Nicely of us, it’s lastly occurred. Only a 12 months and alter after the conclusion of the incredible BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, we’ve arrived on the long-awaited/dreaded debut of Ave Mujica, the gothica-drenched followup to the adventures of Tomori and buddies. Whereas Tomori took the breakup of her beloved band CRYCHIC as a chance for private development, and finally drew collectively 4 fellow “misplaced women” into the image of persistence that’s MyGO, Sakiko has apparently spent the interim dedicating herself to changing into as mentally unwell as doable, and has now resurfaced in a lace masks and corpse paint on a stage that appears suspiciously like a sacrificial altar. You guys right here for a superb time? Able to social gathering? Too dangerous, mistaken fucking band. We’re right here to have a foul time.
So sure, I’m fairly darn excited. With each director Kodai Kakimoto and collection composer Yuniko Ayana coming back from MyGO, I’ve each expectation that Ave Mujica will preserve its predecessor’s playful class of cinematography and richness of character drama, providing a brand new tangle of expectations, allegiances, and one-sided grudges to furnish its melodramatic performances. And given the maximalist aesthetic of Ave Mujica itself, I’m assured that fidelity of execution will prolong as properly to MyGO’s just-barely-tongue-in-cheek tone, permitting us within the viewers to totally sympathize with its characters whereas nonetheless discovering humor of their self-important histrionics. Is the night time of Sakiko’s liberation at hand? Let’s discover the fuck out.
Episode 1
Oh my god, the episode titles are gonna be in latin too? Sakiko, you might be a lot. So we’ve acquired “Ave Mujica” to start out, a riff on “Ave Maria” that as an alternative positions music within the place of the virgin mom. Already a lot to dig into there – is Sakiko saying that via music, she hopes to attain a purity akin to Mary Magdalene? That may make sense given what we all know of her historical past and residential life, in addition to her basic psychological tendencies. Sakiko excises to keep away from being harm, chopping away that which is aberrant to her – she did that with CRYCHIC, and she or he appears to be doing it with the identification of “Sakiko” as properly, erasing the daughter of a damaged dwelling so she will be able to develop into purified and “liberated” as a member of Ave Mujica. In fact, operating away out of your anxieties is principally the worst manner of coping with them, however that is Sakiko we’re speaking about – is anybody shocked she’s making a theatrical manufacturing out of avoiding remedy?
Anyway, our first episode title is “Sub rosa,” which implies “underneath the rose,” typically referring to acts carried out in secret. So my first inclination can be this episode covers the “secretive” formation course of for Ave Mujica, however let’s see!
We open on stage, with our women underneath a projected full moon and chandelier. If something, Ave Mujica appears to be instantly harkening again to the operatic drama of one thing like Expensive Brother, which I’m all for. Animation is a pure medium for embracing visible maximalism, and that in flip lends itself to dramatic maximalism – the decision in direction of naturalistic framing has been a scourge throughout movie and tv, however there’s no want for anime to observe swimsuit
The women seem to have gathered round Uika, who sits in a shadowed chair whereas they stand underneath spotlights
Her stage title is Doloris, from the latin “dolor,” that means grief or anguish
“In the event you drive her to get up, you would possibly break her soul.” Their dialogue provides a direct reply to my earlier proposition – if Sakiko had been compelled to really confront her actuality, she may be destroyed by it
The moon brings the “poor doll” again to life. Moonlight is steadily used as a motif to suggest revelation, from werewolves to Sailor Moon. I ponder if Sakiko is positioning one thing else because the “moonlight” in her life; the primary guess would clearly be these performances, the place she is outwardly free to embody a brand new self
The cinematography is definitely neatly matching the rotating pictures of CRYCHIC’s authentic breakup, right here repurposed so as to add a way of gravitas to the start of Sakiko’s subsequent act
Additionally good to see they’re sustaining their dedication to animating their precise fingerwork on piano and guitar
Attention-grabbing that Uika is framed because the final to awake, and likewise serves as singer. Does Sakiko see her as their collective avatar?
Intelligent use of blurred fashions in these closeups with a purpose to evoke anime smears, thus making a a lot higher sense of frantic movement. One of many awkward issues about CG artwork is how exact it’s, how missing in a fluidity we are likely to affiliate with each animation and motion as it’s perceived extra typically. Blurring these fashions truly makes their motion appear extra pure
“You appear to be such a fragile factor. Once we idiot round fantastically, individuals start to collapse.” Strains that appear to be mythologizing her friendship with Tomori
“My planet yearns to know all about yours, you realize.” It’s a humorous distinction – Tomori distills her emotions all the way down to their purest, most direct essence via music, whereas Sakiko cloaks hers in layers upon layers of grandiosity and metaphor
“KillKiss Juda” as a refrain additionally appears appropriately tortured and self-involved – concurrently expressing that she loves and hates the music’s topic, in addition to seeing them as a betrayer. Sakiko, you’re the one which broke up the band!
