An ending worthy of what Girls Band Cry was for 13 episodes, it's even a little difficult to explain everything I felt watching it. I still remember to this day the first episode where I looked at it and said: This looks incredible, I hope it continues to impress me, and look, it impressed me much more.
I think that in the end, Nina understood that Hina cared about her, particularly I'm much more on Nina's side in this story, because my sense of justice also prevails and I don't think it's fair for you to criticize a good action and in the end say: I warned you, but again, it was a matter of concern, they were younger at that time and a rupture in the friendship was necessary for each one to evolve.
But what really made me happy was seeing these 5 very different girls following their dreams and putting friendship first, they love each other and show it with concern and affection, just as all friendships should be.
Although it's difficult, I hope for a second season or an OVA, thank you for the excellent show ☝🏻
Such a genuinely treasurable show. It realy would be a shame if we don't see more of these characters (and their voices and their songs). I really am going to miss their music and their antics. I wonder -- is it possible that this will eventually get (belated) western distribution?
Hina and Nina had a disagreement. While Nina FELT abandoned, Hina did not actually betray her in any fashion (but showed a fair amount of concern that Nina was going to hurt herself). Hina clearlty was (in her own way) rooting for Nina and TogeToge...
Glad you enjoyed them enough to stick with them! Keeping weekly discussions alive was pretty much the only goal in mind given that a large fansub group is already working on this, so I'm happy it was achieved.
~~^(P.S, partial credit to AQRADT regulars who may or may not have had me trapped in a basement making sure I don't escape mid-episode)~~
> ~~P.S, partial credit to AQRADT regulars who may or may not have had me trapped in a basement making sure I don't escape mid-episode~~
You’re welcome lol, truly earned yourself some fresh air now.
[](#kannathumbs)
Dededede already has a group I think. For now I'll be on standby in case one of the 10+ Summer romcoms I'm waiting for gets kidnapped by the French.
[](#elves)
Sadly the two groups that have come out with releases are just light re-edits of the awful dubtitles script. The dialogue for Dededede is pretty important so it's a shame to see it treated so poorly by CR. As much as I appreciate those working hard to treat this show with respect, you unfortunately can't polish a turd. Hopefully you'll consider picking it up if the anime you're looking forward next season all get properly subbed
Sad that TogeToge didn't sell more tickets but like one Hitori Gotoh once said, "Is it really rock if it's sung by life's winners?" Rock is for the underdogs.
We now have pretty much the full story about why Nina was bullied, and yeah, fuck that school and fuck the bystander effect. Nina did nothing wrong.
That said, Hina seems to think that Nina is at her best when she's annoyed so she's likely to keep fucking with her from time to time.
Hoping for a season two and short hair Subaru.
[Yoshino Aoyama](https://x.com/Yopipi555/status/1806738911378497921) - a.k.a. the real one behind *the* Bocchi-chan - is tweeting to urge us to watch Girls Band Cry. There's every reason for her to do so as her hometown is in Kumamoto Prefecture - the same as Nina!
That makes yet another Girls Band Crossover after members of BanG Dream came out in support of GBC (especially [the one behind MyGO's Raana-chan covered a GBC song some weeks ago!](https://x.com/aoki__hina/status/1787405773242327343)).
[Add My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU‘s author Wataru Watari to the list](https://x.com/watariwataru/status/1806742580367167518) - he even bought the BDs!
Kinda ironic considering that Nari, the character designer of Girls Band Cry, [used to draw a lot of OreGairu fanart](https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/51275211).
> It would help if we had a legal goddamn stream. I constantly see posts on NA Twitter despite not being licensed
At this point, the best we can pray for is ADN does what they did with Pon no Michi, which also had no NA streaming license, and upload them to Youtube
The music business is a tough one. It sucks the girls didn’t make it big off their video but it’s realistic too. Beating DD was always gonna be an uphill battle. I’m glad the girls decided to stick it out and keep trying. They have an audience, even if it’s not quite the size of DD’s fanbase.
Hearing about what happened with Nina in the past was pretty upsetting. No good deed goes unpunished huh? I think she made the right call regardless. It just sucks everyone else involved in that situation was kind of shit.
Really solid series overall. Good music, fun characters, and the story wasn’t half bad either. Damn shame it never got official English subs. I wonder if we’ll ever get more or if this is a “one and done” type series?
Jukki Hanada, the scriptwriter, tweeted a couple weeks ago that anime originals like these depend on merch sales since there’s no source material sales to fall back on, and basically hinted that a second season would be dependent on how well sales do. There was also a twitter thread summarizing a recent Toei shareholders meeting, where they said they’ve been surprised about the reception of GBC (particularly in China and in the west), and that they’d explore more options for the IRL band moving forward
I’m glad folks are recognizing how good this series was. Hopefully that translates to a possible new season or something. If there’s merch, I’d happily buy it. Just haven’t seen anything related to this so far.
The GBC EN fan account has a good guide on sites that ship merch internationally.
https://x.com/girlsbandcryen/status/1805951101637972112?s=46&t=z7VZ4rgGxbjgCwgtLVTxUw
Edit: Here’s the retailer links for people who can’t see the thread
https://www.amiami.com/eng/search/list/?s_originaltitle_id=34244
https://www.amazon.co.jp/s?k=%E3%82%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BA%E3%83%90%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4&crid=3ITVJU408M0OC&sprefix=%2Caps%2C572&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_2_0_recent
https://www.animate.shop/search?type=product&options%5Bprefix%5D=last&options%5Bunavailable_products%5D=last&q=girls+band+cry
https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/searchuni?term.media_format=&q=Girls+Band+Cry
Of course they're surprised it got any reception in the west, somehow NONE of the streaming services thought it was worth licensing. Amazon and Netflix each picked up a golf show recently and nobody wanted this?
The only possible explanation is widespread anti-CG sentiment, so everyone be sure to downvote those 'people' into oblivion from now on, okay? Yes, even after the bullying stuff in this episode I will still say that.
IDK this doesn't feel like it should be over 😭
Agree. I said last week making it CGI isnt cheap.
But if you compare to Sanzigen and Orange which refine their CGI down to 2D style, especially Orange, that takes extra extra budget and much more work to do. Same for Sanzigen especially with their D4DJ work.
So overall I'm pretty glad the community has rallied around GBC. It really is an underdog of a show giving the double pinkie to the established studios!
It was honestly really refreshing *not* seeing some band related media showing the band immediately blowing up and having instant success... especially when the whole point of the band is doing the music they want and not 'pop mainstream' music
Not the person you responded to but YES. I LOVE Beck. One of my fav shows of all time. I was honestly a little shocked how TogeToge got an agency already and was expecting more Band RV struggles like the ED showed. Them leaving the agency was something I appreciated
Yeah the music not being "mainstream style" is pretty much a big reason why their new song wasn't a breakout hit. Quality is subjective of course but the engineer dude seemed to love it.
If they want success they can look at DD who got most of their creative freedom stripped out and made to pump out hits all the time lol.
Right, they could have easily “sold out” so to speak and made music with just a general popular appeal or made songs that meant something to them. They chose the latter, which means it’ll take some time to build up that fanbase and hit those DD numbers.
The engineer dude was cool. He even told ‘em to look him up one of these days and he’ll work on their stuff for free.
There is [this comment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwdXJv_gMQM&lc=Ugyt4DUEuuh0h-6bupl4AaABAg) from youtube that really explained well about why the song didn't make a hit. Google translated below:
> It makes sense why the number of views for this song didn't increase in the series. As viewers, we're watching the drama behind Togetoge and we hear this song as an insert song in the final episode, so we think it's a great song, but I think in the world of the series they're probably thinking, "What's wrong with suddenly releasing such a bright song?".
> The fact that they released their first major song, which is in a completely different direction from the songs that had gotten buzz up until then, because they thought it was their favorite, makes their reason for "leaving the agency to prove they weren't wrong" all the more convincing. The songs that appear aren't just for production, but function as a proper part of the story, and I really like this about Girls Band Cry.
You know what ? That guy is totally right. I did absolutely feel like I was listening to a Poppin Party song with the first piano chords, and especially the outro that felt straight out of a super upbeat classic rock bop.
It felt out of place, but I never connected the dots with the previous songs and what it meant in the context of the anime and the overall progression of their musical journey.
Lol same. And especially that it's a very bright, "rock" piano sound and it's used in a very percussive manner, which to me is typical of this more upbeat rock thing. I was surprised at this song but I guess it makes sense.
Such a great performance!
It felt like the Diamond Dust performance in Episode 11. Can I make a safe guess its the same director? The one who also directs Bang Dream's Roselia MVs (as stated in episode 11)?
My only gripe is its the standard insert song length, rather than the whole song. Wish they dropped the EP credits so we could have got a whole song performance for the finale!
The flashback at the beginning and then their meeting at the cafe, I know she didn't have bad intentions but damn Hina, bragging much are we!? What an unpleasant person.
Also, I apologize but I didn't quite understand what Nina meant when she realized that DD's song also belonged to Hina.
I kind of expected the ending to be open given the nature of the Togenashi Togeari project, I just hope the project continues to be popular enough to have a season 2 (buy merch, people!), all I know is that all of this left me wanting more.
Overall it was a great anime that I thorougly enjoyed.
\--
I'm going to praise Toei Animation again for the masterful use of 3DCG and general animation, I'm always skeptical of 3D anime but GBC managed to hook me on the first few minutes of the first episode. The fluid 3D mixed with very expressive animation was the selling point.
Finally, [here](https://i.imgur.com/zc9hmS3.png) is what scriptwriter Jukki Hanada had to say about his work on Girls Band Cry.
I feel like I may get raked over coals for this given some of the responses I've seen, but I don't dislike Hina.
Since Ep5 she's been playing the heel and was the main motivator for Nina's rivalry with Diamond Dust, but she wasn't ever shown to be an awful person. It's just that Nina is so uncompromising in her morals and sense of justice that few can live up to her standards. "It always makes me feel like I'm the bad guy" - Hina.
When Momoka was talking with Nina about Diamond Dust and their choice to compromise, even she said "it's not something you can blame them for". Hina fits that role just the same when it came to the bullying. I mean it's scary. Nina got injured and ended up dropping out of school because of it. Can all of you honestly say you'd make the same choice as Nina in her situation? Hina knows what's right and what's wrong, but she's not perfect and can't always make the most selfless choices.
And Hina definitely doesn't dislike Nina, on the contrary I think she puts her on a pedestal. She knows Nina did the right thing even if she couldn't do it herself. The few times we saw Hina smile in the whole show was in Ep8 when Nina was going off with her self-righteous attitude, and again in Ep13 after Nina wouldn't compromise and give in to her relying on Diamond Dust. She likes seeing how defiant Nina is because it's something she can't be herself.
TogeToge is full of idealists while Diamond Dust is comprised of realists, but I don't think that's reason enough to hate them or Hina
Thank you for your insightful analysis, I suppose Hina came off a little too brusque for me in the heat of the moment and "unpleaseant" was all I could think.
I think it’s pretty clear that these are two headstrong girls not willing to back down, and it was always pretty apparent that the Diamond Dust girls were never malicious. I like the way it played out; even though Nina was pretty upset the first half of the episode, I’m ultimately glad that Hina didn’t apologize.
Totally agree.
I would go so far that DD is comprised of realists who totally admire and support the crazy idealists of TogeToge. ;-) Why would we dislike Hina and the rest of that group. ;-)
Everyone wants to be Nina until they're the ones getting the shit kicked out of them. Hina knew what fights to pick, and she chose not to fight one she didn't think she could win. Nina has the character we all love to root for. She isn't the character most people *are*. Hina is. I think that's a big part of why people dislike her. No one likes a mirror. Most people aren't going to throw hands for a rando, especially not outnumbered. Everyone wants to think they would though. Everyone wants to be a hero.
It isn’t even just Nina’s sense of justice, but Nina is determined that she be acknowledged for being in the right and handles it very poorly when she isn’t. Yes, Nina wants to do the right thing. But she also wants credit for doing so.
she realized it meant a lot for Hina as well. Hina was at the end of the day, trying to do what she thought was best for Nina by telling her to not bother, it's Japan. She herself was scared shitless too. That's why she was smiling at her and everything. She cares and was giving Nina that push to follow through because it isn't like her to ask for help or beg. She's a person of action. Not a 'belong' but they listened to the music together. She loved it too
Hina and Nina are two sides of the same coin: both way too stubborn and self-righteous. It was pretty frustrating watching the two of them talk past each other. GBC doesn't want to say that either TogeToge or Diamond Dust are wrong, just that they're different approaches for different people. But, fuck, I need a season 2 for some real closure between Nina and Hina.
I love it, I was already feeling this show could do no wrong, but having them give a nice wrap up to Nina and Hina’s “fight” in such a satisfying way was the icing on the top.
I feel like I don’t even need real closure, at this point I’m just happy to see them continue to battle it out.
Yea, it’s a great sign he even acknowledged himself that a Rupa focused episode was like the last missing puzzle piece. When we get a season 2, chances are even better then, that he’ll get back to that and deliver that Rupa ep.
> I just hope the project continues to be popular enough to have a season 2 (buy merch, people!)
Genuinely am strongly considering busting out whatever old Buyee or whatever account I have and going on an official JP GBC merch surf. This series lit a fire under me and I want to do whatever I can to help it succeed and let TogeToge’s story continue, even and especially if that’s an uphill battle.
one of the best screenwriters in the biz. his name was one of the reasons i inititally gave this show a chance despite the cgi ness (which was great) and licensing issues....
Momoka inferred before the performance that Hina's bragging was intended to trigger Nina's reverse psychology. Though against her pragmatism, Nina's edgy stubbornness fascinates her.
I liked how they went about in the finale. Sure it didn't end off in a bang in them beating Diamond Dust. But I loved the grounded approach here. They simply were true to themselves and the music. Which was the point of them getting together. It will be a longer road to success, but staying true to their music unlike Diamond Dust. Really them beating DD is them getting close to their fame without selling out.
I think it is pretty easy to dislike Hina. I liked what they did here. They simply showed that Hina and Nina are two peas in the same pod, with the difference Nina is idealistic and Hina is a realist. In the flashback Nina's morals couldn't let some kid get bullied and just watched it. Meanwhile, Hina was like you know they are just going to bully you instead. She was right, but the most fucked up thing was that the bullied girl ended up bullying Nina.
Hina reaching out to Nina was surprising. We get Hina wanting Nina to admit that she was right. Of course that wasn't going to happen. But as the other girls pointed that Hina still cares for Nina as a rival and while she won't admit it, but also a friend. She knows Hina well and her giving her the full truth of how their agency requested DD's help was Hina being considerate without showing it. I get the feeling that Hina admires the idealistic nature Nina has, which is partly why she teases her.
Hina and Nina's relationship isn't as simple as rivals or friends. It's somewhere in between. But just like how the 5 girls stayed true to themselves, so did Nina in saying she didn't regret what she did. She finally realized that DD's music also reached out to Hina.
This was great. High drama a lot of the time, but it handled them well. Overall I give this a 9/10 and hope we get a S2 because there is a lot of potential in this as a long-running series.
>Hina reaching out to Nina was surprising. We get Hina wanting Nina to admit that she was right. Of course that wasn't going to happen.
I saw someone else speculating that she knew damn well Nina wouldn't agree, and didn't want her too. That she likes and even admires how Nina defiant is, and knew that pushing her buttons was the way to really light a defiant fire under her ass.
The [random salaryman](https://imgur.com/a/k2C16T1) stumbling upon Nina's angst one last time lmao, may you know peace for now.
I really like how grounded the story is right through to the end. It's been an uphill and painful battle for Nina all this time, she knows full well how 'money, responsibility, popularity' trample people and yet she's never regretted saving that bullied kid from the pain. Her grabbing Momoka's guitar and pouring it out was pretty hype.
8.47 on MAL and the scores are still rising. This positive reception is largely due to our brilliant screenwriter Jukki Hanada (the same dude who is most remarkably known for his work for Steins gate and Hibike Euphonium) . Moreover, when Yoshino Aoyama (Bocchi's VA) tweeted about gbc exactly 4-5 hours ago, you know it's a case of legend recognizing legend. While episode 13 didn't have much going on, the finale felt like the beginning of something great.
The new song might be underwhelming for some, but I thought its brighter feel was a perfect closure for the finale. I don't care i will consume whatever that Momoka composed.
Fingers crossed hoping the actual band achieves thriving success and them selling million copies of album and merchandises to fund season 2. This anime truly was an ABSOLUTE CINEMA experience.
It's the highest-rated 3d anime on MAL, beating out Land of the Lustrous. Considering how biased against 3d anime MAL is, an 8.49 is a phenomenal score.
And now it's truly joever.
[](#toradorasalute)
Random thoughts :
* Yeah, screw Hina. I can't say that I'd be like Nina, willing to take on a group of bullies alone just to save someone I don't even know - but not doing that with a friend to back you up, and outright telling them you'll ditch them if they do it? Ooof. With friends like that, who needs bullies...
* Their talk with Miura was painful. Both because it hurts to see Miura, who genuinely supports them and loves their music, be put in this position - and because Momoka's probably right about the song being the problem. It's not some magical song that went viral because plot, she stayed true to herself but ended up with a song that just wasn't the kind of thing that gets popular.
* Damn, DiaDust have vans with their music running around? I guess they have more money to throw out the window than Miura-san...
* Nina yelling at Twitter critics was relatable. Never look at Twitter comments on anything controversial if you want to stay sane, much less your own work. ~~^(Case in point, the subbing drama)~~
* Huh, did Hina actually come to help them out? I had a feeling she might be regretting what she did back then...
* SCRATCH THAT I WILL PULL EACH OF HER TWINTAILS OUT THE OTHER END DAMN BRAT NEEDS LAMP CORRECTION💢💢
* Miura is amazing though. The main reason I'm sad they quit the agency is that regardless of whether we get a sequel, Miura probably won't be a part of it. Lowkey best girl.
* Had to translate [this part](https://i.imgur.com/SAW0SHh.jpeg) literally even if it sounds awkward. Nina's spikes were real.
* [Rupa : "I guess we have our answer". Rupa inside : "No one hugs Tomo without me"](https://i.imgur.com/LiQbaMf.jpeg)
* Them quitting the agency had me [like this](https://i.imgur.com/wFhV4dG.png)
* [This little piece of shit...](https://i.imgur.com/kVvPTaB.png)
* Nina's MCing as always gives me a good burst of second-hand embarrassment, but at this point I'm used to it.
* Back to my second point now that we're at the song - here I find myself being one of those plebs who wouldn't listen to it more than a few times, *way* less than other TogeToge songs at least. I'm not sure if it's just my taste aligning with the show's intents here or if it was actually crafted to be this way - but if it's the latter, it's brilliant.
