For anyone who thought BanG Dream! was all about sparkly performances and feel-good girl band vibes, the franchise’s latest series—It’s MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica—will flip that expectation on its head. This new generation of Bandori bands is raw, intense, emotionally tangled, and, in a lot of ways, unlike anything the series has ever done before.
Gone are the days of upbeat jam sessions and easy resolutions. Instead, viewers are thrown into stories about trauma, broken friendships, obsession, identity crises, and the painful search for belonging. In short? It’s a mess. A beautiful, haunting mess.
And that’s exactly what makes it work.
A fan made a guide on how to watch the new gen of Bandori–and you should check it out!
A New Chapter, A New Band, A Whole Lot of Baggage
BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! dropped in mid-2023 and was a big shift in tone and structure. Instead of juggling multiple bands like the first three seasons did, MyGO!!!!! focused entirely on one group. That alone made it feel different, but what really set it apart was the emotional depth of its characters.
The story follows Tomori Takamatsu, a soft-spoken high schooler at Haneoka High who’s still hurting from the sudden breakup of her previous band, CRYCHIC. She’s isolated, anxious, and deeply uncomfortable in social settings. When the confident and slightly chaotic Anon Chihaya transfers into her school, she decides—on a whim—that they should start a band together. What begins as a pushy suggestion spirals into a complicated, emotionally messy journey involving former CRYCHIC members and other girls with their own emotional wounds.
It’s not the happy-go-lucky band origin story fans might expect. The group struggles—hard. There’s jealousy, guilt, shame, betrayal, and way too many moments where things almost fall apart completely. Every character brings unresolved issues into the mix, and nobody walks away unscathed. And yet, that’s what makes the story so compelling. These aren’t perfect girls with dreams and sparkles in their eyes. They’re just… real.
The animation, courtesy of Sanzigen, adds to the grounded tone. Faces twitch subtly in anxiety, fingers shake when holding microphones, and the band’s performances aren’t flashy—they’re raw. Every note they play feels like a release of all the tension they’re carrying.
But even with all the heavy drama, MyGO!!!!! still finds moments for humor and warmth—mostly through the unpredictable guitarist Raana, who kind of just drifts in and out of the band’s orbit like a stray cat (which, fittingly, is what Taki calls her). The show never lets the tension fully consume everything, which helps the emotional moments hit even harder.
Ave Mujica: When the Band Becomes a Mirror
If MyGO!!!!! felt like a plunge into emotional instability, Ave Mujica—which aired in early 2025—dives even deeper, taking the psychological intensity and layering on masks, metaphors, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting.
This time, the focus is on a band formed by Sakiko, one of the ex-CRYCHIC members. Her new project, Ave Mujica, is more than just a musical group—it’s a reflection of the inner turmoil each of its members carries.
The members of Ave Mujica: Sakiko, Nyamu, Mutsumi, Uika and Umiri.
There’s Umiri, a bassist who’s joined dozens of bands trying to feel like she belongs somewhere. Nyamu, a social media star, struggles with self-worth beneath her clout-chasing exterior. Uika (or Hatsune), whose entire personality has twisted around an obsession with Sakiko. Mutsumi, a girl pushed to the brink of identity collapse by fame and pressure. And then there’s Sakiko herself—rich, emotionally repressed, desperate to prove her worth by building a band that “succeeds” at all costs.
Every member of Ave Mujica wears a mask—literally and figuratively. The band’s gothic image isn’t just for show. It represents how they hide behind aesthetics, ambition, or delusion to avoid confronting the monsters in their lives. But those monsters always come back.
Ave Mujica isn’t a horror anime in the traditional sense, but it’s definitely got the vibes of one. It explores themes like emotional dependency, abandonment, and the way people turn toxic relationships into safety nets. Some scenes even use horror-style editing and framing to build dread—but the fear doesn’t come from ghosts or ghouls. It comes from watching people unravel.
Flawed, but Fascinating
CRYCHIC, the band from middle school that was the cause of the drama in both series.
Neither MyGO!!!!! nor Ave Mujica is perfect. In fact, Ave Mujica in particular has been divisive among fans.
Some of the criticisms? The pacing is rushed, especially near the end. Episode 12, for instance, feels like it was written in a panic, trying to tie everything up neatly with a bow that doesn’t really fit. Plotlines like Uika’s obsession or Mutsumi’s identity disorder get most of the screen time, while other characters like Nyamu and Umiri get sidelined just when their stories start to get interesting.
