Anime 55528 Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern Reviews

This has to be the greatest stroke of genius that ever saw the light of day.

The comedy and the meshing together of genres is made masterfully. I have never seen such perfection.
This show subverses any expectations you could ever have. Nobody can predict anything in this show.
The dialogue is absolutely off the charts. The innuendos are many and great.

The outro merges the perfection of the male body with the elegance of true culture.


Who ever conceived this idea needs to be protected and cherished. Whichever board of directors agreed to the script shall be deemed incredibly based.
...
I expected nothing, and I am the furthest from disappointed I have ever been.
All tropes of Mecha, Gundam, Fanservice, Music, inside jokes and whatnot get mixed into this 5 star meal for the soul.

If you watch this and drop it after 1 show, I can understand. Your heart is too weak to perceive the angelic light which hails form japan straight through our screens into our soul.

Forever Bang Bang Bravern!

Brave Bang Bravern - *OP song plays, churns up* "Bang Bang, Bang Bang, Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang, BBRRRRAAAAAVVVVEEERRRRNNNNN!!!" *Explosion SFX* You have my sincere congratulations for being part of the spiritual revival of a long dead franchise.

What defines a dark horse? The Cambridge Dictionary describes it as such: "a person who is not expected to succeed in or unexpectedly wins an election, race, or other competition", or how the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary worded the definition even better: a usually little-known contender (such as a racehorse) that makes an unexpectedly good showing". And in this season, get ready for a wild goose chase of a show ... that will have you constantly be duped, bamboozled, bait-and-switched, especially for fans of this VERY specific theme in all of the history of its genre: Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern a.k.a Brave Bang Bravern!, in collaboration with Cygames and produced by their in-house studio, and directed by the man, not the myth, but THE legend himself: Masami Oobari. The good ol' fashioned Super Robot show is NOT dead yet, and it makes a triumphant return into relevancy! Who, if not ANYONE, saw this coming, if any AT ALL!?

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a hero. What I really wanted to be...was a Titanostrider pilot." This is the life calling of the man who belonged in the US Marine Corps's 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force: 2nd Lieutentant Lewis Smith. He is part of a joint AD-RIMPAC military exercise between the Americans and Japanese, of which he meets a close buddy that will fight alongside him for the rest of the series: 2nd Lieutentant Isami Ao of Japan's Ground Self-Defense Forces's Special Armoured Group. The two brothers who are working together, are met by fate...because out of nowhere, mysterious enemies start invading their military ground in Oahu, Hawaii, and causing everyone to burst into panic mode. You see, the normal Real Robots that both forces have, are the standard Titanostrider a.k.a TS robots, mechs that are only good from invasions to exercises in say, reconnaissance missions and the like. And these mysterious enemies? They're Deathdrives, Super Robots who rely on the power of humans to pilot them. And why do they know this? Because there is only one entity that knows this, and it's their biggest ally ever *cue Isami's "Where is that music coming from!?" Pikachu moment*: Bravern, the Superhero Robot who will be their salvation to defeating the Deathdrives.

It's incredibly creative how this show has managed to hook, line and sinker everyone by being secretive until its eventual reveal. To give some context, the Brave series was a Japanese-only old school mainstream franchise which was once produced by Sunrise, made from the remnants of the failed marketing of Transformers (yes, that Michael Bay movie franchise) in Japan, which didn't really resonate all that much with its people. Instead, at the time, the toy company Takara (now Takara Tomy) and Sunrise decided to develop a new franchise, which would spawn new toy lines and a soon-astounding anime series, with the common theme being "Bravery", the interaction between the robot "Brave", who has a heart and the boy who enters its heart and bears the will of the mecha, the union of the robots, and other unique themes. There is also no direct relationship between each series in terms of world view or time, so therefore, almost all the works are different to each other in terms of themes and motif. Bear in mind that the Brave series would go on to inspire and spawn big-name franchises like Gundam with Sunrise at the helm from the 1980s to today.

