Girls Band Cry

I spoiler-free don't recommend watching Girls Band Cry (GBC), for two main reasons: 1. It's the kind of story you'll either hate (because of the 3D-CGI animation or how unreasonably unsufferable the MC is or any misc. reason) or you'll fall for the experience right away and become addicted. If you'd hate it, why watch it? If you become addicted, you'll waste your life by re-re-watching it and searching for or creating fanart and buying merch - in stark contrast to what the series' theme song says! 2., Girls Band Cry is like the cursed apple tree standing in the middle of the Garden of Eden. Eat from it, says the snake and your eyes will open, suddenly seeing the whole television anime industry is naked... 99% of seasonal produce are always poorly drawn partial animation at a mere 7-13 fps and giving "hand-made 2D" look a bad name. For bonus, there are uninspired and uninteresting plotlines and pro seiyuu who cater to assumed "high-pitched loli maid" expectations of the otaku, rather than expressing anything meaningful. GBC entered such a market, shining with 30fps of often motion-captured but always expressive and continously fluid 3D-CGI animation. (Nota bene: as much as possible within sub-Hollywood budget allocated to a freely broadcast original TV show lacking LN / manga source support.) Yet script-writing and episode directing are stellar for both comedy and drama, music hits are memorable, non-music hits also... Main characters have personality, strong presence and very real emotion, even though the show uses no seiyuu, per se. All five members of Togenashi Togeari are voiced by teenage rock musician girls, whom Studio Toei and Universal Japan label recruited to form a real-life band and gave them a crash course in voice acting for anime - based on the reasoning talented musicians have good ears so they'll quickly get the hang of it. The producer was right: Nina's and Momoka's VAs are super talented, even star-crossed and Subaru sounds refreshingly realistic, they are easily par for their beautiful visuals. You've found your angels, even if they are fallen ones with just cardboard wings... After you've witnessed all those miracles, you get expelled from Paradise: post-GBC the japanese animation industry still continues to roll out the same garbage as before, this past summer, this autumn, coming winter season. With your newly opened eyes it becomes gruelling labour to watch the poorly drawn partial animation, the mockery of hand-made 2D style and digest the soulless and all-around juvenile and/or cynical plotlines, while listening to seiyuu who try to sound like chipmunks. You may even give up on anime or at least be unable to (re)watch anything you haven't seen and accepted pre-GBC! Is it worth discarding your whole anime baggage for the sake of a singular show projected from Paradise? It's not a trivial decision, but a surprisingly large number of japanese otaku voted YES enthusiastically (and many foreign fans as well, even though GBC wasn't legally available for them until August and not conveniently available until Nov 2024. Fansubs ranged from evil-memed MTL to highly controversial regarding a crucial scene). More than half a year later GBC disc sales are still crazy high and TogeToge live shows are 25x overbooked. Even the famous BanGDream / MyGO franchise went to GBC for a collab, which helped them through difficulties of delayed game development. Maybe, maybe the industry will see the light and begin to change - but in the meanwhile you'd lose 3 to 5 years of anime enjoyment. Decide for yourself whether it's worth it!?

It’s no exaggeration to say the Spring 2024 anime season changed my life. Girls Band Cry was a big part of that. One of the best band anime I’ve ever seen, full of life lessons and encouraging me to continue pursuing my dreams, no matter how difficult the road is. For me, this is what people thought Bocchi the Rock was. A simple yet poignant story about a group of girls struggling with personal issues stepping outside of their comfort zones and coming together to form a band and chase their dreams, even as the world doubts them. And in the process learning more about themselves than ever before and growing into better people. That’s selling it a bit short though. GBC is also a really ambitious multimedia project that uses groundbreaking 3D animation and brought together a group of talented newcomer seiyuu to form a band in real life who make amazing music too. This was truly the experience of a lifetime and it’s absolutely criminal that more people didn’t get to watch it due to licensing issues. I was very hesitant to watch GBC because of my aversion to 3D animation, but after being convinced by some friends I watched the first few episodes about halfway into the season and was blown away by the quality of both the story and anime. Nina, Momoka and the other girls just gave off such a sense of authenticity and it felt like I was watching real girls transition into the next phase of their lives. The angst, the drama, the insecurities, doubts, they just hit in a way that few shows in the medium can. I think that’s due in no small part to the amazing 3D animation used in this. Normally I’d separate the technical aspects of an anime into a separate category, but in the case of GBC, I’m keeping them together because of how the animation style allows for a more expressive style of storytelling. The 3D animation in GBC looks amazing thanks in large part to the frame rate. If you’ve seen other 3D anime I.e Beastars or Bocchan, you’ll notice that while the 3D art may look cool, there’s a stiffness to the characters that reminds you it’s 3D or takes you out of the immersion. That’s usually due to the framerate being capped too low. What the production staff did GBC realised is that by making the frame-rate higher, it creates a smoother animation that feels almost lifelike. So when characters have disagreements, or breakdown in tears, which happens a lot in GBC, we as the audience are able to feel that with a weight that you can’t normally feel in anime. It basically mixes that cute girl anime aesthetic with the body language of real life actors and it does have a big impact on the story. It’s already a very grounded story that a lot of people will be able to empathise with, but when you combine that with the visuals and the raw emotion the seiyuu are able to bring.. that’s when you get something special. If it seems like there’s similarities in my descriptions of GBC and Yorukura, also from this season, it’s because well.. they’re pretty damn similar and address a lot of the same themes. The main difference being GBC is a rock band and Yorukura is about the girls forming a multimedia collective. Same concept applies, Yuri undertones with girls from drastically different walks of life meeting by chance and realising how much they have in common, forming a band, MC having a crush on the older member whose work motivated them in the past, etc. When listing everything out, it’s actually wild how similar both were, but that’s not an issue. They’re both great and I’d respect any order with the two of them. I think GBC has better music since A: I’m a massive J-rock stan and B: the girls who became the seiyuu for the characters were actually brought in to form a band first, and an anime second. But I liked Yorukura’s story better. I’m just glad we got blessed with both of these in the same season! From a technical perspective as I’ve said GBC looks amazing. The uncapped framerates are a big reason, but the use of shadow and lighting also makes the show look better than most seasonal 3D anime. You can tell the entire project was planned meticulously and even backgrounds and minor details were designed with the 3D in mind. This makes for a much better looking show than normal. The musical performances especially were just mind blowing. The level of fluidity and emotion that the studio were able to pull off.. I have no words, especially the last few eps. I touched on it earlier but the seiyuu as well are a big part of this. Them being new to voice acting means there’s a level of rawness and sincerity in their voices that you don’t get with career seiyuu. It makes angsty characters like Nina and Momoka even better and you can’t help but get emotional during a lot of their scenes. Overall GBC was one of the best anime of the season, and while I’m taking Yorukura over it as AOTS, I’m totally fine with someone doing the opposite. The story was full of emotional twists and turns, the drama was well done, there were the Yuri undertone, the music, performances.. it had it all. Most importantly though, it reminded me that it’s not about how many times you fail when chasing your dreams, only about how many times you get up and keep rocking. Girls Band Cry gets a very easy 10, out of 10.

