Show By Rock!!

Episode 4

By narrowing its focus substantially, this week's episode delivers a more cohesive viewing experience than last week's, although there's still more going on than seems necessary. Show By Rock!! episode 4 features two stories, but both halves of the episode are connected, and none of the drama seems out of character or improperly established, as was the case with Retoree's sudden insistence that she didn't get along with her bandmates in episode 3.

After their successful (albeit not prize-winning) performance in the battle of the bands, Plasmagica takes a step back and enjoys a concert as fans. The latest all-lady band, Tsurezurenaru Ayatsuri Mugenan, comes from the "Japan" of this show's universe. Their enka-rock fusion offers some of the most distinctive music featured in the series thus far, and their costumes are pure eye candy, particularly in the homage to the komusō, Buddhist monks who wore straw bascinets (medieval helmets) over their heads during the Edo period. The dynamic between the leader of the group and her two bandmates is intriguing—the leader is an eccentric who hides in a cat daruma until the performance begins, and isn't afraid to dole tongue-lashings out to her decidedly more timid counterparts. At one point, she outright states that the success of Tsurezure's Midi City concert was primarily a result of the group's "otherness" instead of outright talent on the part of her bandmates.

However, like Criticrista before them, not a lot of time is devoted to developing the girls of Tsurezure. It's likely an attempt to work every band from the game into the series, but these groups are popping up for a second, singing a song in chibi-fied CG animal form, and then disappearing. There are still enough episodes remaining that each band might play a more important role—between that and the music-corrupting monsters from the first episode, there are a lot of Chekhov's guns on the wall—but the show is more focused on the glitz and glamour of being a rock star in this crazy world, without providing enough substance to make the viewers identify with the characters or drama.

Plasmagica takes a tip from Tsurezure's sense of style and decides they need a new look. Cue the cosplay-heavy fashion montage, which is made even more amusing by the presence of ShinganCrimsonz. The visual kei band returns to the spotlight for an interlude, broadly hinting at a connection between drummer Rom and Trichronika's lead singer Shu☆Zo. Also important to the episode is Moa's homesickness for her alien planet, which helps her identify with Tsurezure's feeling of not quite belonging in Midi City. So far, Moa's inexplicable alien nature has served little purpose other than to give her character some depth and set up a few jokes, but it's starting to feel more relevant after this episode.

Show By Rock!! has the potential to evolve into a fun series of rock battles or the chronicles of a band struggling to make it big. So far, however, it's more spectacle than substance. (That's true of all of Sanrio products to an extent.) Thankfully, the spectacle alone is worth the price of admission. Between attractive character designs, jokes that land, and music for almost every taste, Show By Rock!! keeps drawing the audience back in, even when an emotional connection to the characters simply isn't there.

Rating: B

Show By Rock!! is currently streaming on Funimation.

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