Forum - View topicREVIEW: Girls Band Cry Anime Series Review
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FireChick
 Subscriber Posts: 2500 Location: United States |
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I'm late to the GBC party (I am one episode away from finishing it), but yeah, this show is great. I tried watching Jellyfish Can't Swim In The Night, but I was put off by how much it violated the "show don't tell" rule and it just felt like it was trying too hard to be emotional without actually putting in the work. GBC actually manages to do just that. Yeah, it does stink that some characters don't get as much to do (Hopefully we get a season 2?), but hey, I'm okay with what we have.
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TheKillerAngel
Posts: 87 |
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I believe the producers confirmed that the project will continue in some way.
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Piglet the Grate
 Posts: 806 Location: North America |
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I am not OK with it. Gāruzu Bando Kurai (Girls Band Cry (GBC)) should be on everyone's short list for AotY, and with some pretty bad shows getting 3+ seasons, we deserve at least 4 seasons of GBC. |
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Glordit
 Posts: 697 |
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Too bad Toei completely botched its release when it was airing and then pushed it onto the Microsoft store of all places.
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fathomlessblue
 Posts: 391 Location: Manchester, UK |
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I absolutely adored GBC for most of its run time, but I do think the show loses a lot of steam during the final batch of episodes when the focus becomes firmly on trying to make it as a band. I thought there was previously a near perfect balance between character drama & the realities of trying to make it as young struggling artists, & that largely goes shifts in the latter arc, It's not a deal-breaker but it does make me a little concerned if this becomes the direction a follow up goes down. I don't want the realism to overshadow the warmth & fun of the first third-thirds of the show.
I think my biggest problem with the show, that both slightly soured me on the end experience & worries me about any follow up, is the portrayal of Hina. I completely get what they were going for with her character, being a cynical realist to stands in opposition of Nina's earnest, but somewhat exhausting self-righteousness. It's a good approach to take for a rival character, but the way they handled makes her comes across as cold to the point of maliciously cruel. At first I thought this portrayal was largely one-sided from the admittedly overly emotional & bitter viewpoint of Nina, but the more you see of Hina, the less she seems exhausted at having to pick up the pieces of Nina's emotional whirlwinds, & more a scheming manipulator that is more than happy to play with her victims & abandon allies to grim fates just to save face & say "I told you so". There's hints that she's pulling an incredibly tough love routine in helping Nina grow to be a serious rival, but it all kind of feels hollow given her tactics so far seem more liable to ruin her socially & professionally than anything else. I'm cool with disastrous or even toxic frenemy antagonists, so long as I understand the love or hurt behind their actions. MyGo's Sakiko's is a great recent example. But I really struggle to get what motivates Hina's behavior towards Nina other than exasperation & sneering contempt. It makes their rivalry difficult to parse as a result, as even if I could believe the two of them could ever be friends, their aggressively charged world views have destroyed their relationship long before this point. I just can't envisage the two ever wanting to spend time with one another. Again, it's not enough to ruin the show, even if it makes it end with a bit of a soft thud, but I have severe concerns for any follow up if this is the direction they decide to commit to, because I think it actively goes against some of its core strengths. Maybe rethink Hina a bit & give Rupa a few more character-focused episodes. |
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anime_layer
 Posts: 58 |
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It's interesting to contrast GBC to Jellyfish, on the surface they have a very similar premise: A member of an up-and-coming band has a falling out and leaves the band. Later they meet a newcomer and end up forming a new band, with other members from different backgrounds joining soon. The former band meanwhile takes off, while the new bands struggles to get started.
While Jellyfish was very pretty and the story and characters had some good moments, it fells mostly flat for me in the end. GBC on the other hand executed things with more nuance and more interesting characters.
I was also a bit unsure where it was going in the second half but thought it ended up very fitting for the series. It's ultimately asking, if you want to make it as a band, in a highly competitive and commercial setting, how much are you willing to compromise your artistic vision? Do try to make it big and adapt to the market or do you keep your independence but need to have side jobs to keep you afloat? This also ties in nicely with Nina's struggle: Do you take the path of least resistance or do you stick to your principles, even it makes everything more difficult for you? spoiler[I was happy Togenashi Togeari ultimately rejects commercialism and keeps their independence, showing there are other values to pursue besides commercial success, which often implicitly ends up as the ultimate goal in anime. It also means that Nina finally found allies that are also willing to fight for their ideals.] Regarding Nina and Hina: I don't really see their relationship as the core of the conflict. Their argument was the trigger and what happened soured their relationship, but for Nina the main shock was how the school and her dad handled the situation. Her problem isn't so much with Hina but with how everyone around her wanted things to be over instead of dealing with the source of the conflict. I see Hina more a contrast to Nina rather than an antagonist, who easily achieves things Nina struggles for and who's unburdened by what's happened while Nina is tormented by it. |
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nyaa
Posts: 162 |
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Without going into a long synopsis of why I loved this show I'll simply say it was smart, witty, humorous, angsty and just plain enjoyable to watch. I really looked foreword to watching it every week and if we don't get any more of it I'll be seriously disappointed.
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RacingManiac
Posts: 35 |
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Great show, sailed the 7 seas to watch it, now I am gonna get in on Prime. Its well worth it. Original music are good too, and the seiyuus are the actual band, how cool is that.
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PhantomMan
Posts: 1 |
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Girls Band Cry is probably the best CGI anime in recent history. It delivered some of the best 3D graphics ever. All the girls are very cute and charming and the yuri subtext is very friendly. It's definitely an AOTY contender. It overshadowed that overrated yuribait anime Hibike Euphonium by a mile. Funnily enough, seven years ago, another yuri-friendly CGI anime (Kemono Friends) overshadowed another overrated yuribait anime (Little Witch Academia). History repeats. Girls Band Cry is so good!
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dm
Subscriber Posts: 1482 |
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I’m really glad i saw Jellyfish before I saw Girls Band Cry.
I really enjoyed Jellyfish despite its many flaws (it felt like they were trying to cram ten pounds of story into a five pound bag —- and I’m a sucker for series that do that). But GBC is a much more accomplished series, with better development of its characters and fewer “yeah, right” moments. Watching the two at the same time, Jellyfish would have suffered in comparison. Jellyfish has Kiui, though. So it’s got that going for it. |
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