So then, where does the legendary director Masami Oobari stand in all of this? First of all, he's actually more known as the mecha and character designer, who's worked on shows like Ashi Production's 1983-1984 Special Armored Battalion Dorvack, the Japanese translation of Transformers (outsourced by Toei Animation to them sometimes), and Studio Pierrot's 1984-1985 Star Musketeer Bismarck as an animation director, with the big break at the age of 19 when he got his first major break of landing the role of mecha designer on the same studio (Ashi Production)'s 1985 Dancougar – Super Beast Machine God series. His signature mech designs basically carried his name throughout the mid-1980s and onwards from said Dancougar series to the various Brave series: Sunrise's 1991 series The Brave of Sun Fighbird, 1994 series The Brave Police J-Decker, and the most recent up to that point, Gonzo's 2002 to 2004 Gravion serie, which he personally created and directed the series alongside renowned mecha designer Kunio Okawara, the FIRST man in the Japanese industry to be credited as one. So, for mecha fans all around the world who are well-acquainted with the Masari Oobari name, it shouldn't really come as a surprise...or is it?

When you put Masami Oobari and the spiritual Brave successor in the hands of Cygames (the company who brought you Granblue Fantasy and Princess Connect! Re:Dive to name a few), the surprises don't stop there. Even the Teaser PV released was as vague as it would get for everyone both suspecting and unsuspecting that we would be getting a new mecha project series, and just about the only clue would be the way that the title is stylized in the old-school Brave series logo of all things. But this original show does one thing and one thing only: be the biggest liar that it has ever been. Cygames has always been the company to do unorthodox things, and when the main PV dropped nearer to the anime's release, it was NOTHING of the sort, leaving people to think that it's a Real Robot show. The kicker comes when Episode 1 dropped, it BLEW up the entire social internet commentary that the show IS indeed the old-fashioned Super Robot show that Masari Oobari has been known for.

At this point, you're probably wondering: "Is this it, is this all it is?", to which I say from the point of Cygames and Masami Oobari: "Do you think that our collaboration together on this original show will be as predictable as it is?" The bait-and-switch will continue, right after this.

The two brothers fated for each other, Isami and Lewis Smith, parallel as they may be, they both have different ambitions as fellow military mech pilots, trying to name a name for themselves. But all of this changes when Bravern comes out of nowhere to defend the humans from the Deathdrives, and for every attack he does, he has to shout his name in the most jovial manner. The kicker is that after he saves the humans, he only acknowledges Isami and warrants him to become his pilot. Suddenly, you're being bamboozled again: this is NOT just a Super Robot, but a Super REAL Robot! The thing is, Isami is a rather reserved man who wants to deal as much damage as possible, at the cusp of as less casualties as possible, and even the most minute of the Death Stranding vibes will force him into turmoil. On the other hand, Lewis Smith embodies the fight of any typical loyal American citizen, and wants to offer himself in exchange for Isami to pilot Bravern, which he gets rejected, saying that the fusion between human and robot will be unstable...NOT knowing that his nightmares with Bravern will become a pivotal point in the series to come.

Bravern himself has a fair few enemies of the Deathdrives, the one closest would have to be Superbia, the Super Robot who has been dealt by his hands and wants a re-match against him to prove supremacy. I did mention earlier that in every beating heart of the Brave, there is an entity who bears that will, and in Superbia's case, comes across a mysterious alien girl who only knows the words "Ga-ga-pi!" whom Lewis had the rather unfortunate way of getting to know her. With the help of Isami and the military's help, the young girl is deduced for not just her constant child-like annoyance, but her real intentions as Lulu, for which every Super Robot as a "Lulu" to pilot them. That alone, makes the Brave connection between mecha and pilot even more of an importance when it comes to the overarching unpredictable plot, which will keep you pumped from start to finish. Also, like every other old-school mecha series, you'd be unwise to NOT pair attacks while calling out your name, each and EVERY time, and Bravern does this to great effect.

When it comes to the production, you know that when Cygames are given free rein to do whatever they want to do, they REALLY mean every single nitpick of the word, especially when it's with someone like Masari Oobari. I have long since awaited their in-house studio CygamesPictures's next work with this show, based on the fact that's proven with the anime adaptation of one of my favourite mobage games of all time: Princess Connect! Re:Dive. Anyone that has watched the series will know the bombastic, nonsense nature of the show with balls-to-the-wall striking action and beautiful animation to boot, and Brave Bang Bravern! is exactly just that and more, just splendid.

