If you haven’t heard of it, give it a try. The first episode is crazy.
Summary:
Brave Bang Bravern! is a new mecha anime that was very well-received after its premiere.
It’s well-animated and directed by Masami Oobari, who is an industry veteran with a lot of experience in the genre.
Mecha genre might be unpopular, but Brave Bang Bravern! got enough hype for Crunchyroll to license it in the West despite originally not planning to do so.
Mecha is not a very popular anime genre nowadays. Between misconceptions about the nature of the genre (no, it’s not just about the robots!) and the shift towards more realistic works, not many otaku seem to be getting into mecha these days.
Of course, less and less people enjoying the genre means less and less anime of that genre are being produced. It’s not all lost, however: this season’s Brave Bang Bravern! (Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern) is a very unique mecha anime that is severely underwatched.
A very unique and well-received premiere
Brave Bang Bravern! is better enjoyed blind, but for many newer fans, there’s simply not enough reason to watch it. It’s not adapted from a popular manga, and the genres are not very appealing to many.
Despite that, the first episode was already awesome, and the incredibly positive reception both in Japan and among more seasoned Western otaku made Crunchyroll pick up the series that was previously not licensed.
The anime employs the bait-and-switch tactic — that is barely used nowadays. Brave Bang Bravern! is initially presented as a “real robot” anime, focusing on mass-produced, somewhat realistic mechs piloted by soldiers. By the end of the first episode, it switches to the “super robot” genre, which is closer to epic superhero stories.
It looks great, which is, in part, thanks to its director
A thing that many fans noticed is how well-animated the anime is. The surprisingly great mix of 2D and 3D animation during action scenes did not go unnoticed. Many old-school anime fans complain about mecha anime being mostly done in 3D CGI nowadays, but Brave Bang Bravern! utilizes the technology very well.
It becomes even more obvious why the anime is so well-produced when you realize who directed it. Masami Oobari, who directs Brave Bang Bravern!, is known to be a fan of the mecha genre — and a veteran of the industry who specializes in this anime.
His directorial debut was on two episodes of the much-beloved Bubblegum Crisis series, and later, he created more mecha anime, like Gravion (Choujuushin Gravion) and Ginsoukikou Ordian.
Yes, it was ignored at first, but that makes sense
The initial lack of interest towards the anime is understandable when you realize the mecha genre is unpopular in the West. New projects like that don’t tend to attract many viewers. However, Crunchyroll went ahead to license it, which gives mecha fans hope for the future of their genre.
If you haven’t heard of it, give it a try. The first episode is crazy.
Summary:
Brave Bang Bravern! is a new mecha anime that was very well-received after its premiere.
It’s well-animated and directed by Masami Oobari, who is an industry veteran with a lot of experience in the genre.
Mecha genre might be unpopular, but Brave Bang Bravern! got enough hype for Crunchyroll to license it in the West despite originally not planning to do so.
Mecha is not a very popular anime genre nowadays. Between misconceptions about the nature of the genre (no, it’s not just about the robots!) and the shift towards more realistic works, not many otaku seem to be getting into mecha these days.
Of course, less and less people enjoying the genre means less and less anime of that genre are being produced. It’s not all lost, however: this season’s Brave Bang Bravern! (Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern) is a very unique mecha anime that is severely underwatched.
A very unique and well-received premiere
Brave Bang Bravern! is better enjoyed blind, but for many newer fans, there’s simply not enough reason to watch it. It’s not adapted from a popular manga, and the genres are not very appealing to many.
Despite that, the first episode was already awesome, and the incredibly positive reception both in Japan and among more seasoned Western otaku made Crunchyroll pick up the series that was previously not licensed.
The anime employs the bait-and-switch tactic — that is barely used nowadays. Brave Bang Bravern! is initially presented as a “real robot” anime, focusing on mass-produced, somewhat realistic mechs piloted by soldiers. By the end of the first episode, it switches to the “super robot” genre, which is closer to epic superhero stories.
It looks great, which is, in part, thanks to its director
A thing that many fans noticed is how well-animated the anime is. The surprisingly great mix of 2D and 3D animation during action scenes did not go unnoticed. Many old-school anime fans complain about mecha anime being mostly done in 3D CGI nowadays, but Brave Bang Bravern! utilizes the technology very well.
It becomes even more obvious why the anime is so well-produced when you realize who directed it. Masami Oobari, who directs Brave Bang Bravern!, is known to be a fan of the mecha genre — and a veteran of the industry who specializes in this anime.
His directorial debut was on two episodes of the much-beloved Bubblegum Crisis series, and later, he created more mecha anime, like Gravion (Choujuushin Gravion) and Ginsoukikou Ordian.
Yes, it was ignored at first, but that makes sense
The initial lack of interest towards the anime is understandable when you realize the mecha genre is unpopular in the West. New projects like that don’t tend to attract many viewers. However, Crunchyroll went ahead to license it, which gives mecha fans hope for the future of their genre.
