An incredibly perverted, yet hilarious anime series! “Girls Bravo – The Complete Series” is an anime TV series which features a lot of fan service, nudity and perversion to the nth degree without becoming a hentai (adult) anime series. The “chikan” behavior featured in the anime series may be offensive to some.
Image courtesy of © Kaneda Mario/Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Ltd/Girls Bravo. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: Girls Bravo – The Complete Series
DURATION: Episodes 1-24 (600 minutes)
DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Stereo/Japanese Stereo
COMPANY: Kadokawa Pictures/FUNimation Entertainment
RATED: TV MA
Release Date: November 23, 2010
Originally created by Mario Kaneda
Director: Ei Aoki
Series Composition: Akira Watanabe
Music: Noriyasu Agematsu
Character Design: Ryuichi Makino
Art Director: Yasutoshi Kawai
Chief Animation Director: Ryuichi Makino, Yuu Nobuta
Animation Producer: Yoshiyuki Matsuzaki
Anime Production: A.I.C Spirits
Featuring the following voice talent:
Ayako Kawasumi/Michelle Ruff as Miharu Sena Kanaka
Mamiko Noto/Yuri Lowenthal as Yukinari Sasaki
Ayaka Saito/J-Ray as Tomoka Rana Judo
Chiwa Saito/Lulu Chiang as Kirie Kojima
Masayo Kurata/Carrie Savage as Koyomi Hare Nanaka
Ryotaro Okiayu/Liam O’Brien as Kazuharu Fukuyama
Tomoko Kaneda/Karen Thompson as Ebi
Yuki Matsuoka/Hunter MacKenzie Austin as Risa Fukuyama
Ai Shimizu/Tara Platt as Hakana
Aya Hisakawa/Erica Shaffer as Hijiri Kanata
Yukinari’s got major girl problems – the poor guy is literally allergic to them. He can’t even be in the same room as a girl without getting a rash. It’s enough to put any red-blooded male in an awful mood.
Here’s the good news: things start looking up for Yukinari when he accidentally plays peek-a-boo with the naked girl next-door. She freaks out and boots him in the face, magically transporting our hero to the coolest place ever: Seiren, a mystical land populated mostly by girls. As soon as he gets there, he meets Miharu, a super-bouncy, carefree cutie who can touch Yukinari without causing a rash! She becomes his roomie on Earth and… Well, then it’s all bathtubs, swimming pools, hot springs, and you’re not even reading this anymore, are you?
In 2000, mangaka Mario Kaneda’s shounen manga “Girls Bravo” was serialized and printed in Kadokawa Shoten’s “Shonen Ace” magazine and for five years, readers have enjoyed the sexual perverted anime series. In 2004, the sereis received its anime adaptation courtesy of AIC and the first 11-episodes (first season) was featured on Fuji TV and the second series aired on WOWOW in 2005 feature 13 episodes. In the US, Geneon Entertainment licensed the series for an English-dubbed release and in Nov. 2010, FUNimation Entertainment has released the complete series on four DVD’s.
The 24-episode anime series was directed by Ei Aoki (“Petite Princess Yucie”, “Blood+”, “Coyote Ragtime Show”) and series composition by Akira Watanabe (“Goshusho-sama Ninomiya-kun”, “Tokimeki Memorial ~Only Love~”, “Zillion”). Music is by Noriyasu Agematsu (“ChronoCrusade”, “Kamichu!”, “My-HIME”), character design by Ryuichi Makino (“Battle Athletes”, “GUNXSWORD” and “Hourou Musuko”) and art direction by Yasutoshi Kawai (“Pokemon 3”, “Tytania”, “Suzuka”).
The mature-themed anime harem series revolves around a shy teenager named Yukinari Sasaki who suffers from an allergy to girls (possibly because he has always been bullied by them). Whenever he is near them, he gets a rash.
