Don't Call It A Comeback - BanG Dream! Season 2 Rewatch Reaction

A common point of pride among Bandori fans is the comeback story. The story of how season 1 of the anime flopped and was saved by the desperate Hail Mary of the gacha game, Girls Band Party. While it's a good story, it's not 100% accurate to the facts.

In reality, Bandori S1 did perfectly average numbers compared to other anime that came out around that time. The problem is that the then-CEO of Bushiroad, Takaaki Kidani, had way higher expectations than "perfectly average", stating in interviews that Japan's idol boom was "already over" and declaring Bandori to be the frontrunner in a new "band boom". In that context, when a series-specific doujin event with room for 400 circles brings in nine and stores are literally begging fans to buy overstocked Bandori merchandise, it's easy to understand how this performance could be perceived as a flop.

With that said, the success of Girls Band Party is definitely a comeback story. The little anime that failed to live up to its own expectations releasing a mobile game that managed to take the nation by storm, and even gaining plenty of popularity outside of Japan. Standing tall alongside the incumbents like Love Live! and IDOLM@STER. That's a pretty good story in and of itself.

With all that said, the release of Bandori season 2 is absolutely a comeback story. A complete underdog coming in, taking the industry by storm, and, in some ways, revolutionizing the rhythm gacha scene. So, in celebration of that comeback story, let's go episode-by-episode once again through the second season of Bandori and see how it holds up in the modern Bandori era.

The Dub

Before I get into the show proper, I'd like to talk about the dub.

I don't talk about it as much as I used to because I'm not as into seasonal anime as I used to be, but I love English dubs. I think dubs do have objective advantages over subtitles, and I subjectively have a harder time staying engaged with shows that aren't in English. I've delayed watching plenty of shows in the hope that they'll one day get an English dub, and the number of shows I've watched with English audio is much higher than the number I've watched in Japanese.

So trust me when I say the dub is unwatchable.

The dub for Bandori S2 is the epitome of everything I hate about Sentai Filmworks. The casting decisions are deplorable, the audio quality is terrible, and the script is abysmal. I've tried watching it a couple of times and never was able to get past episode 4. It was really disappointing to see a franchise I cared so much about treated so badly.

All that to say, I'll be watching in Japanese, and I recommend you skip the Sentai dub as well. At the time of writing, that's the only English dub available, so I can only hope that Crunchyroll decides to go back and re-dub the entire series, although I'm certainly not going to hold my breath.

Episode 1

The theme of Bandori S2 is fanservice. Not the normal sexual fanservice that you think of when you think of anime, but rather service to the fans of Girls Band Party. You'll see plenty of appearances and story arcs from the five main Garupa bands throughout this anime.

To that end, Bandori, as ever, starts as it means to go on with a performance of Pastel*Palettes' debut song, "Shuwarin☆Drea~min". I've complained about the overuse of music to stall for time in future Bandori entries, and episode 1 definitely falls into that trap.

You may notice that all the main character models are in 3D. Between the release of S1 in 2017 and S2 in 2019, the original animation studios, ISSEN and XEBEC, shut down, and Sanzigen took over animation duties. I've always considered this change to be a massive downgrade in the art style of future Bandori entries. S1's animation wasn't outstanding by anyone's standards (you can tell at what points the studios started to run out of budget), but S2 in particular is very rough. Background characters are still drawn in 2D, causing very jarring visuals when main and background characters interact, and the colors and lighting are done poorly. By the time we eventually reach MyGO and Ave Mujica, Sanzigen seems to have gotten the medium figured out, and many of these issues are completely resolved, but I still feel like the change is a net negative to the franchise overall.

Speaking of that, as the idol performance comes to an end, we're introduced to the first 3D character that isn't a member of Pastel*Palettes. I wonder if she's going to be important later.

Based on the news coverage, it appears that, at least within the Bandori universe, Kidani's dream has come true:

"It's the era of the girl band right now!"

If you aren't caught up with the mobile game (understandable, given that, at the time of writing, there are 9 years of stories to sift through), let me get you up to speed with the highlights.

Afterglow is a band of childhood friends who are determined to one day perform at Budokan together. Pastel*Palettes is an idol group/band that got caught faking their performance during their debut, but recovered and learned how to actually perform their instruments. Roselia you should remember from their cameos in S1, but they simply have their sights set on perfection. Hello, Happy World! is the brainchild of rich girl Kokoro Tsurumaki, who has more money than sense and is somehow on the same wavelength as Kasumi.

Clear as mud? Let's continue.

Since the end of S1, a year has passed. Kasumi is a second-year now, and Asuka is enrolling in Haneoka Girls' School, a school introduced in Garupa and the place that most of the main characters attend if they aren't attending Hanasakigawa.

Arisa is now Hanasakigawa's student council secretary, and Roselia's keyboardist, Rinko Shirokane, is now the student council president. Apparently, Nana, Hanasakigawa's previous student council president, specifically asked Rinko to take on the role. Roselia's guitarist, Sayo Hikawa, has graduated from the disciplinary committee to also be a member of the student council. In interviews with Bushiroad staff, it was mentioned that Sayo's establishing shot in this episode was given a particular pan and sound effect unique to her that no other character received. Sayo fans, we stay winning.

Over at Haneoka, Hina Hikawa (the twin sister of Sayo, if you didn't know) of Pastel*Palettes has somehow gotten herself elected as student council president. I have only bad feelings about this. The vice president, Afterglow's Tsugumi Hazawa, has her work cut out for her.

Still clear as mud? Excellent. Let's keep rolling.

As Asuka is taking in the chaos of the school she just enrolled in, she is run into by the girl we saw earlier, Rokka Asahi.

