Brave Beats (ブレイブビーツ Bureibu Bītsu?) is a Japanese anime television series produced by BN Pictures and Ajiadonote . It ran from October 11, 2015 to March 27, 2016.
Hibiki Kazaguruma, a sixth grader, meets an amusing little robot named Breakin while coming home from school one day. Breakin, a dancer from an alternate-dimension dance world, challenged the King of Dance for the throne and lost. He has been deprived of Dance Stones (the stones of dance power) and sent to the human world. To restore his power, Breakin must collect all the Dance Stones scattered around Earth.
One problem though...Hibiki isn't into dancing.
Tropes
- Alien Animals: A number of Dancerians are this. For example, Adeline is a bunny/bear hybrid. Also, Air Step Owl is a butler who actually is a owl man. Episode 11 features a crow-like Dancerian named Kancrow.
- And the Adventure Continues: The series ends with Breakin refusing to become the next King of Dance as he wanted to learn more dances with Hibiki and his friends. Also, Hibiki, Kotone, and their classmates have started their junior high school years.
- A Twinkle in the Sky: Whenever the bad guys attack, the school principal often ended up getting this treatment whenever he's present. In a few later episodes, Mink and Tank get this treatment, too.
- Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: The pink alligator, who has made occasional appearances throughout the animé so far.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Fuuka Kazaguruma, Hibiki's mother, can be like this to him on occasion, and this becomes somewhat exaggerated in episode 16. The same goes for Tsuruo, Hibiki's father.
- Animal-Eared Headband: Part of Wink Beat's apparel are these. Curiously, they are bear-shaped, which Kotone notes since Adeline has bunny ears. In reality, the bunny ears of the hood hide no actual bunny ears beneath it.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Hibiki is hesitant to believe his Dancerian friends' claims that his mother is a kunoichi, in which Adeline does a Call-Back to the incident with Santa.
- Arrow Catch: Variation: While gushing over the TV character Murasaki Zuking, Mink tosses some shuriken. As he enters the room, Choreo casually catches one, telling her and Tank to do it outside.
- Badass Santa: Santa makes an appearance in episode ten, as a 7-foot tall man with more muscles than an entire bodybuilding competition. Goes somewhat Squick after a while, especially when he's possessed by a Dance Stone that makes him obsessed with pole dancing, on anything resembling a pole including Christmas trees, and then even further when he causes an entire class of sixth-graders to start pole dancing as well.
- The Bad Guy Wins: During Flash Beat and Wink Beat's first encounter with Choreo, he challenges them to a Dance Brave showdown. after shrugging off Flash Beat's moves, he counters with his own and wipes the floor with them, mocking their inferiority and talking of his plans to "destroy the world through dance" before leaving them in the dust.
- In the 20th episode, he manages to stop Hibiki transforming into Flash Beat, seemingly killing Breakin, while also stealing all of the Dance Stones from him...
- Batman Can Breathe in Space: Choreo, who is seen in the moon near the end of episode 6. Flash Beat and Wink Beat may qualify as well, depending on whether or not it's because of the Dance Brave stage.
- Big Bad: Choreo. Turns out, he used to be the King of Dance before being deposed and banished to Earth.
- Breast Expansion: Mink's bust is already sizable, but her transformation adds a cup size.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Hibiki in regards to dancing, as revealed in episode 14. In fact, he used to like dancing in the past, but a very bad case of "embarrassment caused by loose shorts" caused him to stop. At least until the start of the series.
- Bunnies for Cuteness: Adeline's appearance is supposed to give off this appeal. The 'ears' in her hood actually hide bear ears.
- Butt-Monkey: Mink and Tank. Also, the principal.
- By the Power of Grayskull!: The Dancerians must shout "Step On!" before they fuse with their partner and initiate the Transformation Sequence.
- Cassandra Truth: Upon hearing of Hell's Dancer headed towards Earth, Hibiki and Kotone attempt to warn everyone they could. Naturally, this effort ends in failure. However, it seems that Kotone was at least heard out by the local government's space observatory and they later discover it headed this way.
- Child Prodigy:
- Transfer student Maito Kamiya. English, math, sculpting, sports, dancing, he's got it all.
- Tsubasa may be seen as this to an extent.
- Episode 13 paints Kotone with shades of this in not only grades but moral fiber, and the entire school adores her. Tsubasa wonders if she gets stressed as a result; as it turns out, she does, though this is also due to her being too self-conscious.
- Childhood Friend: Hibiki has a few, but the most notable one is Kotone Amamiya.