Old-school mecha fans, ARISE, for your old-school opening song is dutifully respected, beautifully composed and well-crafted as a love letter to a whole genre. The feeling of anticipation when you hear Bravern's VA Kenichi Suzumura, the titular mech just singing his own song out with brilliance and gusto, singing "Bang Bang, Bang Bang, Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang, BBRRRRAAAAAVVVVEEERRRRNNNNN!!!", along with the inclusion of the SFX, which IS essential to any old-school mecha show to get its full unadulterated vibes. Bravern's OP is a banger of a song that is both the epitome of a sing-along karaoke song, and legitimately one of (if not) the best and memorable OP songs of the season. Think about how Bravern would feel if he found out that you skipped his theme song!?

For the ED, it's a whole lot of close-up interactions between the VAs of Isami and Lewis, but I heavily implore you that the emotionally musical song is part of the entire story plot in and of itself, with the fact that "Is it gay to be shirtless in the rain with your homie while you both sing about your intense feelings for each other as you delicately hold hands? YES." The inherent gay-ness is on full display, but there's meaning to it and not done without reason.

If you had told me that I was going to get a honest-to-good old school mecha anime in 2024, I would have thought you were INSANE. But this is THE reality, and I have nothing but praises for both Cygames and Masami Oobari in unironically creating one of the best underrated and ignored/underestimated surprise shows of the Winter 2024 season, WITHOUT A DOUBT. Literally NO ONE saw this coming, and for all its worth, I'm glad that I got to experience a childhood that I never had with the Brave series, now with its spiritual successor, thanks to Masami Oobari. Also, Crunchyroll, you may have goofed up almost missing this show out by a week, but you've redeemed yourself to let everyone watch this magnificent show about gay men expressing their feelings for one another, be it by mecha or just pure human interaction.

If you're intending to watch the masterpiece that is Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern a.k.a Brave Bang Bravern!, it's one of those anime that works best if you just jump into it with as little foreknowledge as possible. And if you do, I promise you with my 2 hands that this show will be one hell of an unforgettable ride: a literate Abridged take of the Mecha genre.

"Are we ready to rock? Ga-ga-pi!

Welcome to the Super Robot franchise, my friends, time to expand your catalogue with Hard Work, the Power of Friendship, and BRAVERY!"

Bang Bang, Bang Bang, Bang Bang Bang Bang Bang, BBRRRRAAAAAVVVVEEERRRRNNNNN!!!" *Explosion SFX*

Do you like Top Gun for totally heterosexual reasons?
Did Witch from Mercury ending so soon leave a gay-mecha-sized hole in your heart that nothing else can fill?
Do you find euphemisms about how good it feels to be inside your super robot hilarious?

If your answer to any of these questions was yes, you'll probably enjoy Bang Brave Bang Bravern!

Jokes aside Bravern is a very fun watch. Don't go into it thinking it's gonna be a gritty real robots story like the first episode leads you to believe. It's a comedy and should be tagged on MAL as such.

American-style military homoeroticism and mecha are a match made ... in heaven, and I always love when a studio takes a risk with such a ridiculous idea. This is CygamesPictures after all; most notable for putting way too much effort into the Priconne anime.

And if for some reason I haven't convinced you yet: there's also plenty of female nudity for those cultured enough to appreciate both sexes.

My pick for the most surprising anime of the season. I found myself loving this one for a variety of reasons, but first, I’ve got to talk about that premise:

Top Gun with aliens invading a la Independence Day but giant robot Kamina from Gurren Lagann comes to save the day.

