BanG Dream! It’s MyGO

Eh? This franchise still alive? Apparently. I wasn’t such a big fan of it so I didn’t really follow up. After the third season, I didn’t follow up on the movie or the male spinoff version of the series. Or that, what’s that violin rock band spinoff again? Mofo fornification or something?! Whatever! And thus when BanG Dream! It’s MyGO (how many freakin’ exclamation marks come after that???!!! I lost count…) hit the airwaves, I was particularly surprised. I figure this is going to be a band version of Love Live, a franchise that will not die in the foreseeable future. Heh. Why am I being so pessimistic about the things that many others love? Anyway, noting a different set of faces on the promotional poster, I figured this could be another spinoff and so it was that curiosity that made me go check it out to see what it’s all about. It’s a new band so got to give them a chance. Though, I’m not putting any high hopes on it.

Episode 1
Well, bad news. Sakiko Togawa finally shows up to her waiting band members of Crychic, only to tell them she is quitting. Soyo Nagasaki tries to find out why but Sakiko isn’t saying. This pisses off Taki Shiina. Without Sakiko, what will happen to the band since Sakiko founded it. Not that she cares. Tomori Takamatsu is too scared to say anything and Mutsumi Wakaba claims she never had fun in the band. I guess that’s it for them. Now we see Anon Chihaya as a new transfer student at Haneoka Girls’ High School. She quickly makes friends with a normal group of people. She learns they are in a band. Oh heck, almost everyone in school is one. They credit to their seniors like Afterglow for this band mania. They invite Anon to join but she’ll think about it. As she continues to ponder about it, she hears this beautiful piano play by Sakiko. She goes to introduce herself as Anon is also looking for some band members. Sakiko doesn’t seem impressed and leaves. True, Anon is looking for members but she doesn’t want to be too invested in a band. But fellow classmate Tomori seems to attract Anon’s attention. She looks weird and forlorn. A mini accident has them strike up a little conversation. Like Tomori is into penguins and as the only member of the astronomy club, she hopes Anon will join so as not to be disbanded. Well, Anon will think about it! That sad Tomori looks… Anon then notices her songbook. She takes a look at it and doesn’t recognize this Spring Sunlight song. Tomori says she is no longer in a band and won’t do it again for fear of the same thing happening. Anon can’t stand this gloominess and takes her to go karaoke. Tomori is in no mood to sing. Anon tries to look up Spring Sunlight but can’t find it. Of course she can’t. It’s a song they wrote. As Tomori still blames herself, Anon tries to give some words of encouragement. Tomori then wonders if she can keep the band going for the rest of their lives and when Anon laughs, Tomori is not amused and runs out. She chases after her to apologize. So happen they pass by Taki’s workplace so Taki defends her friend from this weirdo. Tomori continues to run as Taki learns that Anon tried to invite Tomori to join her band. Taki is not impressed and scolds her. What? Why? Meanwhile Tomori continues to be sad…

Episode 2
Anon is so confused as Taki walks away. Soyo wonders what is happening so Anon brushes it off. Next day in class, a bit of awkwardness between Anon and Tomori. Later as Anon goes to the bulletin to check if there are any bands who would take a guitarist and/or vocalist, none. Then she bumps into Soyo there again they soon become friends. They had to patron the diner Taki works as. You bet Taki and Anon won’t get along. Bad service! As they talk about band recruitment, Rana Kaname is jamming her guitar on stage! Too noisy to hear anything! But her jamming is awesome, right? With another bad service from Taki, Anon can’t understand what her beef is. She only asked Tomori to join her band. That’s all. Of course Tomori rejected her. Soyo easily agrees to Anon’s suggestions of joining her band since she plays the bass. At school, Anon apologizes to Tomori for being pushy and won’t ask her to join again. Next day, Anon and Soyo meet up to discuss further on recruiting other band members. Soyo has an idea who can be the drummer. Looking at you, Taki. She is not impressed and won’t join. Soyo asks if Tomori is in, would she be? Taki doesn’t think so because she’s hurt. Soyo notes everyone is hurt. Soyo then explains to Anon that all of them used to be in the same band called Crychic. She shows her a low res video of them in one of their practice. Tomori was the lead singer and she sounds pretty shy. Later Anon talks to Tomori about the latter being a vocalist. Quite a good singing voice. She believes Tomori want to be in a band.

Episode 3
Fancy an episode about Crychic but totally from Tomori’s POV? Here’s your episode. Some snippets of Tomori’s life and after she graduated from middle school, she continued to be alone. Until Sakiko thought she wanted to kill herself by jumping off the bridge (she was just actually trying to pick a flower). With Sakiko scrapping her knee, Tomori offered her plaster. That’s when the duo started to become friends as Sakiko is impressed with whatever Tomori likes. Taking a liking for some words she wrote about loneliness, Sakiko then incorporated it into her song. She liked it so much that Sakiko wanted to start a band with her. And soon they got the other members of Crychic and everyone was pretty confident about their future as a band. However, I’m surprised that Tomori was shocked to learn she is the band’s vocalist. It’s her lyrics so she should sing. Uhm, did she not know what she was playing when she signed up?! Anyway, being the shy girl, obviously her voice couldn’t come out. So they had several practice sessions and some karaoke ones too to help boost Tomori’s confidence. Then there was one performance they played, it was so good that Tomori couldn’t remember what happened?! They received lots of praises but of course there were some sceptics too. Taki’s answer was to block them?! But then Sakiko saw some comment and it all went downhill from there. The rest as we all know is history, the day when Sakiko announced she is quitting the band. This has Tomori wonder if she lacked something as a person as she doesn’t have something precious like everyone else. Of course, she yearns to have that.

Episode 4
Tomori blames herself for the breakup of Crychic. When Soyo joins in the talk, Tomori runs away. At school, Tomori continues to avoid Anon. When Sakiko asks Anon if she has found any new members and she replies Soyo, Sakiko becomes annoyed. After school, Soyo waits outside the school gates to talk to Sakiko but she is in no mood for that. Soyo wonders if this has anything to do with Crychic but Sakiko denies. Anon then forces Tomori, Soyo and Taki to get together and talk out all their problems. Might as well. First they discuss about why Crychic broke up. Taki thinks it is Sakiko since she stopped coming to practice. Tomori blames herself thinking she couldn’t sing well and that’s why Sakiko stopped coming. Anyway in the end, nobody is to blame and they all have their own circumstances. They misunderstood each other and lost their chance to connect. Not wanting to start hating bands as Soyo suggests they can start all over again. This time they’ll surely talk it out. Tomori invites Anon to join too. Well, weird squabbling between Anon and Taki can begin… In class, everybody crowds around Tomori after they learn she is now in a band. She’s a celebrity or what?! The quartet gather again to talk about band details. They start off with who plays what. Anon trying to paint herself as the important centre and Taki of course has things to stay about it. Uhm, Tomori could stand and sing behind Anon? Then there’s the naming of the band. Yeah, Anon’s suggestions all include a variation of her name. So self-centred. More weird stuffs like Ricky and Ooky (WTF?!) but I’m sure we’re here for the amusing Anon-Taki banter, right? At the end of the discussion, Tomori thanks Anon for it all. First band practice. Anon trying to show off her simple chords? What song to practice? Spring Sunlight seems to be the only song they know although Anon is not very familiar with it since she heard it only once.

Episode 5
Uhm, Rana just walks into the session and starts jamming after looking at the score of Spring Sunlight once. Like as though this is her band or something? Practice for the rest didn’t start as it ended. They ask Rana if she wants to join the band. Yes, she’ll do it. Anon looking pretty worried. But Rana’s guitar skills are exceptional and she would’ve been scouted by other bands. True. But they are all boring women. It seems she views Tomori as interesting. Anon excuses herself and back home, she is really worried if Rana actually joins the band. This means she will be relegated to secondary guitarist! As she practises her guitar, she thinks of taking a shortcut. This means asking Tomori to write a new song since they are a new band. Sorry, she only write lyrics. There goes her shortcut plan. Taki then suggests doing a live concert soon. Anon is even more worried since they haven’t even practised once! Oh wow, Taki went ahead and do the booking already? Soon, Tomori ekes out she doesn’t want to do it because she fears the band will break up again. Despite Soyo assuring it will be different this time, this is not convincing enough for Tomori. Taki and Soyo talk about this issue. They thought their feelings were the same but apparently not. Whatever it is, they don’t want to make Tomori feel alone again. On yet another discussion, Taki is adamant to go ahead with the live performance so everyone can hear Tomori’s song. With Anon pretty against it, this has Taki telling her off that she is so because she can’t play the guitar well and is using this as an excuse to run away. Wow, Anon denies that and RUNS AWAY!!! She stumbles into a few old friends and they thought she was in London studying. Oh damn, did she lie?! With Tomori picking her up, Anon explains her whole life is about running away. Indeed, she went to London to study after middle school but all that enthusiasm died out since she couldn’t blend in and it was so awkward. That is why she returned and became a transfer student at this strange time. Now it is Tomori’s turn to tell her not to run because she once told her to try hard. Now apply it to yourself. Move forward and if it’s a dead end, find another way. Just keep moving forward because by doing so, it isn’t the end. In the end, both of them now agree to do the live performance.

Episode 6
Seriously, Anon still trying to learn the chords?! Tomori shows the lyrics she has written. Taki is impressed and will write a song to match it. Soyo talks to Mutsumi about their band going to perform soon and invites her to watch. Unfortunately she doesn’t want to come. Taki has written the music and lets her bandmates listen. It’s good. Only Anon wants it a bit slower but is shot down because Taki doesn’t want to lose momentum. Before they start practising, Rana drops in and sees the sheet and then starts playing it. Note, there is no part for her written so she improvises on it. Because it’s good, Taki cancels practice to rewrite the song to include her. And when that is ready, Rana doesn’t show up. Again, Taki cancels practice to rewrite the song without her. WTF?! Could she not use the previous one?! And then once that is done, Rana shows up. WTF, girl! Make up your mind! After one practice, Rana is satisfied and leaves. Worse, Taki becomes a dictator and tells Anon to practice even more. Can’t blame Anon, the score changes all the time and she needs time to practice. The rest note she is quite stressed and offer to help. Too bad Taki took it the wrong way and thinks she cannot be depended upon. So much so she screams she isn’t like Sakiko. Because of that, Taki falls into depression and even worries if she’ll actually turn up on performance day. Yeah, now it is Taki’s turn not to show up for practice! OMG, this is so funny I can’t even laugh! Anon and Tomori are worried so they go to her school to look for her. A weird chase scene before they finally catch her. Then Rana stumbles into them as she was playing with a stray cat. Taki is shocked because she never knew Rana went to her school. Here’s another shocker: She’s your senior!

Episode 7
During the equipment testing rehearsal, our girls are even having their own bust up. Rana just like, put down her guitar and left?! Even while waiting at the backstage, more bust up as Taki tries to take charge but everyone is still anxious. So the concert for the night begins. It is our girls’ turn. Tomori and Anon clearly show panic on their faces as Soyo tries to appease the fleeting crowd. Worse, a few false starts! Take it from the top again! Then the real song starts. Tomori being soft as f*ck as we also see Sakiko and Mutsumi as part of the crowd. But soon Tomori finds her groove and starts singing naturally. Once the song ends, she makes a heartfelt speech how she couldn’t sing well before and doesn’t want to feel that awful feeling of breaking up again. Now she feels like she wants to move forward with her songs. It’s not part of the script so she suddenly starts singing Spring Sunlight and everyone else follows suit. At this time, a large crowd gathers and is enthralled by Tomori’s performance as she belts her heart out. But WTF, Sakiko is not happy and runs away in tears?! Seeing this, Soyo is having the biggest heartbreak of her life. The song ends on a good note and the audience are very pleased with their performance. But as our girls relish their huge success at the backstage, shockingly Soyo loses her sh*t and screams her head off why did she sing Spring Sunlight! Oh damn, she looks like a psycho killer!

Episode 8
Soyo snapping at the rest for singing that song without permission. I’m sorry, does it belong to anybody exclusively?! She says Sakiko was crying. However Taki doesn’t care. Soyo has had it and leaves. Because of that, Soyo has not been seeing them since and Taki continues to be indifferent. Don’t even mention about Rana who is just, uhm, I don’t even know what she’s thinking anymore. Tomori talks to Anon about Sakiko being the one who brought her into Crychic. It was a warm place then. But now the irony when she sang the song, it hurt her. Soyo has trying to text Sakiko to explain herself but no replies. Could it be she has been blocked? Google it… Sakiko goes to meet her childhood friend, Uika Misumi. Some flashback on how they met and became friends. But now Sakiko seems seriously in asking her for a favour. Soyo then talks to Mutsumi. She thinks she brought Sakiko to their performance. She tries to get psychological with Mutsumi to blame it is all her fault since she speaks her mind freely. This is to get her to reveal where Sakiko lives. Anon is surprised to receive a message from Rana to meet up. Better hurry down there before she leaves! Wow, it’s like a rare event! So as everyone minus Soyo meet, Tomori wants to apologize although Taki couldn’t care less about what Soyo is doing. This is all so boring for Rana so she just packs up and leave. Oh damn! Wasted! Soyo meets Sakiko at her home as she starts ranting about how it wasn’t her intention to play Spring Sunlight but was forced to go along. She doesn’t expect to be forgiven since the song is precious to Crychic and shouldn’t sing it without her permission. Sakiko is not amused and thinks she is just doing it for herself. Holding onto the song tightly is not worth it so why not just forget about it. Soyo is in shock as she tries to bring back the happy days of Crychic. Sakiko tells her off Crychic is done. Destroyed. Yes, she was the one who started it but that is why she also ended it. Whatever her next scheme, she doesn’t want to be involved. Soyo becomes desperate and will plead to do anything to get Crychic back together again. Unfortunately Sakiko once more isn’t impressed with such irresponsible words. Because at the end of the day, she only thinks about herself. Well, that’s the final blow. Sakiko’s gone. Soyo in despair. Mutsumi… Still having that poker face.

Episode 9
Flashback shows when Soyo was younger, she moved into this place with her single mom. At this new school of hers, she joined and orchestra and played the cello. After one of the concerts, Sakiko approached her and was impressed with her performance. She invited her to join her band. Ah, such great times in Crychic until of course the day they fell apart. Now that Soyo is as uncertain as Rana, this makes Tomori feel that she is cursed in bands and thinks she shouldn’t be in one. She hurts everyone by being in it. Of course Taki disagrees. She then messages Mutsumi for Soyo’s address. Hmm, everybody doesn’t know where each other lives except Mutsumi?! But Mutsumi tells her it is none of her business. Soyo returns to her orchestra group. One day Anon and Tomori see her across the station. They wave but Soyo ignores and pretends not to know them. This makes Tomori so sad! Anon calls Taki about this and looks like it’s time to take matters into her own hands. After asking her sister, Taki waits for an orchestra performance to end before confronting Soyo. She asks about the band. What is she going to do about it? Not my problem. Those promises? All lies. Taki is at boiling point as she tells about Tomori agonizing over everything. Did she betray her? Soyo admits yes. If she is called the worst, the same can be said for Taki. Soyo thinks it is fine since Taki wants Tomori for herself. Desperate, Taki tells Anon and Tomori she has brought a new bassist into the band. She is Umiri Yahata, Taki’s classmate and in about roughly 30 bands! So she’s like a bassist for hire? Taki pushes everything fast to practice but after a few tries and Tomori not singing, Umiri packs up and leaves. No point continuing, right? Anon asks about Soyo as Taki says she is not coming back. Needing more explanation, Taki then blurts out what Soyo said to her especially those lies. Although Soyo didn’t say she quit, she never intended to be part of the new band. That’s why she never needed Anon or Rana. It was an excuse to tie Taki and Tomori together. If that’s the case, Anon realizes she is not needed and leaves. Oh damn, Tomori breaking down further. She’s this close of turning psycho!

Episode 10
So is it over? Well, Tomori still feeling hurt and confused from everything. And now Anon is keeping her distance from her. As she continues to do things alone, she bumps into Uika who lends a listening ear. She hints about singing reaching out to others. Even if she has a hard time saying it in words, her feelings will definitely get through. After Tomori pens her lyrics, she confronts Anon to perform live with her. She won’t. Bye. Tomori then books a live performance slot herself. Uhm, is this a stand up comedy? Because she is alone and starts talking her lyrics. Weird. But luckily here is Rana to give some background accompaniment music. Well, some actually find this interesting! Yeah, not sure if this is some new type of music! With more and more people attending this, Rana even drags Taki in the middle of her work to go play! Later as Tomori and Taki reconcile, Mutsumi pops up to ask what they’ll do about Soyo because she doesn’t know anymore. Tomori then confronts Anon to play with her again but once more she refuses as she believes she is not needed. She runs. She chases. The clincher is that Tomori wants them to be lost together. So that’s how she is convinced to return? Now Anon goes to confront Soyo who is still stubborn and not impressed. Because Anon claims both of them start this band, Soyo assures she will end it. So she’s Sakiko v2 now? So at the next live performance, the moment Tomori spots Soyo in the crowd, she leaps off just to drag her to the stage to play. Such great drama. Here’s your bass. The rest didn’t give her any time so they start playing as she starts singing talking. Soyo is forced to go with the flow and soon everybody starts playing like a band and Tomori singing for real. Yeah, must be so beautiful that everybody minus Rana is f*cking crying! Must be feeling good to be back in business, eh?

Episode 11
So we’re still crying at the backstage? Yeah, everybody so confused so the only thing left is to continue crying. Except for Rana of course. In a way, the band is back together again although Soyo’s face is mostly I’m-not-impressed kinda look. Rana keeps bugging Taki to perform live again. So the girls go try their luck and it seems the available space is in 3 days. Take it or leave it? Because Soyo doesn’t want to sing that same song again, I guess they’ll have to do the impossible and write a new song. Hence Taki arranges for everybody to converge at her home to do so. Anon trying to make herself useful by suggesting a name for the band and do the costumes. I don’t think the rest are even interested… Soyo is still having confused feelings because Tomori went on to assume all 5 of them will be playing in this band for the rest of their lives. What if she refused? Didn’t plan for that. As Anon puts it, all of them have been led around by Tomori who wouldn’t abandon Soyo or give up on the band even if she was alone. So crunch time is here as everyone gathers to meet the deadline as Taki is using her prior knowledge of Midi music programming to get a head start. Anon trying to suggest band names but no one is impressed especially Soyo. Then she also shows skimpy outfit fashion examples. This is to make them stand out. Nobody is impressed either. Since Anon has started to make their uniforms, they also converge to her place to help. Uhm, Anon already sewn their band name onto the outfit?! Anon Tokyo?! Soyo not impressed! Not sure if Tomori is mumbling about the hard band life or if this is part of her lyrics. But this gives Anon the perfect idea for their band name. Because they are still lost girls, that should be their band name. Next morning, Soyo is devastated because her uniform is cut into half?!

