Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – is the latest anime installment in the BanG Dream! franchise. Directed by Kodai Kakimoto, who is known for his work on the previous BanG Dream! anime titles such as BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! and BanG Dream! Morfonication—the series has been steadily gaining international popularity. Part of the series’ success stems from its bold creative direction, compelling writing, and unique approach that sets it apart from previous ones.
Given the impact of this latest installment, Anime Corner had the exciting opportunity to interview the director himself to gain insight into the vision and the process behind the anime.
Q: Can you share your journey and what led you to take on the role of director for multiple BanG Dream! anime series?
A: I was a member of the movie-making club during my college years and had the opportunity to work part-time as an animator, which became my first step into the world of animation production. After graduating, I joined Production I.G, where I honed my directing skills under Director Kenji Kamiyama. Later, I worked on the anime film 009 Re:CYBORG as a member of Kamiyama’s staff, which marked my first collaboration with SANZIGEN. Thanks to this experience, when the decision was made to produce the BanG Dream! series entirely in CGI, Matsuura, the representative director of SANZIGEN, invited me to join the crew.
Q: Studio Sanzigen has been animating most of the BanG Dream! anime series. What is it like working with them?
A: I have been working with SANZIGEN since they began producing animation themselves. Throughout this process, I became deeply familiar with their production workflow and model-building techniques, allowing for seamless collaboration across different departments within the studio.
SANZIGEN’s members are highly skilled, not only in technical execution but also in expressing their creativity through anime shots. They are deeply attached to their work and the characters they bring to life. SANZIGEN and its members remain dedicated to their goals, continuously refining its craft throughout production.
Over time, we have significantly improved our CGI animation techniques. In areas where we once struggled—such as facial expressions and character acting—we have now achieved results that rival, or even surpass, those of traditional 2D animation.
Q: The voice cast in a lot of the bands not only brings their characters to life through acting but also performs as a real band. How did these talented artists influence your direction and storytelling?
A: That is indeed one of the most defining characteristics of the BanG Dream! series—the seamless fusion of music and animation, where the songs performed by the voice actresses in the anime create an experience unique to this franchise.
We have both voice actresses who could play instruments from the start and those for whom we brought in musicians to perform. In past series, some characters were even designed based on their voice actress, making it easier for them to voice their characters. However, for It’s MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica, we finalized the character designs before casting the voice actresses. Even so, we were surprised to find just how many similarities the characters and their voice actresses ended up sharing.
Q: Ave Mujica -The Die is Cast- introduces a new approach to the franchise by adding horror elements. What inspired this shift in tone and theme?
A: For Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast –, we had long decided to make it a mirror opposite of It’s MyGO!!!!!. While the latter is a youth drama that lays bare raw emotions, Ave Mujica takes the form of a psychological suspense story, where the characters’ deep emotions remain concealed beneath their masks.
During the process of finalizing Ave Mujica’s band concept with the music production team, we sought to distinguish it from the existing gothic metal band, Roselia. To achieve this, we incorporated kitsch elements inspired by circus and freak shows, akin to the thrilling yet cute aesthetic found in Tim Burton’s works. Additionally, by infusing a theatrical stage-play aspect, Ave Mujica’s performances take on an operatic quality. The fusion of these elements lends the story an unmistakable touch of horror.
Q: Were you worried about this different approach to the franchise?
A: In contrast to the previous stories in the BanG Dream! franchise, where bonds and friendships are built on trust among band members, Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – breaks free from these established conventions. This story delves into the darker sides of its characters, embracing their negative yet real emotions and inner turmoil.
We are well aware that this approach may not resonate with all audiences—some may even dislike it. Yet, we chose to fully immerse ourselves in portraying the characters’ emotions and actions as shaped by their time, place, and circumstances, without compromise or hesitation.
Q: What was the biggest challenge in directing the anime?
