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The Rolling Girls
Episode 4

by Nick Creamer,

I'll admit it - last episode had me worried. With the show's animation dramatically reduced, pacing slowed down, and initial cast of characters replaced by ones without much personality between them, it seemed possible that Rolling Girls' first two episodes were just some kind of evil trick designed to trap me in an ultimately mediocre production. I'm happy to say this episode seems to have proven those fears wrong - not only did this episode offer a surprisingly satisfying capstone to Thunderoad's story, it also did great work in humanizing the core four, and even offered a new, appropriately wistful tone for the road to come. After four episodes, it seems like Rolling Girls has finally arrived.

The early parts of this episode were dedicated to both introducing Thunderoad's right-hand girl Noriko and moving Thunderoad herself towards reconciliation with The Rolling Girls. It was really the tiny details that made the early scenes - from the would-be bomber wearing a tiny dog with tiny shades, to Yukina's bizarre portrait style, to the very appropriate offhand detail of stealing being as bad as murder in the Land of Otaku. The specific quirks of Always Comima culture resulted in a number of great moments this week, from the fantastic gag of the bombers' nefarious “You're making your parents cry” banner to the way Thunderoad finally comes to terms with the choices she must make by reflecting on the hero she idolized. The music also really helped elevate that scene, and was strong in general this week. Of particular note were the melancholy guitar of Thunderoad's reflections, the almost chiptune-esque intro to her final battle, and the lilting pop rock of the episode's final moments. Rolling Girls is clearly doing its best to evoke a riot grrl-saturated atmosphere, and the music is definitely pulling its weight on that front.

This episode's visual highlights were equally strong. Though the show hasn't returned to the almost gratuitously lovely animation of its first two episodes (outside of Thunderoad's nicely animated chase sequence near the end), the underlying art design makes Rolling Girls a constant pleasure to watch. The lovely pastel color work, the watercolor-style backgrounds, all the small scenery details - every scene offers a world worth exploring, really helping to sell the sense of wonder and adventure our Rolling Girls seem to be embodying.

Of course, all of that aesthetic excellence would be wasted if the main characters failed to sell the journey, and fortunately, this episode's smaller character moments did a solid job of addressing that as well. Nozomi's mid-episode conversation with her mom was a nicely understated reprieve from the usual banter, but it was really the episode's last couple scenes that sold the show overall. Chiaya's phone call to her mother was basically Rolling Girls' mission statement - her “I've made friends. So, I'll be back later” seemed to embody everything this show wants to express about youth and camaraderie and punk rock. And then stepping out into the sunlight, the deep breath, “everything's fine” - Rolling Girls has been a pretty loud and aggressive production so far, so it's great to see the show is able to nail these small but honest and emotionally charged moments. The girls' casual conversation about bands was equally good, and demonstrated a great understanding of both natural dialogue and the exact sort of relationships and moments that truly represent careless, youthful freedom. This show wants to be a warm, endearing punk rock song, and this episode hit all the right notes.

Rating: A-

The Rolling Girls is currently streaming on Funimation.

Nick writes about anime, storytelling, and the meaning of life at Wrong Every Time.


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