His neighbor, the well-endowed and feisty Kirie Kojima has been using his bathroom to shower and one day, Yukinari accidentally walks in on her nude. Yukinari is so upset that she punches him and he falls into the bathtub. But when he disappears, Kirie starts to cry (we realize that she actually cares for Yukinari but she tends to get pissed of quite easily).
As for Yukinari, for some mysterious reason he has ended up in another area to be discovered by Miharu Sena Kanaka who is happy that she has found an Earth boy. Miharu takes him home and immediately he is hit on by her older sister and all the females in the area. She explains to him that he is in a planet called Seinen where men comprise less than 10% of its population. So, he is highly desirable by the women of the planet.
What shocks Yukinari even more, he is not allergic to Miharu at all but also how in her planet, she is so free when it comes to nudity and being naked around him (which he tends to suffer a nosebleed). When he finds out about her power to go from Seinen to Earth by using her powers on the water, he sees Kirie crying and missing him. So, he knows he has to go back home.
As Kirie regrets slugging Yukinari, she is happy when he appears back from the shower (although naked), but to her chagrin, she is even more pissed off when she discovers a naked girl right behind him. It appears that Miharu has accompanied Yukinari back to Earth.
Now Yukinari has to take care of Miharu while she is in Earth and as for Kirie, she feels the need to watch over Yukinari and make sure there is no funny business between him and Miharu.
Also, because the resident and uber-pervert, the rich and powerful Kazuharu Fukuyama, will fondle and grab any girl’s breasts wants to get close to Kirie and now Miharu. And will do anything it takes to get close to them. And his sister Lisa, a person studying the black arts will do anything to get close to Yukinari.
Throw in Koyomi Hare Nanaka (from Seiren) who has a fear of men especially Fukuyama and the young Tomoko (from Seiren) who was hired by Miharu’s sister to find her a husband on Earth and life for Yukinari is going to become quite interesting!
The main characters of “Girls Bravo” are:
- Yukinari Sasaki – The main protagonist who is allergic to girls except Miharu. Because of that, he cares for her a lot. He cares for Kirie but because she mistakes his actions as perverted, she tends to beat up on him a lot.
- Miharu Sena Kanaka – The pink-haired girl from Seiren. The first person in Seiren that Yukinari meets and is very naive about Earth’s culture. She also happens to have a very fast metabolism and thus she loves to eat a lot. Because Yukinari is not allergic to her, she is the only female he allows to get close to him. She has the power to travel from Seiren to Earth and also shoot blasts when she’s upset. She also likes to be naked around Yukinari to Kirie’s chagrin.
- Kirie Kojima – Kirie is Yukinari’s neighbor and classmate. She is very good at martial arts and she also cares about Yukinari. But she has a short temper and mistakes his actions as perverted, so she often beats him up (even though she likes him). She is also well-endowed and is often having her breast grabbed by the pervert Kazuharu Fukuyama. Because she likes Yukinari and knows the Seiren custom of nudity, she feels she needs to make sure that Yukinari is not up to any funny business with the other ladies.
- Kazuharu Fukuyama – A very rich student from the powerful Fukuyama family. He is also the biggest pervert there is. Always thinking about breasts and grabbing on to them. He only thinks about having sex and getting close to Kirie and now Miharu.
- Lisa Fukuyama – Kazaharu’s younger sister who is into the black arts. She is in love with Yukinari and feels that he is her soulmate and thinks Miharu is her rival.
- Koyomi Hare Nanaka – A resident of Seiren and has a fear of men. And it’s made worse when Kazuharu Fukuyama starts feeling her up. She is sent to Earth to find Miharu and to find Miharu’s older sister Maharu, a husband on Earth.
- Tomoka Lana Jude – From Seiren and also selected by Miharu’s sister to find her a husband. She is a young girl that can transform things. Despite being young, she hates being treated like one.
Other characters:
- Maharu Sena Kanaka – Miharu’s well-endowed older sister who is looking for a man and loves fondling Yukinari despite it upsetting Miharu.