Episode 12
After all that practice and Taki is still feeling unconfident with her new song? Well, it’s almost their turn to go on stage so they better be prepared. So the band with the name of Maigo go on stage to start their performance. Tomori dazzling before the crowd. At the end of it, she introduces the members. Uhm, a bit too personal her introduction? She also mentions about their struggles and how they are always lost before continuing the next song. Then she makes it official their band name as MyGO before the band sings their final song. It’s okay to get lost as long as you’re moving forward! Back stage, the rest agree and accept MyGO as their band’s name. Soyo goes to see Mutsumi who saw their performance. She asks how it was. Splendid. However Soyo isn’t impressed and did not want to hear that answer from her. What’s her frickin’ problem?! She returns whatever chocolates to her. Sakiko goes to see a famous online social influencer, Nyamu Yuutenji. It seems she wants her to join her band that includes Mutsumi and Uika. Sakiko wants her as a drummer because not only she is ambidextrous but she can pull in the views for their band. Speaking of which, she is already on the verge of signing with an agency and they’ll have their professional debut soon. So is she on board?

Episode 13
We see Sakiko recruiting Mutsumi for her band. The latter agrees out of pity thinking she is breaking apart. Sakiko reminds her that her weak version is dead so your worries are not of any concern. We see MyGO celebrating and talking. Sorry, it’s boring so I didn’t pay attention. All I can see is that Tomori still seems unsure. One day, Tomori has written some lyrics or something. She goes to show it to Sakiko at school. Well, the b*tch just slams the piano and goes off. WTF is her problem?! Lucky Tomori has Anon to hang out with and blow that blues away. The duo bump into Uika but she can’t chat since she is running late for her show. That is right. Tonight’s concert is Ave Mujica’s debut. We see the members of Sakiko, Mutsumi, Uika, Nyamu and Umiri preparing at the backstage. Wow. They dolled up their face so much and they wear a mask? Is this some masquerade ball? Phantom of the opera? Yeah, it’s so lacy I thought they were wearing panties on their face! WTF DID I JUST SAY???!!! Anyway, the concert begins in an unusual fashion because it is some sort of theatrical play before the girls get down to their instruments and start jamming. Is it Halloween? Their song sounds like it. You bet it is such a great show that they are the top trending band on the internet. You think the girls would like to have an after party celebration but it seems Sakiko is either being overly cautious to not get fame into her head or she’s just a wet blanket b*tch who doesn’t want to celebrate. She takes her leave and heads home early. Yeah. Why do that when she hates home so much and her dad looks like some unemployed drunkard.

BlanD Dream! Lost Girls Of Tokyo
Oh my. So it’s not over? Because there’s a sequel?! Well, more accurately, a sequel on Sakiko’s side since she has formed a new band, right? Ah yes. Time for more band drama but now on Sakiko’s group of (masked) weirdoes. Heh. It’s like MyGO got usurped in the final episode for this. Uh huh. Let’s put aside these boring and drama filled ladies and focus on a seemingly more interesting group of girls. At least from this point of view. Hence the final episode felt like a long promotional teaser for the next season which is of course Ave Mujica. Yeah. That’s the name for the next season. So take a bow, MyGO! Get lost! Literally!

Generally I would say that I am not impressed with this spinoff sequel. I understand that they want to make things interesting by showcasing the struggles of the formation of a band. But it is riddled with such over the top drama that not only was I confused, I was also pretty annoyed. Yes, rather than all the sugar coating sweetness of how amicable bands are formed (“Hey buddy, I’m forming a band, wanna join? Alright! Cool!”), at least it is will not be boring (no, it is not exactly interesting) because we have 13 episodes and how are you going to play out everything of a band anime in all those episodes? This series is your answer. Weird drama and strange characters coming together to form a band. That is pretty much the story and struggles of MyGO. Uh huh. To think that they don’t even have a freaking band name for the entire series until the penultimate episode! Oh, now I understand and know how many exclamation marks that come after the band’s name: 5. Yes, each representing a member. Why exclamation marks, it beats me. I thought question marks would’ve been more fitting but oh well…

The main problem of this series are the main characters that form MyGO itself. I get it that the band needs to have interesting and quirky characters for us to at least take an interest in them. After all, bands in real life have very strange members. But it is not the case for MyGO. At least they started off on the wrong foot and gave me a bad impression. I believe they want to showcase to us that the band is lost and has no direction. Nobody knows where they are going although they have their eyes set on the end goal to be in a band. So it is that journey that confused everybody and the cause of all the weird and exaggerated drama that we have seen. After all the struggling and persistence, it all pays off because they are now somewhat united and call themselves a true band. Yeah. I figure that is the story and how it flows. Some bands are made because of the struggles and hardships rather than lofty and dreamy ambitions.

First up we have Tomori on the vocals. In short, her main issue is her self-confidence. A vocalist who is the main line and life of a band having singing issues? It’s like a pilot who has a fear of flying! So yeah, it comes off as weird but you can’t blame her seeing the breakup of Crychic was really hard on her. It traumatized her. It scarred her. Thus it is understandable why Tomori sank into depression and that aided her in having low self-confidence. MyGO was on the verge of following its footsteps and it threatened to turn Tomori into meltdown mode. Enough for her to snap and go mentally insane. Thank goodness she did not. Good riddance once she finds her confidence, she can now sing like nobody’s business. Hopefully those annoying days are gone.

Then there is Anon. I was under the impression that she would be the main character but I guess I was wrong. The way she projected herself in the initial episodes and wanting to form a band so much and somewhat coercing Tomori into it, I thought it was all annoying. Even more mind blowing is that she isn’t even good with the guitar! Oh, is this what you call deception? Here I thought at least her guitar skills were decent since she wants to be some famous guitar lead or something. And what do you know? She’s not! Making her even annoying is her penchant to just bug and keep talking. Yeah, she’s pretty talkative. It’s a wonder why Taki always ignores her. And yes, she is also very imposing. For instance, trying to name the band and all her suggestions contains her already very strange name. She toned down a bit towards the end but I still find her annoying.

Next is Taki. I find her very pushy. She also tries to act like she’s the toughest girl in the band. Considering her demeanour, she may be the most tomboyish in my opinion. I don’t know who the leader of this band is but from the way I see her calling all the shots, it’s like she is the de facto band leader. Among all the girls in the band, she tries to get things done quickly. And it must be done her way. Or else. Or else what? See, it didn’t go as planned, right? I believe she doesn’t want the tragedy to happen again so that is why she is pushing hard in order not for history to repeat itself. But all I see is that she is trying to rush things and by doing that, being reckless. It doesn’t help she and Anon don’t have good relations and so you can see why the band’s drama amplifies.

Oh Soyo. It’s like she has a split personality. Or rather, did she switch back to her true one? Because at first she was like the big sister of the group. She was very kind and polite. So understanding and nice. She was like the angel, the sanctuary the band needed during their lost moments. Soyo would’ve easily been the most likeable girl in the band. And then that turning point changed everything. Her true colours changed and now it feels like she is reluctant in joining this band and is not impressed by everything. Don’t really understand what she is trying to do for Mutsumi or Sakiko but it didn’t turn out the way she wanted. And now, Soyo spots an obvious bitterness on her face and it breaks my heart to see this once likeable girl turned into someone as annoying as Anon. Geez.

Lastly the wild card or whom the rest refer to as the stray cat, Rana. This girl is a total mystery! In the sense that mankind would solve the mysteries of the universe before unravelling Rana! That’s how freaking enigmatic and erratic this girl is! There are a lot of things we do not know about her because she does things at her own pace and doesn’t give a f*ck what you think or do. As long as she finds it interesting, she does it and then leaves. Like, WHAT?! Responsibility does not exist in her dictionary. Is she even officially part of the band? Yeah, it is best not to 100% rely on her since she may or may not turn up. On one hand, this makes her an interesting character because she is so unpredictable. But that is exactly the same reason why it makes her the most annoying person in the band. Yes, even more than Anon or Mutsumi in her depression. So much so, I have formed lots of dumb conspiracy theories about her. Care to hear one? She could be a fallen angel who is infatuated with Japanese rock music. Because she seems to pop up from thin air here and there. Her poker face and emotionless character is to hide this fact. Although it is greatly hinted she is the granddaughter of the live house’s previous owner. But who cares?! She does as she wishes without a care in the world. Oh how envious I am because I want to be like her! Not giving a sh*t about anything and do as I please that I find interesting! GRRR!!!

It is not really clear why Sakiko did what she did in breaking up Crychic (why do I see it as Crying Chicks?! What a crying shame…). There must be something more than meets the eye but I guess we’ll find out next season. Yes, I am guessing that next season will pit former Crychic members against each other and then we’ll find out the truth and then we’ll have them reconcile. I mean, can’t hate these bands forever, right? Mutsumi is also another mystery. Sometimes her enigmatic presence and her poker face overlaps with Rana’s character. There is something about the relations between them I don’t get but I find it all annoying. I know, I know, it’s all for the drama effect but it all comes off as irritating. You girls were friends, right? So what’s so complicated that you can’t civilly talk it out?

If you keep your eyes peeled, there are previous characters from the original BanG Dream series that make their cameo. But it is minimal so as not to distract us from the main band. But I wonder how long in the future does this series set in. From what I can see, it isn’t too long because our Kasumi is still looking like a teen but she looks like she isn’t in a band anymore but helping her friends help organize the live house. Note I am only assuming all that. Because does she have time to manage and organize performances of other bands who want to play at this live house rather than jamming with her Poppin’ Party girls? So that means the band has disbanded, right?

It goes without saying that music is the main theme of this series but I have to once again admit that I do not find any of the rock music to be appealing to me. I mean, Spring Sunlight sounds pretty generic like any other rock music to me. Yeah. Sorry, but I’m not really a hardcore fan of rock music. Even when MyGO sings the opening and ending theme, Hitoshizuku and Shiori respectively don’t really appeal to me. The former sound like another generic upbeat rock outfit while the latter despite being a slow rock, they still don’t impress me.

For the voice acting, I find Rin Tateishi debuting as Anon to sound very weird. Like as though she has some sort of accent. Something like Ryoko Shintani… But yeah, in a way, she sounds a bit unique. And also strange. Then there is Hina Youmiya as Tomori (Yamada in Boku No Kokoro No Yabai Yatsu) to be a bit unpolished. Perhaps it is to make her character sound unconfident and lost. The rest are rather okay like Mika Kohinata as Soyo (debut role), Koko Hayashi as Taki (Mirai in Kiratto Prichan), Hina Aoki as Rana (Halona Walker in Cardfight! Vanguard: will+Dress), Kanon Takao as Sakiko (Hermit in Edens Zero), Yuzuki Watase as Mutsumi (Miiko Takeshita in D4DJ series), Rico Sasaki as Uika (Poporon in Jashin-chan Dropkick), Mei Okada as Umiri (Marika Mizushima in D4DJ series) and Akane Yonezawa as Nyamu (debut role). My guess is that some are unknowns because you know, when you have band girls in anime, their real life counterparts too must also play the part and be in a band. So if you’re an established seiyuu, you won’t have time for band commitments, right? But some names I thought were already trying to make their mark in the voice acting scene although their resume is still, well, short.

As for the animation and visuals, unfortunately for you traditional 2D purists, this one continues the trend of being entirely in CGI. Yes, Sanzigen once again helms this series as they did since BanG Dream’s second season as well as all its other sequels, spinoffs and movies. The CGI isn’t as bad compared to those employed in other animes. But it is obvious that the movements of the characters are so CGI-like. Like I said, it is not bad but it might come off as weird sometimes if you are not used to watching 100% CGI anime. After all, can’t have bad quality as they’re trying to sell the cuteness of the girls so you get why they have to at least make it all look decent and pleasing to the eyes. I’m also guessing CGI is made so that they can do virtual concerts when necessary. Yes, easier to animate them when needed. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not. A band having a real life 3D counterpart, a CGI version and also a 2D one. Why not exist in all forms?! Heh. Not that I would buy a ticket to go see their performance.

On a trivial note, is Anon’s character design a mix of the titular characters of Super Sonico The Animation and Bocchi The Rock? Both have pink hairs and play the guitar. Suspicious… And doesn’t Tomori look like Nagato from Suzumiya Haruhi No Yuutsu? What about Rana and her uncanny resemblance to Sanya of Strike Witches? Sorry, Sakiko feels like some discount Hatsune Miku wannabe. Yeah, character designs so bland, they look like they copied from other series. Just kidding!

Overall, it is very unfortunate for me that I find this series not interesting because of all the over the top drama that comes off more as annoying. I’m sorry but you BanG Dream fans can love this series for all I care. You hardcore fans can wax lyrical about the cute band girls and their cute rock songs. I’m not really into it. Although I still want to catch the next season just to follow up on the rival band and to see if it will all come down to a b*tch showdown or some intense battle of the bands. The latter obviously. Heh. If I am not convinced by then, then I will truly admit that I have lost the plot for this series. No love lost…

BanG Dream S3

Here it is. A year later after the second season aired, BanG Dream S3 came and went. When they announced the second and third season that time, I thought they were going to announce a fourth or even a fifth one. Heh. No such announcement. Got to stop getting ahead of myself. Anyway, this third season continues from where the second left off as we see some unfinished business being settled. Whose music do you like better? I don’t know. I’m here for the pretty girls with instruments. Of course they sure rock. Music sense, that is.

Episode 1
The committee is deciding the venue for the Girls Band Challenge BanG Dream finals. I guess Circle wasn’t good enough. You think you’re good enough for Budoukan? Oh wait. It’s Budoukan! Rokka narrates all the girl bands’ activities during the break. Wow. She really remembered what they all did? Whoever she is wary of Chuchu since she remembers her words of taking them down. Only, if she knew what beat them to a pulp meant. As Poppin’ Party frequent Galaxy, they are delighted to see the BanG Dream tournament. Galaxy will be one of the hosts for the preliminaries but the finals will be at Budoukan. Wow. Really seeing themselves perform there already, huh? I guess that is half the victory won. So as Poppin’ Party discuss about this great news, Kasumi invites Rokka to join their band so that she can come with them. Of course Rokka declines. Had Arisa not stop Kasumi’s persistence, this whole story could have gone a different direction. Meanwhile Chuchu is having auditions for her guitarist. None that are good enough for her ultimate band. As she is watching videos of Roselia’s performance, she spots a new video. It is a solo electric guitar performance of Rokka at the school festival. There’s her main guitarist. Pareo drops by Poppin’ Party’s place to hand them over an invitation. Then she goes to Rokka’s place to do the same. Woah. Pareo like a robot memorizing every detail about Rokka. Is this some sort of intimidation? The invitation turns out to be RAS’ solo performance and it seems Roselia is also invited. And of course, their performance blows everyone away and gives our girls the shivers. Then Chuchu announces that RAS will be performing at BanG Dream. To rub it in, she points out they’re going to beat Roselia and Poppin’ Party at it. First blood. That’s not all. In order for them to do that, Chuchu then focuses the spotlight on Rokka. She wants her to join RAS.

Episode 2
So what will it be? Panicky Rokka turns her down. Chuchu’s dumbfounded face… Priceless. Poppin’ Party discuss how Chuchu knows Rokka but more importantly, they need to make preparations for BanG Dream. Meanwhile Roselia isn’t interested in participating in BanG Dream because they are focused on Future World Fest. It’s not over for Rokka because Chuchu comes to her school to scout her. She can’t even find sanctuary inside her school as Chuchu has got all the documents necessary to enter. So when Rokka is called to the student council office, not only she is scared of seeing Chuchu, but the self-proclaimed best producer wants her to join now. Only saved by the bell because class is starting. No reprieve after school because Chuchu is waiting for her! Although Rokka runs, this time Chuchu has her lapdog Pareo to go after her. Hence begins one hell of a weird chase. Even Afterglow girls are watching in amusement. As Rokka is hiding (within hearing distance), she hears Chuchu rues her luck because she thought she has found the best guitarist. That should give her something to think about. At the vending machine, Chuchu stumbles into Yukina. She still demands an answer about the challenge. Yukina tells her that Roselia isn’t a stage for her to showcase her music, that’s why she rejected her offer. Chuchu remains haughty as she tells her to enjoy being the best while it lasts. Because of that, Yukina changes her mind and will participate in BanG Dream. Her members are surprised since this will put a strain in their packed schedule. When Masking returns home, she hears Rokka doing an awesome solo rocking. Now you know why Chuchu wants her? Then she ‘kidnaps’ Rokka (she’s bringing along the electric guitar too?!) and brings her to Chuchu’s studio. I think Rokka is going to be traumatized by all this. Then they let her play with RAS to show what she’s got. Despite being nervous, once the music starts, she’s a natural. She’s good, right? But at the end of the song, something doesn’t feel right. It seems Chuchu sensed that she censored her own music to comfort others. Sorry. You failed. Rokka looking disappointed…

Episode 3
Masking sends Rokka home. Awkward moment, right? The preliminaries get underway and bands can play as much as they want. Though, fans can only vote once. Only 2 finalists get to perform at the Budoukan. We see Roselia taking a massive lead with votes. Even with RAS doing their rounds, they are still far behind in second place. I think I know what they’re missing… Rei hangs out with Tae and tells her what happened to Rokka. In turn, Tae tells her bandmates and now they understand why Rokka has been depressed so lately. She’s in a dilemma to join a band but at the same time she doesn’t want to crush Poppin’ Party. Hence Tae talks to Rokka and hopes she gets to perform alongside RAS again. Poppin’ Party get cracking on their performances and think of writing a new song. So when they take on to stage, they make an announcement their newly written song is to give a certain friend some hope and motivation for her to chase her dreams. You can tell it is effective because halfway through the song, Rokka felt her heart stir and rushes out. Need to go join a band. Is she running the whole way there? Nah. Masking here to give her a lift. But even as she begs to Chuchu, the brat won’t give her another chance. Okay. Be persistent. Be stubborn. Insist that you want to join RAS! Okay. Last chance. And so Rokka does her solo jamming. Good enough for other band members to join in and play out the whole song. So was it good? Well, at least better than before. Chuchu allows her to join RAS but only as a temporary guitarist. Until then, she must become better than this and worthy of RAS.

Episode 4
Chuchu gives Rokka a new guitar. With this, she can trash it around and use it to her heart’s content as she feels she treats her own guitar preciously like a pet. Then they take Rokka’s measurements to make her an outfit for their upcoming music video. Rokka is so happy with the developments with RAS that she forgot to vote for Poppin’ Party! Sorry, poll is closed. Yeah, even got the courtesy to send an apology! Poppin’ Party is happy since they know she is alright in her new band. We see RAS heading to the studio to do their music video. It’s going to be the best since Chuchu is the director. Once done, they head back to record their new song (also a chance for Rokka to ‘upgrade’ her temporary status) but it seems Chuchu still feels something lacking with Rokka’s playing and suspends their recording. Rokka can’t figure out what is wrong so Masking talks to her and at the same time Rokka learns about her slightly delinquent past until Chuchu scouted her. This gives Rokka hope to ask Chuchu for another chance. This girl has been given a second chance… The music video is finished as we take a sneak preview at the edgy badass MV. Sweet! Excellent! Unstoppable! You said it, girl. With Chuchu giving Rokka a new band nickname, it is proof that she has become a permanent guitarist of RAS. Yay! Now the band is a whole.