That sounds like a mess, and while it kind of is, this is a show that revels in the mess. It leans in hard as the robot Bravern diagetically blasts his theme music from its cockpit (projecting his opening animation background behind him like a boss), proclaims that his pilot Isami is its soul mate, ... and proceeds to devastate Death Drive alien robots (all of whom have personalities that are some variation of absurd in the best way) with abandon. It helps that Isami and many of the characters in this series are very unlike those in Gurren Lagann – they have no idea what the fuck is going on and they (aside from Lewis Smith) are not anime protagonists by nature. A small touch I love: they don’t wait for an opponent to monologue or have a problem using their full power from the get-go. The series does not let you get fully comfortable with its premise, either, as Bravern and gang face down an array of increasingly ridiculous robot foes. The number of ways this series goes sideways consistently surprises and delights.

And oh man, is this show homoerotic as all hell. Those Top Gun feels come through in spades in the early parts of this series, but when that ED kicks on (easily one of the best EDs of the season), it rocks the house with two shirtless bros singing their feelings. There are so many moments where Isami and Lewis or Isami and Bravern are just having the best bro moments or, in some cases, going quite a bit further. These are some of my favorite relationships of the season, whether they’re just being bros or something more.

As for the narrative, it does have direction and momentum to it, though it’s probably the most basic aspect of the series… if you can call it that. The crazy anime nonsense is on full display in some of these episodes, some of which feels over the top even for the more bombastic series. And yes, it gets dour in places, though the series never stays in the doldrums too long. Hell, even when things seem at their darkest, the only solution is to fire on all cylinders and become the impossible source of light in the darkness.

Yes, this series was absolutely fine being as absurd as it could be as it kept going, and that’s as it should be. We needed some Spirit Bomb/color change/power-of-friendship/multi-fusion nonsense, and anyone who says differently just doesn't appreciate good fun. Like with similar series, it would have been pretty easy from the start to guess how this one would end, but I'd be shocked if anyone could guess what kind of wild ride it would take to get there. Just a joy from start to finish.

[Literally everything at once! Impeccable action with intense thrill and emotional desperation, Rated R extremely, EXTREMELY hilarious comedy, and... steamy romance? Such chaotic energy, but with wonderful delivery- one of the best 3 first episodes among all genre of anime that I've ever watched for sure! 10/10]

Bang Brave Bang Bravern is looking up to be one of the most iconic anime of all time, for sure. From every aspect possible, it is so well-made, despite having so much potential still.

Among all of its qualities, what stands out to me the most is the drawing, for sure! The expressions, the shading, everything sets up the mood ... for each scenes SO well that viewers can't help but get invested in the story and in everything that's going on. It's the base of the intense emotions that I felt while watching these first episodes. Ambition, sadness, desperation, confusion, shock, trauma, relaxedness, ease, even just smug- they're only among the emotions that are conveyed SO well making viewers truly fall deep down into its world and its story! Oh, and the characters are sexily well-drawn, if that's what you're into...

Built upon said fantastic foundation is of course the storyline with just the perfect amount of dynamics and jumps between different moods (and genre even, I'd say) cultivating such wonderful balance that persists throughout the episodes. The worldbuilding seems awesome, but since it's still only the first 3 episodes, not much is elaborated or explained, only enough for a human to take in as they are.. attacked, as the synopsis says, and it is definitely adequate. Relating to that, the flow of the story truly makes a lot of sense realistically (in the standard of fictional anime, of course) and it just describes how on fire the writing is so far.

The characters also *seem* like they all have unique personalities and backgrounds but this aspect is what I'd consider the biggest 'potential' that this anime has yet to fulfill. They aren't delved deep enough yet, but we'll see how they're done in future episodes, and according to that, it could be the anime's biggest weakness or it can ascend the quality further.

More about the visual and the graphics, it's top notch, honestly, with beautiful non-action scenes and VERY dynamic action scenes. The detail is no joke, and I assure you there is no scene that gets let down so far. The background, the people, the robots, the weapons, the attacks, and, I have said this in previous paragraphs, the facial expressions, the body language- everything's SO well drawn.

In conclusion, there is no reason to not give this show a chance and to not invest your whole being into the story because it does not disappoint (so far). I sure am looking forward for the next episodes!

Please note for those of you who want to watch military anime like this, because this anime is not completely military, so please read it before you regret it!

