Girls Band Cry, to me, is a totally unexpected experience to be witnessed. It's quite special and unique. Pardon my inexperienced self on anime about bands since I haven't watched that many from this subgenre, but I think it's fair to say that Girls Band Cry is something that has never really been done before. It is not a rip-off of anything, while its premise is one that may have existed in many other anime, the overall execution and how it decides to go on about it in each string of plot prove its total originality. A mix of 3D animation that is frowned upon by the majority, great emotional songs that make my heart dances aligned with the beats, a simple story that has a solid stance to recognize the direction it has to go so it becomes very engaging and interesting despite its straightforwardness, and lovely characters who are pretty much the strongest fuels and most prominent reasons why this anime can be as beautiful as it is. I originally didn't really care about this anime when it came out last year. I just heard stuff about it from two dividing sides, one who said that it's really good and the other who said it's complete garbage, which is a very likely phenomenon to happen when an original anime comes out, but this one is especially very polarizing at first mainly because it's a 3D anime, and we all know just how hated 3D animation in the face of the community caused by how many bad 3D anime that exist out there. Well, now that I have watched it for myself, I think I have the rights to say that I completely disagree with the negative responses. Wish I watched this much sooner, really didn't expect that I would love it as much as I do now.

We meet Iseri Nina, a clueless young teenager who originally wanted to go Tokyo but now she is currently putting her feet on the ground of Kawasaki instead because she missed the station. She then runs around searching for her apartment so she can sleep peacefully after a long journey by the train, but unfortunately as the Goddess of Luck is not on her side, she gets locked out because the apartment's company is already closed for the night. Though, it looks like there's still a little sparkle descended from heaven on her shoulder. Not long after the hapless situation she got herself in, she finds her idol on the streetside, the daring Momoka Kawaragi who performs so powerfully under the cloudy Kawasaki sky. The unlikely fairytale of a high school dropout who falls in love with a failed artist who quitted her own chance to go pro. They become infatuated with each other in no time after finding out how much Nina idolizes Momoka and how much Momoka appreciates it. From here and on, the beautiful journey of how these two and three other girls who come later on transform to be the quirky band which won't compromise that goes by the name of Togenashi Togeari. I won't go deeper to describe every single plot point of this anime. Duh, obviously. It's much better to experience it by watching it yourself so you can gain all the feelings and emotions that may come with it.

Like I said before, the premise of the story is quite simple, and I wouldn't say that the whole story itself is mind-blowing either, but that's why I really love it. Even with its simplicity, it manages to be really good and totally gratifying. I didn't realize I was about to be dragged into one emotional ride that makes me want to pay more tickets so I can experience the roller coaster over and over again. It's more of a character-driven story, and that's why it pays more mind to its characters to develop and metamorphose rather than focusing solely on making a provoking plot. The simple story mixes so well with the characters who have complex personalities. I'm really glad that none of the main girls' characters are put into cheap boxes of tropey stuff, they all have very good reasons why they act and move the way they do. How they see themselves, whether it's a negative, positive, or neutral view, and the cause of it that exist within their background story. How they see each other, personally one-to-one and in the band as a whole group. How they see the world around them that makes them feel very cramped when they're alone, and the difference it has when they see it together. All of these are present in the story and the way they're presented are realistically profound. They're described both subtly and bluntly in times when the girls are doing daily conversations, having serious discussions to determine the fate of the band, fighting between each other—sometimes over trivial arguments, sometimes over serious ones, and the most important time of all, performing on stage. Every spaces in the story are used as presentations of the characters and that's why I adore the girls of Togenashi Togeari so much. Nina who wants to prove everyone is wrong about her, Momoka who wants to make the world see who she really is without having to conform to what's appealing to the current society, Subaru who wants to be freed from her grandmother's expectation and becomes what she dreams to be as a drummer, Tomo who wants to be able to speak her mind freely to show how determined she is while still keeping the connections she has with her loved ones in good terms, and Rupa who wants to cherish her relationships and be the guardian for her peers since last time she was unable to do so. These stories they have and the feelings they harbor are all poured in their performance, they scream their heart out and they lay it bare in front of the audience. For some split minutes as the song goes on, they are the most empathetic beings in the room who understand each other's struggle and desire to display their emotions in a melody. This anime put out so much care and thoughts to make some very good characters that will be imprinted on people's minds. The time it takes and the portrayal it gives to introduce these characters properly and genuinely makes them become very memorable and lovable to me.

Girls Band Cry is just very good. It shows the realistic circumstances of what it means to form a band and be actually serious about it. Even from the very beginning, there are already so many hardships and obstacles that need to be subdued in order to achieve the absolute dream that every band in the world has, from creating the band itself, gathering the members to be together in one, resolving the agreement and disagreement one may have with another, making songs that can express what the band feels, going pro which can create a dilemma of wanting to be successful by ditching the original ideology of the group or staying true to themselves, and so much more. Besides the struggle of being in a band, it also shows the conflicts within their own characters so well. This anime has so many good things in it that would be such a waste to be missed. Truly, it is such a beautiful experience to be had. I really love Girls Band Cry with all my heart. I hope more of you will get the same vision too. Just drop the anti-3D sentiment and see for yourself how good it really is.