Starting with the positives. Shows of such musical themes usually have a strong accompanying soundtrack. The songs featured in this series is quite good. Bocchi's songs were better IMO. CGI takes a bit of getting used to. Not great but bearable. Not a deal breaker for me. Story is typical of a small town girl going to the big city to attend college and accidentally joins a band and their route to becoming pro. Now the bad. I absolutely could not stand the MC. She is the dumb, insecure, extremely selfish and also very insensitive to the feelings of her friends, family and bandmates. As the MC she emotionally arm twists everyone else to follow her own selfish agenda.

Many people praise Girls Band Cry and compare it to Bocchi The Rock, but I don't think that's so reasonable. Story: (6/10) It's an anime about girls, rock and decisions, it's simple and that's fine, this is not the kind of show that needs something too elaborate, but it ended up being overdramatic, overshadowing the comedy and fun moments of the anime sometimes. Characters: (6/10) Nina was a difficult character to understand or like, due to her overly dramatic nature. The other characters were less dramatic, and had a fun dynamic. Visuals: (8/10) The 3D animation was very good, even though the anime ended up having a few 2D scenes that broke the immersion a bit. Soundtrack: (7/10) The band's songs were kind of generic, but that's not what I'm talking about, but rather the background music and sounds, those were interesting and cool to have throughout the anime. Overall: (6/10) It was an decent show to watch, with some fun moments and some cheesy ones. This anime was not amazing, but not bad either. And do I recommend it? If you like CGDCT, maybe, why not? But if you don't, or can't stand overdramatic things, I wouldn't recommend it at all.

Just finished girls band cry when I first saw the trailer for it I thought it was just going to be a watch and go but even though it’s a 3d anime it still expresses itself very well I had fun seeing all the different expressions they made even with the limited 3d art also the music in it is really well made they are really catchy and the presentation for it is amazing but the only thing I would say that I didn’t like would be how much drama is used it felt like there was something going on each episode it’s not necessarily a bad thing because it is what makes this anime unique it was a roller coaster of emotions and I was all for that I give it a 8/10

In the premise that this is a music anime, this definitely is good as the songs and how they present the song is done well and was made purposely to please the viewers eyes. Onto the character side, the MC's personality is definitely something that pisses me off, typical DIVA in the making and though I appreciate that somehow there was an improvement somewhere episode 10 onwards, MC already ruined my viewing experience so much so that I can already say that I hate her. If they do plan on making a sequel I do hope that they change her personality or focus more on the other bandmates. Story side, plot is a little cliché, country girl trying to make it in the big city, meets supporting characters and proceed with their goals. One thing that I like is the responses of each character to another. It became a little bit more realistic especially at the end part. Definitely would have been an easy 9 or 10 if MC was not made to be like that.

This anime is awful, the protagonist is incredibly ANNOYING. WATCH THIS ANIME IF YOU WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME. pqp NINA makes me feel angry, lazy, and irritated; she's such an annoying character. (I probably hated the anime because of her.) The history was bad too in my opinion - they always come back to the same subject and NINA ALWAYS makes unnecessary drama and is always wrong (and shes the protagonist, in the end SHE IS RIGHT FOR THEM) I wonder if her fans would be happy if they knew how she really is. And another thing that bothers me is that they became famous very quickly, there wasnt a single disappointment on stage, even for the first episode, with so many people listening to them.