Another development since last season is that Rimi's sister Yuri has decided to study overseas after graduating.

As Hanasakigawa's class assignments are revealed, it turns out Tae is the only one not in class 2-B. Interestingly, this simple detail is foreshadowing. More on that much later.

While this episode is primarily to re-introduce us to the members of Poppin'Party and to cameo many of the other characters introduced in Garupa, one thing of actual plot relevance does happen. As the PoPiPa girls are out on a late-night convenience store run, Rokka recognizes them. She informs them that they are needed at the live house Galaxy. While Galaxy itself is going to become a staple of this season, the main plot-relevant part is Rokka becoming acquainted with PoPiPa.

On the docket are Roselia, PoPiPa, Afterglow, and HHW. Conveniently, these are the four remaining bands that we haven't heard songs from yet this episode. Like I said, this is mostly about establishing characters and, of course, showcasing all the music you could now stream/buy (all of which are featured in the mobile game, which you could spend money in). That said, there are some fun interactions, at least. It's not really great to start your sequel on a dead episode, but at least it's an entertaining dead episode.

If you're curious, Afterglow's song is "Scarlet Sky", HHW plays "Orchestra of Smiles!" (or "Egao no Orchestra!" if you prefer), Roselia performs "LOUDER", and PoPiPa plays "Happy Happy Party!" (which is the episode title).

Before everyone leaves at the end of the show, Roselia makes an announcement: they will be holding a self-sponsored live show. Inspired by this (particularly because PoPiPa were just talking about wanting to do a performance just before being recruited into this one), Kasumi on the spot announces that PoPiPa plans to hold a live show of its own.

After all, a self-sponsored live show can't be that hard, right?

Episode 2

This episode starts off with the cardinal sin of Rokka calling a forward slash (/) a backslash (\). Literally unwatchable.

As it turns out, Rokka, Ako, and Asuka have come together to form their own little first-year trio. It's always cute to see such varied personalities interacting with each other.

Back at Hanasakigawa, our heroes begin trying to figure out the specifics of a self-sponsored live show. Kasumi, Rimi, and O-Tae have their own ideas, which Saya responds to gracefully, while Arisa gives them exactly as much consideration as they deserve before bailing to work on some student council business. There, Sayo and Rinko fill Arisa in on just what Kasumi has committed them to with the self-sponsored show. While Arisa is lamenting the extra work that she and Saya have been volunteered for, Rinko makes a suggestion.

"Ichigaya-san, would you like to perform with us?"

The rest of Roselia are on board, but Yukina is the main one they need to convince. Fortunately, Yukina isn't a particularly disagreeable personality (which, if you haven't read through the years of event stories in the mobile game, will probably become more clear as the anime continues). She does warn PoPiPa of Roselia's standards, but is otherwise okay with inviting them as a guest band for the show.

If you aren't familiar with Marina Tsukishima, she's one of the primary staff members at the live house CiRCLE, and she chooses this moment to appear and complain that Roselia have chosen not to hold their live show at CiRCLE. This is another great moment to show off the dissonance of 3D and 2D characters occupying the same space, especially since Marina is a little more important than just a normal background character.

Kasumi, for a wonder, has actually put together a rehearsal schedule, even if it's presented in typical Kasumi fashion. At this moment, Rokka overhears PoPiPa talking about their upcoming appearance in Roselia's live show. It turns out that Asuka brought Rokka to Hanasakigawa because Rokka mentioned wanting to meet PoPiPa. Despite Rokka's nerves, Kasumi is welcoming in typical Kasumi fashion.

Roselia's live show is titled "Edel", which is on-brand with how their IRL concerts and albums tend to be named. The real Roselia previously held a concert named "Edelstein" in 2021, although I have a feeling that's more of a coincidence than an homage. The venue for the self-sponsored show is a live house called "dub", which is going to be extremely relevant as the anime goes on.

PoPiPa arrive at the venue and make their way to the waiting room to be met with an... interesting sight.

Once Roselia have been revived, they admit that they overworked themselves preparing for the show, especially since they volunteered to handle the venue setup as a cost-saving measure. As Yukina herself puts it, quite an embarrassing moment of weakness. Regardless, preparations continue for the show later in the evening.

PoPiPa's performance goes as well as they could have expected. The crowd's reaction is positive, and they all had a good time performing.

Then Roselia takes the stage, and we get to see just what a true powerhouse of girl bands is capable of.

The chosen song and the title of the episode is "BLACK SHOUT", which was their debut song and definitely in the conversation for the most quintessential Roselia song.

Roselia's performance catches the eye of not only PoPiPa but also another character that we'll get to meet soon. More on her in a moment.

Back in the waiting room, PoPiPa discuss Roselia's performance and the crowd reaction. Once the hype dies down, Arisa comes to a sobering thought.

"Is this the standard for what a self-sponsored show should be?"

Even with the conversation toward the start of the episode, no one in PoPiPa has really considered what it takes to pull off a successful self-sponsored concert. They've spent the whole day seeing behind the scenes, but it's only just clicked that they might not necessarily be as prepared as they originally thought.

Kasumi, of course, decides to power through her doubts, re-declaring to Roselia (and the rest of PoPiPa) her commitment to hosting their own show. Yukina shuts that optimism down immediately.

"Poppin'Party, you're nowhere near ready to put on a self-sponsored live show."

No one has ever said that Yukina is the type to mince words.

Episode 3

The mood after the Roselia show is mixed. Rokka is excited to have seen PoPiPa live as an audience member rather than a staff member, and she's more pumped than ever to start a band of her own. Kasumi, meanwhile, is more subdued than normal in the aftermath of her conversation with Yukina.

