Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Brain Powered Japanese: ブレンパワード
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 26
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 8, 1998 to Nov 11, 1998
Duration:
25 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 6.441 (scored by 963 users)
Ranked: #47502
Popularity: #2693
Members: 2,948
Favorites: 5 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
action mecha |
SynopsisIn the not so distant future much of the earth has been submerged under the sea or destroyed by earthquakes. At the center of the turmoil is the mysterious Orphan. Orphan may or may not be the original cause of the cataclysms. Orphan`s goal is to raise a ship hidden deep beneath the sea to the surface, but doing so would result in the destruction of all humans except for the small number which are loyal to Orphan.
Orphan`s agents pilot mysterious mecha known as Grand Cheres, and search the world for mysterious, giant disks which occasionally appear, flying at high speeds and wrecking much of the countryside, or cities, when they hit the ground. After a dying disc almost kills Hime, a Brain Powerd is born from the disc. Brain Powerds are another type of Mecha, similar to but not the same as Grand Cheres.
Hime becomes the Brain Powerd`s pilot, forming a symbiotic relationship with the living mecha and joins an International Organization dedicated to stopping Orphan, or at the very least saving humanity should Orphan succeed.
(Source: AniDB) |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Brain Powered
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Seabury
11 of 24 people found this review helpful
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26 of 26 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
There are a few series out there that claim controversy as part of their aura. These are shows like Evangelion, who for some reveal a mess of whine, and for others a complex basket of goods. Brain Powered falls in to this controversy in a matter I can’t quite fathom, because for some it is incomprehensible. The reason I can’t fathom the controversy is because it made perfect sense to me, and I don’t exactly see where the confusion lies. Despite the fact that for many fans watching this is among the worst anime experiences in their lives, I am going to proudly proclaim this a masterpiece, and hopefully give a satisfying reason why.
When Tomino promoted this film, he claimed it was “even better than Evangelion”. This is an extremely brash statement for any director to make, but in a sense he’s right. It touches the same issues as Evangelion at many parts, but ultimately it’s better for the soul. It is an uplifting defense of the power of love at its core, and thus while I would *not* agree that it’s higher quality, it might be better to watch and enjoy.
So what exactly is this show that defends love against all? Brain Powerd is about biomechanical living mechs fighting for or against Orphan, a ship that will sail to the stars, but requires draining the energy of all life on earth to succeed. On both sides are troubled teens from broken families, who struggle to overcome their hangups as much as their enemies.
What makes this show a masterpiece is the characters. I’ll grant that they aren’t by any means easy characters. They are difficult to understand, and some of them are almost impossible to relate to, such as the antagonist Jonathan. The way the characters behave is complex, and they hide a lot of their feelings. This is what underlies many of the complaints about this show. Without their hearts on their sleeves, sometimes a character will do something “random”, such as Yuu’s defection in the first episode. But once you piece together the characters, everything they do makes sense. Until then, trying to read them is like trying to read real humans. And it’s important to note that the characters are weird. They aren’t weird in the sense that they are incomprehensible, but rather that they have unique modes of expression that don’t conform to stock anime archetypes.
This show, basically, refuses to ever pander to the audience. It requires your full attention to understand. It’s no secret that that which demands the most out of you gives the greatest rewards. I could talk about the plot and characters all day, there’s plenty to chew on in those regards. Instead, I’ll give a brief word to the other aspects of this work.
The animation is interesting, though maybe not conventionally beautiful. This especially applies to the fights, which function in a specifically non-fluid manner. The antibodies (mechs) sort of “blink” short distances, giving the whole fight a surreal vibe. They often take place over water, specifically utilizing these two mediums in an interesting manner. I really think the fights over water are quite elegant, some of the more memorable mech fights out there. The character designs have been criticized as rather bland, but I never got that impression. I especially like Hime’s design.
The music is the only thing about this series that is universally acclaimed, and that’s with good reason. Yoko Kano, famous for Cowboy Bebop, is the one on charge of this front. The opening by Eri Shingyoji, “In My Dream”, is one of my favorite openings of all time.