* One last arigato🖕
Overall, I'm definitely satisfied with the ending. It stayed true to the show - no miracle wins in an impossible fight, one last episode full of Nina being Nina, a full reveal of the Hina backstory, and the band coming full circle back to indies where they probably belong for now, in-universe. I did say a label snatching them up felt a bit too soon.
I do feel like for the show to end on the highest possible note, episode 13 should've been the beginning of season 2, with the show's climax being episode 11 and 12 being a slice of life windup episode with the agency formally accepting them at the end - but since it's an original, season 2 or a continuation of the story in any form isn't a given, so at least this ending can serve as an open ending to the series, while ending on the agency thing would feel a lot more disappointing if there never is a sequel.
**TL Notes :**
Well, this certainly made for a...fun season. My subs began from me writing up a comment with TL notes to explain whatever fuckery was going on in the MTL for episode 3 which didn't have any speedsubs after the initial subber drama, only to very quickly realize that it might actually take me as long as subbing the episode itself because...well, those who watched the MTL know. And discussion threads were also about to die because Ideal Paradox stopped subbing as well.
Hopefully Toei gets their head out of their bum and we get it licensed in the coming months because even understanding the MTL is far easier than understanding what the heck was going on in their heads with this whole thing.
But until then, for the optimal rewatch experience, we have [le meme to tide us over](https://preview.redd.it/njm9ew3tf3xc1.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=900ca986e288ed6b222f580b0f04ce48e597d405).
I feel like Miura would be back.
Considering the ED and all the other bits. It wouldn't shock me at all if they just have her in the possible S2 just show up like 'lol i quit and will be working with you guys if youll have me'
which feels more this show
> SCRATCH THAT I WILL PULL EACH OF HER TWINTAILS OUT THE OTHER END DAMN BRAT NEEDS LAMP CORRECTION💢💢
Preach brother. I really need that S2, if only for TogeToge to put Hina/DD in their fucking place lol.
> Rupa : "I guess we have our answer". Rupa inside : "No one hugs Tomo without me"
I really loved how starting from the 2nd half of the show, Nina is really quick to hug the other girls, great to see how she warmed up to everyone and developed so much as a character from her early season behavior.
Episode 2 Nina : "I'm not good at getting close to other people..."
[Episode 13 Nina :](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTYyEIjRWqPW1Wc9RuWidG9RtSqgM4kxt95i0stYTFPBHIuXw-jUN9yThaEDdckelVc1mQ&usqp=CAU)
This is my kokuhaku for you, thanks for doing the god's work bro. Another great post.
I think it wasn't mention anywhere but there are few differences shown on the opening song for the final episode as to compare to the normal ver
Momoka is also wearing her old outfit for Diamond Dust during the live performance
I wouldn’t count Miura out just yet. Teshima Nari, the character designer for the show, said that the ED is meant to be an epilogue set after ep13, and we still see Miura there taking care of Momoka and Tomo’s pets. If we do get a season 2, I’d bet she returns as a fan/friend who’s able to give a little bit of advice to TogeToge
i wonder if it was intended that the views of the song were low because of how different the song is compared to other togetoge songs. it wasn't their usual song, but they liked it, and wanted to play it regardless.
I thought the exact same with the song they played, but after giving the full version a listen on Spotify I realized that the insert's remixing *sucks.* The full song is pretty good.
So hmm, NinaHina's cracking origin has finally been fully explained, and it's just as delicate as I have imagined. It really was Hina giving up her chance to help that bullied girl knowing that it's akin to being bitten by the wolves, and Nina stubbornly refused and tried being (and indeed, became) a heroine, only for her to be bullied as well - even (if forced) by the very girl she saved.
I must note that the plot actually tries to let us feel that Hina was actually right (well certainly Tomo-chan thinks so) - it's quite possibly that Nina's acts resulted in zero, nada results after all, and even cracked her open enough for her to ran away and be angry at her father as well. It's also apparent that Hina was more like "I'm scared" than really being remorse and aloof and not caring about her classmates. Still, who knows? What if that bullied girl didn't went that direction and instead harm herself (perhaps even more common than joining the bullying side)?
And that really shows how the difference between NinaHina is resolved. Superficially we see Hina trying to provoke Nina's stings all coming out *again* by offering Diamond Dust's help in performing for both days, something that Nina will always take as an act of surrender of TogeToge. Heck Hina even went 😋which I am sure many watchers not paying attention would think Hina's mocking Nina!
But hell no, she actually just defused a ticking bomb by notifying Nina of the other major thing resolved in this episode - the poor ticket sales. And the fallout from that in Miura going all out to apologize for poor advertisements ~~If only those Toei project managers do the same for the GBC project outside of Japan...~~ By telling Nina in such a way that Miura actually requested Diamond Dust to help, Hina at the same time prevented Nina arguing with Miura and perhaps even her teammates by being the shield to absorb all those Nina Stings (TM), while at the same time made a heart-warming hint at telling Nina that she knew what happened before was just Nina Being Nina, and that's very much more than OK.
I'm glad that Nina *finally* more or less understand that at the end while performing. Even if NinaHina may go separate ways in music and in attitudes to life, they will definitely still be friendly rivals at the very least, if not even something closer. Just like Momoka still being the other Diamond Dust girls' forever old friend and de facto captain.
In other news, while it's easy to deduce that TogeToge would have never accepted Miura's plan and the offer from Diamond Dust, I must say I'm a little bit taken back by their unanimous request to leave the agency. But thinking a little bit more on this, it's more of a declaration of independence by the girls on that:
A. They, like Nina, will walk their own road without regrets, even if things don't go right for them
B. They will continue to try to prove Momoka's being right - that refusing "compromise for the market" can be a good thing
Will this actually work? [The last stage performance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwdXJv_gMQM) of this show is a hint that this is going to be an uphill battle towards Mt. Everest, no maybe even Mars' Mt. Olympus (at least selling like "just" a quarter of tickets still resulted in more people coming than for some other anime bands that I have seen over the years, like a certain 2023 extraordinary anime's one...) But just like this song's title tells us - "[I'm here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz-MAr3YPEA)", TogeToge is not going to fade out, it's still going to leave scratches in everyone who watched this.
The only thing that I would complain is that as the final episode, the pacing of this last 23 minutes is really quick, so much that everything above barely managed to squeeze in. Even the transition between scenes went a bit abruptly. Perhaps the really-talked-about-by-us story writer Jukki Hanada ended up writing the story a bit too long to fit in 13 episodes with that late plot twist of the previous episode (I think for this time a 14th one or a double length ending would be just the right thing to do).
Then again [he "blamed" Nina being such a hard-to-dealt-with girl that he didn't have the space to write a Rupa-centric episode](https://x.com/oitan125/status/1806737201239331214) and [asked for our support in buying things to support this original anime project to have the chance to continue](https://x.com/oitan125/status/1803825917690785969) so it's really, really clear that he would definitely want a 2nd anime season to happen ~~sorry to say that would result in even more worked-to-death 3D animators, but that's not his or TogeToge's fault LOL~~. We definitely, definitely NEEDS a Girls Band Cry Second Season given how this ended on a slightly rushed note!
I came into GBC thinking this would have been one of the darkest anime I have seen revolving around music (perhaps close to the legendary NANA's levels). It didn't, but it went down to Earth digging around girls who are hurt by reality and bring them back on their own tracks of salvation in one of the best plots I have seen in anime (I again need to reference the same writer's excellent work of *A Place Further Than The Universe*). Especially the really poignant tales around Nina and Momoka, who have really grew up in these 13 episodes to become really adorable characters worthy of being remembered years on.
The thing that all the VAs acting for our Big Five all had never voiced a single character and yet gave out excellent voicing performances is the icing on the cake, not to mention them fully qualified to being a real life professional band! (You even have to remember Rina - who voiced Nina here - is actually *a few months younger than Nina in the story (!!!)* - what the heck!)
Whether you think these girls have stings or have no stings, it doesn't matter - between the heart-gripping stories and really good songs and one of the best textbook examples of making use of 3D animations to fit in the Japanese way, Girls Band Cry has certainly scratched some shining non-removable marks on my heart and scores yet another extraordinary goal in the recent history of music-related anime.
I love girls band anime.
**Final score: 93/100**
Rupa episode will be nice, but after this I'm really gonna need a Hina centric episode. I need to know how Nina looks like from her perspective because I'm begging to drown in headcanon.
I think they just dropped another Sun and Moon pairing on me and I'm super weak for them. Nina being a variation of a sundering and roaring kind of flame, shining so overwhelmingly that she blinds any who look directly. I young and strong star, unrefined and unknown but undeniably powerful. Nina always calls out bullshit when she sees it and that makes Hina "feel like she's the bad guy". Just standing beside burnt her. But clearly there's some part of her that's happy to see her again, and raising.
I need the Hina angst gods please! I need to know if she longs for Nina like the cold Moon clinging to the Sun for light! I need to know if she laments she could only ever be a villain in Nina's eyes! I need to know if she'll get weak in the knees when Nina pulls up with a TogeToge full house and stomps up to her to stick it in her face!
Damnit I just need more of this!
> at least selling like "just" a quarter of tickets still resulted in more people coming than for some other anime bands that I have seen over the years, like a certain 2023 extraordinary anime's one...
>
As I mentioned in my comment, compared to Nijisanji barely selling 10% of the tickets before cancelling their most recent upcoming concert, TogeToge's 30% ticket sales is positively brisk business.
Well TogeToge has a guitarist who’s the ex-captain of a now famous band, a drummer who’s the granddaughter of a famous actress and even acted in the same TV drama, and a keyboardist-bassist duo who’s famous with their songs online. With the slightest of assistance their ticket sales would not have been “negligible” (cough).
> all had never voiced a single character
They learned from Bushiroad and hiring musicians that would become seiyuu and not the opposite. It's actually the best course of action for any franchise looking to overtake, or at least rival BanG Dream. It opens up possibilities of song writing because they're proficient with their instrument, and don't have the possibily packed schedule of an actual seiyuu. You just have to look at Roselia to understand that ; the band being "dark and edgy" is sufficient enough justification in-universe, but Kudo Haruka being basically a guitar beginner and a seiyuu first only makes it harder for her to really make any progress, hence everything is drop D and following Pachelbel's Canon in D (well, I'm grossly simplifying things tbh).
WIth that said, I hope they'll keep things alive even if Girls Band Cry never get a second season. It would be such a waste to abandon such a band. Maybe they could go rogue just like their anime counter part, if Toei never does anything else with them.
Thanks for the great entertainment you provided over the last three months, Iseri Nina and the [background guy] (https://imgur.com/qIQDSxv.jpg). I do wish this episode had an additional 10 minutes or so to wrap things up a little bit better.
Bonus: "I don't like girls band" dude is in [this episode] (https://imgur.com/wBH6eYU.jpg) as well!
Holy shit and he redeemed himself by wearing Momoka's shirt from that live show! [Kyoko and the drummer ](https://x.com/Jikkyouminmei/status/1806724680986030087?t=oIvWiZczH5AZMhAYbwjx0w&s=19)from Ep1 were seen at the show too!
[It was at this moment that Momoka realized that if Nina can harness her rage and indignation, she can basically accomplish anything..](https://imgur.com/12lqSGw) even learn the guitar....
MY DAUGHTER! HAS ANYONE SEEN MY DAUGHTER? HER NAME IS ISERI NINA, SHE'S ABOUT THIS TALL 👉🧍♀️ AND SHE'S THE MOST VIOLENTLY UNSTABLY RIGHTEOUS LITTLE FREAK THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN, IF YOU CAN FIND HER (or a season 2) PLEASE TEXT ME AT THIS NUMBER HERE! -> [https://www.animate.shop/collections/girls-band-cry](https://www.animate.shop/collections/girls-band-cry)
Man, Hina kinda a bitch but damn I kinda like her just a little bit lmao.
Nina! You were right! Bang your chest and yell it out girly, fuck them!
I love this anime so much but it's just sad that the last song for this season was the least I liked. The whole episode felt rushed but I hope they'd be able to do a 2nd Season
There's a reason why Nina and Hina's names are so similar, it's because they're two sides of the same coin. Nina is an uncompromising idealist, while Hina is an uncompromising realist.
Sure it's easy to blame Hina, but in the end was she wrong? All of the horrible things that happened to Nina, were predicted by Hina and she even knew that Nina's rightful actions would end up hurting her. Hina is no fool, she knows what is right and what is wrong and even says that Nina's righteousness is so bright that it makes her feel like the bad guy.
Regardless, Hina still cares a lot about Nina and despite her trying to make Nina admit that she is wrong, deep down she wants Nina to be right. Hina understands how Nina works the most out of the cast and she becomes something that Nina really needs, a villain, someone who can take Nina's ire so that Nina doesn't explode towards her bandmates or her agent.
Nina is what a lot of people in this thread *think* they would do, but Hina is probably what they would end up doing.
When was the last time any one of you went and protected some random kids from bullies?
After thinking on it, the last two episodes haven't really felt like the ending so much as promo for a potential sequel. Episode 11 is *the* ending: it's the climax of the each of character's journey and the band as a whole. I wasn't sure how they were going to try and top it, but I don't think they intended to going by this episode. There are things that feel missing or lacking.
* Why make it a "Valentine's" battle? Honestly you wouldn't even know it if last episode didn't mention it.
* It's framed as another TogeToge vs DiaDust, but we only get a TogeToge performance.
* We only focus on Nina and Hina despite the band rivalry including Momoka and the OG DiaDust.
* I just assumed we'd get the full song for the performance in the finale, since we did (and then some) in episode 11. Subverted an expectation I didn't even know I had lol.
* I was *really* hoping it wouldn't be the cliche "save someone be bullied only to get bullied". The show avoided going into it for so long, attached thoughts of suicide to it, but it's just a bit too cliche for me...
* If it was gonna end at Nina and Hina, it makes less sense for it to not have gotten into it sooner. They missed a chance to actually get people to care about Hina, she has no lines before this episode essentially. Adding her back to the rooftop with Nina in the OP is a nice touch though.
* No NinaMomoka confirmation or Rupa episode!! Unforgivable. ~~Maybe in season 2...~~
I like the performance but it really feels like a promo for the show, doesn't help it's a shortened version of the song. The song itself is good but the full one is a lot better imo. There was also a weird shot of blue and red flowers covering Nina, I don't know what that was about...
I like the idea of the band not finding success at first, though I wish it didn't rush through it in episode 12. In-universe it's been months, but real time it was only less than an hour. I also feel bad for Miura...
I think the episode is fine but last two episodes just feel a bit out of place as part of the main series. I joked about calling them OVAs but they kinda are lmao. Thankfully they don't really detract much from the show, they're not *bad* episodes, just a bit different than the rest.
Girls Band Cry remains one of the best animes to have come out in recent years, hopefully it can finally get an official EN release so more people can watch it!
Getting, at least last I heard. I think sequel movies can work, Revue Starlight's is *fantastic* and elevates the series, but I'd really prefer another season for GBC (and LycoReco but not an option anymore).
I pretty much agree with this, especially your point about Episode 11. Emptiness & Catharsis is the performance and moment of the show. I like that it continues from there, but the last two episodes were nowhere near as impactful, and I’m honestly not sure I liked that last song nearly as much compared to the others in the show.
Final song's a grower but man I wish they'd sang the full song, the instrumentals at the middle are really good! Would have been the perfect ending with the Thank you! at the end, still a great finale.
solid enuf ending tho the potential for s2 is wide open. let's hope the real life band sells out lots!
fun show with an enjoyable cast and a decently inspiring message. I like!
Yup, this ep did exactly nothing to improve my opinion of Hina, more like the opposite actually. And the pinky theft did go unpunished after all, fucking hell.
okay ngl but when Nina was ball of hatred and anger TogeToge produced best songs in my opinion. Voiceless Fish from ep3 and Nameless Name from ep7 are my favourites.
Regarding ending I'm grateful that Nina refused to get bailed out by DD but in same time why did they leave agency and decided to go back to being indie? how they plan to survive without support? back to selling ramen?
Also ending left a lot of questions unanswered like tomo and parents, Subaru and her grandma, what next for TogeToge after latest flop and plenty of other things to resolve.
Hoping for 2nd season to get more answers.
I thought Subaru's grandma already knew and approve when she showed up to watch their concert in ep 11, implied to be invited by Subaru. It's pretty resolved.
I take leaving the agency as apology for refusing, they were initially going to pay back the losses as well, Miura refused that but they still had to leave because they couldn't just have their way selfishly without any consequences.
Angry Nina was definitely when the show was at its best (for me). The way it also approached the drama (even for other characters, like Subaru and her grandmother) had a bit more of a unique edge to it, which made it more engaging I felt. Still fun later on but came of a bit more standard in approach.
I disagree that it became standard. Standard would have been having them explode in popularity and success with everything ending in a rainbow.
It ended with them proving the 'its not about the views,' and not watering it down with 'WOOHOO we lied and we can just do what we want AND have instant success'
There is so much to explore, but still I want to say this is a satisfactory ending. at least the Nina's problem is solved. and I kinda agree that they didn't yield, one thing that bother is Miura's position in the company, yeah Im pretty sure that the label would blame her for their lost. going solo again eh? if Miura situation is becoming unbearable, I hope she could come with them as a manager. she has connection, a taste, and skill for that.
the song, this song has Totalfat vibe in them. tbh, I try to listen it at youtube before watching this episode (so I can judge it without visual). I think, because of I hear their previous song this is a less banger. but after watching this episode, I could see myself vibing in the crowd.
Momoka and Nina, no explicit but I still like their relationship. though it becoming less in this episode.
I really hope there will be another episode, it wont be soon, writting the material, 2 years production, probably less because they could re-use the model and animation technique. before that they could raise the fund with **licencing this anime for streaming service**, streaming the songs, ~~recap movie~~, merch. and promotion like going at music festival, youtube hyping, first take, moar songs, collabs.
Gonna miss my caothic, sometimes violent Gremlin!
Overall a good ending but no a better episode than ep 11
I think S2 Will happen as It has many Things ti explore but only time Will tell, till That gonna enjoy all music the band drops and support them!
Pd: Fuck you Hina
Binged all the episodes in a few days so I could get to be here, whoo! I'm glad I didn't miss out on this one. What a crazy ride!
The "I want to feel like I wasn't in the wrong" line from Nina in episode 11 really hits after we got the whole story, doesn't it?
Nina not being the original bullying target who then became one because she refused to keep her head down loops right back to the reason she doesn't want to comply with DD. Doing so meant defeat, meant that she was in the wrong and that she should just do as she's told. But that's not very Nina, nor is it very rock.
I think it'll take a bit to sink in, but I was pretty happy with the way things ended. It opens up plenty of room for a sequel while wrapping up Nina's backstory and development nicely. There's plenty of space to explore Diamond Dust's characters, plus it seems Hina hasn't shut the door on her relationship with Nina. We also know little of Tomo and Rupa's backstories, so there's some of that to explore as well.