The storytelling isn’t always clean, and the emotional arcs can feel uneven. There’s a sense that the writers were trying to tackle more than they had time for. But even with these flaws, there’s something undeniably bold about what these two shows try to do.
Sakiko is undeniably the series' driving force—most conflicts trace back to her, and nearly everyone is tied to her in some way.
MyGO!!!!! felt like a slow burn that paid off with deep character development and a genuine emotional payoff. Ave Mujica went the opposite direction—big swings, heavy themes, and a refusal to give easy answers.
Thematically, both series ask some hard questions. What does it mean to be seen? What do people really want when they chase fame or connection or art? And most importantly—what happens when you finally get what you want, only to realize it doesn’t fix anything?
A Franchise Reborn
What’s wild is that this is still BanG Dream!—the same franchise that once centered entire arcs around buying new guitar straps or rehearsing for a school festival. And while those moments still exist in the larger Bandori world, MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica have carved out a space for something deeper and darker. They’re not just sequels—they are a franchise reimagined.
There’s even a sense that the creators knew this was their chance to take a risk. After BanG Dream! Poppin’ Dream wrapped up in 2022, the franchise felt like it had hit a natural stopping point. The stories had been told. The smiles had been shared. If Bandori wanted to keep going, it had to change.
And it did.
These shows broke the mold. They dared to show girl bands where the members weren’t always friends, weren’t always okay, and weren’t always making music for pure love and joy. Sometimes, they were making it to survive. Sometimes, they were making it to hold on to something. Sometimes, they didn’t even know why they were doing it.
But isn’t that what makes it so human?
What’s Next? The Story Isn’t Over
Fans don’t have to worry that this intense new era of BanG Dream! will just stop here. A third anime series is already in the works, set to follow the stories of both MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica.
While details are still scarce, it’s expected that this next installment will dig into the unresolved issues from the previous two shows. There are plenty of characters who didn’t get the spotlight they deserved, and tons of emotional threads left hanging. This new series might finally address those loose ends—whether it’s healing old wounds, exploring side characters’ backstories, or diving even deeper into the complicated relationships and struggles that have defined this new generation of Bandori bands.
It’s exciting because it shows that the franchise is committed to telling these stories honestly, with all their messiness and complexity. The BanG Dream! universe isn’t just about cute performances and catchy songs anymore. It’s about real feelings, broken people, and the imperfect journey toward connection.
Why This New Generation Matters
At the end of the day, MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica mark a bold new direction for BanG Dream!. They’re darker, messier, and way more emotionally intense than anything before. And while that might not be what every longtime fan expected, it’s exactly what the franchise needed to stay fresh and relevant.
They remind viewers that music isn’t just about fun—it’s also about expressing pain, frustration, and hope. These bands don’t just perform for the audience; they perform for themselves and for each other, even when the path forward is anything but clear.
So whether you’re a Bandori veteran or just curious about what this new generation has to offer, MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica are worth checking out. Just be ready for a ride that’s as emotional as it is musical—and know that the story is far from over.
If you’re a fan of stories about flawed but fascinating characters, about what it means to belong and be seen, and about how music can be both a lifeline and a trap, then this new wave of BanG Dream! anime will probably hit all the right notes.
And with the third series coming up, it’s safe to say the journey’s only just begun. While you’re waiting for the next installment, you can check out more of MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica here at ZenPlus, shipped to you straight from Japan!
TVアニメ「BanG Dream! Ave Mujica」本PV
BanG Dream! It's MyGo!!!!! Official Trailer
春日影（アニメ「BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!」#7 挿入歌）
「顔」（TVアニメ「BanG Dream! Ave Mujica」#13 挿入歌）
What do you think?
Why did CRYCHIC disband?
Does Mutsumi have a dissociative identity disorder?
Why did Sakiko create Ave Mujica?
Let us know in the comments or drop us a line on social media: X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook! We’d love to hear from you!
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You can watch BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica on Crunchyroll, Prime Video and Muse Asia.
About the Writer
Cristy is a freelance artist and writer who has been obsessed with anime and manga since childhood. Her love for these imaginative worlds fuels her creative endeavors, and she shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
