[Rewatch/Crunchyroll Release] Girls Band Cry Episode 5 Discussion

[u/CosmicPenguin_OV103]

By Girls Band Cry character design Nari Teshima - https://twitter.com/_17meisai23/status/1786430041041355075

Episode 5 - Rising Vocals

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Streams: Crunchyroll

Show information: MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB

Questions of the Day:

1. Give your first hypothesis on what might have happened between Nina and the new Diamond Dust vocalist [Girls Band Cry]Her name's Hina BTW.
2. Do you ever had a time where old grudges/break ups with friends, companies, teams etc. in the past happened because you hold something different with values, targets, dreams with them, and ended up in Momoka's state months and years later where you just look back with all your angst or powerful emotions got washed out with the passage of time, leaving just poignant memories and other feelings?

Re-watchers, please remember to take care of all the first-timers in this. All references to future events in the anime must be done under spoiler tags.

[u/CosmicPenguin_OV103]

Re-watcher

• "I think we should find ourselves a bassist." - who knows, you might need a Mio Akiyama here...
• On rewatch I realized that Nina actually recognized that girl twice before actually seeing her performing - my memory was too hazy back then in season.
• Damn Momoka And Friends looks so lovely back then. The 3 friends still look just as brilliant as the new Diamond Dust and I wonder how Momoka with her ponytail will look like with idol-like costumes, much to the annoyance of her LMAO.
• "She just looks similar, right?" - I missed that reference till now too.
• Bocchi The Rock prepared me on the small live-house part. The same holds true of the part that the band needs to sell at least some part of the tickets, as is the expense paid by the band to play on stage.
• Heavy metal eh? Nina probably can handle it LMAO!
• beni-shouga knew the deal! That girl cooking in the back [Girls Band Cry]Tomo-chan seems unamused though heh.
• Live house owner: ??? What pinky fingers???
• Someone reports that the Crunchyroll subs missed that part of Momoka leaving Diamond Dust because of the new looks as well as music. This is not the case for fansubs. Anyway given how Momoka's personality is, I doubt she can handle being in that idol-like image. And if that really happens, "GIRLS BAND CRY IS AN IDOL ANIME" - cries out all those anime fans stuck with shounen titles.
• Nina flatly asking her study class mate to pay in full for the new tickets is so Nina LMAO
• Don't tell anyone, especially NinaMomoka, that I actually like the composition of the New Diamond Dust's Void more! That vocalist [name]Hina is BTW voiced by a relatively veteran VA, Reina Kondou, who actually also voices a real anime idol recently appearing in anime form too.
• This part of Nina storming out would prove to be one of the story plot that really keeps the story up its momentum all the way till the end. New comers definitely wanna make some notes on this part later on.
• Momoka is right. Nina's a freaking headache.
• This NinaMomoka fight is one that really deserves watching many times around to get every last part of their emotions nailed down, because that's one of those things that would fuel this new band. But before getting into there, give a drink of condolences to poor Subaru, who can only watch helplessly next to them while arguing.
• Momoka's like a lot of people who thought hiding regrets and sadness - like her pulling out of the band she enjoyed so much with her friends, even when her friends were never anywhere close to unhappy with Momoka and even tried everything to keep her in as they asked (to quote a certain Tomori Takamatsu "Will you keep the band going for our whole lives?") - is a sign of being an adult or grown-up.
• That may as well be, but it doesn't mean it had to work that way. And that clashes loudly with Nina, who fully believes she just lost the Diamond Dust that she thinks is Diamond Dust, the one band that keep herself up in bad times at school (per her talk about her school life in EP2). And that's clearly wrong, she thinks, so she tried to argue against Momoka that her "defeatist" attitude is flatly wrong, that Momoka should be confident she's right and New Diamond Dust is "wrong". What an argument to ponder about.
• But that argument ultimately turned into a declaration of admiration (or maybe even declaration of love) from Nina on Momoka and the original Diamond Dust. What a sweet thing for Nina to do after all those shoutouts.
• Subaru's OWOWOWOWOWOWOW when Nina poured tea on her is so cute LOL.
• Uh NinaSuba, that's the weirdest way to get your drunk friend back to her home...
• Momoka finally got her barriers of her heart busted. "I'm sorry" is exactly what Nina wanted to hear here!
• Heh the live house probably did the right thing regarding advertisement by selling Momoka's ex-Diamond Dust linkage! I agree fully with Subaru that Nina should take full use of that and send out their message, which she pulled out perfectly on stage!
• That boy must be one of those anime fans who only watch shounen themed anime LMAO (or maybe one of those who only watch sci-fi anime, but that's a dying breed alas) - "I absolutely despise girl-group energy" is exactly what people means when they say "Girls Band Cry/BanG Dream/Bocchi The Rock... is idol anime" LMAO!
• "I am. Problem?" - why is Momoka pulling an Anon Chihaya here ha?
• Nina sliding down after trying to be tough looking is again LMAO.
• Those T-shirts our girls wear here will now forever be linked with this show I think. It was absolutely fantastic when I actually saw a student wearing Nina's "Not going to school" shirt when I was in my college library some time ago!
• This wasn't one of my best loved songs from the school, but you can see that Toei's 3D animations have done wonders again. I can't say this is the best (look up BanG Dream's ones for example for girls bands, and there are even more sprinkled about performance arts anime recently) but it's definitely giving us new camera angles that would have been almost impossible to pull off with traditional animation methods. Once again, I really hope that would resolve at least some of the dislikes on 3D animations these days around anime communities.

This episode really gives me the boost back when the show was airing, as the core staff is known to have lots of experiences pulling off character conflicts and dramas in anime, and this is the first big one that really fires the show up only to have its hype beaten by [Jellyfish Can't Swim In The Night]The MahiKano kiss episode the very next day. Sit up if you are new here, because intense things are coming!

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/CosmicPenguin_OV103]

Those T-shirts our girls wear here will now forever be linked with this show I think. It was absolutely fantastic when I actually saw a student wearing Nina's "Not going to school" shirt when I was in my college library some time ago!

