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Show By Rock!!
Episode 3

by Amy McNulty,

Show By Rock!! episode 3 puts the focus back on Cyan and her band Plasmagica as the girls face off against another all-girl group, Criticrista. Since their latest rival band is comprised of students from an elite music school, the odds are stacked against Plasmagica. However, even if they don't emerge victorious, our heroes are determined to turn their first official concert performance into a valuable learning experience.

Just like the first two episodes, this week's installment bites off a little more than it can chew. It attempts to give Cyan's bandmates Retoree, Chuchu and Moa more depth by rushing through Retoree's backstory and very briefly shedding light on Chuchu and Moa's secret sides. While the situation seems to be what-you-see-is-what-you-get with tsundere Retoree, optimistic Chuchu is very driven to succeed, and airheaded Moa is actually an alien. Hopefully, that won't further complicate things in an already overloaded series.

Maple Arisugawa randomly scouted Retoree just because she was carrying a bass guitar in the vicinity of a ShinganCrimsonz concert, and it isn't a particularly compelling backstory. Her sudden freak-out before the concert and her insistence that she doesn't click with her bandmates because of her introverted nature seems like a ploy for drama that doesn't pay off because we've yet to feel any depth to these characters. Not surprisingly, it's the protagonist Cyan who pulls the band together with her innovative riffs. Although the girls don't win the battle of the bands, they've grown closer—but it wasn't clear they even had an issue getting along until halfway through this episode.

Other beats in the episode are predictable but play out adequately, like the rival band projecting sweetness even though their leader Rosia clearly looks down on Plasmagica when their backs are turned. Since Criticrista doesn't do anything sneaky to win—they simply earn more votes—Rosia's closeted deviousness didn't serve much purpose this week. However, it wouldn't be surprising to see Cristicrista evolve into a rival band that poses a threat both on and off stage, à la The Misfits. Then again, they could just be another layer of unnecessary complexity, like the monster battles that haven't surfaced since the first episode and the fact that Cyan is from the real world.

It's becoming apparent that the show's producers have no qualms about relying on repeated animation, particularly for the audience reaction shots. The CG is still seamless and attractive, but even that is a lot of repeated head-bopping and instrument-playing movements. Also disappointing is the drop in the number of jokes this week, although the episode still manages to elicit a laugh here and there.

Despite its flaws, Show By Rock!! remains as endearing as ever. There's something about the vibrant collection of characters, the bright color palette and the toe-tapping music that puts the audience in a positive mood. In light of the all those pluses, it's easier to overlook the show's flaws, but there are too many small issues that crop up to give the series a free pass either.

Rating: B-

Show By Rock!! is currently streaming on Funimation.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for two decades.


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