Band Producer Hiroki Matsumoto On Finding Ave Mujica’s Sound, In And Outside Of Anime

By Elijah Gonzalez  |  April 29, 2025 | 12:38pm
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Band Producer Hiroki Matsumoto On Finding Ave Mujica’s Sound, In And Outside Of Anime
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Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – is unusual in more ways than one. Despite being an anime installment in the BanG Dream! series—a multimedia project that spans TV shows, mobile games, live concerts, and albums— nothing about its presentation fits the typically bubbly feel of many other idol-adjacent Japanese music franchises. Building off BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! and its surprisingly hard-hitting drama, Ave Mujica takes things in an even grimmer direction, incorporating gothic visuals and horror overtones as its characters go to some dark places.

And the centerpiece of this approach is the music, a series of metal tracks that tie us to this emotional roller-coaster as these musicians jam through several full-length songs. A fascinating element at work is that the voice actors behind the in-universe band Ave Mujica are also members of a real-world band of the same name, each member playing the same instruments as their characters in the show. The group’s first album, Completeness, came out this week.

To gain some insights into this group and their anime, we got a chance to speak with Band Producer Hiroki Matsumoto, the man behind Ave Mujica’s musical direction. He gave us insights into how they arrived at their sound, the way this complicated collaboration came together, and what’s next for BanG Dream.

Paste Magazine: Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast – is much darker in tone than its predecessor, BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!. How did you go about reflecting that change in the series’ music?

Hiroki Matsumoto: If we consider MyGO!!!!! as “light,” then Ave Mujica’s music represents “darkness.” We centered our work around metal as the primary genre, crafting heavy sounds that suit the dark storyline.

That said, while we describe it as “darkness,” darkness isn’t inherently negative. Light exists because there is darkness, and the reverse is equally true—darkness exists because there is light. Everyone carries a darker side within them, so we hope people can enjoy Ave Mujica’s music without feeling too burdened.

Some audiences may be unfamiliar with metal as a genre, but thanks to the catchy melodies that transcend language barriers, I think many will find that it’s not as foreign as they might have thought once they give it a listen.

Also, I believe metal is the perfect genre for unleashing emotions. It was an ideal choice for expressing the heavy feelings portrayed in the anime.

Paste: The Ave Mujica anime seems to draw from an eclectic mixture of influences like stage plays, gothic aesthetics, and even Herman Hesse’s novel Demian. What were some of your inspirations for Ave Mujica’s music, whether that’s specific bands or anything else?

Matsumoto: Of course, there were songs and bands that served as references during the production process. Personally, I’ve been influenced by genres like symphonic metal, melodic speed metal, and metalcore—and I think those influences are reflected in Ave Mujica’s musical style.

It just so happened that my personal tastes aligned perfectly with the theme of Ave Mujica—[laughs]—I guess I was lucky in that sense.

Paste: Where did the idea of Ave Mujica as a band come from? Was it a natural extension of where BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!! and its story ended up, or was it decided much earlier that the next BanG Dream! band after MyGO!!!!! would have a much more metal sound?

Matsumoto: It’s MyGO!!!!! and Ave Mujica were conceived as a pair from the very beginning, designed to exist in clear contrast with each other. As the anime’s story developed, that concept naturally led to MyGO!!!!! being rooted in punk, while Ave Mujica settled into metal as its core genre.

From a broader BanG Dream! perspective, this choice also helped differentiate them from the other bands in the franchise, as there hadn’t been any bands that primarily focused on these genres. That’s how we landed on this setup.

Paste: I’m curious about the interplay between creating the script and music for Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast –. Was the script written first, and then you made music based on it? Did the music come first? Or were they created at the same time? Could you talk a bit about the collaboration between the screenwriters and music producers here?

Matsumoto: The script was written first, and the songs were then created to follow the storyline. Of course, we were working on the music while some parts were still unfinished, but the basic approach was to align the music with the script.

After all, to truly bring out the power of an anime as a medium, it’s important for the songs to have a strong connection to the story. The anime team provided us with a general sense of the scenario and the tone they were aiming for, and from there, we thought about how to translate that into music during the production process.

Paste: I continue to be impressed with how the BanG Dream! band members also voice their counterparts in the anime and games. How did Bushiroad go about finding talents who can play in a band and voice act for Ave Mujica?

Matsumoto: Actually, some of our voice actresses couldn’t play instruments at first, and others were musicians who had never done voice acting before—so it’s not like we specifically gathered people who could already do both.

But since BanG Dream! has become such a long-running franchise, there’s a solid support system in place. Even if someone was a beginner in one area, we had plenty of resources and people to help them grow and succeed.

Paste: Considering that the members of Ave Mujica had varying levels of music performance experience prior to the band being formed, what was the process of bringing everyone onto the same page? How did you prepare for live performances?

Matsumoto: When it comes to instrumental skills, we’ve created an environment where each member can truly grow—we assign dedicated instructors for each instrument, and provide thorough training. We also hold regular band practices, with professional guidance focused on band ensemble performance as well.

Thinking back, I realize that as a producer, one of the most important things was whether I could present a bright future to the members—whether I could help them envision it. To support the band’s continuous improvement, we have frequent discussions with both the members and the staff, and I was once again reminded that communication is absolutely key.

As for live performances, in the past we used to meticulously choreograph positioning and detailed movements. Recently, though, the members have become more comfortable performing while playing, so a lot of the movements now come about naturally. I think that’s a really positive sign of growth as a band.

Paste: Ave Mujica’s first studio album, Completeness, is coming out later this month. Could you tell me a bit about the album in general and the process of making it compared to creating music for the show?

Matsumoto: This album includes the seven songs that were featured in the anime. We took a bold approach by keeping the track order exactly the same as their release order in the show—but in doing so, it resulted in a perfect sequence that aligns with the anime’s narrative.

That said, even if you haven’t seen the anime, you’ll still be able to feel the story woven into the album—it stands strong as a musical work alone. I believe it’s a truly remarkable album that fully showcases Ave Mujica’s wide-ranging musicality and unique appeal.

Paste: I’m not sure if you can answer this question, but will you be working on the next season of the show? And if so, has music production already begun?

Matsumoto: The fact that the next season has already been announced means that preparations are, of course, well underway.

That’s about all I can say for now—my sincere apologies! [laughs]

Paste: What is your favorite memory from working on Ave Mujica so far?

Matsumoto: I think what left the biggest impression on me was everyone’s reaction when “KiLLKiSS” was released. Personally, I felt like we had created the ultimate song, so seeing that people felt the same way was a huge relief.

It’s a track filled with so many different emotions from so many different people, so receiving such positive feedback made me truly happy.

Moving forward, I hope to continue creating songs like “KiLLKiSS”—ones that people can really love and connect with.

Elijah Gonzalez writes about games and anime. In addition to playing the latest, he also loves anime, movies, creating large lists of media he’ll probably never actually get to, and dreaming of the day he finally gets through all the Like a Dragon series. You can follow him on Bluesky @elijahgonzalez.bsky.social.

 
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