Promare​ vs.

the Bechdel Test

The 2019 movie ​Promare​, by Studio Trigger, is far from the epitome of nuance and
intelligent thinking, but it does deal with issues of oppression(if not in the most realistic way
possible). The question is, though, does it pass the Bechdel test? On the surface, it pretty much
passes with flying colors; there’s a lot of female characters, pretty much all of them speak to
another female at one point, and at least one of these conversations was about something other
than a man. If one takes a closer look, though, is it really so black and white?
The first criteria, women existing in the film, is undoubtedly fulfilled. There are about
five female characters with speaking roles in ​Promare.​ Two of which are background characters
with little to nearly unintelligible lines, but both of them are nonetheless important to the story.
The closest thing to a female lead ​Promare ​has is Aina, Galo(the protagonist)’s crewmate in the
Burning Rescue firefighting company. She, along with Lucia-another crewmate- both assist Galo
in his fights against Lio and the Mad Burnish and, later on, Kray.
The second and third criteria are also fairly simple, there is definitely at least one
meaningful conversation between the two of the women in ​Promare​. Two of the most important
dialogue exchanges in the whole show are between Aina and her sister. Though the first one
started by them talking about Galo, it was instrumental in demonstrating Heris(Aina’s sister)’s
love for her sister. This love is what eventually led to Galo and Lio being able to save the Earth
after and during the sisters’ second and third conversations.
Lastly, even if ​Promare​ is a movie about three men who fight fire with fire in giant
robots, it can definitely be called progressive, and not just because it passes the Bechdel test.
Galo as a protagonist respects his female counterparts, isn’t afraid to show his emotions, and
doesn’t show any signs of toxic masculinity, despite his character design and general attitude
making one expect these things.
In conclusion, while it’s definitely not going to win any awards for its feminism,
Promare​ definitely passes the Bechdel test. It features a host of interesting female characters,
meaningful relationships between them, and a general progressiveness that wouldn’t normally be
seen in movies of this genre.