Backed into a corner, the ropes cold against his back and every muscle burning, a boxer has no choice but to fight. He's down, but certainly not out. One of the underdogs of 2024's anime season, 'Girls Band Cry' is a story about a similar battle that hits every emotional weak point throughout its duration. It's a battle to prove your worth, and Nina Iseri has surprised us all by not admitting defeat, even in the fourth quarter. 'Girls Band Cry' is a show coming out of left field. Off the first episode alone, you're blown off your feet, instantly hooked on Nina's character and invested in her relationship to Momoka. It's a wonderful starting point that highlights all of this show's strong points: Beautiful 3D animation that's enhanced by the visuals accompanying it, strong character focused writing, and the spirit of rock. Each and every subsequent episode pushes these to their limits and beyond, highlighting feelings of truth to yourself and strength with others along with new, interesting plotlines to follow. It's almost hard to find the words to describe how almost nobody saw the popularity of this show coming. There are so many risks being taken here that have all paid off with larger returns than anything else this season. What started off with a response of 'What's that?' has now become 'I love that show', 'It's beautiful', and 'It saved me'. That's the mark of something special. This is absolutely the fault of 'Girls Band Cry' and its mass appeal. A story about a girl moving to a new city and starting college is something that almost everyone can see themselves reflected in. Many friends of mine, even those who I'd never expect to watch something like this, have told me that it's a new favorite, and it's clear as to why. Seeing the fans grow with this show was almost an experience in and of itself, each week seeing more acquaintances become invested in the wonderful world created by Kazuo Sakai and Jukki Hanada. It's safe to say they've outdone themselves here (Hanada-sama especially), as expected. We get such a new focus here on a cast and story that evolves what's become the norm for so long, tearing down many cliches of the genre it's apart of while elevating others to new heights. Momoka's struggles especially echo the typical anime band girl and yet manage to be so real and human which makes her character so delicious to dig your teeth into. For as much praise as this show could be showered in for all of time, there are some faults of the story worth mentioning. Some of these will likely be fixed in a subsequent season, but rating this show on its own is a must. The first, most glaring issue is the lack of a dedicated episode to flesh out Rupa. While a more pretentious me would say 'Rupa's character benefits from having most of her story shrouded in mystery', even the show's writers have come out and said they wish they could have done more with her. She's got a lot of moments scattered throughout the show that are amazing, but nothing that you can point to and say 'this was her moment' as the other characters do. Much of the show's writing depends on what you get out of Nina as a character, and for those who struggle to stomach her completely this might put them off. How you'd manage to hate Nina is beyond me, but.. people always manage to surprise. Finally, (mild spoiler warning) there's a few scenes that have describe suicidal ideation which are quite heavy in their emotional scale, so for viewers sensitive to this it's worth making you aware. Nina Iseri and Momoka Kawaragi's bond is something truly special. It's the northern lights above a moonlit sky, the sun setting at dusk; something you only get to observe once. Our main characters are bound by the fates of their lives, many strings pulling them each in different directions, yet always ending up in the same spot. I can't recommend this show enough. Watch it with your friends, watch it alone, watch with everyone you know. You'll understand that these thirteen episodes go by faster than you could ever imagine, and by the end, you'll understand that 'Girls Band Cry' is a show that will move you like no other, throwing in all the anger, joy, and sadness of life. Perfect for anyone, it will teach you to never back down, to fight for what's right, and most importantly, it'll teach you to take all the obstacles in your life and flip 'em off. It's perfection.

This is the first anime I’ve seen that was able to push the medium of animation forward in so long. It’s unbelievable how groundbreaking and innovative it is for not only the girl band sub-genre of anime, but slice of life/drama anime as a whole. Toei animation is a long running legendary studio and boy they showed their experience here. Probably the biggest thing being the 3D animation and expressive character animation and facial expressions. THIS, I LIVE FOR THIS.IT FUELS MY SOUL. THIS is the biggest thing that makes girls band cry special. It’s so UNBELIVEBLED detailed. It makes every scene feel so real and alive. And how each character is animated synergies and reflects each character unique personality so perfectly. The characters man….THEY ARE ALL SO GOATED I LOVE THEM ALLLL. Nina is just the best silly chaotic and naïve gremlin but she grows a lot and learns a lot from everyone else in the band. She’s just so Nina and I love it. Momoka is just the best. I honestly can’t even put to words how incredible she is. She struggles to express her true feelings and seeing her overcome is just incredible. She can be cute and cool and vulnerable and I love every side of her. Then when Nina and Momoka are TOGETHER, ohhh my GOODD MAGIICCCCC. Possibly my favorite thing about this series is the character drama cause IT’S SOO FREAKING GOOD. Nina and Momoka’s fights are THE PINNACLE of that. I love when characters have friction and disagree with each at first so when they do get along more later it feels earned. Also my god, a lot of the time I was like “damn they REALLY like each other” and “they kind of of fight like their married” but at the same time I was like “It’s probably nothing I’m sure they aren’t a thing (they’re just roommates type energy)”. Then they dropped the motherload and I was FLABBERGASTED where they went with that. Anyhoo, I ship them and love them. Subaru is also incredible, acting as the glue that holds the band together and she’s so cute and perceptive. Tomo and Rupa are also such a great duo and I love how emotionally supportive Rupa is for Tomo, they’re just so wholesome together. Also everyone’s fashion and drip is SO FREAKING GOOD AAAAAA. Momoka in red flannel makes my neurons fire like crazy. The performances are also nothing I’ve ever seen before in anime. Hands down the best animated music performances I’ve ever seen. The energy is just SO RAW AND HYPE. You can FEEL the passion in the air and be injected into your eyeballs. The music is also really good too. It’s seriously next level stuff. Another thing I liked is how realistic things are (relatively). It provides some nice insight on the harsh reality of how tough the music world is and I really like that. I could talk for days, but the amount of dopamine this show has given me is absurd. It actually takes me like 1-1.5 hours to watch a single episode cause I keep rewinding to pay attention to every small detail. It's also super funny and has so many great comedic bits. You tell that the team at Toei really just poured their heart and soul into this entire series. My favorite slice of life anime of all time easily and obviously the best band/music anime I’ve seen. I’m telling y'all, k-on crawled so Bochi could walk so Girls Band Cry could sprint so fast it can travel on water.