The thank you at the end just felt like a goodbye from this concert, not a goodbye forever. Hopefully this show will be available through official means by the time a rewatch is in order. It was missed by too many.
I'm somewhat confident we'll get a sequel with how popular this season was, but who really knows.
Hmmm, not sure how to feel about this ending.
I did like how they integrated the background and growth of Nina into the song’s lyrics, which is a nice touch. But when we didn’t get to see DD’s song ~~or even who won~~ (EDIT: I’m dumb), I went “Uh…. that’s it?”
I might have to consult interviews later to try to get the director’s perspective, since I don’t know if this is a case of “her growth is the win, not the physical win” or “it’s deliberately open ended” or some other rationale. But ignoring my mixed feelings on the ending, I did enjoy Nina and Togenashi Togeari’s growth during the show.
> DD’s song or even who won
They said it themselves before the concert, judging by the audience size DD won by a mile.
I do hate that we didn't get another DD song though especially since as much as I like the lyrics of Flower of Fate, it's probably the only TogeToge song that's not exactly something you'd play on repeat. Which is...exactly the kind of song they were going for I guess, dang.
I'm hoping they left as many things open as possible on purpose, giving an "ending that is just the beginning" feeling to leave options for sequels.
>They said it themselves before the concert, judging by the audience size DD won by a mile.
Wow, I shouldn't be watching anime first thing when I wake up... (it's 7:30 am here in Japan)
>I'm hoping they left as many things open as possible on purpose, giving an "ending that is just the beginning" feeling to leave options for sequels.
Okay, I can agree with this, since if they do commit to something in S1, it may be too late to change it when making S2. We'll see how others feel about the ending though as more people comment on the thread.
the more I think about the ending and episode the more I like it, despite feeling it was quite sudden at first.
It stayed true to itself until the very end. It was never about the views or making 'popular' music. It was about the love of music and trying to find peace and happiness while making your own path - which the final song really cemented.
Pretty much all band related shows and movies have new bands immediately blowing up and going viral (jellyfish this season is one example), but GBC stayed grounded and emphasized that it's still a long road and fight for their success.
I personally much prefer that because having bands immediately blow up and get all this attention jarringly and unrealistically shifts the tone from 'individual character growth and focus,' to 'band drama while handling success and wanting even more popularity.' That would have been Diamond Dust's story.
But overall, I am just hoping for a S2 and couldn't be happier with this show. It's likely one of my favorites of all time already.
Agreed. It was a bittersweet ending because we as viewers want so badly for them to have all the success possible, but TogeToge was never about making compromises to reach that success like DD did. Their motivation from the start was the exact opposite. While it wasn't the glamorous finish we were hoping for, it was still satisfying to see them stay true to their roots and do things their way.
NGL the whole ending screamed "we'll do an S2 right away if this show does well" to me.
Hope we're getting one though because the show seems to be doing pretty well over there.
> even who won
Did you even watch this episode? lol
They got stomped hard, but stuck to their beliefs and will continue to prove that they weren't wrong, that's the whole message
Looking back, for the last 2 episodes, NinaHina’s back story was closed out very nicely, but it seems the mini arc about TogeToge getting an agency, crashed out while releasing a new single and then resigning just as quickly was not timed well enough and the whole part just whizzed through. I actually think the 103-watch-numbers part can be removed without major problems.
I knew that this mini arc might be important to show off TogeToge’s rock n’ roll spirit, but there was just not enough time to elaborate.
I do wonder though, what if the original plan was to use EP12 to close out the EP11 concert + resolving the NinaHina mystery, then dedicate EP13 to a live show a la MyGO EP12 + epilogue, but Toei ran out of time and (most probably given there were lots of 3D animators complaining on the difficulties with animating GBC and claims they would never come back) people to animate a long performance scene, so some kind of twist has to be added as filler?
> Hmmm, not sure how to feel about this ending.
Yet another show this season I feel could have pivoted slightly in the end with another episode or two to really flesh it out.
I also gave a bit of a 'that's it?' with the ending. It felt like they were deflated as a band and while I know they are in a good place it came off as less than that.
It is the good ending or perhaps I should say the best beginning if one were to take the whole season 1 is prologue of TogeToge. Nina and Hina's rivalry is kinda fun to see and finally the reason for bully finally revealled and it turned out that Nina helped the victim and become the victim herself. Tomo being Tsundere toward is also fun to see and they faced the harsh reality of Music industry. Instead of running away, they faced it head on and stay true to themselves. It's the perfect beginning of the TogeToge band and I hope it get 2nd season...
Overall, this was a great series and I will put it on the shelf of band focused anime like *Bocchi the Rock* and *BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!*. Just goes to show you how insane this genre of anime has been in the last few years. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it was a surprise or sleeper hit (for me at least) since I've been eyeing this one for months ever since I caught wind of ["Ideal Paradox"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Nq0HeJDNY) which then led me to finding out that TOGENASHI TOGEARI was also going to be a part of an anime original project. I will say though that the biggest surprise was the CG animation. The way they were able to express the characters emotions and personality fluidly were some of the best I've ever seen and I would kill for MyGo to receive that same treatment.
The ONLY nitpick I probably had was it being way too coincidental for Hina to be a former close (best?) friend of Nina's from school to then becoming the lead vocalist of Diamond Dust. It felt like something that would've happen or made more sense in the *Love Live* universe... which makes the next tidbit funnier: the director, Kazuo Sakai, was also involved with that series with his most recent work being on *Love Live! Sunshine!!*.
Anyways, I hope with the way the ending was presented to us that it at least leaves the possibility of sequels on the table. Even the scriptwriter [admitted](https://x.com/oitan125/status/1806737201239331214) that our lil' gremlin took too much screen time away from Rupa. That's 1-2 new episodes easily.
My Score: 9.5/10
One last Tomo ribbon corner:
- [just one new ribbon this episode,](https://imgur.com/kqFvC3n) though I really don't know how to describe the ribbon's color itself. Abstract?
[Full album link of Tomo's assortment of ribbons.](https://imgur.com/a/tomo-ribbons-SfUuUJx)
I'm really sad to see this one go. Like, really really sad. And that we didn't end up getting a sequel season right off that direction they went with. Definitely reminiscent of Love Live Sunshine with the direction and totally predictable non-win on TogeToge's part, but that just leaves me wanting more of the show and the girls and their story. AHHHHHHHHH
Also for those that weren't in the know, [the BD1 release of the anime included a new song with it,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKCE-4eDTy8) so enjoy fellow rockers. Off I go to buy more TogeToge merch to hopefully fund a new season
Just blessed to have lived at a time where this, Yorukura and Hibike aired. Whatever order you put em in doesn’t matter. This show changed my life. These girls were just special. The music, the production quality.. just all immaculate. I need more of this franchise, not ready to say goodbye to Nina and the others. This was my Bocchi the rock.
Perfect end to this season, I disagree with the rushed complaints. Especially when you consider this is likely gonna set up a multimedia franchise. They didn’t bring the seiyuu together to form a band just for 12 eps lol.
The only thing I would’ve wanted is that Rupa flashback arc 😭. Momoka never replying to Nina’s love confession didn’t surprise me either. Been a crazy season for Yuribait lol, but there’s a lot of directions they can take it in a gacha game, manga, rhythm game etc etc.
Our girls have always chosen their own path, no way they’d go through with DD’s offer. Win, lose or draw these girls will be true to themselves and follow their dreams. Proud of each and every one of them for staying true to who they are, especially Nina. Yea the first record flopped, but who cares. You dust(pun intended) yourself off and keep going. That’s what brought these girls together in the first place. They don’t know how to quit and that will shine through eventually, I know it.
Leaving the ending result ambiguous is cool with me because honestly it doesn’t matter. The fact they’re on that stage competing with DD after where they started is a victory. They earned the respect of DD, Nakata and I know the fans will appreciate it too. I just wish the final performance went a little longer, but I’m sure it took a TON of time to make since that was absolutely stunning.
Can only speak for what I’ve seen, but this was the best 3D anime ever. Not just music, but in general. I’m glad I got to see it live with all of you. Remember, the only limits are those you set for yourself
[review](https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=529188)
Despite being a long-time lurker of this sub and never commenting, this anime compelled me to do so.
After finishing GBC, here are some of my thoughts of it as a whole.
As someone who played in a high school band (albeit metal), I found that this show portrayed a band that was reminiscent of mine (e.g. group of outcasts, situations where we got on each other's nerves, being obnoxious in public, some members being heavy drinkers). Thus, the band was quite endearing to me.
I especially resonated with Momoka since I left my highschool band for similar, albeit slightly different, (music-related) reasons, and almost quit music after going through a rough patch with it.
Echoing everyone else, the story and animation were phenomenal. I absolutely adored the songs, and I will continue to listen to them on a regular basis. One last note: I wonder if "Ideal Paradox" is about Nina's and Hina's relationship?
Hopefully, a second season happens, since this anime is my AOTS and is too good to not have one, especially with so many loose ends.
Overall, 9.5/10. Massive shoutout to everyone who promoted the show, and u/MapoTofuMan for the fansubs, given the show's non-existant English subs.
Hopefully, we see each other again for the season 2 threads!
[Happy birthday Rupa!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKOGvPYRkH0)
So the whole crux of the Nina/Hina drama (lol I love that those two names rhyme) started with the former trying to help a bullied girl while the latter disapproved and suggested being a "pedestrian" instead. What's interesting is that those two aren't so far off from each other in that they're both self-righteous and thinks what they're doing/have done is right. Great for Nina for refusing the offer since taking it would make her seem like accepting that she's the one at fault and not Hina.
Seeing their pro debut not turning out well is really sad, but I guess it's to be expected. Them beating DD who already in the game for years just isn't realistic and I'm glad that the girls are aware that they still have a long way to go.
As for the ending I feel that this is a good enough stopping point although you could tell that Toei wanted to do more. There show still have more than enough gas to keep going IMO. There's stuff like Rupa's backstory, Momoka facing her old bandmates, and general band-rising-to-fame stuff. Honestly I didn't expect the show to become quite a hit. Engagement on the JP YT channel seems great too and I can see the BDs selling relatively well when they're out. Hope we're getting one because I just wanna see more of these dorks. Got a feeling TogeToge will hold a concert in a few months/next year and announce it there.
That's a wrap for GBC! This being my top series this season wasn't on my cards at all. And it's great to see the show blowing up and getting more attention as it airs. It really deserves it and I hope there's a second season down the line. Thank you Toei, Kazuo Sakai, Jukki Hanada, TogeToge, and everyone else involved for making this wonderful show! Special shout out to u/MapoTofuMan for the weekly speedsubs!
I think them leaving the label was a bit to much (even if in vain with the story). I would have been fine if they just got a losing but decent performance. Evern with DD having 2,5 time audience it would have been not bad. But now I am not sure how S2 will go if they ever make it, to many bridges burned and we are back to square 1 sort of.
Still, I liked the series and I want more of this type of musical anime (I doubt we'll get something metal as a level of Roselia/RaS from Bang Dream is the hardest they can go for mainstream audience) but more band anime made in good 3D with good amount of fully animated performances and decent script is always welcome.
I had taken flight only to disappear
But now i want to stay
I picked a budding bloom, awaiting its flowering
The one who wished for nothingness is just a memory
I am happy to live
For chance put you on my path and thus bloom our flower of destiny
/'\\
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| \* \* \* \* |
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Nina getting Nakata-san's name right was such a nice touch. A lesser show would have had her call him Tanaka-san again as it would basically have been an easy free joke that writes itself. I feel like the decision to respect the seriousness and sincerity of the scene and not take that free joke is emblematic of the care and sincerity that went into this anime.
While good for an episode, this feels kinda lukewarm as far as season finales go, especially after the intensity we've seen in episodes 8 and 11. It finally fully revealed Nina and Hina's history and even had them engage together, but this really felt like the episode *leading up to* a season finale, not the finale itself.
Disregarding calls for s2 (because it's not even hinted at outside of saying "please support us"), I'd say that this finale left me with an unsatisfied feeling. I'll probably rewatch it start to finish as a complete package to see if it feels a little more cathartic in its open-endedness, but as-is the payoff for season-long threads wasn't there for me. We didn't get emphasis during the insert of Nina's guitar playing, and her and Hina's thread resolved rather flatly.
Like everyone else I'm hoping for a s2 not only because I adored this anime and want more, but I also think that GBC badly needs both more room to breathe and also a stronger send-off.
The kiss was bad enough, then they followed it up with the motorcycle/beach confession and small scenes like Kano calling Yoru because she missed hearing her voice. Just plain cruel.
I'm not sure they'll ever make it explicit, maybe only at the very end of a potential sequel - but the way they had Momoka look at Nina in some moments and in general the way they acted after episode 8, even as someone who normally doesn't give a damn about yuri/not yuri, I can't see it *not* being on purpose.
I guess it was fuel for the fanartists to keep the show alive while/if they work on a sequel. The Bocchification of the fandom is already underway.
[](#godisdead)
> but the way they had Momoka look at Nina in some moments and in general the way they acted after episode 8
Them sleeping on eachother in the train car together in last week’s episode, even as just a little background detail as it was… so extraordinarily gay it hurts <3
Compared to many many many shows I've seen lately, this one at the end feels like the start of a media franchise. A lot of plot threads were left dangling (not even the yuri, just like stuff like Tomo/Rupa/Subaru's stories period). They have a stated goal. There is a rivalry. And there is a lot of stuff they can cover in s2 and further seasons, especially since the people behind love live are involved. Which lord does that make so much sense. So bring on s2!
I think it's great we finally got some clarity on what was the reason for the bullying and what role Hina played in the whole situation... she's annoying af also. I love that the song was no magic bullet and felt just like Momoka felt about it in some way. It's their song, it's their story and those are their fans. They enjoy playing and people enjoy listening. We saw how cold blooded is the music business is and how young talents deal with it, how desheartening or how fulfilling can be when they know where are they standing and value themselves.
This anime really was way more than I expected in many ways. I really liked how Nina was written, her whole backstory and the shittyness that comes with that kind of people sorrounding you. And how everybody had their own dramas, like we focused on Nina, but it was not like everybody else had it easy with their decisions in life. The show never brushed off what the rest had to go trough. And the importance of support each other.
Great animation. It's really amazing how much effort the people in the studio put to make such an amazing cgi and expresions on the characters, from the hilarity of Nina's gremlin moments to the more dramatic or quiet ones.
And the music was great. A lot of their songs ended up in my daily playlist to and from work. I reallt hope we can get a second season. Pinkies up!
Nice finale, but as u/Mapotofuman mentioned over in aqradt it's definitely more of a "Season 1 final" rather than a "Series final". If we do get the S2 (which is fortunately more likely than not I would say) then this finale is perfectly fine as a bridge to S2 but if we won't get a S2 it will probably leave a slightly sour taste in my mouth in a year or so, thinking back of the denied Rupa episode and the unresolved DD rivalry and showdown. Also this episode's new song was fucking great, taking my personal 2nd place of TogeToge songs (Wrong Worlds still #1), pushing Emptiness and Catharsis down to 3rd place (the performance of that in ep11 was still the best though).
All things considered, this is easily a 10/10 for me, my AOTS and contender for AOTY. Superb character writing and banter, one of the most entertaining, varied and interesting main casts (#RupaGang), nice OST, great music performances, perfect balance of drama and lighthearted comedy. Only nitpicks for me would be the lack of a Rupa focused episode and Hina/DD getting off scot-free for the pinky theft. Season 2 when.
Also final big thanks to Mapotofuman for doing timely subs for the show, true savior.
One last pigeon for the road
[](#seasonallisten)
That's....A good ending. About what I'd expect of Girls Band Cry. A little idealism in the face of shitty reality; not whitewashing the whole thing. Not the kind of story where all you need is to just work harder, or the power of friendship. It's nice to see it taken a bit more realistically, and just....I really appreciate that it didn't whore them out for fanservice or cutesy shit like a certain other girls band anime did. They're just realistic, cool female characters that don't have to serve otaku fanservice or behave cutely for the sake of cuteness.
I feel satisfied.
Actually, no, I don't, I want to see *more*. There's still a tonne you can do with the character when they have *this much* going on. Everything about Tomo and Rupa is still to play with, you can get a tonne of mileage out of the struggles of their band since they're still on the back foot...I'm sure there's more stories to be told here without having to stretch it out.
Also, I really worry about Rupa. It hasn't really been drawn attention to, but I really do think she's an alcoholic. Feels like every time we see her, she's drinking booze, or about to, or just recently has. And it was in that flashback again, too. I'm sure her smile is a mask. I want to see behind it.
This series has really put Jukki Hanada on my radar. I'll be watching out for his next work. I'm particularly interested in *A Few Moments of Cheers*.
The whole S1 was basically Nina saying 'fuck the world/society, I'm right'. Those who resonated with her joined her, and then they gained an audience of loyal fans.
As they keep playing, their audience will grow as more people get sucked into her story. I really hope we can see them with a bigger audience than DD. It will be hype as fuck when Hina is forced to admit that Nina wasn't wrong :)
Wonderfully written series, I hope this polls in AOTY.
What a fucking experience man. I remember when I first saw the scene of [Momoka playing on the streets](https://youtu.be/qHxx7KHk6jE), the literal impact it had on Nina and bringing color into her life, I was blown away. After that moment, I had a gut feeling that this anime was gonna be something special. Sure enough, I can confidently say that Girls Band Cry is my top 3 (dare I say even top 1). I haven't cried watching an anime in a long time, but Girls Band Cry managed to do that on multiple occasions throughout this journey. I had a fall off with rock and metalcore music as I got older, but watching GBC and Bocchi really reignited my love of the genre. Let's pray for more GBC in the future everyone.
I gotta admit, I’d heard mixed reviews following the finale. I was prepared for this show to somehow fumble the ending, maybe have random drama crop up or something.
But not only did they not botch it, they nailed it, and gave the perfect amount of drama to make it satisfying and emotional. I know they were a bit on the nose with it but I love the theme of not giving in, not admitting defeat, sticking to your beliefs, and even though there are *several* instances where Nina is clearly in the wrong, I love her unmitigated ability to stand up for herself.
This was pretty much a perfect show, start to finish, and even if it doesn’t get a second season I’m thoroughly satisfied that we got what we got.
I LOVE YOU HINA-SAMA! YOU'RE THE GREATEST ONE HINA-SAMA! STEP ON ME HINA-SAMA! <3
Now, with that out of the way. I didn't know anything about this project before I started watching the anime, I came across it by chance shortly after episode 2 was released and I started watching it without much expectations, just something to distract myself while waiting for Ave Mujica. Now I can say without a doubt this is the best Girls Band anime I watched.
