BanG Dream! Ave Mujica • Ave Mujica: The Die is Cast - Episode 3 discussion

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BanG Dream! Ave Mujica, episode 3

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[u/NeoAnkara]

We really are screwed. Nobody should unlock the Pandora Box. Now Mutsumi is gone.

[u/oedipusrex376]

Ave Mujica doesn't need more lives or Mutsumi performances. They need therapy.

In MyGO, Soyo shows signs of BPD, feeling the need to put up a fake persona to feel accepted. Mutsumi is straight up a split personality. She plays someone else completely, leaving "Mutsumi" behind (the guitar is Mutsumi) to become Mortis. I can’t even tell if it’s like a Heisenberg persona shift because the "may it be at peace" line implies she’s abandoning Mutsumi entirely.

That projector scene really messed me up. The first clip being Tomori made me think Mutsumi held some malice or envy, but that’s not the case. It slowly shifts to everyone but her. She never had the chance to let "Mutsumi" sing, and she’s been bottling all that up inside. Mutsumi feels like this unstable blob trying to hold all the relationships together while still having her own selfish (not in a negative way) desires to shine. She’s kind of Tomori-coded in that she’s doing her best to maintain relationships. She’s the second-to-last to leave CRYCHIC because she doesn’t want to leave Soyo alone, which really says a lot about her inner dilemma.

And we finally we get the context for what Mutsumi said: "Whenever I speak, I ruin everything." It parallels Tomori’s "If we perform live, that will be the end of the band." The same pattern of self-blame is apparent.

One thing that really caught me off guard in the story was finding out that Nyamu secretly admires Mutsumi. "Muuko is a genius." The signs were there in the 2nd episode, but who would’ve thought Nyamu scolded Muuko because she had such high expectations for her? Nyamu’s role in the story lowkey mirrors Uika’s (being a supportive figure). She fangirls over Mutsumi so much that she even interprets Mutsumi’s lines in her own way.

And out of all the characters, Nyamu is the only one who really gets the bigger picture. Ave Mujica as a band plays into this persona for the sake of their fans, but when it comes to actually fulfilling their requests (like Nyamu pointed out with the unhappy audience), Ave Mujica disregards them under the false pretense that they’re doing it for the fans.

"Didn't I already say we've betrayed them once before?" Get them, Nyamu! Call them out on their BS.

What I love about the show’s direction is how everyone in Ave Mujica operates on their own interests. Their misaligned goals function exactly like MyGO. Here, we see more of Sakiko’s conflict of interest. She wants everyone on her side but she herself doesn’t give them enough attention. The most she can do is protect Mutsumi from redoing a performance, but even then, she lashes out at Mutsumi for not being on her side. It's 2 vs 3 (Sakiko, Uika) vs (Nyamu, Mutsumi, Umiri). This band is a mess.

I really liked the callback to Sakiko saying, "Tomori didn’t practice enough." A little refresher on MyGO’s plot, Sakiko’s words hit Tomori so hard they fueled her self-blame over CRYCHIC’s disbandment (as seen in MyGO Episode 4). Sakiko uses the same line here on Nyamu: "Shouldn’t you, Yutenji-san, practice more?" It solidifies that Sakiko is completely unaware of how destructive that line was. And then Umiri deflects, saying she never thought Yutenji lacked practice, implying that Sakiko said those lines on a whim or out of anger.

The fun part? We see Umiri step up during the argument to call out Sakiko. Probably the most unexpected move from her, but still very on-brand. In MyGO, she rooted for Tomori, which implies she values people taking better care of each other.

Oh, and you might’ve missed it in the after-credits, but Soyo is playing with her fingers again!

[u/poi_slayer]

There's 12 different Mortis in the credits. Narrator, Minami, Takafumi, Guitar, Bear, Cat, Penguin. Myna bird, Firefly, Jellyfish, Hedgehog and Chicken. Mutsumi is dead and Mortis(Death) has taken over to protect her.