I like that Nyamu maintains her perky smile the entire efficiency, by no means dropping her personal private facade
“What you might be about to see is her story, with a secret.” In fact Sakiko would editorialize her personal season, and naturally she’d admit to being an unreliable narrator proper from the beginning. Whereas Anon was an intruder in Tomori’s world, and her perspective resultantly unsaddled with any expectations or baggage, Sakiko is positioning herself because the director of her season, that means all the things will doubtless be saturated with the intent that she needs to assign to it
Their backstage banter instantly returns us to MyGO’s naturalistic conversational type, the place characters usually discuss over one another, moderately than performing like they’re studying from a collective script. It’s a bit like Robert Altman’s type of dealing with dialogue
“We’d be delighted for those who additionally submerge your self on the earth of Ave Mujica.” Once more, the precise reverse of Tomori. Tomori sings as a result of it’s the one manner she will be able to earnestly categorical her emotions – Sakiko performs so she will be able to conjure a mass phantasm, cloaking her emotions in a collective veil of fantasy
Whereas the others converse confidently at their interview about their upcoming Budokan efficiency, Mutsumi is extraordinarily shy as Mortis (simply “loss of life,” no shock there). She has not reinvented herself for Ave Mujica – that is merely the one manner she will be able to keep near Sakiko
“Ship the stills as quickly as they’re out!” Nyamu clearly sees this band as nothing however a self-promotion alternative adjoining to her solo work. Her willingness to “break the phantasm” by taking off her masks emphasizes this additional, underlining that she has no funding in Sakiko’s bigger undertaking
“So does that imply we’re going to put on these masks ceaselessly?” A direct echo of Tomori’s “are you able to promise to be on this band collectively,” and equally mirrored – being in a band is shorthand for emotional sincerity to Tomori, whereas it’s clearly a disguise to Sakiko
Nyamu pushes the purpose additional, emphasizing how their fame would truly enhance with their masks eliminated. These characters are excellent at making expressions of absolute contempt, as Soyo was keen on doing final season
“I appreciated it yesterday, however acquired bored of it at this time.” Nyamu emphasizes her fickleness as not simply identification, however credo. The trendy world revolves round novelty – as a streamer with a completely feigned persona, Nyamu is accustomed to following the tide, not charting a defiant path of her personal
And like most individuals who don’t imagine in something, she finds Sakiko’s dedication to the act suspicious
“I’m not going to let this band be only a passing fad.” Despite all of the artifice, Sakiko nonetheless needs to make this band a house
“We’ll take the masks off at one of the best stage and at one of the best second.” So the band itself is a secret, to be revealed for the time being of best alternative. Or maybe an act of revenge, a conquer those that, a minimum of in her thoughts, doubted her
After observe, Uika expresses her happiness at Sakiko’s dedication to the group. “My dream of being with you ceaselessly got here true”
Sakiko’s pleasure is interrupted by a name from the police. Her father was picked up drunk in an alley once more
Fairly a literal metaphor as she drags him dwelling, and makes an attempt to shut the door of his room. Beer cans block the door’s path, emphasizing how she will be able to’t truly isolate this a part of her life
The music is an escape – she distracts herself from her father with ideas of songwriting priorities, burying herself within the work, remodeling into one thing else
We flash again to a youthful Sakiko, the time shift cheekily conveyed via sepia colours and a fuzzy digicam filter, as if her youth occurred someday within the 1870s
A doll on her piano as she performs for her mom. Extra Expensive Brother vibes, elevating that basic, enduring metaphor of a lady who’s framed as an ideal remoted second, and who can not efficiently develop past the doll’s shadow
“I practiced it lots as a result of it was your favourite music!” Sakiko’s mom was the one who fostered her love of music, clearly. Presumably it was her loss of life that set Sakiko’s father on his present course
The doorway of her father clarifies an excellent deal – Sakiko’s mom is the daughter of a rich man, and her husband is ready to inherit his firm. They dwell in a gilded palace, however all of it’s conditional
Her mom’s funeral reveals Mutsumi as the one band member who was there to witness this second
Mutsumi’s relationship with Sakiko appears very like Tomori’s; each of them are extraordinarily shy and have bother with communication, and each see in Sakiko a vector for extra basic engagement with the world. After being deserted by Sakiko, Tomori was compelled to start out over, and ultimately developed friendships based mostly on mutual respect and honesty. In distinction, Mutsumi remains to be clinging to Sakiko’s coattails, and nonetheless seemingly unable to interact with strangers with out Sakiko to behave as a mediator
Sakiko’s reminiscences carry us via a college competition efficiency, the place she noticed the hope of group represented by a highschool band, and onward to her first assembly with Tomori. Oh rattling, are we lastly studying why she destroyed CRYCHIC?
