from his kaiju form. There’s a chance he’ll be back in the upcoming ‘Gridman x Dynazenon’ crossover, though, so I won’t write him off just yet.
Speaking of Gridman, this was a very different ending from that of the original entry in the SSSS franchise. Gridman dispatched its final villain not merely with a massive mecha brawl, but in parallel with Akane freeing herself from his clutches. Its final episode was her story, even though she wasn’t the one doing the fighting. When you factor in Gridman’s last thirty seconds, which framed the entire series as a real-life Akane’s experience of a virtual world, Dynazenon’s more straightforward finish seems neither better nor worse – just different. I do prefer Alexis Kerib to Sizumu, but if you play the comparison game for too long you’ll be stuck in that mindset forever. Ultimately, I’m happy with how this new show finished, even when it came to wrapping up Gauma’s story, because despite our trifling knowledge of his personal history, his rebirth as the soul of Dynazenon was highly tactful. That’s how I’m choosing to explain its restoration in the virtual world, anyway, since his life was previously linked to the light in its eyes, which shone brightly in the episode’s final seconds.
As for Yomogi, Yume, and the other fully-human characters, they got their chance to find peace in an epilogue chapter, which traveled three months into the future. Despite being minor players in the grand scheme of things, Koyomi’s new hairdo and Chise’s badass Goldburn tattoo were instantly iconic sendoffs. Naturally, though, it was Yomogi and Yume who took us home, and I’ve gotta be honest – their final exchange at the cultural festival was my favorite scene of theirs in 12 episodes. Yume was still withdrawn, despite having processed her sister’s death, while Yomogi hadn’t wavered in encouraging her. They’re the same people we met at the start of the show, just with a pair of matching scars and a different relationship status. You love to see that emotional continuity after a timeskip – continuity that was echoed by Yomogi’s conversation with Sizumu in the former boy’s mind. Yomogi insisted that he wasn’t losing anything by binding himself to Yume; rather, he was “gaining irreplaceable bonds.” That’s who he’s been since episode one – someone who values other people, and will throw away anything (even the unlimited power of a kaiju user) in order to save them.
What’s next for the SSSS.Universe? Does Sizumu’s consciousness truly reside in Yomogi’s brain, and if so, will he attempt a takeover? Will the Gridman crew form the backbone of the story since we haven’t seen them in years, or will Gauma’s implied survival be made explicit when he tries to get the Dynazenon band back together? I haven’t got a clue, but I do know that I enjoyed this follow-up series about as much as its predecessor. It started so strong, and paid such careful attention to each member of its upsized cast, that I thought we might be in for a strict upgrade, but some weird digressions and unconvincing character parallels disabused me of that notion before long. (Seriously, what was the show trying to accomplish with Koyomi and Mujina’s strange connection?) Nevertheless, consistent visual presentation and attention-grabbing editing kept me around for the entire cour, and a giant satisfaction bomb of an ending sealed the deal. Dynazenon is certain to rank somewhere on my 2021 favorites list, especially with the summer season looking as dire as it does. Hopefully you enjoyed it as well – see you whenever the crossover event rolls around.
