One of the most anticipated anime series of the year
has finally landed in North America this week, offering viewers outside of
Japan the chance to witness an emerging reality-blurring trend in J-pop. “ Girls
Band Cry ,” produced by Toei Animation, originally premiered in Japan
this past spring. The series follows five young people who form a band
while facing their own personal traumas and challenges in the competitive world
of Japanese rock.
Although the premise of “girls forming a band” is a
common theme in anime, exemplified by titles like “K-On!”, “Girls Band
Cry” is distinguished by two fundamental aspects: first, the use of 3D
animation, a risky choice but one that has been executed with mastery here ,
giving its 13 episodes a unique visual style. More importantly, the
series moves away from the genre's usual clichés by focusing on the
protagonists navigating life after high school , allowing for a more
realistic exploration of adult problems in the real world.
Writer Jukki Hanada ,
in a recent interview with Otaku Souken magazine, commented that
“ life doesn't end after graduation ,” and the series offers a
more grounded exploration of musicians trying to find their way. Western
fans have been eager to officially watch the series, and this week they finally
got that opportunity through the streaming platform Hoopla, which works in
partnership with public libraries to offer access.
For the most passionate anime fans,
“Girls Band Cry” also represents an opportunity to see the latest evolution of
mixed media music projects. Work on the series began
years ago with an audition to form a real band called Togenashi Togeari, which
debuted in 2023, long before the anime premiered. This group is made up of real
musicians who also lend their voices to the anime characters, adding an extra
level of authenticity. Although the members of Togenashi Togeari
represent animated characters, they perform as themselves in live concerts ,
something they will be doing frequently in the coming months with solo
performances and at festivals such as Baycamp in Kawasaki.
The crossover between animation and live
music has a rich history worldwide , from the
Beatles' animated series to the Ninja Turtles' "Coming Out Of Their
Shells" tour in the '90s. However, for the most part, In most cases, one
side of the artistic spectrum has always predominated over the other. A
closer example of what Togenashi Togeari is doing could be Gorillaz, the
virtual band created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. Still, that
project treats the animated element more like an avatar, without necessarily
being tied to a companion story or series.
For the past decade, the Japanese
entertainment industry has been perfecting how to make virtual groups a
reality. Idol franchises like “Love Live!” In the early
2010s they helped lay the foundation for this idea, with several intertwined
multimedia projects culminating in live performances performed by voice
actors. Several years later, “Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle”
applied a similar approach in a story centered on a futuristic Tokyo where
hip-hop becomes the ultimate weapon. Along with original songs, a
manga, and an anime, the vocal talents behind “Hypnosis Mic” also perform live shows
where they recreate the world for fans.
However, the biggest breakthrough in
this area came in 2016 with the debut of the boy group Strawberry Prince. That
group used anime-style avatars to represent themselves, but the members showed
their real faces at concerts, unlike artists in the VTuber world. This has
helped Strawberry Prince succeed in multiple fields, including securing a spot
on the television music show “Kohaku Uta Gassen” last year and releasing an
animated film this summer.
“Girls Band Cry” and Togenashi Togeari
offer an example of where Japanese mixed media acts can go. The
project combines two elements for which Japan is known worldwide: anime and
rock. While the anime doesn't need much explanation, rock is a musical
style that some Western writers and fans consider to have fallen out of
popularity. However, in Japan, rock has never stopped being relevant.
The sonic qualities of the genre are fundamental in the new wave of J-pop that
is gaining international recognition.
©Togenashi Togeari
This “back to rock” aspect also plays a role in the
trend of anime-born bands. Before Togenashi Togeari, there was already
Kessoku Band, the core group of the popular manga and anime “Bocchi the Rock!”. What
started as a purely animated group transformed into a real band that continues
to draw large crowds at festivals and has been featured on the influential
YouTube channel “The First Take.” Last year, “Bang Dream! It’s
MyGo!!!!!” debuted, featuring another anime band with human equivalents. The
eponymous band will perform alongside Togenashi Togeari at a special show in
January, a potential turning point for the mixed-media rockers.
For now, “Girls Band Cry” presents the latest in
this emerging style, using artistic authenticity in conjunction with anime
world-building to create an experience that few other music industries have
attempted. This reinforces Japan's soft power and could be a clue as to
where domestic music could be headed in the future.
Source: TheJapan Times
