It is very difficult to talk about what is essentially a surreal music video that happened to be animated by Gainax. While I certainly wouldnt call this their best work theres far too much in contention for that title it is very easy to see how it would go on to influence many creators both inside and outside Gainax. Its not a video you can really look away from theres constantly some interesting visual on the screen or some wonderful animation to keep your eyes firmly on point and for that it is commendable. I cant really talk about the full extent of this pieces or DAICON IVs influence though. I am simply not well versed in that regard at all but if you really want to know how it influenced future anime all you have to do is watch it. Its like a classic Dezaki title in that sense once you watch it you see it everywhere a borderline unescapable nightmare you have made for yourself. It didnt have the same reach as Dezaki where nearly every anime stumbles into at least one Joe or Rose of Versailles reference and every anime invariably lifts a technique from him but it is iconic and beloved for a very good reason. As for the story I hope you like Local robot? girl meets aliens hijinks ensue because thats all youre getting. Its not meant to be deep its an animation highlight reel a pure trip one that will make you feel nostalgic for things youve never even seen before. I recommend this wholeheartedly alongside DAICON IV which I will refrain from reviewing as it would be a copy paste of this review. The two together are under 8 minutes in total and there is no reason not to give it your time especially if you claim to care about anime history. One last thing. Some people might be confused on what version of DAICON III and IV to watch. As you can tell by the photo below I chose the laserdisc release however there are particularly crisp fan remasters that are easy to find on Youtube and Twitter if you cant handle a bit of that old laserdisc quality. I feel the only wrong way to watch DAICON is to not watch it at all. 2000https://i.ur.com/3M1o7gu.png This is the first entry in what I hope will be a consistent thing where I review every Gainax anime I have seen while I go through my Gainax watch. If you want to know more about my Gainax watch check my anime list and go to The Gainax Watch. If you want my specific order sort by Last Added and start from the bottom. I also have another list known as The Gainax Leftovers which is Gainax anime that didnt make the cut and is generally reserved for stuff without subs poor scores and are generally unremarkable so anything after Panty Stocking outside Megalo Box isnt being watched. And yes I know the Eva Rebuilds arent Gainax.