Episode 3 is my favorite one in MyGO‘s three-part premiere. That largely has to do with some big gimmick in the episode. Something that’ll immediately come apparent to you is that this episode is presented in first person from Tomori’s point of view. There’s of course some cutting around and some close-ups don’t make sense unless Tomori is way closer to the character next to her than she’s supposed to be or her eyeballs have a zoom function. Other than that, the episode is told as though the viewer is literally in Tomori’s shoes, with the character’s face only shown in some pretty clever shots that show her reflection.
It’s a bold choice, one that risks bordering on pretentious. It doesn’t feel too out of the blue, however. After the use of the Raindrop Prelude in Episode 1, you kind of expect the show to eventually get artsy again. That and the show did establish Tomori confiding her backstory to Anon in the last episode so it’s easy to buy that her account of the past is told from her perspective. While certainly gimmicky, the choice to show things in first person does serve a purpose. By having you see things through Tomori’s eyes, you get a better sense of how awkward and lonely she feels. Also, I’m not the biggest fan of Sanzigen’s CG animation (though I’ve seen way worse from other studios) but this gimmick does make clever use of it. I imagine it’s easier to animate Tomori moving around in first person when it’s done in 3D.
Episode 3 starts off with a couple scenes of Tomori’s childhood, showing that her quirky habits have made hard for her to fit in and make friends for most of her life. Sometime during middle school, Tomori reaches out for a flower over a bridge, only to get tackled by Sakiko, who jumps to the conclusion that she’s about to jump off the bridge. Tomori treats Sakiko’s wound at her place (funny how it’s the same she starts to bond with Anon) and Sakiko takes an interest in Tomori’s notebooks, which Tomori has been using to write down her feelings. Sakiko then invites Tomori to her family’s mansion, where she experiments with using her new friend’s writing as lyrics for an original song. After a successful brainstorm, Sakiko suggests to Tomori that they should form a band with some friends, resulting in the creation of CRYCHIC. In line with the present, Sakiko of course adds Soyo, Mutsumi, and Taki to the band. Sakiko vouches for Tomori’s songwriting to the others and elects her as the band’s singer. This then motivates Tomori to write new lyrics for Sakiko to use for an original song, eventually titled “Haruhikage” (which translates to “Spring Sunlight”).
This episode gives us some insight into the members of CRYCHIC. Watching Episode 1, I was under the impression that Sakiko was uncooperative from the get go and part of CRYCHIC’s breakup was how fed up the band was getting with her behavior. But as it turns out, Sakiko is the one who really got the train going and she also is Tomori’s biggest supporter at the time. Oddly enough though, that still justifies the big falling out that inevitably happens. For Sakiko to show up late and quit all of a sudden, it’s no wonder Soyo acts so shocked or Taki gets so angry. It’s a massive betrayal to the bond they developed with her. Speaking of Taki, this episode gives us an interesting glimpse at her character. Up until this point, we’ve only seen Taki acting annoyed or cranky. Here though, we see her express skepticism towards Tomori’s singing and songwriting and gradually warm up to the latter. It starts to make sense why she feels so protective towards Tomori in the present. Soyo and Mutsumi unfortunately get the short end of the stick. Mutsumi’s limited presence is especially frustrating as the episode establishes that she secretly never liked being in CRYCHIC but it proceeds not to elaborate on it.
Kind of funny how MyGO!!!!! finally includes an insert song but it’s technically not performed by the titular band. To be fair, I ain’t got the faintest idea of when Anon can get her inevitable team to work together so I suppose the show needs to settle with something. Putting that aside, I quite enjoy the scene. There’s an intimate tone to it as Tomori wrote the song, is the one singing it, and it’s all presented from her first person perspective. Combined with some solid singing from Hina Yōmiya, it really feels like she’s pouring her heart out with this performance. I also like how the song sounds uplifting but also bittersweet at the same time, which befits what inevitably happens to CRYCHIC.
Despite a very successful gig, things begin to fall apart when Sakiko reads something troubling on her phone. The dialogue implies that it might’ve been hurtful comments she’s found in social media but the connection is only made because Tomori receives some a few seconds earlier. It’s possible it’s a coincidence and something else is bothering Sakiko. Whatever the case may be, this informs her decision to quit CRYCHIC. I love that Episode 3 ends with the big breakup again. If you watch the first three episodes back to back, getting back to this scene makes the premiere feel like it’s gone full circle. The scene certainly hits harder when you come back to it with the additional context provided by this episode. I still think it’s a bit bold to use the Raindrop Prelude but its inclusion does feel more applicable this time around. This is also where I think having the episode in first person really pays off. By playing in Tomori’s perspective, it sinks in more that she’s the clear victim in the breakup and that her world is collapsing right in front of her.
Watch BanG Dream! It’s MyGo!!!!! on Crunchyroll
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