This is what I wanted K-On! to be, best music anime I've seen yet. The biggest difference to versions of "girl band anime" I've seen before is that the characters all feel like real people instead of various paper-thin cute archetypes. What's also not paper-thin here is the animation, the new 3D CGI animation style allows instruments to look like they're being played accurately for the first time, if you're a musician you will appreciate that you can analyze the mo-cap performances similar to real shows. Finally, if you're a fan of J-Rock the original songs are genuinely great, and the concept to form a real-life band to write and perform the songs, in addition to voicing their respective characters, adds a dimension of authenticity and "realness" to the whole production.

For an anime about music, specifically J-rock, there was a distinct lack of good songs. I would outright say that the OP is bad music-wise. The only decent songs were the instrumental tracks, and that's only because they kept playing the leitmotif of the OP, and I'm a sucker for those. CG animation was okay. Story and characters were melodramatic as hell. The first few episodes centered so much around characters 'leaving the band', to the point where the term entered my vocab. To finish this review, I am lowkey baffled at the amount of praise regarding this show. Maybe it's just not my thing. I don't know.

Ok This actually was such a sleeper anime and one that I will definitely come back to a couple years down the line to watch because that’s how good it was. I know some people are saying that there was no plot but from someone who wants to be a writer. Nina is the plot and anything she does becomes more interesting because of the way she views the world. Making a character like Nina is hard. The way she interacts with the world is fun and unique making her the star of this anime. I also absolutely loved Momoka and Nina interactions. Their relationship was another massive highlight of this anime. Just every time they were in scene together it was clear they understood each other and both wanted each other’s validation. Nina could read Momoka like a book and it isn’t said better than in episode 8. Holy heck honestly if I had to rate an episode I would say episode 8 is in my top 5 of all time. The way they set it up was just immaculate. And the way they ended it off made me sit there and cry real tears. So if I had to give this anime a rating I would give it a 10.

messy, beautiful i uh, really loved this show anime has a way of being so earnest and, hm, no, what i mean to actually say is i wish i could bare my soul to this extent, just be so earnest and vulnerable that it feels utterly embarrassing to witness. but if i'm being honest i cant. i'm a shadow of a person, turn the light on and i disappear. my every rotted bridge, all neglected away into nothing, even the slightest possibility of intimacy and closeness, no, it petrifies me. i let all my chances of deepening friendships slip by me, left as a glancing, yet fatal blow on any relationship like an iceberg scraping the titanic. alone by choice? weird way to describe fucked brain chemistry and circumstance, but i can't dispute it. if you fail it means you never should have tried. you should see how red my face is right now. fade everyone into a light acquaintance until they move on. never really there, flighty, anxious, too terrified of human connection to really open up to anybody. nothing but lightly pleasant and frustratingly noncommittal to everyone, moving at a coward's pace, unfocus the lens and you won't have to see anything anymore, quicker that way i can't even imagine how it would feel to be so disgustingly free, just all feathers and fire like that. you'd think for an industry bent specifically to manufacturing commodified sincerity to sell to teenagers, that they'd somehow come by it a little less easily. when genuine storytelling is codified in such a way as the way to tell your product's story, what speaks genuine about that? art as genre as mad libs, fill in the blanks, paint by numbers, give me the premise and i can probably tell you how it ends, lets kill god, lets nebulously choose free will and uncertainty over an unfeeling stability. if i melt my skin into yours can we understand each other? if my blood runs through your body will that make us feel any less alone have you read that old sci-fi book yet you probably should its pretty good except for the parts where its comically, outrageously racist and sexist, but its where your favorite show got all their ideas from and its still a surprisingly easy read today if we can make it to the Budokan, maybe the stars will start reflecting in your eyes again, that's what everyone says anyway. turn the music up and let it all come pouring out everything is someone's first time somewhere, that's what makes it so special, its a miracle anything good gets made at all, flowers growing through cracks in the concrete i guess, i can tolerate a little cliché if you smash through my ribs and tear out my heart with it. god bless the people who aren't "well-read" in anything, they get to experience love for the first time again. i was terrified of even resisting one day we'll look back and see the ruin we dragged ourselves out of, and on that day i hope you'd have found someplace you can truly belong and be at peace every time i watch one of these prescriptively life-affirming anime meant to encourage teenagers to follow their hopes and dreams, i always feel encouraged to cultivate and nurture my own relationships in my life, but i almost immediately come to the crashing event horizon that i discarded some of my closest ones willingly, and the rest withered with them. "i abandon here a part of the flesh of my body." over and over again until there's nothing left, just a stain on the wall, when the alternative is nursing increasing masses of necrotic tissue, it almost sounds like the sane thing to do. "you don't understand me at all," i understand you're a disgusting person, and i hope i never see you again in this life or the next fuck you. i still miss you so, so much, you absolute piece of shit. fuck you. eventually the question of whether it was the right or wrong thing to do fades away like everything else and all you're left with is whether you regret it or not. when i crawl out of this pit i threw myself into i can tell you where i eventually ended up at i want to make things, i want to live a life worth living, i want to be a person worth loving, i want to be a person loved, i also just want to lie on the floor forever and feel nothing, i also want to lie on the floor forever and just fucking seethe, wow, multitudes. clench my teeth until they crack open and choke on my own blood, my dentist is going to scold the shit out of me next time i see her Where were you twenty years ago? Ten years ago? Where were you when I was new? the joy of art and others is that they're able to get past the sandblasted wasteland of that emotionally blunted hellscape you call a heart and bring that passion bubbling back to the surface like breaching magma, spikes and valleys. i haven't cried since 2017, but on rare moments i feel close, and i think in those moments, i'm happiest. distant figures on the moon, the bright tone of a butterscotch telecaster, feels nostalgic. the joy of art and others is that the only thing that truly matters is who you are when you bring yourself to them. maybe the best art, the best people, are the kind that can change who you are when you're exposed to them. never forget, you're a canvas too: messy and beautiful.

