Rock is a Lady's Modesty

Episode 13

I am so glad I finally have a name to call this band: Rock Lady. It's been taxing to come up with good synonyms to use when talking about our fab four femmes: girls, gang, ensemble, group, performers, etc. And unlike Tamaki's original band name, I don't need to resort to copy-pasting to write this one, so I extend many thanks to Alice for being normal (in this situation, anyway). More importantly, this is the best conclusion this season could have asked for. Rock is a Lady's Modesty delivers a standing ovation-worthy climax that shows off the best of this adaptation and waves the flag of its characters' pride.

First, consider me surprised and pleased by the musical centerpiece of Rock Lady's performance. The anime gives the title in a mid-episode card and in the end credits, but if you want to look it up yourself, it's “夜は光を掩蔽し、幾多の秘密を酌み、さかしまな『夢想』を育む。” by the band té (and yes, all of their song titles are that long). You can also hear the original version here on YouTube. Their post-rock sound flavored by the technical intricacy of math rock makes them a fitting choice for the girls' intense instrumental approach, and BAND-MAID do a bang-up job covering it. Based on the comments in that YouTube video I linked, the manga must have also referenced this piece by name, perhaps in the exact same scene, so it's very cool of the adaptation to follow through on the mangaka's intent. I'm putting this in the same echelon as Sonny Boy getting another post-rock band, toe, to write a new song for its finale. Now, we need a music anime to really embrace the genre and dedicate an entire episode to one 20+ minute song.

I am also shocked by the transparency of the subtext at the heart of this conclusion, and that's saying something given Rock Lady's history of laughably obvious innuendo. Here, however, it's impossible to read the band's insistence on instrumental music through anything but a queer lens. The love songs of Bitter Ganache and the vapid pop of Bacchus both feature singers, and characters repeatedly emphasize that these vocals-driven bands are the “norm.” There's pressure, both externally and internally, for Lilisa and the others to conform to that norm. People criticize their instrumental music for not being appropriate for a general audience. As absurd as the “vocals:straight::instrumentals:gay” analogy is on the surface, Rock Lady uses it in an internally cogent way. If you're going to interpret it in good faith, you have accept that these ladies are lesbians.

Let's do away with subtext, though. Let's look at what literally happens in the episode. Rock Lady begin their concert defiant in front of a crowd of angry women bearing totems to their boy crushes, and Rock Lady end it to thunderous applause from a swooning congregation openly discussing their sapphic sexual fantasies amongst themselves. This is an act of queer liberation banishing the specter of compulsory heterosexuality. These four girls basically bang each other on stage so passionately that a packed audience of women sees it and concludes, “hey, we should try that.” This finale is 24 minutes of unrelenting lesbian propaganda, and it is glorious. On a sadder note, though, I extend my condolences to the one woman who wants Tamaki to dominate her. She's barking up the wrong tree, and Tamaki wants to bark for Otoha.

As far as other acts of explicit feminism go, it's satisfying to watch the girls utterly decimate the boys, not that there was much pretense of a contest in the first place. Lilisa and others demolish their petulant entitlement so thoroughly that Tina joins in on the middle finger action! Tina! To repeat my comments from last week, this is a cartoonish portrait of toxic masculinity, but sadly, even that cartoon bears refuting in modern society. Rock Lady also doesn't shy away from layering its themes here. The manager lad, moved by Rock Lady's onstage vigor, rejects Bacchus' abuse and quits, proving that men, too, benefit from feminism. And Lilisa again connects the boys' privilege to their wealth and decries them as rock tourists looking to use their money to expand their already large sphere of influence. Lilisa and others don't have that luxury. To them, music is air. They can't live without it.

However, the true conflict in this finale is not between the band and the audience, nor is it between the girls and the boys; it's between Otoha and Lilisa. Otoha was ready to retreat back to her solo and masturbatory drumming before Lilisa reminded her why the two of them were drawn together in the first place. She proves there can be room for both pleasing the crowd and pleasing oneself on the stage, and Otoha, to her credit, opens up to the energy an audience can radiate. Or she learns she's an exhibitionist. There's some room for interpretation there. The most important moment, though, happens after the concert when Lilisa and Otoha have an intimate one-on-one conversation. Lilisa rejects Otoha's suggestion of adding vocals, because this was never about throwing away their identities (and given the aforementioned queer reading, it wouldn't make thematic or narrative sense for the band to “switch teams”). This is about being proud of who they are and what they do—and who they do.

On a technical level, the finale brings back some of the heat from its early episodes. The motion capture and dynamic 3D camerawork sync with the ferocity of Rock Lady's performance. The storyboarding and directing are as good as they've ever been. Flower imagery returns to the forefront in a big way, and the final scene in particular infuses an appropriately romantic flair between Lilisa and Otoha. I would lament that their almost-kiss isn't a full kiss, but let's be honest—they've done and said far dirtier things together.

Overall, Rock is a Lady's Modesty rocked as an adaptation. The season isn't perfect, the production can't always keep up with its ideas, and the narrative sags slightly in the middle. The end result, though, absolutely understands the assignment, and when it needs to go loud, it goes fucking loud. Rock on, you wild ladies.

Rating:

Rock is a Lady's Modesty is currently streaming on HIDIVE on Thursdays.

Steve is on Bluesky for all of your posting needs. They are modest as a mouse. You can also catch them chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.