The Winter 2024 anime season is here, and at a time where it’s either isekai or not isekai, I always appreciate it when we do have more than one mecha (and mecha-adjacent) series to watch. Here is what’s on my plate for this season.
Metallic Rouge
As uncommon as it is for an original anime, Metallic Rouge is one of the more anticipated titles this season. As part of Bones’ 25th anniversary, the animation studio reunites with Yutaka Izubuchi whose last collaboration was 19 years ago with RahXephon. And despite being more of a mecha-adjacent series, it really has a really interesting premise.
In a world where humans coexist with androids called Neans, a group known as the Immortal Nine rises up against society. Tasked with disposing of the revolters, a Nean named Rouge Redstar (aka Metal Rouge) and investigator Naomi Orthmann head to Mars to track them down… but first, Rouge wants some chocolate.
I recently watched the premiere episode and it’s quite refreshing to see something sci-fi when everything else is wizardry and magic. The whole world regarding the Neans and how everything came to be is also intriguing, especially with our main characters coming from a point of view opposing the revolutionaries, when it’s usually the opposite.
Bang Brave Bang Bravern
Bang Brave Bang Bravern has a crazy title, and it’s been on my periphery for a good time since it comes from the legendary Masami Obari. If you don’t know him, quickly hop to Google then come back. The teasers clearly build this up as more of a real robot series, but given the title, you should expect some hot-blooded action.
Lewis Smith and Isami Ao are enemy pilots. Lewis is a pilot for the U.S. armed forces who pilots the armored humanoid weapon Titanostride. In the midst of battle, he meets Isami Ao, the ace pilot for Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force.
They are clearly mixing real robots and super robots in this series so this looks to be quite a fun show. Good Smile Company’s Good Mecha Smile division has also teased future products for this series so I’ll definitely look forward to some kits.
SYNDUALITY Noir (Part 2)
The last title for this season is the second part of SYNDUALITY Noir, which premiered last Summer. I really liked the first half for how chill it is, although I’m not expecting everything to remain as is. And during the last couple of episodes, we were given interesting plot twists, like how our titular Magus made a 180-degree turn when she literally became noir.
I will definitely miss the previous opening theme “Raytracer” by Stereo Dive Foundation as that’s one of my primary hooks to this series. Fortunately, they finally released an animation music video which you can check out below.
2024 shapes up to be a good year for mecha fans with these aforementioned titles. Not to mention that we also have Grendizer U scheduled this year. And of course, we already have a couple of Gundam-related titles like Gundam SEED FREEDOM and the movie version of Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans: Urdr Hunt, with the latter updating with a new key visual. Hopefully, we get more as we go well into the year.
