"Girls Band Cry" (ガールズバンドクライ Gāruzu Bando Kurai, abbreviated as ガルクラ GaruKura) is a multimedia project by Toei Animation. Led by ex-Sunrise producer Tadashi Hirayama and his colleagues from Love Live! Sunshine!!, director Kazuo Sakai and script writer Jukki Hanada. The project was revealed in April 2023[1] and started in May 29th with the release of 2 music videos Nameless Name and no rhyme nor reason by Togenashi Togeari. In the months leading up to the anime, 8 more music videos were released and the band performed at various music events and concerts. The anime premiered on Japanese TV and streaming from April 6th to June 29th, 2024.
On June 2021, Toei Animation announced Girl's Rock Audition led by music company agehasprings. The audition concluded after 1.5 years with over a thousand applicants. The 5 members of Togenashi Togeari selected from these auditions are Rina, Yuri, Mirei, Shuri and Natsu.
A mobile game is currently in development by DONUTS (D4DJ Groovy Mix. Tokyo 7th Sisters)
Streaming[]
The Girls Band Cry anime did not initially release with an official English subtitle, but it was available in France with French subtitles through the Animation Digital Network (ADN), and Korea with Korean subtitles through Aniplex.
The anime was made available on the Indonesian service of CATCHPLAY+ with Indonesian and English subtitles around the original release of Episode 11. It continuously released three weeks behind Japan, France, and Korea.
Thailand distributor CARTOON CLUB released the anime on their Youtube channel with English and Thai subtitles. It had also released with a Thai dub, and became the first international dub of the anime.[2]
The anime was officially released in North America on August 13 via digital rental platforms Amazon Prime, Microsoft Store, Hoopla and Fandango at Home.
Crunchyroll started streaming the anime on November 6 with subtitles in nine languages in English-speaking territories, Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.
Episodes[]
The Girls Band Cry anime features 13 Episodes, running an average of 23 minutes each. Each episode aired every Saturday at 12:30AM JST (Friday 24:30 in Japanese Broadcasting Time).
Visit this page for details: List of Episodes
- Episode 1 - Long Live Tokyo (東京ワッショイ)
- Episode 2 - Three Nocturnal Creatures (夜行性の生き物3匹)
- Episode 3 - Unorthodox Q&A (ズッコケ問答)
- Episode 4 - Surprise (Gratitude) (感謝 (驚))
- Episode 5 - This Singing Voice (歌声よおこれ)
- Episode 6 - Outcast Hymn (はぐれ者賛歌)
- Episode 7 - I'll Give You a Name (名前をつけてやる)
- Episode 8 - If You Cry (もしも君が泣くならば)
- Episode 9 - A Crescent Moon Has Come Out (欠けた月が出ていた)
- Episode 10 - Wandervogel (ワンダーフォーゲル)
- Episode 11 - The Center of the World (世界のまん中)
- Episode 12 - The Sky Darkens Once More (空がまた暗くなる)
- Episode 13 - Rock 'N Roll Wont Stop Ringing (ロックンロールは鳴り止まないっ)
Each episode's title is a reference to an existing Japanese rock song, correlating to the events and themes of the episode.
Production[]
The official website of Girls Band Cry streamed several music videos and revealed key details including the main cast, staff, and a key visual. The project is notable for its talented staff members. Director Kazuo Sakai, known for his work on popular animations like Love Live! Sunshine!!, brings his expertise in anime and music to the project. Character designs are handled by Teshima Nari, who is known for creating adorable and appealing characters in cluding for 2019 anime Holo no Graffiti and 2022's Hololive Summer 2022. Kenji Tamai from agehasprings, known for producing renowned artists, takes charge of the music.
Toei Animation's involvement in the creation, planning, and production of this project comes as a surprise to both industry professionals and fans. The company has primarily focused on producing content for families and children, with limited works catering to young adults, music, idols, and similar genres. This venture represents a new challenge for them.
The video for Girls Band Cry makes use of Toei Animation's notable CG technology, which has gained recognition in recent years. The MV credits reveal that the producer is none other than Satoshi Hirayama, known for his involvement in popular works like Love Live! as well as Kyoukai Senjoujou Horizon and Accel World. Hirayama has been part of the planning process for the series since its inception. It is worth mentioning that Girls Band Cry marks Toei Animation's first full-scale production in this genre.
Music[]
For all tracks, visit Music
- Opening Theme:"Wrong World" by Togenashi Togeari
- Episode 1 insert song and ending theme: "VOID" by Nina Iseri, Momoka Kawaragi
- Nameless Name 「名もなき何もかも」, "Na mo naki nanimokamo"
- no rhyme nor reason 「偽りの理」 "Itsuwari no ri"
- white drizzle in gloom 「気鬱、白濁す」 "Kiutsu, hakudaku su"
- Ideal Paradox 「理想的パラドクスとは」 "Risō-teki paradokusu to wa"
- Bleeding Hearts 「爆ぜて咲く」 "Hazete saku"
- Piercing the dawn of time 「黎明を穿つ」 "Reimei o ugatsu"
- Answer to Extreme 「極私的極彩色アンサー」 "Gokushiteki gokusaishoku ansā"
- Hurtful and Painful 「傷つき傷つけ痛くて辛い」 "Kizutsuki kizutsuke itakute tsurai"
- Lonely fate to be destined 「運命に賭けたい論理」 "Unmei ni kaketai ronri"
- Underneath 「サヨナラサヨナラサヨナラ」 "Sayonara sayonara sayonara"
Staff[]
- Producer: Tadashi Hirayama
- Director: Kazuo Sakai
- Series Composition/Script Writer: Jukki Hanada
- Lead CG Directors: Mari Kondo, Jae Hoon Jung
- Character Design: Nari Teshima
- Production: Toei Animation
- Music Producer: Kenji Tamai (agehasprings)
- Soundtrack: Yusuke Tanaka, KOHD, Takashi Kondo, Yusuke Tatsuzaki, Kiyoto Konda
Band Members/Cast[]
- Rina as vocalist Nina Iseri
- Yuri as guitarist Momoka Kawaragi
- Mirei as drummer Subaru Awa
- Natsu as keyboardist Tomo Ebizuka
- Shuri as bassist Rupa
Featured Media[]
Music Videos[]
Members' Voices[]
Trailers[]
Promotional Images[]
External Links[]
- Official Japanese Anime Website
- Official Japanese Twitter
- Official Japanese TikTok
- Official Japanese Instagram
- Official YouTube channel
- Wikipedia
- Japanese Wikipedia
- Anime News Network
- My Anime List