Oh, you were expecting a grounded Real Robot series? Uh, yeah, about that…
Bang Brave Bang Bravern! note , shortened in the West as Bang Brave Bravern!, is a Mecha anime directed by Masami Obari and animated by Cygames Pictures that aired beginning January 11, 2024.
During a joint Japanese-American Titanostrider exercise on Hawaii, Second Lieutenant Lewis Smith of the USMC encounters Third Lieutenant Isami Ao of the JGSDF and is impressed with his skill. With the next AD-RIMPAC exercise being Japan vs. the US, Smith is eager to test his mettle against the talented but taciturn Isami.
However, just as that exercise begins, alien invaders suddenly land and begin attacking everything in sight. Many of the Titanostriders are taken out in a heartbeat as both American and Japanese forces are swiftly reduced to laying down cover fire for evacuating personnel. All looks hopeless as the soldiers left and right face almost certain defeat…
But then, from out of nowhere, another, much flashier robot called Bravern appears, and asks Isami – whose name he already knows for some reason – to board him, before effortlessly taking out the invaders.
Thus begins the saga of Bravern and his efforts to save the world from the alien invaders, alongside his new pilot Isami, whose entire life has been turned upside-down by the loud, boisterous robot and his… special way of expressing himself.
A day after Episode 1 aired in Japan, Crunchyroll announced it would stream Bravern. Aniplus Asia has the rights for it to air in Southeast Asia, which they announced on January 10, 2024 and aired on January 12, 2024.
Bang Brave Bang Bravern contains examples of:
- Affectionate Parody: This work is brutally honest about how corny and ridiculous the tropes and conventions of the Super Robot Genre look, and how out-of-place they should be in any serious context. But Bravern still manages to save the day with those same corny tropes, and some of his Hot-Blooded dialogue actually hold valuable advice to the human cast, so it doesn't feel like an attack to the Super Robot Genre.
- Artistic License – Physics: The buildings in Japan that had huge holes opened in them really should have collapsed under their own weight instead of remaining as building with holes in them.
- Ascended Fanboy: Played with. Smith is the member of the main cast the most elated at the notion of piloting an actual Super Robot, but Bravern outright rejects him as a pilot when Isami says he doesn't want to do the job. Still, he's rather excited to lead a troupe of supporting pilots. And then it becomes a straighter example when it's revealed that Bravern is a time traveling Smith.
- Bad Future: Heavily Downplayed. The timeline Lulu traveled from is one where Isami and Bravern died gruesomely in the final battle with the Deathdrives. However, the pair do ultimately succeed in defeating them and the world afterwards is shown to be a peaceful one.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Yes, the Deathdrives have ridiculous names and extremely hammy personalities. Doesn't mean they don't vastly overpower everyone but Bravern and kill a lot of people.
- Big Damn Heroes:
- Bravern makes his entrance by literally dropping out of the sky just as Isami is about to get vaporized by a beam.
- In Episode 2, Bravern saves an A-10 pilot by ramming a Soldat Terror out of the sky in his Brave Thunder form.
- Bilingual Backfire: In Episode 2, some of the German personnel have a quiet word amongst themselves in their native language speculating that Bravern's appearance might be a trick by the Americans, only for Bravern to (loudly) proclaim in German that everyone must be united against the Deathdrives.
- Bittersweet Ending: The series ends more on the sweet note than bitter. The menace of the Deathdrives is finally over and Verum Vita is dead, but Superbia died on battle against Ira, the good thing is that Smith got his human body back and is now alive once more but lost his powers, so Bravern is no more.
- Breather Episode: Episode 4 primarily revolves around Lulu adjusting to Hickam Air Force Base and Isami decompressing from the constant stress he's been under since the Deathdrives first invaded, notably being first episode without any fight scenes. This makes the episode's ending all the more jarring.
- Calling Your Attacks: Bravern, being a Super Robot, is prone to this. Parodied in Episode 3 where Bravern renames his finishing move for no discernible reason.Isami: "Courage One Sword Style Special Attack! Brave Sla-"
Bravern: "No. This time it's Brave Zubash!"
