Coffee's Entry to okusawamiikun's 30 Day Bandori Challenge!

Day one: Favorite Band - Poppin' Party!

When I first started playing Bandori, Hello Happy World took top spot for my favorite band. I loved (and still do!) the quirky interactions between the characters and their unique personalities. It was only after participating in the Double Rainbow event on EN that I grew to appreciate Poppin' Party more.

It's the classic friends-turned-band scenario, but their relationships with one another feel like actual friendships. Double Rainbow's story reminded me how friendships have their ups and downs - how miscommunication and unspoken feelings can tear a hole in these bonds. Yet through all that hardship, their love for one another shines through, and that very same hardship helps them grow individually and as a group.

Another point I'd like to briefly make is that Bandori does an excellent job of telling stories through group dynamics while also fostering lifelike relationships between subdivisions of two or more characters. Saya and Kasumi have a different dynamic, style of speaking, and history with another than say, Rimi and Kasumi or Arisa and Kasumi. Bandori does this with other bands and I think it's one of the high points of this franchise (whereas other franchises like Love Live, as much as I adore it, has trouble uniting subdivisions of friends with the group as a whole).

Other than the story (and to be truthful, I haven't read all of the beginning story for PoPiPa), the band has a nostalgic sound to their songs that I love. Many songs like 1000 Crying Skies or Sunflower Dreams feature strong guitar melodies and bass lines. Kasumi's voice is powerful and can convey heavy emotion, but still has a childlike innocence/wonder that I feel sums up the band perfectly. Otae brings a more adult tone (contrasting Kasumi), while Rimi, Saya, and Arisa lend support with their enthusiastic backup vocals.

Poppin' Party's sense of nostalgia, fantastic lineup of songs, and lovely group dynamic makes this band my favorite and holds a special place in my heart. <3