English Dub Review: Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty “Lady Version: It is Finally Our Turn/ Rock Version: You’re All Too Loud!”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
The battle of the bands kicks off, and their problems immediately begin.  Tina is out of sync, and Lilisa’s performance stands out in a bad way.

Our Take:
Like in most movies or shows about bands, this make-or-break moment was when the band members went all out with their performances, capturing the audience’s attention from start to finish.  Surprisingly, that doesn’t appear to be the case, as Lilisa and the others are already struggling to keep up with their own tempos, notably Tina.  Additionally, the audience can’t seem to give Lilisa a chance to shine because of their affection for Tamaki.  I guess those never-ending days of practice didn’t seem to make much of a difference, at least at first glance.  Through their attempts to guide or, in this case, avoid getting upstaged by each other, the band gradually begins to sound like what you would expect from a rock band: loud and melodious.
This is another episode that further underscores Band-Maid’s motion-capture performances and the metaphorical dominatrix visuals depicting the characters’ struggles as they play.  More importantly, it further highlights the unique friendship between Lilisa and Otoha, which was driven by their urges to overshadow one another and Otoha’s pleasure in playing the drums, allowing their raging endorphins to kick into overdrive.  The Red Familia performance had its share of moments regarding its animation and dynamic direction.  However, the battle of the bands sequence is where the show cranks up to an eleven, and the result is a surprisingly impressive improvement over when the characters first started.  Regarding the direction of the fiery presentation, heavy metal music, and mo-cap performances, this 23-minute musical showcase is certainly one moment in the series I won’t forget anytime soon, along with Otoha’s skimpy rock outfit.