A: It’s the scenario. When writing the story, we prioritize the characters’ principles and motivations above all else. While we have a general plot outline in place, once we begin delving deeply into the characters’ thoughts, their emotions surface in unexpected ways, often leading them to act differently than we initially envisioned.
Each time, the story takes on a life of its own, straying from the original path as the characters evolve from their starting points. The struggles and experiences of these ten characters intertwine, forming an intricate web of plots and subplots. Crafting the scenario feels like searching for an exit in a tangled maze—one where the path constantly shifts, shaped by the characters themselves.
Q: Were there any specific moments in the anime that were particularly difficult to execute from a storytelling perspective?
A: For me, the challenge lies in combining animation, acting, and music. The impression of a scene can change drastically depending on how it is executed. In Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast –, a single line of dialogue can take on an entirely different meaning depending on how it is voiced—truth can become deception, or a lie can masquerade as truth. During voice recording, we engaged in in-depth discussions with the voice actresses to thoroughly explore the characters’ emotions.
For example, in a particular scene, the animation might convey falsehoods, while the OST subtly reveals the underlying truth. Finding the perfect synergy among these elements is a meticulous process, exploring every possible combination to achieve the most powerful effect. It is the most difficult part of my work—but also the part I enjoy the most.
Q: How did you ensure that Ave Mujica‘s narrative felt fresh while still respecting the overarching BanG Dream! universe?
A: Since Ave Mujica takes place in the same world as the previous series in the franchise, we decided to include existing characters in schools and live houses as Easter eggs. Additionally, elements like Taki’s admiration for Afterglow and Sakiko’s for Morfonica serve to anchor the new bands within the BanG Dream! universe, allowing them to establish their own identities while maintaining a natural connection to the world. Originally, It’s MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica were conceived as entirely separate from the BanG Dream! franchise. Because of this, when writing the scenario, we deliberately avoided forcing interactions between the existing and new bands. In the end, I believe this distance was well-balanced, allowing the new bands to carve out their own paths while still feeling like a part of the larger world.
Q: How did you approach developing the chemistry and conflicts between the band members?
A: In this work, we wanted to explore several themes that had been deliberately avoided in the BanG Dream! franchise until now—such as “bands breaking up,” “disparities in talent,” and “the power of words.” With these themes in mind, we carefully placed the characters within the story.
The idea of CRYCHIC disbanding and splitting into MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica was proposed in the earliest stages of the plot and had already gained consensus. So, we first focused on determining the five members of CRYCHIC. At the center was Tomori, a poetic genius who struggles with communication. Around her, we positioned Sakiko, who recognizes talent and provides a stage for it; Taki, who is utterly captivated by her talent; Soyo, who remains unaware of her talent; and Mutsumi, who has the potential to belong to either side.
After that, we placed the remaining five members according to the themes we wanted to explore within their respective bands. By profiling them further—delving into character settings, family backgrounds, past traumas, and relationships—we refined their personalities and restructured their connections. This process laid the foundation for the initial plot.
As we moved forward and set these characters in motion within the scenario, their emotions became even clearer. With each step, we continuously refined their profiles, and as their natural behaviors unfolded, their relationships grew even more intricate.
Q: Among all Ave Mujica members, who was the most challenging to write and why?
A: I would say Mutsumi Wakaba. In a way, she is the character who deviates the most from the traditional BanG Dream! framework, incorporating a psychological approach in her portrayal. Thanks to her, I believe Ave Mujica’s story gained an added layer of depth.
Q: Were there any major changes to the characters’ backstories or personalities during the writing process?
A: When depicting Mutsumi Wakaba in Ave Mujica, we took a deeper look into her character and her “innocence.” Through this exploration, Mortis emerged, splitting the pure and innocent Mutsumi into two distinct personalities. Mortis is the embodiment of the immense talent she inherited from her parents, while Mutsumi, in contrast, is a personality born from her rejection of that very talent. Since this effectively added another character to the scenario, the existing story structure could no longer accommodate the narrative at its original pace. As a result, despite having progressed up to around Episode 4, we had to rewind everything back to the beginning and rebuild the script from scratch.
