Forum - View topicThe Winter 2024 Anime Preview Guide
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James_Beckett
ANN Reviewer
 Posts: 279 Location: USA |
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If we're talking about Chained Soldiers, while I can't speak for anyone else, the reason it doesn't compare to the other shows that I've complained about in the past is because we're not dealing with a setting where the author has flippantly incorporated a system chattel slavery without considering the larger implications. In Chained Soldier's case, we're dealing with an obviously non-serious depiction of over-the top, kinky "slavery", which is completely different. |
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malvarez1
Posts: 1748 |
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Bang Brave sounds like a blast. We truly don't get many mecha anime like it anymore, so I truly hope it gets a large audience.
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23884 |
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I knew Bang Brave Bravern was about super robots, but I didn't realize it was going to be super... gay. That ED! It's hilarious. I was laughing my ass off as was intended. Truly a "fabulous" show.
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LightningCount
 Posts: 232 |
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I have not checked it out yet, but Bang Brave Bang Bravern is an odd development to me in terms of the response it is getting so far. I've been into mecha anime for almost three decades. It's my favorite genre. My first impressions when it was shown as a "Real Robot" entry were lukewarm but mildly intrigued. I actually thought that it looked like a lesser version of Silver Will Argevollen, which was not given a fair shake by the mecha or general anime community in my opinion--even though it's basically more or less what this anime was advertised as before the bait and switch. Then when the bait and switch hit, I lost almost all interest. But now I've seen so much hype around it, and this sort of rallying cry to support the bait and switch almost, I don't know what to think...
It's not that I don't accept "Super Robot," as RahXephon, The Big-O, and G-Gundam all lean in that direction, and all of those are favorites. But even as someone who prefers the mecha genre, nothing I have seen in trailers has made me feel this is a standout entry in the genre. I feel like I'll have to check it out eventually, but I was just wondering if there are other mecha fans that are kind of on the fence about this, or if everyone is on board with this being awesome. Part of my problem may be that I'm looking for more than just a fun or amusing popcorn ride; we've already had things like SSSS.Gridman to do that sort of thing in my mind. For me, the best mecha series of the last 15 years or so has been Fafner Exodus. Then after that, it's a toss-up between Aldnoah.Zero and Silver Will Argevollen, which each have their issues, but still are better than any made-for-TV Gundam entry since, in my opinion, Gundam 00. After that I start to include Majestic Prince or Gargantia in there as somewhat notable. But Fafner Exodus, Aldnoah.Zero, and Silver Will Argevollen restored my faith in the mecha genre outside of Gundam, which has been increasingly hit or miss. |
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Cryten
 Posts: 1023 |
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Preferences in Mecha anime is fine but it also feels a little silly. And I do not mean that as a mocking thing, just a reflection on how Mecha struggles to find an audience outside of Gundam.
Like I always preferred the more complex "realistic mecha" designs of combat robots that do not float or skate over terrain. Gun Parade March, Evangelion and others will always have a place in my memories. But it feels silly to segregate mecha when its become so niche outside of gundam selling gunpla. Sometimes we just gotta see what good we can get out of what is coming out. |
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TranceLimit174
 Posts: 959 |
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Ironically, the only super robot to gain any notoriety / popularity in the States is Gurren Lagaan. I think thanks to modern meme culture, Stateside fandom will be willing to embrace Bang Bravern when they would not have been open to it 10-15 years ago (see: G-Gundam).
Considering how he felt SSSS Gridman was flattering but a little too on the nose, it's a blast to watch Masami Ōbari both celebrate and make fun of his own work at the same time. I admit bias, but for me Bang Bravern is already a banger and has more than delivered. Fun Note: since this isn't a Sunrise production, that's why Bravern uses Yūki instead of Yūsha for the word "brave" in its title. Also calling it now: spoiler[Lewis Smith is gonna get in Superbia's cockpit and become the secondary frenemy.] |
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pi8you
 Posts: 146 Location: Minneapolis |
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Oh my god, those first two episodes of Brave Bang Bravern! left me cackling. Real I know writers who use subtext and they're all cowards hours. As much as all that was making me laugh, I also loved how everyone is reacting to having a Super Robot suddenly show up in their Real Robot show (the spooks, the spooks!).