- Christmas Episode: Episode 10.
- Comet of Doom: Hell's Dancer in Episode 6. A big enough deal that the Danceworld takes notice, but apparently not urgent enough that their King will step in to protect the "holy land of dance" Earth. That, or he was counting on Breakin.
- Cool Shades: Air Beat. Choreo as well, although he takes his off during Dance Braves.
- Cuteness Proximity: Adeline has a weakness for very cute things. Hibiki tries to use this to his advantage to bribe her into telling him Kotone's weakness, but she manages to resist with significant difficulty. What's worse, she rats him out to Kotone afterwards. She still tries asking Breakin for it later in the episode; she just won't compromise her loyalty to Kotone over it.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Breakin can be this at times, mostly due to culture clash.
- Dance Battler: This and some degree of Super-Speed is granted to whoever holds the Tricking Dance Stone.
- Emotionless Girl: Akemi, who also has an interest in collecting pebbles. She seems a little more open in subsequent episodes, but never shows great enthusiasm.
- Endless Corridor: The Dance Stone invokes this effect.
- Energy Bow: The Arrow Dance Stone granted this to Ramin when he held it, and since he knows archery...
- Evolving Credits: The second opening theme starting at episode 13 updates the team of heroes with Air Beat, scenes of our heroes visiting Danceworld, and foreshadowing of Maito's sad backstory.
- Expressive Ears: Adeline's rabbit ears occasionally bend into a heart shape when she's gushing over something, or into "!?" punctuation when surprised. Though being fake, they're more of an Expressive Accessory.
- Fastball Special: The "feared technique" Breakin and Adeline had, which consisted of the former tossing the latter. They used this on episode 11 to get rid of Mink and Tank to retrieve the onions for Hibiki they stole (thinking they were Dance Stones).
- For the Evulz: Mink really likes to steal, even laughing in Kotone's face as she steals the little girl's "treasure" (a pouch of special donuts) just because it's precious to someone. And in episode 7, she's willing to let Tank break the tower down when not told where the Dance Stone was in it. She even stole Tsubasa's rocking horse just because she thought it was adorable.
- Though she lays off of this entirely during episode 12, even reminding Tank that they weren't to do such things for the duration of their vacation.
- In episode 14, we see that they had been inspired by a crook named Punk, when he swooped straight into the open and made to 'steal' a fictional hero right in front of an audience, saying if he stole a hero or the hopes of children.
- "Freaky Friday" Flip: In episode 19, due to a mishap with a Shake Dance Stone, Hibiki, Kotone, Maito, Breakin, Adeline, and the alligator end up switching bodies. Kotone ends up in the alligator's body, the alligator in Adeline's, Adeline in Breakin's, and Breakin' in Kotone's. Hibiki and Maito end up in each other's bodies. The only way the viewers can tell who is who is by their eye shape and voice.
- Gotta Catch Them All: The Dance Stones.
- Graceful Loser: When Choreo loses to Flash Beat, Wink Beat, and Air Beat for the first time.Choreo: Awesome! You are the coolest! We'll meet again, Beats!
- Grade-School C.E.O.: Charlie Tsubasa Kaneyama, fourth-grader, heir to the worldwide Kaneyama Group, and runs the Asia branch.
- Gratuitous Ninja: Several misconceptions and (un)fortunate incidents lead Adrienne and Breakin to believe that Fuuka (and her husband Tsuruo after seeing a picture of them dressed as such in their album) is one of these. And then she gets her hands on the Tricking Dance Stone... Naturally, this is all cleared up by the end, The picture is just them cosplaying at Niki Niki Ninja Village.
- Hate Plague: Tank's sorrow combined with the Freestyle Dance Stone induces hatred between couples within his vicinity. Unfortunately for our heroes, they are also subject to this. It was up to Mink to save the day by getting her partner out of his funk.
- Henshin Hero: Hibiki and Kotone have the power to transform into superheroes named Flash Beat and Wink Beat.
- Heroic BSoD: Hibiki suffers one in episode 6 when the pressure of being a hero gets to his head. Fortunately, after a pep talk with a pink alligator, he pulls himself together in time to repel and impress Hell's Dancer with Wink Beat (and the entire world somehow).
- Heroic Willpower: This can apparently counteract a Dance Stone's possession, though it's less resisting it's power and more strong feelings between individuals overriding it. These have first been demonstrated by Prince Ramin () and Fuuka (motherly love for Hibiki).