Remember that kid I mentioned we'd meet later? It's later. She calls herself CHU2 (pronounced "chu-chu" for some reason), she claims to be a producer, and she's very interested in Yukina.

While PoPiPa are navigating their crisis of faith, Rokka begins her quest to start a band. After a failed encounter with two girls who are looking for a drummer and not a guitarist, a quick meeting with Yukina, and an in-passing greeting with the owner of the produce stand next-door to Galaxy, she spots Kasumi wandering around town and begins to tail her.

Rokka, as it turns out, does not have the makings of a spy.

Kasumi explains the in-limbo state of the PoPiPa live show to Rokka, who promises she'll wait as long as it takes to see PoPiPa live. After a quick detour to the Asahi bathhouse and a peek at the room Rokka is given in exchange for working there, Kasumi invites her to Arisa's basement to witness a PoPiPa rehearsal session.

Rokka, as it turns out, was in attendance during the final live show at SPACE, where she discovered PoPiPa. She had recently been in a band that had broken up, but seeing PoPiPa perform was enough to inspire her to be in a band again, and she moved from Gifu to Tokyo to pursue that dream. She ended up attending Haneoka for its scholarship programs (which, as it turns out, ends up being extremely relevant to the plot of MyGO and Ave Mujica down the line, but this isn't the place to discuss that). We also find out that Rokka's nickname back in her hometown was Rock, a minor fact that is going to be relevant much, much later.

This is still a music anime, so Rokka's story inspires an impromptu performance from PoPiPa of this episode's title song, "Sing Girls", or, more completely, "Sparkling Dreaming ~Sing Girls~". You might recognize it as the ED for S1.

During the flashback stills we see during the song, one moment that is included is the gifting of Rokka's guitar. She has a light blue Strandberg Boden J6. It probably won't surprise you that, like ESP did for PoPiPa's instruments, Strandberg did make a replica of Rokka's specific guitar.

The performance fires up both Rokka and PoPiPa, with both of them recommitting to their dreams, even if they aren't entirely sure how to achieve them.

CHU2, meanwhile, is in the middle of failing to convince Roselia to play her music. In response to Yukina's snub, CHU2 swears vengeance on Roselia.

"You watch! I'm gonna destroy your stupid band!"

A bit petty, but I guess we need an antagonist of some kind. At least she was polite enough to clean up the trash can she kicked over in her fit of rage.

Episode 4

Like I said earlier, Bandori S2 is all about the fanservice, and we're about to plunge headlong into the main fanservice arc, so bear with it for a few episodes.

It's great that PoPiPa have gotten their optimism back, but the others still aren't sold on Kasumi's idea of flying in the sky. This is where Kokoro Tsurumaki inserts herself, jumping from the third floor of the Hanasakigawa building and cartwheeling her way over. This is not the most unrealistic thing that will happen in this episode, but let it set the tone.

Kokoro's handler, Misaki Okusawa, our second contender for the title of "best girl", also gets dragged into things when Kokoro decides that Hello, Happy World! is going to do a show to cheer up Kasumi and the rest of PoPiPa.

As HHW's emergency signal goes out, we get a quick but effective look at just what makes its remaining members (Kaoru Seta, Kanon Matsubara, and Hagumi Kitazawa) tick. If you aren't already familiar with the characters from the mobile game, these intermediary scenes do a good job showing off the characters personalities in a very short period of time.

Once everyone is finally gathered, Kokoro unveils her plan.

While it might be incomprehensible to anyone who isn't HHW, the one thing that Kokoro is clear about is this: if Kasumi wants to fly, HHW will deliver.

With the plan in place, preparations begin, and PoPiPa are brought to Kokoro's personal cruise ship, the S.S. Smile.

Did I mention that Kokoro is a rich girl? I think I mentioned that Kokoro is a rich girl.

Once on board, HHW begins their performance of "Goka! Gokai!? Phantom Thief!", the song that inspired the episode title, "Magnificent! Dynamic!! A Carefree World!"

HHW's show here is clearly heavily inspired by the Garupa event "Happy Phantom Thief & The Luxury Cruise". If you aren't familiar, it was basically an interactive performance with Kaoru playing the role of a phantom thief and Kanon playing a kidnapped princess, with Kokoro, Misaki, and Hagumi chasing after them. In the anime version, Rimi gets kidnapped instead, with the rest of PoPiPa chasing after.

Once they make it onto the deck, Kokoro's plan reveals itself: a hot air balloon in the shape of Michelle, HHW's mascot, which Misaki inhabits.

This isn't her actual plan, though. This is just the setup.

Misaki has no idea what the actual plan is, and she isn't interested in finding out, but Kokoro forces her hand by jumping off the balloon without a parachute. Misaki (or Michelle, rather) does have one, so she jumps after to save Kokoro.

"A bear who can't fly... is just a bear!"

Unfortunately, the parachute doesn't have a drawstring. Fortunately, the Michelle suit has been upgraded to act as an Iron Man suit. All Misaki has to do is input the Konami code.

Unfortunately, Misaki is not a gamer. Also, the suit doesn't come with a game controller.

Regardless, in typical anime fashion, she manages to input the code in the nick of time, activating the suit's jetpack functionality and letting her save Kokoro as well as put on the final leg of the show for PoPiPa.

Yeah, this episode is something else.

I'm not sure anyone actually learned anything at the end of the day, but it's the thought that counts, I guess.

Episode 5

For the second leg of our fanservice arc, we'll be focusing on Pastel*Palettes. Aya Maruyama, the band's leader and vocalist, finds out that PasuPare have been invited to perform at World Idol Festival, which is apparently a pretty big deal. Aya is pumped, while Chisato Shirasagi (yet another contender in the "best girl" race) is much more subdued, especially once Aya mentions "Yura-Yura Ring-Dong-Dance" is on the setlist. This song is where the episode title, "Rainy Ring-Dong-Dance", is derived from.

