Rock is a Lady's Modesty

Episode 4

We explore two important insights into Lilisa's family life this week. Most prominently, her stepsister Alice hates her guts. While this isn't new information, the additional focus on it is clarifying. Alice, unlike Lilisa, was born into money, so that dictates how she perceives the world around her. Note how she instantly recognizes Otoha as a member of a powerful political dynasty, which immediately supplicates her anger. That's a far cry from Lilisa's romantic and curious first impression of Otoha, divorced from any preconceived notions. Alice, due to her rearing, believes in the zero sum nature of capitalism, so she wants to win that game. In her eyes, Lilisa and her mom can't simply “join” Alice's family; they have to displace what's already there.

However, Alice is also just a kid. Her about-face in response to a cat's toe beans reminds us of that. She may oppose Lilisa, but she's not a villain. That's salient to keep in mind when we consider the other important revelation about Lilisa's home life: her mom's attitude. After the first three episodes, I had assumed that Lilisa's desire to disguise her upbringing was a selfless, if misguided act born out of concern for her mother. That may still be partially true, but her mom flips an intense switch when she brings up Lilisa's guitar skills out of the blue. Clearly, there's some intense parental pressure pushing Lilisa to be a proper lady. I don't want to assume that her mom is doing this simply out of greed, though, because she too may be fighting her own yet-unseen battle against classism. I need to see what Lilisa's stepdad is truly like before making any judgments. Regardless, it still makes Lilisa's predicament even more sympathetic.

And consequently, Lilisa's relationship with Otoha becomes an even more precious refuge in the audience's eyes. If we were to disregard the (literal) deluge of innuendo for a moment, the queer subtext would still be there. Society, family, and school all want Lilisa and Otoha to be a certain way—to conform to a narrow definition of “lady” that keeps the wheels of capitalism and patriarchy turning. The girls cannot, however, deny who they are, so they inevitably seek each other out and secret themselves away from those oppressive forces to a place where they can express their innate desires. Whether it's banging the drums or banging each other, the end thematic result is the same.

If there was any doubt of the subtext, though, the writing doubles down on the double entendres. Otoha is a hilarious orator and a worthy inheritor of the Yumeko Jabami phenotype. And like Yumeko, she has plenty of love to spread around, because she's excited about Lilisa's proposal to add a bassist and keyboardist to their ensemble/polycule. Naturally, the extra bandmates in the OP give the game away, but I appreciate that the story isn't in too much of a hurry to expand its cast. Lilisa and Otoha are a formidable pair of leads on their own merits, so there's no harm in letting them hold the reins for another episode or so. It's also funny to see Lilisa almost immediately rationalize narrowing their search to female musicians only, as if the audience at this point would harbor any doubts of the series' yuri inclinations. Theirs is a safe space for the ladies to get as worked up and sweaty as they want.

Since I'm not much of a singer myself, I really like that Rock is a Lady's Modesty continues to focus on instrumental music. Most of the modern crop of girls band anime features vocals, and to be clear, there's nothing wrong with that. Lyrics naturally lend themselves to drama and narratives, and a show like Ave Mujica, for instance, can weave its lyrics meaningfully into its story and character arcs. However, instrumental music is just as valid a venue for artistic expression—in fact, one could argue that music's ability to evoke images and emotions without words is its strongest asset. I don't know where the manga goes, so it's possible Lady's Modesty may veer into vocals, but it's nice to see that their first gig is with a symphonic ensemble. Despite Lilisa's distaste for classical music, the classical tradition is continuous with her secret jam sessions.

Next episode should be fun because there are two compelling avenues where their performance could go topsy-turvy. While the Red Familia's leader is excited to work with the girls, I doubt he's prepared for the Richter-worthy magnitude of intensity they want to bring to the concert. At the same time, Alice's presence might throw Lilisa's rock-and-roll trysts into jeopardy. On the other hand, the sheer power of a bass, drum, and vibraphone combo might make Alice's heart grow three sizes. Either way, I'm looking forward to the chaos.

Rating:

Rock is a Lady's Modesty is currently streaming on HIDIVE on Thursdays.

Steve is on Bluesky for all of your posting needs. He is modest as a mouse. You can also catch him chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.