Rolling Girls – Episode 4

Rolling Girls performed a semi-smooth recovery this week. We didn’t return to the high-energy mania and glorious animation of the first two episodes, but at this point, I think that just isn’t what this show is. What Rolling Girls actually is is a story of freedom and growing up and punk rock, more “Naota sleeping on the back of the vespa” and less “Haruka in a bunny suit slamming the guitar.” The show’s art direction remains excellent, but the key points this week were the quiet moments – both Nozomi and Chiaya’s conversations with their mothers, and the easy conversation about favorite bands that played the episode off.

In light of this shift, I’m not really surprised that a lot of people are jumping shift – the show tricked people, it’s not what it initially appeared to be. But fortunately for me, the show’s new thing is obviously well within My Kind of Thing, and so as long as the show maintains the easy grace of this episode’s last few minutes in its upcoming character moments, I’ll still be enjoying the ride. And either way, it sure is pretty.

My full ANN post is available here. Notes below!

Rolling Girls

The little dog lowering its shades on this dude’s head goddamnit

It’s the tiny details that make this show, I think

Oh shit, bomb roomba!

These watercolor backgrounds are so nice!

Noriko, one of Thunderoad’s subordinates, is helping them. They’re staying with her mom, who’s got their bikes. Noriko used to know Yukina (blue-hair)

Yukina makes terrible portraits

“Stealing is as serious a crime as murder, because the things people steal are as, no, more important than people’s lives.” A great detail of the otaku country Always Comima

And that pineapple image for decapitation. Lol

Nozomi is being incredibly stubborn. She refuses to give up on what she thinks Ma-chan would do, even if it’s ridiculous

Chi-chan’s now sobbing about her stone

Nice background music

I like that the mom actually looks like a mom

I really like this scene with Thunderoad talking about why she loved the Rickshaw character. Good music, just a nice simple little turn

Aaand Thunderoad immediately loses the stone. Nice going

Nozomi talking with her mom on the phone. Great little honest conversation, making sure she’s safe

Yukina finally asking Chi how she knows their nicknames

Lots of lovely shots in this episode. Not much animation, but nice shots

OH MY GOD THE BOMBERS PLAN. “You’re making your parents cry.” Devastating all the otaku of the land. Amazing

And the bombers are mad because Tokyo is so silly now. This is great

And one of them is plagued by guilt because of a cute cosplay girl. Okay, this show’s coming back together

“The Dynamite Bombers” right

The show finally just outright says the stones power people

Oooh, I really like this almost chiptune-style action music

Nice hand-drawn shots for a moment in Thunderoad’s transformation

And great animation for this chase

Such lovely colors for this explosion!

It was Noriko all along! She made up the bombers!

The gatekeeper at the next country is the same person, somehow

Chiaya’s gonna keep rollin’ on. Punk rock

Looove that shot of Chiaya taking a breath in the free air. “Everything’s fine,” she tells herself. It’s a bracing feeling

Nozomi doesn’t want a stone

The girls just talkin’ ‘bout who got them into classic old bands. This is great stuff

The last few scenes here nailed so many true emotions and moments. This was great

3 thoughts on “Rolling Girls – Episode 4

  1. This episode had pretty much everything I wanted from this show.

    “And one of them is plagued by guilt because of a cute cosplay girl. Okay, this show’s coming back together”
    All three bombers showed up together in the first episode as exposition characters. I think of them was actually the first person in the show to mention Always Comina? This seems consistent with the idea that every background character in this show is the hero of their own story – like how Ai only shows up in the first episode as a crowd member, how Noriko’s role in episodes 3 and 4 steadily grows and grows until she becomes a Best, or how it doesn’t seem like anyone we’ve met so far is actually a “villain”.

    “Chi-chan’s now sobbing about her stone”
    I’m still amazed that this is Yumiri Hanamori’s first major voice acting role. I can definitely see her getting more Chaika-style roles, if she wants to go down that road.

  2. Just a detail, I don’t think the gatekeeper is in a different country, it’s just a different gate of Always Comima. Still funny but slightly less absurd.

    And loved the double twist: first the reveal that the bombers’ plan was to show up that banner, then suddenly “we included a bomb in your prank robot for free, LOL” XD. The nonsense is strong with this anime.

  3. Thanks for such a nice review! I wasn’t taken in by all the splash but more the bikes ( I ride) the great music , specutular animation art work, lots of ?? and turning out to be a nice anime about life lessons as in this one!And yes they are following Ma-Chans request letters and Chiya’s mom needs those stones!

    Like your summary lots of goodies in in one EP!

    BTW when Thunderoad lost Chi’s Stone she tripped over the bomb robot! How Ironic

    The Heroes all seem to be inspired by comic book heroes ( real or not)It was funny Chi’s mom procurer was a fan of Rick and Shaw too!

    My self I am curious what kind of time frame are they in? And everytime I see someone talking to someone they are using landlines!
    Letters seem to be the a form of communication that is used a lot!
    Even when Noriko’s mom was chasing after the bomb see was using radio comms 120 / 440 / bands? it seems!

    The Takumi who are more advanced use timers or simple two way switches. The bikes are all 60 / or early 70 models except Capt America (easy Rider ) chopper which was based on on 1949 – 52 HD police bikes!

    I agree that ED song ans scenes tell a nice story!

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