BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! 5th Anniversary Animation - CiRCLE THANKS PARTY!

DGFischer Jul 2, 2022

9.6

CIRCLE THANKS PARTY is a two-episode set to thank the fans of the VG franchise transformed into a three season anime with lots of OVA, specials, and movies.  Ironically, it is a story of a concert that is doomed to failure but saved thanks to the fan support. The story centers on the 35 girls who make up the up-to-now BanG Dream! enterprise.  These break into the seven girls bands: Poppin' Party, Roselia, Pastel Palettes, Afterglow, Hello! Happy World, Raise a Suilen, and Morfonica.  The challenge to the story is simple ... which girls  ... which band.  The pace of the plot is slam down rapid as we try to integrate the six bands we [think we] know and the new arrival Morfonica.  Hints:  See a violinist ... that's Rui.  See a slow-speaking ‘pronounce each syllable clearly’ girl ... that's Mashiro.  Beyond that, good luck identifying the girl-rockers as you enjoy the show. The premise is based on CIRCLE Livehouse giving a five-year anniversary show that will showcase all seven bands.  This means constructing a huge stage in the shopping district (find three girls with obvious degrees in Masters of Engineering ... bang! There's your stage!!).  The bands take shifts to decorate the stage and paint a huge CIRCLE THANKS PARTY logo sign.  Stalls for the party are built and stocked.  All is ready for go time. Enter an unforeseen and well-aimed typhoon to wreck the stage.  Can 35 girls of diverse personalities (the bossy, the stoic, the sycophants, the ditzes, those driven by dokidoki) whip everything back into shape for the concert? While not at their best game in sync musician movement to music produced, the CGI designs of the girls is outstanding (down to those uniquely shaded eyes).  The concert piece played by the ensemble focused on the thrill of the performance (dokidoki all over again) and the anticipation of the girls' further adventures in song.  This bodes well for the fan base (symbolic of the merchants of the shopping district who offered supplies and young girls willing to help repaint the CTP signage.  Sangizen’s nifty way of offering their version of arigato).  With the Budoken concert ending season three, it seemed like a fitting ending.  But girls bands rock on, as seen by the special projects as the FILM LIVE movies and feature movies on Roselia, Poppin' Party, and Morfonica. Can BanG Dream! play on?  No complaints here.  I would love to see it!