The first thing that stood up to me is that the characters have actual lives, struggles, and stories outside of the band itself. In other music animes the band is the source of all the conflict and drama and everything else in the lives of the characters, here we have girls with actual lives and real conflicts with the band stuff being more of a vehicle to express themselves than the whole center of their lives (this is not a stab at any other girls band anime, just something that differentiates GBC from the rest).
About the characters, they're more like real people than anime characters. The way they talk and interact with each other is more natural than in any other show in the genre (at least any show I've watched, that's for sure). They're all likeable to me, not just TogeToge and DD, but all the other characters in the show (except the faceless bully, the school staff, and Tomo's former band mates).
The tone of the show is great. The drama is well written and realistic, there's always enough comedy to keep it enjoyable even in the roughest parts, and the payoff scenes were genuinely heartwarming (Nina's reconciliation with her family made me feel things no anime managed to make me feel in years).
There was no Momonina kiss in the end, that was somehow expected and disappointing at the same time, weird.
Finally, a certain aspect from the show that I'd like to comment on, the performances. I'm not talking about the music (which is great by the way, both the songs and the BGMs) but the on-stage performances. Nina is the queen of the stage, she moves all over the stage, she looks at the crowd, she conveys her emotions through her movements and expressions, not just her singing (which is also very expressive and awesome).
I'm sure there's a lot of things I'm leaving out of this comment, I could write a whole essay on everything I love about Girls Band Cry. Best girls band anime ever for me, I will follow everything this franchise brings us in the future.
Thought they landed the ending much better than Jellyfish. The 13th episode gave them some breathing room, and they didn't try to resolve all the plot threads and character arcs in 25 minutes.
* I like how Nina was basically in the right but got got punished for it anyway - depressingly realistic!
* I thought Hina's attempted reconciliation with Nina was kinda sweet. Felt like she played up the whole arch-rival thing to get a chance to talk to her again lol
* I know this isn't really a GL series but: Hina x Nina
* Fingers crossed for season 2! Credit to the writer/s for ending it in a satisfying way that still leaves some plot threads open
Hina was not as nasty as i thought, but man she's still really unlikable lol
I think there's still a lot left can be done for this show. The band still has a lot to grow, we still haven't explored everyone's stories. I'll take that ending being open by intention for more in the future.
TogeToge is definitely on my list of artists now. I hope to see more song from them, and hopefully, another season of anime too.
edit: it's also odd how i can now see why the song didn't get popular. It's rather different from other songs they have played in the shows. I tried listening to it again on YouTube, and despite liking a lot of their songs, this is not one of them. Still, that's the song they wanted to make, so i guess that's true to the show as well.
My surprise of the season for sure. Ah man I don't want to say goodbye my weekly dose of Nina nad and Togenashi Togeari to end....
I'm really glad they made it so realistic about the stuggles in the music world. That's one thing I wish other band animes I watched before explore more, and I like that GBC did it. I'm also glad that they chose to be indie again, though I really like Miura-san and she was a really good manager
Also happy to see Nina said that she did not have any regrets. She has found a place where she belongs to now. My little gremlin has come so far...
>Please become the witnesses of our beginning!
Hope it's really the beginning. Toei, announce season 2 pls, I really want to see Nina beating Hina so bad, and short-haired Subaru too!
As of now, Girls Band Cry has jumped in MAL score by quite a number. 8.47, making it the **2nd** highest score of Spring 2024 TV animes in MAL, only losing to Hibike Euphonium. What a ride for an anime that initially started with a 7.
I hate how they made Hina a "friendly rival" type character. She turned a blind eye to the bullying of her own friend, and cut her out of her life. then she has the fucking gall to say she was right in doing so after Nina QUIT SCHOOL. I really don't think this anime (and a lot of people who watch it) understands how fucked up that situation is, and how morally bankrupt Hina is as a character. Bullying of that magnitude can easily lead to someone's life being ruined, or even suicide. I can understand where she initially came from in saying that, but her acting on what she said is unforgivable. Of all the times from Nina to NOT meltdown about something this has to be the worst possible time.
This show is still amazing, but this episode was pretty bad.
G&L Tribute Series ASAT® CLASSIC sales after this episode: 📈📈📈
[Used-market after 3 months](https://www.reddit.com/r/BocchiTheRock/comments/154nyzj/lines_of_used_guitars_similar_to_bocchis_model/): 📈📈📈
I think this ending was perfect.
In the end momoka was what drew everyone together. Hina didn't offer to help togetoge with the intent of offering up a bridge to Nina, it was because she wanted to reach out to Momoka.
Bands that sell out do get big immediately and become a flash in the pan. Usually rock bands that don't sell out get organic growth and last for far longer.
Though I absolutely adore the new song, it has a much stronger rock vibe (even a little punk). it really underscores the difference between idol rock and actual rock.
Well, I have a lot of mixed emotions about this ending. Mainly, Nina and Momoka's relationship never really developed after that confession. With that said, I still find it a fitting ending for a first season, here's hoping they will have another one. This is definitely my anime of the season, maybe the year. I will miss my band of gremlins and alcoholics. See you all if we come back!!
What's the frigging point of putting the finale on Valentines day if they aren't going to acknowledge it.
Annoying, but they left the show open enough for a season 2 at least
I hope this gets a sequel. They left a lot open for more stories to be told.
That being said, I loved this so much! It checked all the notes, even made me a bit emotional. I was here since episode 1 and I'm so glad the community did their best to make sure it didn't get swept under the bridge during a pretty crowded season. I hope GBC makes all the money in the world. Everyone involved in making this happen deserves it.
Eh, as far as final episodes go, this was ok. The final song didn't wow me like the others but it was still good
I wonder what will happen to all the other banger Togetoge songs that weren't used for the anime
_**Huffs copium**_
Maybe they are saving them for a 2nd season?
I'm gonna miss this anime so much. It was the one thing I looked forward to the most after a long week of work
This is it, the episode where TogeToge steps on stage to show DiaDust what they're made of.
-The context behind what led to Nina and Hina's friendship falling apart (and Nina being bullied in the first place) has now been fully disclosed. Nina witnessed a girl being harassed by a group of bullies and wanted to help her, but Hina refused to support her on this issue, firmly believing that trying to stand up for a bully victim would only serve to give the bullies a new target, and that it would be best to just let the issue run its course, as this is solely the victim's problem, not Nina's. Of course, Nina decided to stick up for the girl anyway, and she paid dearly for it. To make matters worse, the girl she was trying to protect decided to join in on Nina's harassment under duress, before ultimately urging her to apologize to the bullies just to put an end to it.
I fully understand wanting to help someone who is being bullied for seemingly unjustified reasons, but I think there were far less risky ways to go about it that *didn't* involve taking the full brunt of the harassment. If I were her, I would've tried notifying a school staff member first.
-I was expecting a fakeout coming into this episode in regards to the song's view count, but that was not the case. Even though the song's view count may have increased significantly with time, it still fell some ways short of what the band was expecting. To make matters worse, less than half of TogeToge's concert tickets were sold, amounting to just approximately 30% of Club Citta's capacity. Miura confirmed these issues with the band, and she blames herself for not promoting the song properly.
-Subaru apparently figured out Momoka's feelings on where the blame lies. Since Miura mentioned the fact that TogeToge's name is performing well statistically on search results, Momoka believes that their song failed to sell on its own merits. No one knows for sure of course, but she did hammer home the message in episode 8 that a song that can earn the respect of critics does not necessarily translate to a song that can appeal to the general public (or even your own fanbase).
-To Nina's surprise, Hina came forward to meet up outside a cafe. The reason? Because Miura decided to negotiate with DiaDust's agency in favor of back-to-back performances for both bands on both days, in order to create a fairer contest and make up for the lack of ticket sales on TogeToge's end. However, there was a catch: If Nina were to accept this offer from DiaDust, she would have to forfeit her strongest ideals and live with the idea that Hina was in the right from the beginning.
Hina should be called "Ms. Pragmatism" from here on out, because she *clearly* doesn't hold morals in high regard when it comes to perceiving right and wrong.
-The rest of the band doesn't view it the same way though. In fact, they're fully onboard with the idea of playing for the same crowd as DiaDust. Momoka has other reasons too; aside from the *vastly* underperforming ticket sales, the band has to cover for expenses brought on by things like self-produced advertisements and merchandise. To Nina though, accepting the proposal would play into DiaDust's hands and set a bad precedent for the band. Putting the Hina issue aside, by asking the opposing band for help, Miura pretty much set TogeToge up to surrender before the battle even reached its climax.
Nina probably already has enough justification to reject the proposal, but there's also something else I'd like to consider: If the news of this proposal were to go public, it likely would've given off the message that TogeToge was riding on DiaDust's coattails, and I doubt any band wants that kind of stigma attached to them.
-Nina's table top tantrum shred moment was pretty funny.
-It's nice to know that Tomo recognized that Nina *was* wrong (in a sense) when it came to how she handled the bullying situation, and that her refusal to admit it is part of why she's drawn to her.
-So after some consideration, TogeToge not only agreed to reject the proposal, but also break contract with the agency... I dunno man. I get that TogeToge is trying to show that they don't need any outside help to sustain themselves, but cutting away from the one company that's willing to help them push and sell whatever music they want to make just doesn't feel right nor necessary.
-Earlier in the episode, Nina saw a bunch of comments berating TogeToge for picking a fight with DiaDust. After DiaDust's concert however, social media opinion became more favorable towards TogeToge. I wonder what caused that to happen. Was it something that Hina said during that concert?
-Looks like Hina (and some other Diamond Dust member) decided to play mind games in the dressing room.
(will add more tomorrow)
> If I were her, I would've tried notifying a school staff member first.
I mean, if you think back to the meeting between Nina, her dad, and the school principal, I think that shows that it wouldn't really have helped. I think another good fictional perspective on bullying in Japanese schools is the second half of the second season of March Comes in Like a Lion, which really forcefully makes the point that Japanese teachers and school administrators cannot be relied upon to deal with bullying effectively, and will in some cases turn on whistleblowers to protect themselves from the bullies (and their parents). Social pressure in a shame-based society is an irresistible force.
I really do understand the people who judge Hina for her coldness, but I also really do feel that there is a real, hard truth in that part of the story – her advice to Nina is _cold_, and I can't condemn Nina for ignoring it, but after things played out more or less the way Hina said they would, it's hard to ignore the fact that she was _right_. Given the way the rest of the episode plays out, it does seem that she was earnestly trying to keep Nina out of trouble, even if that ended up being callous in its dismissal of the bullied girl's suffering. And in the end, did anyone benefit from Nina's intervention? You could maybe argue that the author put his thumb on the scale in a very Japanese way, but I don't feel that way (and this isn't too dissimilar to a way that Haneda-sensei handled a similar situation in _A Place Further Than the Universe_ – I am so thankful that I did not have to go through being an adolescent girl in Japan).
I like that the show doesn't try to soften Hina's portrayal too much – she's just as inflexible and self-righteous as Nina, just in a less overtly sympathetic direction. She's kind of a bitch and she's inflexible and uncompromising, but she's not acting out of malice or spite. Realistically, the two of them probably aren't going to be friends again, but that doesn't mean that either of them is going to be rooting for the other to fail.
This is a show where Merch and DVD/Bluray sales matter. and its future solely relies on profit.
Especially given that for some reason this wasn’t officially licensed in the West.
Finally over! What a great show... though the ending wasn't that climactic, it feels like it is an open ending that perhaps one day they could continue the story on.
Let's hope Togetoge releases more songs after this show is over... and perhaps we'll get another season? 🙏🙏🙏
Edit: I listened to the full song, and omg the complete song is so much more amazing compared to the clip that's shown in the episode: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Nz-MAr3YPEA
I think Nina was morally right and Hina was objectively right. I think the average person knows the right thing to do is to help but also knows in this context helping would mean a whole lot of shit going to you too.
Maybe last two eps felt kinda rushed and underwhelming but didn’t really go to shit. Overall though I did thoroughly enjoy it. There were some raw, emotional moments and also silly fun moments. But most of all, this show gave me Rupa
I loved the dynamics and the closures I got on Hina's character. The few eps back when I watched, I kept wondering how come Hina's being painted bad, when we have not seen anything wrong? And now it made sense. Nina's quite stubborn and righteous. I do love how she adheres to her principles despite being weak, and that's something Hina could not. Hina's more realistic; she sees her capabilities, and does not want to create unnecessary problems for herself. But Nina could not let it go, and for that, I'm quite happy that she has now friends who would side with her. None of the decisions that she made in the past few days were bright, rather they were all moralistically right. And her teammates decided to support her instead of 4v1ing her.
On the other side, it also made me happy to see that Nina also finally realized that Hina also loved DD. And that the band didn't belong to her alone. And to go further, i was also happy that Hina's also quite secretly pushing Nina forward. She even had told Nina about the auditions! And above all, Hina's prank on her was the cherry on top in this episode. Imagine even Tomo finding it funny!
I think it was a great last ep for the season. It summed up the season quite well, answered a lot of questions, hinted towards many other, and yet made us yearn for the future episodes through their realistic writing! I would say definitely the best anime of this season for me!
And that's it! For now at least, for Girls Band Cry.
It felt right for this show to end on such a high emotional note, with TogeToge withdrawing from the agency and going solo and re-affirming their beliefs on why they started the band in the first place. Nina really is the heart and soul of their group, regardless of their complaints about her. She just has this insane charisma that makes you want to see how far she can go, and like Tomo said, its the reason Momoka, her, Subaru and Rupa joined the band.
I'm sure all 4 wanted to accept the proposal and play on the same day as DiaDust but that is not something prideful Nina would want. That is not what Togenashi Togeari is about.
There's really not much to say honestly, other than the new song and Nina improving enough to play the guitar on stage! It comes full circle all the way from the first episode when Momoka tried gifting her guitar to Nina. Proud of our chaotic gremlin! Also they would never admit it, but Hina and the rest of Diamond Dust are probably TogeToge's biggest fans lol
Now for their new song "I'm Here", while it wasn't as explosive and cinematic as Emptiness (Void) and Catharsis, it works absolutely perfectly as kind of an encore song. It's a song that comes full circle all the way from Nina meeting Momoka and to where TogeToge stands now. Very inspiring and somewhat romantic lyrics too, with the part: "I dedicate the rest of my life singing with you" with past Momoka looking at her previous band-mates, then cuts right into the performance with Momoka looking at Nina (you ain't fooling anyone girlie lol)
"Pain and Suffering, Scars I hated it all" while the scene of Rupa grieving hit me like a truck. I swear the director wants to break our hearts every second they can, because goddamn these cuts are amazing. Another amazing cut was the scene of Nina listening to DiaDust in the school rooftop, and finally showing the other half of that picture with Hina listening as well, and IN THAT MOMENT, Nina realized that Hina didn't "steal" her song, because it both of their song all along.
If Emptiness (Void) and Catharsis was Nina's song, I'm Here is definitely Momoka's song. It's simple message of being glad not to have given up in their chosen path, because in doing so, she was able to meet her flower of fate (Nina and TogeToge) and together they have all bloomed. Compared to before where she wanted to retire and disappear, now Momoka wants to sing with Nina until the end of their road.
Like Nina said, "You are all rebels who go against the grain, and I love you all for it!!, Please witness our beginning!"
Here's hoping for a season 2!
Girls cry, men cry, we are just a crying band.
As always, a fantastic episode. Nina got to be one of the most intriguing lead in a while. Usually, situations like hers are portrayed, understandably so, by having people give up and give in, but Nina stood up and focused her frustrations and anger into her singing and moving forward, and for that, I think her a fantastic character. The growth she had in this season is 11/10.
Of course, all the other members are proper fun themselves, from Subaru's cheeky trolling to Momoka's cool that hides her inner demons.
I'm glad I picked up this show that fell under the radar in the beginning as it has become my favorite this season by a large margin, even above beloved sequels and remakes, exciting adaptation of well-know manga, and other great originals.
There is enough crumbs for a sequel, so there's hoping for More Girl's Band Cry or Girl's Band Cry More.
**I don't think the ending was rushed.**
The ending did exactly what it needed to, which is emphasize the fact that Togenashi Togeari lost. Their stubbornness lost them this battle, but just like Nina's backstory, they'll continue on and make the best of the path they've chosen.
The audience is supposed to feel a tinge of dissatisfaction because that's exactly what the girls are feeling after their loss. However, **the war with Diamond Dust isn't over yet.** The finale emphasizes the fact that you can't win every battle, and that's okay. What matters is getting back on your feet and making the most of it.
What did I learn from this? Nina is culturally bad at being Japanese.
But she's not wrong!
She stayed a pain in the ass beginning to end, I'm so proud of her.
Ever seen those reels like "5 things you should NOT do in Japan"? It's just GBC Nina highlights
this is the lesson of it all
An ending worthy of what Girls Band Cry was for 13 episodes, it's even a little difficult to explain everything I felt watching it. I still remember to this day the first episode where I looked at it and said: This looks incredible, I hope it continues to impress me, and look, it impressed me much more. I think that in the end, Nina understood that Hina cared about her, particularly I'm much more on Nina's side in this story, because my sense of justice also prevails and I don't think it's fair for you to criticize a good action and in the end say: I warned you, but again, it was a matter of concern, they were younger at that time and a rupture in the friendship was necessary for each one to evolve. But what really made me happy was seeing these 5 very different girls following their dreams and putting friendship first, they love each other and show it with concern and affection, just as all friendships should be. Although it's difficult, I hope for a second season or an OVA, thank you for the excellent show ☝🏻
Such a genuinely treasurable show. It realy would be a shame if we don't see more of these characters (and their voices and their songs). I really am going to miss their music and their antics. I wonder -- is it possible that this will eventually get (belated) western distribution? Hina and Nina had a disagreement. While Nina FELT abandoned, Hina did not actually betray her in any fashion (but showed a fair amount of concern that Nina was going to hurt herself). Hina clearlty was (in her own way) rooting for Nina and TogeToge...
u/MapoTofuMan MVP of the season. Worked hard to give us quality subs for this beautiful show🙏🙏🙏
Glad you enjoyed them enough to stick with them! Keeping weekly discussions alive was pretty much the only goal in mind given that a large fansub group is already working on this, so I'm happy it was achieved. ~~^(P.S, partial credit to AQRADT regulars who may or may not have had me trapped in a basement making sure I don't escape mid-episode)~~
> ~~P.S, partial credit to AQRADT regulars who may or may not have had me trapped in a basement making sure I don't escape mid-episode~~ You’re welcome lol, truly earned yourself some fresh air now. [](#kannathumbs)
~~Someone watched Shirobako lol.~~
We congratulate you
I second this Also, for providing reference material in the episode discussion threads throughout the course of the show
are they Nakayubi? I really hope they, or another fansubber, picks up Dededede
Dededede already has a group I think. For now I'll be on standby in case one of the 10+ Summer romcoms I'm waiting for gets kidnapped by the French. [](#elves)
Sadly the two groups that have come out with releases are just light re-edits of the awful dubtitles script. The dialogue for Dededede is pretty important so it's a shame to see it treated so poorly by CR. As much as I appreciate those working hard to treat this show with respect, you unfortunately can't polish a turd. Hopefully you'll consider picking it up if the anime you're looking forward next season all get properly subbed
Yeah, I praise the work of the Nakayubi group. Certainly feels more seemless and grounded translations! Well done!
search 4de on the cat site
best sub person!