Episode 5
Rokka is now pretty famous in school since she is officially part of RAS. RAS’ music video earns them lots of views and comments. This also pulls in votes for them as they are now catching up to Roselia. Poppin’ Party watching this is also enthralled. But they lie in 231st spot… Yeah… Let’s do a music video too! They ask others for advice like Pastel Palettes since they too made one. Now to do their own. Arisa sure love the idea of being the director, huh? I don’t know, their shooting looks pretty lame… So low quality… So creepy… As they go through photos of them over the years, they get this idea to put in all the things they love. That’s quite a lot of things to put in… Oh boy. Don’t tell me their MV is going to be a story of their life! They also ask other bands for permission and advice as they put together everything and now we get to see their final product. Is this just one big elaborated photo album with music?! Or at least this kind of MV is worthy for a children’s morning TV programme?! Of course they think it’s a job well done. They get worried to upload it. So everybody submits it together? Man, 5 palms on a mouse button. Submitted. Anxious if they could get any views and likes? You bet the usual suspects are watching this and love it. Pfft. These girls are so bland in taste! Personally, I thought it is so lacking because as of today’s standards, MVs that need to stand out should have featured tons of porn stars! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! Oops, sorry… But enough of the good fluffy stuffs. Time for some real b*tch fight drama. Chuchu confronts Roselia and dares them to make an inferior copy of their own MV. Yukina dismisses doing it as Roselia doesn’t need such cheap gimmicks. Besides, aren’t they competing based on their live performances? In that case, Chuchu proposes both their bands go head to head in front of everyone to see who is best. Challenge accepted.

Episode 6
Chuchu makes an official announcement of a separate battle between RAS and Roselia. Fans will vote for the band they like after their performance, although the votes won’t have any real bearings on the BanG Dream tournament. The problem now is who to go first as the last band to performance usually leaves a better impression. It is suggested that a popularity survey is posted at the entrance of the venue and the highest score gets to go last. This means nobody will know who will go first until right before the start. With Roselia now having to practice 2 sets of songs depending on the line-up, Sayo is not pleased that Yukina is trying to entertain such nonsense. It is putting a strain on them and by participating in this, they are also neglecting preparations for Future World Fest. Therefore she wants to know if this competition is in Roselia’s best interest. With this petty squabble, Roselia’s practice is off. Hence Sayo goes to Chuchu’s place to directly convince her this whole thing is meaningless because neither is superior nor inferior to the other. Chuchu disagrees. Beating Roselia means proving RAS is better than Roselia and hence proving that silly grudge of hers when Yukina rejected her as their producer, right. So if Sayo has time to complain about this inconvenience, might as well practice more. So Sayo returns to Roselia changed. Not going to lose to those b*tches! Let’s get practising. D-day is here. The hall is packed. The results are in. Who goes first? Roselia. Pareo wants to do a group chant before RAS hits the stage but Chuchu is against this lameness. Spoil sport. But true, they do it so lame… After RAS’ performance, the votes are tallied. The winner please… RAS!!! Oh dear. Chuchu now on an in-your-face-holier-than-thou ranting that RAS is so much better than Roselia. B*tch. And the crowd chanting RAS’ name, why do they sound like a cult?!

Episode 7
Chuchu is celebrating their overwhelming victory but it seems Masking and Rei aren’t too enthusiastic about their win. So we see them later hanging out and talking to a Roselia member separately on their thoughts. We also see Rei’s flashback how she joined RAS when Chuchu scouted her. At first she declined but desperate Chuchu begged her to listen to her sample. Yup, it changed her mind. She never expected this little kid could actually produce some real quality music. Meanwhile Arisa comes up with a plan for Poppin’ Party’s road to Budoukan. Yeah, time to press the panic button. RAS and Roselia are running away at this rate and this means the gap will be widen even further. Though, Poppin’ Party is now in 22nd spot. And who the f*ck is Bergamot residing in third place???!!! Never heard of them!!! You’d thought it be Happy World or Pastel Palettes but nope. WHO THE F*CK IS BERGAMOT???!!! Anyway, if this episode is too boring, time for a little drama as Sayo falls sick from over practising. Don’t worry. It’s not life threatening. Roselia members visit. Cue for Yukina and Sayo to reconcile. The latter regretting not taking better care of herself when an important concert is coming up. The former taking this loss as not a real loss but a learning experience. It only shows there are audiences out there they have yet to reach. So they’re going to consider promotional tactics too? Like they say variety is the spice of life, in order to achieve greater heights, they need to meet all kinds of people. And there are already tons of bands out there who are all very different and unique in their own ways. Soon, Roselia makes a comeback with their next concert and you know they’re really back as Yukina starts off by thanking her fans’ never ending love and support.

Episode 8
The old grannies from the shopping district somehow got their backs thrown. And they’ve booked non-cancellable reservations to the hotspring inn. Ah, yes. Your cliché excuse that somebody needs to fill in for them to not waste this. Hence we have all the usual suspects of band girls on this trip. Everyone. Except and Chuchu and Pareo. I think it is best Chuchu isn’t around, a new kind of war would just erupt and nobody will be relaxed. Speaking of relax, do you not think the grannies would have benefited more from this trip than these young high school girls? Even if they’ve thrown their backs, isn’t the hotspring supposed to heal them?! Oh well. Need more young chicks eye candy. But sorry, no cliché fanservice here. So one of the highlights is we hear why Afterglow isn’t participating in BanG Dream. Their sacred dream is the Budoukan and that is what is holding the band together. So let me get this straight. Assuming they actually manage to win the tournament and play there, you’re saying the band will be disbanded? So by not achieving their dream, they can stay together longer? Can’t they continue to stay even after achieving the dream? What utter BS. Whatever. It’s their band. Then there is also Pastel Palette’s Maya Yamamoto who at first fears Masking for some reason. So when they both eventually come face to face, it is actually Masking respecting her as an awesome drummer. Some good news for Poppin’ Party because their video has reached over 10,000 views! Wow. Only a few millions more to break Gangnam Style’s a billion views.

Episode 9
So Chuchu is sulking because his bandmates went along with the hotspring trip? Hey, she was invited but didn’t want to come. Poppin’ Party is surprised they have a full seating at Galaxy. Hence Arisa comes up with a plan to ride this big wave. They need to perform in other live houses with bigger capacity. Dub and Circle come to mind as they are the home grounds of RAS and Roselia respectively. Because Masking happened to listen to this, she makes arrangements for them to play at Dub. It’ll be interesting for other bands to play at their place. And also, Arisa becomes a ‘teacher’ for Kasumi and Tae because if they fail their tests, they can kiss their Budoukan dream goodbye. Wanna bet they’re going to pass anyway? Don’t give us anymore unnecessary distractions! Poppin’ Party performs at Circle first. A big bulk of votes go to Roselia and only a tiny bit went to Poppin’ Party. But hey, respect those few who actually voted for them! Then at RAS’ place, Poppin’ Party isn’t going to cow to Chuchu’s bratty threats and are in fact looking forward, surprising and confusing Chuchu. You bet she’s going to be grinding her teeth not only to those crazy girls but her bandmates as well who are giving Poppin’ Party their due praise. Of course RAS beat them to a pulp in the votes but still, those few votes count. Poppin’ Party works hard in doing many live performances every day. One performance even celebrating Tae’s birthday that she herself forgot! Great news as their hard work pays off. Poppin’ Party has risen to 6th. But this is where the real drama comes in. Roselia has dethroned RAS from the top! You bet Chuchu is going to call an emergency meeting. Her strategy is to go on the offensive and play at other live houses. Also, everyone must obey what she say. Cancel all your schedule. Your lives are in her hands now! Woah. So now she’s going to play dictator? This doesn’t sit well with the rest especially Masking. So Chuchu tells them off if they can’t commit to RAS, just leave the band! You finish throwing your tantrum? Now you think that was bad enough. Pareo who as usual always assures she will stick by her side. And then this stinging comment: Being stuck with her is completely useless! GASP!!!!!!!!! You done it this time…

Episode 10
Wow. An entire episode of RAS drama. Where to begin? Masking left in a huff and this makes Rokka worried. Talking to Kasumi about their problems, Kasumi hopes they won’t give up. With that meagre motivation, Rokka goes to Masking’s school just to plead her to come back. Note, Masking is from a missionary school and Rokka saying really ambiguous stuffs is giving the nuns and fellow sisters the wrong idea there might be some Satanic lesbian sh*t going around between them!!!!!!! Anyway, turns out Masking didn’t quit the band as Rokka thought. She just stormed out to take some fresh air. Now she feels awkward to face Chuchu and that brat hasn’t even called her. Oh well. Don’t give up! At the same time, Rei talks to Tae. When Rokka, Masking and Rei return to Chuchu’s place, they see her on the verge of death?! Haven’t eaten for days?! How useless is she?! But beef jerky revived her. Anyway, they notice Pareo is missing and Chuchu is not saying why. Attempts to call her failed as she isn’t picking up. Worse, Chuchu doesn’t even know where Pareo specifically lives. Because of their concert tonight, Chuchu will use a backup of Pareo’s recording for their performance. The concert goes well but you can sense something is definitely wrong with RAS members after they hit the backstage. Then we see Chuchu in depression. She receives a video message from mom overseas wishing her happy birthday and other stuffs. Some flashbacks about her ‘traumatic’ past where mom did some Spartan training to make her play music instruments. Because she had no talent, Chuchu thought she should put together an ultimate band. Rei finally talks to Chuchu about the need to go find Pareo together. Because even in the event if they do, it is meaningless as they’re not on the same page. She lets her know her true feelings as a band member. At this rate they’ll be finished. That is when Chuchu reveals the mean thing she said to Pareo. Rei drags Chuchu out to go find Pareo. Masking and Rokka already got a head start. Yeah, the biggest question: How are they going to fit 3 people on her bike?

Episode 11
Rokka’s great idea to stop and ask others. Too bad Masking’s face looks so evil that it’s scaring the sh*t out of poor innocent girls! Eventually they stumble into a few girls who think they know who Pareo is. Looking at her photo, they didn’t think it is her but it could be Reona Nyubara. The duo now find themselves outside her house. Nobody’s in. But isn’t that Pareo coming back? Immediately she runs. Well, that’s her alright. They chase and corner her. Time for some sob story. Pareo always home alone because her parents always away. She often posts her keyboard skills online and soon was scouted by Chuchu to come audition. Playing for her, Pareo could be herself and not pretend to be an honour student. It was Chuchu who gave her that nickname as it meant one who conceals her emotions and desires. Now Pareo thinks she doesn’t exist anymore. Quitting the band? Cue for Masking and Rokka’s turn to convince her why she’s still in. You know the drill. RAS is only RAS when all 5 of them are around. The clincher is Rei and Chuchu seen running in. Chuchu trips. Immediately Pareo goes to help her. The moment Chuchu apologizes, Pareo forgives and becomes her lapdog once more. So easy. On the way back, Chuchu explains that she doesn’t mind being hated as long as she formed the ultimate band. But seeing them hang out with Poppin’ Party made that idea grew further and she was beginning to worry. They realize the need to discuss with each other on non-band stuffs to grow closer and stronger. Everyone goes back in time just to wish Chuchu happy birthday. They play her a great song that Pareo wrote as their gift. Happy birthday and thanks for inviting us to join RAS. Wow. They really organize it all so fast, huh? Next day, they visit Poppin’ Party to apologize. No hard feelings. Then they all stop by the public bathhouse. Only Chuchu dislikes it. And everyone has a wonderful time teasing her of when she can get out. On a serious note, the preliminaries have come to close. The winner is… Roselia! Second place? Poppin’ Party?! Man, they can’t even believe it themselves! Oh, I see joint second with RAS.

Episode 12
You think there is going to be a battle between Poppin’ Party and RAS for second place. Nope! They both qualify to play at the Budoukan! Yeah, management so kind to make arrangements for that extra space. Thank goodness there weren’t like 10 bands who were joint second. We’re all pretty excited for the finals and so Arisa tells her bandmates that she has written a song! Well, just a short line. But they’ll work it out from there. Coincidentally, Sayo has also written a new piece and was working with it since she was sick. As Poppin’ Party is really thinking ahead of the kind of stage they’re playing at (rotating stage?), they decide to see RAS’ help for some ideas. It’s also going to get busy since Asuka is tasked in interviewing the finalists for her blog. And then Kasumi has an idea for a collaborative music for all the finalists at the end of the concert. Oh yeah. I’m sure management can add that timeslot too. They talk to Roselia and they’re fine with it. RAS too. Except Chuchu. She’s not interested. Wet blanket! Not until she heard Roselia agreed to this. Yup. She’s in. We see Yukina talking to Kasumi as she notes about her lively and cheery exterior. Because of that bright smile, she infects others all around her. So is Yukina implying that her own gloomy face is the opposite? The bands then do a rehearsal on this collaboration. Stage too small and too crowded… Everyone agrees to let Kasumi be the main vocalist since this was her idea.

Episode 13
Everybody is at the Budoukan making the final preparations and rehearsal. Then the real performance is here. Poppin’ Party is up first. What’s this? Rimi getting cold feet?! She doesn’t want to go?! Because by doing so everything will end?! NOT RIGHT NOW?! Anyway they had to start playing so all that anxiety blown away once they get into the groove. So we hear Arisa’s written song, Mirai Train. Nice trip. Next up is RAS. So Chuchu not so embarrassed now doing the group chant, huh? Beautiful Birthday is probably the song they wrote for Chuchu. Looking pretty. Finally it’s Roselia. WTF is this candle walking entrance?! Anyway, Avant Garde History is a song written to thank their fans. Lovely. After the performance, everyone waits while the votes are being tallied. Rimi continues her drama… Well, she had fun! So it’s never going to end, right? And now the votes are in. The grand prize winner is… Roselia!!! Oh Chuchu, don’t feel sad. You had fun, right? Caught you being awed at Roselia’s performance! But wait… What’s this? Best performance goes to… RAS! WTF is this?! Uhm, best band goes to… Poppin’ Party! WTFFFFFF?????!!!!! YOU MEAN EVERYBODY IS A WINNER???!!! I’ve got a feeling they rigged this… Yeah, I know everybody did a good job but do they have to dilute the winner thingy?! Anyway, everybody jumps on board and does their big collaborative performance, which is of course the ending theme of this season. Yeah, everybody so happy. Why not? Everybody won big time including the fans. Everybody so sugoi!

Show By Girls Rock: Suilen Rising!
Wow… You’re a winner. She’s a winner. They’re a winner. Everybody’s a winner!!! Because everybody so sugoi! What a way to make everybody happy by giving everyone win a participation trophy! Hooray! Now hardcore fans of either side don’t have to get sore because they lose out the BanG Dream title. A rose called by any other name is still a rose. That was what I felt the best titles were. How the f*ck do they even vote on that?! It was just weird having everyone win something because that takes away the meaning of a competition. You do remember this is a competition, no? An insult to those who didn’t qualify. I bet if there were 100 bands in the finals, there’ll be 100 differently named awards too. I just know… Yeah, yeah. I know the finalists’ performance was the best but it’s like taking the easy way out and the same as can’t decide the winner. In other words, IT’S STILL A DRAW! Oh well. As long everybody is happy, nobody cares. Let’s move on to the next gig, shall we?

This season has been largely about RAS and it is no doubt that the third season is mostly about them. Being the new comers and new kids on the block, you bet we’re going to get all our typical ingredients of a band drama as they come together as a whole. The good and the bad as they ride the winds and storms together as one. We get a good dose of limelight on them that makes them stick together to become a formidable and debatably ultimate rock band. Especially Chuchu so we don’t hate her as much as we did like last season. At least now we know why she is a brat and even though she is still largely a brat, understanding her past and position takes away a lot of that detest. Heh. Even the (so called) best producer of a (so called) best band in the world (at least Japan) is still a teenage girl. Everyone in RAS is still is. They’ve feelings too. I guess the Chuchu-Pareo fallout was the most dramatic as it can get. Though, it was kinda predictable how it will eventually end. Goes to show that at least for when reel life is concerned, you can’t shoulder the burden all by yourself and the power of (girl) friendship will be there to help you bust away those blues. Rock style. You bet.

As for the other bands, they are not so memorable and feel like side characters. Even with Poppin’ Party and Roselia to the fore, it just feels like they are not given as much prominence compared to RAS. At least much better than the host of other girl bands that were introduced back in season two, they’re like so forgettable here. Afterglow, Pastel Palettes and Hello Happy World are almost non-existent and are only so because these cluster of girls go to the same cluster of schools (though, last episode montage sees them happily playing in other venues and events). It’s hard to think that the current greatest band girls in the area are all from within that vicinity. Who knows? Maybe there are others in other prefectures but I guess that would be too much for us to handle. Maybe. See if you can concentrate and focus if a series has 50 bands! Yeah. I thought so. But anyway, what I’m trying to say is that their roles here so reduced that it feels like their introduction from last season a bit redundant. Isn’t that why we need that filler hotspring episode? After all, there were other numerous bands that participated in the preliminaries of BanG Dream, all of whom we’ll never even get to know. Of course BanG Dream isn’t just the only greatest music tournament around. But as far as this series and season is concerned, it is to those concerned few.

With RAS hogging most of the spotlight, Poppin’ Party sometimes feel like a shadow of its own series. They’re still the poster band of this series but this season hardly feels like it. Whatever drama about the formation of Poppin’ Party and its members were already dealt with in the first season. The second season only had Tae’s dilemma of joining Rei in RAS. So what else is there about them for this season? Nothing really memorable. As usual, Kasumi being the airhead and so sunshiny cheerful, it is true that her happy go luck demeanour is actually infectious because you see many others also acting like her. So being a retard isn’t all that bad, huh? Oops. And my favourite Arisa is not as funny as before although at some points she tries to but sometimes it just feels painful rather than funny. These 2 of Poppin’ Party are at least in the loosest definition that got my attention because others like Tae, Saaya and Rimi sure hell didn’t.

Rimi’s naivety seems to be taken over by Rokka who feels like she is a band version of Dr Jekyll and Hyde. The same ditzy girl if she doesn’t hold her guitar but is a monster maestro genius when holding one. So now she got her wish in joining a band, huh? Good for her. Final episode Poppin’ Party with Rimi being anxious when everything is over, it’s really over felt unnecessary and forced. Like as though they need to prolong the finale for a few seconds. I know Rimi is that kind of timid character but I didn’t think she was silly enough to think once they reached their goal, no more playing music for them. You can continue if you all still want to, girl! Music doesn’t end once you play at the Budoukan. You can even be rocking grandmas and there will still be fans screaming your Poppin’ Party tongue twisting group chant at every concert!

And Roselia, at some point they’ve got to settle their business with RAS. Actually, more of Yukina vs Chuchu. Poker face Yukina could have been a lot better if she smiled often but I guess for the brand of music they sing as well as their trademark gothic type, it is really hard to imagine that should would be even come anywhere close to Hello Happy World’s Kokoro. Yes, she do smile on occasions but that itself is even rare. Like as though she has this b*tch resting face. And even when Yukina smiles, why does it always look like an evil smirk? We never think much of it because it is Chuchu who is the one playing the villain and being the real b*tch. Trying to play tough and be a dictator, huh? All for RAS and its music, huh? See how that came crashing down? RAS and its brand of music only exist because of its valuable band members! Don’t you forget that! Also see, you can make great music together than crushing and stepping over your fallen enemies’ head. This kind of rivalry more beneficial to all sides, don’t you think?