At the beginning of the anime story, it shows planes, tanks, aircraft carriers and modern robots.
I thought this would be the best Military anime of the season, but apparently not! In the last seconds of the first episode of this anime, my hopes were destroyed, because the appearance of a talking robot, What The He'll!!

It turns out this is the Power Ranger anime, do you know Power Ranger? Yes, this anime is more or less like ... that, typical with Power Ranger style robot songs, or to make it easier to understand like the anime SSSS.Gridman.

What disgusted me the most was in episode 2, when the robot spoke and kept repeating the same words
Isami.... Isami.... Isami......
A robot that looks like it's horny looking for its partner who never comes.

This really disappoints me, because it adds comedic, parody elements to an anime that should be tense and make the audience excited to see it.
Basically, this anime doesn't have the military elements that I expected, so for those of you who want to watch and hope for Military Mecha in this anime, you should think again.

It's a good idea to watch Aldnoah Zero, or Heavy Objects instead of childish anime like this.

Are you a fan of shows like GaoGaiGar and Samurai Flamenco? Tiger & Bunny, perhaps? Then there's something here for you. This is a show about a 9m tall robot who is madly in love with his pilot. Which is amazing. Bravern revels in the absurdity of its own premise, taking full advantage of it at every opportunity. If there's anything to criticize about this show, it's the fact that it can feel cramped because the creators were (self-admittedly) trying to cram as much into 12 episodes as humanly possible. It's an easy flaw to forgive because it's just a sign of the passion that ... went into creating this masterpiece.

I think that some might be disappointed that this isn't strictly a show about giant robots. Don't be mistaken, it's definitely a show about giant robots. But it's also a story about a love that transcends time and space. You might be surprised, but it's impossible to make it through all 12 episodes without acknowledging that the fulcrum of the show is the explicitly romantic relationship between its two main male characters.

While their relationship is frequently a source of humor, the jokes never feel meanspirited even once. It's treated with sincerity from start to finish. It was a truly refreshing watch in that regard.

I think that it's best to go into Bravern without knowing anything. Its twists and turns are half of the fun. However, it definitely tries to fool you into thinking that it's JUST a serious military drama at first, which it isn't. Don't be fooled by the main keyart filled with beautiful women, either. They're in the show, but their screentime is miniscule compared to the male leads.

This is a great show to watch twice. Once you learn its major twist, the whole show can be viewed with different eyes. All I can do is applaud the writers for their attention to detail.

Who is this show for? I'm not sure. But it was definitely for me.

Don't be fooled; at least finish ep.1. If you enjoy mecha but got a little tired of “traditional” stories (and don’t mind some homoeroticism), give Bang Braven a try!

What should I expect from an anime directed by Obari Masami? Probably robots with crisp yet muscular design that can make striking poses. Yes, the top priority is to see some cool robots!

To my disappointment, the first half of ep.1 was totally a real robot mecha anime; and the robot designs were so…boring. There were some nice characters though, who seemed to be skilled, hard-working, and passionate…blah blah blah…

But you know what? After 10 minutes, all ... of those wouldn’t matter anymore. Audience would be thrown into a totally different story, accompanied by this bizarre but earwormy opening theme. Yes, here it is, a robot with crisp yet muscular design…oh, and it can talk.

But wait a minute…Is this robot talk too much? Is the story is a little weird? Is this episode ending too soon?…Do you…want to watch the next episode for no reason?

I knew ep.2 wouldn’t disappoint, but I didn’t expect it to so hilarious and …homoerotic (hey, it’s a robot anime so that’s not too surprising, right?). It’s true that the jokes were mostly silly, maybe even vulgar - but I couldn’t really hold in a laugh when watching this.

Is the plot and theme important at all, in this anime? Maybe they will be in the future; we can’t tell yet. But for now, I just want to enjoy the absurd humor and cool battles. So far It did really well in piquing my curiosity - Will I be deceived again? Will it get even funnier? Will these silly scenes turn out to be foreshadowing? I can’t wait to see the next episode!

Let’s BANG BANG BANG BANG BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG BRAVERN!

For the love of god, please watch this fucking masterpiece.