Sad that TogeToge didn't sell more tickets but like one Hitori Gotoh once said, "Is it really rock if it's sung by life's winners?" Rock is for the underdogs. We now have pretty much the full story about why Nina was bullied, and yeah, fuck that school and fuck the bystander effect. Nina did nothing wrong. That said, Hina seems to think that Nina is at her best when she's annoyed so she's likely to keep fucking with her from time to time. Hoping for a season two and short hair Subaru.
> Hina seems to think that Nina is at her best when she's annoyed She's right tbh...
A hedgehog needs its spines after all.
bruh the itachi treatment
[Yoshino Aoyama](https://x.com/Yopipi555/status/1806738911378497921) - a.k.a. the real one behind *the* Bocchi-chan - is tweeting to urge us to watch Girls Band Cry. There's every reason for her to do so as her hometown is in Kumamoto Prefecture - the same as Nina! That makes yet another Girls Band Crossover after members of BanG Dream came out in support of GBC (especially [the one behind MyGO's Raana-chan covered a GBC song some weeks ago!](https://x.com/aoki__hina/status/1787405773242327343)).
There's also Natsu (Tomo's VA) covering one of MyGo!!!'s songs.
I hope MyGO covers a GBC song one day.
[Ah yes, it's here!](https://x.com/natsu_togetoge/status/1788161930256961972)
a few bocchi people are shilling gbc tbh (kerorira, bocchis chara-de is another, and sayumi suzushiro iirc is also watching it).
[Add My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU‘s author Wataru Watari to the list](https://x.com/watariwataru/status/1806742580367167518) - he even bought the BDs!
Kinda ironic considering that Nari, the character designer of Girls Band Cry, [used to draw a lot of OreGairu fanart](https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/51275211).
It would help if we had a legal goddamn stream. I constantly see posts on NA Twitter despite not being licensed
> It would help if we had a legal goddamn stream. I constantly see posts on NA Twitter despite not being licensed At this point, the best we can pray for is ADN does what they did with Pon no Michi, which also had no NA streaming license, and upload them to Youtube
I'm honestly surprised that Muse or Ani-One didn't pick this up -- this would've been perfect midweek fodder for those channels.
The music business is a tough one. It sucks the girls didn’t make it big off their video but it’s realistic too. Beating DD was always gonna be an uphill battle. I’m glad the girls decided to stick it out and keep trying. They have an audience, even if it’s not quite the size of DD’s fanbase. Hearing about what happened with Nina in the past was pretty upsetting. No good deed goes unpunished huh? I think she made the right call regardless. It just sucks everyone else involved in that situation was kind of shit. Really solid series overall. Good music, fun characters, and the story wasn’t half bad either. Damn shame it never got official English subs. I wonder if we’ll ever get more or if this is a “one and done” type series?
Jukki Hanada, the scriptwriter, tweeted a couple weeks ago that anime originals like these depend on merch sales since there’s no source material sales to fall back on, and basically hinted that a second season would be dependent on how well sales do. There was also a twitter thread summarizing a recent Toei shareholders meeting, where they said they’ve been surprised about the reception of GBC (particularly in China and in the west), and that they’d explore more options for the IRL band moving forward
I’m glad folks are recognizing how good this series was. Hopefully that translates to a possible new season or something. If there’s merch, I’d happily buy it. Just haven’t seen anything related to this so far.
The GBC EN fan account has a good guide on sites that ship merch internationally. https://x.com/girlsbandcryen/status/1805951101637972112?s=46&t=z7VZ4rgGxbjgCwgtLVTxUw Edit: Here’s the retailer links for people who can’t see the thread https://www.amiami.com/eng/search/list/?s_originaltitle_id=34244 https://www.amazon.co.jp/s?k=%E3%82%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BA%E3%83%90%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4&crid=3ITVJU408M0OC&sprefix=%2Caps%2C572&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_2_0_recent https://www.animate.shop/search?type=product&options%5Bprefix%5D=last&options%5Bunavailable_products%5D=last&q=girls+band+cry https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/searchuni?term.media_format=&q=Girls+Band+Cry
Of course they're surprised it got any reception in the west, somehow NONE of the streaming services thought it was worth licensing. Amazon and Netflix each picked up a golf show recently and nobody wanted this? The only possible explanation is widespread anti-CG sentiment, so everyone be sure to downvote those 'people' into oblivion from now on, okay? Yes, even after the bullying stuff in this episode I will still say that. IDK this doesn't feel like it should be over 😭
Agree. I said last week making it CGI isnt cheap. But if you compare to Sanzigen and Orange which refine their CGI down to 2D style, especially Orange, that takes extra extra budget and much more work to do. Same for Sanzigen especially with their D4DJ work. So overall I'm pretty glad the community has rallied around GBC. It really is an underdog of a show giving the double pinkie to the established studios!
It was honestly really refreshing *not* seeing some band related media showing the band immediately blowing up and having instant success... especially when the whole point of the band is doing the music they want and not 'pop mainstream' music
If you like this you should watch Beck. It's an early 2000 anime but sort of the same premise with similar struggles.
Not the person you responded to but YES. I LOVE Beck. One of my fav shows of all time. I was honestly a little shocked how TogeToge got an agency already and was expecting more Band RV struggles like the ED showed. Them leaving the agency was something I appreciated
Yeah the music not being "mainstream style" is pretty much a big reason why their new song wasn't a breakout hit. Quality is subjective of course but the engineer dude seemed to love it. If they want success they can look at DD who got most of their creative freedom stripped out and made to pump out hits all the time lol.
Right, they could have easily “sold out” so to speak and made music with just a general popular appeal or made songs that meant something to them. They chose the latter, which means it’ll take some time to build up that fanbase and hit those DD numbers. The engineer dude was cool. He even told ‘em to look him up one of these days and he’ll work on their stuff for free.
basically he just told them yall got my respect and attention lol
When no one else besides their manager was really sayin it. Dude’s cool in my book.
There is [this comment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwdXJv_gMQM&lc=Ugyt4DUEuuh0h-6bupl4AaABAg) from youtube that really explained well about why the song didn't make a hit. Google translated below: > It makes sense why the number of views for this song didn't increase in the series. As viewers, we're watching the drama behind Togetoge and we hear this song as an insert song in the final episode, so we think it's a great song, but I think in the world of the series they're probably thinking, "What's wrong with suddenly releasing such a bright song?". > The fact that they released their first major song, which is in a completely different direction from the songs that had gotten buzz up until then, because they thought it was their favorite, makes their reason for "leaving the agency to prove they weren't wrong" all the more convincing. The songs that appear aren't just for production, but function as a proper part of the story, and I really like this about Girls Band Cry.
You know what ? That guy is totally right. I did absolutely feel like I was listening to a Poppin Party song with the first piano chords, and especially the outro that felt straight out of a super upbeat classic rock bop. It felt out of place, but I never connected the dots with the previous songs and what it meant in the context of the anime and the overall progression of their musical journey.
Lol same. And especially that it's a very bright, "rock" piano sound and it's used in a very percussive manner, which to me is typical of this more upbeat rock thing. I was surprised at this song but I guess it makes sense.
yeah i didn't like this song as much as some of their previous ones, though obviously the lyrical content is great with context
Such a great performance! It felt like the Diamond Dust performance in Episode 11. Can I make a safe guess its the same director? The one who also directs Bang Dream's Roselia MVs (as stated in episode 11)? My only gripe is its the standard insert song length, rather than the whole song. Wish they dropped the EP credits so we could have got a whole song performance for the finale!
The flashback at the beginning and then their meeting at the cafe, I know she didn't have bad intentions but damn Hina, bragging much are we!? What an unpleasant person. Also, I apologize but I didn't quite understand what Nina meant when she realized that DD's song also belonged to Hina. I kind of expected the ending to be open given the nature of the Togenashi Togeari project, I just hope the project continues to be popular enough to have a season 2 (buy merch, people!), all I know is that all of this left me wanting more. Overall it was a great anime that I thorougly enjoyed. \-- I'm going to praise Toei Animation again for the masterful use of 3DCG and general animation, I'm always skeptical of 3D anime but GBC managed to hook me on the first few minutes of the first episode. The fluid 3D mixed with very expressive animation was the selling point. Finally, [here](https://i.imgur.com/zc9hmS3.png) is what scriptwriter Jukki Hanada had to say about his work on Girls Band Cry.
I feel like I may get raked over coals for this given some of the responses I've seen, but I don't dislike Hina. Since Ep5 she's been playing the heel and was the main motivator for Nina's rivalry with Diamond Dust, but she wasn't ever shown to be an awful person. It's just that Nina is so uncompromising in her morals and sense of justice that few can live up to her standards. "It always makes me feel like I'm the bad guy" - Hina. When Momoka was talking with Nina about Diamond Dust and their choice to compromise, even she said "it's not something you can blame them for". Hina fits that role just the same when it came to the bullying. I mean it's scary. Nina got injured and ended up dropping out of school because of it. Can all of you honestly say you'd make the same choice as Nina in her situation? Hina knows what's right and what's wrong, but she's not perfect and can't always make the most selfless choices. And Hina definitely doesn't dislike Nina, on the contrary I think she puts her on a pedestal. She knows Nina did the right thing even if she couldn't do it herself. The few times we saw Hina smile in the whole show was in Ep8 when Nina was going off with her self-righteous attitude, and again in Ep13 after Nina wouldn't compromise and give in to her relying on Diamond Dust. She likes seeing how defiant Nina is because it's something she can't be herself. TogeToge is full of idealists while Diamond Dust is comprised of realists, but I don't think that's reason enough to hate them or Hina
Damn, what a great analysis.
Thank you for your insightful analysis, I suppose Hina came off a little too brusque for me in the heat of the moment and "unpleaseant" was all I could think.
I think it’s pretty clear that these are two headstrong girls not willing to back down, and it was always pretty apparent that the Diamond Dust girls were never malicious. I like the way it played out; even though Nina was pretty upset the first half of the episode, I’m ultimately glad that Hina didn’t apologize.
Totally agree. I would go so far that DD is comprised of realists who totally admire and support the crazy idealists of TogeToge. ;-) Why would we dislike Hina and the rest of that group. ;-)
Everyone wants to be Nina until they're the ones getting the shit kicked out of them. Hina knew what fights to pick, and she chose not to fight one she didn't think she could win. Nina has the character we all love to root for. She isn't the character most people *are*. Hina is. I think that's a big part of why people dislike her. No one likes a mirror. Most people aren't going to throw hands for a rando, especially not outnumbered. Everyone wants to think they would though. Everyone wants to be a hero.
It isn’t even just Nina’s sense of justice, but Nina is determined that she be acknowledged for being in the right and handles it very poorly when she isn’t. Yes, Nina wants to do the right thing. But she also wants credit for doing so.
she realized it meant a lot for Hina as well. Hina was at the end of the day, trying to do what she thought was best for Nina by telling her to not bother, it's Japan. She herself was scared shitless too. That's why she was smiling at her and everything. She cares and was giving Nina that push to follow through because it isn't like her to ask for help or beg. She's a person of action. Not a 'belong' but they listened to the music together. She loved it too
Hina and Nina are two sides of the same coin: both way too stubborn and self-righteous. It was pretty frustrating watching the two of them talk past each other. GBC doesn't want to say that either TogeToge or Diamond Dust are wrong, just that they're different approaches for different people. But, fuck, I need a season 2 for some real closure between Nina and Hina.
I love it, I was already feeling this show could do no wrong, but having them give a nice wrap up to Nina and Hina’s “fight” in such a satisfying way was the icing on the top. I feel like I don’t even need real closure, at this point I’m just happy to see them continue to battle it out.
Even the writer recognizes the loss of greatness that a Rupa episode would bring. All the more reason to pray for a season 2!
Yea, it’s a great sign he even acknowledged himself that a Rupa focused episode was like the last missing puzzle piece. When we get a season 2, chances are even better then, that he’ll get back to that and deliver that Rupa ep.
I think it is the best decision that GBC writer could've gone. Jellyfish went for opposite direction and ending suffered because of it.
> I just hope the project continues to be popular enough to have a season 2 (buy merch, people!) Genuinely am strongly considering busting out whatever old Buyee or whatever account I have and going on an official JP GBC merch surf. This series lit a fire under me and I want to do whatever I can to help it succeed and let TogeToge’s story continue, even and especially if that’s an uphill battle.
one of the best screenwriters in the biz. his name was one of the reasons i inititally gave this show a chance despite the cgi ness (which was great) and licensing issues....
Momoka inferred before the performance that Hina's bragging was intended to trigger Nina's reverse psychology. Though against her pragmatism, Nina's edgy stubbornness fascinates her.
I liked how they went about in the finale. Sure it didn't end off in a bang in them beating Diamond Dust. But I loved the grounded approach here. They simply were true to themselves and the music. Which was the point of them getting together. It will be a longer road to success, but staying true to their music unlike Diamond Dust. Really them beating DD is them getting close to their fame without selling out. I think it is pretty easy to dislike Hina. I liked what they did here. They simply showed that Hina and Nina are two peas in the same pod, with the difference Nina is idealistic and Hina is a realist. In the flashback Nina's morals couldn't let some kid get bullied and just watched it. Meanwhile, Hina was like you know they are just going to bully you instead. She was right, but the most fucked up thing was that the bullied girl ended up bullying Nina. Hina reaching out to Nina was surprising. We get Hina wanting Nina to admit that she was right. Of course that wasn't going to happen. But as the other girls pointed that Hina still cares for Nina as a rival and while she won't admit it, but also a friend. She knows Hina well and her giving her the full truth of how their agency requested DD's help was Hina being considerate without showing it. I get the feeling that Hina admires the idealistic nature Nina has, which is partly why she teases her. Hina and Nina's relationship isn't as simple as rivals or friends. It's somewhere in between. But just like how the 5 girls stayed true to themselves, so did Nina in saying she didn't regret what she did. She finally realized that DD's music also reached out to Hina. This was great. High drama a lot of the time, but it handled them well. Overall I give this a 9/10 and hope we get a S2 because there is a lot of potential in this as a long-running series.
>Hina reaching out to Nina was surprising. We get Hina wanting Nina to admit that she was right. Of course that wasn't going to happen. I saw someone else speculating that she knew damn well Nina wouldn't agree, and didn't want her too. That she likes and even admires how Nina defiant is, and knew that pushing her buttons was the way to really light a defiant fire under her ass.
by "someone" do you mean Momoka straight up saying that to her before they went on stage lol
The [random salaryman](https://imgur.com/a/k2C16T1) stumbling upon Nina's angst one last time lmao, may you know peace for now. I really like how grounded the story is right through to the end. It's been an uphill and painful battle for Nina all this time, she knows full well how 'money, responsibility, popularity' trample people and yet she's never regretted saving that bullied kid from the pain. Her grabbing Momoka's guitar and pouring it out was pretty hype.
[They better give me Season 2 after the ED teased me like that...](https://imgur.com/a/I4BJtB1)
No please... Even if she looks nice in this picture, Subaru is great with her long hair. And we already have 3 short haired girls in the band.
One of the others can grow theirs out. Long ponytail Nina
8.47 on MAL and the scores are still rising. This positive reception is largely due to our brilliant screenwriter Jukki Hanada (the same dude who is most remarkably known for his work for Steins gate and Hibike Euphonium) . Moreover, when Yoshino Aoyama (Bocchi's VA) tweeted about gbc exactly 4-5 hours ago, you know it's a case of legend recognizing legend. While episode 13 didn't have much going on, the finale felt like the beginning of something great. The new song might be underwhelming for some, but I thought its brighter feel was a perfect closure for the finale. I don't care i will consume whatever that Momoka composed. Fingers crossed hoping the actual band achieves thriving success and them selling million copies of album and merchandises to fund season 2. This anime truly was an ABSOLUTE CINEMA experience.
>8.47 on MAL and the scores are still rising. 9 hours later, 8.49. Up and up they go!
It's the highest-rated 3d anime on MAL, beating out Land of the Lustrous. Considering how biased against 3d anime MAL is, an 8.49 is a phenomenal score.
And now it's truly joever. [](#toradorasalute) Random thoughts : * Yeah, screw Hina. I can't say that I'd be like Nina, willing to take on a group of bullies alone just to save someone I don't even know - but not doing that with a friend to back you up, and outright telling them you'll ditch them if they do it? Ooof. With friends like that, who needs bullies... * Their talk with Miura was painful. Both because it hurts to see Miura, who genuinely supports them and loves their music, be put in this position - and because Momoka's probably right about the song being the problem. It's not some magical song that went viral because plot, she stayed true to herself but ended up with a song that just wasn't the kind of thing that gets popular. * Damn, DiaDust have vans with their music running around? I guess they have more money to throw out the window than Miura-san... * Nina yelling at Twitter critics was relatable. Never look at Twitter comments on anything controversial if you want to stay sane, much less your own work. ~~^(Case in point, the subbing drama)~~ * Huh, did Hina actually come to help them out? I had a feeling she might be regretting what she did back then... * SCRATCH THAT I WILL PULL EACH OF HER TWINTAILS OUT THE OTHER END DAMN BRAT NEEDS LAMP CORRECTION💢💢 * Miura is amazing though. The main reason I'm sad they quit the agency is that regardless of whether we get a sequel, Miura probably won't be a part of it. Lowkey best girl. * Had to translate [this part](https://i.imgur.com/SAW0SHh.jpeg) literally even if it sounds awkward. Nina's spikes were real. * [Rupa : "I guess we have our answer". Rupa inside : "No one hugs Tomo without me"](https://i.imgur.com/LiQbaMf.jpeg) * Them quitting the agency had me [like this](https://i.imgur.com/wFhV4dG.png) * [This little piece of shit...](https://i.imgur.com/kVvPTaB.png) * Nina's MCing as always gives me a good burst of second-hand embarrassment, but at this point I'm used to it. * Back to my second point now that we're at the song - here I find myself being one of those plebs who wouldn't listen to it more than a few times, *way* less than other TogeToge songs at least. I'm not sure if it's just my taste aligning with the show's intents here or if it was actually crafted to be this way - but if it's the latter, it's brilliant. * One last arigato🖕 Overall, I'm definitely satisfied with the ending. It stayed true to the show - no miracle wins in an impossible fight, one last episode full of Nina being Nina, a full reveal of the Hina backstory, and the band coming full circle back to indies where they probably belong for now, in-universe. I did say a label snatching them up felt a bit too soon. I do feel like for the show to end on the highest possible note, episode 13 should've been the beginning of season 2, with the show's climax being episode 11 and 12 being a slice of life windup episode with the agency formally accepting them at the end - but since it's an original, season 2 or a continuation of the story in any form isn't a given, so at least this ending can serve as an open ending to the series, while ending on the agency thing would feel a lot more disappointing if there never is a sequel. **TL Notes :** Well, this certainly made for a...fun season. My subs began from me writing up a comment with TL notes to explain whatever fuckery was going on in the MTL for episode 3 which didn't have any speedsubs after the initial subber drama, only to very quickly realize that it might actually take me as long as subbing the episode itself because...well, those who watched the MTL know. And discussion threads were also about to die because Ideal Paradox stopped subbing as well. Hopefully Toei gets their head out of their bum and we get it licensed in the coming months because even understanding the MTL is far easier than understanding what the heck was going on in their heads with this whole thing. But until then, for the optimal rewatch experience, we have [le meme to tide us over](https://preview.redd.it/njm9ew3tf3xc1.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=900ca986e288ed6b222f580b0f04ce48e597d405).