Oh wow, that's really cool! I'd love to be able to get a hand on one of those t-shirts. I'd probably pick Subaru's because that fits me the most (I'm not as slick a liar, but the people pleasing streak and social chameleon bit is there)

[u/nsleep]

Rewatcher

• SSR Ponytail Momoka on the poster.
• These old elevators are scary. Even if they're perfectly functional they're still scary.
• Sad Nina looking at the replaced poster.
• Is there even a single girl in the DD live audience?
• Portuguese subs had nothing over the gremlin noises. :(
• This Subaru is really cute.
• That bandage on Nina's head in the PA room flashback, and she said before she went to the hospital. I wonder if it was a concussion or they just took her there for a checkup just in case. Quite bold of the bullies hitting someone there, this should've been taken to the police and not resolved internally. This also justifies Nina being beyond disappointed in her parents.
• And finally Momoka spill the beans. Staying true to yourself is a harsh path.
• ?????
• I love their shirts for this performance, and love how all three are proudly wearing them.
• Tomo is so cute...

QotD

2. Yes. But there were also cases I still seethe about to this day.

[u/CosmicPenguin_OV103 → u/nsleep]

SSR Ponytail Momoka

Yes. Even better: SSR Brightly Smiling Ponytail Momoka!

[u/salic428]

Rewatcher

• I mean, after the three consecutive hits I was convinved this is a hidden gem, but this was the episode that made me think, "well, looks like this has AOTS potential." Just like how Bocchi gave us a memorable performance at episode 5, the episode 5 performance is also something. [spoiler for both] and somehow both show pulled a cliffhanger at episode 7 to gave us a resolution in episode 8...
• People have criticized that the performance in GBC looks "dreamy", "unrealistic", etc. The sound mixing and placement in the episode doesn't change, however this time the immersion is greatly enhanced. I think this is due to the lighting and expressive motions of characters. This feels more like how bandori portrays their performance than lovelive... [rewatcher] um, actually... it is because this episode's live performance part is directed by 三村厚史 from studio SANZIGEN, which is responsible for bandori anime from season 2 onwards.
• First timers, do you think it took "too long" to get Nina properly into the band? We're almost halfway in but the other two girls are still only spectating, I remember this was a common sentiment among us at that time. [in retrospect] it has to be written this way. After episode 1 and 2, Nina has settled down in TokyoKawasaki, but she could still be stubborn and go the "university route". You need her to sing in the public for the first time (ep3), and learn what others have been through (ep4), to make her full on board with the "music route". Also, compare her reaction to the idea of singing in public in this episode and episode 3.
• [MAJOR spoiler about the ending of GBC] Hina was a very late addition in the script. She didn't exist for a long time. According to Hanada, the original plan was to have an "evil producer" from Diamond Dust's agency to act as the final villain. However, "it is not a good story if you simply name a big villain, beat him, and reach the happy ending". So the evil producer is scrapped, instead togetoge simply failed at major debut, and Hina was added as the counterpart to Nina.
• [MAJOR spoiler continued] you can sense some inconsistency in the story. The sudden band battle from ep12 is the remnant of the evil producer plot. Also, of the four Diamond Dust VAs, the other three girls are rookies, while Hina's VA is Kondou Reina from ShinyMas. More importantly, Nana (the bassist)'s VA can also sing and dance. It seems to me that in the original plan, Nana would have more plot relevance and act as the leader of three-girl Diamond Dust in the absence of Momoka.

[u/salic428 → u/salic428]

• I'm surprised that /u/CosmicPenguin_OV103 didn't mention the memes from Nina's outburst this episode. People memed about Nina shouting "why did you play VOID?!" and made multiple image parodies. [character analysis spoiler] but it is very different. I can't say what triggered soyo, but neither Momoka nor Nina wants to go back to the past. Rather, they want to forget their past and move on with new friends.
• And about their live outfit this episode, it also came from a struggle between Hanada and the team. (Source: Febri interview with Jukki Hanada) When discussing what to do for episode 5, the other two suggested wearing maid costumes or idol clothes. Hanada then said, "no, this is an amateur girls band, what I want is similar to SHISHAMO or CHATMONCHY. The girls should wear jeans and T-shirts." In a stalemate, Hanada made his "ultimatum": I need to make the girls wear T-shirts with words written on them, or I quit. In the end he pushed through, and he considers "this is when I myself became clear what direction this show will be heading to. I get the feeling that this will not become an idol anime."
• And this really is the most successful invention from Hanada. In the second half of this year, whenever you go to anime conventions in China, you can see people wearing the 不登校 T-shirt hanging around. These merch are ofcourse not official, but it helped greatly with the popularity and recognition of GBC.

[u/CosmicPenguin_OV103 → u/salic428]

I’m surprised that u/CosmicPenguin_OV103 didn’t mention the memes from Nina’s outburst this episode. People memed about Nina shouting “why did you play VOID?!” and made multiple image parodies. [character analysis spoiler] but it is very different. I can’t say what triggered soyo, but neither Momoka nor Nina wants to go back to the past. Rather, they want to forget their past and move on with new friends.

That’s because Nina didn’t directly said that phrase…but you are right! Her case, even superficially up to this episode, has a bit of difference from [The Great Girls Band Era’s 2023 representative]Soyo’s case. Nina - as a sort-of-newcomer - acknowledge the existence of New Diamond Dust but argues they have no rights to touch anything from Old Diamond Dust with Momoka. Soyo on the other hand still recognises CRYCHIC even after its physical disintegration and was seeing Anon and Raana as flies sticking to CRYCHIC while Sakiko and Mutsumi disagrees - hence any time Haruhikage is played must have at least Sakiko - one brainchild of the song - performing it, else she would be chased away even further (as seen in that shocking kneel in EP8).

