Modern anime fans have it so good that it’s a surprise when an excellent show falls between the cracks.
If you want to stream a new show, odds are high it will appear on Crunchyroll, Netflix, or Hidive. If the show’s popular, episodes may even hit streaming in the U.S. the same day they debut in Japan. We’ve come a long way from the dark days of paying a fortune for a handful of poorly subtitled episodes on VHS and DVD. What got us here? Media companies finally recognize the voracious hunger for fresh anime, creating fierce competition amongst distributors over licensing new productions, no matter their quality.
Girls Band Cry, however, is an anomaly: an excellent anime that took months to find an appropriate home.
Birthed from a mixed-media music project, the anime follows a group of young women forming a band in the greater Tokyo area. The songs are killer — nine charted in Billboard Japan’s Top 100 and one broke the Top 10. Jukki Hanada, best known for adaptations of beloved shows Sound Euphonium and A Place Further Than the Universe, wrote the charming original story. And Toei Animation’s art serves the show’s fast-paced and colorful vibe.
But Girls Band Cry, despite its pedigree and native success, took months to hit the States. The show premiered in early April 2024 on Tokyo MX. It became available in the U.S. six months later on Microsoft Movies & TV, Fandango at Home, Hoopla, and Prime Video. And even then, curious viewers had to purchase episodes via VOD.
Remember when I said modern anime fans have it good? That can be a challenge for modern anime shows like Girls Band Cry. Who spends money on an anime they’ve only barely heard of that’s available on streaming services that (excluding Prime) they likely have never used, especially when their subscription services offer dozens of other shows? Only the most obsessive of anime completists.
Girls Band Cry finally made its way to a traditional streaming platform, appearing in full on Crunchyroll in November. Dropping in the middle of the Fall season, it competed for attention against a variety of popular shows like Dan Da Dan, Dragon Ball Daima, and more.
Now is the perfect time to give Girls Band Cry a chance. With the new year here — which is typically a slow period for games and movies — anime fans can catch up on one of 2025’s best shows. Yes, it took a while for the stars to align, but compared to the olden days, we’re still living in an age of anime miracles.
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