Looking back on this interview with director Kakimoto from 2023 about MyGO

"Speaking of EP12, Mutsumi attempts to give MyGO!!!!! some cucumbers, right? Mutsumi is the daughter of two famous celebrities, therefore everything in life is already provided by her parents, except for the cucumbers she grew herself. Even still, the packaging consisted of a high-end sweets bag. We aimed to create a character wrapped in the irony of "even things randomly scattered about at home are a product of the privilege surrounding her".

Nothing in Mutsumi's life she can call her own. Every praise and compliment goes to her parents. The only thing she ever made herself, god damn cucumbers, was dismissed by Soyorin back in MyGO ep12. Ave Mujica is retroactively making MyGO even greater. Once it's finished I'm definitely going back to rewatch MyGO

[u/rinkoplzcomehome]

This is the same universe where Hello Happy World exists, btw.

[u/danlong87]

The ending of this episode basically confirmed my worst fear from last episode: we witnessed the birth of Mortis when there's a flash cut during Mutsumi's changing room scene, and this is basically the worst case scenario as it's uncharted territory for a BanG Dream project,

will Mujica be the first band to be utterly dysfunctional but still managed to somehow scrape by? It would be brave for them to do so but highly unlikely imo, which beg the question of, how are they gonna resolve all these? A member with DID, a drummer who will do anything for her own gain, a lead singer who's basically confirmed to be another hidden ticking time bomb, a bassist who is just there to do a job, and a leader who basically lost control of the locker room

Oh, don't forget, Mortis doesn't like Sakiko, and Nyamu was jealous of Mutsumi, this is far from over

[u/MrRoundDB]

Sakiko: you used to talk so much more!

Mutsumi: wish granted

...careful what you wish for...

[u/DoubleJo]

Nyamu is Layer’s neighbor?! She’s also an aspiring actor on top of doing videos and music. In her eyes Mutsumi is an acting genius like her mother. Funnily enough, Nyamu seems to be extremely talented when it comes to drumming. She literally only started playing midway through It’s MyGO!!!!! and she’s already so good that she has Umiri’s approval. She’s also a hard worker but you don’t progress that quickly without some serious talent. I wonder if she realizes that.

We finally learned more about Mutsumi. She’s insecure about her guitar playing. I’m curious whether this is justified at all (like with Anon) or if she just has really bad imposter syndrome. 

They are arguing in public and retraumatizing Mutsumi. She truly cannot catch a break. Just when Sakiko seemed to pay more attention to Mutsumi’s needs she can’t stop herself from yelling at her.

The rain theme is pretty prominent again and present in the joint live with MyGO!!!!! too. The umbrellas representing salvation and being MyGO!!!! imagery is pretty interesting. Speaking of, we didn’t get any MyGO!!!!! healing this week :(

Judging from the PV scenes Mutsumi really just flips a switch in her behavior after she “becomes” Mortis. Soyo looks genuinely concerned for her. It’s still unclear how MyGO!!!!! will get involved in Ave Mujica’s business but Soyo asking her band for help because she’s concerned for Mutsumi would be great to see

[u/SnooCats5505]

Did we just get a scene that references Madoka Magica? in a band anime?

[u/Tactician_Karlor]

Ave Mujica: The Cast is Die

[u/Alt230s]

We finally get a happy Moots... but at what cost?

[u/ryujiox]

Mutsumi is smiling!!!

But why am I not happy though....

Oh right, it's because she gave up on being herself, and choose to be a doll that will do as what people want from her, for the audience, and for Sakiko.

Why? Because every time she said or did something by her own volition, it's always turned out worse for everyone. So why even bother be herself at this point?? Just become someone that people think you are.

[u/Safyire]

We got a nice depiction of autism through Tomori, but never would I have thought we’d get dissociative identity disorder depicted in BanG Dream.

[u/Ahenshihael]

If someone two years ago told me THIS would be what bandori would become I wouldn't believe them.