Once again, in case you aren't familiar with Garupa, let's give a quick rundown. Chisato is an active actress alongside being an idol, Eve Wakamiya is a former model, Maya Yamato is an audio gearhead who happened to be recruited into the band, and Hina Hikawa is just kind of insanely talented at anything she tries to pick up. Not all of this is super relevant, but at least you're up to speed on the backgrounds of this episode's chosen protagonists.

After a promotional photoshoot for WIF, Chisato rushes off to her next job only to find out it's been delayed. Rather than trying to meet with the rest of PasuPare for practice, she instead begins searching for a music studio for some solo practicing.

Unfortunately, Chisato isn't very good with the Japanese train system.

Fortunately, a wild O-Tae materializes to help.

The relationship between Chisato and O-Tae, if you can even call it a "relationship", is best demonstrated in the opening story segment for the Garupa event "The Whitest Day". It's pure "extrovert holds an introvert hostage" energy, and it's hilarious to watch for that reason. Chisato seems to tolerate O-Tae more than anything, and she does her best here to end the interaction as quickly as possible.

So, you can imagine she's quite unimpressed to see O-Tae working at the reception of the exact music studio she reserved.

And at a different one the next day.

Chisato makes it clear to Tae that these sessions are meant to be a secret, especially from the rest of PasuPare.

So, of course, O-Tae almost immediately tries to spill the beans to Eve, who is discussing Chisato's absences with Kasumi, forcing Chisato to intervene with a bribe of pastries.

In a rare moment of seriousness, Tae questions Chisato about keeping things secret from the rest of the band. Chisato explains.

"If I can't sing and play at the same time, I can't practice with them anyways."

Remember, "Yura-Yura" is a duet between Aya and Chisato, and Chisato apparently isn't very confident in her multitasking abilities.

Eve and Kasumi spy on Chisato and Tae's conversation. Eve notices the Yamabuki Bakery bag and correctly identifies it as a bribe, even if she's not sure what the bribe is for. Hina manages to get Eve to crack about what she saw, but the interrogation is interrupted by Chisato's entrance. She tries to explain away the bag, although Aya isn't convinced, especially after Chisato continues to refuse practicing the duet portion of "Yura-Yura".

I have mixed feelings on this story beat. On one hand, it's in character for Chisato to push people away and try to solve things on her own. The first PasuPare band story in Garupa has Chisato's individuality as a major plot point, and the resolution is less her becoming friends with the band and more her agreeing to stick with it professionally. While she does warm up to them eventually, it's a part of her personality that never truly goes away. On the other hand, however, Chisato is also clever enough to know that practicing a duet on her own isn't going to be very effective, and she'll need to rehearse with Aya before WIF at some point, so it's better to get it out of the way as early as possible.

Unsurprisingly, running through a duet without actually practicing the duet doesn't have the same spark as it would if performed normally. Aya continues pushing, and Chisato lashes back with a response she doesn't really mean. Aya, however, is a very sensitive soul, and she takes it pretty hard. Once she gets over that, she misinterprets Chisato's response and decides that she needs to get better at singing if she wants Chisato to perform with her. So, she rushes off and waits in the rain to deliver her message to Chisato.

"I'm not very dependable, and there's not much I'm good at... All I can do is give it my best shot... But I can wait! Until you think I'm good enough for us to sing together!"

That speech is enough to truly get through to Chisato.

And yes, if you were wondering, that screenshot was wildly popular among Aya/Chisato shippers.

So, in typical idol anime fashion (I feel like I've been using that turn of phrase a lot), Aya and Chisato reconcile, and all of PasuPare head to Chisato's reserved music studio (with Tae at the reception, of course) to practice together. And yes, WIF goes off without a hitch, even if PasuPare are relegated to one of the smaller stages.

Also, pay attention to the one character in the audience who not only has a full 3D model, but also wildly colorful hair. I don't think I even need to say that she'll be relevant later.

Episode 6

To start off this episode, Rokka discovers a dead body.

Or, rather, a girl asleep on the Galaxy stage behind the drum set. She seems scary at first, but the ultimate conclusion is inconclusive.

She has a 3D model, so we'll get another chance to figure it out later.

Anyway, the actual start of this episode is a poster for a festival at the local shopping district, complete with a musical performance.

The shopping district's youth group is led by Tsugumi Hazawa of Hazawa Coffee. Also in attendance are Saya representing Yamabuki Bakery, Hagumi representing Kitazawa Meats, and Ako and her older sister Tomoe representing the shopping district's taiko drumming group. Also, Moca Aoba is here for some reason, but she's our final "best girl" candidate, so we'll give her a pass on this one.

Incidentally, Moca, Tsugu, and Tomoe make up three-fifths of the band Afterglow, so I'm guessing you can already tell who will be the focus of the final leg of the fanservice arc.

Also, Rokka is here to represent the Asahi Bathhouse to round out the roll call.

The topic of this meeting is Afyerglow's appearance at the shopping district's "GoGo Festival". A group of old ladies suggested to Tsugu that Afterglow perform live at the festival, and Tsugu, being Tsugu, couldn't say no. The idea is pitched that PoPiPa should join, and Saya pitches it to Kasumi. Kasumi, being Kasumi, can't say no.

PoPiPa and Afterglow are interesting foils to each other. One group entirely represented by Hanasakigawa students, with the other entirely consisting of Haneoka students. Five childhood friends and five girls who just happened to meet and became fast friends. It's a nice dynamic, and it's even nicer that they're all friends.