Peak animation, peak over-the-topness, peak comedy. Everything you ever wanted to get out of a mecha anime, parodied to hell and back and packed into twelve extremely easy to watch episodes that will leave you craving more. All that being said, god-forbid you try to take anything too seriously or question the plot too much - it's entirely not what the anime wants from you. Sit back and enjoy how much this title seems to indulge the goofiness of itself and anime as a genre. There is little I can say the other reviews haven't pointed ... out in the terms of content, so I'll wrap it up with a single sentence - Top gun meets mecha while subtle homoerotic tones shift into full on gay tension, and boy oh boy is every second of it a treat for every one of your senses.

At the time of writing this, it only just wrapped up, but God I hope this one becomes a cult classic. It's like nothing I've ever seen in anime, and chances are something like this will never be made again. Much like its title implies, the creators decided to gather their courage, and man did they wrap this up with a bang. Even if it turns out not to be your cup of tea, you'll be able to appreciate it all, from story and characters to sound and animation, because it shows: everything in here was made with love.

Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern is the kind of show that tries to be too many things at the same time.

It takes real talent to be able to write a story that can balance the drama of war with (often situational) comedy and gaudy mechs, talent that you won't find here, where all of these elements are thrown in together without much regard as to how they interact, leading to some serious tonal whiplash, usually to the detriment of the drama, and sometimes the fighting and humor. The humor, by the way, relies mostly on homoerotic jokes, so if you don't think gay men = funny, ... there might not be much in there for you. Personally, I did laugh at some of the double entendres (lots of uses of the word "ride"), although, now that the shows is over, I feel mostly foolish and disappointed in what amounts to lots of queerbaiting.

In terms of story and characters, there's some good to be found in the relationships of the main trio (no one else matters at all, if we're being honest) and how they interact and care for each other. Other than that, the narrative is pretty bare bones.

As for the animation, it's slick and pleasing to the eye. The fights are colorful, which gives you some level of distraction from the fact that you don't really care about what happens to the people in it. The character design feels fresh and modern, but with a retro, late 90s/early 00s, vibe.

All in all, I do not recommend you watch Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern. In my opinion, the few laughs and above average visuals do not make up for the banal, below average writing. Were I not a completist, I wouldn't have kept up with it until the end.

probably my favorite anime of the season. it's got comedy, heartfelt scenes, pop culture references, sci-fi, mechs... lots of things i love in one place.

the animation was really polished and i liked that it used traditional animation alongside cg well and the cg wasn't glaringly obvious. the humor was tongue-in-cheek for the most part, with some pretty heavy handed innuendos. the action scenes were really nicely choreographed and fun to watch. i felt the story was solid and i was often left wondering what would happen next. pacing was good, and i hope there will be a second season.

I absolutely hate "Ga-ga-piiii!". I want Lulu to burn in hell and have her eyes gauged out for all eternity, while muted with duct tape so that she can't scream like an idiot. Because there's a lot of it here, especially during the first 5 or so episodes.

Just shut up already, you're annoying as f*ck >_>

Other than that, it's not too bad, even quite funny at times - until Lulu shows up with a "Ga-ga-piiii!", which makes me wanna throw my headphones at the screen.
It definitely turned out to be more interesting and enjoyable than the first episode's first half. Quite happy with what it's ... trying to do, although I won't be here for a second season.

Well, unless I get to watch the death of Lulu. Then I'll return for that.

The general description for this show does not do it justice. I passed on this show multiple times before I saw someone review it on youtube - and barely a minute into that review I knew I had to watch it.

This is a mecha anime that isn't actually about mecha. Yes, one of the main characters is a giant robot, and there is plenty of robot on robot combat in every episode, but that isn't what this show is actually about. It's hard to describe what the story actually is about without spoiling anything or being somewhat misleading. Just know that ... it tries damn hard at being both serious and completely nuts at the same time. A few tweaks to the script could change the tone drastically in either direction.

Bravern is definitely in my top 5 for the year so far. This is a unique story that is told completely in its 12 episodes, with an ending that is completely over the top, but somehow perfectly fitting given everything else that happens prior to it and actually satisfying. I highly recommend going in blind - do not look up ANYTHING about the story and enjoy the ride.