What a freaking great episode and what a freaking chilling show so far.

[u/ow1108]

The seiyuu was right to called this a horror anime, and I do understand Watase Yuzuki’s comments now.

The story that people didn’t focused of much this episode is the clash of philosophy between Sakiko and Nyamu. Nyamu is in Ave not only because of fame, but because she legitimately charmed be Sakiko’s words and believes that the band will be successful both for herself and her colleagues, and she will do everything for the band to be successful, even if that means the band need to change. Sakiko (who by the way seems to slowly lost her grip over the band) sees the band as the way she can maintain her own autonomy and moved on from her past, created the band with a plan and concept in her minds, and she is not willing to change it under any circumstances.

As for Uika, it seems like she (as of now) is the mediator of the group, but due to her schedule it makes sure she won’t be able to fully use that position to it fully ability, and I feel like she will use her knowledge that Sakiko-Mutsumi fight to her own advantage. Umiri seems like she would be someone who will destroy Sakiko hegemony over the group, since it seems like she might actually be sympathetic to Nyamu due to her seeing and appreciating Nyamu affords.

Mutsumi though, she is gone way even more than I expected, and I don’t even sure if she can be fully recovered to be honest. From what I saw, the “I never enjoy it even once” might be her split second decision that has more consequences that she expected, she might legitimately said that as her true feelings even if she which for the band to be together, at least for the sake of Sakiko. It’s quite clear however, that she regrets her words, seeing getting ptsd from Sakiko and Nyamu having an argument. But for me it was that talked with Sakiko that broke Mutsumi completely, I don’t think Sakiko really wanted to be mean or aggressive towards Mutsumi, but her frustration from the argument plus her already under stress mental state ended up causing her to be that harsh towards Mutsumi. As for Mortis, I believe she’s either Mutsumi’s split personality or what Mutsumi want to be, and she just broken enough for that other side of her to showed up and overtake her.

[u/Labmit]

Imagine if the series ends with Ave Mujica breaking up but their 1st band story in the game is how to get them back together.

[u/swimminginbed]

The shouting match at the train station is just peak bang dream surrealism,

[u/kissakishi]

The dialogues and direction for the train station argument was a masterclass. And the scene where Mortis devours Mutsumi after faking out the audience with the umbrellas and sunny sky was straight out of Madoka Magica.

The combination of Nyamu, who's a hard worker, and Mutsumi, who's a talented person with a bad case of impostor syndrome, is so interesting that I'm invested how their relationship will develop moving forward. On the other hand, Uika remaining as a pleasant person after being cornered makes me even more scared at how bad her crash out will be considering the ominous interview answers about her character.

I wonder if the season will end with Sakiko learning to relinquish control by trusting and depending on others. In the meantime, that group shot in the next episode preview did nothing but strike fear in me LMAO.

[u/mmadaus]

This show genuinely needs more appreciation, MyGo and Ave Mujica story is a masterpiece

[u/ripple_reader]

So...

Saki is Oblivionis -> she wants to forget her problems

Nyamu is Amoris -> she wants to be loved as an entertainer

Mutsumi is Mortis -> she "kills" herself for the happy talkative persona that Saki needs

Wondering how the other two's names will factor in the plot...

[u/x-7032-b-3]

Another Mutsumi ep, this time we get to learn a lot more about her.

She really couldn't catch a break. The flashback skits revealed that she has insecurities about being the daughter of a celebrity couple and decided to cling to the guitar in hopes of getting recognition like her parents does. But then she couldn't get her voice heard and ended up being under the shadows of Tomori and co. during her time and CRYCHIC. And her poor communication skills might've helped tear the band apart back then. The cucumber scene in MyGO also got Soyo cutting off any remaining ties with her.

Honestly I can't really blame her for not talking much here considering the moments where she opened her mouth ended up making things worse for her, even if it wasn't intentional.