I feel like Miura would be back. Considering the ED and all the other bits. It wouldn't shock me at all if they just have her in the possible S2 just show up like 'lol i quit and will be working with you guys if youll have me' which feels more this show
> SCRATCH THAT I WILL PULL EACH OF HER TWINTAILS OUT THE OTHER END DAMN BRAT NEEDS LAMP CORRECTION💢💢 Preach brother. I really need that S2, if only for TogeToge to put Hina/DD in their fucking place lol. > Rupa : "I guess we have our answer". Rupa inside : "No one hugs Tomo without me" I really loved how starting from the 2nd half of the show, Nina is really quick to hug the other girls, great to see how she warmed up to everyone and developed so much as a character from her early season behavior.
Episode 2 Nina : "I'm not good at getting close to other people..." [Episode 13 Nina :](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTYyEIjRWqPW1Wc9RuWidG9RtSqgM4kxt95i0stYTFPBHIuXw-jUN9yThaEDdckelVc1mQ&usqp=CAU)
Pictures you can hear
This is my kokuhaku for you, thanks for doing the god's work bro. Another great post. I think it wasn't mention anywhere but there are few differences shown on the opening song for the final episode as to compare to the normal ver Momoka is also wearing her old outfit for Diamond Dust during the live performance
Oh yeah? What were the differences?
The scene where nina was lying on the rooftop, Hina was there with her so the song Void actually influenced both of them .
I wouldn’t count Miura out just yet. Teshima Nari, the character designer for the show, said that the ED is meant to be an epilogue set after ep13, and we still see Miura there taking care of Momoka and Tomo’s pets. If we do get a season 2, I’d bet she returns as a fan/friend who’s able to give a little bit of advice to TogeToge
i wonder if it was intended that the views of the song were low because of how different the song is compared to other togetoge songs. it wasn't their usual song, but they liked it, and wanted to play it regardless.
Btw, for completionists sake, will you sub the earlier episodes as well?
I thought the exact same with the song they played, but after giving the full version a listen on Spotify I realized that the insert's remixing *sucks.* The full song is pretty good.
So hmm, NinaHina's cracking origin has finally been fully explained, and it's just as delicate as I have imagined. It really was Hina giving up her chance to help that bullied girl knowing that it's akin to being bitten by the wolves, and Nina stubbornly refused and tried being (and indeed, became) a heroine, only for her to be bullied as well - even (if forced) by the very girl she saved. I must note that the plot actually tries to let us feel that Hina was actually right (well certainly Tomo-chan thinks so) - it's quite possibly that Nina's acts resulted in zero, nada results after all, and even cracked her open enough for her to ran away and be angry at her father as well. It's also apparent that Hina was more like "I'm scared" than really being remorse and aloof and not caring about her classmates. Still, who knows? What if that bullied girl didn't went that direction and instead harm herself (perhaps even more common than joining the bullying side)? And that really shows how the difference between NinaHina is resolved. Superficially we see Hina trying to provoke Nina's stings all coming out *again* by offering Diamond Dust's help in performing for both days, something that Nina will always take as an act of surrender of TogeToge. Heck Hina even went 😋which I am sure many watchers not paying attention would think Hina's mocking Nina! But hell no, she actually just defused a ticking bomb by notifying Nina of the other major thing resolved in this episode - the poor ticket sales. And the fallout from that in Miura going all out to apologize for poor advertisements ~~If only those Toei project managers do the same for the GBC project outside of Japan...~~ By telling Nina in such a way that Miura actually requested Diamond Dust to help, Hina at the same time prevented Nina arguing with Miura and perhaps even her teammates by being the shield to absorb all those Nina Stings (TM), while at the same time made a heart-warming hint at telling Nina that she knew what happened before was just Nina Being Nina, and that's very much more than OK. I'm glad that Nina *finally* more or less understand that at the end while performing. Even if NinaHina may go separate ways in music and in attitudes to life, they will definitely still be friendly rivals at the very least, if not even something closer. Just like Momoka still being the other Diamond Dust girls' forever old friend and de facto captain. In other news, while it's easy to deduce that TogeToge would have never accepted Miura's plan and the offer from Diamond Dust, I must say I'm a little bit taken back by their unanimous request to leave the agency. But thinking a little bit more on this, it's more of a declaration of independence by the girls on that: A. They, like Nina, will walk their own road without regrets, even if things don't go right for them B. They will continue to try to prove Momoka's being right - that refusing "compromise for the market" can be a good thing Will this actually work? [The last stage performance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwdXJv_gMQM) of this show is a hint that this is going to be an uphill battle towards Mt. Everest, no maybe even Mars' Mt. Olympus (at least selling like "just" a quarter of tickets still resulted in more people coming than for some other anime bands that I have seen over the years, like a certain 2023 extraordinary anime's one...) But just like this song's title tells us - "[I'm here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz-MAr3YPEA)", TogeToge is not going to fade out, it's still going to leave scratches in everyone who watched this. The only thing that I would complain is that as the final episode, the pacing of this last 23 minutes is really quick, so much that everything above barely managed to squeeze in. Even the transition between scenes went a bit abruptly. Perhaps the really-talked-about-by-us story writer Jukki Hanada ended up writing the story a bit too long to fit in 13 episodes with that late plot twist of the previous episode (I think for this time a 14th one or a double length ending would be just the right thing to do). Then again [he "blamed" Nina being such a hard-to-dealt-with girl that he didn't have the space to write a Rupa-centric episode](https://x.com/oitan125/status/1806737201239331214) and [asked for our support in buying things to support this original anime project to have the chance to continue](https://x.com/oitan125/status/1803825917690785969) so it's really, really clear that he would definitely want a 2nd anime season to happen ~~sorry to say that would result in even more worked-to-death 3D animators, but that's not his or TogeToge's fault LOL~~. We definitely, definitely NEEDS a Girls Band Cry Second Season given how this ended on a slightly rushed note! I came into GBC thinking this would have been one of the darkest anime I have seen revolving around music (perhaps close to the legendary NANA's levels). It didn't, but it went down to Earth digging around girls who are hurt by reality and bring them back on their own tracks of salvation in one of the best plots I have seen in anime (I again need to reference the same writer's excellent work of *A Place Further Than The Universe*). Especially the really poignant tales around Nina and Momoka, who have really grew up in these 13 episodes to become really adorable characters worthy of being remembered years on. The thing that all the VAs acting for our Big Five all had never voiced a single character and yet gave out excellent voicing performances is the icing on the cake, not to mention them fully qualified to being a real life professional band! (You even have to remember Rina - who voiced Nina here - is actually *a few months younger than Nina in the story (!!!)* - what the heck!) Whether you think these girls have stings or have no stings, it doesn't matter - between the heart-gripping stories and really good songs and one of the best textbook examples of making use of 3D animations to fit in the Japanese way, Girls Band Cry has certainly scratched some shining non-removable marks on my heart and scores yet another extraordinary goal in the recent history of music-related anime. I love girls band anime. **Final score: 93/100**
Rupa episode will be nice, but after this I'm really gonna need a Hina centric episode. I need to know how Nina looks like from her perspective because I'm begging to drown in headcanon. I think they just dropped another Sun and Moon pairing on me and I'm super weak for them. Nina being a variation of a sundering and roaring kind of flame, shining so overwhelmingly that she blinds any who look directly. I young and strong star, unrefined and unknown but undeniably powerful. Nina always calls out bullshit when she sees it and that makes Hina "feel like she's the bad guy". Just standing beside burnt her. But clearly there's some part of her that's happy to see her again, and raising. I need the Hina angst gods please! I need to know if she longs for Nina like the cold Moon clinging to the Sun for light! I need to know if she laments she could only ever be a villain in Nina's eyes! I need to know if she'll get weak in the knees when Nina pulls up with a TogeToge full house and stomps up to her to stick it in her face! Damnit I just need more of this!
> at least selling like "just" a quarter of tickets still resulted in more people coming than for some other anime bands that I have seen over the years, like a certain 2023 extraordinary anime's one... > As I mentioned in my comment, compared to Nijisanji barely selling 10% of the tickets before cancelling their most recent upcoming concert, TogeToge's 30% ticket sales is positively brisk business.
Well TogeToge has a guitarist who’s the ex-captain of a now famous band, a drummer who’s the granddaughter of a famous actress and even acted in the same TV drama, and a keyboardist-bassist duo who’s famous with their songs online. With the slightest of assistance their ticket sales would not have been “negligible” (cough).
> all had never voiced a single character They learned from Bushiroad and hiring musicians that would become seiyuu and not the opposite. It's actually the best course of action for any franchise looking to overtake, or at least rival BanG Dream. It opens up possibilities of song writing because they're proficient with their instrument, and don't have the possibily packed schedule of an actual seiyuu. You just have to look at Roselia to understand that ; the band being "dark and edgy" is sufficient enough justification in-universe, but Kudo Haruka being basically a guitar beginner and a seiyuu first only makes it harder for her to really make any progress, hence everything is drop D and following Pachelbel's Canon in D (well, I'm grossly simplifying things tbh). WIth that said, I hope they'll keep things alive even if Girls Band Cry never get a second season. It would be such a waste to abandon such a band. Maybe they could go rogue just like their anime counter part, if Toei never does anything else with them.
Thanks for the great entertainment you provided over the last three months, Iseri Nina and the [background guy] (https://imgur.com/qIQDSxv.jpg). I do wish this episode had an additional 10 minutes or so to wrap things up a little bit better. Bonus: "I don't like girls band" dude is in [this episode] (https://imgur.com/wBH6eYU.jpg) as well!
Holy shit and he redeemed himself by wearing Momoka's shirt from that live show! [Kyoko and the drummer ](https://x.com/Jikkyouminmei/status/1806724680986030087?t=oIvWiZczH5AZMhAYbwjx0w&s=19)from Ep1 were seen at the show too!
[It was at this moment that Momoka realized that if Nina can harness her rage and indignation, she can basically accomplish anything..](https://imgur.com/12lqSGw) even learn the guitar....
I am impressed by Niona's guitar progress. ;-)
MY DAUGHTER! HAS ANYONE SEEN MY DAUGHTER? HER NAME IS ISERI NINA, SHE'S ABOUT THIS TALL 👉🧍♀️ AND SHE'S THE MOST VIOLENTLY UNSTABLY RIGHTEOUS LITTLE FREAK THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN, IF YOU CAN FIND HER (or a season 2) PLEASE TEXT ME AT THIS NUMBER HERE! -> [https://www.animate.shop/collections/girls-band-cry](https://www.animate.shop/collections/girls-band-cry) Man, Hina kinda a bitch but damn I kinda like her just a little bit lmao. Nina! You were right! Bang your chest and yell it out girly, fuck them!
I love this anime so much but it's just sad that the last song for this season was the least I liked. The whole episode felt rushed but I hope they'd be able to do a 2nd Season
There's a reason why Nina and Hina's names are so similar, it's because they're two sides of the same coin. Nina is an uncompromising idealist, while Hina is an uncompromising realist. Sure it's easy to blame Hina, but in the end was she wrong? All of the horrible things that happened to Nina, were predicted by Hina and she even knew that Nina's rightful actions would end up hurting her. Hina is no fool, she knows what is right and what is wrong and even says that Nina's righteousness is so bright that it makes her feel like the bad guy. Regardless, Hina still cares a lot about Nina and despite her trying to make Nina admit that she is wrong, deep down she wants Nina to be right. Hina understands how Nina works the most out of the cast and she becomes something that Nina really needs, a villain, someone who can take Nina's ire so that Nina doesn't explode towards her bandmates or her agent.
Nina is what a lot of people in this thread *think* they would do, but Hina is probably what they would end up doing. When was the last time any one of you went and protected some random kids from bullies?
This! I know Nina's sense of justice is very loable, but in reality, I should have been following Hina's advice...
That salary man is terrified.
Man has been there since Day 1 being the victim of Nina's outbursts. Can't have shit in Kawasaki smh.
After thinking on it, the last two episodes haven't really felt like the ending so much as promo for a potential sequel. Episode 11 is *the* ending: it's the climax of the each of character's journey and the band as a whole. I wasn't sure how they were going to try and top it, but I don't think they intended to going by this episode. There are things that feel missing or lacking. * Why make it a "Valentine's" battle? Honestly you wouldn't even know it if last episode didn't mention it. * It's framed as another TogeToge vs DiaDust, but we only get a TogeToge performance. * We only focus on Nina and Hina despite the band rivalry including Momoka and the OG DiaDust. * I just assumed we'd get the full song for the performance in the finale, since we did (and then some) in episode 11. Subverted an expectation I didn't even know I had lol. * I was *really* hoping it wouldn't be the cliche "save someone be bullied only to get bullied". The show avoided going into it for so long, attached thoughts of suicide to it, but it's just a bit too cliche for me... * If it was gonna end at Nina and Hina, it makes less sense for it to not have gotten into it sooner. They missed a chance to actually get people to care about Hina, she has no lines before this episode essentially. Adding her back to the rooftop with Nina in the OP is a nice touch though. * No NinaMomoka confirmation or Rupa episode!! Unforgivable. ~~Maybe in season 2...~~ I like the performance but it really feels like a promo for the show, doesn't help it's a shortened version of the song. The song itself is good but the full one is a lot better imo. There was also a weird shot of blue and red flowers covering Nina, I don't know what that was about... I like the idea of the band not finding success at first, though I wish it didn't rush through it in episode 12. In-universe it's been months, but real time it was only less than an hour. I also feel bad for Miura... I think the episode is fine but last two episodes just feel a bit out of place as part of the main series. I joked about calling them OVAs but they kinda are lmao. Thankfully they don't really detract much from the show, they're not *bad* episodes, just a bit different than the rest. Girls Band Cry remains one of the best animes to have come out in recent years, hopefully it can finally get an official EN release so more people can watch it!
Yeah this felt more like the sequel hook.
Now we pray to the rock gods for that sequel, and hopefully not just a movie like LycoReco...
Wait lycoreco got a movie???
Getting, at least last I heard. I think sequel movies can work, Revue Starlight's is *fantastic* and elevates the series, but I'd really prefer another season for GBC (and LycoReco but not an option anymore).
I pretty much agree with this, especially your point about Episode 11. Emptiness & Catharsis is the performance and moment of the show. I like that it continues from there, but the last two episodes were nowhere near as impactful, and I’m honestly not sure I liked that last song nearly as much compared to the others in the show.
Really wished they included the latter half of the song more, it has a really nice finish which would be perfect for an ending.
It cant end there... Thank you to Toei and everyone who took part in the production of this gem! Certainly been my favorite show this season
Final song's a grower but man I wish they'd sang the full song, the instrumentals at the middle are really good! Would have been the perfect ending with the Thank you! at the end, still a great finale.
solid enuf ending tho the potential for s2 is wide open. let's hope the real life band sells out lots! fun show with an enjoyable cast and a decently inspiring message. I like!
Nina just like Hinata Kawamoto from sangtsu no lion did the right thing. Too bad she didn't received any support.
DD's Hina should change her name, 3-gatsu's Hina is way too good to be related to her even in this small way.
Yup, this ep did exactly nothing to improve my opinion of Hina, more like the opposite actually. And the pinky theft did go unpunished after all, fucking hell.
okay ngl but when Nina was ball of hatred and anger TogeToge produced best songs in my opinion. Voiceless Fish from ep3 and Nameless Name from ep7 are my favourites. Regarding ending I'm grateful that Nina refused to get bailed out by DD but in same time why did they leave agency and decided to go back to being indie? how they plan to survive without support? back to selling ramen? Also ending left a lot of questions unanswered like tomo and parents, Subaru and her grandma, what next for TogeToge after latest flop and plenty of other things to resolve. Hoping for 2nd season to get more answers.
I thought Subaru's grandma already knew and approve when she showed up to watch their concert in ep 11, implied to be invited by Subaru. It's pretty resolved. I take leaving the agency as apology for refusing, they were initially going to pay back the losses as well, Miura refused that but they still had to leave because they couldn't just have their way selfishly without any consequences.
Angry Nina was definitely when the show was at its best (for me). The way it also approached the drama (even for other characters, like Subaru and her grandmother) had a bit more of a unique edge to it, which made it more engaging I felt. Still fun later on but came of a bit more standard in approach.
I disagree that it became standard. Standard would have been having them explode in popularity and success with everything ending in a rainbow. It ended with them proving the 'its not about the views,' and not watering it down with 'WOOHOO we lied and we can just do what we want AND have instant success'
There is so much to explore, but still I want to say this is a satisfactory ending. at least the Nina's problem is solved. and I kinda agree that they didn't yield, one thing that bother is Miura's position in the company, yeah Im pretty sure that the label would blame her for their lost. going solo again eh? if Miura situation is becoming unbearable, I hope she could come with them as a manager. she has connection, a taste, and skill for that. the song, this song has Totalfat vibe in them. tbh, I try to listen it at youtube before watching this episode (so I can judge it without visual). I think, because of I hear their previous song this is a less banger. but after watching this episode, I could see myself vibing in the crowd. Momoka and Nina, no explicit but I still like their relationship. though it becoming less in this episode. I really hope there will be another episode, it wont be soon, writting the material, 2 years production, probably less because they could re-use the model and animation technique. before that they could raise the fund with **licencing this anime for streaming service**, streaming the songs, ~~recap movie~~, merch. and promotion like going at music festival, youtube hyping, first take, moar songs, collabs.
Gonna miss my caothic, sometimes violent Gremlin! Overall a good ending but no a better episode than ep 11 I think S2 Will happen as It has many Things ti explore but only time Will tell, till That gonna enjoy all music the band drops and support them! Pd: Fuck you Hina
Episode 11's *Emptiness and Catharsis* was peak grungy Nina. Reminded me of the first time listening to *Bleeding Hearts*.
Binged all the episodes in a few days so I could get to be here, whoo! I'm glad I didn't miss out on this one. What a crazy ride! The "I want to feel like I wasn't in the wrong" line from Nina in episode 11 really hits after we got the whole story, doesn't it? Nina not being the original bullying target who then became one because she refused to keep her head down loops right back to the reason she doesn't want to comply with DD. Doing so meant defeat, meant that she was in the wrong and that she should just do as she's told. But that's not very Nina, nor is it very rock. I think it'll take a bit to sink in, but I was pretty happy with the way things ended. It opens up plenty of room for a sequel while wrapping up Nina's backstory and development nicely. There's plenty of space to explore Diamond Dust's characters, plus it seems Hina hasn't shut the door on her relationship with Nina. We also know little of Tomo and Rupa's backstories, so there's some of that to explore as well. The thank you at the end just felt like a goodbye from this concert, not a goodbye forever. Hopefully this show will be available through official means by the time a rewatch is in order. It was missed by too many. I'm somewhat confident we'll get a sequel with how popular this season was, but who really knows.
Hmmm, not sure how to feel about this ending. I did like how they integrated the background and growth of Nina into the song’s lyrics, which is a nice touch. But when we didn’t get to see DD’s song ~~or even who won~~ (EDIT: I’m dumb), I went “Uh…. that’s it?” I might have to consult interviews later to try to get the director’s perspective, since I don’t know if this is a case of “her growth is the win, not the physical win” or “it’s deliberately open ended” or some other rationale. But ignoring my mixed feelings on the ending, I did enjoy Nina and Togenashi Togeari’s growth during the show.
> DD’s song or even who won They said it themselves before the concert, judging by the audience size DD won by a mile. I do hate that we didn't get another DD song though especially since as much as I like the lyrics of Flower of Fate, it's probably the only TogeToge song that's not exactly something you'd play on repeat. Which is...exactly the kind of song they were going for I guess, dang. I'm hoping they left as many things open as possible on purpose, giving an "ending that is just the beginning" feeling to leave options for sequels.
>They said it themselves before the concert, judging by the audience size DD won by a mile. Wow, I shouldn't be watching anime first thing when I wake up... (it's 7:30 am here in Japan) >I'm hoping they left as many things open as possible on purpose, giving an "ending that is just the beginning" feeling to leave options for sequels. Okay, I can agree with this, since if they do commit to something in S1, it may be too late to change it when making S2. We'll see how others feel about the ending though as more people comment on the thread.
the more I think about the ending and episode the more I like it, despite feeling it was quite sudden at first. It stayed true to itself until the very end. It was never about the views or making 'popular' music. It was about the love of music and trying to find peace and happiness while making your own path - which the final song really cemented. Pretty much all band related shows and movies have new bands immediately blowing up and going viral (jellyfish this season is one example), but GBC stayed grounded and emphasized that it's still a long road and fight for their success. I personally much prefer that because having bands immediately blow up and get all this attention jarringly and unrealistically shifts the tone from 'individual character growth and focus,' to 'band drama while handling success and wanting even more popularity.' That would have been Diamond Dust's story. But overall, I am just hoping for a S2 and couldn't be happier with this show. It's likely one of my favorites of all time already.
Agreed. It was a bittersweet ending because we as viewers want so badly for them to have all the success possible, but TogeToge was never about making compromises to reach that success like DD did. Their motivation from the start was the exact opposite. While it wasn't the glamorous finish we were hoping for, it was still satisfying to see them stay true to their roots and do things their way.
im feeling less 'open to interpretation' but more 'open to having sequels'
NGL the whole ending screamed "we'll do an S2 right away if this show does well" to me. Hope we're getting one though because the show seems to be doing pretty well over there.
Same. It does look like it's doing gangbusters too
> even who won Did you even watch this episode? lol They got stomped hard, but stuck to their beliefs and will continue to prove that they weren't wrong, that's the whole message
Looking back, for the last 2 episodes, NinaHina’s back story was closed out very nicely, but it seems the mini arc about TogeToge getting an agency, crashed out while releasing a new single and then resigning just as quickly was not timed well enough and the whole part just whizzed through. I actually think the 103-watch-numbers part can be removed without major problems. I knew that this mini arc might be important to show off TogeToge’s rock n’ roll spirit, but there was just not enough time to elaborate. I do wonder though, what if the original plan was to use EP12 to close out the EP11 concert + resolving the NinaHina mystery, then dedicate EP13 to a live show a la MyGO EP12 + epilogue, but Toei ran out of time and (most probably given there were lots of 3D animators complaining on the difficulties with animating GBC and claims they would never come back) people to animate a long performance scene, so some kind of twist has to be added as filler?
> Hmmm, not sure how to feel about this ending. Yet another show this season I feel could have pivoted slightly in the end with another episode or two to really flesh it out. I also gave a bit of a 'that's it?' with the ending. It felt like they were deflated as a band and while I know they are in a good place it came off as less than that.
It is the good ending or perhaps I should say the best beginning if one were to take the whole season 1 is prologue of TogeToge. Nina and Hina's rivalry is kinda fun to see and finally the reason for bully finally revealled and it turned out that Nina helped the victim and become the victim herself. Tomo being Tsundere toward is also fun to see and they faced the harsh reality of Music industry. Instead of running away, they faced it head on and stay true to themselves. It's the perfect beginning of the TogeToge band and I hope it get 2nd season...
Overall, this was a great series and I will put it on the shelf of band focused anime like *Bocchi the Rock* and *BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!*. Just goes to show you how insane this genre of anime has been in the last few years. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it was a surprise or sleeper hit (for me at least) since I've been eyeing this one for months ever since I caught wind of ["Ideal Paradox"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Nq0HeJDNY) which then led me to finding out that TOGENASHI TOGEARI was also going to be a part of an anime original project. I will say though that the biggest surprise was the CG animation. The way they were able to express the characters emotions and personality fluidly were some of the best I've ever seen and I would kill for MyGo to receive that same treatment. The ONLY nitpick I probably had was it being way too coincidental for Hina to be a former close (best?) friend of Nina's from school to then becoming the lead vocalist of Diamond Dust. It felt like something that would've happen or made more sense in the *Love Live* universe... which makes the next tidbit funnier: the director, Kazuo Sakai, was also involved with that series with his most recent work being on *Love Live! Sunshine!!*. Anyways, I hope with the way the ending was presented to us that it at least leaves the possibility of sequels on the table. Even the scriptwriter [admitted](https://x.com/oitan125/status/1806737201239331214) that our lil' gremlin took too much screen time away from Rupa. That's 1-2 new episodes easily. My Score: 9.5/10
One last Tomo ribbon corner: - [just one new ribbon this episode,](https://imgur.com/kqFvC3n) though I really don't know how to describe the ribbon's color itself. Abstract? [Full album link of Tomo's assortment of ribbons.](https://imgur.com/a/tomo-ribbons-SfUuUJx) I'm really sad to see this one go. Like, really really sad. And that we didn't end up getting a sequel season right off that direction they went with. Definitely reminiscent of Love Live Sunshine with the direction and totally predictable non-win on TogeToge's part, but that just leaves me wanting more of the show and the girls and their story. AHHHHHHHHH Also for those that weren't in the know, [the BD1 release of the anime included a new song with it,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKCE-4eDTy8) so enjoy fellow rockers. Off I go to buy more TogeToge merch to hopefully fund a new season
Just blessed to have lived at a time where this, Yorukura and Hibike aired. Whatever order you put em in doesn’t matter. This show changed my life. These girls were just special. The music, the production quality.. just all immaculate. I need more of this franchise, not ready to say goodbye to Nina and the others. This was my Bocchi the rock. Perfect end to this season, I disagree with the rushed complaints. Especially when you consider this is likely gonna set up a multimedia franchise. They didn’t bring the seiyuu together to form a band just for 12 eps lol. The only thing I would’ve wanted is that Rupa flashback arc 😭. Momoka never replying to Nina’s love confession didn’t surprise me either. Been a crazy season for Yuribait lol, but there’s a lot of directions they can take it in a gacha game, manga, rhythm game etc etc. Our girls have always chosen their own path, no way they’d go through with DD’s offer. Win, lose or draw these girls will be true to themselves and follow their dreams. Proud of each and every one of them for staying true to who they are, especially Nina. Yea the first record flopped, but who cares. You dust(pun intended) yourself off and keep going. That’s what brought these girls together in the first place. They don’t know how to quit and that will shine through eventually, I know it. Leaving the ending result ambiguous is cool with me because honestly it doesn’t matter. The fact they’re on that stage competing with DD after where they started is a victory. They earned the respect of DD, Nakata and I know the fans will appreciate it too. I just wish the final performance went a little longer, but I’m sure it took a TON of time to make since that was absolutely stunning. Can only speak for what I’ve seen, but this was the best 3D anime ever. Not just music, but in general. I’m glad I got to see it live with all of you. Remember, the only limits are those you set for yourself [review](https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=529188)
The moment when Nina realized Hina actually loved Momoka's music was perfect. Lovely show
Despite being a long-time lurker of this sub and never commenting, this anime compelled me to do so. After finishing GBC, here are some of my thoughts of it as a whole. As someone who played in a high school band (albeit metal), I found that this show portrayed a band that was reminiscent of mine (e.g. group of outcasts, situations where we got on each other's nerves, being obnoxious in public, some members being heavy drinkers). Thus, the band was quite endearing to me. I especially resonated with Momoka since I left my highschool band for similar, albeit slightly different, (music-related) reasons, and almost quit music after going through a rough patch with it. Echoing everyone else, the story and animation were phenomenal. I absolutely adored the songs, and I will continue to listen to them on a regular basis. One last note: I wonder if "Ideal Paradox" is about Nina's and Hina's relationship? Hopefully, a second season happens, since this anime is my AOTS and is too good to not have one, especially with so many loose ends. Overall, 9.5/10. Massive shoutout to everyone who promoted the show, and u/MapoTofuMan for the fansubs, given the show's non-existant English subs. Hopefully, we see each other again for the season 2 threads!
[Happy birthday Rupa!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKOGvPYRkH0) So the whole crux of the Nina/Hina drama (lol I love that those two names rhyme) started with the former trying to help a bullied girl while the latter disapproved and suggested being a "pedestrian" instead. What's interesting is that those two aren't so far off from each other in that they're both self-righteous and thinks what they're doing/have done is right. Great for Nina for refusing the offer since taking it would make her seem like accepting that she's the one at fault and not Hina. Seeing their pro debut not turning out well is really sad, but I guess it's to be expected. Them beating DD who already in the game for years just isn't realistic and I'm glad that the girls are aware that they still have a long way to go. As for the ending I feel that this is a good enough stopping point although you could tell that Toei wanted to do more. There show still have more than enough gas to keep going IMO. There's stuff like Rupa's backstory, Momoka facing her old bandmates, and general band-rising-to-fame stuff. Honestly I didn't expect the show to become quite a hit. Engagement on the JP YT channel seems great too and I can see the BDs selling relatively well when they're out. Hope we're getting one because I just wanna see more of these dorks. Got a feeling TogeToge will hold a concert in a few months/next year and announce it there. That's a wrap for GBC! This being my top series this season wasn't on my cards at all. And it's great to see the show blowing up and getting more attention as it airs. It really deserves it and I hope there's a second season down the line. Thank you Toei, Kazuo Sakai, Jukki Hanada, TogeToge, and everyone else involved for making this wonderful show! Special shout out to u/MapoTofuMan for the weekly speedsubs!
I think them leaving the label was a bit to much (even if in vain with the story). I would have been fine if they just got a losing but decent performance. Evern with DD having 2,5 time audience it would have been not bad. But now I am not sure how S2 will go if they ever make it, to many bridges burned and we are back to square 1 sort of. Still, I liked the series and I want more of this type of musical anime (I doubt we'll get something metal as a level of Roselia/RaS from Bang Dream is the hardest they can go for mainstream audience) but more band anime made in good 3D with good amount of fully animated performances and decent script is always welcome.
I had taken flight only to disappear But now i want to stay I picked a budding bloom, awaiting its flowering The one who wished for nothingness is just a memory I am happy to live For chance put you on my path and thus bloom our flower of destiny /'\\ | | | | /"\\ /"\\ /'\\ | | | | | | | | | | | | \\ | | | | | | \\ | \* \* \* \* | | / | / | / \\ | | |
##GIRLS BAND CRY WILL CONTINUE TO BE WORKED ON AFTER THIS [\- official Twitter account](https://x.com/girlsbandcry/status/1806932332458516637)
Nina getting Nakata-san's name right was such a nice touch. A lesser show would have had her call him Tanaka-san again as it would basically have been an easy free joke that writes itself. I feel like the decision to respect the seriousness and sincerity of the scene and not take that free joke is emblematic of the care and sincerity that went into this anime.
While good for an episode, this feels kinda lukewarm as far as season finales go, especially after the intensity we've seen in episodes 8 and 11. It finally fully revealed Nina and Hina's history and even had them engage together, but this really felt like the episode *leading up to* a season finale, not the finale itself. Disregarding calls for s2 (because it's not even hinted at outside of saying "please support us"), I'd say that this finale left me with an unsatisfied feeling. I'll probably rewatch it start to finish as a complete package to see if it feels a little more cathartic in its open-endedness, but as-is the payoff for season-long threads wasn't there for me. We didn't get emphasis during the insert of Nina's guitar playing, and her and Hina's thread resolved rather flatly. Like everyone else I'm hoping for a s2 not only because I adored this anime and want more, but I also think that GBC badly needs both more room to breathe and also a stronger send-off.
I'm sure Momoka/Nina is going to be bait, but ahhh, I still want it to become true. Jellyfish burned me enough.
https://i.imgur.com/3auhwIP.png
That pic is gonna be invaluable for this sub for years to come, sasuga Seiyuu Radio.
always funny when it comes from a legit yuri series too (even if its the slowest of slowburns)
Oof, Jellyfish still hurts I didn't hate the episode like some people. But the bait hurts. That kiss 🥲
The kiss was bad enough, then they followed it up with the motorcycle/beach confession and small scenes like Kano calling Yoru because she missed hearing her voice. Just plain cruel.
or s2 bait
I'm not sure they'll ever make it explicit, maybe only at the very end of a potential sequel - but the way they had Momoka look at Nina in some moments and in general the way they acted after episode 8, even as someone who normally doesn't give a damn about yuri/not yuri, I can't see it *not* being on purpose. I guess it was fuel for the fanartists to keep the show alive while/if they work on a sequel. The Bocchification of the fandom is already underway. [](#godisdead)
> but the way they had Momoka look at Nina in some moments and in general the way they acted after episode 8 Them sleeping on eachother in the train car together in last week’s episode, even as just a little background detail as it was… so extraordinarily gay it hurts <3
Momoka wasn't even drunk in that scene!!!!
There's a lot more they can tell, I know Toei has a second season in them. Right? Please? Pretty please?
If they do, it'll be a few years down the line. 3D anime is expensive and time consuming.
Compared to many many many shows I've seen lately, this one at the end feels like the start of a media franchise. A lot of plot threads were left dangling (not even the yuri, just like stuff like Tomo/Rupa/Subaru's stories period). They have a stated goal. There is a rivalry. And there is a lot of stuff they can cover in s2 and further seasons, especially since the people behind love live are involved. Which lord does that make so much sense. So bring on s2!
I haven't felt this sad about a series ending in a while, definitely anime of the season for me.
I think it's great we finally got some clarity on what was the reason for the bullying and what role Hina played in the whole situation... she's annoying af also. I love that the song was no magic bullet and felt just like Momoka felt about it in some way. It's their song, it's their story and those are their fans. They enjoy playing and people enjoy listening. We saw how cold blooded is the music business is and how young talents deal with it, how desheartening or how fulfilling can be when they know where are they standing and value themselves. This anime really was way more than I expected in many ways. I really liked how Nina was written, her whole backstory and the shittyness that comes with that kind of people sorrounding you. And how everybody had their own dramas, like we focused on Nina, but it was not like everybody else had it easy with their decisions in life. The show never brushed off what the rest had to go trough. And the importance of support each other. Great animation. It's really amazing how much effort the people in the studio put to make such an amazing cgi and expresions on the characters, from the hilarity of Nina's gremlin moments to the more dramatic or quiet ones. And the music was great. A lot of their songs ended up in my daily playlist to and from work. I reallt hope we can get a second season. Pinkies up!
Nice finale, but as u/Mapotofuman mentioned over in aqradt it's definitely more of a "Season 1 final" rather than a "Series final". If we do get the S2 (which is fortunately more likely than not I would say) then this finale is perfectly fine as a bridge to S2 but if we won't get a S2 it will probably leave a slightly sour taste in my mouth in a year or so, thinking back of the denied Rupa episode and the unresolved DD rivalry and showdown. Also this episode's new song was fucking great, taking my personal 2nd place of TogeToge songs (Wrong Worlds still #1), pushing Emptiness and Catharsis down to 3rd place (the performance of that in ep11 was still the best though). All things considered, this is easily a 10/10 for me, my AOTS and contender for AOTY. Superb character writing and banter, one of the most entertaining, varied and interesting main casts (#RupaGang), nice OST, great music performances, perfect balance of drama and lighthearted comedy. Only nitpicks for me would be the lack of a Rupa focused episode and Hina/DD getting off scot-free for the pinky theft. Season 2 when. Also final big thanks to Mapotofuman for doing timely subs for the show, true savior. One last pigeon for the road [](#seasonallisten)
That's....A good ending. About what I'd expect of Girls Band Cry. A little idealism in the face of shitty reality; not whitewashing the whole thing. Not the kind of story where all you need is to just work harder, or the power of friendship. It's nice to see it taken a bit more realistically, and just....I really appreciate that it didn't whore them out for fanservice or cutesy shit like a certain other girls band anime did. They're just realistic, cool female characters that don't have to serve otaku fanservice or behave cutely for the sake of cuteness. I feel satisfied. Actually, no, I don't, I want to see *more*. There's still a tonne you can do with the character when they have *this much* going on. Everything about Tomo and Rupa is still to play with, you can get a tonne of mileage out of the struggles of their band since they're still on the back foot...I'm sure there's more stories to be told here without having to stretch it out. Also, I really worry about Rupa. It hasn't really been drawn attention to, but I really do think she's an alcoholic. Feels like every time we see her, she's drinking booze, or about to, or just recently has. And it was in that flashback again, too. I'm sure her smile is a mask. I want to see behind it. This series has really put Jukki Hanada on my radar. I'll be watching out for his next work. I'm particularly interested in *A Few Moments of Cheers*.