Isami: "What the hell's the difference?!" - Cold-Blooded Torture: Isami is tortured in the second episode for info on Bravern and the aliens, as the CIA don't believe the man who piloted an alien robot had no previous contact with said robot. His interrogators are shown to be uncaring about his obvious mental breakdown. It was also attempted with Lulu on episode 4, but it failed as she was not only unaffected, but all she could say was "Lulu" and "Smith", so there was no info they could extract from her. She also emptied all the water gallons they had to boot.
- Decoy Protagonist: The narration at the start of the first episode comes from Smith musing on what he wanted to be as a kid. But it winds up being Isami who pilots Bravern. Subverted when it's revealed that Bravern is Smith.
- Diegetic Visual Effects: All the Super Robot visuals that follow Bravern around are outright holograms he's projecting around himself, adding to his baffling nature.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune:
- The opening theme, "Back with a Bang! Bang Bravern," is sung by Kenichi Suzumura, Bravern's voice actor. The opening credits even attributes the song to Bravern himself!
- Similarly, the ending theme, "Portrait of Twin Flames," is sung by Ryōta Suzuki and Yohei Azakami, who voice Isami and Smith respectively.
- Driving Question: How does Bravern know Isami? The answer: Bravern is Lewis Smith who died in Episode 9. By Deathdrive Knuth's Time Master, bio-mech binding, and Deathdrive Respawn Point mechanism, Smith found himself reincarnated into a newly evolved species that shares a base biological makeup as Deathdrives. Naming his new self as “Bravern,” Bravern earned the chance to go back in time to relive, and fix the events starting from Episode 1.
- Due to the Dead: After the chaos of the first attack subsides, it is shown that surviving soldiers took their time saluting their fallen comrades, still in body bags. One had flowers placed on it since Oahu was still in danger from further alien attacks and there was no time to hold proper funeral rites. This includes Lewis Smith's cenotaph, where his comrades tied his favorite Spar Kaiser figurine to his cross.
- First-Episode Twist: Early marketing left little indication about Bravern's Super Robot nature, instead portraying the work as a grounded Real Robot series. And everything in the first episode supports this idea until Bravern literally descends from the sky at the climax of the episode.
- Fun with Subtitles:
- In Episode 10, Superbia and Lulu had an extensive argument in their Deathdrive language with subtitles on screen that translates all of their verbal exchanges into Japanese. Once Lulu insults Superbia, he speaks Japanese out of shock, and for some reason, the subtitles translate his Japanese back into their own language.
- The finale placed the opening theme for their ending credits with proper karaoke sing-along subtitles.
- Fusion Dance: In episode 9, Bravern is revealed to be an amalgamation of Lewis Smith (containing his mind), his Titanostrider (as a piloted mech requiring the synchronization of two minds), and the Deathdrive Knuth (as a highly advanced mechanical lifeform, also retaining but redirecting her Single-Target Sexuality).
- In episode 12 also one occurs with Isami and Bravern's body, turning him into Bang Brave Big Bang, Lulu also pulls one off with Superbia's Body to turn it into a sword for Bang Brave Big Bang to use.
- Genre Refugee: Bravern seems to be a Brave Series-styled sentient Super Robot who literally appeared out of nowhere onto the scene of a more grounded Real Robot show. Eventually, this is revealed to be an Invoked Trope: Bravern is the reincarnation of Lewis Smith, given the chance to live out his childhood dream of being an over-the-top Tokusatsu hero.
- Go Back to the Source: The story starts at Oahu, Hawaii with the Deathdrives setting up their respawn towers on the island to start their invasion. The Allied Task Force realized the Deathdrives has spread throughout the globe, and planned to save humanity starting by uprooting the Deathdrive towers in Japan. But then the actions of both Bravern and the ATF piqued the interest of the Deathdrives, resulting in the Deathdrives’ decision to move all of their units back towards the ATF base instead of taking the long-distance wait for the ATF to reach them. Thus, most of their boss level units stationed themselves in Hawaii where the battle first started. Eventually, Bravern, Isami, Lulu and Superbia went back to Hawaii to deal with the remaining Deathdrives.
