Episode six of Ave Mujica was filled with heavy scene after heavy scene, but this particular one stood out to me:

Umiri was introduced way back in MyGo as Taki’s classmate, maybe friend and bass player for sixty bands. She’s always been shown as a professional, never emotionally involved with any of the bands she played for. Her role in Ave Mujica was the same, always the one who kept reminding the other members of their engagements and such. This must be the first time that somebody has told her that this isn’t enough to be in a band. If all she can see is just the band and not the actual people in it, how can she claim to be a part of it?

Five episodes of depression cleared away by a two second jingle. Sasuga Anon.

Tomori and Anon see Sakiko driving away from school in a stereotypical ojo-sama car, which prompts Anon to exclaim that Sakiko really is a rich girl. When Tomori looks puzzled, she explains that at her debut as Oblivionis, it turned out she was part of the Togawa Group. Tomori still being puzzled leads to her doing that jingle. A very Anon way of knowing things: shallow yes, but also incredible nerdy at the same time. Who takes the time to memorise a jingle just because an actress or influencer they like did it one time? That’s our Anon indeed. Selfish, but providing a moment of relief amid the depression.

Anon can be this light hearted about encountering Sakiko because she lacks the history Tomori has with her, of having been in Crychic together and then the band breaking up. No surprise that she keeps brooding on this chance meeting that evening. And, the next day, as she and Anon once again see Sakiko getting into her car, she sprints after her only to fall down. Which is when Anon takes over for her, telling her she was the anchor for the relay race all three years of middle school. A very Anon boast; seemingly selfish but done as much to assure Tomori as it is to brag. Anon does this a lot, giving her hope and courage this way. Fake it until your friend makes it. I’d noticed that before, but this episode crystallised it for me. Anon’s self confidence, unearned or not, gives Tomori courage. It’s Tomori who reaches out to people, like she does to Sakiko here, but it’s Anon who gives her that first push and who helps her do the things she cannot do on her own.

And of course Anon has to redo the jingle for her other girlfriend, Soyo. Which, pay attention, shows some actual character development for Soyorin, as she doesn’t just ignore Anon, but actually asks whether the hand movements she does at the end is supposed to be a bird or a butterfly.

Finally, an anime protagonist who struggles with the same problems I do:

Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Ojisan is yet another villainess series, but this time the protagonist reincarnating into the teenage villainess is a fiftytwo year old white collar worker and father Tondabayashi Kenzaburou , whose daughter Hinako was the one playing the game he reincarnated in. He himself has only a vague idea of how the plot is supposed to go or what role Grace Auvergne is actually supposed to play in the harassment of the game’s heroine. His idea of a villainess is much more classic:

Fun fact: Inoue Kazuhiko, Kenzaburou’s voice actor, actually played the male lead in Candy Candy. Which is also one of the first anime I remember watching, long before I knew it was anime, as a child in the eighties when you watched everything that was animated even if it was *shudder* intended for girls. Kenzaburou is very much of my generation then and also a bit of an otaku like his daughter (and wife). With little knowledge of otome games and reincarnated into a very aristocratic young lady, how will Kenzaburou cope in his new role? Luckily he has a cheat power, which transforms his thoroughly salaryman behaviour into the correct aristocratic etiquette for Grace to have.

I like the manga of this and I’m glad to see some care has been taken with its anime adaptation. It all looks a cut above the usual villainess/isekai production with some genuine impressive animation, character design and backgrounds. If there’s one thing that could be improved it would’ve been for Grace to sound even more oujo-sama-ish than she already does.