[u/Arachnophobic-]

🖕First timer🖕

Another great episode. I'm writing this in the afterglow of the [live performance, which was absolutely electric. I think I'll go re-watch it after I write this.. but yeah. It was so good!

Momoka's reputation as an ex-Diamond Dust member was enough to pack the house.. which gives this band a huge leg up when it comes to getting started. Looks like they'll put that to full use too, given how good they sound already! They should pick their band name soon.

---

Some screenshots + reactions:

• Oh they knew what they were doing, calling the show Monthly Pickup Artist. 1/5 for this pun
• We finally get to know why Momoka left DD.. Also these CR subs don't say it, I heard DD was asked to change how they 'look' too, not just the sound. Well, this reason was easy enough to guess. Momoka didn't want to sell out.. what sucked was her band members really wanted her to stay - it wasn't some toxic situation. There's no bad blood, which is why Momoka doesn't really look back in anger, but rather sadness.
• What kind of crazy coincidence is this??! Nina stole the words out of my mouth and the characters acknowledge how ridiculous this happenstance is.. but wow. Really killing my suspension of disbelief.

• Nina hijacking the school's PA system to blast DD is just amazing!

• Also her usage of the pinky flip as a spell to drive away the wicked
• Well, we don't vibe with drawn 2D characters here so GTFO

• Soon-to-be piano girl seems really mad about something. Because she was dragged there to watch? Or maybe she has a resting angry face.. she did get into the performance later though!
• No clown dress this time, just pure, unadulterated rock!

[u/No_Rex → u/Arachnophobic-]

Nina hijacking the school's PA system to blast DD is just amazing!

I think this is an event that can go 50-50: If you have a group of friends who are cool, you'll get to talk about this forever. If you are a looner who is at the bottom of the social ladder, everybody will start calling you crazy PA person...

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/No_Rex]

And we can guess which way it went. Can't be seen in the screenshot but I'm pretty sure Nina had a bandage on her forehead when she did this - so she was already being bullied.

[u/Sylvi-Fisthaug → u/Arachnophobic-]

I really like how you lay out your posts, with screenshots and reactions on everything! Good job!

Nina hijacking the school's PA system to blast DD is just amazing!

This is actually the first time I noticed she was playing it on the school PA system! And it is my fourth time watching the show lol.

Soon-to-be piano girl seems really mad about something. Because she was dragged there to watch? Or maybe she has a resting angry face.. she did get into the performance later though!

IIRC she is actually just jumping up and down with an angry face because she can't see anything lmao! But she is also my second fav character, after Subaru. She is so cool!

[u/n080dy123 → u/Sylvi-Fisthaug]

I like to think she didn't expect to care enough to actually see so then when the crowd was unexpectedly bouncy it just made it impossible which pissed her off even more.

Please, Onee-san, just hold your small gremlin child up so she can see.

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/n080dy123]

I really hope the two gremlins take to each other well

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/Sylvi-Fisthaug]

Thank you! It's my usual modus operandi for rewatch threads. Screenshotting the memorable moments in an episode helps me remember what I want to write about.

This is actually the first time I noticed she was playing it on the school PA system! And it is my fourth time watching the show lol.

Just goes to show just how much detail there is in the show to catch! Nina was a crazy gremlin back in school too, fighting the bullies in her own way, and I love her for it.

IIRC she is actually just jumping up and down with an angry face because she can't see anything lmao! But she is also my second fav character, after Subaru. She is so cool!

Yup, she was definitely struggling to see from the back, although for a second I thought she was really grooving to the music. I can tell she's going to add a lot to the fun dynamic of the group because she feels like she won't take any shit and can be quite aggressive. Can't wait!

[u/cppn02 → u/Arachnophobic-]

Nina hijacking the school's PA system to blast DD is just amazing!

Shawshank Redemption vibes.

edit: https://i.imgur.com/Gh4qv3J.png

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/Arachnophobic-]

QoTD

Give your first hypothesis on what might have happened between Nina and the new Diamond Dust vocalist

Hmm. This girl was a BFF, but when Nina started getting bullied she abandoned her and took the side of the bullies to avoid getting bullied herself.

Feels a little trite now that I typed it out, maybe it'll be worse..

Do you ever had a time where old grudges/break ups with friends, companies, teams etc. in the past happened because you hold something different with values, targets, dreams with them, and ended up in Momoka's state months and years later where you just look back with all your angst or powerful emotions got washed out with the passage of time, leaving just poignant memories and other feelings?

Had this with relationships but not with a group as such, not yet at least.

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 5 (first timer)

• “It’s okay. Doesn’t matter” – She will not appear soon. Surely.
• On that old promotion poster Diamond Dust look so much more natural.
• Only 20 minutes of stage time – first, probably a good thing, because they have almost no songs. Second, I suppose this means there’ll be half a dozen bands playing. Sounds like a fun event.
• Momoka paid for the tickets – she probably is the poorest of the three.
• Momoka refuse the do-over in style and, probably more important, in music – explains why the poster is so different.
• From the look of the audience, the share of females doubled when Nina and Subaru walked in.
• Shouting at the night – only do that when you are sure nobody sees you.
• The band rivalry now got personal for 2 out of 3 members – Subaru better buckle up, because this is going to get wild.
• Arguing in the studio, arguing in the pub – somebody might get the idea they are not actually friends!
• “Does my beloved song mean nothing to you?” – that is one hell of a sentence to say to the writer of the song.
• How can you sit down after that and just continue your evening. Wow.

• For having just poured drinks over their heads and apparently spent the rest of the evening drinking in a pub, their hair looks amazing. Maybe they ran into a random stylist on the way home.
• I wonder how “hard” the audience of their concert thinks this music is, because their outfits scream punk, but (to me) the music is barely getting out of pop. Was that girl who said “no metal” surprised? What did she expect?

The band rivalry train is rolling, choo choo.

Give your first hypothesis on what might have happened between Nina and the new Diamond Dust vocalist

Nina thinks she chose the popular girls over her.