So it is pretty evident that all the bands here still have a lot to grow if they really want to reach every corner of the Earth. This BanG Dream preliminaries showed that they have their very own niche fans but not enough if they’re thinking of becoming an international worldwide band and a household name. It’s pretty shady how the preliminaries work out. You go to their concert and if you like it, you vote for them once. So technically the one with the biggest fan base should win? Wow. Lots of fair fans when it comes to music, huh? Must be a real headache to decide if all of them are playing at their best. It’s really a miracle that could only exist in animes with a band like Poppin’ Party starting so low in the rankings to suddenly rise to the top. Oh yeah. Thanks to all their hard work in nonstop performing to convert those fence sitters. I’m sure all those grandmas from the shopping arcade would love to hear their brand of music now rather than, uhm, enka? And also like I said, Poppin’ Party is the poster band of the series so you can’t have a Budoukan finals without them, no?

So if you also noticed, as far as I can see, all the fans and even the staffs of the live houses are all females! Where are the guys?! Yeah, they have to work hard to provide for their girlfriends who can then attend their favourite band concerts. HAHAHA!!! Just kidding. But what I mean to say is that if all the cute girl band thingy is getting too cutie and girly, be glad to know there is a male spinoff version of this. Yes, people. Nothing screams the obvious when it says Argonavis From BanG Dream! Now more girls can look forward to hot looking studs on stage playing their music instruments! Whether you’re lesbians or straight people, we’ve got the band series for you! Sorry, but I think I’ve had my fill with music themed animes. Yeah, not into hot guys… So you’ve guessed it that I’m not really going to watch this one. Like how I never did for the chibi cutie Garupa Pico shorts and the other BanG Dream movies. Oh, there’s another movie for BanG Dream announced too?! Oh damn. Thank goodness I’m not a hardcore fan of this series. On a side note, I took a peek at the other bands in the Argonavis spinoff. Boy, they sound like dark godly clans fighting for supremacy! I mean, get a load of names like Gyroaxia, Fantome Iris, Epsilon Phi and Fujin Rizing! Wow! What kind of territorial clan war are they waging?! Makes our BanG Dream girl bands’ names look like a nice children’s fairytale, huh?

Just like the previous seasons, the music here doesn’t resonate with me. I don’t find any appealing or attracting at all as none of them sticks in my mind after playing it. Hey, if a music is really catchy and to my liking, I would definitely want to hear it again. And again. And again. And again. But unfortunately, none of them did here so it’s an excuse and conspiracy theory why I didn’t even vote for any of them. HAHAHA!!! Anyway, just like all seasons, our poster band Poppin’ Party sings both the opening and ending themes. This season’s opener, Initial tries to sound edgy with it slightly dark theme. But with Kasumi being so sparkly, I don’t think it really fits their style. Rock music, yes. But this slight edginess? Not really. The ending theme is Yume Wo Uchinuku Shunkan Ni. Another heavy rock beat, though it started off as a slow ballad and I thought it sounded like a song you’d sing at your high school’s graduation. And then it becomes rock style so I guess it is also fitting for a grand finale piece.

Overall, you need to be a hardcore rock music fan to appreciate this kind of genre and series. To everyone else, this is just boring. Heh. Sorry, no dragon slaying incidents here or disposing a tyrannical king from his iron grip of power to rescue the oppressed people. Only fun all the way with rock music. Too bad I can’t entirely hate it because it is not that bad and also Kasumi’s contagious sparkling glittery smile is giving my brains ooze some dopamine. If only Arisa’s comical relief could do that… Sighs… Technically this isn’t the end of the series because I read there is a new band formed after this (what Mother F*cking Fornication band, what?! Oh… I see… Morfonica…) but we’ll wait and see if they announce another season(s) for more cute rock girl bands to rock your heart. Until then, I might watch Atomic Armageddon Angst take on Satanic Death Sinners and Necromancer Riot Machine in a heavy metal battle to the death. Damn, if they only actually existed…

BanG Dream S2

I didn’t really expect this series to get a sequel. So when BanG Dream S2 came out as a surprise, what else could even surprise me even more? The announcement of a third season at the same time! Woah. I guess we’re done with idols and now it is the era of girl bands taking over by storm. Just kidding. I made that up. In the last season, the closure of a popular live house didn’t signal the end of the series nor was it the end of the girl bands. Because it opened up a few opportunities for them to further live and pursue their dream. So yeah, I’m here to see how far they can go. And also how cute girls playing instruments can be on stage.

Episode 1
We are reminded that girl bands are the trend now. So overly popular. So that we don’t freak out at why every girl in town is part of a band. Yeah, it’s a new school term with Arisa being part of the student council body. Rinko Shirokane is the new student council president and unlike the previous one who was spunky, she’s a nervous wreck. Poppin’ Party members are all in the same class. Except Tae. Don’t worry. This won’t break up the band, right? After another practice until the wee morning and heading to the convenience store, Rokka Asahi pleads for their help to come perform at Galaxy tonight. Can’t pass up this chance, can they? Rokka is relieved since she needed to find bands to play for the reopening of this place. We see a few bands perform like Afterglow, Hello Happy World and Roselia perform, it is Poppin’ Party’s moment on stage. Once it’s over, Roselia’s Yukina makes an announcement. They will be self-sponsoring a live show of their own. I guess Poppin’ Party got pulled into the hype because they too announce they’ve got a show coming up. I hope they just didn’t devise this impromptu.

Episode 2
Yeah, Poppin’ Party is already making plans for their show. Such big dreams. Until Sayo points out the literally so many things to do and prepare. From ticket sales to rehearsals and checks. Can you rookies manage that? Then Yukina officially invites Poppin’ Party to perform with them and of course they accept. Wow. So exciting. It’s going to get busy. Even shy Rokka wants to come see. Poppin’ Party practice hard and come that day when they head to the backstage, they see Roselia members passed out! It looks like a murder scene. Apparently they got so busy in preparing for their own show that they burnt out. I guess this is what happens when you self-sponsor your own show and to keep cost, you do literally everything yourselves. Poppin’ Party would love to help but Yukina insists they can handle it fine (were they?). It’s their show. Poppin’ Party could learn a thing or two watching them making preparations. It’s time for the show as Poppin’ Party heads out as the appetizer before Roselia nailing it as the main dish. Although Poppin’ Party feel good despite admitting they are nowhere near Roselia’s level, they are confident to throw their own self-sponsored live show. Too bad Yukina had to rain on their parade. They are in fact nowhere near that at all. Yeah, why the shock look?

Episode 3
This brat, Chuchu is some genius producer? She confronts Yukina and wants her band to team up with her to produce the most awesome label. Rejected. Poppin’ Party are now having doubts to do their own show. Meanwhile Rokka wants to form her own band as she can play the guitar but looks like there are no openings. Yeah, looks like every other girl is already in a band. I don’t know if she is tailing-cum-stalking Kasumi for inspiration but gets caught. She brings her to a bathhouse where she works part time. Is this a free pass for Poppin’ Party to hang out so that she could come enjoy their shows? Rokka tells them her story. As a newly transferred student, she came here to see the last performance at Space. That’s how she knew about Poppin’ Party as she saw them perform. Rokka was in a band too in her old hometown but they broke up as the rest wanted to concentrate on their studies. She is confident she can find others to play with here. Seeing Poppin’ Party on stage gave her a lot of motivation to make her dreams come true again. Poppin’ Party then play a song for her. Cue for Rokka’s life story so far. We see her love bands so much and started out with cutting a cardboard shape of a guitar. Then she saved up to buy her own electric guitar. Man, she must have saved up loads of money or electric guitars in her village must be darn cheap. Short snippets of her time in her band till they break up and Rokka’s moments to come to Tokyo. Either the memories or Poppin’ Party’s song made Rokka cry a lot. She hopes to form a band and perform with them. With that, Poppin’ Party decides not to give up on their self-sponsored show. Meanwhile Chuchu is furious that Yukina still rejects her. It’s like she can’t take no for an answer. She even gives a song she wrote for them to try. Again rejected. Roselia will write their own songs to the way to the top. They don’t need a producer. Oh Chuchu, please don’t take it out on the trash if you’re frustrated. At least she cleans up. Still in disbelief, she’s starting to sound like a villain because if she can’t team up with them, she’s going to destroy them. Yeah, she really can’t take no for an answer.

Episode 4
Poppin’ Party is sure coming up with lots of (unrealistic) ideas for their live show. FLYING?! Lovely. But can it be really done? Hello Happy World’s front vocalist, Kokoro Tsurumaki wants to help seeing that Poppin’ Party isn’t smiling with this idea. Hence she rallies her other bandmates for a brainstorming session. Not sure if all those scribbles make sense. Maybe. If you’re as quirky as the rest of them. Like the dramatic queen (chuunibyou?) Kaoru Seta, the happy go lucky cheery Hagumi Kitazawa and positive thinking Kanon Matsubara. Maybe. Only the dog mascot, Michelle or real name Misaki Okusawa is the voice of rational that nobody listens. Poppin’ Party is invited to Kokoro’s luxurious liner. Damn it’s huge. You mean this entire liner just for this exclusive performance? Okay. It starts off with Kaoru ‘kidnapping’ Rimi. Then the rest are made to run and chase them all over the ship. Yeah… Is anybody tired yet? Nope. Show’s just getting started because now Kokoro and Michelle take off in a giant bear air balloon before jumping off! Wait, what?! I wonder if Poppin’ Party can see anything from down there. Anyway, Michelle notices Kokoro has no parachute! Michelle only has hers and despite being afraid of heights, she takes the dive. Well, parachute has no strings. OH SH*T!!! Kasumi, you call that flying?! They’re falling!!! Turns out Michelle’s suit has some Ironman technology so a voice activates and tells her to do some Konami cheat code activation for some special boosters! Now they’re flying! To top it off, more fireworks and a huge writing in the sky, “SMILE”. I’m more flabbergasted… As expected, Poppin’ Party is so amazed at this concert (was it?!) and is now motivated to do what they want. Sure. If they have the money. But I suppose this ‘concert’ was to motivate and bring their smile back because nothing can stop them once they have that smile. Unless, money. I mean, you really want to fly like that in your live show, right? To end it all, more ‘drama’ with Kaoru and Michelle ‘dying’. The latter finally having her nerves give way. Man, what a really out of this world episode.

Episode 5
Pastel Palettes is excited to be debuting at the biggest idol festival, World Idol Festival (WIF – I can see why didn’t call it World Idol Festival Event…). They are only worried not to make that same blunder the last time. Bassist Chisato Shirasagi has a busy schedule since she is also acting in some drama. She rarely practises along with her bandmates and that is partly she is also secretly practising by herself in her studio. Too bad Tae works there and she hopes she will keep this a secret. But I think everyone knows she is practising too hard because they can hear her bass lines getting duller. Uh huh. Her bass strings are wearing out. Wow. People noticing the bass part? Vocalist Aya Maruyama is already having some sort of self-confidence issues (also some strained relationship with Chisato due to a song that they are to sing as a duet). She sure doesn’t need any more issues with the internet all abuzz that this fake girl band is going to be at WIF. You see, the blunder they did was during a performance, they were caught lip synching. If not for Chisato bravely explaining the technical difficulties that made them unable to perform live, it could have ended much worse. Now they are ready and will be playing their instruments for real. With Chisato bribing Tae with expensive bread to keep her secret, keyboardist Eve Wakamiya spots this and thinks something is wrong. Telling to the rest, it gets awkward when Chisato pops in. One of those rare times she decides to practice together. They change to topic to start practising. However it didn’t go well as Aya blunders. Some tension here and there that made Chisato blow her top. Wow. Such drama. But you know, it won’t last long. The duo eventually made up and vow to get better. You can tell the drama is all over when Aya starts crying. Now the band is truly one again. At WIF, Pastel Palettes just got a small stage. Ah well, it’s a start.

Episode 6
The local market district is going to hold a local festival. Hence our girl bands are eager to participate. But the focus of this episode is Afterglow since they will be performing a live concert at that event followed by Poppin’ Party. During the festival, it starts to rain just as Afterglow is about to start jamming. Yeah, the rain sure knows how to put a damper on the show. Yeah, extra effort is needed to keep the rented equipment from getting wet. So while they way for the rain to stop, time for some flashback. It seems Afterglow members have been childhood friends ever since young. Mostly in the same class, grade after grade. Then that one time one of them got placed in a different class, Ran Mitake thought the only way for them to be together more often is to be in a band. So picking a name wasn’t easy. Yup, the trusty English dictionary for reference. After stumbling upon a few weird words, they like the sound of Afterglow. Coincidentally it’s evening when they pick this name and they can only practice after school. And that was how Afterglow came about. With the rain stop, it’s time for the performance to be back on schedule. Thank goodness the rain didn’t last forever or it would have been a no-show. Like as though fate is trying to make them live up to their name because it’s evening when they finally could start jamming. At the end of Poppin’ Party’s show, Kasumi announces their self-sponsored show at Galaxy. Rokka is shocked but it should surprise everyone else too since Poppin’ Party never told anyone. No flashy fireworks to end the festival but the first star in the sky sure made everyone’s day.

Episode 7
Sayo’s twin sister, Hina (who is the guitarist of Pastel Palettes) wants both their schools to jointly hold their school cultural festival together. And since Poppin’ Party is eager to play there too, looks like their schedules are getting busier. Rokka laments she still can’t find a band to play in but her day is light up when Poppin’ Party makes reservation to play at Galaxy. As if that wasn’t enough, yeah, Tae feels that she really needs to convey her music and practices aren’t cutting it. Hence she does solo live street performances. Because the other members of Pastel Palettes are busy with their own commitments, they can’t play at the festival. Hence Hina suggests Aya form their own temporary band for this. So they rope in Kanon and Tsugumi Hazawa (keyboardist of Afterglow). Completing this line-up is their own Roselia’s Lisa. Ran is not amused Hina dragged Tsugumi into this but Hina takes it the wrong way and thinks they want to help out. Yeah, they’ll have a special double festival band! Can’t they just say no? As Tae is playing one of her street solos, she is joined in by Rei Wakana. Rei is Tae’s childhood friend and they used to perform together at the park before she moved away. It was Tae’s first exposure playing music with another person. Rei recently moved back and is now a bassist in a band. Time to remember that promise of forming a band together. Oh right. Tae’s already in a band with her school friends. Rei still wants her to think about this and suggests listening to her music. Give it a try. You’ll not regret it. Meanwhile Chuchu is ecstatic at the blazing performance of drummer girl, Natsumi AKA Masking. She is confident that her all-star band will explode into the scene and knock Roselia off their high horses.

Episode 8
Tae drops the bomb to her Poppin’ Party girls: She wants to play in another band. With Rimi interpreting that as filling in as a support guitarist, everyone is relieved that she isn’t quitting the band. Is she? I mean, it’s not like Tae confirmed that either. So Tae goes to see Chuchu who of course tests her to see if she is worthy to be part of the band. Of course she is. How could she face Rei if she failed? Kasumi tries to imitate Tae’s way to write songs. Not working. But of course. So she goes to see the makeshift band for hints. Well, everyone has their weird habits in writing them. And so Kasumi tries lying flat on the chairs… Well, you won’t know if you don’t try. But I don’t think this will work either. Speaking of which, the makeshift band want to write a song for the festival but none of them are songwriters. So they just decide on the theme of the song. But of course. To cheer others up. What else? Meanwhile Rokka is still having a hard time trying to recruit band members. Lisa talks to her about Roselia’s dream of playing at Future World Fest. As you can tell, it’s the world’s biggest music festival. It started as Yukina’s dream (hence why Roselia was formed) but soon became their dream. On the other hand, Kasumi stumbles into Yukina and hopes she could play with them at the festival. She’ll think about it. Hey, at least it gives some possibilities. I’m guessing the reason why the festival is holding a rehearsal in the hall is so that we can see the makeshift band strutting their stuff. Now we go over to Tae’s side. After a brutal practice, Chuchu announces their band’s name to be Raise A Suilen (RAS). With Tae on guitar, Rei on bass, Masking on drums and Reo Kurachi AKA Pareo on keyboards, she is confident they’ll be the next big thing and her music will put an end to the girl band era (isn’t this technically a girl band too?). Hence more practising until their explosive first solo concert. Guess what? It’s on the day of the festival. Tae, you looking worried.

Episode 9
Tae tells her bandmates about the scheduling conflict. She still wants to do both, though. How? By cloning herself! Damn, Tae. You worse than Kasumi. But don’t worry. Poppin’ Party stays positive. They’ll try to reschedule or something. Meanwhile Chuchu invites Yukina to her band’s debut and brags about it. Too bad she can’t go. She has her festival. Well, back at you Chuchu. You think your concert is more important than the festival? We see the festival having really weird themes. Like a happy haunted café and Kaoru serving her guests that makes all her fans swoon like hell. And yeah, Rokka is jamming with the grandmas from the shopping district?! Grandmas truly rock and roll! With Tae being so busy with her practice with RAS, she can’t make it for her Poppin’ Party practice thereafter. Now on that crucial day, RAS performs a concert so stunning that the crowd just wants an encore. Yeah, I don’t know how many times they go back out and played but you know it is going to eat into Tae’s festival’s time. And when it is about Poppin’ Party’s turn, I guess RAS is over and Tae leaves immediately. Woah. Can she actually make it now?! I don’t see the idea of Kasumi rushing to go get her. Will it make them run faster? Maybe. Friends motivate each other, maybe… So to buy time for the final performance of the festival, poor Aya has to go up that and tell some weird story after her makeshift band is done performing. Luckily we have Rokka to start doing her solo power riffs and devilish jamming! OMFG! Is she human?! Why hasn’t any death black metal bands scouted her???!!! This inspires Roselia to take it from here. By the time Kasumi and Tae arrive… It’s over. The hall’s empty. Everyone’s gathered at the campfire for the closing. Oh Tae, crying now won’t do you any good. You made your choice. Yeah, tell it to her, Arisa! Uhm, I guess she’s not even in the mood either. Poppin’ Party’s party just got popped…

Episode 10
No time for Poppin’ Party to feel gloomy. Time to move on. Poppin’ Party accompanies Tae as she goes around apologizing to everyone. I think the looping apology between Tae and Rinko is going to take a while. Surprisingly Yukina isn’t harsh on them since she knows what happened. Just don’t let it happen again. Many are talking about Rokka’s insane skills and thinking of recruiting her but Rokka herself isn’t in the mood since she is worried about Poppin’ Party getting back on their feet. Tae then talks to Chuchu that she wants to quit RAS. She has no energy to play for both bands and thought she could grow and practice with them. But this pisses off Chuchu a lot. RAS is everything to her and she doesn’t need amateurs using it as a stepping stone. She is selfish if she thinks she can quit when things get rough. Tae tells Poppin’ Party about her decision to quit RAS. But with a condition to play her last gig at their next show. Poppin’ Party wants to come see of course. Masking talks to Rei about Tae. Before she moved, Tae played her a last song. The tears in her eyes made her know she would be back. But she can’t stop her now. Seeing her again is good enough. This ‘sad’ story is enough to make badass girl Masking cry?! Poppin’ Party design their uniform for their show. Because they all want to add something, it turns out… WTF is this hell hole?! Poppin’ Party attend RAS’ show. They are amazed with the crazy fans. After their performance, Tae makes the announcement that she is quitting. Some fans plead her to stay but I guess back to those wild screams when she fist bumps with Rei. Why is Poppin’ Party looking gloomy? They saw how amazing Tae was up there as though she was like a different person. Are they in shock? Then Chuchu confronts them. She wants them to hand over Tae to her.

