01x05 - Flightless Fish

[bunniefuu]

-There was cream to the ceiling--

-Attention, please!

It's your favorite day of the month,

payday.

-Hooray!

-H-Hooray.

-Thanks!

-Thank you.

-Thank you!

-Sure.

Here's your share.

T-Thank you.

A-A whole ten thousand yen.

My blood and tears have paid off!

What should I spend it on?

New sheet music? A mountain of manga?

A surprise cake for my family?

Sorry to burst your bubble,

but we have concert fees to pay off.

I present to you my new song,

Goodbye Money.

Sorry!

This is as hard on me as it is on you!

I forgot that we started working

to meet the quotas of our gigs.

Oh well, our monthly wages

will help support the band.

-This is fine.

-No way!

It costs this much to produce an album?

What?

If we're going to have gigs, it'd be nice

to have something to sell.

sh**ting music videos isn't cheap either.

Guess we'll have to take on extra jobs

over the summer break.

Looks like it.

How does working at a beach house sound?

What a great idea!

The b-beach?

Or how about the amusement park?

-That sounds fun!

-Damn. They won't give loans to minors.

Perhaps I should hit up the Dark Web?

-Time to sell my liver.

-Bocchi.

I-I should be able to take out

a loan with my guitar as collateral.

A-Anything but extra jobs at the beach

or amusement parks, I beg you.

-I finished the song.

-Eh?

Whoa, isn't this pretty great?

It totally is!

The tune came to me

as I went through Bocchi's lyrics.

That's wonderful!

All that hard work wasn't for nothing.

I bequeath thee with praises. Atta girl.

I-I-I've been working my butt off as well!

Look at how much better I've become!

That's great.

It is? Then I'd like to be

treated like a dog too!

Atta girl.

My dream may actually come true.

Alright.

I'll ask my sister

to let us play next month.

You mean you haven't run it past her yet?

No worries. She instantly gave us

the green light last time!

You'll do it again, right?

Says who?

I liked dark, cramped spaces

So I'd bury my face deep in my hood

My eyes resented the heartless world

But yearned for love

I liked being soaked by the rain

Because my face looked better clouded over

I pretended to be afraid of the storm

While waiting for the sky to burst

Strum through the light's distortion

I want to make thunder roar

Drum beyond the pain

What can I do?

This fierce pounding is out of control

Strum in a harmonizing quartet

I want to cause a revolution

Drum in a lamenting forte

What can I do?

My savage nature is beyond wild

AUGUST BAND CANDIDATES:

MACARONI PENCIL, YUKIGUNI WITH TUNNEL

Why not? We even have

an original song this time.

That's none of my business.

Things seem really bad.

If you're worried about not filling seats,

we can make up for it.

The problem is not the money,

it's your skills.

You approved us without a word last time.

That was just for you

to have a one-off experience.

Are you serious?

You know that I judge demo songs.

So, what about it?

Sorry to say, but a performance

like yours last May doesn't cut it.

But if you won't let us,

then what are you suggesting we do?

You could always keep at it

as a little club activity among pals.

Are we done here?

Tough words coming from someone

who still sleeps with her plushies!

Wait, don't go!

Was that her idea of biting back?

By plushies, do you mean

this worn-out panda and bunny?

How adorable.

Delete that! Pronto!

Now's not the time for this!

We should be going after her!

Quit whining!

Come on Gotoh-san! Let's go!

O-Okay!

-Not so fast, Bocchi-chan.

-Y-Yes!

Why me? Why now?

Why how? Why even? Why ever?

Someone's in a bad mood.

Zip it.

Hey senpai are you okay?

I'm sorry for running out like that.

She really didn't have to put it that way.

E-Excuse me!

Bocchi-chan.

Just… now… manager…

Take a deep breath! Breathe!

This is yours.

T-Thank you.

Have you calmed down?

Y-Yeah. The manager told me this.

Let Nijika know,

If you want to have

a gig, then first, audition.

I'll make up my mind based on how

you perform on Saturday next week.

Eh? What are you doing?

I-I'm showing that I'm a helpless

little puppy at your mercy.

You won't catch up to her

if you don't hurry.

W-Woof!

There's a theory that

when dogs show their bellies,

it's a sign of aggression

rather than submission.

You're so knowledgeable!

No, not that. So doesn't that mean…

-An audition!

-Yes!

If we can pass that,

then we have ourselves a gig!

Y-Yeah.

She should've just said so! What a meanie!

All we have to do now,

is give it our very best!

What a relief.

Uh, sure. You got that right!

Your face says that those two

are our biggest liabilities.

ZOINKS

We'll pre-record your parts so you

only have to work on pretending to play.

-Got it!

-Rejected!

We're supposed to be a real band.

There's only so much we can do in a week.

