It’s been a minute since I last watched and blogged about Ave Mujica. Aside from the usual factors, I simply had to put this show on hold and focus on finishing other anime first. I also must admit that this isn’t exactly an easy show to get back into, what with how dramatic it can get. That said, I really need to get back into the groove of things and BanG Dream is coming back to TV this summer. If I want to catch up on Ave Mujica and maybe get to the original series, I need to get to the former now. I’m sure catching up will be a fun time…right?
So following Ave Mujica’s disbandment, most of the band go their separate ways and continue with their other projects. Out of the five main characters, I’m most amused with how Umiri is handling the aftermath of the split. Like, she lives a very normal life compared to everyone else so all we see her do this episode is hang around RiNG and go to school. Some reporters try to get some gossip out of her but other than that, she’s just chilling in her own corner. I’m sure I’ll learn in a couple episodes that Umiri has her own baggage and she’s simply a lot better than the others at trying to keep things to herself. For now though, I appreciate that she’s currently the least dysfunctional character in the main cast.
Nyamu goes back to working as an online personality and she manages to book a couple gigs, which I can’t help but find a little funny. Like, after making some of the biggest stinks about Ave Mujica’s future, it turns out that Nyamu can do just fine without the band. There’s one curious moment where Nyamu receives an offer for a big acting role and she reluctantly turns it down as she recalls how talented Mutsumi is and begins to feel insecure about her own abilities. I’m skeptical as to whether or not this will lead to any sort of growth. Knowing Nyamu, I find it quite likely that she’ll become even more problematic (if that’s even possible). Still, it is pretty interesting Nyamu still feels overshadowed by the others, even as she goes back to working solo.
As for Sakiko, she initially stays at Uika’s place for a couple days. Despite Uika assuring her that she’s more than welcomed to stay, Sakiko eventually decides to move out and go no contact on her friend. She instead goes back to living with her deadbeat dad and it’s as baffling as it sounds. On one hand, where else would she go? But on the other, going back to that life when it’s obviously going to be as bad as it was before is insane. After a month however, Sadaharu picks Sakiko up from school and he orders her to pack up her things and move back to the Togawa family’s mansion. I half-expected Sakiko to refuse once more but she does comply this time around. I’m guessing she finally accepts that living with her father isn’t going to get any better.
What’s really interesting then is that when she does return to the mansion, one of the first things she does is loathe herself. I get he impression Sakiko wants to be in control of her life and she hates that she has to rely on someone else instead. It’s why she refuses her grandfather’s offer and chooses to move out of Uika’s apartment. It would also explain why she lived with her useless father for as long as she has. As bad as those conditions were, at least it meant that she’s out on her own and she’s not beholden to anyone else. I also think Sakiko is cursing herself in relation to her decision to leave Uika. In retrospect, Uika’s apartment was the best place to live in. Sakiko refused that hospitality, only to then begrudgingly go back to her family’s mansion. I can see her recognizing how dumb that choice might’ve been and cursing herself over it.
At school, Sakiko receives a couple of written notes left in her shoe locker. It’s soon revealed that the person leaving these notes is none other than Tomori. I suppose that’s not meant to be a huge surprise. Who else attends Haneoka and is quirky enough to do something like this? It also makes complete sense that Tomori never gave up on trying to reach out to Sakiko, even when her old friend told her to give up last season. I have to admit that it’s starting to get a little funny switching between Ave Mujica and MyGO. To say MyGO looks much more stable by comparison is becoming quite the understatement. Their drama last season certainly looks quaint nowadays.
Towards the end of the episode, Tomori recalls Sakiko wishing her happiness (as shown in MyGO‘s finale), prompting her to ask Sakiko if she’s happy herself. It’s a valid question to ask given what’s going with Ave Mujica but knowing Sakiko, the note only makes her upset. When Tomori finds the note crumpled up, Anon decides to take matters into her own hands by stopping Sakiko before she leaves school. I’m intrigued that Sakiko actually lets Anon and Tomori into her limousine. She could easily tell her servant that she and Anon aren’t friends and stop Anon and Tomori from barging in. Maybe she just think it’s too much trouble arguing with them but it’d be interesting if deep down, she does consider Anon a friend and she does want to reconnect with Tomori.
Sakiko takes Anon and Tomori to her family’s mansion. Something that dawned on me while wathcing this scene is that aside from cursory knowledge about Ave Mujica, Tomori doesn’t know what’s been going on with Sakiko, especially her whole living situation. While there, Tomori notices a piano that Sakiko used to play and the two of them hung around when they first became friends, prompting her to ask Sakiko once more to play in a band with her. For Tomori to blurt this out in Sakiko’s old home, while also knowing little about what’s actually happened with her old friend, it feels like an invitation for Sakiko to go back to the way things were. Unfortunately, I don’t see Sakiko accepting the offer. At this point, I think she’s in a sunk cost fallacy. She’s already committed so much into letting go of CRYCHIC and she’d likely think that harkening back to it would invalidate all of her efforts since that band’s breakup. I don’t exactly want Sakiko to refuse Tomori again but it’s also the decision I expect to see her make next episode.
After the ED, there’s a post-credit scene where Soyo pays Mutsumi a visit, only to find Mortis desperately trying to bring Mutsumi back. Not showing how Mortis deals with Ave Mujica’s breakup for the vast majority of the episode is a bold choice but I approve of it. It made me spend this entire episode anxiously wondering what’s been going on with the character. That then makes the reveal of Mortis’ disheveled and anguished state and Soyo’s shock all the more poignant. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure how successful Soyo could be in helping Mortis in any fashion. I mean, Soyo wasn’t exactly very good at helping herself last season. That said, I really like seeing Soyo reach out to her former friend and I hope these two can make amends this time around.
Watch Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – on Crunchyroll
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