When I first watched BanG Dream I found myself extremely confused and frankly very repulsed from the spunky nature of the main characters and how by simply being too sticky Kasumi can somehow pull together an entire band. Admittedly when I started D4DJ I felt that Rinku embodies many of the similar traits Kasumi showed however the overall flow of the anime felt a lot smoother compared to Bandori and I ended up finding myself even more immersed in it than I thought I would. D4DJ is a bit of an enigma in terms of what exactly it is. Its not strictly a DJ group since all they do is just mix and transition music. Its not a band either since not all of their members play instruments. Nor are they an idol group since their songs arent premade and rather mixed live. Its sorta a bit of everything an Idol Group that mixes and performs its songs live on stage and by doing so it seamlessly blends all 3 genres and aspects of music into one seamless transition. Its very refreshing to experience and definitely innovative and when backed with the right characters and progression of events the entire anime feels alive and vibrant. Story The story of D4DJ is honestly the weakest part about it and yet even if youre seeing the classic niche events that every Idol/Band anime includes it doesnt feel as niche as the others. The story follows your classic hotheaded girl whos charisma attracts together a group of people as they attempt to win a title in the local esteemed competition. Along the way the group bonds with a sleepover some minor conflict happens with at least one member of the group a study session is held because the spunky ones are always in danger of failing finals and they persevere with the power of friendship. Its the bread and butter formula of all of these idol groups and this formula has been done to no end. While D4DJ is prone this repetitive formula the redeeming aspect is not in the main group Happy Around but rather in its rival groups Peaky Pkey and Photon Maiden. The best example I can come up with is sorta like ARise in Love Live a wellestablished group that serves as formidable rivals to the main group s. In D4DJ the extremely wellestablished and popular group exists in Peaky but D4DJ also has a groundup rival in Photon Maiden. This creates a more rough interaction between the groups that leads to them creating a seamless bond that can clearly be seen throughout the anime one that Love Lives ARise failed to create. Art D4DJ is one of the few animes to feature CG 3D characters. While theyre not the only ones Argonavis from BanG Dream also uses it they went way past 11 on it. While their character are basically 3D models D4DJ still incorporates a lot of cartoony aspects that you normally wouldnt expect. Rinkus reactions are always comically hilarious because they would go nuts with the effects replacing her eyes with the classic . face or maybe replacing her eyes with straight up fire emojis when shes fired up. It creates a wonderful comical aspect that you wouldnt otherwise find in animes especially not animes with 3D CG. Music As a music anime D4DJs heaviest selling point is in its music naturally each group and episode features unique tracks that illustrate the DJ style. The OP itself familiarizes viewers to the concept of DJs as its comprised of 3 entirely different songs seamlessly blended together in a true DJ fashion. Each group also has its own unique style. Photon Maidens songs give off a galactic vibe while adhering to their cool and stylish mentality. Peaky Pkeys songs are powerful and the mixes feel wellmade. Happy Arounds songs are vibrant and give off a scattered feeling. Apart from that you can physically hear the aspects each group is gunning for and use the music alone to predetermine the winner before it is even announced. In the versus round between Photon and Happy you can tell which song had the most impact on the audience and in the final showdown the minute you hear the songs it becomes clear what will happen. Characters Last but not least every one of these DJ units has to be supported by a powerful team. The story follows our main 4: Rinku Maho Muni and Rei. The 4 of them create a very distinct and contrasting dynamic that not gonna lie kinda reminds me of Doki Doki Literature Club. Rinku is the spunky and clearly overcaffeinated main vocalist Rei is the bookish quiet yet talented composer Muni is your Nicostyle cutesy yet kinda egotistic Video Jockey/Arts person and Maho is the rising star and respectable DJ. Their tropes have been done to no end yet what sets these groups apart is the dynamic the anime gave to them. Rinku has an explanation for being overhyped because she literally is a monke brain Maho actually puts herself to her limits to better herself instead of just sitting in front of a desk ruminating about some obscure strategy Reis rich upbringing makes her a bit distant but she wants to get to know the group better by actively taking the initiative and even leading some events and Munis childhood connection as well as background support prevent her from being a Nico Nico Nii joke. The other groups receive just as much attention as well. The dynamic established between these groups makes it so that all their characters no matter how flat or how much of a cardboard cutout they are appear in some degree to be rounded and welldeveloped. Photon Maiden is your classic Cars 3 designermade tactically optimized group with songs that fit their dynamic selected by a professional record label but their DJ Saki struggles with remixing and wants to create a track that has its own color. The way they built Saki as a character makes me think she has Synthesia which is why shes so obsessive about the colors and that just makes that entire episode feel way better. Peaky is the frontrunner of the school but the character dynamic that many members of its team shares with the main cast in Happy Around makes them feel not like cocky assholes but rather upperclassmen who want to introduce this group of clearly passionate girls the real life of living as a DJ group. Overall I enjoyed D4DJ far more than I did any other musicrelated anime. Their characters shone so much brighter their dynamics were so much better and they felt like genuine characters that build their music from the ground up instead of characters built around songs.