Ave Mujica - The Die is Cast -

Episode 10

In any other anime, it would be tempting to see this episode as odd, abrupt, or even a misstep on the road to its conclusion. The shift that happens halfway through, as Sakiko is at last driven to reunite the band, can almost feel perfunctory. The question of if this is a good idea and if such a reunion even could be done has been hashed out so harshly over the preceding nine episodes that such a turnaround seems unfeasible. Yes girls, Sakiko's bringing you all back together. Umiri, book a show for next week. Compose two brand-new songs in time for it? Why, of course they can, through the power of friendship and teamwork. There are only three episodes left, after all.

Ave Mujica, as per my weekly verbose analyses and the devoted depths of its fanbase, is not any other anime. This show is dense. It's dense as hell. It's friggin' dense macabre. This episode is one full third musical performance, and I've still got way too much to talk about. There are still three episodes left after this.

To start with, trying to evaluate the "feel" of the Ave Mujica reunion in this episode can't be done, as it is all a part of a greater whole that hasn't been seen yet. The episode starts with a staged guillotine dropping and ends with the invocation of a metaphorical one; it is both metatextually and plain textually cut off. Between those blades is the scenario that must get the band to the same place as MyGO!!!!! in their reflective tenth episode: reformed, performing a pair of meaningful songs, and ready to move on with the next stage of the rest of their lives.

In Ave Mujica's case, that means starting with Mortis having another breakdown and needing to be escorted home. Of course, she would never be able to imitate Mutsumi accurately, and Nyamu had to call her out on it. Nyamu seems to have at last been able to grok the split between Mutsumi and Mortis and how that expresses the "acting" ability she's so jealous of. Ave Mujica is also the only place left for Nyamu to meaningfully demonstrate her abilities, to say nothing of doing so opposite Mutsumi. It was a small wonder she was the one who took the most active initiative in getting Sakiko to bring the band back together.

It probably always had to be Nyamu, as the series of events has thus hilariously revealed her to be the most relatively normal of the group. Not that she's moved on from making moves that violate the others, as demonstrated by her hauling Uika to Sakiko's house. Uika's been Not Great for several episodes now, but the framing and direction of her body language during this scene is simply perverse. I am ecstatic to consider how the story might be rounding back to that next week. Yes, it makes Nyamu look even more proactive by comparison, but it also underscores how she can barely shuffle these girls around as an influencer. The one they're all captivated by is Sakiko—she has to be the one to pull the trigger.

The load-bearing question at the heart of this episode's shift is what prompts Sakiko to make her decision. Intertwining reflections and flashbacks implicate almost everyone. Was it the plight of Mutsumi and Mortis? Uika's pitiable desperation? The misplaced insistence of Umiri and Nyamu? Ultimately, it seems Sakiko is swayed by her own words, both those sardonically repeated by Nyamu and the ones she said to Soyo so long ago. It's reflected in response to another of Tomori's little notes: Sakiko doesn't want anybody to blame themselves for her burden. It's her sobbing in the rain after the CRYCHIC breakup all over again.

I love how important Tomori's post-it notes have become after they seemed like a simple gag in the first episode. Never count out the writing in this series.

That aspect of Ave Mujica's writing is why I am sitting back to see what it does with this band reformation, even as "abrupt" was the word I'd use to describe it in the moment. I initially suspected it might even be a wishful dream sequence, possibly from Uika, given how everything goes off without a hitch. Are they even allowed to use the band's logos and iconography without the record label's approval? I am 90% certain Uika stole those costumes from storage. Is this series simply going to pull an It's MyGO!!!!! in getting the band together in the tenth episode, then coasting by developing its members' group dynamic a bit more for the remainder?

Uika's lyrics aren't a natural extension of her desire to express herself like Tomori's writing; they're a desperate Hail Mary. She couldn't even throw it herself; Nyamu had to do it. This is intended to read as a hopeless imitation of what It's MyGO!!!!!'s accomplishment in its tenth episode. It's readily apparent on rewatch. The directorial framing makes it clear that none of this is aspirational or healthy. For all her previous pushing and bluster, Umiri slips right back into her role as Sakiko's lapdog. They're all just going through the motions. Even the name of the reunion show, "Auferte memoriam vestram," means "Take away your memory." You can't repeat the past, Sakiko.

It looks like it might happen for just one musical moment on that stage. After only a week of practice, the girls are able to put on a performance worthy of a series that otherwise has hardly indulged in musical outings all season. This episode eschewed the opening and ending to fit them in; it better be worth it. But even that success comes with tonal caveats. Uika's reuniting song, the incredibly titled "Imprisoned XII," is an unrequited romantic ballad where she stares directly into the camera and (in English!) screams how madly in love she is with Sakiko. The follow-up, "Crucifix," is about the group persisting out of predetermined fate, invoking the word "face" to match the masks they hid behind before.

Thank god Crunchyroll included lyric subs for both songs in this episode. The resonance behind it all would be thoroughly pointless if Uika's emotions weren't nakedly on display. I'll take it even as parts of Nyamu's speech to Sakiko come off confusing, or the actual writing out of the lyrics is hilariously amateur. I award you the "You could have beefed this significantly harder" prize.

As for the actual presentation, I have already praised the direction elsewhere. The actual musical performance does a strong job selling how Ave Mujica's style comes across in the more intimate setting of RiNG, compared to their previous sold-out stadium shows. They're still humbled compared to where they were, but they are getting slightly better, even as things will probably worsen. It's similarly expressed in Mortis' reflection of Uika's lyrics and the visuals as she willingly dives into the darkness of her mind to recover her other. Mortis swears she didn't kill Mutsumi, but she can choose to bring her back to life. The symbology around all this is as dense (and densely directed) as anything else in this show, and I do not want to make any calls about what this might mean for Mutsumi/Mortis' state until they're seen again after all this.

Duality has always been a central motif with Ave Mujica, both in how it interfaces with itself and the full tome it shares with It's MyGO!!!!!. "I hate it…and I really love it," Nyamu says to Mutsumi…or possibly Mortis. It's uncertain, and without knowing precisely where this is all going, I can't be sure if I'll ultimately hate or love the direction this episode took in getting there. Maybe it's ironic to put my faith in the story to work out well when, in-story, that same sort of faith in Sakiko is rather misplaced. But the series has consistently shown itself to be purposeful, so I'll resolve to ride with it to hell for the time being. Eventually, the curtain must come down.

Rating:

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Ave Mujica - The Die is Cast - is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Thursdays.

Chris is a fan of angsty music girls, BanG Dream or otherwise, and has even written a few posts about them over on his blog. You can also hit up his BlueSky where he's surely reskeeting all sorts of wild Ave Mujica art.