Bang Brave Bang Braven ep.8 review: Musashi Last Lovemaking by Lewis

As I said in previous reviews, the plot of Bang Brave Bang Braven is moving at a fairly leisurely pace – most of the film’s mysteries remain unexplained. Yet by episode 8, a lot of things have happened, and at the same time, a little is revealed about what has been happening in the world of Bang Brave Bang Braven.
ATF said goodbye to Japan in the latest episode and moved to rescue Europe. The beginning of the episode is the new developments of Isami and Lewis: the American soldier takes command of an escort team for Bravern and Isami and has his first bromance-filled fist bump with Isami. Through that fist bump scene, viewers can feel their relationship tighter than ever. However, they couldn’t be happy for long, as soon after Bravern, Isami and the Brave Knights team faced their most difficult challenge ever.
Episode 8 raises the stakes higher than previous episodes. Not only do the main characters have to face three Deathdrives, but they are also OP in terms of power. Bravern was kept busy by Pessimism and Vanitas, leaving Lewis and the Brave Knights to face the most powerful Deathdrive ever – Cunus, a horny and nearly omnipotent female Deathdrive. Yep, you read that right. This female Deathdrive wants Lewis to make love to her and insists that only he can satisfy her. Obari is really trying to cram as much of his fetishes as possible into this series. The design of the three Deathdrives in the episode is quite pleasing, especially Cunus’s – a complex design, but the details are clear and in the right place.

Viewers can taste the tension in this episode. The three Deathdrives, especially Cunus, possess superior power compared to Superbia and Cupiditas. Not only does she have extremely powerful firepower, but she can also see into the future and control space and time—a god-like power. The tension of the situation was also reflected in the panic of the Brave Knights—not only were they completely outmatched by Cunus, but they also suffered human casualties. Both of those soldiers suffered horrible deaths. 
This situation, along with the sacrifice of his teammates and a small push from Cunus’ cruel use of Lulus, motivated the Brave Knights’ captain to “make love” with her. What I appreciate at this moment is that Lewis hesitated for a moment because he was afraid of Cunus’s power before having enough courage to fight. This further highlights his courage when he dared to overcome his fear and throw himself at the enemy. In his final moments, Lewis Smith finally became a true superhero, what he always wanted. I really like the rhythmic change between 3D animation movements and 2D frames when Rising Orthos rushes into Cunus. 2D hand-drawn Mecha frames in modern Mecha anime always fascinate me. At the same time, the fact that the background music is turned off, giving way to very pleasing sound effects, is really a good use of sound effects.
Besides these contents, episode 8 also introduces a plot device that will have a big role in the future – Cunus. One detail that I think is important that the episode doesn’t emphasise is that she said that Lewis Smith was the one who could grant her her wish, that she could see the future in which Smith killed her, and she turned back time many times to “remember the tryst between them”. Cunus turning back time may be related to Bravern’s origin, as there are many theories that Bravern comes from the future because he seems to know everything in advance. In addition, based on her appearance, it can be 90% certain that the person appearing in the scene where Lewis sinks in the opening is Cunus. This further strengthens Cunus’ involvement in the mysteries of the anime.
Episode eight puts Bang in Bang Brave Bang Braven in two different senses : ). The episode also increased the tension throughout the series while accelerating the plot. I hope that with this momentum, in the next episode, the secrets surrounding Bravern and the Deathdrives will be more clear.

Getter Andy

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