Girls Band Cry
Girls Band Cry, abbreviated as GaruKura, is an original Japanese anime television series created and produced by Toei Animation. The series is part of a multimedia project that began in 2023 in collaboration with and Universal Music Japan, with music being the focus. It aired from April to June 2024. A mobile game developed by DONUTS GAMES Inc titled Girls Band Cry First Riff is in development, and an action-platformer Windows game titled Momoka Wasshoi, inspired by the anime series, was released in September 2025.
Plot
Set in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, the series follows Nina Iseri, a high school dropout who moves to the city to prove she can live by herself and be successful. She then meets Momoka Kawaragi by chance, and the two realize their commonalities, including a shared love of music. Together with other girls from different walks of life, the girls form a band as an avenue to let their raw emotions out, while facing hardships with their internal struggles and being new to the music scene.Characters
Togenashi Togeari
Togenashi Togeari is the central rock band of the series, consisting primarily of high school dropouts. Before the band’s formation, each member was part of two bands, with Nina, Momoka, and Subaru performing under the name Shin-Kawasaki, and Tomo and Rupa performing as Vocaloid duo Beni-Shouga. After merging, their new name originates from Nina reading an audience member's shirt saying "Togeari Togenashi" during their Suwa live house gig.;Nina Iseri
;Momoka Kawaragi
;Subaru Awa
;Tomo Ebizuka
;Rupa
Diamond Dust
Diamond Dust is an idol rock band Nina idolizes and which Momoka was a member of, starting as a group of friends forming a school band before dropping out and being signed to a major label by the time Momoka left the band.;Hina
;Nana
;Rin
;Ai
Iseri family
;Muneo Iseri;Yasue Iseri
;Suzune Iseri
Other characters
;Tendou Awa;Hayashi
;Mine
;Shiomi Miura
Production
Background
In August 2019, upon joining Toei Animation, series producer Tadashi Hirayama was approached to produce a new original work focused on music. Hirayama enlisted the assistance of Kazuo Sakai and Jukki Hanada, staff he had worked with on Love Live! Sunshine!!, to brainstorm the initial ideas of the story. Hirayama then approached Kenji Tamai of around the end of 2019 to compose the music for the project and scout and manage the talents to form the band.Hanada focused on writing an all-female band story for the project based on his love for Japanese rock music, having already written stories about idols. Hirayama cited the projected economic loss from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the concurrent COVID-19 pandemic as inspirations to make the story grounded in reality, basing it around the hardships of being a musician. The decision to set the story in Kawasaki was based on Hirayama and Hanada's observations of the city being overlooked compared to the neighboring cities of Tokyo and Yokohama, rent being cheaper, and fostering music activity, further grounding the story.
Development and casting
In June 2021, Toei Animation, Agehasprings, and Universal Music Japan announced they would initiate a new project which would combine animation with real band activity. In the same year, Agehasprings, with the assistance from Toei Animation and Universal Music Japan, held an audition called "Girl’s Rock Audition" for the vocalist, guitarist, bassist, drummer, and keyboardist of the all-female band which would be the core of the project. Tamai recounted how he aimed the band to debut first to foster their popularity before the anime began its airing. He also shared that although the auditions received several applications, there was difficulty in choosing candidates who had proficient skills in both music and voice acting, leading the process to take more than a year and half to find the necessary talent.An original anime television series produced by Toei Animation titled Girls Band Cry was announced on April 24, 2023, with a teaser visual revealed. The visual features a girl with a guitar, with a slogan "Throw in All the Anger, Joy, and Sadness." On May 29 of the same year, a key visual of the anime was revealed alongside the main cast and staff. The five members of Togenashi Togeari were also revealed with the music videos of their two songs, "Na mo Naki Nani mo Kamo" and "Itsuwari no Kotowari", released on the project's YouTube channel. In the following months, more music videos that accompany their recently released songs would be released to their channel alongside introductory videos of each member of Togenashi Togeari; these songs would later be compiled into physical singles.
Media
Music
The discography of Girls Band Cry includes two studio albums, one soundtrack album, two extended plays, and eleven singles performed by Togenashi Togeari. Additionally, two digital singles were released by Diamond Dust, later compiled as an extended play. All music is released under the Universal Music Japan label.Albums
Studio albums
Soundtrack albums
Anime
On December 20, 2023, the first PV for the anime was released with its premiere set for April 2024. A second PV was later released on February 9, 2024, confirming its premiere date of April 6 of the same year. It is directed by Kazuo Sakai, with Jukki Hanada handling the series composition alongside writing the screenplays, Tadashi Hirayama as series producer, Nari Teshima designing the characters, Mari Kondō and Jae Hoon Jung as CGI directors, and Kenji Tamai as music composer. The series aired from April 6 to June 29, 2024, on Tokyo MX and other networks. The opening theme is "Zattō, Bokura no Machi", while the ending theme is "Darenimo Narenai Watashi Dakara", both performed by Togenashi Togeari.Toei Animation digitally released the series on Microsoft Movies & TV, Fandango at Home, Hoopla, and Prime Video on August 13. The decision was met with confusion and criticism by some fans as it was seen as embarrassing and "out of touch" with the show's overseas audience. Crunchyroll streamed the series worldwide outside of East Asia on November 6.
On September 13, at the end of Togenashi Togeari's second live concert, it was announced that a two-part compilation film is in production. The two parts of the compilation film, titled "Seishun Kyōsōkyoku" and "Nā, Mirai.", opened in Japanese theaters on October 3 and November 14, 2025, respectively.
During a panel at AnimagiC on August 2, 2025, anime publisher Peppermint announced to release the anime series on blu-ray in German-speaking regions beginning in 2026.
Games
On August 31, 2024, after the anime's streaming marathon on their official YouTube channel, the cast of Girls Band Cry announced that a mobile game is in development, with auditions for new cast members to be performing as a band being currently held.On September 13, 2025, the official Japanese social media accounts of Girls Band Cry announced that they will release a game titled Momoka Wasshoi, where the player controls characters Nina Iseri and Subaru Awa as they carry a drunk Momoka Kawaragi across various obstacles to safely bring her home. Upon arrival, the player must time an action correctly to throw Momoka on the sofa.
The game is inspired by the fifth episode of the anime series was released on September 29, 2025, for Windows via Steam during the Tokyo Game Show.
On September 23, 2025, the official Japanese social media accounts of Girls Band Cry revealed more about the mobile game developed by DONUTS GAMES Inc with the name of Girls Band Cry First Riff, having a teaser and official twitter account.
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Boiru Iseebi is set to begin serialization in Micro Magazine's Comic Ride web magazine and RaiComi website on January 30, 2026.Future
Hanada tweeted from his Twitter account before the twelfth episode's airing addressing the risks of relying on making sales from an original anime like Girls Band Cry, adding that because of these risks, no current plans for a second season or movie succeeding the anime have been made. After the finale aired, the project tweeted on its official Twitter account that the story will still progress in the future and it, alongside Togenashi Togeari, shall continue to be supported through its real-life activities.On July 12, 2024, however, it was announced that Natsu and Mirei both went on an indefinite hiatus due to poor health. The remaining three main cast members will be still performing in Togenashi Togeari. On April 10, 2025, it was later announced that Natsu and Mirei would be returning to dubbing.
On September 23, 2025, it was announced that a sequel anime film has been greenlit for production.