- Highly-Visible Ninja: In-Universe TV drama character Murasaki Zuking is fashionable, his blond hair flows in the wind, wears a bead necklace, and he has a white cape. Adrienne, Tank, and Mink are fans of his.
- Identical Stranger: Prince Ramin of Estella to Hibiki. Naturally...
- I Just Want to Be Normal: In episode 2, Since he doesn't like dancing, Hibiki refuses to take the responsibility, only fusing with Breakin because a friend was in danger. Breakin briefly left the house as a result. However...
- The Call Knows Where You Live: Trouble came in a museum where his classmates were visiting, and Breakin was on his way there too, and so he eventually Resigned to the Call.
- I Owe You My Life/Recruited from the Gutter: Air Step Owl to Tsubasa. After his friend became the King of Dance, Owl left for Earth to spread his dance, but people found it dumb. It sank his spirits, but he was saved from despair when Tsubasa said he liked Owl's dancing. Since then, he swore to spend the rest of his Dancerian life by his master's side.
- Large Ham: Yaharta, the current King of Dance, is this both figuratively and literally.
- Laughably Evil: Mink and Tank.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Since Tsubasa's parents are often away as a result of work, he only has his butler Owl for companionship. In fact, this loneliness was why he took in Owl when he found him in hard times, and that's why prior to joining Hibiki and Kotone, he became Air Beat to escape the pressures of his position via dancing in clubs.
- Loves My Alter Ego: Kotone is infatuated with Flash Beat, Hibiki's secret identity, after he first saved her. In episode 3, this ends when he's turned back in front of her while under attack by Mink and Tank.
- Jumped at the Call: Upon seeing who Breakin and Hibiki in danger (when they reverted from Flash beat), Kotone does this with Adrienne to become Wink Beat.
- Hibiki did this too, but only because his friends were in danger.
- The Masquerade
- Mind Reading: Breakin suspects Fuuka to have this power.
- Mineral MacGuffin: The Dance Stones. In the wrong hands, they can grant wishes, turn a T-rex model or haniwa statues animate, induce depression, and so on.
- Mirrored Confrontation Shot: Between Choreo and Flash Beat in the opening sequence.
- Ms. Fanservice: Wink Beat and Mink.
- Moonwalk Dance: One of the Dance Stones grants its user mastery of this. When Kota first took hold of this, it made him into a possessed speed demon. In Flash Beat's hands, it's a regular Super-Speed power-up.
- My Beloved Smother: Fuuka can be like this a lot to Hibiki, and it reaches the breaking point in Episode 16 and it was so bad that Hibiki was up early the next day just to avoid her.
- Not a Morning Person: Hibiki. In the first episodes, even a slew of alarm clocks can't arouse him; only his mother's whisper (and later, Breakin's sternness) wake him successfully. As of Episode 5, after his defeat in the hands of Choreo, he's kicked the habit...although he still nods off in school.
- Offscreen Teleportation: The only way Kyo-Kyo was able to get ahead of Kotone in episode 13, or even get to the places it got to (like on a tree branch, since chickens can't even fly high enough, or inside a locker).
- Older Alter Ego: Hibiki undergoes a Fusion Dance with Breakin to become Flash Beat. Two episodes later, Kotone does the same with Adeline to become Wink Beat.
- In episode 7, Air Beat debuts, and it's obvious that he is an Older Alter Ego of someone, and their identity is revealed at the very next episode.
- There have been hints that Maito and Choreo may be a case of this too, but no direct evidence has been shown. And then Episode 20 comes along and confirms these suspicions.
- Power Dyes Your Hair: Hibiki and Kotone's hair colors are brown and maroon respectively. As Flash Beat and Wink Beat, they turn red and blonde respectively, both with orange tips.
- Two of the show's main antagonists also undergo this, Mink's turning from blonde to green and Tank's from brown to blue at the top.
- Tsubasa's brown hair turns lavender with some magenta tips upon becoming Air Beat.
- The Power of Friendship/The Power of Love: These two and hope are what the King of Dance that deposed Choreo declared as the true source of dance power. Unfortunately, Choreo only took the last one to heart...and plans to turn it into despair.
- Prince and Pauper: Episode 15 features this between Prince Ramin of Estella and Hibiki, with the former proposing the idea and the latter is hesitant at first. Desconstructed on Ramin's end in that Hibiki's parents and friends immediately see through the ruse (the former through knowing their son on an intimate basis, and the latter by behavioral differences) though they're okay with it, but played straight on Hibiki's end since Ramin's servants are deferential and don't even notice when Hibiki himself tries to make them doubt their assumptions until near the end of the episode. Minknote is also able to see the difference, given how many times their paths have clashed.
