Confession from the Mastermind Behind ‘Girls Band Cry’ Addresses Doubts About That Scene and Answers in Episode 13

‘Girls Band Cry’ is a girls’ rock anime themed around music and youth. It aired on terrestrial TV channels like TOKYO MX from April to June 2024, and is currently being streamed on various platforms such as Amazon and ABEMA.

In Skilled Band Girls Challenge Themselves as Voice Actors in Anime ‘Girls Band Cry’, we interviewed Mr. Tadashi Hirayama, the producer from Toei Animation who was a central figure in promoting this project, about the process of creating ‘Girls Band Cry.’ In Part 2, we will delve into Mr. Hirayama’s responses to fan theories and talk about the sequel.

――This work challenges various unprecedented attempts. How were you feeling about whether it would be accepted before the television anime broadcast began?

“I was very scared. We had worked hard on it for five years, but there was always the possibility that it could be rejected by the audience.”

――Honestly, it seems that there weren’t many positive reactions before the broadcast.

“First, I didn’t know if the look of the work, that is, the appearance, would be accepted. I couldn’t predict how the protagonist, Nina Iseri, would be received either.”

――She is a straightforward and pure heroine with sharp edges who doesn’t compromise once she has made up her mind.

“I thought there was a possibility that people would be divided between those who accept her and those who don’t, but I’m relieved that it seems to be loved.”

――When did you first feel a response?

“After the finished product was completed, we first had internal screenings, and they were almost always full. This is unusual. Normally, they don’t fill up, and the number of people decreases with each screening. However, ‘Girls Band Cry’ was full every time we had a screening. It’s a phenomenon that doesn’t happen unless the people who saw the internal screening go back to their seats and spread the word saying ‘It was interesting.’ I started to have a little confidence that this work was interesting. However, everyone who watched the internal screenings is a professional in anime, so they have a different sense compared to general customers, and I thought it wouldn’t be clear until it actually aired.

I was also anxious because this spring had a lot of competitive titles. There were many highly anticipated works with popular original sources like ‘Demon Slayer’ and ‘Kaiju No. 8’. For girl + music-themed works, there was also ‘The Jellyfish Can’t Swim at Night,’ which was creating buzz even before airing, and the third season of ‘Sound! Euphonium,’ which was written by the same scriptwriter, Jukki Hanada, as ‘Girls Band Cry.’ I was worried, thinking, ‘In such a situation, an original CG anime probably won’t get much attention; people will be too busy watching popular and talked-about works.’”

――The Jellyfish Can’t Swim at Night is a music-themed story that begins with the encounter between a mentor-like woman who once was a professional but stepped away from the stage, and the protagonist who is searching for a place to belong. It was surprising that this work, which has many commonalities with Girls Band Cry, was broadcast at the same time. Even the nicknames, “Garukura” and “Yorukura,” are similar.

“It was a complete coincidence, and we were really surprised too (laughs). While The Jellyfish Can’t Swim at Night is a story about creating music videos, and Girls Band Cry is a band-centered story, I felt there was a kind of empathy, like maybe they were creating it with a similar mindset as us. I was hoping that the audience would compare Yorukura and Garukura and that both would gain more attention. In fact, I’m grateful that the audience did make comparisons. Thanks to that, many fans of Yorukura became aware of Garukura, and I’m really thankful to The Jellyfish Can’t Swim at Night for that.”

――When producing this work, did you have a strong determination to surpass your past projects?

“No, I approached everything from a zero-base perspective. For example, even with Love Live!, the TV anime broadcast started over 10 years ago, and the world has changed significantly since then, so we had to create something that aligns with the current era. I only thought about how to start the project in a way that was necessary for today. So honestly, I didn’t think about other works. I started by considering what kind of work would be properly accepted by the audience today.”