Episode 11
Chuchu can’t stay since there is an after party. Next time. But that comes soon as Chuchu’s visits their secret studio (Arisa’s basement) to once again ask Tae to quit Poppin’ Party. But wasn’t she to quit RAS? Yes. As a support guitarist. She will now be reborn as the main guitarist! Does Tae get a say? Yes. That’s why she is here to talk to all of them. She tells them straight: They are holding her back. After she left, Poppin’ Party contemplates on Chuchu’s words. In many ways they are true. For Tae to be scouted means they acknowledge her talents. Their music sounds super awesome and to be playing for a band like that is a chance of a lifetime. To drag out the drama, they don’t want to pressure Tae to give an answer now. Meanwhile Rei confronts Chuchu. She didn’t know she was scouting Tae as the main guitarist. You mean Rei didn’t intent on Tae playing together permanently?! So we see the rest of the scenes of Poppin’ Party gloomy. Yeah. Thinking about the future direction of their band. Eventually Tae and Kasumi talk. Oh heck, nothing to blow the blues away by playing some guitar together. Flashbacks, snippets of their time together. Uh huh. Really moved Tae’s soul that she started writing some lyrics in the sand?! Do tears come with it? With that, Tae texts everyone as she has something to tell them. Oh no. Is she going to play an opening act just for her announcement?! Oh wait. This song reflects her feelings. So yeah. Once done, the rest have their tearful say on this but nothing really that conclusive to point out if Tae is staying or leaving. And then more tears. I think they cried so much under the name of friendship that they managed to write a new song. Wow…

Episode 12
All the bands have prepared their set list for Poppin’ Party’s self-sponsored show. Everyone is so neatly done except Poppin’ Party. Are those scribbles? All that is left is Roselia. Because Yukina didn’t reply, they thought it was a roundabout way of turning them down. Like Kasumi is going to give up so they go ask again. Surprisingly Yukina accepts. So they were so busy in preparing their show to perfection that they were practising and didn’t even have the decency to reply? So what if Poppin’ Party didn’t come and the show didn’t have arrangements for Roselia? Oh yeah, I think they can accommodate last minute surprises. Because, they’re Roselia. Kasumi gets this idea for Poppin’ Party to perform twice. She wants to debut their new song in their final appearance. As they leave, oh no, it’s Chuchu. However she is here to support them and root for their show to be a success. Because she knows Tae is going to be a blast. After all, she is the best guitarist for RAS. That is when Tae tells her. Thanks for the opportunities. However I am Poppin’ Party’s lead guitarist. Chuchu suddenly has a mood change. The kind that says get out of my sight NOW. Snippets of everybody making the final preparations for that day. Yeah, Tae making some final adjustments to their new song to make it perfect. Last minute inspiration, huh? All the bands are on site to prepare and thus the cue for us to have a sneak peek at Poppin’ Party’s new song, Returns. Brilliant, of course.

Episode 13
This final episode is like a big promo music video and blow away the fact that Tae was ever scouted in the first place. With all the girl bands streaming into the backstage, Poppin’ Party leaves a camera message for them to record as ‘guestbook’. Rei is outside Galaxy, still wondering if she should go in and hear. She is surprised to see Masking here. Get this. She lives just upstairs because her dad who looks like a fishmonger but runs a fruit stand is actually the owner of Galaxy! Damn! The show kicks off with Poppin’ Party being the first to perform. They shock everyone by playing Returns. Rokka didn’t see this coming. Hope she doesn’t blunder with this sudden change. If the crowd isn’t too stimulated with that slow ballad, time for Hello Happy World to rev things up with their sunshiny performance. Since they too sing a new song, this throws Rokka off too. Now we ramp up the cuteness with Pastel Palettes also doing a new number! You keeping up with this, Rokka? Next is Afterglow with its rock style. And you guessed it, new song! Oh Rokka, you should see the pattern here. No introductions needed for Roselia but they do a familiar number. No unnecessary shocks here for Rokka. Phew. Poppin’ Party comes out to close the performance. She thanks everyone for their first self-sponsored show and especially her band members for being in this band. Funny, why should they look surprise? Did they not expect this? Especially it’s from Kasumi. They hit it with the familiar Dreamers Go piece. Hey. Is that Chuchu dancing to their tune?! And that ends the splendid performance. Do we hear an encore? Yeah. Time for bonus stage with another song! After the show as everyone leaves, Chuchu confronts Poppin’ Party. She hates to admit it that she was moved by every second of their performance. So she admitting they better than her? Too bad being the sore loser she is, she ‘threatens’ she’ll make a bigger comeback that will leave them eating dust. GTFO! Your threats mean nothing!

Go Like A (BanG) Dream!
Oh well. Until the next season arrives, we’ll only know if Chuchu can walk the talk. But I’m glad it somewhat ended on that note because it is like cutting this brat off before she could do more harm. And it ends with our girls giving this confused look that screams, “Huh? WTF this loli?”. But anyway, I still don’t understand how Poppin’ Party managed to get the sufficient funds to sponsor their first self-sponsored show. Maybe they got a huge discount from Galaxy’s owner. Yeah, Japanese people are pretty generous if you know how to push the right buttons. I thought Yukina shot them down that they weren’t prepared. Unless it was just to scare them to see if they were really going to do it. With that kind of sparkling confidence, you think Poppin’ Party can’t do it? Yeah. They did it. Wow. Everything so perfect. Ganbare! Po-pi-pa, pi-po-pa, po-pi-pa-pa-pi-po-pa! Damn their huddle shout sounds like a tongue twister or scatting. Good for some verbal password. I think. Not.

This season feels like it can be separated into 2 parts. The first part seems to be introducing the other main girl bands. Their brand of music and style of entertainment. I think this is so that people like me who didn’t watch that chibi comedy, BanG Dream Garupa Pico (or those who didn’t play the Girls Band Party) will get to know and be familiar with them. It is not a very deep story about them or their band members but they are at least given an episode of prominence just to indicate that they are one of the few main players besides Poppin’ Party. The second part seems to be about Tae’s dilemma to join another band. Personally, with the first half already close to being boring in my books, they needed some sort of drama to ramp up the drama effect that Poppin’ Party might be breaking up or at least move on either by finding a replacement for Tae (Rokka comes to mind) or just carry on without her. But of course, we all know very well that a band’s bond is strong and there is no way that Poppin’ Party is going to break up, right? RIGHT?! After all, we already had Poppin’ Party origins story in the first season.

With so many characters, I couldn’t be bothered to feel if there is one that I really liked. All of them felt boring despite the myriads of personalities and quirky behaviours. You got the serious one, the dreamy one, the ditzy one, the reliable one, some even having this chuunibyou effect, yeah a whole bunch of them. Last season, my favourite character was Arisa because she was funny. This season she was really toned down and I thought that was really disappointing. Not to say that Arisa was totally revamped and changed her character, she still retains what Arisa being Arisa is but to a much lesser degree. Sometimes she still cracks sarcasm but it wasn’t on the same level that appealed to me like she did in the first season. Kasumi isn’t as annoying as she was in the first season but still annoying nevertheless. She is still going at her own pace with her happy go lucky demeanour. Saaya and Rimi feel insignificant that they don’t matter but because they are part of Poppin’ Party, they do. Remember, their origin story was already told in the first season so whatever issues they have then are already ‘solved’. That’s why Tae is now in the spotlight and they don’t have any problems that would have us focus on them. I wonder if Tae who isn’t in the same class with the rest for the new term served as a foretelling for this issue. You know, a band is supposedly strong when you do everything together. Everything!

Although the other girl bands were given their episode of prominence, they still feel pretty insignificant and I still can’t remember their names. Yes, they are around to help each other but when it comes down to really getting to know them, something that would make you want to care for them, I don’t see there is any reason for me to support them. After all, Poppin’ Party is the star of this series so perhaps they don’t want to take away that limelight from them. So generally the other band girls follow their own theme that makes them ‘unique’. Like Hello Happy World with their marching band outfits but their songs are so lively and exuberant, you wonder if they are high on drugs on each performance. Really. Roselia’s trademark is being dark and gothic, Pastel Palettes are like colourful sunshine magical girls the musical version and Afterglow feels like street musicians.

One very underrated character is Rokka. I was under the assumption that she would play a big part in this season but as far as I can see, she is just a minor character. Sometimes I think she is just a red herring considering she just became a worker at Galaxy and somewhat an ardent supporter of Poppin’ Party. Not sure if this is her running joke that she wants to form a band but couldn’t manage to do so and hence her awesome guitar skills lying dormant and going to waste every second a band doesn’t scout her for her talents. Like I said earlier, I thought she was going to be Tae’s replacement but I guess fans would prefer the original Poppin’ Party. Maybe in the next season Rokka would play a more significant role. For now, she is just doing fine with her part time job at Galaxy. Hang in there.

This season’s supposed ‘antagonist’, Chuchu. Probably a character everyone loves to hate because of her very obnoxious sounding manner. Yes, she sounds annoying and tries to sound big and important as she mixes English words in her sentences. Wow. So trendy. You understand? Capisce. Okay. Because she has big ambitions and wants to achieve them quickly, it makes her look very pushy and demanding. Maybe this is the part that all of us misunderstood about her. It is hard not to try and look at her this way since it only enhances her bratty behaviour. You know, a young girl who claims to be a genius producer and then being so in your face, are you going to take all that? She is also arrogant thinking her music is the best in the world. The problem with that thinking is that she doesn’t see the point of view from others. Yes, we understand you believe your works are the best. But not necessarily everyone out there agrees. That is why Yukina and Tae rejected her. That inability to accept that reality mostly had Chuchu fuming and frustrated. And add more English words to the mix. Why? What? How? Unbelievable! F*CK!!! ;p.

RAS might be making waves in this series’ setting and it makes me wonder if the main girl bands here are living in a world of their own. Unfair of me to say this since obviously the focus is on Poppin’ Party and the other bands. They have their own followers and fans but with RAS taking the girl band world by storm and revolutionizing the industry, I just wonder if these girl bands here will they continue to stay the same or change and adapt to the new music scene. Eventually it will be a tough call to make because it all boils down to remembering their original goal when the band was formed. Will they be able to still achieve that dream if they have changed? After all, if nobody listens to their music, being part of a band is somewhat redundant, right? Unless they enjoy playing together themselves but I think that defeats the purpose.

As I researched RAS (read: Lazy Google research), I found out they are a real band although they were created as backup bands as some of the seiyuus in some of the girl bands are unable to play their character’s instrument. So who is the guitarist of RAS if it is not Tae? It’s the one behind Rokka! I never really thought of it until now but perhaps next season they could scout her and make her part of their team. And then Chuchu can brag about this blessing of being rejected because now she’s got a real awesome guitarist. But still, genius producer or not, you’re still an annoying self-centred brat.

And the rest of RAS, I wonder if they are the best of the best as Chuchu claims to have scouted. If you asked me, they are a bunch of ragtags formed together only by chance. After all, if they were this good, how come they weren’t scouted before? I mean, it is the age of girl bands in this anime, right? How the f*ck did Chuchu scout them anyway? For them to accept Chuchu’s invitation, they must be making the biggest gamble in their life to entrust her. Furthermore, RAS is the only band who is not made up of high school girls. This gives the impression they have more practice and exposure. But as I have said, they are a bunch of talented ragtags. Rei has been bumming around here and there doing part time jobs, Masking is a delinquent (probably beating up others, made her good at drumming – just a theory!) and Pareo whose rainbow dye hairstyle makes her head look like some Neapolitan ice cream feels like a lapdog to Chuchu because she does everything to please her. Even if it means being the object to take out her frustrations because you don’t want to attract the authorities’ attention by vandalizing a safety cone, do you? Do you see how weird these band members are? On second thought, that weirdness makes them look interesting than the other girl bands…

Music is supposedly the star of this series but just like last season, they still don’t resonate with me. Not to say that I don’t like their brand of songs but they didn’t sound catchy enough to retain my attention. So we have Poppin’ Party’s brand of happy rock music in Kizuna Music (opening theme) as well as Jumpin (ending theme). But sometimes Poppin’ Party don’t hog this section because we need to show why Roselia is the best among the bands featured here. They do not stray from their dark gothic rock style as they sing Brave Jewel as the opener and Safe And Sound as the ending theme.

One of the very obvious difference when watching this season is the fact that the entire series is now CGI! Woah. Why?! Hence the character looks slightly different but still maintain their recognizable features. Unfortunately the CGI effects make the characters’ movement feel stiff and one kind. Not to say that it is bad, but it really feels weird seeing the characters that we were introduced in the first season as traditional 2D characters to suddenly now become 3D render models. But the CGI might be a little appeasing during performances because this generation has gotten used to performances like Hatsune Miku so it’s no big deal. The big change in visuals might be due to the fact that the anime studio was changed from Xebec and Issen to Sanzigen who did Black Rock Shooter, another music based series back in 2012. I hope they do better the next season.

Overall, I still find this season boring and unimpressive. Chuchu being an annoying pushy brat trying to steal scout Tae was supposed to be some big drama but eventually the band that plays together, sticks together continues to prove true. But I’ll stick around for the third to see if there would be any shocking twists and revelations that would make me change my mind or perhaps a final closure on the series. But I doubt the latter will happen any time so soon since there are quite a number of fans of this series who really like the show, its directions, its music, its growth of its characters, etc. Makes me feel like I’m the only odd one standing against it all… You all gonna hate me for not liking this bunch of cuties? Wait till you see my awesome power chords and riffing! I’ll show you! Oh sh*t, I still flub my lines of Jim Croce’s Time In A Bottle for the umpteenth time…

BanG Dream

I see we still won’t get our third season of K-ON! And in the mean time waiting for the next season of Love Live! Sunshine, here, have BanG Dream as your snack. Heh. When I first heard that name, I thought it was going to be some sort of ecchi fanservice laden anime. Yeah, it sounds so lewd. So this isn’t about some horny guy whose life goal is to bang every woman in the world? No? Okay. I suppose it has been some time we have an anime revolving around an all-girl band so what better way than to put on a few fresh faces and a new anime about a group of girls to pursue their dreams of reaching for the stars. Well, that glitter in the music sense, that is.

Episode 1
Kasumi Toyama is so excited on her first day at high school that she has to ‘harass’ her sister, Asuka up. The eager beaver quickly makes friends with Saaya Yamabuki who is also in the same class. So enthusiastic that Kasumi rants about her dreams like hearing the beat of the stars during her introduction in class. Either you laugh or start thinking she must be one heck of a weirdo. She tries out several clubs and despite looking like she’s having fun trying them out, none seems to have that oomph. Is she so bored that she has to bug Saaya who helps out her family’s bakery? On her way back, she spots several illuminating star stickers on the walls and poles like as though it is guiding her to somewhere. It leads her to a storeroom and she is caught red handed by Arisa Ichigaya who thinks she is a thief. Because Kasumi is so persistent, Arisa allows her to touch the electric guitar casing. She likes it so much that now she wants to go see a live house. Arisa tells her to do it herself. Too bad Kasumi took the guitar along! So no choice, Arisa has to help her find a live house. Just why? They find one, Space and that’s not the end of the embarrassment. Kasumi states her intention to play the guitar but this isn’t a practice studio. Then they have to pay a ticket admission to enter. At this point Arisa must be damn annoyed and Kasumi continues with her sparkly enthusiasm. The all-girl band, Glitter Green makes their entrance and starts jamming, wowing Kasumi. Now, you want to know what bugs me throughout this episode? The way Kasumi is holding the electric guitar the entire time! Do you know how freaking heavy an electric guitar is???!!! And for her to carry it on her chest like as though she is carrying a book makes no freaking sense!!! Aren’t her arms sore?! Must be so amazed by everything that she can’t feel a thing in reality.

Episode 2
As expected, Kasumi now wants to start a band. The problem is, she is hanging out in Arisa’s home and eating breakfast with her grandma! WTF???!!! Is this worse than stalking?! Yes Kasumi, you don’t have to tell the whole world you’re starting a band. Then she meets Rimi Ushigome whose sister, Yuri plays the guitar in Glitter Green. Although Rimi plays the bass, she isn’t in any band right now. Oh you guess it. Please join my band! Arisa thinks she can annoy Kasumi as she puts up that electric guitar for auction. Can you pay 300,000 Yen for it? And with sad Kasumi continue to bug her, Arisa had to tell her off about her getting close to her so she could get the guitar for free. Because Kasumi continues to stalk her, Arisa gives in. Can’t blame her. She is at her place every single day. She just wants the guitar, right? Sighs. She lets her touch and see for a few seconds. When Arisa learns how she followed the stars here, she remembers planting them when she was younger. Isn’t that public property vandalism? Arisa once played the piano but quit. Wait for it… Please join my band! Didn’t you hear her she quit piano some time ago? When Kasumi takes the guitar case, the handle breaks! Dramatic drama as she becomes so apologetic for damaging it. Well, conveniently they are able to find a music repair shop to restore the guitar. Though, the case is a goner. And I still can’t believe Kasumi carries the heavy instrument all the back like that. Arisa is ‘kind’ enough to withdraw it from the auction and sell to her at 540 Yen (the withdrawal charge). What if still no money? She’ll sell it to someone else. Arisa’s grandma gives her granddaughter the keys to their home’s own jamming studio. Kasumi has her first feel playing a plugged in electric guitar. Amazing, no? And you could say Arisa could have been a tsundere all the while as she joins her band and to use this room on condition that they eat lunch together. No wonder she’s so permissive with Kasumi.

Episode 3
Rimi tells Kasumi the bad news: She can’t join her band! But stupid Kasumi keeps stalking her for a reason! Kasumi keeps optimistic by applying to play for the school’s cultural festival. We know Rimi is a shy girl so she can’t say what she wants easily. It gets scarier for her when western tourists ask her for directions in English. Kasumi thinks she can help out. Though she can speak in English, she’s ‘promoting’ herself as a guitarist! WTF?! Finally Rimi got the guts to tell why she can’t join her band. In short, stage fright. She goes blank when people look at her. The girls are supposed to go check out another concert at Space. You know how freaking eager Kasumi is when she picks up Arisa way too early just to be there and check things out. As the concert gets on the way, Rimi gets news from her sister that her band may not make it in time because of a storm. Space has strict rules of not making the audience wait so the other bands agree to help buy some time. But as time passes, Glitter Green never showed up. I guess that’s it. The gig is over. The audience must be confused since they never turn up. Kasumi won’t let it end this way so she goes out on stage and sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! OMG! If that’s not embarrassing enough, she drags Arisa out to play the castanets as accompaniment! Not enough? Sing again! OMFG! But guess what? I think everybody here is crazy because they think it is funny (sure is) and love it but a lot of people would start thinking how weird this is. So crazy that Rimi has found the guts to go onstage and do play her bass accompaniment of the song! At the end, Glitter Green is here. They’ll take it from here. But you know what? They play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! OMFG!!!!! When will the madness end?! This time with full music accompaniment and they let the trio carry on playing. It’s hard to imagine that this is the song that propelled them for greater things. Now that Rimi has got a taste of this excitement, she really wants to join the band. Wow. This is really one mad episode.