- Homoerotic Subtext:
- Smith and Isami get some before the plot proper even gets started, beginning to form a Top Gun-esque rivalry and Smith being very touchy-feely in a bar. This continues through the series, with the eyecatch of every episode being Smith and Isami shirtless with one another. Which is nothing compared to the ending, which is an extended duet between the two where they remove their shirts and intertwine their hands.
- Isami and Bravern take it to a whole next level, with Bravern launching into an Innocent Innuendo-laden spiel about how amazing it was to feel Isami inside him, how he felt when Isami moved his joystick up and down, and how his cockpit will always be open for him. This goes from being subtext to explicit text in Episode 11 when Bravern outright confesses his love to Isami and throws himself at him before being interrupted by Lulu.
- I Never Told You My Name: Bravern somehow already knows Isami's name at their first meeting, which contributes to Isami's wariness of the giant robot. Even weirder, he also already knows Superbia; you'd think this is because Bravern is a known enemy of the Deathdrives, but Superbia himself is just as confused by Bravern knowing his name as Isami was. Turns out it's because Bravern has already lived through all of these events as Smith.
- Left the Background Music On: In Episode 1, when Isami boards Bravern for the first time, Bravern's theme music plays. But when it cuts to scenes inside Bravern's cockpit, the theme is muffled.Isami: Where did this song come from?!
- Market-Based Title: It's streamed outside Asia under the shortened title "Brave Bang Bravern!".
- A Mech by Any Other Name: The Real Robots are known in the series' setting as Titanostriders, or TS for short.
- Mechanical Lifeform: Bravern seems to be a sentient robot, though his origins are still unclear. The Deathdrives he swore to fight, as he tells the army officers, are metal-based beings that attained sentience after millions of years of evolution.
- Mission Briefing: One happens in the fifth episode for Operation Uprising, an anti-Deathdrives operation to liberate Japan from the Deathdrivers.
- Mood Whiplash: The alien invasion is played for all kinds of horror. First there is the growing terror once a completely unknown enemy attacks, followed by a Mass "Oh, Crap!" when it turns out said enemy can No-Sell everything thrown at them, and finally despair at the fact that all the soldiers in the battlefield are going to die. Then a Super Robot painted in vibrant colors shows up to kick the ass of all the aliens, complete with a Theme Music Power-Up. He even gets Isami to scream the name of the finishing blow with him.
- Multinational Team: Thanks to the aliens attacking during an ADRIMPAC exercise. Isolated and under risk of further attacks, the remaining troops in Oahu are merged into a military task force to combat the Deathdrives. The focus of the series mostly goes to the Japanese and American characters, but it's shown that there are other nationalities in the group, like German and Australian sailors. They're known as the "Allied Task Force".
- My God, What Have I Done?: Lulu realizes her well-intentioned goal to Set Right What Once Went Wrong may have backfired spectacularly in episode 12, where she went back in time in order to save Bravern and Ao but Bravern still died and now Superbia is dead, and humanity's fate is now looking worse than the future she came from with Ira still kicking and humanity having no champions.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: One of the Deathdrives is a female-coded robot who fixates on Smith. Her obsession with having him "make love to her"note and ending her life while happiest leads her to destroy the ship that the Deathdrives use to resurrect themselves and ultimately leads to the creation of Bravern, as Smith manages to fuse with her, become Bravern, and use her powers over time and space to travel back to the beginning of the invasion.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: After saving Hickam Air Force Base in Episode 1 and visibly defeating the alien invaders, all Isami gets for thanks is getting detained by CIA officers and tortured under suspicion of collusion. Despite his desperate pleas of ignorance, the waterboarding nearly breaks him until Superbia attacks again, convincing the spooks to allow Smith to take Isami with him to Bravern.
