Show By Rock!!

Episode 6

Instead of giving the dark monsters more screen time, this week's Show By Rock!! takes a step back from the action to showcase its lighter side and explore the relationships between the show's main characters—and the series is so much better for it. First, Strawberry Heart unceremoniously reveals himself to the rest of Plasmagica and ShinganCrimsonz. He then info-dumps some important information about the force behind the monsters attacking the popular musicians and the figure who summoned Cyan to Midi City. When the members of ShinganCrimsonz suggest they go to the source and put an end to it, Strawberry Heart insists they battle via music. (Of course, the real reason is that it's far too early in the series for our heroes to duke it out with the master villain.)

The info-dumping along with Cyan's lack of reaction is sloppy. (Some of Strawberry Heart's revelations should have been news to her as well, but she does nothing but mope about missing out on Plasmagica's latest performance and hurting her friends' feelings.) However, from there on out, the episode is easily one of the series' strongest so far, despite lacking a CG musical interlude. (This marks the second consecutive episode without an on-screen band performance, even though that seemed like such an integral part of the show initially.) Nevertheless, the girls do sing a song together, and it's woven into the plot effectively.

ShinganCrimsonz and Maple Arisugawa are hilarious in the episode's B-plot, as they find themselves hopelessly lost in the woods on their way to a musical training camp. The members of Plasmagica also have some funny moments, although they supply nearly all of the episode's drama as well. As in prior episodes, the conflict teeters on the brink of overdramatic, but it's not as random or over-the-top as it was before. During Plasmagica's own much more relaxing training camp at a beachside resort, Cyan must get Retoree to forgive her for keeping where she came from a secret. True to form, tsundere Retoree overreacts and takes the prospect of Cyan leaving personally, due to her crush on her.

Meanwhile, Moa's alien backstory comes to a head, both dramatically and for the purpose of a joke. Although this element seemed random and unnecessarily complicated when first introduced, it pays off well here. (Retoree even comments on how weird it is that Plasmagica has two members with otherworldly origins.) Despite being another needlessly strange element of a series that shines when it's simple, it doesn't appear that Moa being an alien is going to bog down the story any further.

Episode 6 demonstrates how much fun the show is when it's less ambitious. Although the vibrant colors and frenetic spectacle of Midi City and the CG band performances are sorely missed this week, the execution of both training camp storylines goes off with nary a hitch. The characters are much more sympathetic when they're funny and not so ridiculously theatrical. Roughly halfway through the series, things are looking very bright for Show By Rock!!.

Rating: A-

Show By Rock!! is currently streaming on Funimation.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for two decades.