Girls Band Cry

This anime seems to be in a sweet spot between the big comedy of Bocchi the Rock and the big drama of MyGO!!!, both great shows focused on 'Cute Girls Doing Music Things'. Girls on Girls Band Cry has grounded backgrounds and issues that are realistic, and the chemistry between the three of them we've seen so far is very good. The music, as important as it is for a show like this, delivers great J-rock songs. Series composition is in charge of Jukki Hanada, man behind this role on series like Steins;Gate and A place further than Universe, so it seems that this anime ... is in good hands.

Since this is a music-based anime, the music of Togenashi Togeari (the band that the girls are forming) is powerful J-rock. If you are a fan of the genre, you'll be pleased to know that the band has already released 10 very good songs before the anime starts. The opening (which visuals start with great 2D versions of the cast leading to the 3D versions) and the ending are performed by the band as well. Regarding the voice cast, all the actresses are new, and this is especially noticeable in Subaru's voice, but it makes the character's conversations more realistic and "normal". As a curiosity, the voice actresses are the actual members of the band Togenashi Togeari, who play their instruments live, like some Bang Dream bands do.

The CGI in the show is well executed. Despite some minor details (for example, the texture of Momoka's cat is a bit weird), the show fully embraces the medium and uses it creatively, especially in the two performances shown. The facial expressions of the main cast are very expressive, giving a good amount of movement to the mouth and adding little movements to the characters that seem to move like real people. This may seem a little strange to some people, and the whole CGI aesthetic might alienate some others, but you have to give it a chance. It's not just acceptable CGI; it's actually good CGI and good animation.

One of the big problems of the show is that it is not available legally at the moment in the West, so the subtitles are an issue, and not being licensed on any major platform may cause the show to go under the radar of many people. This has the potential to be one of the best musical shows of the year, and it deserves to be seen.

If you're wondering if GaruKura is worth the watch, it is! If you're asking yourself if you should watch this or the other Idol anime airing right now, the answer is watch both!

The animation is extremely good even if you dislike CGI, the characters are realistic enough that it's easy to relate to them, the music is great, there really isn't any reason for not watching this show.

There's an on-going issue right now with the subtitles being of a pretty low quality but once someone picks this anime up for translation please try to give it a watch and don't let it go under the ... radar, you wont regret it!

Do you like main characters that are way too quirky to be on screen?

Do you relate to a portrayal of a character that is a public nuisance with shouting and damaging public/private property some times when they step outside?

Do you think that having zero clues in reading social cues and then blaming the world for it is funny or cute?

If your answer is yes to all of the above, oh, boy, I’ve got the anime for you.

Now that is out of the way, let me start by saying, look, I get it, I was a teenager, and I know Nina (one of the main characters) ... had a rough life, but some things that she does are taking it too far. And every time I start to enjoy what is going on in this melodrama of a show, Nina does something that I feel is inexcusable which turns me against her. I believe she can still be who she is, and channel the same energy but use different methods to be more respectful in certain cases and places.

When it comes to animation, Girls Band Cry uses full CGI to convey its story and what is going on, that being said, it is still an upgrade compared to other similar shows that uses similar tech. However, here, the CGI is smooth, way too smooth. So, either that is a problem, or the exaggerated facial and body expressions that characters do is.

The vibes of the story is toned down in some places to give space for being exaggerated in other places and to offset the imbalance in the story-telling for some problematic characters.

Since the theme is about music and forming a band, some songs are good, they have some good elements and energy to them, OP and ED are good.

In the end, if you’re on the edge of your seat wondering whether I’ll continue watching this or not, the answer is a resounding no. I wish it’s a yes, I want it to be a yes, but every time I try to dive into the drama and the characters and I start to invest in their moments and what is going on, I get thrown out with a cheesy scene or get put off by some of Nina’s actions.