If this is your intro to Jukki Hanada, then you should definitely go back and watch A Place Further Than The Universe.
Here's hoping the irl band behind the five main characters go on to make great music for years to come.
The whole S1 was basically Nina saying 'fuck the world/society, I'm right'. Those who resonated with her joined her, and then they gained an audience of loyal fans. As they keep playing, their audience will grow as more people get sucked into her story. I really hope we can see them with a bigger audience than DD. It will be hype as fuck when Hina is forced to admit that Nina wasn't wrong :) Wonderfully written series, I hope this polls in AOTY.
What a fucking experience man. I remember when I first saw the scene of [Momoka playing on the streets](https://youtu.be/qHxx7KHk6jE), the literal impact it had on Nina and bringing color into her life, I was blown away. After that moment, I had a gut feeling that this anime was gonna be something special. Sure enough, I can confidently say that Girls Band Cry is my top 3 (dare I say even top 1). I haven't cried watching an anime in a long time, but Girls Band Cry managed to do that on multiple occasions throughout this journey. I had a fall off with rock and metalcore music as I got older, but watching GBC and Bocchi really reignited my love of the genre. Let's pray for more GBC in the future everyone.
I gotta admit, I’d heard mixed reviews following the finale. I was prepared for this show to somehow fumble the ending, maybe have random drama crop up or something. But not only did they not botch it, they nailed it, and gave the perfect amount of drama to make it satisfying and emotional. I know they were a bit on the nose with it but I love the theme of not giving in, not admitting defeat, sticking to your beliefs, and even though there are *several* instances where Nina is clearly in the wrong, I love her unmitigated ability to stand up for herself. This was pretty much a perfect show, start to finish, and even if it doesn’t get a second season I’m thoroughly satisfied that we got what we got.
I LOVE YOU HINA-SAMA! YOU'RE THE GREATEST ONE HINA-SAMA! STEP ON ME HINA-SAMA! <3 Now, with that out of the way. I didn't know anything about this project before I started watching the anime, I came across it by chance shortly after episode 2 was released and I started watching it without much expectations, just something to distract myself while waiting for Ave Mujica. Now I can say without a doubt this is the best Girls Band anime I watched. The first thing that stood up to me is that the characters have actual lives, struggles, and stories outside of the band itself. In other music animes the band is the source of all the conflict and drama and everything else in the lives of the characters, here we have girls with actual lives and real conflicts with the band stuff being more of a vehicle to express themselves than the whole center of their lives (this is not a stab at any other girls band anime, just something that differentiates GBC from the rest). About the characters, they're more like real people than anime characters. The way they talk and interact with each other is more natural than in any other show in the genre (at least any show I've watched, that's for sure). They're all likeable to me, not just TogeToge and DD, but all the other characters in the show (except the faceless bully, the school staff, and Tomo's former band mates). The tone of the show is great. The drama is well written and realistic, there's always enough comedy to keep it enjoyable even in the roughest parts, and the payoff scenes were genuinely heartwarming (Nina's reconciliation with her family made me feel things no anime managed to make me feel in years). There was no Momonina kiss in the end, that was somehow expected and disappointing at the same time, weird. Finally, a certain aspect from the show that I'd like to comment on, the performances. I'm not talking about the music (which is great by the way, both the songs and the BGMs) but the on-stage performances. Nina is the queen of the stage, she moves all over the stage, she looks at the crowd, she conveys her emotions through her movements and expressions, not just her singing (which is also very expressive and awesome). I'm sure there's a lot of things I'm leaving out of this comment, I could write a whole essay on everything I love about Girls Band Cry. Best girls band anime ever for me, I will follow everything this franchise brings us in the future.
Thought they landed the ending much better than Jellyfish. The 13th episode gave them some breathing room, and they didn't try to resolve all the plot threads and character arcs in 25 minutes. * I like how Nina was basically in the right but got got punished for it anyway - depressingly realistic! * I thought Hina's attempted reconciliation with Nina was kinda sweet. Felt like she played up the whole arch-rival thing to get a chance to talk to her again lol * I know this isn't really a GL series but: Hina x Nina * Fingers crossed for season 2! Credit to the writer/s for ending it in a satisfying way that still leaves some plot threads open
Hina was not as nasty as i thought, but man she's still really unlikable lol I think there's still a lot left can be done for this show. The band still has a lot to grow, we still haven't explored everyone's stories. I'll take that ending being open by intention for more in the future. TogeToge is definitely on my list of artists now. I hope to see more song from them, and hopefully, another season of anime too. edit: it's also odd how i can now see why the song didn't get popular. It's rather different from other songs they have played in the shows. I tried listening to it again on YouTube, and despite liking a lot of their songs, this is not one of them. Still, that's the song they wanted to make, so i guess that's true to the show as well.
This easily clears anime of the season, not even close.
My surprise of the season for sure. Ah man I don't want to say goodbye my weekly dose of Nina nad and Togenashi Togeari to end.... I'm really glad they made it so realistic about the stuggles in the music world. That's one thing I wish other band animes I watched before explore more, and I like that GBC did it. I'm also glad that they chose to be indie again, though I really like Miura-san and she was a really good manager Also happy to see Nina said that she did not have any regrets. She has found a place where she belongs to now. My little gremlin has come so far... >Please become the witnesses of our beginning! Hope it's really the beginning. Toei, announce season 2 pls, I really want to see Nina beating Hina so bad, and short-haired Subaru too!
As of now, Girls Band Cry has jumped in MAL score by quite a number. 8.47, making it the **2nd** highest score of Spring 2024 TV animes in MAL, only losing to Hibike Euphonium. What a ride for an anime that initially started with a 7.
I hate how they made Hina a "friendly rival" type character. She turned a blind eye to the bullying of her own friend, and cut her out of her life. then she has the fucking gall to say she was right in doing so after Nina QUIT SCHOOL. I really don't think this anime (and a lot of people who watch it) understands how fucked up that situation is, and how morally bankrupt Hina is as a character. Bullying of that magnitude can easily lead to someone's life being ruined, or even suicide. I can understand where she initially came from in saying that, but her acting on what she said is unforgivable. Of all the times from Nina to NOT meltdown about something this has to be the worst possible time. This show is still amazing, but this episode was pretty bad.
I live near kawasaki and it’s really fun to spot the places i usually walk through lol
G&L Tribute Series ASAT® CLASSIC sales after this episode: 📈📈📈 [Used-market after 3 months](https://www.reddit.com/r/BocchiTheRock/comments/154nyzj/lines_of_used_guitars_similar_to_bocchis_model/): 📈📈📈
I think this ending was perfect. In the end momoka was what drew everyone together. Hina didn't offer to help togetoge with the intent of offering up a bridge to Nina, it was because she wanted to reach out to Momoka. Bands that sell out do get big immediately and become a flash in the pan. Usually rock bands that don't sell out get organic growth and last for far longer. Though I absolutely adore the new song, it has a much stronger rock vibe (even a little punk). it really underscores the difference between idol rock and actual rock.
really satisfying finale, i'm glad they didn't try to force a "happy" ending where everyone wins s2 waiting room........
Well, I have a lot of mixed emotions about this ending. Mainly, Nina and Momoka's relationship never really developed after that confession. With that said, I still find it a fitting ending for a first season, here's hoping they will have another one. This is definitely my anime of the season, maybe the year. I will miss my band of gremlins and alcoholics. See you all if we come back!!
What's the frigging point of putting the finale on Valentines day if they aren't going to acknowledge it. Annoying, but they left the show open enough for a season 2 at least
Nice performance. I love you. NINA
I hope this gets a sequel. They left a lot open for more stories to be told. That being said, I loved this so much! It checked all the notes, even made me a bit emotional. I was here since episode 1 and I'm so glad the community did their best to make sure it didn't get swept under the bridge during a pretty crowded season. I hope GBC makes all the money in the world. Everyone involved in making this happen deserves it.
I hope we get a season 2.
Eh, as far as final episodes go, this was ok. The final song didn't wow me like the others but it was still good I wonder what will happen to all the other banger Togetoge songs that weren't used for the anime _**Huffs copium**_ Maybe they are saving them for a 2nd season? I'm gonna miss this anime so much. It was the one thing I looked forward to the most after a long week of work
This is it, the episode where TogeToge steps on stage to show DiaDust what they're made of. -The context behind what led to Nina and Hina's friendship falling apart (and Nina being bullied in the first place) has now been fully disclosed. Nina witnessed a girl being harassed by a group of bullies and wanted to help her, but Hina refused to support her on this issue, firmly believing that trying to stand up for a bully victim would only serve to give the bullies a new target, and that it would be best to just let the issue run its course, as this is solely the victim's problem, not Nina's. Of course, Nina decided to stick up for the girl anyway, and she paid dearly for it. To make matters worse, the girl she was trying to protect decided to join in on Nina's harassment under duress, before ultimately urging her to apologize to the bullies just to put an end to it. I fully understand wanting to help someone who is being bullied for seemingly unjustified reasons, but I think there were far less risky ways to go about it that *didn't* involve taking the full brunt of the harassment. If I were her, I would've tried notifying a school staff member first. -I was expecting a fakeout coming into this episode in regards to the song's view count, but that was not the case. Even though the song's view count may have increased significantly with time, it still fell some ways short of what the band was expecting. To make matters worse, less than half of TogeToge's concert tickets were sold, amounting to just approximately 30% of Club Citta's capacity. Miura confirmed these issues with the band, and she blames herself for not promoting the song properly. -Subaru apparently figured out Momoka's feelings on where the blame lies. Since Miura mentioned the fact that TogeToge's name is performing well statistically on search results, Momoka believes that their song failed to sell on its own merits. No one knows for sure of course, but she did hammer home the message in episode 8 that a song that can earn the respect of critics does not necessarily translate to a song that can appeal to the general public (or even your own fanbase). -To Nina's surprise, Hina came forward to meet up outside a cafe. The reason? Because Miura decided to negotiate with DiaDust's agency in favor of back-to-back performances for both bands on both days, in order to create a fairer contest and make up for the lack of ticket sales on TogeToge's end. However, there was a catch: If Nina were to accept this offer from DiaDust, she would have to forfeit her strongest ideals and live with the idea that Hina was in the right from the beginning. Hina should be called "Ms. Pragmatism" from here on out, because she *clearly* doesn't hold morals in high regard when it comes to perceiving right and wrong. -The rest of the band doesn't view it the same way though. In fact, they're fully onboard with the idea of playing for the same crowd as DiaDust. Momoka has other reasons too; aside from the *vastly* underperforming ticket sales, the band has to cover for expenses brought on by things like self-produced advertisements and merchandise. To Nina though, accepting the proposal would play into DiaDust's hands and set a bad precedent for the band. Putting the Hina issue aside, by asking the opposing band for help, Miura pretty much set TogeToge up to surrender before the battle even reached its climax. Nina probably already has enough justification to reject the proposal, but there's also something else I'd like to consider: If the news of this proposal were to go public, it likely would've given off the message that TogeToge was riding on DiaDust's coattails, and I doubt any band wants that kind of stigma attached to them. -Nina's table top tantrum shred moment was pretty funny. -It's nice to know that Tomo recognized that Nina *was* wrong (in a sense) when it came to how she handled the bullying situation, and that her refusal to admit it is part of why she's drawn to her. -So after some consideration, TogeToge not only agreed to reject the proposal, but also break contract with the agency... I dunno man. I get that TogeToge is trying to show that they don't need any outside help to sustain themselves, but cutting away from the one company that's willing to help them push and sell whatever music they want to make just doesn't feel right nor necessary. -Earlier in the episode, Nina saw a bunch of comments berating TogeToge for picking a fight with DiaDust. After DiaDust's concert however, social media opinion became more favorable towards TogeToge. I wonder what caused that to happen. Was it something that Hina said during that concert? -Looks like Hina (and some other Diamond Dust member) decided to play mind games in the dressing room. (will add more tomorrow)
> If I were her, I would've tried notifying a school staff member first. I mean, if you think back to the meeting between Nina, her dad, and the school principal, I think that shows that it wouldn't really have helped. I think another good fictional perspective on bullying in Japanese schools is the second half of the second season of March Comes in Like a Lion, which really forcefully makes the point that Japanese teachers and school administrators cannot be relied upon to deal with bullying effectively, and will in some cases turn on whistleblowers to protect themselves from the bullies (and their parents). Social pressure in a shame-based society is an irresistible force. I really do understand the people who judge Hina for her coldness, but I also really do feel that there is a real, hard truth in that part of the story – her advice to Nina is _cold_, and I can't condemn Nina for ignoring it, but after things played out more or less the way Hina said they would, it's hard to ignore the fact that she was _right_. Given the way the rest of the episode plays out, it does seem that she was earnestly trying to keep Nina out of trouble, even if that ended up being callous in its dismissal of the bullied girl's suffering. And in the end, did anyone benefit from Nina's intervention? You could maybe argue that the author put his thumb on the scale in a very Japanese way, but I don't feel that way (and this isn't too dissimilar to a way that Haneda-sensei handled a similar situation in _A Place Further Than the Universe_ – I am so thankful that I did not have to go through being an adolescent girl in Japan). I like that the show doesn't try to soften Hina's portrayal too much – she's just as inflexible and self-righteous as Nina, just in a less overtly sympathetic direction. She's kind of a bitch and she's inflexible and uncompromising, but she's not acting out of malice or spite. Realistically, the two of them probably aren't going to be friends again, but that doesn't mean that either of them is going to be rooting for the other to fail.
This is a show where Merch and DVD/Bluray sales matter. and its future solely relies on profit. Especially given that for some reason this wasn’t officially licensed in the West.
Finally over! What a great show... though the ending wasn't that climactic, it feels like it is an open ending that perhaps one day they could continue the story on. Let's hope Togetoge releases more songs after this show is over... and perhaps we'll get another season? 🙏🙏🙏 Edit: I listened to the full song, and omg the complete song is so much more amazing compared to the clip that's shown in the episode: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Nz-MAr3YPEA
I think Nina was morally right and Hina was objectively right. I think the average person knows the right thing to do is to help but also knows in this context helping would mean a whole lot of shit going to you too. Maybe last two eps felt kinda rushed and underwhelming but didn’t really go to shit. Overall though I did thoroughly enjoy it. There were some raw, emotional moments and also silly fun moments. But most of all, this show gave me Rupa
I bet any person would easily choose to be Hina if put in that situation
I loved the dynamics and the closures I got on Hina's character. The few eps back when I watched, I kept wondering how come Hina's being painted bad, when we have not seen anything wrong? And now it made sense. Nina's quite stubborn and righteous. I do love how she adheres to her principles despite being weak, and that's something Hina could not. Hina's more realistic; she sees her capabilities, and does not want to create unnecessary problems for herself. But Nina could not let it go, and for that, I'm quite happy that she has now friends who would side with her. None of the decisions that she made in the past few days were bright, rather they were all moralistically right. And her teammates decided to support her instead of 4v1ing her. On the other side, it also made me happy to see that Nina also finally realized that Hina also loved DD. And that the band didn't belong to her alone. And to go further, i was also happy that Hina's also quite secretly pushing Nina forward. She even had told Nina about the auditions! And above all, Hina's prank on her was the cherry on top in this episode. Imagine even Tomo finding it funny! I think it was a great last ep for the season. It summed up the season quite well, answered a lot of questions, hinted towards many other, and yet made us yearn for the future episodes through their realistic writing! I would say definitely the best anime of this season for me!
And that's it! For now at least, for Girls Band Cry. It felt right for this show to end on such a high emotional note, with TogeToge withdrawing from the agency and going solo and re-affirming their beliefs on why they started the band in the first place. Nina really is the heart and soul of their group, regardless of their complaints about her. She just has this insane charisma that makes you want to see how far she can go, and like Tomo said, its the reason Momoka, her, Subaru and Rupa joined the band. I'm sure all 4 wanted to accept the proposal and play on the same day as DiaDust but that is not something prideful Nina would want. That is not what Togenashi Togeari is about. There's really not much to say honestly, other than the new song and Nina improving enough to play the guitar on stage! It comes full circle all the way from the first episode when Momoka tried gifting her guitar to Nina. Proud of our chaotic gremlin! Also they would never admit it, but Hina and the rest of Diamond Dust are probably TogeToge's biggest fans lol Now for their new song "I'm Here", while it wasn't as explosive and cinematic as Emptiness (Void) and Catharsis, it works absolutely perfectly as kind of an encore song. It's a song that comes full circle all the way from Nina meeting Momoka and to where TogeToge stands now. Very inspiring and somewhat romantic lyrics too, with the part: "I dedicate the rest of my life singing with you" with past Momoka looking at her previous band-mates, then cuts right into the performance with Momoka looking at Nina (you ain't fooling anyone girlie lol) "Pain and Suffering, Scars I hated it all" while the scene of Rupa grieving hit me like a truck. I swear the director wants to break our hearts every second they can, because goddamn these cuts are amazing. Another amazing cut was the scene of Nina listening to DiaDust in the school rooftop, and finally showing the other half of that picture with Hina listening as well, and IN THAT MOMENT, Nina realized that Hina didn't "steal" her song, because it both of their song all along. If Emptiness (Void) and Catharsis was Nina's song, I'm Here is definitely Momoka's song. It's simple message of being glad not to have given up in their chosen path, because in doing so, she was able to meet her flower of fate (Nina and TogeToge) and together they have all bloomed. Compared to before where she wanted to retire and disappear, now Momoka wants to sing with Nina until the end of their road. Like Nina said, "You are all rebels who go against the grain, and I love you all for it!!, Please witness our beginning!" Here's hoping for a season 2!
Girls cry, men cry, we are just a crying band. As always, a fantastic episode. Nina got to be one of the most intriguing lead in a while. Usually, situations like hers are portrayed, understandably so, by having people give up and give in, but Nina stood up and focused her frustrations and anger into her singing and moving forward, and for that, I think her a fantastic character. The growth she had in this season is 11/10. Of course, all the other members are proper fun themselves, from Subaru's cheeky trolling to Momoka's cool that hides her inner demons. I'm glad I picked up this show that fell under the radar in the beginning as it has become my favorite this season by a large margin, even above beloved sequels and remakes, exciting adaptation of well-know manga, and other great originals. There is enough crumbs for a sequel, so there's hoping for More Girl's Band Cry or Girl's Band Cry More.
**I don't think the ending was rushed.** The ending did exactly what it needed to, which is emphasize the fact that Togenashi Togeari lost. Their stubbornness lost them this battle, but just like Nina's backstory, they'll continue on and make the best of the path they've chosen. The audience is supposed to feel a tinge of dissatisfaction because that's exactly what the girls are feeling after their loss. However, **the war with Diamond Dust isn't over yet.** The finale emphasizes the fact that you can't win every battle, and that's okay. What matters is getting back on your feet and making the most of it.