English Dub Season Review: Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty Season One

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Lilisa’s (Luci Christian) passion for rock reawakens when she meets Otoha (Natalie Rial), her seemingly perfect classmate who’s secretly a heavy metal drummer!

Our Take:

Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty is an anime adaptation of a manga series written and illustrated by Hiroshi Fukuda.  It is directed by Shinya Watada, with Ori Yasukawa as assistant director, Shogo Yasukawa handling the episode screenplays and series composition, and Risa Miyadani designing the characters.  It is produced by Bandai Namco Pictures, known for shows such as Brave Beats, Gintama, Raven of the Inner Palace, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword.  The opening theme song, “Ready to Rock”, is performed by Band-Maid, and the ending theme, “Yume Janai nara Nan’na no sa”, is performed by Little Glee Monster.

There’s no doubt that girls want to have fun every once in a while to express their true colors, even if it’s something they think is outside their comfort zone.  One specific case shows that girls can also express themselves through the power of rock’ n roll.  It may not seem very ladylike compared to displaying proper etiquette, but as long as they enjoy doing what they love, who gives a bupkis?  This sums up the premise of the latest anime that showcases girl power through their love of music after such rocking hits as Bocchi the Rock! and BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!.  However, I haven’t seen any of the shows from that category before this one, which makes this anime my first full-on exposure to the genre.  After witnessing this girl band’s performance up front, I have a feeling that it may change sooner or later.

Consisting of thirteen episodes, Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty showcases what would happen if the prestigious ladies aren’t as ladylike as they seem when combined with the profane and aggressive nature of rock music.  This is evident when Lilisa Suzunomiya, a young woman attending the elite Oshin Girls’ Academy, rediscovers her love of playing guitar after encountering her classmate, Otoha Kurogane, who hides her affection for drums and vulgarity from everyone.  Amid her quest to earn the school’s title of Noble Maiden, Lilisa secretly forms an instrumental rock band with Otoha, leading them to face numerous challenges as they aim to perform at the Fuji Rock Festival.  Outside of hiding their secret from Lilisa’s noble family, they also have to contend with their new band members.  Oshin’s timid student council vice president, Tina Isemi (Karlii Hoch), seeks to build her confidence through rock music, despite her lack of keyboard expertise.  Lilisa also has to impress Otoha’s strict childhood friend Tamaki Shiraya (Annie Wild), who wants Otoha to join her own band.

Regarding its premise, Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty emphasizes its coming-of-age themes through Lilisa’s personal journey.  At the start of the series, Lilisa gave up her passion for playing guitar after her mother remarried into the noble Suzunomiya family, leading her to become a sophisticated lady to impress her new family.  The problem is that she doesn’t seem too thrilled about becoming one, yet she strives to achieve her goal for her mother’s sake.  That all changed when a jamming session with Otoha reawakened Lilisa’s true self, which puts more pressure on her struggle between her intended goal and her passion.  The show illustrates that being true to oneself involves embracing what one loves, rather than conforming to others’ expectations.  Along with other themes involving self-esteem, friendship, and nobility, the anime is another example of displaying relatability through the power of music.  Not only that, but it is also a surprisingly fun experience that underscores its vulgar yet likable characters and its ambitious presentation.

One major element that stemmed from its animation style is its combination of traditional animation and motion capture.  The 2D animation from Bandai Namco Pictures featured an impressive display of color and dynamic palettes that underscore the delicacy of its prestigious characters and its hard rock aesthetics.  There are even some instances of Yuri that highlight the characters’ dialogue towards their musical talents through metaphorical BDSM imagery.  While it may be unclear whether Lilisa and Otoha’s friendship will turn into something more intimate, the Yuri images have a way of making aggressive rock music pleasurable for the eyes and ears.  However, the sequences featuring Lilisa and the other band members rocking their hearts out are what made the series truly shine, particularly through the motion-capture performances.

The main characters were performed through motion capture by the Japanese rock band, Band-Maid, consisting of Kanami Tōno (Lilisa), Akane Hirose (Otoha), Saiki Atsumi (Tina), and Misa (Tamaki), complete with some of the band’s music.  This approach seemed quite difficult to pull off, notably because the sensors were placed on the instruments and even the drumsticks’ handles.  Fortunately, that risk ends up giving the series its biggest applause.  While specific scenes looked like they had some CGI, the motion-capture performances maintained a smooth momentum that helped them avoid a sense of clunkiness.  It captured the illusion of watching an actual band perform, but in anime form, adding to the show’s rock ‘n’ roll essence and eccentric energy.  

As for the English dub cast, including Luci Christian (Lilisa) and Natalie Rial (Otoha), their performances were tolerable in conveying the characters’ personalities.  However, I can tell they were just reading from the script rather than truly acting from the heart.  Given that the anime is released through HiDive instead of Crunchyroll, I wasn’t too surprised that the vocal direction was lacking in some places.  This is evident through the two supporting characters, Alice (Christina Kelly) and Tamaki Shiraya (Annie Wild).  Both characters share a familiar arc: they initially hate Lilisa and share their ill-mannered behaviors, but gradually warm up to her after seeing her perform.  While these characters have several moments to emphasize their growth, the actors behind them struggle to convey their personalities effectively, particularly Annie Wild, who sounded completely bored while voicing Tamaki.

Speaking as someone new to the girl band genre, I found myself enjoying Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty more than I thought I would.  In addition to its well-tuned coming-of-age themes, the series evoked a melodic ambition of blending its 2D animated aesthetics with motion capture.  That ambition became a harmonious combination that brings the house down with its presentation and musical performances.  The English dub doesn’t quite draw in a crowd due to the iffy line delivery, but the motion-capture performances from Band-Maid back them up with ease, which is enough to save the dub from being booed off the stage.  Outside the dub, though, the series delivered a fun and often inspiring first season that benefited well from its relatable characters, vulgar humor, Shinya Watada’s dynamic direction, and engaging animation.  For fans of such girl band shows like Bocchi the Rock, this is another visually dazzling concert that’s worth attending.