While we’re on the topic, this is another key gripe about the show. The opening features every character naked for no apparent reason. It’s a bit abstract, but my interpretation has always been that when they are stripped bare, at their core what they need is love. Of course, the clothes represent the revealing of their emotions, and the lyrics are what implies that it’s about needing love. This fits in because it is, arguably, the key concept of the show.
To sum up my overall impression of the show; Brain Powerd is a drama of the most intriguing characters whose outside conflict mirrors their inner struggles. It’s a bit hokey at times, and it’s not as philosophically deep as it thinks it is, but Tomino directs cheerfully and with a good sense of humor, leading to a show that is downright inspiring. It is basically the optimistic version of Evangelion. I can’t recommend it to everyone, only a few viewers will “get it”, but for those who do this is a fantastic and sublime show. read more
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VoidHawk
15 of 35 people found this review helpful
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26 of 26 episodes seen
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| Overall |
5 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
OK!
The concepts behind this story are not bad, not bad at all. on the contrary, biotechnology concepts are sound science fiction concepts, best used on Babylon 5 for instance where you see Vorlons and Shadows with huge living ships...
But my, something basic to any story is continuity and coherence...and those two are missing here.
The story begins with one premise...then turns into boring mecha action...then turns into a try-to-be psychological drama, then try to be again a science fiction story...
It tries a lot of things but fails short to every goal.
The very first premise is lost at the end...weren't they trying to stop the enormous ship to rise or all life on Earth would perish? But the ship ends in space...and nothing much happen aside tidal effects.
And there is no real end to the whole story...
And they began to display something interesting on episode 25 (the memories inside Orphan, depicting it locked in battle over Earth with another ship like it...and then explaining that Grand Chers are from Orphan and Brains are from the other ship...and then nothing else is said about that...and the fate of the other ship...or why they were in battle...
Good ideas, good overal concept but a mediocre execution, failing to make the story work...
A pitty...this could have been in concept something better than Evangelion...but ended being a really haphazardly made series... read more
Recommendations
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Normally I just recommend things I like but in the case of this two, it's more like they both contain similarities of what I hate about them.
Diebuster to me ruined Gunbuster and I just didn't have the energy to post a review of it not only because of seeing how many positive reviews it has but also because I sort of understand why people praise it since I know it references many things in the Gunbuster saga. (Top wo Nerae 1 but I have a bad habit of thinking the actual title is Gunbuster.)
In many ways Brain Powerd despite being more of a horrible oldie mecha anime compared to the animation in Top wo Nerae! 2 holds this same qualities of "I get this thing you're trying to pull and sure it's kinda special-ly" but who are you really trying to trick?
Diebuster is more forgivable for being more of a modern OVA-type action anime but nonetheless both series' plot rely on vague symbolism of quality inter-mixed with things that ruin their mecha genres (at least for me) by utilizing a sort of skinny deus ex special disaster events with sprinkles of sudden character attempts of being involved in symbolistic battles that really aren't.
In the end, if you're looking for a mediocre mecha series that will make you try to meditate and mull over the seemingly worthless events and blatant pseudo-intellectual babble that happens in it - you can't go wrong with both. They are at points deeper than Evangelion and yet at the same time shallower and I do consider Evangelion to be a shallow overrated anime although not to the extent that most of it's haters portray it as.
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Sentient mechs, symbiotic relationships, homeships, little children onboard, somewhat balanced male/female protagonists... Plus they both have the war element, romance and something of a mystic nature inhabiting their planet.
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Opening Theme"In My Dream" by Eri Shingyoji
Ending Theme"Ai no Rinkaku" (Field of Love) by Kokia
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Related ClubsShinichiro Miki Fanclub, Yukiru Sugisaki Club, Anime Dimenzija, English Dub Fanclub, Super Robot Wars Fanclub, Yoko Kanno fanclub, Kanno Yoko FC, Maaya Sakamoto fanclub, Secret Paku Romi Fan ClubXD, Unusual is Better, /m/ - MIKU FEI-YEN, KOKIA Fan Club
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