Galaxy offers to let the bands borrow equipment for the performance, and the produce shop owner offers his truck for transporting things. Preparations are a breeze with everyone working together, and the festival starts off without a hitch.

Of course, there has to be some drama, so this is where the rain comes.

GoGo Fes has built an outdoor stage for the performance, which is great for the novelty, but a problem when the weather doesn't cooperate.

The rain is, at least, a good opportunity to throw in some exposition. If you aren't familiar with the Garupa event "As Evening Clears" which explores Afterglow's origin story, the anime gives a quick overview. Basically, they're a group of five childhood friends who were always together until their second year of middle school, when Ran was assigned to a different class. They decided to start a band to keep in touch, and Afterglow was formed. And their ultimate goal is to perform at Budokan.

Of course, the rain clears up, and the groups work together to reset the stage so they can perform. Afterglow's song of choice is "Y.O.L.O!!!!!", inspiring the episode title, "You Only Live Once".

PoPiPa take advantage of the end of their slot to announce that they've decided on a venue for their self-sponsored show: Galaxy. The date might still be up in the air, but it seems things are moving along on that front.

Post-credits, we see yet another fully modeled 3D character. She happens to see PoPiPa celebrating the successful GoGo Fes performance, and she seems to take an interest in O-Tae in particular. More on her in a moment.

Episode 7

Remember when I said that Hina being the student council president gave me a bad feeling? It's culture festival season, and she has a wild idea: combining the Hanasakigawa and Haneoka festivals into a double festival. Apparently, she was inspired by the GoGo Fes performance and wanted to recreate a similar experience. Her idea involves holding the festivals on the same day and holding crossover programs between the two schools, with visitors able to freely come and go across the two schools. By Hina standards, it's a reasonably well-thought-out idea, even if the pitch is riddled with Hina-isms. The decision on whether or not to accept the proposal ultimately falls on Rinko.

Meanwhile, PoPiPa are hard at work hammering out the details for their Galaxy performance. There are the schedules of their guest bands to take into account, with Kasumi getting Kokoro and HHW on board and Tae managing to swing a PasuPare appearance via Chisato. The target date that they decide on is the end of June, just a month away. With that and the culture festival, PoPiPa have their work cut out for them.

Speaking of the culture festival, you may remember that PoPiPa's first live performance as a group of five was at Hanasakigawa's previous culture festival. PoPiPa remember that as well. They decide to do an anniversary performance to commemorate the event. Particularly Saya, who only got to join in for one song at the end, wants to be able to play a full show at the festival.

Rinko is still considering Hina's proposal. With some encouragement from Ako, she ultimately agrees. A lot is kicking off all at once, so if the pace seemed a bit slow for your liking, things are about to pick up.

Remember the scary 3D model girl from earlier? This is Masuki Satou, who uses the Galaxy drum set to practice fairly regularly. Normally, she does gigs as a temporary member, but it turns out she's been recently scouted. Once again, more on that in a moment.

On the way home after practice, Tae is unusually lost in thought. She poses a question to Rimi and Kasumi.

"Do you two feel like you're lacking something?"

For Tae, she feels like she lacks true performance experience. Practice is one thing, but performing live on a real stage is something else entirely. Tae is by far the most talented member of PoPiPa in-universe, but she still feels the desire to continue improving even further for the sake of their upcoming self-sponsored show. She truly understands what a self-sponsored live means, and she doesn't think she's ready. This girl has only one of two things on her mind at any given point in time: rabbits and music.

Her solution of getting just a little of that experience she wants so badly is busking. Kasumi and Rimi join in and share their experiences with the other members. Arisa, however, isn't impressed that Kasumi hasn't made progress on the lyrics for their new song. After all, the time crunch is on.

As preparation continues for the festival, Aya mentions to Hina that she wanted PasuPare to perform at the culture festival, but the agency management denied the request. Hina suggests that Aya put together a new band to perform with. Kanon is the first to be recruited, despite Chisato's best efforts. Lisa is brought in next, and Hina recruits Tsugu without providing any actual context. Hina originally plans to act as the guitarist, but Afterglow comes along to complain about Tsugu's involvement, resulting in Moca being tasked with the guitar spot. There truly is no stopping Hurricane Hina.

With all the musical activity, Lisa does pitch to Yukina the idea of Roselia performing as well, but Yukina doesn't seem particularly interested. I guess a culture festival isn't a fitting stage for Yukina's standards.

As Kasumi keeps working on lyrics, Tae continues her busking, culminating in a performance of "Nakanai Nakanai". This is the inspiration for the episode title, "I Won't Cry, I Won't Cry". Mid-performance, she's joined by the 3D model from the end of the last episode, Rei Wakana. She and Tae were friends back in elementary school, and Rei wants Tae to join her new band. She offers Tae a USB drive with a sample of the music. Notably, the same cat-shaped design that CHU2 gave to Yukina back at the end of episode 3.

Sure enough, CHU2 and the multi-colored hair girl are finishing an audition for Masuki, now dubbed "MASKING" by CHU2. CHU2 really is building her own band out of pure spite. You have to respect the hustle.

Episode 8

"I want to play with another band."

No one has ever said that O-Tae is good at providing context.

Tae explains the situation, and that she would be joining as a support guitarist, not quitting PoPiPa. Everyone else seems on board, but Saya is clearly not, even if she doesn't voice her thoughts.

At CHU2's penthouse, Tae is introduced to the rest of the band: MASKING on drums and PAREO on keyboard. LAYER (Rei) is finishing out an old contract, leaving just these four for now. Of course, CHU2 has high standards, and Tae still has to audition like anyone else. Tae announces her readiness in the way only she can.

