Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern

The best way I can describe this anime is as follows - I'm not sure what the hell I just saw, but I am sure that I liked it! Bang Bravern is just a bundle of fun dipped in weirdness so if you just wanna kick back with some giant robot fun, look no further. You've heard of cute girls doing cute things and (hopefully) also of BIG MEN DOING MAN SHIT. Well, this can best be described as BIG MECHS DOING MECH SHIT.

Right, you know how the saying goes that if you took Fist of the North Star and dipped it in pure unfiltered ... uncontaminated Gay, you'd get JoJo's Bizarre Adventure? Well, if you took Gundam and gave it a homosexual treatment of comparable potency, you'd get Bang Bravern. I have no idea why this anime is so aggressively gay. I don't mean that as a criticism by the way and I'm not calling this woke or anything. It's just an objective observation. I can definitely tell that all the gayness was included because the creators felt it appropriate, not because of some ulterior motive. There was an actual boys love anime airing the same season as this and it got outgayed by Bravern. It must be some cruel joke that the creators filled this anime with many cute girls and then made every single male vehemently gay. I really don't know what else to say about this, it's just what it is. Take of this what you will in whichever hole you prefer.

On the story itself, I always like to say, in order for anything involving mecha to be good, it has to be built on the fundamental concept that giant robots are fucking cool. I can confidently say that Bravern fits that criteria. It's evident that the creators of this love mecha and are very well acquainted with a lot of the cliches and stereotypes about them. So instead of fighting it, they embraced it and went full ham. They made the mechiest mecha show ever and added enough humour to show that they're self-aware about it. The show relishes in its own absurdity and that's a huge part of what makes it so fun. Plus, the bond between a pilot and his mech is a common topic among these stories, but I don't believe I've ever seen one about the mech and the pilot being gay lovers that are into each other and the whole thing playing out as some unholy mix between saving the world and saving a relationship. Points for originality I guess. The story at times is very stupid in the best of ways and at others it somehow loops back to being somewhat poignant somehow. Whatever it is, despite the experience intentionally riffing on cliches, it actually stayed shockingly unpredictable from beginning to end, keeping you on your toes both for its plot twists and ridiculous punchlines.

On a technical level, the anime is superb. The animation is top quality, using some spectacular 3D animation for all the mech stuff and some nice expressive 2D for the character moments. The two also blend together really nicely. There's some really competent direction here too with some great shot composition, transitions and scenes. Almost every episode has some throbbing action to keep the adrenaline and other fluids flowing and each action scene was executed very well. Sounds are adequately punchy in that characteristic sci-fi way. The music was pretty awesome, especially the opening and ending, which will both definitely get stuck in your head like gay propaganda for months to come. The voice acting is stellar too. From the crisp homoerotic chemistry of the main cast, to the bombastic taunts of the mechs to Lulu's autistic screeches, it's all perfect for the story. I loved Mechjiro Tsuda, he was my favourite.

Overall, if you're coming in here expecting a serious, philosophical tale about war and collaboration, boy is this gonna be a rude awakening. Bang Bravern is just a new unique twist on what we all know and love about mecha anime, embraced to the fullest. When we imagine our dream mecha in our minds and what it can do, we imagine Bravern. Well, probably marginally less gay, but I digress. Point is, this anime was designed for fun first and foremost and at that it succeeds with flying colours. Rainbow colours probably.

CyGames are showing once again that despite mostly animating utter nonsense, they are a shockingly competent studio with loads of talent and skill under their belts. Just thinking that this studio is gonna bless us with the peak that is Kagurabachi soon makes me quake with anticipation. Godspeed, you fabulous bastards!

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BUREIVAAAAAAAAAAN!

As long as you ignore the second half, it is ABSOLUTE PEAK!!!

If the anime ended at 7 episodes, it would be an unquestionable 10/10, with a perfect mix of the "Super" and "Real" robot genres, where both highlight the other's strengths, pitch perfect jokes, and a genuinely intriguing and earnest plot. I'd recommend anyone who wants a satisfying stopping point to end there.

There are a few good jokes in episodes 8 and 9, for anyone who doesn't care about the plot, However, it feels like episode 10 and beyond were written by a completely different person who hated the show before that point, so ... i would highly recommend just not watching beyond 7, for anyone who fell in love with it like I did.

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.