BanG Dream!

Did You Know?

• Poppin'Party's debut single 'Yes! BanG_Dream!' sold less than 1,500 copies in its first week, but later singles reached over 10,000–20,000 sales by 2018.
• The franchise's first concert outside Japan was Aimi's solo performance at CharaExpo 2015 in Singapore.

History

BanG Dream! began as an idea in March 2014 when Bushiroad president Takaaki Kidani wanted to start a music project after noticing how well Love Live! School Idol Festival had done. A staff member at an Idolmaster concert in 2014 spotted guitarist Aimi and suggested putting her in an all-female band. Kidani decided the concept would work best as a media franchise, with voice actresses who could perform live on their instruments. He has made clear that BanG Dream! is a girl band series, not an idol franchise. Novelist Kō Nakamura was asked by a Bushiroad editor who had read his music book Round and Round Slide to write the story. Nakamura worked with Aya Ishida on the first manga, BanG_Dream! Star Beat, which started in Monthly Bushiroad in January 2015. The name came from the idea of shooting toward one’s dreams. Nakamura based parts of the plot on his own high school experiences. Noriyasu Agematsu of Elements Garden was brought in to handle music; he was doubtful at first but agreed to join. Voice actresses did not need prior musical training, since their main job was acting, but they were dedicated to learning their instruments, with some practicing up to ten hours a day.

Media

The voice actresses of Poppin'Party, Roselia, Raise A Suilen, Morfonica, MyGO!!!!!, and Ave Mujica play their respective characters' instruments during live concerts, while other groups are limited to vocals. Director Kōdai Kakimoto explained that events from live concerts are implemented into the anime to portray the connection between real life and anime. The first BanG_Dream! concert, I Started a Band in Spring!, took place on April 18, 2015, with Aimi, Nishimoto, and Itō playing mainly cover songs. The BanG Dream! First Live Sprin'Party 2016! on April 24 marked the first performance after the rebranding. The 4th Live Miracle Party 2017! at the Budokan sold out its 11,000 tickets before general sale, with simulcasts in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The 5th Live in 2018 was shown in select North American and Australian theaters. In December 2020, the franchise began streaming Sound Only Lives on YouTube, starting with Afterglow's As ever, followed by Pastel Palettes' Flowerful and Hello, Happy World!'s Welcome to Our Music.

Reception

BanG Dream! has received worldwide acclaim for its live concerts and Girls Band Party!. In 2017, Jessica Liong of ComicsVerse described the biggest appeal as its live performers, drawing people in with anime girls and keeping them with real-life concerts. Poppin'Party's debut single sold less than 1,500 copies in its first week, but performances at Animelo Summer Live 2016 helped boost later singles to over 10,000–20,000 sales by 2018. The series became a financial boon for Bushiroad, averaging over ¥1.5 billion in annual revenue by 2018. Girls Band Party! grossed ¥6.8 billion between 2017 and 2018, making it the 15th-most successful mobile game and second-most successful rhythm game in Japan in 2018. The main anime has garnered mixed but gradually improving reception; the first season had lukewarm responses, while the second and third were regarded more positively.

Discography

Eleven bands have released singles and albums, including original and cover songs. Glitter Green's lone single Don't be afraid! was released in collaboration with Tantei Opera Milky Holmes. Kō Nakamura and Elements Garden's Asuka Oda serve as primary lyricists, with Nakamura writing most Poppin'Party songs and Oda writing for others. Elements Garden members Noriyasu Agematsu and Junpei Fujita also compose and arrange music. In 2021, the project introduced tie-up partnership songs by outside artists; the first was Poppin'Party's Introduction by Yoasobi's Ayase. Afterglow teamed up with Flow for Winner. Various BanG Dream! songs have been used as theme music for other Bushiroad properties, including Poppin'Party's Excellent (Hey, Let's Go!) and B.O.F. for Future Card Buddyfight, Raise A Suilen's Sacred world for Assault Lily Bouquet, and Exist and Embrace of light for Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood.