Animehouse

To preface August’s r/Anime anime swap, I must add that I’m very much not the target audience for idol or idol-adjacent series like BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!. I’ve still watched my share of series, like Visual Prison, Paradox Live THE ANIMATION, Ya Boy Kongming!, and whatever else. As I’ll get into later though, there’s a common thread with the expression of music in these series that separates BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! from the rest of my musical mentions. Regardless, following the formation of (yet another) musical ensemble that will present their passion to the world, this anime can struggle to find its groove, but when it does, well, you’ll see.

Reeling the conversation back in, the easiest place to start in proper with BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! certainly has to be its characters. Much like many other teen-centric stories, the girls here have got spunk and personality… and not too much else- aside from musical talent, of course. With our introduction appearing through the pink haired Anon-chan, we find our catalyst for creating a band that somehow steps right on the land mine that is a previously disbanded group. At the minimum, the narrative decision is solid for introducing strife and challenges to the story, but I wonder of its overarching significance in bringing the girls together and condensing them into the shape of MyGO!!!!!. As they stands on their own, they all have plenty of strong dispositions that would produce the drama the series searches for, and they wouldn’t have to drag some of the series better qualities through the dirt to achieve that. Anyways, the characters themselves. Anon-chan is self-centered and rambunctious enough to hide her shortcomings, our singer Tomori is shy and unsure of herself, the drummer Taki-chan has a razor edge to them, Soyo is a snake lurking behind a smile, and Rana is…. a random girl that attached herself to the group.

There’s a lot of personality, and subsequently a lot of plot points and development that you see coming from a mile away. Anon has to learn to play second fiddle, Tomori has to step out into the spotlight, Taki must reign in her combativeness, Soyo has to be honest with herself, and Rana… has to learn how to properly connect with people. They’re all valid stories, especially for the melodrama of becoming famous while you’re in high school. It’s just that it’s so predictable that even though it’s well executed, without any curve balls thrown it can feel like you’re simply going through the motions. It’s far better than wasted characters that’s for sure, but in second (last) place is wasted potential here with BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!. I didn’t expect the world when arriving to this story, but I do think it’s a shame that the characters had the potential for depth and nuance but were ultimately simplified to represent a desirable archetype.

Now, for the greater story of BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!…. there is no greater story. There’s no real struggle with the band integrating with one another, or even much detail in pieces like Anon improving at guitar- it is a very “to the point” anime. Which I don’t necessarily mind if this is your one shot at presenting yourself, but this is BanG Dream!, you know? It’s been ongoing as an anime for 7 years, and was originally conceived nearly a decade ago now. I understand that patience is a virtue to aspire to, but I feel like with the maturity of the franchise and its fans you should be able to afford a bit more time for your latest additions to the franchise. And that’s not even discussing the unneeded (yet grand) entrance of Ave Mujica at the end of the series. As an attempt to undercut MyGO!!!!! as a band I think the performance works well, but the sort of “Avengers, assemble” sequence that drags on prior to the performance (as well as the epilogue) drag it further away from that sentiment.

In reality, I think that likening BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! as a narrative to the MCU works well. In the franchise, there undoubtedly exists worthwhile and valuable segments, but as it catches up to modernity it begins to lose integrity as that infinite spider’s web continues to extend outward. Rather than a fitting conclusion with a nod to the future, MyGO!!!!! doesn’t even get both feet on the ground before being pulled along to debut Ave Mujica. Yes, the idea of a rivalry and the sort of sinister appeal of the band does well as a way to challenge MyGO!!!!!, but as I said earlier, it’s just too much. There’s too much that removes the series ability to draw that comparison, instead focusing on advertising the next step in the franchise.

Now, it’s about time to address the elephant in the room. MyGo!!!!! and Ave Mujica’s music is good in BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, but it’s missing something as a greater work. The story is cut and dry, and while the performances are outstanding, they lack a definitive edge that allows it to exist separate to a lot of other similar works. At the beginning, the series I listed all had something in common- an edge. Not in the emotional or mental sense, but in the literal- a battle between vampires powered by music, a musical battle bigger than most of the world, an underground musician paired with a reincarnated strategist turned rapper. There is a spin or angle that separates the series from the masses, and not only is that not present in BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, it lacks any strong enough reasoning to isolate itself from its siblings.

Sanzigen can knock the performances out of the park, but the team still misses out on the ability to deliver something that is fundamentally different. There’s no change in art style, no change in expression or format, the series is simply elevated to its peak during these moments. They’re great peaks, but they can also be found elsewhere. Compounded with some of the limitations of CGI like over-detailed models at a distance, as well as the oftentimes lacking composition that leaves the characters looking flat, and you get a series that visually matches its narrative. Not quite cookie-cutter, but certainly a little… mass produced. Of course, some products (like this one) are better put together, but it just can’t match those one of one works. Still, the performance sequences are quite well done, and when the series can stick to the strong suits of CGI, it certainly is a surprisingly good looking series. It’s just that much like the story, it can struggle to make the best use of itself.

There’s this saying, “you should aim for the moon. If you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”. It’s a silly, silly idiom that I think expresses my experience with BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! quite well. The fallacy of aiming for an ideal and thinking you can survive if you miss your target is displayed quite plainly in this series. With a long lived franchise such as this, bringing in a new face should have you aiming for the stars themselves. Set your sights on the horizon and fly towards your goal. Instead, it feels like it’s content with going through the motions and providing an advertisement that directs viewers elsewhere.

In the end, that aimlessness that ends with “Oh, you should go here next” damages BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, when it could have much more potential. Sanzigen’s work is much better than it is worse, the story leans more towards good more than bad, and even the characters at least have some shred of development and personality. It scrapes by on the bare minimum for being genuinely good, but squarely misses the mark with the potential to be great, like 2024’s Girls Band Cry (which I’ll write about later, I promise). I’d say it’s a shame, but personally speaking, I have little investment in its greater world, so I’m satisfied with where it is. I doubt I’ll ever return to BanG Dream! out of interest, but I might just revisit out of boredom one day.