Episode 4
Man. Kasumi is real proud of her pathetic amateur guitar skills. Let’s painfully watch her slowly play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! At least she’s still got the enthusiasm. Heck, even fellow classmate who is also a guitarist, Tae Hanazono thinks she is weird. And since everybody starts calling her weird, you mean Kasumi just realized she is just weird?! Don’t you even cry about it! Tae is kind and patient enough to give Kasumi some guitar lessons. From tuning and even learning some chords. Oh God. More Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I’m sure she is going to turn it into a masterpiece. Kasumi learns Tae once started out in piano but then she saw how cool her mom was jamming. Yeah, mom was a guitar instructor. More annoying crap from Kasumi as she tries to boast and show off her new chords to Asuka. Chord by chord! Guess what song? Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! Yeah, it only uses major chords so it’s easy for newbies. At this rate, Kasumi can now decently play her favourite song. But all the practice comes with a price. As Kasumi hangs out with Tae more often recently, she realizes too late about Arisa. It is no wonder Arisa locks her out of her house! She forgot their promise to eat lunch together and is always rushing off for guitar practice. Heck, what about their band practice that she never turned up? Too late to regret now, Kasumi. To show Arisa isn’t a baddie, she lets her back in but must pay her back generously. I also think she might want to show off her new electronic keyboard she bought. Cool, no? But it is back to her usual breakdown because now that Tae is eating with them, there are 2 Kasumis now???!!! I don’t even… Kasumi is all excited for cultural festival. She even has big dreams after that to go for some audition. However it is time to get realistic. Tae puts her foot down and shoots her down that is impossible.

Episode 5
Tae explains that only bands whom Space’s owner approves get to play on stage. Tae has dreamt on going on that stage but is nowhere close to that despite watching various bands played here. Kasumi promises she will practise till she gets better. How long is that going to take? She’d better. Because Tae wants to feel that kind of excitement again. It never hurts from trying so when Kasumi requests from Space’s owner to play at space, she kicks them out. Owner is not joking and is passionate about it. She was once a band member and went on tours. She created Space to destroy the scary and dangerous image of live houses. So only those who has the same passion for music as her she will allow them to go on stage. After watching another performance, Rimi tells Kasumi and Arisa she made a new song with Yuri together. They hear her humming of My Love Is A Chocolate Cornet. Corny? Kasumi hopes they can try it out. But she can’t read notes. Tabs? Even Rimi has to painfully teach her? Oh, time to seek Tae’s help. See how cool she plays? Maybe they should replace Kasumi with her. So we’d rather have an expert like Tae teach an absolute rookie like Kasumi in hopes she can get better fast before the play? Whatever. Once ready, the quartet hold a mini concert before Arisa’s grandma, Yuri, Saaya and Asuka. It sounds fine and okay. I know it feels unbelievable that Kasumi can be so perfect now. At the end of the performance, they feel excited playing together. So Tae is officially part of the band now? As long as she is happy.

Episode 6
A year ago, Saaya was a member of a band as a drummer. Kasumi has been made the organizing committee for the school’s cultural festival. Quite chirpy as always, isn’t she? First order is to make Saaya her assistant! Wait. I thought they should vote? Well, everyone agrees too so whatever. They want to do a café for the festival and since Rimi suggests a bread café like Saaya’s bakery, why not? Yeah, so easy to just go ask for free breads, right? Kasumi is going to get busier because she too wants her own mini band to play at the festival. She hears Tae play a draft song she just wrote this morning and wants to play that. Is it me or does that song sound so much like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star? Oh well, that’s their inspiration song, I guess. Kasumi and her friends converge at Saaya’s bakery to test the aprons they will be using. Saaya’s little bratty kid brother must be very shy with so many girls over since he can’t bully his little sister. Only Kasumi stays over to brainstorm for ideas. Arisa claims she isn’t an easy woman (whatever that means) while Rimi and Tae strangely go out for sukiyaki together (is there some sort of lesbianism brewing between them?). As usual, Kasumi puts up her sparkly optimism and Saaya just smiles. Next day as they put up posters, it seems Kasumi has decided that the band’s name is Poppin’ Party. Poopin’ Panty what? Just kidding. However she has also put Saaya’s name in the band. Did she say she wanted to join? Coincidentally, Saaya bumps into her old friend and ex-bandmate, Natsu. She sees Saaya’s name and is glad she is in a band. However Saaya’s fake smile is so obvious. It screams that she didn’t want to be in this sh*t. She denies so and says her friend wrote it by mistake.

Episode 7
Flashback shows Saaya and her ex-band were excited to play their first gig. However Saaya got a call from mom. Actually her little brother called and is frantic something happened to mom. The gig was cancelled as she rushed home. Although mom is okay, she still get panic attacks from that traumatic incident. I guess Kasumi realizes too late they don’t have a drummer. Time to go around looking for one. Apparently she tries Hinako Nijukki who is the drummer of Glitter Green. But she thinks there is someone better to fit them: Saaya. But talking to Natsu and other bandmates don’t seem to reveal clearly why Saaya stopped playing. Like in true Kasumi’s fashion, she goes to bug Saaya herself. She knows why she is here so they talk privately. But still, nope. Not going to play in your band. To cut short that burst of emotions from Saaya why she can’t play, she is worried mom might fall sick from overworking again. Kasumi even offers to help with her shop and school work but that’s not enough. Saaya blames herself that everyone prioritizes her first. Because of that, she believes she messed up everything and made everyone anxious. That won’t be fun, right? Don’t waste your efforts on her, says she. Saaya’s crying. Kasumi’s also crying too. Oh, now Kasumi is trying to impose on her not to decide for herself? Let’s decide together. WTF. This ‘quarrel’ is interrupted when Saaya’s little sister caught the crying bug thinking they’re fighting. Time to pretend to make up. So it’s over? Not yet. Since Saaya insists she won’t join, Kasumi says she’ll be waiting. Don’t hold your breath…

Episode 8
Arisa gets a rude awakening since Tae is kissing and hugging her! What kind of dream is she having? She is still probably in dream land or just rolling Arisa as she continues her unsolicited rape. Saaya has her own rude awakening. Mom is starting to have those again… Although mom is rushed to the hospital and her condition stable, Saaya is going to stay by her side and skip the cultural festival. This means Kasumi and the rest have to do their best and make it a success. We see them doing their shifts before going around and checking out other stuffs like the haunted house and Asuka’s maid café. Is Tae their unofficial photographer? Saaya receives 2 messages from Kasumi. The first one was a call to ask about her mom and others. But the rest tried to hijack her call so that’s where the second message came. It’s about leaving their newly written song in an envelope for her to read (if she wants to). The lyrics resonates with her because it made her cry. Cue for mom to tell Saaya to go and have fun. At first she is stubborn but there is only a limit to how long she can be persistent because the plot says she has to become a band member. And with that, off she goes, running her way to school while listening to the music. Want to bet she can memorize it all at one go? Poppin’ Party is next and they manage to play their Cornet song without a drummer. When Saaya reaches school, she bumps into Natsu. Before Saaya could apologize, Natsu says they had fun. It’s her turn now. Saaya makes her ‘grand entrance’, much to the delight of her bandmates. She tests the drum kit and shows off her awesome drumming that she hasn’t lost a single touch with. Then we hear their song, Star Beat. Kasumi introduces the band members at the end of it. While everyone is having fun, we end with a cliff-hanger as Space’s owner decides to close the live house down.

Episode 9
Saaya goes to check out drum sets. They seem pricey but hey, her parents can help pay the balance. So she settles for this electronic piece. So as they get eager to practice, Tae receives word that everyone in Space is out from a cold. What are the chances of that? Since Space can’t cancel the much anticipated Glitter Green and Roselia’s performance, thus they go volunteer to help especially Kasumi who is just bugging to help. Okay. Hey, you don’t get such free labour in the form of cute girls these days. Luckily owner is around to supervise or else the temptation to fool around is too great. Glitter Green arrives for rehearsal. Poppin’ Party wonders why their school’s student council president is here. The moment she takes off her glasses, they recognize her as Glitter Green’s keyboardist! OMG! Superman-Clark Kent effect here! Superman’s identity will definitely be safe in this anime! After that, Roselia makes their entrance for rehearsal. The event goes well. As they are cleaning up, Kasumi sees a band member of Roselia crying and everyone else trying to console her. Not sure if she screwed up or felt it wasn’t up to par but the owner hints it isn’t the end of the world. Poppin’ Party tries standing on stage for the experience. Soon, they get their own audition to see if they are fit to play there. Well, less than perfect. So when owner asks who thinks they did well, only Kasumi raises her hand with optimism. The rest just looked embarrassed. Anyway, owner can’t let them play here and they have to do better than that. Don’t worry. Kasumi will practice as long as it takes. You don’t say because Tae saw Space’s schedule and notices the latter half empty. Then she breaks the news to them that she is closing down Space.

Episode 10
Tae looks like she is going crazy and Kasumi is ‘missing’. But when Kasumi returns, she is as lively as ever as she has designed outfits for their outfit. Next time they go see owner for another chance at the audition, she tells them they’re not there yet. Natsu’s band, Chispa is here to audition. Cheese pack what? Despite being all over the place, owner asks if they think they made it. Natsu confidently answers they believe they did everything they could. Owner passes them. While Poppin’ Party is happy for them, it makes them think what they are lacking. Yuri says that there is no one correct music. The answer is different for everyone. So all of them especially Kasumi thinks really hard. Kasumi thinks she really got it so she goes bug owner that night just to tell her how much she loves Space and will definitely play here. Really? Owner shuts her up with this: She is the worst of the lot! Heck, even Arisa is giving her piece of mind if she is tired of it all. I mean, when does it end? After a flawless performance? After playing at Space? She is always looking like having fun but Arisa is thinking having fun isn’t what it’s all about. So is she hinting she isn’t having fun in Poppin’ Party? So everyone works hard by continuing to practise. Yeah, Kasumi goes the extra mile by practising so hard that a couple of picks broke! So the next time Poppin’ Party shows up for audition, owner lets them in. Everyone looks ready. But Kasumi looks she has doubts. At this time? And as they start off, suddenly Kasumi cannot sing! No, she hasn’t lost her voice since she can still talk. Somehow she just cannot sing.

Episode 11
Gloomy. Depressing. Hey, at least it’s quiet since she can only talk softly. Oh sh*t! She visits the doctor and nothing wrong was found. She is told to rest so I guess no band practice. Yeah, not even playing her guitar. Besides, they have one more chance for the audition. So no hurry. Wait. You better hurry before Space shuts down. Being a ‘mute’ has its perks. She doesn’t have to answer when the teacher calls her. Otherwise she is acting weird. Like walking home in the rain and kissing Asuka?! Yikes! Better get her voice back fast! As she talks to Yuri, if it is not nervousness causing this, it could be stress. Kasumi? Stressed?! What’s Asuka’s opinion about this? She thinks she might be in a slump. Next morning, Kasumi wakes up and realizes she has her voice back! Oh no. The craziness is back. Right away they head for practice. But wait… She still can’t sing! I guess practice is over. For added drama effect, Kasumi runs away to cry in the park. Her bandmates catch up. I guess Arisa has enough of it. She starts off harshly about this farce. Kasumi is the one who is least making any improvements so why is she suddenly so concerned now? After Kasumi reveals what owner said, Arisa continues her criticism. It sure is true since Kasumi drags everyone in without asking their opinions first. It caused everyone lots of trouble. Of course we now have to say good things she did like how she amazingly brought together a band and she did learn how to play the guitar quickly. Since she is still adamant she wants to play at Space with them, they all start taking turns to sing a line of a song. When it is Kasumi’s turn, she ekes out whatever she can. Sounding soft and out of breath. At least it’s an achievement considering her circumstances.

Episode 12
Kasumi gets this idea of designing their t-shirts for practice. But first they have to study for the tests. After that they continue practising. They have a sleepover at Tae’s place. So no pillow fight and turning in early? No wonder nobody can sleep (except for Tae) so they watch the sky anyway. Too cloudy anyway. So D-Day is here for Poppin’ Party. This is their last shot at the audition. And after a group rally, they start strutting their stuff. Kasumi can sing albeit I feel it is not 100% perfect. Once the song ends, Arisa starts crying! She realizes she made a few mistakes despite practising so hard. Infectious enough to affect Rimi as she cries about the same thing. Before more could be infected, owner asks that question but aimed at Kasumi. Her reply? We pulled through. After lecturing how people do music because they love it, she finds their performance satisfying and passes them. Okay. Time for a big group hug and let all those tears flow. Yeah, everybody watching outside can also cry too.

Episode 13
Kasumi is being her usual chirpy ‘harasser’. She even joins in with whatever yuri thing Tae is teasing Saaya with. As this would be Space’s last performance, we have Glitter Green, Chispa and Poppin’ Party gracing it. The place is packed with people even during the day rehearsal. Even Poppin’ Party’s families are here. So there’s lots of preparation and nervousness before the main event begins. Glitter Green goes first followed by Chispa. And so Poppin’ Party who is making their first live performance is ironically Space’s last performance. At first Kasumi introduces the band and how it all started. I guess they can be good stand-up comedians in a way since everyone is ‘criticizing’ how Kasumi dragged them all into forming this band although it was for the greater good. And with Kasumi giving that silly reaction, no wonder the crowd is laughing. And so here is their song: Dreaming Sunflower. Enjoy. Goodbye and thank you very much.

OVA
Time for some low quality fanservice. I guess it is boring to see girls studying. So what are they going to do for fun? Go to the beach! Oddly, the guitarists brought their guitars along. With all the excitement and hype, amidst the chaos Arisa somehow ended up getting dragged into Kasumi’s pace and holds her guitar while in the sea?! Be careful not to get it wet. And Tae just leaves her guitar unguarded on the beach before dipping in. Wow. So fun. So carefree. Eventually they find a kind beach house owner to help safe keep their belongings. Who would ever reject cute girls? Meanwhile the girls of Roselia are practising in a rented summer house nearby. Yukina Minato is having trouble writing the perfect song. So what Lisa Imai suggest? Go to the beach! So Poppin’ Party and Roselia bump into each other. Can we have fun together? Sayo Hikawa insists they are here on a training camp. Eventually everyone has to loosen up by playing beach volleyball. This is what is all about, right? Too bad the dramatic drama and screw ups overshadow the low quality fanservice. I’m not sure if it’s true but once Sayo changes her casual clothes into her swimsuit, her team plays better! Proof that beach volleyball is all about showing skin if you want to level up? Anyway, we don’t know who wins because nobody kept count (so as to avoid clash between Poppin’ Party and Roselia fans). Kasumi has this idea for them join forces and form a 10 woman band called Roselia Party. The beach house owner has Poppin’ Party do a sound check. They go on stage and strut their stuff. Because there are no drums, Saaya sings the vocals along with Kasumi. There is a recorded drum play but it’s so perfect that it makes me wonder do they really need a drummer. As expected, Poppin’ Party is so good that the audience loves them and this gives Roselia motivation to practice and Yukina has found the inspiration for her perfect song. You mean it wasn’t the beach volleyball that fired them up? Just kidding.

Crash! Boom! Bang! Keep Dreaming…
ZzzZZzzzZzzz… Oh… I see the season is over. Oh boy. I guess I’m not really cut out for this kind of shows anymore. So the only thing I was hoping that would salvage the entire season was why Space’s owner decided to close it down. She has been doing it for almost her entire life and I don’t see why she decides to shut it down now. It’s not like she hates music or got bored with it. Definitely not. Maybe her reasons are personal and if she doesn’t want to tell us, fine. Thus I can only speculate that Space’s closure is because she needed to push all those young girl bands to a better place. I mean, can’t be playing in this cramped space forever, can you? Because we see how ‘depressed’ Yuri was at first when the place was closing down. So with Space’s closure, hopefully all band hopefuls who dream of performing big or small would find a better space to play their music. If they love music, they can go anywhere. Also, Space’s closure is to push Poppin’ Party and make it look as though they have made it through the final hurdle in time. Mission accomplished in time! Hooray! Now they don’t look like losers. Other than that… Yawn… Even the beasts that were awakened to destroy humanity and the planet would immediately go back to its slumber. Oops… Am I too harsh?

Unfortunately I’m so bored that I couldn’t really feel connected and how deep the interaction and bonding of the Poppin’ Party members. In anime genres like this one, a small group of characters is supposed to drive the story and their character development but it is a sad thing that I don’t really feel that emotional feel it. Yeah, maybe I’m such a dead person… I know everything this season feels just like the beginning of everything, the discovery of stuffs and the motivation that is needed to pull through. I know that they are going to pull through somehow with all the drama and ‘obstacles’ in their way, I’m sure they will overcome it. From gathering the band members (it took more than half the season) to Kasumi losing her voice and finally passing the audition. All as expected. Yeah, I sound like an expert in watching this genre but I can assure you I’m not.

So I am going to blame primarily Kasumi for the ‘boring’ character development. Just like in K-ON! and both Love Live series, the leader must always be an airhead (such leaders are even expanded to other animes like One Piece). However as compared to the rest, Kasumi passes off as more annoying than anything. She really gets on your nerves. For one thing, she goes at her own pace and doesn’t listen to everyone and drags them all into her own pace whether they like it or not. She could be one of the world’s greatest stalkers thanks to her persistence. It might look like she is giving you a choice but you realize that there isn’t any options because the only way to stop her from bugging you is to conform to whatever she wants. And because she says and does everything with that sparkly silly smile in her face, it makes it all hard to turn her away. Case in point: Arisa. Poor girl. Thankfully everything turned out fine and thus Kasumi is a ‘heroine’. Had it turned out badly like for example if everything flopped real hard, no doubt she will bear the full brunt of the blame. Dream over. Break up. Depression. Lethargy. Regrets. Suicide. Woah! Too dark a theme for a series that is all sunshiny, cheerful and bright.

I know it is good to be optimistic and passionate but the way Kasumi is portrayed doing so feels a bit unrealistic. In the real world, she would have been shot down as being ‘meiwaku’ (annoying and troublesome) and ‘shitsukoi na’ (persistent). I want to punch her at times but seeing how cute she is, I realize it’s even wrong to punch anybody. If Kasumi wasn’t in this band thingy, she would be hell of a good saleswoman. To show that she is human, somebody grumpy had to point out her flaws and it really hit her. Imagine someone telling you off you’re the worst when you are still on your high horse. Not so fun anymore, eh? I guess once in a while you have to be brought down to earth. Another unrealistic thing about Kasumi is how fast she becomes a guitar master in a short space of time. Do you know how long it took me to get to that level?! Maybe Tae was a good instructor but the fact we see Kasumi making so little progress at first and then suddenly becoming a pro when it matters, it just makes it all feel unrealistic. Did she sell her soul to the devil or something?