Stop reading reviews. Go watch it now.

Like a hot piece of meat off the grill, the more you stare at it before digging in the worse it gets. Do yourself a favor, watch an episode or two and then come back if you still want to see others' opinions.

Trust me, you'll thank me later.




Or you'll need bleach for your eyes. Same difference but clearly this show wasn't your cup of tea if you couldn't handle what is essentially pure MANLINESS distilled into anime form.
Only weak men, and women, can't handle the pure unadulterated love and passion shared by two men and a robot. ... So if you are weak, you should probably not watch this show and instead go watch some isekai harem fantasy show to fill your scrawny-armed needs.

From this point onward, only those who also believe anime needs to start having nipples drawn on men being a common practice are allowed to continue reading my (rant) review.

No exceptions.


Now why is Bravern a good show? Everything, literally everything. If you grew up watching shows and anime from the 90s and early 2000s, this show feels like a throwback to those days. But now with homoeroticism and Zoomer-Humor. Main characters shout special attack names, friendship and love solves all problems, and the opening has sound effects twice as loud as the song playing underneath. Every aspect of the show shouts "We love anime and giant robots" and I cannot properly put into words how awesome the show feels because of it. The whole staff knew exactly the kind of show they wanted to make and what fans of anime and 90s weeb culture as a whole loved and pander to your every expectation.

Even the attention to detail is there. For example, the show starts in Hawaii, and when the characters are ordering a beer, they actually order an honest to god real-life Hawaiian Beer with the logo ambiguosly slapped on. That scene encompasses the entire vibe of the show, which is it's made for adults, and the more you know and pay attention the more you'll enjoy it.

Characters and interactions can be a bit one note and simple, and side characters are side characters. But let's be honest the show is called Bang Bravern Bang, you aren't watching to see what happens to miss Air Controller in an AWACS with 2min of total screen time. You're watching for the big explosions, giant robots, and big explosions. And that is all you really need to care about from this show. Though you can tell there is nuance to the world and side characters that isn't being fleshed out as big homo robot with his own theme song is more entertaining. Personally I think this is a fine choice since the show keeps it simple and refines that simplicity to a high quality.

For recommending this one, absolutely--- if you don't mind having people question what the hell you are watching. This is such an underrated gemstone of a show that I almost hope it remains small and niche to preserve the fanbase. But recommend it to your friends since this is such a fun show to watch with your friends.

8 out of 10 with a B for Bravern.

TL;DR - Watch an episode first, then read reviews. This is an underrated gemstone best enjoyed blind.

This show is Unabashedly goofy, and I love it for that. It initially presents as though it's going to have real-robot tone, but then swerves hard into classic Super Robot territory and makes it gay, and that's an A+ in my book. The humor, while a little crude, is hilarious. The drama had me tearing up at a couple points. If you're already a fan of mecha, and aren't afraid of a good, humorous time, you will love this show.

Frankly the show defies description. It plays a lot of the usual "super robot" tropes pretty straight a lot of the time, what with evil aliens, ... combining the hearts of sentient robot and pilot (except this time with a lot of innuendo), etc. What it does with those tropes is give us a show that is filled to the brim (eheh) with raw (heh) emotion. Not once does the show act self-aware of how bizarre it gets, or bashes itself over the situations that occur. It's a show with a robot who is gay for the pilot, and it knows that, and embraces it fully. The plot is tightly woven, and the show manages to do a lot in its 12 episodes. I will be awaiting the Bandai Bravern Model kit.

This is the first time seeing a Super Gay Robot Show. The story is about a Japanese Elite Special Forces guy name Isami Ao who while in Hawaii during joint American-Japanese military exercises suddenly Alien looking beings attack the base his squad almost destroyed all hope seems lost, and a mysterious talking robot appear out of nowhere named Bravern asks Isami to get inside his cockpit to pilot him into battle (hidden gay joke) using the power of manly energy from Isami Ao he defeated these Alien beings. Later on the next episode Bravern tells the joint military leaders about the threat of the "Deathdrives". ... While Isami is being interrogated and tortured which made no sense the Military decided to use Bravern in their Military operations to Japan. This Anime has Comedy, that parodies the Brave Series with Yaoi in this Anime. I asked around about this anime to find out this is not apart of the Brave Robot franchise according to sources what I was told the creator mention this is an original Anime of course it is...

