Rock is a Lady's Modesty

Episode 9

Musically, the episode is also on point in subtle yet important ways. For instance, Bitter Ganache's song sounds fine, but you can pick up how the energy of the vocals doesn't quite match the vibe of the backing instrumental. It feels polished to a fault. By contrast, the first two songs from Noir+α (great name, Tamaki) sound noticeably rougher. Tina's part is simple, which is accurate to the narrative, and the show lets us hear the song relax when she finally gets back on beat. More importantly, Tina doesn't transform into a prodigy; she just finds her niche where she can be herself. While that might seem uncharacteristically restrained for this series, it makes her development that much more grounded and potent. Even something as simple as volume makes a huge difference in how we perceive the performance. Lilisa's guitar is never unskilled, but her nerves lead to a stiffer and more muted sound than we're used to from her. This goes away when she lets loose with Otoha on their final piece, which is louder, more chaotic, and brimming with energy. Here, the decibels work in tandem with the direction, as the camera bounces and swings in time with the deafening downbeats.

This marriage of music theory with character writing goes deeper than that, too. In a flashback, Tamaki brings up the salient point that the bass guitar is both rhythmic and melodic. It's a liminal instrument, straddling two worlds, which might explain why so many bassists are so weird, inside and outside of anime. This also explains why, despite Tamaki's protestations otherwise, she's ultimately beholden to Otoha. The bassist might have a hand on the steering wheel, but the drummer sits in the driver's seat. The lead guitarist, meanwhile, dictates the melody, so Lilisa is on more even footing with Otoha (but not entirely even, of course). And keyboards aren't strictly necessarily in a classic rock ensemble, which is why Tina gets to hang back and figure her own issues out on her own time. In the end, though, all of a band have to work with each other. It's a team, not a gathering of soloists.

I also like the internal color commentary that runs throughout their performance, although it might grate on some viewers. In one sense, having these characters voice their feelings so plainly distracts from the music. There could be subtler and less verbose means of communicating these arcs—song lyrics, for example. However, Rock Lady is still a stickler for its instrumental works, and I think that's both novel and noble enough to allow these huge heart-on-sleeve soliloquies. We also can't forget that these girls are dealing with teenage emotions, which by nature are clunky, clumsy, and over-the-top. I'm looking for earnestness above all else, and I believe that comes through.

That being said, I can feel this arc begin to wear out its welcome this week. Tina's victory over her nerves is affecting to witness, but it's not markedly different from the epiphanies she's already managed to reach with a little help from her bandmates. An editor's pen could have streamlined this elliptical writing. I was also hoping to see more of Tamaki's interiority, which remains largely absent in this episode. Maybe that will arrive next week, when this arc presumably wraps up, but that, too, feels more elongated that it has to be. The anime's first three episodes made for a boisterous introductory arc, and the two-parter about the Red Familia performance quickly arrived at its payoff. While I don't think there's anything wrong with Rock Lady tackling a chunkier storyline, the highlights feel fewer and farther between.

Pacing issues aside, the climax of this episode hits as hard as anything else we've seen from Rock Lady. Ironically, the problem plaguing Lilisa on stage is the same one that plagues her at home and in school. She cares too much about what other people think of her, and she inadvertently brought that self-conscious attitude to the place that was supposed to be her sanctuary. It's an understandable mistake, given how she had been living her life before meeting Otoha, but it goes against the rock and roll ethos that liberated both leading ladies. Once Lilisa decides to give the proverbial middle finger to Tamaki, the audience, and everyone else, she finally starts playing real rock again. She follows Otoha's beat, strips herself bare, and tunes out everything except how good her instrument feels in her hands.

Rating:

Rock is a Lady's Modesty is currently streaming on HIDIVE on Thursdays.

Steve is on This Week in Anime.