Like War anime? Do you like anime where the female character has Neko ears? Brave Witches is a pity to miss for those of you who answered “Yes” to the question earlier.

Title : Brave Witches
Release Date : October 6, 2016
Episodes : 12
Duration : 23 Minutes per Eps
Genre : Action, Ecchi, Magic, Military, Sci-Fi
Story Source : Original
Studio : SilverLink.

Synopsis
In September 1944 the allied forces led by the 501st Joint Fighter Wing “Strike Witches” managed to keep Western Europe safe from the Neuroi threat. The Allies also took advantage of this opportunity by starting to develop tactics against Central and Eastern Europe. A base was formed in Petersburg, Kingdom of Orussia. Immediately the 502 Joint Fighter Wing “Brave Witches” received a mission to carry out a surprise attack.

Storyline
Since Brave Witches is a spin-off of Strike Witches (located in one time setting), it’s hard for me not to compare the two at all. But do Brave Witches have their own uniqueness?. I swear I’m bored with Neuroi in Strike Witches season 1 and 2. It’s just that the shape is different, or at best can split itself. In Brave Witches it gives a new atmosphere, Neuroi is a little smarter because it has more creative strategic capabilities such as manipulating the weather and forming an artillery – spotter team so that the strategy used to deal with it must also be more creative.

Character
Individually, the 501st members are more charming. After about 8 years since watching the first season, I still remember them – them (although I forgot the details of the characterization) and I still like Eila and Sanya. But! Character pack-wise, the 502nd is much more interesting. I’ll give you a comparison, the 501st contains a lot of important people and has terrible abilities while the 502nd… is pathetic. Again, this is interesting. Watching magical characters beat their opponents is exciting, but seeing the underdogs achieve the same result is exhilarating. In addition, a character set with weaknesses (and some are inefficient for combat) like this is able to show that war is not just a matter of beating Neuroi to the point of breaking out, but things like recon, support, supply lines, escorts, and even good food. less important for the soldiers.

Art
The weakness of this one really feels because I watched one season with Hibike! Euphonium 2 whose visuals are god-level, so Brave Witches looks like it’s really tough. But if you compare it with 2 other studios that have been involved in the production of the Witches series (Gonzo and AIC), this time Silver Link… is below average. Whether it’s because of RAW quality or not really sharp, the coloring isn’t as sharp as Strike Witches season 2. Overall, I’d say it’s still below its predecessor. I don’t understand what happened to the Silver Link studio this time (until there was a production delay), even though when producing the OVA Operation Victory Arrow it was okay to watch. One more thing, the 3D CG. Well, Neuroi’s 3D is almost always normal, but this time… 3D models for characters while flying are a must. There’s even one frame where I slap my forehead because it really feels awkward when I appear (using a close-up event too). Even though using a 2D character model was also good in the OVA Operation Victory Arrow. But why Silver Link when handling Brave Witches… oh whyyyy (.__.)

Ost
I can say Ashita no Tsubasa from Ishida Youko is the best Opening theme among other Opening Witches series. And overall the soundtrack, for me is as good as the Ending theme of Strike Witches season 2, Over Sky.

Overall
Storyline : 8 / 10
Character : 8 / 10
Art : 7 / 10
Ost : 8.5 / 10
Brave Witches : 8 / 10

For Brave Witches because it provides a new atmosphere in the Witches series both in terms of setting and characters, some notable voice actors, and much reduced fanservice. Recommended for fans of the Witches series, as well as those who like the combination of military and moe girls.