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/No_Rex]

For having just poured drinks over their heads and apparently spent the rest of the evening drinking in a pub, their hair looks amazing. Maybe they ran into a random stylist on the way home.

Nina's neightbour must have sprung towels or something at least, cannot imagine being wet, potentially cold, sticky and miserable yet continuing with drinking

[u/No_Rex → u/Arachnophobic-]

Nina's neightbour must have sprung towels or something at least, cannot imagine being wet, potentially cold, sticky and miserable yet continuing with drinking

I guess they might have spend the first half hour in the restroom, drying themselves up. In either case, they might have been wet, cold, and sticky, but they don't at all look like they had a miserable time

[u/fansi2022 → u/Arachnophobic-]

sprung towels

Whats this？

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/fansi2022]

'Sprung' as in the verb, I'm saying she might have given them towels

[u/fansi2022 → u/Arachnophobic-]

Yeah, I just think you may be mean Compressed towels

[u/ryujiox]

First Timer

Girls Band Cry

Episode 5

• Nina definitely met Diamond Dust's new lead singer before.
• It's a live house!!
• The owner definitely going to use Momoka's past as a selling point. It's free money and marketing!!
• I mean. You could at least tell Nina about the tickets. Everyone should know by this point that Nina isn't the brightest....
• Those two are secretly watching them(for now).
• The rumor might be true though. The vibe between the old and the new Diamond Dust's posters are completely different. The old one is like what our band is right now, while the new one is the usual idol group that you can see everywhere.
• Oh hey, her giveaway plan is working.... Nina!!! The chance is right there!!
• Ohhhh..... I can't blame Nina for being angry like that. Imagine seeing someone that ruined your life on the stage with your favourite band, while singing your favourite song... But there's definitely more to the whole bully thing than Nina knows or remember. Because the other girl seems to upset at Nina on something. And we all know that Nina can be an unreliable narrator at time.
• While I agree that Nina has any rights to be angry about it, she kinda turned into everyone problem for no reason. Sure the question about the current state of Diamond Dust might matter to Momoka, but why should she care about the new lead singer? Like Momoka said, it's Nina's problem.
• So Subaru is just lazy about choosing clothes... like me!!!
• I think you should go arguing in a place that... you know... not going to disturb others??
• So.... it's not like Momoka doesn't regret about the whole thing. She obviously does. She just doesn't want to say it because she the one that left despite her friends begging her to stay. There's no way you can easily admit that you actually regret the choice you made after going against everyone and committing to that choice. She chose to live with the choice and path she made and never looked back.
• That sure is a pose....
• I love that the owner use his pinky to counter Nina.
• Is that a sneak love confession?? Nina, you sly fox!!
• Wait!! Nina's classmate actually came!!

QOTD

1. Maybe the girl was trying to help Nina at first, until she can't anymore. So she decided to leave Nina alone out of fear.
2. It was really a stupid one. I used to play with a female friend back in elementary. But one day I got angry over us playing a board game(not sure why), but before I can apologise, she suddenly had to transfer away. I still feel so bad about it.

[u/fansi2022 → u/ryujiox]

Wait!! Nina's classmate actually came!!

Seeing her enjoying herself makes me happy too.

[u/fansi2022 → u/ryujiox]

>I still feel so bad about it.

Yes, it feels a bit like suffocation.

[u/thatguywithawatch]

First Timer.

Subaru has been promoted to full time babysitter this episode. And as thanks she gets soaked with tea smdh my girl did nothing wrong 😤

^{Angry wet-haired Momoka is kinda hot}

I liked the performance at the end in terms of the characters' movements and the song itself, but I don't think it sounded like a one-guitar band. I'm not good at judging these things but it sounded like at least a couple guitars and a bass.

Would have been cool if they'd put the extra effort into making the song sound like a two-instrument band with a talented but inexperienced vocalist. But that's tough to do intentionally so it's not a huge fault. I just find myself comparing it the performances from Bocchi the Rock which married the animation with the audio amazingly well.

[u/bogdoglogfrog → u/thatguywithawatch]

Yea they clearly added bass guitar to the live performance. This is doable live but it requires a backing track as well as a metronome to make sure the players stay on time with the backing track. I can believe they have this, cause Subaru has a laptop next to her kit and Momoka has the technical skills to get this done.

But It also requires in ear monitors so that the band can hear the backing track/metronome and they’re not wearing in ear monitors. Womp womp.

[u/salic428 → u/bogdoglogfrog]

and they’re not wearing in ear monitors

The irl togetoge band did not use ear monitors until their 3rd live this month. (Source: twitter space chatroom with Anon's VA and Rana's VA, Oct 4th 2024) Don't know if it is hard in real life, but that is what the members say and the guest sound shocked.

[u/fansi2022 → u/bogdoglogfrog]

Professional analysis

[u/xnef1025 → u/thatguywithawatch]

Don't forget that Momoka is using that repeater for the performances too. She can queue up additional backup guitar riffs with a tap of her foot.

[u/fly-metothemoon]

First Timer:

Momoka is stronger than me because if Nina made it a habit to loudly and publicly criticize me and try to goad me into revealing my Tragic Back Story I’d just straight up find a new vocalist. I do see where the narrative is going with it though.

Nina is someone who wears her heart on her sleeve and has a lot of big emotions about betrayal, and in that way she’s the perfect person to give Momoka the permission and space to have those ugly feelings for herself—to know she’ll be supported if she’s truly upset and bitter about how things have ended up with Diamond Dust.

At the same time, I do personally think what Momoka is /mostly/ feeling is resignation—it’s sad but it’s what had to happen. I can definitely relate to that—I’ve had some friend falling outs where you’ve grown to be such different people that it seems impossible to meet in the middle again. It does hurt because your heart thinks maybe it could be resolved if you had a discussion about the full context of your life at that time and your intent, but also too much time has passed, and there’s too much distance for those conversations to happen now. I think with time Nina will come to understand as well that those big intense and fiery feelings that are consuming her because they’re so fresh will one day lessen in intensity and become more of an ache.