Synopsis: Iseri Nina, 17, faces difficulties moving to Tokyo alone, but finds an opportunity when she meets her favorite guitarist, Momoka Kawaragi. Together, they form a band with three other girls, facing challenges in music and their personal lives. United by their passion for music, they persevere in pursuit of their dreams. Review: Plot / Narrative: 8.4/10 Girls Band Cry stands out from the beginning with an engaging approach to the musical universe. The story keeps the viewer's interest, skillfully using flashbacks to explore past events without being boring or uninteresting. The central idea of the plot is well-executed, showing care in its construction, demonstrating originality and cohesion from start to finish. The narrative goes beyond music and cute girls playing; it has enough depth to keep the audience interested in the personal dramas and challenges faced by the characters. Characters Charisma / Development: 8.5/10 The anime features characters with varied personalities, with the two most iconic being Nina and Momoka. Nina has an explosive temperament and is extremely honest, making her a very authentic character with great depth in her personality construction. Momoka is also excellently developed, with dreams and frustrations. Being slightly older than Nina, she has a more mature and serious tone in her choices and actions and is also calmer. The anime masterfully executes their personalities in interaction, with moments of misunderstandings, fights, and differences in ideals and future perspectives, adding layers of depth to the work and weight to the dramatic scenes. The other band members also have space for development, with their thoughts, ideals, and motivations explored well despite having less screen time. The anime leaves a comforting feeling, knowing they weren't forgotten. Art (Character Design, Settings, and Animation): 8.6/10 The animation is entirely done in CGI, which might seem strange to viewers not fond of this style, but it's something one can get used to easily. From a technical standpoint, the CGI is high quality. Though it doesn't reach the level of major Western productions, it offers top-notch animation within the standards of Eastern productions, which have lower costs. The anime features beautiful settings, fluidity, and great character design! Soundtrack / Audio: 8.9/10 The anime has a very immersive and innovative soundtrack, using the piano but mainly guitar tracks. It hits the mark in climax moments, fitting the OSTs well and amplifying and absorbing the viewer's emotions. The strongest point of the soundtrack is the high quality of the fictional band's songs played in several episodes, likely winning over many viewers with its top-notch Opening and Ending, along with other inserts in presentation episodes. The anime excels in the sound department and offers an extremely gratifying auditory experience. Themes: 8.4/10 The work addresses themes such as the importance of not giving up on dreams and the need to make sacrifices to achieve them. It highlights the search for identity, perseverance in the face of adversity and challenges, the value of friendship, and music as a form of expression, inspiration, and personality building. Script/Storyboard and Direction: 8.7/10 The script and storyboard of the anime are excellent, without leaving major gaps in the plot or character construction. The anime incorporates comedy elements with excellent timing, balancing tense and comedic moments just right. In presentation moments, the direction does a great job, exuding fluidity and originality, using special effects, camera spins, and intelligent transitions. The direction also shines with expressive framing in dramatic scenes, capturing the essence and conveying the right emotion skillfully, making great use of the soundtrack to give scenes the proper weight. The only downside might be for viewers more familiar with music, who may notice small flaws in musical representation compared to reality. However, these details are only noticeable to a minority and do not diminish the brilliance of the work, as the high sound quality almost completely overshadows these minor details. Strengths and Weaknesses: Strengths 1: Character Development: Girls Band Cry features well-built personalities and deep interactions with ample development. 2: Soundtrack: High-quality songs and an immersive soundtrack, highlighting a wide range of guitar, piano, and other instruments. Weaknesses 1: Use of CGI: The use of CGI animation may not appeal to everyone and requires some adjustment. 2: Unrealistic Representation of Musical Elements: Small flaws in the representation of musical elements may be noticed by viewers familiar with music. Conclusion: Girls Band Cry stands out for the depth of its characters and the quality of its soundtrack. With an engaging and well-structured narrative, it captivates the audience by exploring the challenges and personal dramas of the characters, alongside their musical journeys. Despite the use of CGI, which may not please everyone, and minor flaws in musical representation noticeable to more discerning viewers, the work maintains its brilliance and offers an emotional and gratifying experience. It is a solid recommendation for fans of musical anime with good character development, being one of the best surprises of the spring 2024 season! Final Score: 8.6/10