If there had to be a favourite character of mine in this series, I would definitely go for Arisa. In short, she is a funny girl. Like in any other group, there needs to be one who retorts and this is exactly what Arisa’s role is for. Because the rest are like ‘zombies’ and pandering to Kasumi so we need Arisa as a voice of reasoning and objection sometimes. She is the other one besides Kasumi to have this lively personality. But unlike Kasumi whom I consider as annoying, at least Arisa is funny. One reason is that she is a tsundere and it clearly shows at times when she doesn’t really want to do it but does it eventually or tries to give excuse to justify it isn’t so but it is in reality. So Arisa, never change. Of course, to also at least to show she is also human, she also cries and makes mistakes especially in their final audition.

For the rest of the other band members, I feel that they are boring and don’t really stand out. Heck, I think they all feel the same. They all have their issues to deal with at first but once they overcome that, they start to feel the same. Like Rimi who was once a shy girl. Now no longer obviously shy, she’s such a good and happy girl. Tae is also an airhead and at her own pace like Kasumi but at least she is not as annoying. Being Kasumi’s guitar teacher at first, once Kasumi ‘graduates’, Tae is just a good and happy girl. Saaya as the last member to join thanks to her worrywart issues also becomes nothing but a good and happy girl once she has less anxiety. I don’t know when it happened but there seems to be some sort of close friendship struck between Rimi and Tae ever since the band is completed. Did I miss something there? Or maybe Tae is just a little yuri by nature…

As for the other supporting characters, I can’t say the same for them. I feel they hardly make an impact at all. Glitter Green has got their own track record so I don’t see the need for them to even intervene with Poppin’ Party. Though, Yuri sometimes gives advice. Owner might look like a grumpy old woman but I am sure she just wants the best from out of those bands who play at her Space. If they’re not going to take this seriously, they’re not going to take music seriously anyway and thus do not have the right to play. She has seen lots of bands come and go and hence perhaps why she isn’t amused by Kasumi’s overhyping reactions. She’s lived long enough to see it all. I thought there might be some sort of issue with Asuka since she has this gloomy and troubled looks at the start. As the series progresses, she shows less of it as she opens up to her sister. Maybe it is because of Kasumi as an annoying sister that she doesn’t like? If so, then aha! Told you Kasumi was damn annoying!

Art and drawing are okay. One reason why I kept thinking how this series reminds me of Love Live is because of how cute the girls are. Perhaps it was the factor that made me watch this series… Not only Poppin’ Party but those other band girls too have this very cute looks. They have this very cute idol looks but the only difference of them instead of prancing around on stage, they hold and play instruments. Thus if destiny did not make them pick up the guitar, keyboard or drums, they will don flashy idol outfits and start dancing on stage with cute (and sexy) choreography dance moves. I noticed that there is some CGI used in here albeit only limited to when the band plays on stage. However the CGI is not that bad and is almost fits seamlessly into the overall animation. You might not notice the difference but if you looks closely you can tell when the animation is a bit different than the usual.

Since this is a series on music, I can’t say that I really like them. I’m not saying that the songs suck but they don’t really resonate with me. There are a few decent ones but it didn’t make me go crazy over it. The opening theme, Tokimeki Experience somehow sounds so much like an idol song that could be sung by the idol group in Love Live. Just add some electric guitar to make it sound like they’re a rock band. Oh wait. They are. The same can be said for the ending theme, Kirakira Da Toka Yume Da Toka ~Sing Girls~. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star although is spammed in the first half, thankfully that is done away once they have their own music.

For the voice acting, I guess it feels okay. Having a good singing voice is necessary for this kind of series and Poppin’ Party does a decent job in that. At least better than mine. The main casts are Aimi Terasaka as Kasumi (Sherry in Plastic Memories), Ayasa Itou as Arisa (Alice in Milky Holmes series), Rimi Nishimoto as Rimi (debut role), Sae Ootsuka as Tae (debut role), Ayaka Ohashi as Saaya (Yayaka in Flip Flappers), Suzuko Mimori as Yuri (Sanae in Teekyuu), Yuka Ozaki as Asuka (Serval in Kemono Friends) and Mami Koyama as Space’s owner (Balalaika in Black Lagoon).

Overall, this isn’t a bad anime but it is just boring and sometimes unrealistic to me (even if it is just anime). I read there are many positive comments on this show but like music itself, everyone has different tastes and opinions about it. Annoying main character puts me off at the start but I still persevered like the band because I was hoping that things would change for the better. Okay, I’ll give them that since they’re making small steps at a time. At least this is realistic because you can’t have them suddenly playing at the Budoukan and selling record breaking sales all over the world. Well, no harm in dreaming about that. But still, you have to wake up and make it happen or it will still be a dream. Meanwhile I am dreaming how BanG Dream would be an awesome name for a porn title…

Fuuka

At first I was trying to figure out how Fuuka was related to a very old anime, Suzuka. It had been more than a decade ever since that latter series ended so how could they possibly continue it from there? Furthermore, wasn’t Suzuka about the track and athletic? It is a far and jarring difference with this one whose theme is music. Then I found out that this series is about the children of Suzuka. So it’s something like a sequel spinoff? I’m guessing the music theme is used as a different distraction otherwise why would we watch another romance drama about life in the fast lane when we could go back to the original series and rewatch it again.

Episode 1
Yuu Haruna is walking in the streets. The newly released hit single from Koyuki Hinashi playing on the screen got his attention. Because of that, Fuuka Akitsuki who is in a hurry collides into him. It’s a bad day for him because from his angle, he saw her panties. Worse, with his handphone in hand, it looked like he took a picture. Upset Fuuka snatches his handphone and throws it on the ground without even checking if he really took them! WTF?! Then she slaps him! WTF???!!! Is this a bad day or what? He notices she dropped a CD. More women woes for Yuu because his sisters are blaming him for being late and could be starving them to death! They also know what happened to him because apparently Yuu loves putting everything on Twitter and they love to follow him. He won’t hear the end of the teasing today. Yuu tells us he was living in the countryside with his younger sister, Chitose. His dad was posted overseas and mom followed him. Since Maya and Hibiki already are living in Tokyo, might as well be a good idea for the siblings to live together. Next day as Yuu finishes up his paperwork to transfer to his new school, he hangs around on the rooftop taking pictures of the scenery when he spots Fuuka. Oh no. The wind just blew up her skirt. She spots him. Oh sh*t. Thinking he took her pictures again, she wants to hand his handphone. He won’t and as they struggle, his handphone fell down. That’s the second handphone… He goes to look for it and surprisingly Fuuka also helps since she wants to make sure he didn’t take those photos. It would have been easier had she just call his number but the thing is she doesn’t have a handphone. Plus, she prefers to be hearing music instead to be on Twitter. Oh, she loves hearing CDs instead of downloading. This reminds Yuu to hand back her CD. Just like the overused cliché, Yuu ends up in the same class with Fuuka and they don’t like each other. For now.

Later, Yuu sees Kazuya Nachi trying to bring Fuuka somewhere against her will. He sums up his courage (although he still sounds pathetic) to tell him off. Nachi reveals he was just recruiting her for the track club since her father is a famous runner. However Fuuka doesn’t like running and will not join the club. Yuu runs away in embarrassment. Fuuka didn’t come to laugh at him but to return his handphone as repayment for returning his CD. When Yuu is contemplating of going to a love movie, Fuuka’s face brightens up. Koyuki is her favourite singer and her song is featured in the movie. He has 2 tickets, so… They wait to meet up and didn’t see each other because one is on Twitter and the other listening to music. So when they decide to look for the other, they actually miss each other! When Fuuka thinks she saw Yuu dashed by, she gets this idea to stand on higher ground and yell his name and her whereabouts! Embarrassed Yuu heard her while she thinks her voice was great. Queuing up at the movie, there are lots of couples so in order not to stand out, they awkwardly hold hands. At the end of the movie, Fuuka wants to give a matching handphone charm as part of the movie bonus. He should get the hint what this means. Especially when she tells him it was a fun date. Hint, hint. WTF.

Episode 2
Fuuka gets a call from her parents. Though they learn she rejected another invitation to join the track club (despite she is quite athletic herself), they are happy for her as long as she does what she wants to do. In school, Yuu sees Fuuka crying. He jumps to conclusion there must be some sort of love triangle with her and the class’ handsome guy, Makoto Mikasa since he is popular with other girls. Oddly, the trio are called by the teacher to clean the swimming pool since they don’t belong in any clubs. Yuu sees her getting along with Makoto fine. Then he asks her and she assures they are just friends. Because of this big ‘revelation’: Makoto is gay! What a waste of such handsome face! So why was Fuuka crying then? She was hearing a song of Koyuki and it had very powerful but sad lyrics. Apparently Yuu and Koyuki know each other and communicate regularly via Twitter. He tells how his friend cried hearing her song and this makes her happy. Yuu is surprised when Fuuka takes him out this weekend to Koyuki’s concert. She was supposed to go with her aunt but she cancelled. What to do with the extra ticket? Koyuki is motivated when she sees Yuu in the front row and starts singing. Fuuka enjoyed the concert a lot. She demonstrates her singing voice and Yuu finds it impressive. Later Yuu calls Koyuki how amazing her concert was. It brought her to tears. Fuuka brings Yuu to a shrine where her parents once made a wish. So she is here to have Yuu pray for her wish to come true and double that chance? Fuuka has finally decided what she wants to do. She wants to go into music. I suppose Yuu didn’t see this coming because Fuuka tells the teacher she decides to start a new light music club and they will be the band members. Who? Fuuka, Makoto and Yuu.

Episode 3
Fuuka thinks they need to save up money to buy instruments so their teacher, Tomomi suggests working part time at a beach house. Joining a band would be the least of Yuu’s worries. He is shy and doesn’t know how to play an instrument. So how can he be a waiter at Nobuaki Yahagi’s beach house? He messes up orders and his voice isn’t too loud and thus can’t be heard. He gets an earful from Yahagi during the break. This breaks his spirits and he thinks of quitting but with Fuuka giving words of encouragement, Yuu comes back kicking ass. Okay, maybe not so drastic change but at least he has confidence now and not screwing up. For the afternoon, they take time off at the beach. Yuu and Fuuka swim out to sea as he hears why she wanted to form a band. Well, it was Yuu who encouraged her but he thought she would have gone solo. When they realize they have swam too far out, Fuuka panics and her leg cramped up. Yuu dives to save her but passes out. I’m not sure who saved who because the next time Yuu wakes up, he is being kissed by Fuuka! CPR. She cries in his arms as she was so worried he would drown while saving her. Now Yuu becomes conscious of her each time she sees her lips. He can’t get that scene out of his mind. Making it worse is Fuuka who doesn’t seemed bothered at all. But later when they’re alone, she confides in him in hopes he won’t tell others about that ‘kiss’ because she too is embarrassed and is her first time. So Yuu is happy that he isn’t the only one? Later Yuu meets up with Koyuki at the pier since she is here for some shoot. They see each other for the first time in ages and thank the technology of handphone that kept them together. Oddly, they play sparklers in the heavy rain. But it is not as odd hearing Yuu telling Koyuki she has grown prettier. Do shy guys say honest things like that? It’s like fate wants to screw with them so the strong wind blows them close together. Koyuki right into his arms. Then Fuuka sees this scandalous scene. Oh…

Episode 4
Fuuka runs away. Yuu wanted to go after her but with Koyuki clinging on to him and those eyes that definitely signal to guys to never leave a girl alone. It is obvious that Fuuka and Yuu can’t see eye to eye. Yuu tries to explain that he is friends with Koyuki. To avoid strangers stalking her, that is why they communicate via alias in another Twitter account. He doesn’t think Fuuka knows much about Twitter since she doesn’t have a handphone but she feels insulted that he thinks of her as a stranger who would tell on them. Their fight just got worse. Apparently Nachi has nothing better to do and went all the way here with Tomomi and Hisashi to bug Fuuka to join the track club. WTF. She insists she won’t and wants to become an awesome old band like her favourite Hedgehogs. This makes Tomomi blush. And then the kids realize too late that Tomomi was part of Hedgehogs. She was the keyboardist, Hisashi the guitarist and Yahagi the drummer. Yeah, ironically they never even noticed despite being their greatest fans. Grown too old? Also revealed that the vocalist Tama went missing and Nico the bassist went in search for her, the reason why the band was in a hiatus for a long time. Nachi still won’t hear any of this and thus an ‘audition’ is held to see if she has talent. She needs to sing one of their songs as they play as backup. Yuu is given a crash course on how to play the bass. Before it begins, Makoto talks to Fuuka and Yuu and have them reconcile. Yeah, it’ll be awkward if this affects their performance. So when the gig gets going, Hedgehogs still got their groove and Fuuka’s amazing vocals blow everyone away. She’s like an angel?! In the end, she got their approval although Nachi won’t still accept her. Makoto notes that he was tapping along with the rhythm. He makes excuse his brother used to play the drums and was just going along with that. This makes Fuuka recruit Nachi as the drummer. She decides on Makoto to be the keyboardist, Yuu the bassist (did you realize he was just standing there all the time starring at Fuuka’s awesomeness?) while she herself will take on the guitar. The band is now complete. How did it turn out like that… It ends with a forced cliché because Yuu and Fuuka are sitting together. The mood is getting good when he accidentally slips and lands his hand on her boobs. Slap! When Yuu goes home, he is surprised to see Koyuki there.

Episode 5
Apparently they just discover Koyuki lives nearby. So they reminisce about the past and it dawned to Yuu that he was trying to hit on her! Koyuki feels glad this wasn’t a one-sided crush after all. So I guess Nachi has had it with the track club and decides to go with the band, huh? With 3 cute guys in the band, fujoshis all over can’t stop fantasizing about them. Especially Makoto ‘targeting’ Yuu. Hisashi is kind enough to teach them the basics, lend them some instruments till they are good enough to get their own and even rent out a studio for them to practice. Even personally teaching Yuu some bass basics. But it seems Hisashi has a little problem of his own. Looks like his younger sister, Sara Iwami is at it again. She is a good guitarist but lacks communication. Thus band members can’t stand her and quit. It’s already the third band this time. Fuuka instantly wants her to join. Yuu tries to object but trips on a cable and dives head first into her boobs! She uses the guitar to slap him! Respect the guitar! Sara agrees to join. Don’t tell me she resonated with Fuuka in beating up Yuu?! WTF. Apparently Sara is also from their school so it’s convenience to hang out together. For some reason, the rest decides to leave Yuu and Sara alone together. This causes some serious awkwardness as Yuu might be going paranoid trying to figure out what she is thinking. When he realizes that Sara is one of his ardent Twitter followers and vice versa, Sara suddenly becomes cheerful and talkative, fawning all over him! OMG! Change in character! Now she can’t stop talking! Is this scarier?! I guess it’s better for her to be nice to him than otherwise. Yuu practises hard and this shocks Chitose who never knew he would be in a band. What does he take her brother for? When the studio is fully rented, Nachi decides to bring the gang to his garage where his brother used to practice with his band. Yeah, he didn’t say a thing because he didn’t want them to think he was really into this band thingy. So they hit it off and they find they have improved a lot despite several mistakes. Everybody was cooler, they had fun and Fuuka is really looking forward to master a couple more songs so they can hold their first performance at the school’s cultural festival.

Episode 6
You can tell Koyuki’s mind is bothered when her seeing is obviously off key. It’s just hard to hear. Flashback reveals Koyuki and Yuu know each other since young and she loves hanging out with him more than going home. You’ll understand when you realize her parents are always fighting. What’s a kid got to do but cover her ears in bed every night. Then it gets worse one day. Her parents got a divorce. What stresses her out most was not her parents living apart but rather she will no longer be able to be with Yuu. So the last time she saw Yuu, she couldn’t stop crying and say a proper goodbye. She left town with her mom. So now she is ‘stalking’ outside Yuu’s house? He invites him in and she gives him a ticket to her next concert as an apology. She thought he hated her for it but it seems he too thought she hated him. Now she blows her top for making her stressed out? So who is hating who now? Anyway he tells her his band will be performing soon and hopes she can come to see. Then he did this mistake of waxing lyrical of how damn good Fuuka is. Not what another woman wants to hear, right? They renew their old promise to perform together on the same stage someday. The day gets worse for Koyuki as she leaves. A truck splashes puddle over her. But it is a blessing in disguise since Fuuka is nearby and takes her to clean up in a public bath house that she lives upstairs. Bath scene bonding with Fuuka proclaiming her as her number one fan. She is also looking for advice and inspiration to write original songs. This has Koyuki mentioning she writes her songs based on her feelings for a certain boy she likes in mind for a long time. A one-sided love. You know who you are. Fuuka isn’t sure about relationships and isn’t in one. She gives Koyuki her assurance that she will root for her love to be realized. Oh. I can see where this is going to end up. Later, somebody has snapped a picture of Koyuki and Yuu making a pinky promise. Yeah… Let’s put it online…

Episode 7
Yuu is rudely awakened next morning when his sisters show the scandal that is going about on Twitter. That picture has now over 100,000 retweets! Yuu is now ‘famous’ in class as everyone tries to ‘interrogate’ him about his relationship with Koyuki. Fuuka is starting to put the picture together of what Koyuki said. It’s obvious she is giving Yuu the cold shoulder. But it’s not the scandal that is making her mad. It’s because Yuu never told her! WTF?! Good thing she decides to put this behind since their band’s first performance is tomorrow. Koyuki is to do a live show. Everyone has this understanding not to bring up that topic. Too bad Koyuki isn’t going by that script and admits that boy in the picture is her childhood friend and dismisses they are dating or anything. Just when you thought everybody has accepted that and just about to get along with their lives, Koyuki then mentions he is the boy whom she has a one-sided crush on and the basis for all her songs. This obviously makes Yuu worried. Can he perform well tomorrow? His band mates give him some encouragement. I guess nobody cares if Nachi is made the band leader and the problem that comes with it, huh? Yuu gets his much needed support from his sisters who will come to support him even if everyone else is against him. Really? I hope they are. Because during the festival, rumours are abound that Koyuki will attend the concert. Guess what? She’s already here! Is her disguise that good that nobody recognized her? Koyuki is shocked that the hall is filled to the brim. Even more shocking are the nasty comments she hears from other boys who intend to target Yuu and teach him a lesson. Yeah, looks like they’re calling out to him now. A riot can break out any time… You sisters gonna take them all on? Think not. Too late for Koyuki to regret about her confession, eh? Oh, what can you do now? The band is at the backstage. Yuu isn’t getting cold feet. He apologizes for what has happened but is also thankful for what he has now. Cut the chatter and let’s shut those guys up with their performance.