Passion can still be conveyed

through crappy playing!

Crappy…

Oops, sorry!

Seriously though, you've both

improved a lot since the first time.

Isn't that right, Ryo?

Back me up here!

Bocchi-chan!

Please don't retreat into a pipe!

S-Sorry for getting a big head

again over writing a song.

-Her rambling's being amplified.

-Someone like me belongs to be in here

-Hang on. I may be bad, but Gotoh-san?

-where it's dim, damp, and humid.

Even an amateur like me

could tell how good she was at school.

You can come out now!

-Was that a fluke?

-Please do forget all about me.

We just have to get a good rhythm going!

You think so?

Yep! It's not like they're expecting

us to be on Ryo's level.

T-Then what are they expecting?

Enthusiasm? Noticeable growth as a band?

Growth?

Thanks, Gotoh-san.

For helping me practice.

Oh, y-you're welcome.

Couldn't we do this in class

and not this poorly lit space?

W-Well… you see… it's…

People would be gossiping

about what a cool girl like you

is doing with the likes of me

and we'd get nothing done!

I get it!

If we did, it would be a nuisance

to everyone. How considerate of you!

I'm so glad

she came to a better conclusion!

By the way, Gotoh-san.

I've given it some thought.

To grow as a band, means that

we have to make our efforts felt.

G-Guess so.

I want to be able to say

that I gave it my all

and regret nothing when the time comes.

So please continue looking out

for me until audition day.

P-Please raise your head.

I-I'm the one who should be

asking you to look after me.

What's with the hair?

What are you three up to?

W-We're visibly displaying

our growth as bandsmen.

Or so she said.

Of course it was you.

Chugging booze,

smoking cigs and banging chicks.

Throw in a mop top,

and you have yourself a bandsman.

You piled on every stereotype imaginable!

Plus, smoking and drinking is

out of the question until we're of age!

Say mop top!

-Nijika.

-Happy now?

There's still a spot for you to join in

as the guy with the annoying emo bangs.

Thanks but no thanks!

U-Umm.

B-Banging chicks is beyond me.

There wouldn't even be anyone

for me to bang in the first place.

I got you. We can stand outside

Shimokitazawa's Village Vanguard

looking listless with guitars on our backs

and someone should approach us.

Stop it! You're not filling their heads

with any more prejudiced info!

We're doing this the proper way!

It's hard to show our growth visibly

and the definition isn't clear.

Oh, but it is! What it means is

we have to convince my sister!

Practice on top of more practice!

Come on, get changed! You too Kita-chan!

O-Okay!

I could see where Ryo-san was coming from.

Honestly, I really don't get

what defines growth.

Ouch!

It seems to be different from effort.

This past month has been a wild ride.

I started working.

I can now occasionally

look someone in the eye.

Your fingers have gotten a lot better.

But I don't think that growth

applies to the band itself.

It's more like a water flea

or euglena finally reached

the starting line on the journey

towards becoming human.

I'm in the band of my dreams, but

I'm too hung up on growth to savor it.

I…

Right, let's call it a day.

-So soon?

-Yup!

Get all the rest you can

before tomorrow's audition.

-Good work everyone.

-See you tomorrow!

Bocchi-chan!

Apologies for startling you.

Not at all.

Would you like a soda?

Eh? W-What? Uh, s-sure?

-Here.

-Oh…Thank you.

I'd like to apologize

if I made you feel obligated

-to put up with us.

-What?

Cause like, you know,

things were unfolding so quickly

and you were kinda swept

into joining the band.

Yeah…

When we met, you said you always

wanted to be in a band.

It struck me that I never asked you

what kind of band you were looking for

-or why you even sought to be in one.

-I…

S-Should I be honest about

wanting to have people fawn over me?

Everyone has their own reasons.

It's not like performing live

is all there is to it.

If you want exposure, there's always

streaming and other options too.

She has a point. My streams

as Guitar Hero have been enjoyable.

I'm very much at home on the Internet.

As for me, I have

an ambition, or perhaps a dream.

It makes me be sort of, like,

gung-h* over it.

So I wondered

if I may have been pressuring

you into doing stuff you didn't like.

N-Not at all! No p-pressure! None!

Really? That's good to know.

Are you doing this because you want

the band to be famous and play at Budokan?

My real dream lies beyond that.

But I'll be keeping that

under wraps for now.

Let's do our best tomorrow!

AUDITION DAY

The question of what I wanted to achieve

in a band… I thought about it all night.

We're Kessoku Band.

We'll be playing our song,

"Guitar, Solitude, and the Blue Planet!"

I still want fame and adoring fans.

That hasn't changed.

But it's not exclusively for myself.

I want it for all of us.

A sudden evening shower falls

And yeah, it figures

I don't have an umbrella…

Who cares how the sky's feeling, anyway?