"No lady... I am a girl."

Trust me, that joke might not make much sense in English, but it's very funny.

With festival preparations still underway as well, PoPiPa are spread thin. Saya has a conversation with Natsuki Umino (who you may remember of CHiSPA fame) about her concerns.

"At this rate, we're gonna fall out of step with each other..."

If you remember from S1, communication is a bit of a weakness for Saya. She lets things build and doesn't tell anyone about her feelings. It led to her leaving CHiSPA, and it's a great step in the right direction that she's telling Natsuki, but the fact that she hasn't mentioned this to PoPiPa is a sign that she hasn't completely grown out of the bad habit yet.

Kasumi decides she wants to learn more about songwriting in addition to lyrics. This leads her to the meeting of the special festival band, who are also struggling with the fact that they don't have anyone with songwriting experience. Afterglow leave things up to Ran, HHW rely on Misaki's interpretations of Kokoro's drawings, Yukina handles things for Roselia, and PasuPare is a corporate idol machine that doesn't need to worry about songwriting.

They decide to start with a theme, which Hina provides without hesitation: part-time work. Lisa and Moca work at a convenience store, Kanon and Aya work at a fast food joint, and Tsugu helps out at her parents' cafe. Working part-time is something the five have in common.

It doesn't really help Kasumi with learning songwriting, though.

During a break, Lisa sees Rokka still trying to recruit members for a band in time to perform for the festival. She shares with Rokka the reason Roselia does what they do: Future World Fes.

In Roselia's first band story, Future World Fes is a major girl band event, and it was Yukina's goal to perform there. Eventually, the rest of Roselia accepted it as a goal for the entire band. It's the reason why Yukina takes everything as seriously as she does. So, for the culture festival, she doesn't see any benefit in it toward achiving that goal.

At the same time, Kasumi runs into Yukina herself and invites Roselia to participate as a guest band at their upcoming live show. Yukina agrees to think about it, which isn't an outright rejection, so it's something of a win for Kasumi.

Hinam, unbeknownst to our part-timer band, has decided to make their rehearsal open to the public. They draw quite a crowd as they run through a performance of this episode's title song, "You're Not Alone".

This specific band lineup isn't entirely random. Bandori's Japanese server has held many "general election" events, with the winners being granted in-game promo cards, event stories, and special songs. The second of these elections was the first "band shuffle" election, with the "Heartwarming Part-Time Song Band" winning. "You're Not Alone" was the song that came from this election. Tangentially, this election was run on the English server a year later, with the "Exuberance Fun Band" (colloquially referred to as the "Arisa Hell Band") of Kokoro, Hina, Hagumi, Ako, and Arisa winning. Personally, I was partial to the "J-Rock Band" of Ran, Sayo, Rimi, Tomoe, and Eve, but we got some pretty good art out of the deal, so I guess it's okay.

While Haneoka is getting hyped for the festival, CHU2 pitches her band's ideology to the rest of the group. RAISE A SUILEN is, according to CHU2, going to end the era of the girl band and usher in a brand new world.

Starting the same day as the culture festival.

Episode 9

Tae is stuck with a double booking, but she wants to do both performances. The rest of the band agree to work with her to try to make it happen. It's going to be a lot of work for Tae, with double the number of rehearsals, but she's determined to make it happen.

CHU2, trying to gloat, invites Yukina to RAS's debut performance. Yukina declines, citing the culture festival. She returns the invitation but notably keeps the cat-shaped envelope that it came in. Minor background details are fun.

There isn't really much of note in the first half of this one. Arisa has managed to get PoPiPa's time slot moved to the end of the festival to give Tae as much time as possible to make it, Glitter*Green appears looking entirely out of place in the 2D animation style, and plenty of generic culture festival hijinks ensue across both schools.

At the end of the first day of RAS's two-day debut at dub, the post-live meeting runs long, and Tae has to miss PoPiPa's practice. Confidence among the members besides Kasumi and Tae is dropping, and I think you can see what direction this story is going in.

At the end of the second day, however, the crowd calls for an encore. And then two more. Time has run out, and they can't just ask the audience to wait around. In the heat of the moment, Kasumi makes a mistake: she leaves to meet up with Tae.

Maybe nothing changes if Kasumi stays. PoPiPa isn't PoPiPa without all five members, after all. However, if there had been four of them, there's the chance they could have come up with something to at least stall for extra time. There's nothing that they can do with only three members, especially with their leader and vocalist gone. By leaving, Kasumi has guaranteed that PoPiPa no longer controls its own destiny.

We've had this situation before, with the infamous "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" scene in S1. This time, however, PoPiPa needs someone to stall for them rather than the other way around.

Aya's awkward MC skills are not enough to handle this situation.

So, Rokka gets to live her dream of playing at the culture festival, even if it's not with a band.

Turns out she's really good.

However, she can also only stall for so long.

Fortunately, Yukina decides to cut Kasumi a break, and Roselia takes the stage.

The drums and keyboard are already in place, and Lisa already has her bass from playing with the part-timers, but Sayo doesn't have a guitar. Hina has hers and lets Sayo borrow it. Fans of the mobile game will appreciate just how far the relationship between the twins has come since the start.

Roselia plays "Determination Symphony", which is where the title for this episode, "School Festival Symphony" comes from. While Roselia stalls for time, Tae and Kasumi meet up, rushing back to Haneoka as fast as they can. Together, they make it back and burst into the auditorium just in time.

Just in time for the festival to be over, that is.

Not every story can have a happy ending.

While the others try to comfort Tae, Arisa, who always has a smart remark to give, can only storm away in silence.

