Episode Guide
Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9 Episode 10 Episode 11 Episode 12 Episode 13 When it comes to Godzilla, there seems to be no end to sequels, spin-offs, reboots and animated efforts – and Singular Point does have the disadvantage of trying to stand out in this very bloated field. Godzilla Singular point is going to be an anime you’ll either really love or feel really indifferent toward. Where the more recent mainstream efforts have gone all-out on the action and explosions, Singular Points brings everything back to one singular point of focus. Sci-fi. Instead of easy to understand timey-wimey monologues or outright nonsensical gibberish, Godzilla Singular Point goes in hard on its science. There are a lot of conversations here about physics, time travel, mythology and more, which fills most of the run-time in this series. For some, this will feel like a breath of fresh air while others will just want some kick ass kaiju action. Singular Points tries to deliver both and it’s not always successful in doing so. So what the heck is this anime about? Well, Singular Point takes place in the not-too-distant future. It’s 2030 and we’re in the middle of Nogashio City. Engineer Yun Arikawa begins hunting down a strange signal while Mei Kamino, a graduate student, investigates these very same signals from Misakioku Radio Observatory. From here, this slow-burn opening paves way for a big cliffhanger at the end of the first episode. Tension slowly builds as the truth starts to become clearer, with red dust, giant pterosaurs and different kaiju showing up. At the heart of all this drama lies a Catastrophe. Something is going to happen in the near-future and it’s up to Mei and Yun to figure out what. Along the way they receive a sprinkling of clues, including the mysterious Professor Ashihara and jellyfish that could be the key to all of this. Or it could all be a smokescreen for something else. I won’t spoil anything here but suffice to say the story does become really exciting after the midway point. That’s not to say the first half is bad, but most of the time the kaiju are held back in favour of pterosaur attacks and random skirmishes with different monsters. It’s not until late on when we get a glimpse of Godzilla itself and the other Kaiju. The problem with all this though comes from the mythos itself. Unless you’re completed clued up on the Godzilla timeline and variations, there will undoubtedly be some head-scratching moments that ensue. Despite being an original story, this show expects you to already be familiar with everything going on in Godzilla world. Although you can follow along without this, to get the most from Singular Point, the writers expect you to know your stuff. And also have a physics degree too. Going into this expecting a lot of Godzilla action will undoubtedly leave you disappointed. While the action is here, most of the story is chock full of scientific talk and exposition. There are a lot of back and forth dialogues involving scientific talk that pulls absolutely no punches. While some of the visual explanations are helpful, this show is in desperate need of a “Huh? Explain that in English doc?” line to fill in the everyday joes that aren’t clued up on these theories. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy the show without that though, but this is a difficult one to binge through. It’s a very exposition-heavy series and while I personally loved this new emphasis, it also loses sight of the action. And action is probably what many people will go into this expecting. Sure there are battles here but the CG anime feels awkwardly at odds with the hand-drawn efforts. Sometimes it works really well but other times it jars badly; this balance between CG and hand-drawn hasn’t quite been struck yet. Then again, at least it’s not an outright CGI travesty like Saint Seiya was – so there is that. Godzilla Singular Point is an interesting direction for the ever-popular kaiju and a show that leans in hard on the science of science fiction. With a good amount of tension, some so-so action and an enticing cliffhanger, Singular Point is an acquired taste but it’s one heck of a thrill ride nonetheless.