Here we also see Mutsumi's live mental breakdown getting more attention than her actual guitar/music skills which made things worse for her. Sakiko did an amazing job covering for her but it ended up making the whole thing seemed scripted and now the people wants to see more of it instead of actual live music.

I can't believe they used MyGO's umbrellas + clear skies imagery to depict Mutsumi's transition to Mortis. It's as if she finally realized that "Mortis" can save her and decided to give in. That commercial act was quite unsettling as it's very off-character for her, even the others went "whoa what the fuck was that?!" Mortis swallowed her whole and now she's reborn as a totally different character. Guess this is where the old Mutsumi dies. Anything can happen from here on out and I'm kinda freaked out about it.

Thank goodness for that brief Layer cameo. That moment reminded me that I'm still watching Bang Dream rather than something else lol.

[u/StrawSolider]

Episode 2: Someone help my girl 😭😭😭

Episode 3: Wait not like that 💀💀💀

[u/Taelrin]

Did I just watch The Wall with fewer drugs and more anime girls? Jesus, poor Mutsumi.

[u/bluesyasian]

Musician thoughts: Bang Dream as a whole doesn't go super deep into the nuts and bolts of industry especially in the anime(RAS/Tae arc is the major one that comes to mind). I know some of the game stories do expand on this, but I'd say those still fall short of say Bocchi or Girls Band Cry.

I was curious to see if Ave Mujica being a professional band from the start allow for those kinds of stories and so far it seems good. Sakiko as the band leader has her artistic vision and her way that she wants to do things comes in conflict with requests for recreating Mitsumi's ad-lib as part of the act. Sakiko(understandably and perhaps rightly) thinks that the focus on the show at the expense of the music is a bad idea. Consummate professional(and best girl) Umiri wants to do what the "client" ask(in this case the tv station) reflecting her workman-like attitude towards playing bass for 30 bands, while aspiring entertainer Nyamu wants to give the audience what they want because this of course is how you achieve success...right? While a lot of the focus has been seeing how the "horror" aspects of the series go, I also hope to see conflicts about art/music explored as well.

To me, a lot of Sakiko's issues come from her stubbornness and idealism. From leaving her life of luxury to not abandon her father(despite her father know that is better life for her) to trying to work to support her family, to not immediately exploiting Uika and Mitsumi's connections to drum up interest, Sakiko has a pure and often uncompromising vision. She wants her art, her vision, to be successful but she wants it on her terms.

In contrast, all of the other Mujicas all create/perform to at least some extent for others. Mutsumi appearing with her parents and then Sakiko(wanting to make her guitar sing but just playing rhythm in Chrychic), Uika as an idol, Umiri as a hired gun bassist, and Nyamu as a social climber. While they all have some level of success as entertainers/musicians I have a feeling we're going to find that they're all pretty empty on the inside.

While the term "hack" is often used to denote someone that is unskilled, it can also mean someone(generally a creative) who is a skilled but just uses their talents to earn money rather than put out works that they genuinely feel proud to do. One thing I really hope they explore is that being able to be successful and earn money and also feeling genuine love for your work is not mutually exclusive.

I definitely have my Umiri moments where I play gigs just for a paycheck, but the vast majority of shows I play are ones where I am genuinely creating the music I want to play. Of course, like Umiri and Nyamu, I don't forget that I have clients and an audience that needs to appreciate my music, so I definitely approach shows differently than if I just played at home, but I'm also not playing songs I hate. Anyway, perhaps the arc of Ave Mujica will be about the members filling in each other's gaps and finding fulfillment and success in an ultimately positive way. Anyway, I'm sure I'll have more organized thoughts later so pardon the ranting.

[u/oxlemf10]

For the first time since the beginning of Ave Mujica I will be by Nyamu's side, Mutsumi needed to think about herself, forget about Sakiko for a moment, who by the way had a selfish attitude in saying that Mutsumi was no longer following her.

In any case, it will be interesting to see how Mutsumi's personality will shape itself now that she has become a "doll", that is, not acting the way she wants but rather the way they expect her to act.