The celebratory atmosphere of the post-festival bonfire is a bit bittersweet with the context of what just went down.

Episode 10

Pro-tip: you can tell when an episode is going to get intense when the OP switches from "Kizuna Music" to "Brave Jewel".

On a more positive note, however, Rokka's solo at the festival has made her the buzz on Haneoka. Instead of being flustered by the attention as you might expect, however, Rokka is worrying about how PoPiPa are doing.

PoPiPa are doing about as well as can be expected, which isn't to say particularly well, but after a night to cool off, they're at least on good terms. Tae goes around to apologize to the various people she inconvenienced: Arisa and Saya, both of whom were looking forward to the performance; Rinko and Hina, who both did their parts to give Tae as much time as possible to make it; the remainder of Roselia for their roles in stalling for extra time; and Rokka for her guitar solo.

Yukina in particular makes it clear that PoPiPa owe her a huge favor, and she's not likely to extend the tab any further. I'm not sure how well it comes across in the anime, but Yukina likes Kasumi and legitimately seems to want her to succeed, but Yukina is still a professional, and her kindness has limits.

"It won't happen again."

Sayo does still call Yukina out for being more lenient than usual with PoPiPa, and Yukina fills the rest of the group in on the invitation she had received from CHU2 for RAS's debut performance. It seems that critical reception to RAS was quite positive, with the media predicting that they could be "the new leaders of the girl band generation."

With apologies and gratitude out of the way, Tae makes a decision: she's going to quit RAS.

CHU2 takes this about as well as you might expect, which isn't to say particularly well.

RAS does still ask Tae to perform in their next show, and the rest of PoPiPa ask to attend as well to see just what RAS is all about. As they arrive, Maya materializes to provide some helpful exposition about dub. She wanted to see MASKING in action and brought Eve along for the ride.

Our title song for this episode is "R·I·O·T". The RAS manga explains this stands for "Rebellion, Insurrection, Overturn, Turmoil" (or "Roselia Is Overrated Trash").

At the end of the performance, Tae announces her decision to leave the band. In the audience, PoPiPa are left to consider both how much the audience already seems to have grown attached to her, as well as her clear bond with Rei.

While waiting for Tae in the lobby, CHU2 meets with PoPiPa with a proposal. Or at least, it's worded that way.

"I want you to hand Tae Hanazono over to me."

Episode 11

The rest of PoPiPa fill Tae in on CHU2's request. Tae wants to refuse immediately, but the others convince her to set up a meeting between CHU2 and the five of them to properly discuss things first.

In Arisa's basement, CHU2 once again pitches her proposal: for Tae to quit PoPiPa and join RAS as their lead guitarist. It's a more nuanced question than you might expect. From the moment of her introduction, Tae was established in-universe to be the most skilled and professional member of PoPiPa (despite her quirks). Saya may have been CHiSPA's drummer, and Rimi may have practiced bass a lot with her sister, but neither of them has the sheer dedication to the craft that Tae does. Like I said, at any given moment in time, Tae has one of two things on her mind: rabbits and music. If she went professional, she could probably go way further than she can with a simple hobby band.

"Don't you think that friendship might be holding Hanazono back right now?"

Sure, Tae has found a place to belong in PoPiPa, but her bond with Rei is just as close as it was seven years ago before they broke apart, and PAREO and Masuki both seem to like her as well.

"Hana-san, didn't you have fun playing in a band with us?"

CHU2 gives them until after the self-sponsored show to give their decision, but that leaves a pretty dark cloud over their heads. To make things worse, the rest of the band isn't sure that keeping Tae in PoPiPa is the correct call.

PoPiPa try to give Tae space, but Kasumi ends up running into her by chance at the train station on the way home. Kasumi has a tendency to ramble in awkward situations, but Tae gracefully listens as Kasumi lists off all the activities she did throughout the day. Finally, Tae opens up about her own feelings.

"The thought of quitting PoPiPa had never even entered my mind. But you guys told me to really think about it..."

I mentioned this in S1 with the Rimi recruitment arc: Kasumi is an all-loving hero. Regardless of anything, she'll accept you for who you are.

Even if accepting means letting go.

"We all want what's best for you, O-Tae."

Because even if Kasumi lets go, she'll still think of Tae as one of them. No matter what, she'll keep being Tae's friend to the end.

"You're part of PoPiPa!"

The title for this episode, "Star Tears", comes from the song "STAR BEAT! ~Hoshi no Kodou~", the first song that PoPiPa played as PoPiPa, just over a year ago. It's a great backdrop to relive the moments from S1 that brought us to this point, with Tae herself even calling back to the first thing she ever said to Kasumi.

"Such a weirdo."

Tae has decided on her answer, and she delivers it to the rest of the group in the one way she knows how: a song.

The episode 11 version of "Returns" just hits in a very particular way. S2 of Bandori is Tae's season, and this is her song, so getting to hear her sing it solo feels right.

The further we drift apart,
The more we hold it dearly
During times like these, all I wish for
Is to meet the you who's singing and facing forward

No matter how dazzling the sky is,
There's only one star we're grasping onto
Thus, there's no need to feel lost now
I want to reach towards that "future" with you all...

Tae's decision is simple.

"I love PoPiPa."

Arisa's response is less simple, but no less impactful.

"You know, I don't hate PoPiPa, and being in a band is pretty fun. Who knows what'll happen in the future,, but having a goal together, the five of us..."

"But I didn't really know how you felt about all this, O-Tae. I thought maybe you'd be okay playing with another band... Now I understand."

Saya, too, finally voices her feelings.

"I didn't know how to say it either... I didn't want you to leave us... But I thought that was selfish of me."

"I thought I'd finally learned how to say how I feel..."

