A human-like doll named Doloris is surrounded by dolls, each speaking in whispers, wondering if she, too, will come alive on this “Night of Awakening” as they take on “temporary lives.” But as the camera pans back, it’s all revealed to be an act. This is a concert by Ave Mujica, a girls’ band soaring in popularity, the fastest to move from their debut to the Budokan, which is now just around the corner. But there are cracks in their perfect facade. Nyamu (Amoris) wants them to remove the masks they wear as part of their act, but their producer, leader, and keyboardist, Saki (Oblivionis) disagrees. She’s created this band from scratch, gathering friends and others, and has a carefully laid plan to ensure they aren’t just a flash in the pan. But it won’t be easy to keep Nyamu in check—not when Saki is using an almost supernatural amount of personal strength to produce the band while her life is in shambles, balancing work, school, and a deadbeat father who has become an alcoholic following the death of his wife and Saki’s mother. But it looks like everything may just go off as planned. Fans are excited about the Budokan concert, the night arrives, and…Nyamu goes off script. The die is cast. The dolls are now human. But what will that mean for Saki and the band?
The opening episode of Ave Mujica, named for and based on the BanG Dream! band and a spin-off (and prequel of sorts) of BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, is fast-moving and confusing for new entrants to the franchise like myself—but it’s absolutely worth catching up to. I am absolutely floored by how much emotion I felt in this opening episode, which focused on Saki’s backstory. As we see the tragedy she endures and all the stress in her life, our hearts go out to the hard-working and kind girl, and though Nyamu is cast as a villain in this episode, I’m convinced that her story and the others will also be moving. The human element is what draws me to this series. It’s surprisingly dramatic, featuring just the opening song and a few cutesy and humorous elements in between (though I’m sure more of those are to come). The CGI is a problem, as it usually is, not so much in the concert portion—fans of the franchise or VOCALOID will have no issue with it and indeed, the quick-moving “camera” and lighting actually looked good, though the girls’ dexterity looks terrible in CGI aside from the drumming—but certainly when it’s used in regular scenes. Why would they do that? I mean, I know why, but compared to the nice, regular 2D animation, the CGI is terrible (they can’t even match the mouths properly to the acting). Still, the up-and-down animation is a small price to pay if it continues to be as moving and involving as this opening episode (I didn’t even talk about the goosebumps-inducing climax!). I am ALL in—and it looks like I’m well on my way, too, to becoming an Ave Mujica stan!
Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – is streaming on Crunchyroll.
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