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Kicksville
 Posts: 1197 |
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I was very skeptical of Bravern as I didn't think even the bait and switch was particularly surprising, given the show's title. I also admittedly have a hard time getting hyped for another show with CGI robots - I've been burned before, and it felt like a double bummer to have Masami Obari directing and not doing the hand drawn animation he's famous for (beyond a rare shot or two, probably). But I was genuinely impressed by the first two episodes. It goes about the premise in a clever way, and manages to straddle the line between serious and funny very well (much like the best parts of Nadesico or Macross 7). If they can deliver on the big "What the hell is going on??" mystery, this could be a classic. Either way, Isami and Lewis are a likeable duo and I'm looking forward to seeing more of them. |
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encrypted12345
Posts: 718 |
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I really like Bravern as a mecha fan that somewhat prefers Super Robot shows over Real Robot shows. Obari is putting his love for that genre on display while also making a ton of jokes about it. Episode 1's twist was golden, but episode 2 was a laughfest throughout, between spoiler[the black humor parts of Isami being brutally tortured by the CIA while Bravern is getting beat up and sincerely believing Isami's on his way to be a hero or Bravern's purely one sided affection making Isami's life pure hell to purely silly gags like Bravern monologing about his love of Isami when the government officials are trying to ask him for useful information and the transformation logo being something Bravern literally projects behind himself.]
It's hard to tell how serious or comedic it will be in the end. I feel like it's setting itself up for a big twist one way or the other, but I would be perfectly fine if it didn't and stayed like it is foe the whole show. |
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Emerje
 Posts: 7365 Location: Maine |
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I was describing this show as Imagine if you're watching a really tense moment in Nadesico where the Jovians are attacking relentlessly and suddenly Gekigangar III shows up, takes off with Akito and saves the day. It's such a crazy premise that has never been quite like this before. We've seen super robots mingling with normal mechs before, but it's so rare for the super robot to basically be a Transformer. And I don't mean just a robot that turns into a car, but he's actually a sentient robot, we don't get a whole lot of those in anime, not like this. It's such a wild show. And yeah, it's full of gay overtones, but for now it feels like they're playing it up as a joke, like Bravern doesn't really know what he's saying, but also means every bit of it. I absolutely lost it when he said in all seriousness, "chapter 1"! 
Emerje |
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Beatdigga
 Posts: 4427 Location: New York |
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So you know how the main crux of Rise of the Beasts was the relationship between the human Noah and the Transformer Mirage, with Mirage saying he and Noah have this bond even though Noah’s terrified for half the movie? Make Mirage the main character with a power scale closer to Star Saber and the Japanese Transformers, and add a bewildered Duke from GI Joe observing all of this. That’s essentially Bravern. And it works because it feels like two separate ideas were rammed together without any mind for subtlety or synergy.
Don’t suppose anyone wants to dub this, do they? |
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The Scream Man
 Posts: 157 Location: Sydney, Australia |
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Bravern was already very good. Then we got the closing credits in episode 2, and it became perfect.
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camseyeview140
Posts: 230 |
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So far, I think this season has mostly been fine. but I'm slowly getting to the more interesting and good shows.
My faves so far are Tis Time For Torture Princess Dungeon Meshi 7th Time Loop Still venturing through, but I think I have only found two I have actively disliked, and one of them is supposedly terrible because the source material, from what I gather from the comments here is meant to be more of a parody of the stuff in its genre. Most of the ones I have seen so far? pretty much 3/5. Nothing bad, but nothing outstanding. |
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Sven Viking
Posts: 1039 |
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I checked the manga version of the overpowered death skill thing and yeah it’s mostly an isekai parody and actually doesn’t seem bad, with some interesting ideas (e.g. way too many people are being isekaied in, and not just from Earth). A lot of the complaints in the preview guide are also explained, e.g. the other characters’ psychopathy turns out to be spoiler[explicitly caused by the game-style UI software uploaded into their brains.] Last edited by Sven Viking on Sun Jan 21, 2024 5:18 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Cryten
Posts: 1023 |
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To be fair, it is still pretty basic and very bad at character work in the manga. It strong point is purely in throwing 10,000 different scenarios at the wall. But it has very little care for any of those outside of reinforcing the main character. But the anime cant even work up the effort of showing characters emotions that might make them interesting for the 2 chapters they might have relevance.
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