The Animation
Animation is done by CygamesPictures, Inc. they are best know for Blade Runner Black Out 2022. The animation was a bit slow on some parts others were fast considering they were using 3D cel shading animation for the Mecha fights more like you watching Transformers Energon from 2004 which reminds me of that style of animation. The Mecha Designs by MORUGA and Mizuki Sakura doing a bit more research found out Misuki Sakura known to do mostly Gundam side story manga this is the first attempt from a person doing a anime such as this I got to say some of the designs were not bad.

Music
I got to say Kenichi Suzumura opening theme Babang to Suisan! Bang Bravern became a MEME because of the scene in the anime "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THEME SONG!?" cause people to laugh at that it was a good theme song. As for the Ending song by Ryōta Suzuki and Yōhei Azakami the song Sōen no Shōzō was cheese on top of the cake funny.

Overall

I really don't hate the Super Gay Giant Robot Bravern its a interesting character had some great moments in the Anime. The problem is LGBTQ2+ won't accept this as representation and pretend it doesn't exist. It's not a perfect anime with a perfect story. I can't help but laugh at this anime for its funny moments. It's a nice attempt to being a Franchise, I don't think it will stick with Steven Universe fans base just because the Anime has a Gay Giant Robot doesn't mean it's going to be a hit with everyone. This anime was a bit boring to be honest it could of done better if it had a good set up for a story.

Imagine, if you will, that Michael Bay decided to make a movie adaptation of Exkaiser. Now imagine that, in addition to the usual Bay staples (explosions, lots of military vehicles, Christian references, oversexualization of female characters), this movie is light-hearted, self-referential, and intensely homoerotic. Such is Bang Bravern, the first TV anime directed by legendary animator Masami Obari in over a decade.

Without a doubt, Bravern is one of the better seasonal anime in recent memory -- probably the best one since Reconguista in G from a decade ago. However, like a lot of the better seasonal anime, Bravern's story is more suited to a ... 1-2 hour OVA, which is evident in the sheer amount of filler in the anime. There are episodes where slideshow animation abounds and a lot of meaningless conversation is had. Filler character interactions don't have to be a bad thing, but in Bravern, they are, and that's because the characters are neither pleasant nor complex. An attempt was clearly made to make the characters seem complex to engage more "mature" audiences, which means that the characters all fall into basic anime tropes -- Smith is a Gary Stu, Isami is a self-insert, all the female characters are moe, and the Deathdrives' personalities are over-the-top and centred around one trait. The most fleshed-out, likeable characters are Bravern and Superbia, but their interactions are too few to support the show.

The story of Bravern is very silly -- Earth is being invaded by alien robots who love death, and the last hope of humanity is another alien robot who loves being a hero. It's the type of pulpy silly that could have worked in a 90s OVA, and it still works here. However, the story is certainly not remarkable enough to justify sitting through all the filler and otherwise grating moments in this anime. The anime is not even nice to look at. The 2D animation is eye-burning and feels like cheap plastic. In addition, all the mecha animation is done in CG, which is especially egregious since Masami Obari is one of the few animators able to direct hand-drawn mecha animation in the current anime industry. The mecha designs, save for Bravern, Superbia, Cupiridas, and a few of the military mecha, tend to feel overdesigned, uninspired, and thrown-together, as if they were designed by an AI. The only thing that makes this anime stand out are its explicitly male homoerotic moments, which are notable for being in a mainstream sci-fi/mecha anime and for involving masculine, muscular men rather than the typical yaoi soft bois who look no different from actual women.

Overall, Bravern is a typical disposable seasonal anime, with nothing to make it particularly notable except its particular brand of homoeroticism. One would be better served watching an actual Yuusha series since they have everything Bravern lacks -- good animation, engrossing stories, and likeable characters/character interactions. However, if you want to watch a gay sci-fi anime that's non-pornographic, Bravern will serve you well.