Brave Witches

Episodes 1-2

Note: Because I covered the first episode in the Preview Guide, this review will mostly focus on episode 2.

For those of you who are already familiar with the franchise via Strike Witches, the first two episodes of Brave Witches could easily be summarized as “more of the same.” The only real difference is that fan service hasn't been a factor yet, unless you count the “no pants” thing – after a while, that barely even registers anymore. Hence if you've always liked the franchise, then nothing here should drive you away. The series also throws a couple of bones to established franchise fans, such as pictures of 501st characters in newspapers and a reference to the Neuroi nest in Gallia falling. The latter suggests that this series takes place after the first Strike Witches series but either before or at the same time as the second series.

For those who are new to the franchise, the beginning of the first episode establishes the basics, so here's a brief primer on some of the other quirks that weren't explained. In this world, only girls possess active magic, typically manifesting as they hit puberty and fading when they reach adulthood. (Adult women who retain their magic are very rare even among Witches.) Hence Witches are at their most powerful in their mid-to-late teens, which is why most of the cast looks so young for their dangerous jobs. The animal ears and tails they manifest when using their powers are signs of the Witch's familiar (they're also just a cute affectation for the most part), which doesn't manifest separately. The “no pants” thing is supposedly because pants would get in the way of the leg-engines that the Witches wear to allow them to fly, but that doesn't explain why most Witches don't wear the contraptions if they're not “on call” (although two of the Witches in the 502nd apparently do!), so just roll with it. In the original series, the Witches were mostly named after famous fighter pilots, and the weapons they carried were modeled after particular WWII-era fighter planes (even down to the sounds they made), though how much of that carries over into this spin-off remains to be seen.

While the first episode focused primarily on establishing Hikari and her relationship to the older sister she idolizes, the second episode deals with the circumstances that bring Hikari into the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing. Originally that was supposed to be Takami's assignment, with Hikari being relegated to a rear support unit until she gets her fighting skills up to par, but the appearance of a number of Neuroi working together and even a new nest creates desperate circumstances. In a cynical sense, working Hikari into the 502nd required a sacrifice, and that's what we get when Takami is left comatose from her battle injuries following a heroic defense of the transfer fleet, where she used some special trick to focus and burn through nearly all of her magic power in one shot. Having the 502nd come to the fleet's aid just as Hikari was about to be overwhelmed allows for the introduction of several core fighters in the 502nd, including one who seems dead-set on becoming Hikari's rival.

The first prolonged burst of combat action in the series proves that director Kazuhiro Takamura has not lost his touch, as the well-animated battle scenes are hectic but can be easily followed. No one sticks out yet personality-wise, with even Hikari merely being typically chipper and determined, but a whole bunch of new characters have just been added, so let's give the series time to sort that out. Overall, the series has yet to do anything special beyond the battle scenes, but it's proving at least competent.

Rating: B-

Brave Witches is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.