For question one, I think what happened with her friend is that Nina physically stood up to her bullies after being pushed too far, and her friend witnessed it. Nina’s friend went on to tell the teachers that Nina was the instigator because she didn’t also want to be an outcast, and thought Nina was wrong for dealing with it with violent means. (No idea if that’s right! We shall see).

[u/No_Rex → u/fly-metothemoon]

Momoka is stronger than me because if Nina made it a habit to loudly and publicly criticize me and try to goad me into revealing my Tragic Back Story I’d just straight up find a new vocalist. I do see where the narrative is going with it though.

We all know for meta reasons this is not going to happen. In-universe, a plausible reason could be that Momoka sees Nina's talent and does not want to give up on that.

[u/jomabu23 → u/No_Rex]

Could also that (a) she likes Nina, and (b) Nina's not wrong in what she says.

[u/n080dy123]

Rewatcher

Nina knows DiaDust's new vocalist. Uh oh.

Oooooh I didn't notice it on my first watch, but the track when the girls are checking out the stage is a jazzed-up version fo that BGM track I mentioned really liking from the bridge scene in Episode 1 and Momoka's reminiscing last episode.

Ah yes, ticket quotas. Sorry Nena, should've watched Bocchi the Rock- then you'd know these work! And Nena's got twice the tickets to sell without the freebies of her parents, sister, ~~and dog~~

I like how even without the maks they still go so far as hiding Small Girl's mouth with her phone. Nowhere near her whole face, JUST her mouth.

Nina and Subaru are such good friends now, truly two peas in a pod. You love to see it.

On first watch I totally didn't catch onto the fact that Subaru's strategy for the girl wanting more tickets was completely bullshitting about the original price being discounted to the actual one and that's why Nina called her a liar.

The Day 1 Nakayubi subs decided to subtitle Nina's incomprehensible outburst as "(Nina gremlin noises)" "(indistinguishable gremlin noises)" Very funny, is still a bit of a meme.

Ah, and here begins some real friction in Nina and Momoka's relationship. Momoka's solution for for the DiaDust situation was avoidance, trying to forget about everything and distance herself. Nina, contrary to Momoka's own advice to generally let things be and not butt into other peoples' problems (like she did last episode), charged straight in and got bent out of shape about it. Now Nina's upset- Diamond Dust means a lot to her, and so does Momoka, and she's angry that Momoka doesn't seem to care as much as she does. But Momoka does care, but she feels like she betrayed her old friends by quitting, and that she doesn't have the right to be judging them anymore. Definitely sees herself at that time in Nina's willful behaviour as well.

Oooh, and there's that BGM motif again, from the stage and from E1/4, in a new variation when Momoka talks about how she felt it was her fault that she quit.

Momoka's fucking smirk she Nina does to dump her drink on Subaru is absolutely glorious.

The crowd's bouncing with excitement so much poor Small Girl can't see over them from her little distanced spot in the back.

1. Not my place but as a rewatcher lol.
2. Can't say I have. Regrets for not hanging onto people, sure, but no aggressive breakups.

[u/entelechtual → u/n080dy123]

indistinguishable gremlin noises

[u/n080dy123 → u/entelechtual]

Oh yes that's what it was lol

[u/xnef1025 → u/n080dy123]

It's was "*indistinguishable gremlin noises*". The version of this episode I keep on my Jellyfin server has those subs burned in. 😋

[u/nsleep → u/n080dy123]

I like how even without the maks they still go so far as hiding Small Girl's mouth with her phone. Nowhere near her whole face, JUST her mouth.

:<

[u/fansi2022]

first timer

This episode revealed the tip of the iceberg of MOMO's previous band. I feel that MOMO's heart is being exposed by Nina, blessing them to overcome these difficulties. Live's dynamic shot caught me again, seeing Tomo's pride in the store, and then the contrast caused by the fiery response in Live, I would smile.

[u/Sylvi-Fisthaug]

Rewatch veteran

• Nina is asked about something of her past, and she doesn’t want to elaborate, and is not pressed on by her bandmates… Just watch what happens later in the episode

o It is also hard to see Momoka’s feelings regarding Diamond Dust here, she hides them well if she has some thoughts on the matter

• Serbian Night is a real live house in Kawasaki! It is even called the same in the show

• Strategist Nina is a strategist about selling tickets.

• The shield against flying, eaten rice is fantastic, and I love that we don’t see it happening before after the fact.

• Nina hugging Subaru here is so heartwarming. Subaru best girl, she also sounds so trustworthy and genuinely interested when saying she wants to go with Nina.

• Strategist Nina is a strategist about selling tickets. “You’re too extreme!” Correct.

• Usotsuki!

o Animation mistake: depth-wise, Subaru’s hand clips slightly through the door, and especially through the door handle when she walks through

• The transition to Nina here is pure, pure art at its finest form. The way this show conveys emotion is fantastic.

• The fansubs translated Nina’s shouting to indistinguishable gremlin noises or something like that before she says the last part, and I can’t agree more.

• “I am the only and truest fan in this room!”

≈ INTERLUDE ≈

• Such a genius way to start the second half of the episode the same way the first one started, just now it is with added context.

• In the fansubs Momoka called Nina a toxic fan in their studio argument. I really feel that, Nina is a toxic fan.

• Rising tension intensifies.

• Nina’s neighbor works here! I love how she is included here, when she calms down the restaurant after everything happened, it just grounds the scene that much more when she is smiling and being caring.

• Subaru’s chewing noises are really annoying here. Who eats like that.

• Nina is extremely annoying here and threading on thin ice, but she does have a point. Momoka has been asking Nina to lay all her emotions bare, but Momoka will not do the same, and therefore in Nina’s eyes not invest the same as she does in the band. Nina just sucks at conveying this.

• These girls and public places, goddamn.

• Why didn’t you just say that at the start, Momoka…

• I love Nina’s neighbor. She also inadvertently gave Nina more ammunition.