Girls Band Cry - Toei, why are you making us care about a 2D and 3DCG mesh of an anime that is the definition of a cult classic modern masterpiece in the making!? I'm equally as puzzled myself, but I'm glad that the 3 of you who managed to watch this, you got a blessing of a treat right out of the gate. Girls Band Cry is great, it's just that you can't watch it...at least not legally, no thanks to Toei Animation's stringent licensing standards that is their version of gatekeeping against the behest of the audience, or are the big players of streaming platforms like Crunchyroll failing to get the license, leaving the smaller players like France's Animation Digital Network a.k.a ADN and South Korea's Aniplus that are successful in their rein? Regardless, while I don't have an answer to the nitpick of why people will still sail the high seas for just about everything (I know I do), what I DO know is what you're missing out on one of Spring 2024's biggest fanbase outcries of a show that is Girls Band Cry, a show that may lean on the CGDCT aspect, but teaches us one very important lesson in life: Discover what you're made out of, and harness that to the fullest degree. I've already talked in length in my YoruKura a.k.a Jellyfish review of how both that show and Girls Band Cry are very similar in their approach, yet are also semi-consciously in competition with each other in execution: being original shows about outcast girls wanting to stand out in their own way. Though if we were to compare the two, I would say that Girls Band Cry stood out even more with the compliments of strong storywriting and the "same but different" visual approach to its subject matter. Let's not fumble around any further and get this show on the road! Act 1: The Girls Finding a sense of identity in your growing-up years is one of the most important marks of life, and this marks the starting point for a rather unremarkable girl by the name of Nina Iseri. Having run away from home, this rather potent high school girl is in search of something new: an avenue where she can rant out her raw emotions, for someone who's done living the controlled life and wants to burst into freedom doing what she likes to do. And just like YoruKura, one character coincidentally meets another through music, it's where Nina finds Momoka Kawaragi, and that's where their story of rebellion begins, teaming up with other girls who found themselves in similar predicaments of life's struggles and their series of unfortunate incidents, with the embroidered vision of a band where they can "Throw in All the Anger, Joy, and Sadness". Act 2: The Band It's hard picking a fitting name for an amateur band, and even more forming one, that is a collaboration with the effort of Toei, music production house Agehasprings, and Universal Music Japan back in 2021, focusing on the combination of animation with real band activity, which would form the all-female band serving as the core for the project and releasing singles since July last year. And it's no wonder that Japan captured the hype for the show to come this season with said band's songs, fit with the 5 females of Rina (Nina Iseri), Yuri (Momoka Kawaragi), Mirei (Subaru Awa), Natsu (Tomo Ebizuka), and Syuri (Rupa), not only are they newcomers to the music scene (and also rookie VAs at that, performing for the very first time), they're essentially the "Girl's Rock Audition" group of which they'll be recognized as the anime's central band: Togenashi Togeari (lit. Spiny Ant). Act 3: The Cry You know a show is hyped based on the songs that are being spilled out of the project, which shows the fact that they're a force to be reckoned with. The band's vision being the slogan "Throw in All the Anger, Joy, and Sadness.", the constant flow of songs that have and are still being released on both its official YouTube and Spotify channels may be few and far in between, but make no mistake that they're all great songs with the same illusive message of "being in the world, but not part of the world," being a rock band who's unafraid of using their entire being to cry from the depths of their hearts and sing songs of declaration against normalcy. The original anime, spearheaded by Love Live! Sunshine!! series director Kazuo Sakai, alongside the legendary veteran of scriptwriter-cum-series composer Jukki Hanada (who's done countless shows like Hibike! Euphonium a.k.a Sound! Euphonium series, Winter 2018's Sora yori mo Tooi Basho a.k.a A Place Further Than the Universe, and more recently on Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu a.k.a The Dangers of My Heart), you hardly have any reason to doubt that both prominent people can do nothing wrong (especially Jukki Hanada), and by the sum of all efforts, it really is a showcase of all of the things that should look wrong, turned right. More than the band itself, Girls Band Cry really is a study on character development, sticking as close and relatable as possible to the humanly failings of each member of Togenashi Togeari, from the likes of Nina being a "homewrecker" against formality, to Momoka being just like YoruKura's Kano Yamanouchi, where she dropped out of her former band due to creative differences. And to have all of their failures turned into songs as their only source of venting frustrations on a "Wrong World" that doesn't accept them as they are, they transform from being "I'm Nobody" to somebody that each other can support through thick and thin. The biggest surprise would have to be the implementation of 3DCG for a show like this, which, if you ask me, Toei Animation need NOT go this hard, but they ABSOLUTELY COOKED. You'd already know how 3DCG anime has gotten a bad reputation outside the likes of studio Orange (which still remains the gold standard of how 3DCG anime production should be done), but a 3DCG show where everything feels buttery-smooth at a constant 50 to 60fps, while leaving everything else in traditional 2D fashion? That is praise that I don't always shower very often, especially for an almost close 2D-3DCG mesh of a presentation like this that the likes of Bushiroad's BanG Dream! franchise could ever hope to be given that exact same treatment of unapologetic and free-spirited expressions. This is truly Toei Animation going all experimental for shows that warrant not just attention, but profitability through songs as well, and I really have to think that the veteran studio has once again earned a name for themselves doing what was imagined to be near impossible. After all, they're the studio that produced the endless One Piece, and I'd have to say that Girls Band Cry is their newest One Piece of a runaway success. Of course, how can I properly score Girls Band Cry without the music. The show is everything I wanted YoruKura a.k.a Jellyfish to be: a fully integrated show-stopping piece of work where the main band helms all of the series' music, even if it meant having rivals like Momoka's former group of idol rock band Diamond Dust breathing down their necks in complete competition of standing out and being the best. Of course, Togenashi Togeari's OP and ED theme songs of "Wrong World" and "I'm Nobody" are absolute, unskippable fast-paced rock-a-thon bangers in their own right. That said, while not every song is great, you should REALLY go and hear the songs for yourself, they're still at least enjoyable in one way or another. It's an anomaly for me to say that Girls Band Cry is not just a journey of creating music, but it's also a journey of discovering one's true calling, all interspersed into a medium of the bizarre but pristine kind, that really resonates with the faulty human that I am, as well as many others, who deeply wanted to express all the raw emotions to an insane degree. I've praised Bocchi the Rock!'s outstanding out-of-pocket anime adaptation to no end back in Fall 2022, but to have Girls Band Cry come this season to bring me back to those moments, and in ACTUAL GOOD and incredible 3DCG cameraw…