-I never figured what counts…

-When it's time for the seasons to change

-…as growth.

-What are you supposed to wear? Who knows?

-However, I want people to clamor over us.

-Spring and fall… yeah, where'd they go?

-I want us to stay as a band.

-The pressure of information, suffocating

-I wanna make Nijika's dream a reality.

-A spiral of vertigo don't know where I am

-Which is why no audition's…

-I can hear myself breathing

-… going to stop us!

-So loud, so loud…

But why?

-Our band can't end, not like this!

-I can't hear the sounds of the world…

It's not enough, not enough

No one knows I'm here

I screamed when I couldn't

Make a scribble of a sound

Who am I supposed to show

Just who I am to?

So I'm singing just like the fool I am

Let's lay it all out to the stars

Thank you very much!

That was good.

Or so I'd like to say.

Drummer, you need to relax more.

Guitarists, your feet aren't

where the audience is.

Bassist, you should be

more aware of the other members.

But well, I've got a good grasp

of what sort of band you are.

Thank you for the feedback.

Why the sombre looks?

Didn't we fail?

I said I could tell

what sort of band you are.

That's a compliment.

What she's probably

trying to say, is you passed.

That's what I meant! You passed!

Damn it sis,

you could've been more direct!

You…we.… wha… You mean we did it?

-We did it! We passed!

-Yes!

-Isn't that great?

-Yeah!

-Gotoh-san, we did it!

-Did you notice?

It was brief, but Bocchi-chan

was playing on a whole different level.

I must say, you really were amazing.

Excuse me, K-Kita-san.

Gotoh-san!

Gotoh-san!

PLEASE STAND BY - BOCCHI THE ROCK!

TAKIZAWA DAM, SAITAMA

PLEASE STAND BY - BOCCHI THE ROCK!

KUROBE DAM, TOYAMA

PLEASE STAND BY - BOCCHI THE ROCK!

YUDA DAM, IWATE

PLEASE STAND BY - BOCCHI THE ROCK!

MISOGAWA DAM, NAGANO

-Want some water?

-Maybe it was all in our heads.

S-Sorry, I'm not used to this stuff

so my stomach turned itself inside out.

Don't sweat it! No one

can blame your stomach for that.

We didn't think we'd actually pass.

I always knew we would.

I was even considering our next song.

Wow! You never cease to amaze!

Oh sure, easy for you to say that

after the fact.

Let's commemorate the occasion

with a photo!

I-I need to clean the floor first.

She really does have some serious talent.

Except she clearly lacks

experience playing with a group.

Her lack of confidence also prevents her

from making full use of her skills.

What a shame,

she could go so much further than this.

Is it me, or has the manager

been locking eyes since earlier?

She needs clear recognition from

others in order to build her confidence.

Oh God, is she looking right at me?

Is she mad?

Was my performance too c*ck or something?

Just so you know.

I'm always watching you.

She's out to get me!

Come on Gotoh-san, let's take that photo!

I'm done for.

Hey, manager.

You always intended

to let them play, didn't you?

It was obvious with how you kept

one open spot on the schedule.

Why go through that charade?

I wasn't doing it for fun.

I really wouldn't have let them

on if they didn't prove themselves.

But you know,

though a little rough

around the edges, they show promise.

It's my job as her sister to show some

tough love and help them mature.

What was the term

for this again, a sister complex?

Another word and you're fired.

Okie dokie.

Alright, let's boost our band skills

before our next gig!

Yeah!

We're counting on you

to write some new lyrics.

I-I'm on it!

Things are getting even more exciting!

Y-Yes!

T-That's right! This isn't the end!

In fact, our battle has only just begun!

Our quota is 20 tickets at 1500 yen each,

so that's five per member.

I have to sell five tickets?

Five tickets!

Five tickets, sure thing!

Five stinking tickets?

-Dad!

-My daughter's making rock history.

-Mum!

-This calls for a celebration!

-Sister!

-You're amazing!

Dog!

Dad! Mum! Sister! Dog!

Dad! Mum! Sister! Dog!

T-There's still one left!

She's crying tears of joy!

-We have to make this a success.

-Indeed.

O-Okay, this time I'm really done for.

I sleep, with big problems

Weighing down on me

Though you can't beat that feeling

Of being loved, it's true

When I awaken from cold dreams

My body feels numb

You shine so brightly

It could make me a shadow

It's time to take that step

Though there's nothing certain about it

It carries my childish heart into tomorrow

It's time to blast out the thoughts

Rattling around in my brain

And live, to its fullest, a life

I've been taking advances on for so long

But I also love the days I spend

Lying around, doing nothing

So I know I'm going to go see you

Before it all disappears some day

Tune in next week!