Since Anon and Soyo attended Ave Mujica’s Budokan event, we of course have the members of MyGO discussing that band’s identities. Well, all the members except Rāna but I’m not terribly surprised that Rāna is absent from the plot right now. Taki (Coco Hayashi) tells Anon not to tell Tomori about Sakiko’s involvement in Ave Mujica, what with Sakiko being a sore topic for Tomori, but that doesn’t last long since everyone at Haneoka Girls’ Academy is talking about the big news. I wouldn’t have minded if Tomori was kept in the dark, if only because it’d make her finding out a bigger deal, but the nice thing about not dragging it out is we get to see Tomori’s reaction from the get go. Interesting that when she watches Ave Mujica videos, she notices that Sakiko seems like a completely different person. If it wasn’t so concerning, that’d be a compliment considering that Sakiko wants to assume a new persona for herself. Soyo meanwhile isn’t too thrilled. She only recently let go of CRYCHIC so it must feel insulting to see Sakiko and Mutsumi in a new band. I’m surprised that she confronts Mutsumi directly about this, they really did not seem to be on speaking terms at the end of MyGO, but I suppose she would demand an explanation from Mutsumi.
As for Ave Mujica themselves, we of course them deal with the effects of their identities being known to the public. In a funny bit of irony, Nyamu discovers that she’s trending the least out of the five. This is presumably because she’s hinted at her involvement in Ave Mujica already. Even if that’s not the case, I like to think this is karma striking back at her. Kind of hilarious that Umiri is discussed more on social media than Nyamu but I can actually buy that. Even though Umiri is the most unknown of the five, she would in turn also be the most curious member to a lot of fans.
Regarding Sakiko’s living situation, it’s revealed that she’s started crashing in at the band’s agency. I guess the company is just okay with that? Knowing Sakiko, I suppose she’s been doing this in secret but you’d think someone would notice her stuff lying around. Fortunately, Sakiko doesn’t have to be homeless for very long as Uika offers to have her stay at her apartment. I’m honestly becoming concerned for Uika. She clearly seems like a kind soul but the thing about this era of Bandori is that the kind or sane one always get taken advantage of. Anon was one of the nicer members in MyGO and look at how things went for her at first. Unlike Anon, Uika doesn’t have any ulterior motive so I’m even more worried for her. At the very least, I’m curious how Uika’s friendship with Sakiko will be tested. The fact that Uika is only now learning that Sakiko’s mother passed away is a bit of a red flag. I wonder what other stuff Sakiko has kept secret from her.
As the episode progresses, it gradually becomes centered around Mutsumi. It quickly becomes apparent that she can’t handle having people know her identity and that she’s daughter of two celebrities. Mutsumi has always come across to me as an introvert but I think it’s also possible that she really did not want to be compared to her parents and instead be treated as her own person. It certainly seems to be the case as the very first thing people seem to bring up when they talk to her is her parents and not her specifically. It also doesn’t help that none of her bandmates aren’t much of a help to her. For example, there’s a scene where the band decides to hang out at Mutsumi’s home. Nyamu befriends Mutsumi’s mother, Minami Mori (Miyuki Sawashiro) and she takes the opportunity to ask the actress to hook her up with a producer, almost ignoring Mutsumi in the process. Later, an inattentive Mutsumi blurts out during an interview that the band won’t last for very long, causing rumors to spread about an eventual breakup. Rather than ask Mutsumi what’s going on, Sakiko instead reminds Mutsumi to be more mindful whenever they’re being interviewed. It’s clear that Mutsumi is need of help and she’s not getting it.
At the end of the episode, Ave Mujica holds the first concert of their tour. Mutsumi arrives late and it’s immediately apparently that she’s not fit to perform. Sure enough, the stress she’s accumulated throughout the episode finally gets to her and she suffers a panic attack in the middle of the band’s first song. Something that stood out to me is that the scene shows Nyamu’s reaction last. I’m hoping this means that this event has shaken Nyamu the most. After all, it’s her fault that the band has gotten to this point. And to be frank, Nyamu has been pretty darn grating with how obsessed she is with becoming famous and how much she disregards everyone else’s input. Having her reevaluated things would go a long way towards me liking her.
Watch Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – on Crunchyroll
Xenodude Scribbles 