As someone unfamiliar with the BanG Dream! anime series, I didn’t know what to expect with Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast –, but it certainly left a strong impression with the first three episodes. Ave Mujica is raw, emotional, and impactful, and it doesn’t require any prior experience to delve right into. On top of this, Ave Mujica delivers one of the best scores I’ve heard in anime yet, with symphonic metal tones that resonated with me thoroughly.
In this new anime, the titular Ave Mujica band takes center stage, with their masks and identities having an equally important role with their musical talents. The high school all-girls band is led by Sakiko Togawa (voiced by Kanon Takao), who has everything left to lose if Ave Mujica goes under. There are many challenges that she and the rest of the members have to face, but they have upward momentum at the start of the anime.
Sakiko leads a masquerade performance as Oblivionis, with Nyamu Yūtenji (voiced by Akane Yonezawa) as Amoris, Mutsumi Wakaba (voiced by Yuzuki Watase) as Mortis, Umiri Yahata (voiced by Mei Okada) as Timoris, and Uika Misumi (voiced by Rico Sasaki) as Doloris. With a mask attached to their personas, they each have their own burdens and ambitions, adding to the allure of Ave Mujica behind the scenes for viewers to watch and speculate about.
The Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – Story Beautifully Challenges its Characters
Without delving deep into the finer details, the story of Ave Mujica hones into the lives of the five girls as they operate as a group. From Sakiko’s perspective, you’ll understand why Ave Mujica came to be, how important it is to her, and the mystique and dedication behind it. Nyamu, Mutsumi, Umiri, and Uika are just as important, and the first three episodes give them enough time to shine and develop in their own ways as well.
The first episode did an amazing job to absolutely grip me into BanG Dream’s world, thanks to the dark, complex narrative at its core for Ave Mujica. I was surprised by what Ave Mujica achieves with its characters in the first three episodes, making a powerful first impression with the first episode and continuing to deliver some tension and intrigue in the latter two episodes.
The music of Ave Mujica is really great and immersive as well, especially the opening theme song “KiLLKiSS.” On its own, KiLLKiSS is a very good song, but the opening sequence and context behind the song makes it perfect choice for Ave Mujica. The symphonic metal score certainly aligns with my taste in bands, and the vocals for KiLLKiSS make it one of my favorite openings of all time.
Overall, I’m impressed with the story told in Ave Mujica thus far, and I look forward to delving deeper into the darker side of the BanG Dream! world in the episodes to come. The quality of the animation in the OP/ED sequences and the episodes is very high.
The first episode of Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – premieres on January 2, 2025, and you can watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