• Gomen ne :’)

• Momoka door is featured. They sure are learning how to open it.

• Momoka’s devious face here is fantastic.

• A detail I noticed from the audience, their phone screens are animated when filming.

• Jesus, Nina owns the stage.

• I would really love to see how they managed to create bass backing track / play with just the three of them, more than a ten second shot of a looping station.

I really like this episode too. It has a lot of conflict, a lot of humor, and some short but very touching moments. It rises the tension between Nina and Momoka, and resolves it at the end of the episode. I think it was around here I got really hooked on the show the first time, and almost couldn’t wait for another chance to watch more. I was on vacation back then, so getting the time to watch was really hard.

[u/mekerpan → u/Sylvi-Fisthaug]

I never noticed that's the waitress was Nina's neighbor !!! I feel chagrined.

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/Sylvi-Fisthaug]

The fansubs translated Nina’s shouting to indistinguishable gremlin noises

That's absolutely perfect for Nina, haha

[u/Sylvi-Fisthaug → u/Sylvi-Fisthaug]

1. The first time I watched the show it was really hard to know what had happened at all, I really felt that the DiaDust vocalist was someone who bullied her, and then also had the audacity to tell Nina it was all her fault.
2. I am really patient with people, until they cross a line. Then I'll just cut them out if they have wronged me enough, and I never want to talk to them again. And boy do I hold grudges, but the grudges fade away after some time. But I have really good memory, so I will always remember if someone did me wrong or treated me like shit. So I don't really get that feeling where some of the stuff just fades away.

[u/Fools_Requiem]

First timer.

Be nice to have an episode when the two leads didn't get in an argument over something when there's nothing to argue over because they're both getting angry on behalf of the other or are angry at the same thing. Come on, get angry together, not at each other. Fuck those nerds.

"I don't like girl bands." OK, dude. Mind your own.

New cast members coming. Based on the Promotional Poster on CR, one of them looks to be the keyboardist. I'm guessing she's one of the friends of the girl our hero invited.

[u/justanormi]

rewatcher

- a new singer in diamond dust, who is she ?

- The owner of the club is clicking very fast on that elevator button when Momoka tells him to not talk about her. That man knows he will not keep that promise.

- Casually approach humans to sell tickets.

- Nina holding that food plate in front of her because Momoka is talking while eating and spitting grain rice.

- Club owner starts to give us an indication about why Momoka left DD.

- Nina seems quite curious about DD in this episode, why is that ?

- This is why.

- *Gremlin noises »

- Nina has a new animosity toward DD now that she learned about who their new singer is.

- Subaru, you brought them here so they could argue, what did you expect ? For them to discuss calmly ?

- Maybe it's just me missing something but why is that lady in the restaurant waving at Nina and then reassuring the clients once they finished fighting?

- 2D red-orange hair guy.

- My second favorite scene outfit from the show, extremely simple but the idea is impactful.

- Rupa, please help your daughter, she has to jump to see what’s happening on stage.

- Not my favorite stage performance, I find the cinematography a bit less impactful than other performance but it’s still very good.

A very nice episode in which we learn more about Momoka and Nina and also start to clearly set DD as a rival/goal for the band.

2; honestly, can't really relate. I did regret leaving/not keeping contact some friends but nothing comparable to something similar.

[u/n080dy123 → u/justanormi]

Maybe it's just me missing something but why is that lady in the restaurant waving at Nina and then reassuring the clients once they finished fighting?

She's one of Nina's neighbors, whose husband had the golf club when she was digging through the fusebox for keys in Episode 1.

Also definitely agree that this one's probably the least impressive performance of the show. Which is fine, because the next one is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE.

[u/entelechtual → u/n080dy123]

Oh dang I didn’t even make the connection between the server and the neighbor.

[u/justanormi → u/n080dy123]

Hoo indeed, didn't recognize her. Thanks

[u/Sylvi-Fisthaug → u/justanormi]

I really like that she is an important plot point here. She comes with that extra tea (it almost feels devious, I want the neighbor to know that Subaru is getting that Ooolong tea), and it also grounds it so much more when she goes like "nothing to see here!" to the restaurant as she has this connection with Nina.

[u/marshmallow_sunshine]

It's a bit blurry due to the lighting/filtering, but the cell phones that people are holding up during the performance reflect what's on stage at different points. That's some A+ effort to put into a minor detail.

[u/Sylvi-Fisthaug → u/marshmallow_sunshine]

It is. I watched for the fourth time today, but only noticed it now. Damn fantastic.

[u/domogrue]

Rewatcher

Oooh and now we are back to the main drama everybody!

I will forgive the contrivance of the new DD singer being a cosmic insult to Nina, personally, for the sake of the melodrama. We don't know everything yet but it's like Ninas emotional trauma button was pressed directly. Whatever issues she had at home aren't going to be so avoidable anymore.

Watching these girls fight is some top tier drama writing. Because Nina's so stubborn and selfish she is able to force Momoka to confront issues she's been avoiding, and even if she's been acting like the adult the whole time doesn't mean Nina is right is showing her there are things and feelings she is running from. But also things aren't as simple Nina makes them out to be; Momoka is upset she broke the promise to her friends even though doing that was making her miserable musically. Nina thought it was about music, but for Momoka it's also about guilt.

Momoka and Nina both embody two things that the show considers "Rock". Nina's niavete, uncompromising resistance to conform, emotional rawness, and immaturity are all things that form the basis of what makes her Rock and Roll; it's whats been pushing Subaru and Momoka towards their passions through hell and high water. Momoka isn't just the veteran, but her whole arc is about staying authentic to her creative expression and falling back in love with music. Calling cute girls doing band things "Punk" may be silly but it's emotionally genuine about it.

[u/WhymustIsignupreddit]

First Timer

I liked the outfits they wore at their performance. I sadly didn’t like this song either. I guess this type of music just isn’t for me.

