After CRYCHIC’s tearful reunion, I knew Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – episode 8 was going to be a big step toward Ave Mujica’s fateful reunion. With Sakiko and Mutsumi on good terms, the gears were started to turn, and Umiri herself realized that Ave Mujica should be back together, despite their differences. Although those gears are in fact turning, some of the toughest obstacles are yet to be clear.
Ave Mujica episode 8 answers a lot of questions I’ve been having about certain characters, including Mutsumi and Umiri. Those answers came in droves in what was one of Ave Mujica’s most character-driven episode yet for the five girls who make up the group. The truth is undeniable, and it’s time that some of the girls face it in order to finally move forward with the reunion.
Spoiler warning: there will be story spoilers ahead for episode 8, including plot points, reveals, and major character choices.
Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – Episode 8 Reveals Mutsumi’s True Nature
Episode 8 picked up directly from where Ave Mujica episode 7 left off, although its perspective is rather different. Instead, Mortis is drowning as she sees Mutsumi and Sakiko give their answers to Umiri in the outside world, which isn’t a clear-cut yes or no. With Mortis pushed to the back of Mutsumi’s mind, there wasn’t much left in the way of a reunion between Umiri and the two girls at the very least.
That was the case until Umiri was quickly dumped by the two of them due to her untrustworthiness, which is a key point that the episode builds on quite nicely and in a funny way. The rejection causes Umiri to reflect on herself with Taki, who at one point also felt like she was disconnected from the band—CRYCHIC. This brought the character development I really wanted from Umiri, since she getting a sense of responsibility.
Following this great scene, Sakiko and Mutsumi enjoyed more time together, including some cute karaoke with vocals from Mutsumi. A wholesome scene like this doesn’t last long though, with Mortis fighting back against Mutsumi once more. In what appeared to be a wholly unrelated switch to a different scene, Nyamu learns the truth about Mutsumi from Mutsumi’s mother, Minami.
It’s revealed that “Mutsumi-chan” and Mortis are two of Mutsumi’s many personalities as a natural-born actress, with the former gaining consciousness when the guitarist role became a part of her life. Minami thinks her own daughter is a monster, since every part of life could be considered acting to her. Despite that, she does seem to love Mutsumi, and believes Nyamu doesn’t even compare to her in the industry. A shocking truth, indeed.
Umiri and Nyamu Face the Truth
Despite the developments with Mutsumi, it was clear that the episode focused on Umiri and her next moves, as she pondered over her jealousy and the meaning of trust. This lead her to make a bold move by asking Nyamu to help bring Ave Mujica back together, and she tried to win over her trust by spending all of her own money on Nyamu’s sponsored clothing. Umiri’s naiveté was truly on display here, but I enjoyed that she was being more of an active character instead of being in the background.
In addition, Umiri’s backstory was a great touch, since it helped explain why she avoided responsibility in Ave Mujica before the disbandment. With Nyamu facing her own truth, the fear of being outdone by Mutsumi’s greater talents, both characters seem to come to the realization that being a part of Ave Mujica is greater than what’s going on in their individual lives. They didn’t outright admit this, but it’s clear that they’re better together than alone. Nyamu is still distrustful of Umiri, but she gives her a chance, with the condition that Mutsumi is on board for Ave Mujica’s reunion.
Uika is the Missing Link
Umiri asked the much-anticipated question to all of Ave Mujica’s members in the group chat: shall we reunite Ave Mujica? She also took action by getting Mortis to come along with her, despite her personality not allowing Mutsumi to play the guitar. With a greater understanding of Mutsumi and Mortis, Umiri has a great chance of getting them on board with the reunion.
However, Uika is the missing link. She’s the piece that needs to fall in place for Ave Mujica to return. The episode only briefly showed her, but the glimpse shown was one of doubt. Coincidentally, the final lines said in the episode by Umiri refer to Mortis as a doll, while Uika is shown looking at her phone. Does Uika fall within this same description? This question posed by the episode certainly made me think on that, and I can’t wait to get that answer in episode 9.
Ave Mujica episode 8 was great from start to finish, and I’m eager to see how Umiri and Mutsumi/Mortis develop a relationship that be helpful to getting the band back together. I’m very curious about how Sakiko and Uika will play a role as well, especially since they were somewhat close in the band already.
Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – is streaming right now on Crunchyroll, with new episodes premiering on Thursdays at 8:00 a.m. PST.