- Kosame – A martial-arts fighting attendant attendant who is attracted to Kirie and her large breasts. Whenever Kirie is around, she goes crazy.
- Hayate – A stealthy attendant of Lisa who gets information for Lisa whenever she needs it.
- Lilica Stacy – The Fukuyama’s chief maid who is very tough and has fought in many military operations. She is also highly intelligent and uses a spy satellite to finding what Yukinari and friends are doing. She is very loyal to Kazuharu Fukuyama.
“Girls Bravo” is 24-episode series and is presented on four DVD’s. Here is a basic synopsis of each episode:
DISC 1:
- EPISODE 1 – Bravo from the Bathtub – Yukinari is accidentally punched by his neighbor Kirie and when he falls into the tub, he ends up in the planet Seiren and meets the naked Miharu.
- EPISODE 2 – Bravo at School – Miharu is very hungry and goes to look for curry bread and discovers the shopping district and bananas.
- EPISODE 3 – Cooking is Bravo! – Kazuharu Fukuyama’s sister Lisa kidnaps Yukinari and wants to marry him.
- EPISODE 4 -Â Bravo in the Mansion! – Fukuyama has taken Miharu and now Yukinari and Kirie go to rescue her.
- EPISODE 5 – Bravo on a Rainy Day! Part 1 – A girl named Koyomi is found in Yukinari’s bathtub…who is she?
- EPISODE 6 – Bravo on a Raindy Day Part 2 – Koyomi observes Miharu and knows she has to take her back to Seiren. But receives new orders from her sister Maharu.
DISC 2:
- EPISODE 7 – Look For a Groom Bravo! – Koyomi and Tomoka must find Maharu a husband. But can Koyomi find a man despite her fear of men.
- EPISODE 8 – Lots of Bravo! – Miharu drinks a liquid and somehow many Miharu clones are created.
- EPISODE 9 – Bravo at the Great Magic War! – Tomoka and Lisa fight each other for the creature Ebi.
- EPISODE 10 – Bravo at the Hot Spring! – Yukinari and friends go to a hot springs and meet a ghost.
- EPISODE 11 – Ping Pong is Bravo! – The Fukuyama’s buy the hot spring resort and Kazuharu and Koyomi get into a ping pong battle.
- EPISODE 12 – Bravo at the Pool! – Fukuyama buys a pool and makes it into a resort but the problem is that Yukinari and Fukuyama mysteriously get stuck in each other’s bodies.
DISC 3:
- EPISODE 13 – Fight Bravo! – Fukuyama forces Kiries to fight in an all-girl kickboxing tournament.
- EPISODE 14 – First Date is Bravo! – Yukinari and Miharu go out on their first date.
- EPISODE 15 – Clean Up Bravo! – Yukinari’s classmate Mamoru loves to keep the school clean and Miharu introduces him to Fukuyama’s maid Lilica.
- EPISODE 16 – As Long as Were Together Then Bravo! – Tomoko searches for a man for Maharu but tries to help Kirie who is having some problems.
- EPISODE 17 – Bravo at the Part-Time Job! – Miharu, Kirie and Koyomi get a job at a video game convention.
- EPISODE 18 – Bravo at Mah-Jong! – Fukuyama creates a “unique” mahjong game.
DISC 4:
- EPISODE 19: Rabbit Ears Bravo! – An alternative story in which the group plays a part in a movie about thief rabbit girls and two detectives going after them.
- EPISODE 20: School Festival is Bravo! – The school festival has begun and Maharu comes to Earth.
- EPISODE 21: Sunny Afternoon Bravo! – Koyomi believes she sees her long lost father in a news report on TV.
- EPISODE 22: Present is Bravo! – Miharu goes shopping for everyone.
- EPISODE 23: Bravo to Seiren! –Miharu is taken back to Seiren by Hijiri Kanata. Yukinari and friends try to rescue her.