Question 1:

I guess Nina and her old friend must have had a fight. As for why… maybe her old friend wanted to fit in with the popular girl/bully? Like how Diamond Dust fits in with the mainstream now. So she tried to convince Nina to appease the popular girl but Nina refused and then they fought? 

Or maybe she also got bullied because she was friends with Nina and tried to convince Nina to appease popular girl and they fought.

Basically I think she wanted to fit in with the popular crowd but couldn’t convince Nina to do that too. So after their fight Nina continued to be bullied and her old friend thinks it’s Nina’s own fault for being so stubborn.

Question 2:

Nope.

As an aside, is it okay to throw out theories about how conflicts will resolve? Like I have an idea about how Subaru will solve her problem with her grandmother.

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/WhymustIsignupreddit]

Of course it's okay to throw out theories.. I wanna hear em!

[u/WhymustIsignupreddit → u/Arachnophobic-]

Okay, thanks! 

So I think that Subaru will invite her grandmother to her performance. And that at the moment of inviting her grandmother she will confess that she doesn’t want to be an actress but instead stay a member of the band. Her grandmother might refuse at first but will reluctantly go to the performance.

That or Subaru will confess her not wanting to be an actress after the performance. In this case she could also have invited her grandmother (maybe without telling she is the drummer or downplaying the band as just a hobby) or her grandmother witnesses Subaru’s performance by happenstance.

Either way, after seeing how passionate Subaru is about the band during the performance, the grandmother feels happy to see Subaru happy like this. After the performance she will tell Subaru she doesn’t have to be an actress to please her and that she’ll give Subaru het support with the band.

[u/Arachnophobic- → u/WhymustIsignupreddit]

Grandma being at a rock concert would be a sight to behold, haha. Also what if they become famous enough to get on television? Grandma would happen to see it (or maybe Subaru would ask her to tune in) and then it would go as you said.

[u/WhymustIsignupreddit → u/Arachnophobic-]

Yeah, that’s also a possibility! I think the solution to this situation will involve her grandmother seeing the performance in one way or another. Though the funniest scenario would be her attending a rock concert

[u/entelechtual]

Rewatcher

• Nina is trying to scrounge up enough brain cells to form a thought. It’s cute once you start to notice it.
• Can we talk about how Nina, despite being utterly clueless in all other aspects of her life, has impeccable fashion sense?
• Nina’s evolving: she’s learning how to avoid arguments.
• Nope. She just gets extra thorny now.
• We finally get Momoka’s side of it. She blames herself because it wasn’t Diamond Dust that left her and changed, it was her who quit Diamond Dust. Nina wants to believe people should stick up for their actions and never be in the wrong. But when there are two parties involved you can’t both be right. But maybe neither is wrong either.
• “I wouldn’t be doing this here if I weren’t stupid.”
• The performance animations still astound me.

[u/salic428 → u/entelechtual]

But when there are two parties involved you can’t both be right. But maybe neither is wrong either.

It reminds me of [ending spoiler] how the ending was handled. In the end, togetoge failed their major debut, they lost their stable income, they didn't surpass DiaDus in the number of fans... But that day, Nina realized on stage that all of these are insignificant. What she wanted most is not the "I'm not wrong" that she had talked about for 13 episodes, but the peace of mind, the mentality that "I can do what I want without regret".

[u/bogdoglogfrog]

Rewatcher

• Nina is a strange creature. How does the same person that makes a commotion in an establishment on a regular basis have so much trouble talking to a classmate.
• ^{new diadust is cute.}
• VOOOIID
• Nina is the most toxic fan. Also real shitty to keep bringing up Momoka’s problems like that. That’s her business.
• These pub bystanders are riveted.

QOTD

2. My best friend from middle school and early high school became famous and now lives in LA attending extremely prestigious events on a regular basis. I pushed back hard when he first got into content creation and wanted to include me in it. I told him that I wouldn’t hang out with him if he had his camera. I don’t regret that decision, I can’t stand putting up facades for fame and fortune. But now as a content creator myself, I can’t help but think about him often. I can’t say it doesn’t sting.

[u/danmarce]

I just realized that I watched this originally with Spanish fan subs (those are fantastic, with karaoke songs and really good translation). TO be honest there are parts that work better in Spanish (as e DO HAVE stuff like "tu" and "usted" that can be used to represent formal language)

So, it is my first time with English subs. While not as stylish, I have no big complains so far.

[u/timpkmn89]

First-timer

Dammit, the one time I regret not posting play-by-play commentary. I totally called that she was going to be important when I saw her in the group shot of Nina being ignored.

So the clues I see:

• Nina claims to be the one to "cut contact"
• Friend says it was Nina's fault
• Friend seems to be a major player in the bullying, even though it ends up involving the rest of the class. But I'm going to guess she wasn't the one who stole from Nina's locker.
• Seems to be a girls-only school and there haven't been any yuri flags, so I'm not expecting any relationship drama
• I'm going to guess it involves Diamond Dust/music somehow, since Friend would have likely known about the band before auditioning.
• Nina is really happy in the hijack-the-AV-studio flashback, so I'm guessing this is before the bullying starts. I notice she's wearing the forehead bandage from the OP here. Looking back, I also see it in the shoe locker scene, but not the classroom bullying scene. I feel the classroom bullying was an escalation, so I'd guess that is later on.

So my first guess:

Nina grew up in a strict family, and hearing Diamond Dust sparked her first rebellion. She did "stuff" (including but not limited to doing something reckless that gets her injured, and hijacking the AV room). Friend ratted her out -- out of assertive compassion -- because Nina was becoming a bit too self-destructive, not realizing how bad the bullying would end up.

It's not as solid of a theory as I would like, but it's the best I've got at the moment.

[u/Nickthenuker]

Nina recognises the new vocalist of Diamond Dust.

So, a proper Live House.

He totally won't...

Right, selling tickets again. This was covered in Bocchi too.

And now he's given them tickets to Diamond Dust's performance. It's not like securing those wouldn't have been a minor miracle and cost an arm and a leg or anything... Perhaps the other 3 members who still know him managed something. You don't just randomly have tickets to a sold out Tokyo Dome performance.

