Kenji Nakamura doesn't make a superhero show, he makes a color explosion that thinks like a philosopher. Every frame looks like it was painted by someone who believed animation could express ideas faster than dialogue, and Taku Iwasaki's score doesn't accompany the action, it IS the action. The show's obsessed with heroism in an age where everyone has a voice, which means it can't decide if the crowd saves you or destroys you, that contradiction isn't a flaw, it's the entire point, and by episode twelve you realize the confusion was always the real theme.

Hajime Ichinose is an upbeat, kindhearted schoolgirl in Tachikawa City until a godlike being named J.J. Robinson gives her NOTE, a small book that awakens her hidden power and makes her the newest member of Gatchaman. The group is a secret team of warriors who fight in reinforced suits fueled by spiritual energy, guarding Earth from dangerous aliens. At their headquarters she meets the rest of the crew, including their panda-like leader Paiman and her classmate Sugane Tachibana. Their current target is MESS, a mysterious and increasingly destructive threat, but Hajime's unusual way of handling it leaves her teammates baffled. Soon a far deadlier alien, Berg Katze, puts all of humanity at risk.