- EPISODE 24: Final Bravo! – Yukinari and friends fight their way to save Miharu from Yukina.
VIDEO :
“Girls Bravo – The Compete Series” is a TV series that was created back in 2004 and it is a mature-themed series. The focus is typically on close-ups and body shots and fan service. You’ll notice that in the first season, the perversion and nudity was much more featured (as it was shown at the wee hours of the morning on Fuji TV) while the second season was shown on WOWOW.  So, while the first season was more risque, the second season is where you get to see the characters outside of Yukinari’s home and see more utilization of artistic backgrounds which are painted quite well.
Animation is quite simple in terms of less detail, more focus on colors when it comes to the characters. Also, it’s good to know that the characters wear different clothes in each episode (many anime series tend to have their characters wearing the same thing all the time).
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Girls Bravo – The Complete Series” is presented in Japanese and English Stereo. Dialogue is clear and understandable and voice acting are well-done for both the Japanese and English soundtrack, but the English soundtrack is a bit more mature, especially when it comes to Kirie who tends to get a bit mouthy and pissed off. But overall, the series is front-channel driven.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Girls Bravo” comes with the textless opening and ending theme and FUNimation Entertainment trailers.
EXTRAS:
“Girls Bravo” comes with a slipcover case.
“Girls Bravo” is incredibly perverted but yet a hilarious anime series.
Having reviewed a few of these perverted anime seris from FUNimation Entertainment, needless to say with the success of “Sekirei”, it goes to show that sex does sell and when it comes to “Girls Bravo – The Complete Collection”, I wouldn’t be surprised if this series sells well.
But while “Sekirei” attracts people due to its more action-based storyline, “Girls Bravo” relies on its perversion and in some cases, it’s made for the otaku male viewer in mind. While I can see some female viewers feeling the sexual harassment of the character of Fukuyama to be too overboard.
The first half of the series featured more sexual mature themes while the second half is toned down (both seasons aired on different networks). The first half, one will notice the nudity but also certain suggestive themes. For example, there is an episode in which Miharu goes to look for curry bread but she ends up at a vegetable/fruit stand and has her first banana. She strokes it and starts licking it and seeing the saliva connect from the banana to her mouth and while the owner of the shop is talking, we can see her eating the banana in a certain way.
I have to admit that when I started seeing this, the first thing that came to my mind is seeing how far the director wanted to take this series on television with its perversion. And of course, throughout the series, we see the antagonist, Kazuharu Fukuyama grabbing as many female breasts as he can while the girl’s are screaming for him not to. Sure, its a mentality that works in an anime series but in Japan, with problems with “chikan” (perverts who grab on to girls body parts in the crowded public trains), these type of scenes reinforce that behavior in Japan which many groups are trying to fight against (as it is a problem in Japan).
But this series is about T&A. It’s a series designed to be perverted, hilarious and there is a demographic that loves this type of anime. For those who love it “Girls Bravo” features a lot of fan service, nudity and sexual themes that is not a hentai anime porn. But for those who are sensitive towards sekuhara (sexual harassment), this anime series is not for you.
The characters for the most part are quite fun to watch and part of the series revolves around seeing how the girls defeat the antagonist Fukuyama and his schemes to fondle them. It’s not a full-on harem anime series but there are three females who vie for the protagonist Yukinari’s attention but the others are there to find a husband for Maharu (since the planet of Seiren doesn’t have many men on their planet). The episodes are quite fun and hilarious and as mentioned, there is a difference in how much was presented in the first season versus the second but where the first season employed nudity, the second season still utilized a lot of fan-service. So, for those who are into that…this series has a lot to offer.
Overall, “Girls Bravo – The Complete Series” is an anime series that features 24-episodes on four DVD’s and for those wanting more pervertd/fan-service driven anime series like “Master of Martial Hearts” and “Sekirei”, “Girls Bravo” is definitely for you!
