© Cygames Pictures
Brave Bang Braven! episode 10 doubles down on the show’s longest running threads, while also adding new details to the recently introduced time travel surprise.
The biggest reveal this week so far is that Lulu is also a time traveler. I’m not sure I’d say I’m surprised by this reveal, because after last week’s reveal, everything is on the table. I’m still a little bit expecting that she’s somehow involved in an alien invasion in the current sense, so that raises my eyebrows. I also tend to dislike the innuendo of an older person in a younger person’s body, but I have to admit that I’m quite impressed with the execution here. The idea that time travel not only removes Lulu’s memories and abilities but also makes her young again is… interesting. I think time travel is a difficult one to get right although writers can gain a lot from a single expenditure on the practice and this fits the bill. Paradoxes and space-time aside, this solution is clearly not a silver bullet for all of life’s problems, and I like that.
There wasn’t a lot of giant robot action this week, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. We get a preview of the bad ending, so to speak, an image of things going awry if Lulu, Braven, and Isami fail. It’s a smart move to show the audience this right before the final battle begins and shows us very clearly the bloody and heartbreaking stakes if they lose. You know you’ve written a character correctly when the audience cares less about the world exploding and more about the main character and his boyfriend being tragically separated in death. .
The episode also has a lot of fun comedy beats. A half-naked Isami wriggles on the floor in full view of his gunpla kit, Lulu takes off her jacket to reveal an I HEART GIANT ROBOTS shirt, and an awesome robot training montage to boot. I laughed out loud when Lulu and Superbia merged and I thought, “A man and a woman having sex? The concept is intriguing and novel.” This show is something else.
Rating:
Grant is a co-host on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and the Super Senpai Podcast.
Brave Bang Braven! currently streaming on Crunchyroll.