This presentation presents the pinnacle girl band in the BanG Dream! franchise. And, I'm sorry all you fans of spunky and dokidoki, we are not talking about Poppin' Party. Hang in there. Their time to shine in cinema comes next year. The only hint of that premise is a picture of a guitar-carrying Kasumi Toyama gazing at a passing airplane (oversea concert?).
No, the band of note in this 1hr. 17 min. piece is Roselia, who, with Poppin' Party did the Budokan concert in BanG Dream!, season three. Undoubtedly, an excellent band that is constantly striving to surpass themselves. The band with the gothic aura, Roselia is the most esoteric, altruistic band in the BanG Dream! circuit.
And, that may cause problems, unless you really get into the philosophy of Roselia. This sets you up for the premise of the movie. If not, the story will drag. Sorry, your loss.
Roselia is set to accomplish their goal, to play at the Future World Fes, and is gearing up for the preliminaries that will bring them there. They are confident in their talents but are now beset with the uncertainty of reaching goals and finding what is beyond ... if there is a beyond. There is a thought of a time for disbanding once goals are met, and each girl comes to grips with their specific role in the group. Bassist Lisa is the optimistic, ever smiling member, and she has concerns for lead singer Yukina, the stoic, rarely smiling (but keep watch. She will, and you will be happy catching her at it) leader of Roselia. She feels her sole talent is singing, and that her song writing skills are waning. Sayo lives for the guitar and being the role model for her younger sister Hina, member of Pastel Palettes. Drummer Ako and keyboardist Rinko are the younger members, and both wonder if they really have an influence on the band. Petty little nagging feelings which might well undermine a performance.
The whole movie has Roselia press on, using their initial hit, LOUDER, as the doorway to their future. But a revelation. LOUDER is the inspiration of Yukina's oft-absent workaholic father who pledges to attend Future World Fes ... should they win at the preliminary contest. Once LOUDER is played, it shall be played no more, for the spark that created Yukina's band was not from her, but the creative projects of Roselia will be a combine of all five girls.
Plot and philosophy aside, the animation rocked. The opening scene of Rinko playing a piano within the confines of a steeple clock is awesome as it is symbolic. The CGI is an advance from the Budokan concert of BD3, ep. 13. There is an opening scene where Roselia performs on a chess board where captured pieces explode into shards (sad, the game end with only the kings still standing, but Yukina tips one king in resignation. Silly girl … this situation would call for a stalemate. Points off for accuracy). The animators created sweeping displays of 3D imagery, monochromatic splashes, even scenes in gray-tone; it just shows that Sanzigen has upped its game once more ... promising more for later. Ironic, as 'promises' was a powerful sub-theme in the movie.
And the music .... remember, this is the best band in the BanG Dream! world. All their selections were provocative, their FWF performance a trio of past, present, and future songs which have that defiant optimism that looks at goals, reaches them, and asks, 'What's Next?'
"What's Next?' In the world of BanG Dream! that is the big question. Catch the next epic piece in 2022. Wait, the second BanG Dream Film Live comes up by year’s end, having been released in Japan just this month. Look for that, too.