- Not So Stoic: Isami is initially taciturn and humble during the exercise, but as then alien attack intensifies, and more people are lost, he gets more unsettled, and then there's his utter befuddlement once Bravern shows up…
- Not What It Looks Like:
- In Episode 3, Smith is hit with this trope in multiple ways when he tries to deal with Lulu.
- First, when he carries Lulu into the motel, the manager doesn't believe his story that Lulu's his little sister (though she wonders if he was telling the truth later), clearly suspecting their relationship is of a very different nature.
- Then, when Lulu's pulse ceases, Smith panics and tries to resuscitate her. A couple in a nearby room hear him doing this and assumes he's doing something a lot more intimate.
- And finally, at the end of the episode, Bravern crashes into the hotel just as Smith was shirtless and holding down a naked Lulu after she tried to attack him. Isami is not happy with what he sees.
Isami: "Smith, you…! I bust my ass out there and what do I find you doing?!"Bravern: "Hm… It appears he was getting up close and personal with her." - Episode 10: Prahmman stumbled on Isami shirtless, tied-up, and crying on Lewis Smith's T-shirt in mourning as Isami mumbled the words "I want to...with you." The full latter half of the sentence was intended to be "fight alongside with you."
- In Episode 3, Smith is hit with this trope in multiple ways when he tries to deal with Lulu.
- Outside-Genre Foe: Like Bravern himself, it soon becomes clear that the Deathdrives are transplants from the Super Robot genre. Past the believably alien Mooks, the eight Deathdrive leaders form a Standard Evil Organization Squad with their own unique powers and bizarre personality quirks, and their motivations are both grandiose and far removed from reality.
- Refused by the Call: When Isami makes it clear that he does not like being Bravern's pilot, Smith volunteers, but Bravern says that Smith being his pilot just wouldn't work. He later tries to become Superbia's pilot since he lost Lulu, but this also turns out to be a dead end. As it turns out, there's a good reason for Smith not being able to pilot Bravern, as Bravern is none other than a reincarnated Smith having traveled back in time.
- Real Robot: Titanostriders are small, wheeled mecha with military builds and loadouts. Though TS are equipped with advanced technology like railguns and rocket knuckles, they are still treated like ordinary pieces of military hardware, and are deployed alongside conventional tanks and warplanes. This makes Bravern, who's very much a Super Robot, stand out all the more.
- Rewatch Bonus: Loads of it after Episode 9 reveals Bravern is the reincarnation of Smith, and Lulu came from a Bad Future timeline.
- In his first fight, Bravern prevents Isami from pulling a lever, because Bravern doesn’t know, and has yet to design a use for it.
- Bravern then throws a punch and seems shocked by his strength. This is because Bravern is in awe of his own power.
- When Isami yells about needing a weapon, Bravern has a look of realization before drawing out the Burn Blade. This is because Bravern was still a human shortly before battle, and needs time to realize he is now a Super Robot that can produce utilities as he wishes.
- When Bravern spoke with Isami regarding Smith, he does in a solemn way, which lead to taking him out for a drink.
- Lulu’s instant strong affection to Smith after being calmed down from her initial wrestle with him, and constantly calling Bravern as "Smith" even after the in-timeline Smith corrected her is Lulu’s way of hinting to Bravern she knows who he is, and showering Smith with her love; because she herself is a future Lulu who wants to try her best to stick by Smith’s side till his Heroic Sacrifice, and learn the ways of “heroism” from him.
- Product Placement: Smith orders Kona Beer by name during the bar scene in Episode 1. Kona Beer Japan is listed as one of the show's sponsors in the credits.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong: Lulu’s mission is to alter the show’s timeline so that both Isami and Bravern survives the full invasion of the Deathdrives.
- Stable Time Loop: After Lewis died, he fused with Knuth and got sent back to the past as a new being, naming himself Bravern, meaning all the information Bravern knew about the Deathdrives, his own weaponry, Lulu, and everything came from his time as Smith who got informed by Bravern. In other words, his future self told him everything he knew.