Girls Band Cry had all the ingredients to be something special. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite stick the landing. Where the show truly shines is its music. The performances are produced with obvious passion and attention to detail, and the musical accuracy in the animation is a lovely touch for anyone who plays any of the instruments featured. You can tell real care went into that side of things. The story itself leans on a pretty milked premise, country girl moves to the big city, tries to find her place. It's not a dealbreaker on its own but it's a familiar setup, and the show never really does enough to make you forget that. The bigger issue is the MC. The sheer volume of cringey, drawn-out eyeroll moments made certain episodes genuinely painful to sit through (Eg: the pinky ordeal). I don't mind a flawed protagonist — flawed characters are often the most interesting — but there's a difference between "flawed" and "exhausting." The drama surrounding her frequently felt manufactured and excessive, which kept pulling me out of an otherwise alright story. Also it's 3d animation so if you don't like that, this show might not appeal to you. Personally that didn't impact my experience but just a disclaimer. Critically it's 5 for me but the musical performances bumped it up to a 6. Worth watching if the band/music angle appeals to you, but don't go in expecting it to be entirely focused on music, it's not.

Not great not bad. Somewhere along the lines of slightly better than average is what I felt about this anime I watched girls band cry right after watching it's Mygo!!!!! And the sequel Ave Mujica. Simply put it was like watching a copy of its Mygo!!!!! but not as good. This review is going to be a direct comparison as I can't think of two animes that are so similar. They are so similar that the entire time It felt as i was watching the same anime but with different characters, settings, and different problems. Both animes first and foremost fall into the category of drama and music. Both animes feature dysfunctional bands which argue amongst each other. Both animes focus on the character dynamics and relationships with each other. Both animes have the girls carry different problems. Both animes aren't the typical happy girls band cgdct anime. They focus on the characters and problems amongst them. In all honesty if I hadn't watched it's Mygo!!!! And it's sequel Ave, I would have rated Girls Band Cry higher as then I would've thought that there aren't many girls band animes which focus on the characters and the darker tone, and the problems that each individual carries. However this wasn't the case and I had just came off of watching a better version. To top it all off both animes animation are completely done in CG. Like come on lol. This happens a lot in anime where one studio creates an anime and another studio creates an extremely similar anime. I'm not a fan of CG in fact I used to despise it, however over the years CG with technology has gotten better but if you were to compare the CG of its Mygo!!!!! To Girls Band Cry the former definitely crushes the latter. Some people may like the CG where it doesn't look like anime where it looks sort of fake. Unfortunately I am not a fan of that that CG. It's Mygo!!!!! produced the CG on a level where at times it looked like anime animation and I could not tell the difference, in fact I did not find out until after watching the show that it was all CG that's how good it was. Girls Band Cry from episode 1 I could tell it was CG, it has cringe worthy CG and I didn't get used to it until almost episode 12. So it definitely falls short in this category for me. Overall story is good however I just watched an anime that had an extremely similar story. I give equal scores to both stories. Overall characters are good except I just watched an anime with similar characters. In this regard I would say the characters are equally likeable as well. Music...this is also the same and what annoyed me the most about this is the fact both MC's create and sing music in the exact same manner. They create music that's about their problems, struggles, and the screams within their hearts. The music they create in both animes is literally created from the truth and hardships, and emotions within each MC. The music in both is incredible. Conclusion. The anime felt like I just watched a reskin of its Mygo. Dont make my mistake and watch one after the other or you will end up disappointed. My rating for this anime reflects this. It would be rated higher if not. Now if your going to choose which one to watch take this with a grain of salt In my opinion characters equally likeable, music equally good, story, Mygo is set in a city with most of the environment being school, studio, someone's house and is about highschool girls that cope with real world problems and internal relationships. Girls Band Cry is set in Tokyo and actually has more variety in settings and is about high school girl dropouts and adults that cope with real world problems. The pacing in Mygo is better for sure. The problems they face are different but similar in severity. The CG hands down goes to Its Mygo. The music is very subjective and both have great music.

[b]PEAK FICTION for Fan of Girl Band[/b] I Enjoy it so much, This Anime seems combination of K-On & Bocchi on Level Friendship, Goofiness, Chaotic. And Hibike euphonium on Level Drama instensity to persued dream. If you want watch Rock Girl Band with more [b]Serious Plot[/b], This This it. Toei animation nailed it with making in 3D very smooth Top Notch, My God the Animation concert, The crowd, Coloring background, Angle camera lighting, Etc. Too bad this come on Spring 2024, When so much "Big series" release in the same time. This become highly underrated. And they're gatekeeping not put in streaming service like Crunchyroll.