“I’m sorry for pushing you, however you mustn’t die!” This performed as deadpan comedy from MyGO’s perspective, however feels lots heavier coming from Sakiko’s aspect
“What had been you writing up till now?” Soyo barely options on this episode, however she nonetheless manages to sneak in a single offhand snipe relating to Tomori’s lyrics
“It’s higher to mute than block.” Wait, she will get yet one more line, explicitly revealing her expertise with on-line haters. That’s our Soyo
In the meantime, Sakiko receives a brutal textual content from her father, saying that they will’t dwell collectively anymore
He took the autumn for a failure at her grandfather’s firm, and has been dismissed. However her grandfather desires to maintain her round, explicitly as a reminder of his personal daughter. “You’re Mizuho’s memento.” That doll imagery instantly put to work
She retains her mom’s doll, however bids farewell to her grand piano. The 2 of them equally trapped in a second, a reminiscence, unable to flee their final encounter
Along with her father already a wreck, Sakiko begins in search of no matter part-time work she will be able to discover. However her household circumstances additionally work in opposition to her when it comes to discovering employment. This actually bitterly contextualizes her obsession with facades – what she thought was her precise household was a fantasy, and now her lack of ability to keep up the aesthetics of that fantasy are stopping her from holding onto the fragments she has left. No surprise she’s realized to put such a premium on by no means breaking poise, by no means relinquishing the masks – for her, it’s actually develop into a matter of life and loss of life
She first loses her non-public college, however is set to keep up CRYCHIC. However caring for her father then begins to overwhelm her observe time as properly. Brutal element within the native police station being an unknown quantity at this level, however a longtime contact throughout her dialog with Uika
After which we eventually see Sakiko within the wake of the breakup, struggling the worst of any of them. No surprise she felt such ache at seeing Tomori transfer past her, and discover the group she was so determined to keep up
We lower to the MyGO women, the place we are able to already see that Soyo has adjusted her angle in direction of Tomori. The place she beforehand held nothing however disdain for Tomori’s fascinations, she now provides her personal sticky notes to assist Tomori’s course of
Anon acquired Ave Mujica tickets! “Wow, good for you” is a reasonably good translation of Soyo’s dismissive congratulations
Anon is after all an avid Nyamuchi follower, and divulges Nyamu has already principally given up the sport relating to her secret identification
Glorious Anon faces as she considers inviting Soyo to the live performance. I’m certain Yuniko Ayana understands precisely how sturdy of an adversarial pairing she’s acquired in these two
“Once I see that you’re such a positive daughter… I really feel depressing. I encourage you, get out of my sight!” God, each second at house is torture for Sakiko, as she pleads with a person who’s completely given as much as a minimum of hold dwelling for her and her mom’s sake. No surprise she desires to flee this world, to invent a brand new actuality
“What a rotten father! Does he perceive how I’ve been feeling!?” As soon as once more, it’s only Mutsumi who will get to see the true Sakiko
“Reduce off the unfulfilled reminiscences and overlook all about it.” A survival technique she has been compelled to make use of a number of instances, together with her mom, father, and CRYCHIC
“What a boring script.” None of that is actual to Nyamu; it’s simply one other facade amongst many, and never a very partaking one. And I’m certain she will get a transgressive thrill out of threatening one thing meaning so little to her, however clearly a lot to her band chief
“Oblivionis. I don’t worry forgetting.” And but, for all of the artifice, her on-stage persona yearns for exactly the identical factor because the woman behind the masks
“You will need to present one of the best of your self to the company.” Her script echoes her private makes an attempt to brush life together with her father underneath the rug
Nyamu begins her rebel, tossing off her masks and mocking Sakiko’s compelled smile, then forcing a gaggle reveal
And Finished
Nyamuchi you absolute bastard! Nicely, the group wouldn’t be almost as enjoyable and not using a poisonous irritant, however my lord did Sakiko make a mistake in recruiting that self-absorbed streamer. Our first episode of Ave Mujica proved simply as tortured as anticipated, swiftly revealing the context of Sakiko’s habits throughout MyGO, whereas additionally promising the trail ahead is as tangled and treacherous as we may presumably think about. As parallels to the Tomori and Anon of MyGO, Sakiko and Nyamu exhibit the profound relative toxicity of Ave Mujica; moderately than wanting to specific herself truthfully, Sakiko needs solely to hide and redefine herself, whereas our new agitator Nyamu takes a decidedly un-Anon-like glee in actively torturing her bandmates. Our new group have engineered an ideal automobile for indulging in all their most unhealthy fixations, and I can’t wait to see what horrible selections they make subsequent.
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