What’s the show? Music Girls, Episode 10.
And what happens in this episode? I never like saying negative things about an anime’s production—it’s tough for animators to meet their deadlines, the anime industry is notorious for over-working its staff and the fact they do as much as they do on the schedule they have is a testament to their hard-working attitudes and love for their profession. That said this episode is pretty rough—and not just from an animation standpoint but also the pacing of scenes, the direction, the audio—nearly all of it feels very rushed. That’s not to say it’s unsalvageable, just that it probably should have spent a couple more days being polished up, that’s all.
Oh dear, so not a good episode then… I mean from a certain standpoint that’s true but I still enjoyed it—even if it was for the wrong reasons!
So what’s the episode about? Well the Music Girls are preparing for their big outdoor concert, meanwhile Uori is still feeling sorry for herself for losing her voice before the television performance last week. Meanwhile, Sasame’s pet lobster Antonio Gonzales Almadovar or Var-chan for short has escaped and has made friends with a lonely elementary school girl. Man talk about sentences I never thought would exist!
And that’s relevant to them preparing for the big show because? Well initially I thought the show was just stalling to make 12 episodes and there’s a little of that, but it’s so the girls can throw the world’s most awkward concert ever committed to anime as the Music Girls perform the little girls elementary class because she’s depressed about not having any friends because her family is always moving—except I’m not sure how this helps the girl because it was her last day anyway so having a concert isn’t going to win her friends at wherever her new school is! But that’s not important, this was all a part of Hanako’s plan to inspire the Music Girls—because if they can reach the heart of a sad 8-year-old then they can do anything—or some such nonsense…
I thought you said I enjoyed it? Yes, this was gloriously bad and I loved every awkward minute of it—but it gets better! There’s a post-credit scene, that’s at least passingly more well-animated and paced but is wildly over-dramatic and edgy. Uori, still feeling emo about her place in the band is skulking around the streets, then she goes to an aquarium and gets angst-y at a fish(?) walks around some more, stares at train tracks, monologues some more then goes to where she was meeting the others and announces she’s quitting the band! Boom!
Sounds like you really enjoyed this train-wreck… Oh I wouldn’t call it an outright “train-wreck” more like a train that’s skipped the rail but only caused minor damage and injuries. There’s a salvageable story amongst the production issues—tighten that story up, improve the animation (especially during the elementary school performance) and maybe make Uori’s departure from the band feel less edgy and you’ve got yourself… well something on par with the rest of the show. As it stands it’s not the best addition to the series although inherently watchable for reasons it probably didn’t intend. Also, the obligatory bath scene was probably the most consistently animated part of the episode, so kudos for getting your priorities in order!
Previous Music Girls Reviews:
Idol Anime At Its Peak – Episode 1 & 2 Review
The Sound of One Hand Clapping – Episode 3 Review
An Idol Without Makeup – Episode 4 Review
Starving Artists – Episode 5 Review
There’s A 17 Year Old Girl In All Of Us – Episode 6 Review
Bikinis, Baths and Brotherly Love – Episode 7 Review
Disbanding Together – Episode 8 Review
Variety Is The Slice Of Life – Episode 9 Review
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Anime QandA 
It also probably would have hit harder if this wasn’t the second time Uori announced she was leaving the group…
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Very true, I think this show could have benefited had its drama come from a different character maybe.
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