With the ongoing releases of the Super Robot Wars games internationally and the increased availability of anime in general, where is the Brave series?
Following the success of Transformers back in the 80s, which already had Japanese origins, Takara approached Sunrise to make a new series similar in tone.
The result of that was seven years’ worth of new super robot anime under the name of the Brave series.
Much like in Transformers, the Brave series featured sentient transforming mecha, all of which were designed by Kunio Okawara. However, the main difference with the Brave series, though, is that these mecha could also be piloted.
Each of the eight mainline Brave series were also a standalone works, which made it easier for people to jump into.
These series are also still very current in terms of merchandising as well, with Brave Express Might Gaine getting new toys from both Good Smile Company and AMAKUNI.
Currently, the only Brave series available on Blu-ray in the us is GaoGaiGar and its OVA follow-on, GaoGaiGar Final.
GaoGaiGar is also one of the best entries in the Brave series, and even had the production expertise of famous director Ryosuke Takahashi, who trained up the team in preparation to make his far more military-focused and gritty anime, Gasaraki.
What’s also maddening is that the various Brave series have also received Blu-ray remasters in Japan, so it makes no sense why they aren’t readily available internationally.
Considering how popular Transformers is globally, it seems genuinely bizarre that no one has properly jumped on the Braves bandwagon to cash in on that.
The series as a whole had its 30th anniversary a few years back, and that received a bunch of exhibitions and commemorative video below, with a new song from those wonderful people at JAM Project.
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