Good Smile Company has announced a new mecha anime called Beast King War God Danvidine, and I’m getting some real Brave series vibes from this one.
The Braves series of anime started back in the 90s with Brave Exkaiser and ran for multiple series, each one with a different story and main mecha.
Originally set up by Takara, now Takara Tomy, it took a very strong super robot approach with its mecha, featuring giant mecha that could transform and combine together.
The other major theme is that the mecha tended to have a personality of their own, which is in part why the Brave series is often considered a thematic follow-up from Transformers.
In addition to the Brave series, Tomy also created the Eldran series, which had a similar setup but was aimed at a younger elementary school demographic.
During the 90s, the Brave series was hugely popular, spawning all manner of toys and other merchandise. However, from the 2000s onward, the series went into hibernation.
That said, when the Brave series celebrated its 30th anniversary 4 years ago, there were various exhibitions and a rather cool compilation video accompanied by a new song by JAM Project (shown below).
That means this new Dandivine anime is not without its cultural context, and is effectively a modern version of the Brave series.
So much so that this anime is the first entry in a franchise called The God of Combined Series, which shows that Good Smile Company has big plans in store.
The new promo video for Dandivine (shown below) also reveals that, as the series title suggests, the main mecha is formed together by combining with other mecha to form the titular Dandivine.
The mecha design is being handled by the Korean company GOD BRAVE STUDIO, which not only has some decent history working with Good Smile Company but is also clearly a fan of the Brave series in terms of their creative output.
Like with the old Brave series, Dandinvine also has a bunch of merchandise planned, which makes sense considering that Good Smile Company is behind this.
From Moderoid model kits to The Gattai toys, even Takara Tomy is getting involved with their T-Spark brand and Toyrise figures.
While there isn’t much in the way of details as to when Dandivine will be released, I am definitely impressed with what Good Smile Company is trying to do here.
The Brave series was a big cultural force in Japan back in the 90s. There’s no reason why something similar couldn’t be done, and in a much more modern and global way. So this is something I will keep a close eye on.
Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently writing regular columns in Japanese about mecha games and mecha anime for both Game*Spark and Automaton.