The Spring 2024 season is the season for original anime. Spring 2024 is also the season for music anime. Spring 2024 is the season for Girls Band Cry, an original music-centric anime that really needs more attention. It really seems like after the massive success of recent anime like Bocchi the Rock and Oshi no Ko, the Japanese entertainment industry has been capitalizing on that hype by giving us original TV anime like Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night, and now Girls Band Cry. This anime revolves around Nina Iseri, Subaru Awa, Momoka Kawaragi, Rupa, and Tomo Ebizuka as we follow the hardships and struggles they face while forming the band Togenashi Togeari. Girls Band Cry, at its core, is a drama series that just so happens to have music in it, which is a far cry from other anime in this genre, and, for the most part, works really well. The writing in this show is much more grounded than other entries in the music category of anime, especially when the majority of the thirteen episodes of this series are solely focused on the individual characterization of each Togenashi Togeari member. Whether it be through flashbacks or character dynamics, the character writing has been top notch in Girls Band Cry and the show gives each band member a considerable amount of screen time for us to get to know them, understand the internal pains they deal with on a daily basis, and giving us great character interactions with one another that add more emotional depth to this anime. To further extend how well the characters are written, many of the hardships they all deal with both collectively as a band and individually are brilliantly reflected through the songs. The website I watched Girls Band Cry on had subtitles on for the songs, which is something rare for music anime for some reason, however it is much needed here because both the lyrics and the rest of the composition of the songs serve as a way for the characters to vent their emotions into their tracks, which makes many of Togenashi Togeari’s songs filled with passion and heart. Each live performance by this show’s main band also serves as a culmination of the drama and tension present throughout the series which is further elevated by how good each of these particular scenes look. Speaking of, the animation in this show, in my opinion, is perfect. Girls Band Cry employs the use of 3D CGI, and although I was a bit skeptical in this department at first, overtime I grew to love how this show visually conveys its narratives. All of the live performances are animated beautifully and fully utilize the 3D CGI aspects of this show to its strengths to visually convey and enhance the emotions flowing through all of the character’s performances in the songs. The only gripe that I have with this anime is the same issue that unfortunately plagued Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night, with that being the pacing, especially in regards to the finale. I don’t know if this is gonna be a running trend for the Spring 2024 seasonal slate, but many of the finales for the shows airing this season are rushed to all hell, and Girls Band Cry is no exception. I’m not quite sure how or why it’s been this way for several anime in this seasonal slate, but the finale for Girls Band Cry felt like it speed-ran through like three different plotlines, which left the ending feeling very abrupt. This doesn’t hinder this show that much since 99% of the important narrative meat has been covered by the time the finale comes around, and it ultimately didn’t bother me that much personally since I viewed it as more of a side plot more than anything else. The finale’s pacing also doesn’t stop Girls Band Cry from being a really good anime overall. Even with the rushed ending, Girls Band Cry is my pick for anime of the season, and I say that pretty confidently, even factoring in the issues with this show. Unfortunately, this anime will most likely fade into obscurity as time passes, but hopefully more people will check this show out, especially if you love musical anime.

I was really hesitant to start this when I saw that it was a 3D anime, after all my experience with with genre has never been very good, and even Suzume failed to deliver the same charm that I still believe it would have had it been produced a few years later or in 2D. And yet I was drawn in by the first episode. It's a bit cliche, yes. (Jellyfish Can't Swim had the same opening after all.) I guess I'm a bit of a sucker for stories about helping small artists. The dynamic between Momoka and Nina from the beginning was adorable. Nina herself was just full of surprises, but I'll save my complaints for later. Animation was a solid 6/10 for me. Not bad, not amazing, but pretty decent and just a slight bit above my expectations. The first clip I saw of GBC, I was really turned away because of it, but I got used to it in time. I think it even improves as the show progresses. The rendering and shadows/lighting is a bit too harsh and unpolished for my taste, especially as an anime. There were also a few clunky movements, although it was verrrrrry smooth in most scenes. You can't compare it to ZZZ or WUWA, but because the genre's severely different, I think it's alright to not be held to the same standards. The songs were supposed to be rock, but it's not heavy metal like LOVEBITES. It's closer to mainstream J-rock, which I was surprised because Momoka was all about not jumping on trends... when the music she makes sound pretty mainstream? They're not bad songs in any case. 7/10 Now for my grievances: I cringed through half of this show, gritted my teeth, and managed to get through it. All due to our protagonist Nina. Are her actions cringe because I think she is or is she cringe because her actions are? I don't even know at this point. Nina is a socially inept girl that basically repels with society. Oil and water. I know it's partly due to her trauma, but I die three times each episode. She comes in with not just a few fatal flaws, but an armful that suffocates unassuming watchers. She doesn't understand how to interact with people, always going on the offensive and becoming aggressive at the smallest thing. She makes lighthearted moments too serious, always willing to dive deep or pry about pasts when it obviously makes the other person uncomfortable. She's selfish even as she does what she believes are helpful deeds, and fails to put herself in other's shoes, always working on her own agenda. She's rash and immature and jumps into things she doesn't understand. She's narcissistic in the way that she accuses others of the things she herself commits. She runs away at the slightest pressure and fails to communicate properly. I have more pages I've written ranting on her as a person, but it's already too much. She does learn and get some character development by the end, although I will tell you, there's a painful stretch in the middle. She's very fortunate to have friends that deal with her and try to help her understand these things about human relationships. I think it can be charming, although not for me. The shift of focus away from her was such a breath of relief. She works well as an annoying side character. I still rooted for her even as it was painful... the second hand embarrassment was enough to knock me out. If they were aiming for a flawed character, they sure did succeed. Another gripe I have with her is her long, life update speeches before each concert. The audience didn't pay for that. They're here for music, for entertainment. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point. Lead it into some music. I think they should start selling that as a quirk of the band with how often Nina does it. She and Momoka also should've gone viral with how often they argued in public. If not viral at least a local tourist attraction. Complaints aside, Nina can be pretty badass sometimes too, so it's not all bad. I do love the supporting characters too. They feel very dynamic fleshed out. I did enjoy the conflicts in the group and the realistic ideals from Momoka (or basically the rest of the group compared to Nina). The success they achieved wasn't anything big but I found that realistic. The season ended with some loose ends, so I don't mind watching more of GBC, although I would not put myself through season 1 again. It's like sandwich. Started out well, sludged through some, and ended with a decent (though small) boom. Also, I felt a bit yuri baited halfway through, especially with the way things were worded, but I forgave it because there was very little buildup.