Q: Since MyGO and Ave Mujica have deeply intertwined stories, were they planned simultaneously or was Ave Mujica’s narrative written right after MyGo was finished?
A: MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica were conceived simultaneously. While the anime titles are separated as It’s MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica, the overall structure was initially conceived as a 26-episode story—a single drama following two bands and ten characters.
Due to scheduling considerations with the real-life bands, MyGO!!!!! was developed first, with its script commissioned ahead of time. Meanwhile, we worked in parallel to shape Ave Mujica’s story. However, once we began writing the script, the narrative took on a life of its own, guided by the characters in ways we had never anticipated.
Q: Compared to MyGo, the drama and conflict in Ave Mujica feel even more intense and high stakes. Was this intentional to escalate the emotional narrative of the series even further?
A: Structurally, if It’s MyGO!!!!!—which became the first season—served as the buildup, then Ave Mujica, as the second season, had the dual role of providing answers to the first while also advancing its own story. Naturally, this resulted in an increase in the overall information density. Moreover, the contrast between the two stories became even more significant due to Ave Mujica’s unique elements—its mystery and suspense, where characters conceal their true intentions, as well as the horror undertones stemming from the band’s musical style and thematic world-building. These factors further highlighted the contrast between Ave Mujica and MyGO!!!!!.
Q: Aside from MyGo, the members of Ave Mujica have connections and were inspired by the previous BanG Dream! bands. How did you decide which characters would interact with past BanG Dream! members?
A: After deciding that It’s MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica would become part of BanG Dream!, we restructured the settings of each character’s school and home to fit within the existing world. At the same time, since characters from past series also exist in this world, we carefully examined what each of them would be doing in the present timeline. If there were natural points of connection between them and the members of MyGO!!!!! or Ave Mujica, they would appear in the story. However, if no meaningful interaction seemed likely, we chose not to force their inclusion.
Q: If you had the chance to direct another BanG Dream! anime, which band would you like to explore next?
A: Since RAISE A SUILEN was the first band I developed from the ground up while directing the BanG Dream! series, I’d love the opportunity to continue their story. With Roselia, even though the movie was based on the game’s scenario, I’d like to explore an original story for them as well.
…That said, I am fully motivated to work on every band—so in the end, I’d love to create something for all of them.
Q: Are there any creative elements from Ave Mujica -The Die is Cast- that you’d like to carry over into future projects?
A: In It’s MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica, we specifically took on the challenge of expressing light and shadow. The cel-shaded animation we create deforms three-dimensional objects to appear more flat, but when applying lighting in CGI, it can result in exposing the distortion of certain models. In fact, shadow representation has been a persistent challenge for us.
A similar challenge arose in background art, but thanks to a team of artists skilled in rendering natural light, we were able to take on this endeavor. In live-action terms, it’s as if we brought in a dedicated lighting crew. This is an area we’re eager to refine even further in the future.
Q: How do you feel about the growing popularity of the anime outside of Japan?
A: I think it’s truly incredible. It’s MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica especially have intricately interwoven storylines, requiring viewers to carefully follow the characters’ emotions to fully grasp the narrative. There are also many directorial choices that may seem unclear at first glance.
Hearing how so many overseas viewers have engaged with the characters and story so sincerely, and witnessing the enthusiasm surrounding the series, has been both surprising and deeply moving.
Q: Any message to the overseas fans?
A: Thank you for enjoying Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast –. As the story enters its latter half, the gears of fate begin to turn faster. I would be grateful if you could stay with them until the very end and witness the choices they make.
We sincerely appreciate Kodai Kakimoto for taking the time for this interview to share insights into the unique direction and approach of Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast. Our gratitude also goes to 33USA for making this opportunity possible.
Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Muse Asia.
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