- Show Within a Show: Spar Kaiser, a Metal Hero Tokusatsu show Lewis is a fan of. He shows it to Lulu and she quickly becomes another fan. It's no coincidence Bravern looks like Spar Kaiser, as Smith subconsciously took Spar Kaiser’s appearance as reference when he became Bravern.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: In the finale, Isami decides to hear Verum Vita out, but once she says she intends to kill all of humanity, he decides he's had enough. Every time she tries to explain her motives, she's interrupted by Isami's attacks.
- Super Robot: Bravern is unashamedly this trope, what with a BFS, Calling His Attacks, and bombastic diagetic theme music.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Lulu is stated to have an incredibly underdeveloped digestive system, so much so that Nina speculates that's she's never had solid food before. This comes up again when Smith, Hibiki, and Miyu decide to let her have some curry only for them to realize too late that this might be a bad idea as Lulu proceeds to puke. The next scene shows Smith getting scolded by Nina for his carelessness.
- Sword Pointing: This being a Masami Obari work, there is of course a scene where, as Bravern prepares his Finishing Move, he dramatically points his now enlarged sword.
- The Real Heroes: The final battle involves all the international armed forces backing up our heroes.
- Timey-Wimey Ball: Two contradictory forms of time travel seem to coexist in the series. Bravern is created by a Stable Time Loop, but Lulu comes from an alternate future to Set Right What Once Went Wrong.
- Translation Convention: That the American characters would choose to talk to the Japanese ones in their language instead of the more instinctive English is not impossible, but still very weird. However, there is absolutely no reason for Smith to still be speaking Japanese when he is talking to himself or to the mysterious girl he suspects to be an alien. Even weirder is that his dialogue is still presented with Gratuitous English mixed in.
- Unknown Rival: When Smith meets Isami in the café after the first exercise, he good-naturedly throws down the gauntlet, but Isami doesn't even remember his name.
- Villainesses Want Heroes: Kunuth is a female-coded Deathdrive who becomes fixated on Smith and asks that he "make love" to her, but it's implied that to her making love is doing battle.
- Wham Episode:
- Episode 6: Superbia demands Bravern to return Lulu back to him, as she is Superbia’s pilot.
- Episode 8 is this as a whole: The Brave Knights are being completely demolished with the situation becoming chaotic, hopeless similar to what occured in EP 1 before Bravern appeared. But what makes this episode fit the trope is that the situation, even with Bravern, who prior was a 1 man army that defeated both Superbia and Cupridas without much difficulty isn't enough to fight the 3 new Deathdrives Generals who have abilities that rival/eclipse Bravern in capabilities. The most notable part is Knuth/Cunus who who has time-space warping abilities which she can casually warp anything she chooses, wherever she chooses (Even into space) and rewind time to repeatedly kill an enemy repeatedly (while warping them), is capable of firing a Wave-Motion Gun into Space with enough power to destroy the revived Cupridas's tower (which apparently was the source of the Deathdrives resurrection abilities). To top it off, among the most
Shocking Moments: Smith pulls a Heroic Sacrifice to stop her. - Episode 9: Bravern is the reincarnation of Smith after performing his Heroic Sacrifice. By Knuth's powers and mechanisms, Smith, reborn as Bravern, traveled back in time starting from the events of Episode 1 to relive, and break the time loop.
- Episode 10: In-timeline Lulu is a time traveler from a previous time loop where both Bravern and Isami died upon their solo grand battle with the Deathdrives. With the help of that previous time loop Miyu, Lulu went back in time to reconstruct her relationship with Superbia so that they can accompany Bravern and Isami with the grand battle.
- Wham Shot: Towards the end of Episode 4, a drone is sent to Japan scope the area out and assess the situation. What it shows is Tokyo drowning in a sea of flames before the drone is destroyed by what appears to be a Deathdrives mech.
- Whole-Plot Reference: A bunch of aliens crashing a RIMPAC exercise in Oahu forcing the Japanese and American forces to team up against an alien threat? Where have we seen this before?
