English Dub Review: Brave Witches “Take Flight, Chidori”

Does the show finally fly?

Brave Witches resumes with Hikari Karibuchi aboard a warship after her acceptance into the military during “The Witch of Sasebo?” While her sister, sub-Lieutenant in the Third Aerial Squadron, Takami is dispatched to Petersburg, the two siblings take the same ship.

But during the journey, a pack of Neuroi attack. Takami departs to hold off the Neuroi. However, she’s rendered unconscious during the battle. Hikari requests to join the Brave Witches company in her stead. I enjoyed “Take Flight, Chidori” for several reasons. There’s an expanded relationship between Takami and Hikari. Although “The Witch of Sasebo?” portrayed Hikari as an adoring sister, there were few interactions between the two.

Additionally, “Take Flight, Chidori” elaborates on the Brave Witches universe. The Neuroi it’s revealed mainly attack alone. But when Takami is dispatched to hold them off, she encounters a pack of 30. There’s even some discussion of Neuroi physiology with a brief glance of a core. Plus, there’s greater insight into the flying machines witches use. As Takami explains, the new prototype she uses is dubbed Chidori. Takami claims it speaks to her.

I appreciated the advancement of Brave Witches lore. One of the most effective and engaging aspects of a film or show is a detailed, thoughtful universe. That’s what Brave Witches accomplishes in “Take Flight, Chidori.” As the episode progressed, I felt increasingly sucked into the series. Unfortunately, there’s a bit too much 3D animation. I’m fine with both 2D and 3D, but feel it’s best when mostly separated. For instance, I really enjoyed the 80s-90s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series as well as the 2012 Nickelodeon iteration. But mixing the animation on the two wouldn’t work. Similarly, in Brave Witches a few shots pan from mostly 2D to largely 3D images.

But the 3D isn’t terribly distracting as it’s fairly sparse. Overall, I like the continued exploration of both the relationship between Hikari and Takami, as well as focus on the Brave Witches world. I’m still curious about how magic operates as well as the Neuroi. Because of the aside regarding the Neuroi and their odd behavior, I suspect there’s more to come.