"O-Tae, don't go..."

Sometimes dialogue just speaks for itself.

Episode 12

PoPiPa does still have a self-sponsored live show to prepare for, by the way, and "Returns" is slotted into the set list. It seems like an appropriate choice given how impactful the O-Tae drama has been in strengthening their relationship.

The other guest bands that PoPiPa have recruited also start submitting their own set lists. PasuPare's, as expected from a corporate idol machine, is quite neat and organized, while HHW's is... decidedly not, to say the least.

Remember, however, that Kasumi and Kokoro live on the same wavelength, so she interprets it easily.

Afterglow's is more along the lines of "normal" courtesy of Tsugu. PoPiPa's is a complete chicken scratch mess, courtesy of Kasumi.

That just leaves Roselia, who technically haven't even given an official answer, despite being featured on PoPiPa's promotional material. Remember, Yukina's already cut Kasumi one break, and it's not clear if she'll be willing to extend graciousness a second time.

It doesn't take much convincing. As it turns out, Roselia have already prepared their set list. Remember, Yukina does have a soft spot for Kasumi underneath her ice queen act.

All that's left is figuring out the logistics of the order and timetables. Kasumi wants PoPiPa to split their set into two: one at the start and one at the end. A bit unconventional, but no one has ever accused Kasumi of doing things conventionally.

Of course, unable to leave well enough alone, CHU2 and PAREO stop by to give PoPiPa some snacks and gloat. O-Tae takes this opportunity to give CHU2 her answer a bit early.

"The time I spent with RAS was really inspiring for me. We raised each other up, and the goosebumps were never-ending. I'm glad I met you, and I'm so happy we were able to perform together."

"But... I'm sorry. I can't be the guitarist for RAISE A SUILEN... because I'm already the lead guitarist of Poppin'Party."

CHU2 takes this about as well as you might expect, which isn't to say particularly well.

PoPiPa hold a sleepover at Kasumi's house to prepare for their show, and Rokka somehow ends up being dragged along for the ride. Asuka, ever the tsundere, is a bit stung that Rokka never comes when she invites her, but shows up when the rest of PoPiPa does. In another worldline where Asuka is part of a band, maybe she could be thrown into "best girl" contention.

Remember when Kasumi was dabbling in songwriting? That plot point got kind of forgotten in the chaos, but Arisa remembers, and Kasumi showcases what she's come up with. They decide they want to perform it at the show and get to work cleaning up the rough edges to get it performance ready.

Of course, in the spirit of camaraderie, all five bands pitch in to help with the various stages of performance prep. Finally, it's time for the final dress rehearsal. Just before PoPiPa takes the stage for their turn, Tae makes a final change to the lyrics of "Returns". They also decide that Kasumi should be the one to sing it.

"Returns", by the way, is the title song for this episode. While I still think Tae's version should be the definitive one, the one with Kasumi's vocals is still pretty good in its own right. Tae's final tweak to the lyrics also does a good job bringing everything together.

Thank you...
The song that shakes my heart Returns

Episode 13

Remember the owner of that produce stand next to Galaxy that I've highlighted a couple of times? He's the owner of Galaxy and Masuki's father.

Speaking of Galaxy, it's finally time for PoPiPa's self-sponsored live show. This is another dead episode, but in the best possible way. It's fun to see PoPiPa's preparations and the interactions between all five of the "core" bands. After a final group huddle, PoPiPa take the stage for their first set.

Kasumi immediately goes off-script, leading with "Returns" instead of "Happy Happy Party!" like she was supposed to according to the set list. HHW is up next, leading with their brand-new song, "Smiling & Singing A Song". Once again, this does not match the set list. Truly, these two are on the exact same wavelength.

Next is PasuPare. They, too, lead with their new song, "Kyu~mai*flower", much to Rokka's dismay. Afterglow, too, go off-script, starting with their new song, "ON YOUR MARK". Finally, Roselia takes the stage, and even the diligent Yukina ignores their set list and leads with "FIRE BIRD", their new song. At this point, I don't think Rokka is surprised anymore.

PoPiPa's second turn ends with Kasumi's song, "Dreamers Go!" Honestly, a really good song, and it's a good note to end the live on.

Sometimes! You wake up from your dreams
Therefore! Even if you fail in your dreams
Precisely! Because it's all connected
You'll meet it again, Dreamers Go!

Of course, the crowd hasn't had enough, and PoPiPa finish off with "Kizuna Music", which acts both as the episode's title song and its ED.

Not really a plot-significant episode, but lots of music and fun interactions, so I can't really complain.

By the way, CHU2, true to her word in episode 12, was in the audience, and she isn't happy that she was actually moved by the performance. She gives PoPiPa a final warning.

"You better watch out, 'cause I'm gonna beat you to a pulp!"

Sequel hook, anyone?

Conclusion

It had been about two years since Bandori S1 when S2 came out, and I think they did a pretty good job with it. The pacing struggles a bit in episodes 4-6, but once the Tae arc kicks into gear, it stays very engaging. The emotional beats hit hard without feeling too melodramatic, and there are plenty of emotional scenes, particularly toward the end.

Bandori deconstructs the "cloudcuckoolander" archetype several times throughout the franchise, and I think Tae's arc here is a really strong instance. She's forced to face the fact that her actions have consequences, and just because she has good intentions, it doesn't excuse her from facing them.

If I had to make a complaint, it would be with CHU2. She's a great antagonist, but it's a bit annoying to see her nearly break PoPiPa apart and never suffer any consequences herself. This is a trope that I mentioned in MyGO that I didn't appreciate. If only there was a third season of the anime to flesh out the underutilized RAS characters some more.

Oh right, there is.