Scum of the Brave Episode 1 Review: Janky Animation Undermines Urban Fantasy Premise
The first episode of Scum of the Brave, based on a popular webnovel and webcomic, premiered with significant production issues. The anime follows down-on-his-luck deadbeat Yashiro and high schooler Aki as they fight demon-led crime in a modern Tokyo underworld. The review from Anime Feminist notes that the animation is notably janky, with vending machines changing orientation between shots and characters moving with a stilted quality, suggesting the show may have run out of time to polish its opening scenes. Despite the production problems, the series has a solid premise: a mix of urban shonen beat-em-up and fantasy, where crime lords are magical demons and the heroes-including high school students-are sanctioned to kill. The show introduces a system where Braves use injectors to gain magical superhuman strength, raising questions about long-term consequences. The cast includes Yashiro, a poor, lazy, short-tempered veteran, and Aki, a bubbly but morally grounded classmate. The review calls the series "run of the mill edgy battle-fantasy" with potential for fun if the animation quality holds up over the cour.