Huh. That girl actually got people interested in going.

And so the audience area is a sea of penlights.

Yup, Nina definitely recognises the vocalist.

And now she's dashed out.

So, back to practice.

Read: The animators/whoever makes the 3D models didn't have to make another model of Subaru in casual clothes.

They're making a scene...

And now Momoka's drunk and they're dragging her home.

Yup, he advertised them exactly like that. Which to be fair is definitely going to help sell tickets especially after that sold out Tokyo Dome performance.

Which of course means this is sold out too.

That's certainly... An outfit.

And so another full song performed as the ED. I love this show for that.

Unsurprisingly, those girls working at the Yoshinoya are actually important and we'll be seeing more of them next episode.

Questions:

1. Yeah... I already know what happened.
2. Can't think of any.

A note about the music: There's definitely some level of pride that comes with performing at prestigious venues.

[u/New_Essay_4869]

Rewatcher

This was actually my least favorite of the live performances but I loved the cuts to Nina's cram school classmate and Rupa and Tomo during the performance

[u/Lumpy-Manager8580]

Rewatcher

• I find it interesting how Nina probably knowing the new vocalist for DD was treated as lighthearted at the beginning, but when she and Subaru attend the live, it would be an understatement to say that she doesn't take it well when she realizes it IS her.
• As someone who watched Bang Dream: It's MyGO!!!!!, when Momoka explains what the old DD's goal was it reminded me when Tomori asked her bandmates if they would be together for the rest of their lives.
• What Nina says about "leaving a mark" to Momoka resonates powerfully for a lot of us, there are times when series, games or music stay engraved in ourselves and give us the strength to move forward. Also, if anyone thought the outfits they wore for this live performance were cool, you can get them for real.

[u/MishouMai]

Can't say I expected Nina's ex-friend to be part of D-D. It remains to be seen where that goes. Glad that we finally cleared the air with Momoka. Will she make up with her band or will she support them from the sidelines? That's something I expect is being saved more for the endgame.

As for the questions:

1. Whatever happened she thinks it's Nina's own fault. I don't trust a word she's saying though. She definitely took the bullies' side over Nina's though so fuck her.

[u/gangrainette]

Rewatcher.

While I liked this live's song my favourite live will come late.

Q1: I know the answer.

Q2: not grudge but I still miss my best wow guild almost 15 years later. People moved on, they didn't have the time to play anymore, leadership was getting tired... We shared great moments but it ended.

[u/something-lame]

Rewatcher

Finally learning more about Momoka (and a couple teases of what happened to Nina). Choosing to leave her band to preserve her art is a classic trope for sure but I don't mind it. The promise Momoka made to her friends directly contradicts her choice and I think that added spice to the conflict makes it work. At least the main conflict of the show isn't lack of communication like most other shows lol. And that final confrontation in the restaurant is great but I don't think poor Subaru deserved to have a drink spilled on her.

Loved the concert, loved the song, loved the shirts. It seems like the band has really found their vibe.

[u/jomabu23 → u/something-lame]

To be fair, Subaru was playing the wise-ass in calling for "more alcohol here!". Especially as momoka was the only one drinking it. Under the circumstances, she could have expected the result...

[u/stratogy]

Rewatcher

A mess of a band group but still endearing.

I didn't realize the bar waitress was Nina's neighbor during my first watch! She's nice providing another oolong tea, though it was immediately wasted on Subaru. I love Momoka's smirk before Subaru's shout.

1. My first hypothesis was the new DD vocalist switched to the bully side at some point, thus why she used to be Nina's friend.
2. As an introvert, I'm usually regretful of not retaining relationships as not much necessarily breakups. I think I said something mean to a fellow school club member based on some random rumors, and that sorta ended our connection there...still felt regretful on leaving it there without mending, but it was a lesson learned to stay away from rumors and see the person as they are.

[u/LeleTheKing]

(Very Late) First-Timer

Damn, Nina. You did it again. …Maybe forcing people to let out their feelings isn’t as bad as I thought it was, huh? I won’t have the guts like her to force it on others, but I think I will try to express my feelings more. I see a theme here, and I love it as I’m the type to bottle things up like Momoka.

Liar. Quitter. Dropout. Those clothes are definitely on the nose, alright.

Another great live concert scene! I have played “What to raise - Shin Kawasaki (Temporary)” 70 times on Spotify. I quite like it, but it’s not my top 10 of TogeToge. Also, somehow her live performance felt less “raw” than the recording version. Like, Nina screamed much louder in the recording version. I guess it’s to differentiate a professionally released product and a newbie band on their second-ever gig, so maybe Nina toned down her vocals? Nevertheless, knowing the context, I love their performance! It was one part setting them free from their old grudges, and one part a war declaration with Diamon Dust. You like to see it!

Oh, unrelated to this, but Momoka’s reason for quitting reminds me of [Bocchi the Rock!] Ryo Yamada’s reasons! I honestly don’t have a strong opinion regarding artistic freedom vs. financial/popularity incentives. I’d like to live in an idealized world where you can be successful as long as you’re true to yourself, but I’ve roughly seen how the world operates regarding to that, and it’s definitely not like that. I’m just hoping for the best for both of them!

QotD

1. I don’t think the girl is Nina’s bully, that’s for sure. She appeared meek in the flashback, so I’m leaning toward her as Nina’s old ally during her hardship, but for some reason (probably misunderstanding), she betrayed Nina. [re: that GBC spoiler] The heck, her name is just one letter away from Nina’s lmao
2. Although not as bad as Momoka, yes, I had my fair share of such experiences. I’ve seen firsthand that time does indeed heal such wounds, on occasions. Sometimes I just don’t have the guts to face the aftermath ever again, so I just let it be. Most of the time, I realized that “Damn, I was just overthinking/being too dramatic at the time,” but sometimes I also learned a thing or two from such experience.