- The Quiet One: Tank. Other than grunts of affirmation, he doesn't speak a word.
- Ridiculously Human Robots: Subverted with Breakin, since he isn't actually a robot but instead hails from a race known as the Dancerians, who come in all shapes and sizes as seen in later episodes.
- Shapeshifter Mode Lock: Breakin. Whether the form he was first seen in is his original or a result of the Dance Stones is not clear.
- Ship Tease: Hibiki and Kotone's classmates occasionally call them "Mom and Dad", much to their consternation. Not that there's nothing there: when Kotone starts to crush on Hibiki's transformed version she starts to get really awkward around him as she tries to hunt down the cool guy and give him a gift of thanks; when she finds out it was Hibiki, she gives him the gift while her animal sidekick smirks.
- Shock and Awe: What the Waack Dance Stone bestows.
- Shockwave Stomp: What the Dino Step Dance Stone grants.
- Slasher Smile: Choreo occasionally sports this.
- Spectacular Spinning: Breakin has this sort of mentality. Wheels, Roombas, discus, many things round...
- Stock Ninja Weaponry: Upon following Fuuka, Adeline and Breakin mistake her to be a ninja after seeing her practicing the blowpipe. It's actually for a casual competition.
- Swiss-Cheese Security: Downplayed with the security of Kaneyama Group's Hotel, which Prince Ramin was able to easily evade; Estella's is much better.
- Temporary Bulk Change: At the end of Episode 10, Santa makes Hibiki outrageously muscular for his age. The latter is not amused.
- The Short Guy with Glasses: Eiji, one of Hibiki's friends.
- Time Stands Still: The effects of the Lock Dance Stone.
- Time Travel: It did this in episode 14 after Breakin's head was bent into a strange angle because of a flute in the bag he always sleeps in and Hibiki's attempt to fix it. Thankfully, it takes them back to their time after several hours.
- Tragic Monster: Played for Laughs in episode 13 when a Dance Stone combines Kotone and a the school's chicken Kyo-Kyo to become a chicken-hybrid monster that dances the Funky Chicken.
- Unfortunate Item Swap: After accidentally breaking the Blue Star of Estella from its amulet, Hibiki had to substitute it for the Brooklyn/Arrow Dance Stone he incidentally found. This comes back to bit him when it's ejected from the amulet and Prince Ramin picks it up. "Thankfully", turns out Ramin already broke it years ago and substituted it with a glass ball, much to his servants' shock.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: While Breakin may look like a robot, his sentience is beyond anything present-day AI can accomplish. Same goes for Adeline, and they're able to roam around town without the government making to catch them for experiments despite Kotone and Hibiki warning them about it one episode.
- Urban Legends: In episode 7, one is mentioned concerning an old clock tower (planned to be demolished, but ultimately wasn't) where when one rings the bell at the top, their wish will come true.
- Villains Out Shopping: Mink and Tank are on vacation in Episode 12, even taking a break from stealing.
- Villain Episode: Episode 12 focuses mostly on Mink and Tank. It's even lampshaded at the end when Breakin and Adrienne break the fourth wall and say the camera barely focused on them.
- Walk on Water: Fuuka accidentally pulls off the illusion of doing the running variant upon stepping on the pink alligator as she was attempting to retrieve a napkin that blew off to a nearby river.
- Wardrobe Malfunction: What became the reason why Hibiki gave up on dancing in the first place. Specifically, his shorts and underwear fell down and he was in front of a crowd that saw it all.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Episode 13 is all about finding this trope for Kotone. Snakesnote ? She barely bats an eye (but a teacher faints at the sight of it). Bitter gourd? Nada. Weighing scale? You wish. Chickens? Bingo! Apparently, it was because Kyo-Kyo, the school's chicken went wild on her, after first pecking her hand twice when she tried to reach out to it. Hibiki discovers this, but sincerely promises to keep it secret.
- You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious: When Prince Ramin's servants finally call him by name, even as he (under a Dance Stone's effects) aimed straight at them, he managed to regain control of himself and turn his shot onto Mink and Tank, blasting them off.
- You Shall Not Pass!: In Episode 16, when Mink and Tank inconveniently get in the way of the heroes, Wink Beat volunteers to hold them off while Flash Beat goes on ahead to rescue Fuuka from the Dance Stone possessing her.