Episode 8
When the band finally comes out, the insults start flowing. One even threw a bottle at Yuu, not only cutting his forehead but destroyed his bass! When Hibiki tries to stop them from further self-destruct, they target her because she is Yuu’s family. Despicable! Koyuki is forced to reveal herself in hopes of calming everyone down but the surround her like she is gold. Yeah, those pigs. The lights off and on again. After Yuu is patched up and given a replacement bass, they start singing. Instantly everyone is blown away by Fuuka’s voice. It’s like they’re in a trance. They realize how good all the band members too. After the song, Fuuka invites Koyuki up to stage to sing a ballad of Hedgehogs. Their unison further blows everyone away. At the end of it, Koyuki apologizes for the things she has said but to leave Yuu and his family alone as they have nothing to do with this. Everybody assures they will always support her. Wow. It’s like their devilish side just disappeared. WTF. In the aftermath as the band celebrate their great first performance, they realize they need to come up with the band’s name. They decide to name it after Fuuka. Fallen Moon. Fuuka didn’t like it because it sounds egoistical like as though she forced everyone to join this band. Didn’t she? Fallen Moon it is. Now they worry for Koyuki because after the concert, her manager quickly took her away. She is then advised not to pull off this stunt again and to not contact Yuu for a while so as not to put herself in danger. Therefore she doesn’t pick up when Yuu calls. It makes her miss calls list look like there’s a stalker. More bad news because slowly one by one her events are getting cancelled. During the rehearsal for the Christmas concert, they thought she had too much on her mind and can’t sing. But then, she really can’t sing! Her voice won’t come out! The doctor diagnosed stress and thus her manager doesn’t want her to push it. This means all her events are now cancelled. It comes to a shock when Yuu finds out on the news that Koyuki is on hiatus. He calls her and she picks up this time. She assures everything is fine. That’s all. Of course it’s not. He needs to go to her side now. But how is Yuu going to find her? I don’t know but he did! She tells him about her voice problem and then apologizes for liking him. What’s a guy got to do when a girl starts crying but to hug her. I hope nobody sees this and uploads this online. We’ve had enough sh*t for one episode.

Episode 9
Yuu almost got the shock of his life thinking he is going to get mugged. Turns out to be Koyuki behind a ski mask. Apparently they’re going out on a date?! Is this official? Is this approved? Anyway, Koyuki brings him to Kawagoe where she often has her shoots. The date isn’t anything that special. She has her apologies and thanks for all that has happened. That’s all. Her hope is that she could keep singing forever. Once done, Yuu had to rush back for band practice. They understand and forgive him because a date is more important, right? Let’s hope it won’t be frequent enough that it will cause the band to break up. Later they discuss their next course of action and Fuuka wants to write an original song herself. The rest are sceptical since she doesn’t play any instruments. I guess humming is a start. She actually manages to hum out one and the rest of course turn it into actual music. One night, Fuuka gets a call from Hisashi to meet a music producer, Akira Mogami. Based on the concert at the festival he saw, he wants Fuuka to go pro. Fuuka thought it is the band but no, he only wants her alone. I’m sure she isn’t swayed by him waxing lyrical her angelic voice. That is why she did not hesitate to decline because she wants to be with her band mates. She can call him anytime if she changes her mind but she is very certain that won’t happen. When she returns home, she sees Yuu with Koyuki outside his house. They look very close. This makes her heart feel pain and confused. And she doesn’t like it. So this is going to be the biggest drama of the series?

Episode 10
Fuuka returns to her band. Her face clearly tells something is wrong. Call it luck or not, since Yuu arrives, she is spared the explanation since it is time to rock. When Yuu tries to find out, she screams at him to leave her alone! Later back home he calls her again but nothing much was said. Subsequently Koyuki calls him so he takes the chance to ask how she writes lyrics (thinking this might be stressing out Fuuka). As Koyuki has written her songs based on the person she loves and Fuuka said she never loved anybody, she believes her advice wasn’t a good one. After lots of thinking, Fuuka realizes she is in love with Yuu. Yeah, we figured out that a long time ago. She finally finishes her lyrics and needless to say it is amazing. So we see them depart from their place to their next gig. Some get encouragement like Hisashi for Sara and Yuu’s sisters for him (albeit some teasing). Some are threatened like Makoto whose father warns him to drop his useless hobby or else he will be disowned. No f*cks were given because he decides music is the most important thing in his life. More important than his cute little sister. Hisashi is shocked when Yahagi brings Tama and Nico in. They’re back. After 6 years. And they have something important to announce. A typical cliché bad omen happens to Fuuka. She crosses the road, her strap breaks, realizing it is gone, she goes back to grab it, Japanese truck drivers are the worst because they don’t know how to slam the brakes and… SLAM! Luckily he missed. Phew. Fuuka is in one piece but the strap wasn’t so lucky. However this gives Fuuka renewed motivation as she meets up with the rest and start their performance. Everyone is there including the whole Hedgehogs band. Predictably they note their awesome performance. Fuuka finally sings her original songs and is it no surprise her lyrics sound like unrequited love? The gig was a success but at the backstage Fuuka decides to drop a shocking bombshell. She reveals she has been scouted. She is thinking of taking up that offer and going solo. Wait a minute. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT???!!! WTF?????!!!!!! Sudden change in mind?! And she assured us she won’t leave her band. WTF?! Let me guess. Her love for Yuu has something to do with this decision, right? Ah well, who cares about The Fallen Moon now. Because look at this. Sara’s streak of not being able to stay in a band continues. Makoto has been disowned so where is he to go? Nachi is the maddest because he gave up his track dreams. Yuu… Nah, he’s got Koyuki to fall back on. So yeah. The Fallen Moon has fallen. Everyone’s screwed.

Episode 11
So all Yuu can say was if it is her decision, there’s nothing they can do about it. There. So everybody is gloomy trying to go on with their lives. Fallen Moon members minus Fuuka meet for one last time as Nachi suggests breaking up. He is the leader after all. Of course he explains he is going back to track as he was using music as some sort of escapism as he has always underachieved. I guess this band is done. Meanwhile Fuuka takes up Akira’s contract and he too can tell why the sudden change of heart. Then it’s bull’s eye because he suspects it has something to do with first love. That shut you up, Fuuka? All you can say is you made the right choice? Well I hope you did. We see the rest carrying on with their lives. Like Sara she has been put into another band and they really like her and want her to join. Nachi is training rigorously in his track. Makoto is packing up and deciding to go back to daddy’s side and give up his dream because daddy promised him a bright future. So yeah, I guess he has to be hypocritical to his sister about fighting dad for his dream. Now he’s just giving up. Yuu talks to Koyuki what happened. To her, she is fine with that (obviously). Reminding him about their promise, she doesn’t care what else happens as long as she can be with him. And suddenly she pushes him down onto his bed and unbuttons her shirt!!! WTF???!!! HOW DID THIS ESCALATE SO QUICKLY???!!! UNFORTUNATELY! He can’t! What?! Are you gay?! Koyuki is a smart girl. She understood. She knew about his feelings, Fuuka’s feelings. She just wished he’d be honest with himself. In tears, she says her goodbye. WTF???!!! HOW COULD YOU?! DAMN YOU, YUU!!! I get it. Koyuki is too good for the likes of you. F*ck Y(o)uu (pun intended)! Subsequently Yuu works hard to write his new song. So much so his sisters can’t even bother him. Though, they love the new determined look in his eyes. Then he goes around to ‘bug’ his other members to hear his music. And if they feel something, meet up at their usual restaurant at a certain time. He even tries to ring Fuuka’s home but she pretends she isn’t home. The guilt… So you think Yuu is going to be stood up by everyone? No way. That’s because everyone heard his new passionate song and turn up! Oh. So they decide to do another inconvenience by coming back to the band. Since Fuuka is the only one who didn’t show up, they decide to practice and prepare when she does. Yuu goes as far as to visit Fuuka’s parent’s home but mom answering the door says she would be back late when she is actually sitting depressed in her room. Is it me or does Suzuka look so freaking young like Fuuka’s sister?!

Episode 12
The Fallen Moon continues to practice without Fuuka. Sara mentions the owner of the place where they did their first live gig wants them to play again. Can they do it without Fuuka? Yuu promises to bring her back no matter what. Fuuka accidentally stumbles upon Koyuki. The girls talk with Koyuki telling her she broke up with Yuu. She also heard her song and finds the feelings in it resonating with her although Fuuka denies. Koyuki hopes she would just be honest with her feelings. Otherwise it would just put her in a spot. Oh, you don’t know… Yuu continues to visit Fuuka’s house every day but is told she isn’t around. Geez, if mom didn’t know what Fuuka wanted, she would have called the police for stalking. And then mom went ahead and watched the video of their first live gig. She talks to Fuuka and hopes she would smile like that again. So the band is waiting at the place, worried Fuuka may not actually turn up. Leave it to super Yuu to promise to bring her. But she’s not at home. So how to find her? Ah, that familiar wind that blew up her skirt gave him an idea. WTF?! She’s at the school rooftop and she is surprised to see him. He tells her to come back because the band can’t do without her. She can’t come back thinking everyone is mad at her. Yuu is finding it hard to say the right words so he screws all that and says, “I love you!”. A domino effect causing Fuuka to also screw all that and reply that she loves him too. No time to hug, run down to the place now! Just right before it starts, eh? Immediately Fuuka apologizes for her selfishness but you know how everybody is going to forgive her. So they rock the place with their 2 original songs. Yeah, even Hedgehogs gave their approval. The subsequent montage shows Yuu and Fuuka dating. Koyuki now doing some mascot gig. The Fallen Moon continues to practice together. Fuuka apologizes to Akira as he turns his offer down. But wait. He has good news. He has a proposal to have The Fallen Moon debut! Hedgehogs reunite and start playing again. Yuu makes a wish at the shrine to always be with Fuuka forever. At first she is embarrassed but her feelings are also the same.

What The Fuuka?!
Good riddance. Thank goodness it lasted for only a dozen episodes because the more the series progresses, the more WTF starts filling up my mind. I just couldn’t take it anymore. The characters and the story. The music is rather okay and although not my cup of tea but generally the characters and the plot are the ones that making me go WTF. As each passing episode, the more WTF I am starting to sigh. So good riddance. Thank goodness it is over.

There are quite a few moments in the series that makes you want to go “What the f*ck?!”. The first one as early as Fuuka quickly becoming friends with Yuu. This guy unfortunately started off as somebody who is definitely bad in her books. Wrong place, wrong time. We know that they will eventually make up but we didn’t think it was this fast! And this is already by the end of the first episode! It was bad enough Fuuka greatly assumed Yuu was a pervert taking upskirt pictures of her in public. How do you fix that all up? Return her CD, talk about the same music passion and go out for a movie together. Voila! Perversion totally forgotten! Oh yeah. They’re really rushing it here, aren’t they?

The next major WTF moment is when Fuuka forms her own band. I don’t know if in real life bands are formed this freaking fast because the most mind boggling one is when Nachi who has been constantly bugging Fuuka to join the track club suddenly finds himself as the one abandoning his dream to join Fuuka’s ‘unstable’ band. Doesn’t that scream WTF to you? If that wasn’t enough, how about Yuu who seems to be a prodigy and genius when it comes to handling the bass. This guy has no music experience before, let alone play a music instrument. The moment he picks it up and a few lessons from a few experts and now he is a talented bass player! Okay, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that he has some hidden talent that was just awakened. But seriously, this guy is now playing like a pro and can even subsequently write songs. Wow. They make it sound so easy.

Another WTF moment and personal gripe of mine is when Fallen Moon played their first gig during the school’s festival. What I never liked about this idol business is how some fans are just so obsessed with a particular idol that the poor idol has to be strictly fit into their angelic image. Or else they start becoming a mob and justify it using violence. It just made me mad seeing these so called hardcore fans of Koyuki trying to hurt Yuu just because he is someone close to Koyuki. But the WTF moment isn’t really this part. It is the part where Fuuka blows away everyone with her incredible voice. It just feels so unrealistic. Only in TV shows where you can blow away and change one’s mind for the better with your awesome voice. And you know what? These mobsters were Koyuki fans! Now after hearing Fuuka’s voice, they somewhat become rationale and calm the f*ck down. WTF is this. Not so 100% Koyuki fan now, are they? Don’t give me this crap that they want to give Fuuka a chance too because I can imagine if wind gets out this Yuu dude is in a love triangle between these 2 babes, all hell will break loose, I tell you! Oh, I can already imagine it…

The final and biggest WTF moment as well as the biggest slap in the face comes when Fuuka decides to go solo. How big a WTF and knee jerk reaction could this get? At first I predicted she would go solo. But the way she told Akira with that absolute smile and confidence she believed in her band and would never ever, and I mean really never ever leave them for anything, made me believe in her. She was truly genuine staying with her band at least for a while. And then comes this freaking shocker. She wants to go solo! WTFFFFFFFFF????????!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, I could hear those cliché (nuclear) bomb explosions going off in the background right now. You lied to us, Fuuka! You lied to your bandmates! All because of this little thing called love. So to cover up this WTF moment that some fans could see coming from miles away, they make Akira voice out this truth. It is so f*cking obvious. There is your cheesy romance drama factor.

Speaking of which, yeah the romance drama is pretty cheesy and predictable. It feels like to force some melodrama just for the sake of it. Because otherwise, what the heck are you watching this series for? I know I’ve seen quite a few of such scenes in anime where it is obvious the protagonists in such first time meeting will eventually fall in love amidst the WTF situations. The only thing ‘good’ coming out from all this romance is that in the end, our main guy has the balls to choose and end up with a girl instead of leaving it status quo and hence an unresolved harem. And yes, it didn’t really surprise me that this famous idol is childhood friends with Yuu and has a crush on him. It was so painfully obvious. And it had to drag on because the vocalist of a certain band wasn’t being honest with her feelings until it is too late and caused some problems.

Which leads me to another WTF moment albeit a bit lesser. Because when Fuuka (temporarily) left the band, it seems inevitable they would break up. We see how the lives of other bandmates ‘ruined’ just because of one vocalist leaving. I have already stated how Nachi went back to track, Sara joined another group and Makoto being the worst affected is now somewhat an embarrassment because he goes back to his safe space provided by daddy. Oh yeah. It’s like Fuuka who is the one running the show. Can’t find another replacement, you say? Sometimes I believe too that there is that only person that makes a band whole so I’ll give them that. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. That is how I feel when Yuu gathers the band back again to practice. This is the WTF moment I’m talking about because again they have to abandon what they are already starting into and going back into the band again! I can only imagine Makoto’s father being displeased again. What inconsistency. At first he was going against his wishes. Then he comes back. Now he breaks off again. Make up your mind! Same with Nachi who was already making some decent progress in his track club and Sara the same in her new band. Oh yeah. Why not leave all that just for some nostalgia. I mean, it’s not too late to turn back, right?

This might be a trivial WTF but Fuuka being able to perform Yuu’s song at first go even more so her first performance after she reunited with her band is really mind blowing. Sure she might have heard the song before but without practice how could she sound this perfect? Yeah, Fuuka’s a genius, right?

The characters feel weak and even more so when the melodrama focuses on the romance insecurities between Yuu, Fuuka and Koyuki. I mean, really? For Fuuka, the guy she first met whom she suspected of taking pictures of her pantsu, she now slowly falls in love with him? In today’s world, he’d be slapped with lawsuits and jail time. If the trio are already bad enough, the other bandmates fare much worse. Nachi is like the one who has the most angst because somebody needs to be. Sara is the quiet girl whom could have remained in the background for the rest of the series and we won’t even care. Makoto is wasted because of his good looks at least he could have send yaoi shiver down our spine. His past and family situation are put together so quickly like glue that you would think something just thought of it a few minutes before they produced the series and slapped it all together. And when a family that consists of a boy and many sisters, why must the sisters be the one teasing their brother about this and that? Is it so much fun? Maybe. Girl power. Yeah, am I seeing a pattern of such family households? Like that guy in Working!!, so to speak. Hedgehogs are primarily redundant. Even if they don’t reunite it doesn’t really matter. It is just to show how a bunch of kids sang a few songs and gave them the burning passion to come back. WTF.

There is a bit of fanservice in this anime. Most likely to hide the bad story and character development so as to distract pervy fan boys from shelling out total criticism. What do you expect when you start off in your first scene and pantsu showing one? A guy like Yuu have the rest of his siblings as sisters, why must one of them be the one who likes to walk naked around the house? And they really pushed it when Koyuki became desperate for Yuu’s attention when she starts stripping herself only to be rejected. I think we’re all shaking our head and our mouths agape as wide as the Milky Way.

Voice acting isn’t anything much to shout about. Me recognizing the obvious ones like Saori Hayami as Koyuki, Daisuke Ono as Yahagi and Mikako Komatsu as Sara. Oh wait. Is that Youko Hikasa as Tomomi? Lynn (Nozomi in Keijo) is pretty okay as the titular character Fuuka as she has a fitting voice that makes her suitable to sing rock band type of music. Though, I find when she sings, she sounds a bit like a different person. The rest of the other cast are Yuusuke Kobayashi as Yuu (Subaru in Re: Zero Kara Hajimaru Isekai Seikatsu), Souma Saitou as Makoto (Kain in Kyoukai No Rinne), Kazuyuki Okitsu as Nachi (Nagare in K), Daisuke Hirakawa as Hisashi (Makoto in School Days), Kaede Hondo as Chitose (Kazane in Keijo), Mikako Takahashi as Mayu (Ayumu in Hayate No Gotoku) and Saori Oonishi as Hibiki (Miyuki in Shomin Sample).

If you like such rock band music, you’ll find the opening theme, Climber’s High (which is also the series’ highlight song) by Manami Numakura as well as the ending theme, Watashi No Sekai by Megumi Nakajima to be to your liking. It didn’t really resonate with me so I’m not particularly crazy to go hear it again. I prefer very much the special ending song for episode 6 by Koyuki, Yukihanabi. It is a slow and lovely ballad featuring only Saori Hayami’s voice and piano for accompaniment. There are a few other insert songs too but not really to my liking since it is rock based. But if you are hoping that this series would have dozens of amazing rock soundtrack, don’t get your hopes high up. Because they keep featuring Climber’s High so the other songs aren’t quite prominent. Sure, there is the original soundtrack for the series out in stores containing over 30 tracks but most of them are just BGMs which again didn’t really resonate with me.

Art and animation style is pretty standard. Standard and conventional Japanese anime style character designs, bishoujo and bishonen look for our characters to perhaps distract you from the generic plot line and WTF moments. Hey, as long as you look good, it can’t be all that bad, right? Or would it? This sequel is animated by Diomedea who did Shiryaku! Ika Musume, Mayoiga, Akuma No Riddle, Handa-kun, Nogizaka Haruka No Himitsu and Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei No Kyokan compared to Studio Comet who did Suzuka in the last decade. The only thing that bugs me is Fuuka’s mom who still looks so f*cking young like as though she has not aged ever since he Suzuka anime ended. Really. Not even a hint that she has grown the slightest bit old. WTF. It’s like the time skip forgot to age her.

Overall, this series need not have associated itself with the original Suzuka series despite it has nothing to do with it except being the child of that series. Unfortunately it was adapted from the manga from the same author who created Suzuka so it isn’t a sh*tty original anime adaptation. Poor cheesy romance drama, weak characters as well as too many WTF moments (noticed how many WTFs I have been using in this blog and could have been more if I did not restrain myself) made this anime forgettable but at the same time remembered for all the wrong reasons. It also gives the wrong impression that for an enthusiast in music despite being a rookie, writing songs is easy (and a hit in this case) but it is falling in love which is hard and pain in the ass. Makes me want to run away from this insanity. Now I know why Tama and Nico went missing for a few years. They should have never returned…