The protagonist of the story in "BanG Dream!" is played by Toyama Kasumi, who is a very energetic and bright character, as expressed in the phrase "I want to be sparkly and excited." But what exactly is her charm? We'll introduce 10 of her charms, so be sure to take a look at her cute side.
Toyama Kasumi's profile♪
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Toyama Kasumi is the main character of the story, and her profile states that her birthday is July 14th and she is 156cm tall. Needless to say, Toyama Kasumi, the founder and leader of Poppin Party, formed the all-girl band because she wanted something sparkly and exciting. She then approached members Hanazono Tae, Ushigome Rimi, Yamabuki Saya, and Ichigaya Arisa. Although they were intimidated by her strong will, they empathized with her feelings and the part of her that they just couldn't leave alone, and so they decided to take action with Toyama Kasumi.
Her hairstyle is inspired by stars, not cat ears!
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Toyama Kasumi's trademark is her distinctive hairstyle, which is eye-catching and looks like cat ears that don't fall apart no matter how intense the exercise. However, this is based on the image of a star, which she loves, and will never fall apart even when it rains. Even Ushigome Rimi is concerned about how she does it, and this may be the biggest mystery in BanG Dream!.
Charm 1: Her bright and lively personality
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Let's take a closer look at Toyama Kasumi's charms, but her bright and lively personality is her greatest asset, isn't it? Not only does her constant smiling demeanor naturally cheer up the viewers, but it also seems that the other members and friends around her are also excited in response to Kasumi Toyama's energy. The Popipa members are also inspired by her cheerful demeanor at all times, and even if you ignore the fact that she is the band leader, you will want to follow her in silence.
She also has the agility to act immediately when an idea strikes her
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Furthermore, Toyama Kasumi's ability to act immediately when an idea strikes her is also characteristic of her, which could be expressed as fearlessness. When she saw her first live performance and felt that she wanted to stand on stage, she immediately went to ask the owner of SPACE for help, which was a surprising move. However, from there he became an enthusiastic fan of going to see live shows, and one by one he cleared the tasks necessary to perform live, showing that he has a strong sense of initiative.
Charm 2: Searching for something sparkly and exciting
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"BanG Dream!" is the story of Toyama Kasumi, a first-year high school student, searching for "something sparkly and exciting," and in the first episode of the TV anime, she takes proactive action to find what she is looking for. She tries out trying out a variety of clubs, but none of them are what she wants, and her worries deepen. However, when she finds her favorite star-shaped sticker in the city, she is led to Ichigaya Arisa's family home, where she has a fateful encounter with "Random Star."
She's not good at studying or anything that doesn't sparkle or make her heart pound
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Although Toyama Kasumi is very active, she's not good at anything that doesn't sparkle or make her heart pound, specifically things like studying and clerical work. Therefore, she is depicted being taught by Ushigome Rimi, who is also bad at studying, and you can easily understand how she looks. In the Ryuseido warehouse, where the Poppin Party members practice, she often feels more like she wants to play the guitar than do her homework, which often gets her scolded by Ichigaya Arisa.
Charm 3: Conversations that mix onomatopoeia and mimetic words
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Another characteristic of Toyama Kasumi is that she uses a mixture of onomatopoeia and mimetic words such as "sparkle" and "thrill." As mentioned above, Toyama Kasumi is not good at studying, so it seems that she does not have a large vocabulary, but the unusual expressions she uses are one of her charms. Still, you can generally guess what Toyama Kasumi is trying to say, so it might be interesting to listen to her and enjoy her unique expressions.
Ichigaya Arisa calls it Kasumi-go
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Ichigaya Arisa has known Toyama Kasumi longer than any of the other members, so she can understand words that contain onomatopoeia and mimetic words at any time. While she sometimes uses typical onomatopoeia, she also uses unique expressions, which Ichigaya Arisa collectively refers to as "Kasumi-go". As they have known each other for a long time, she has come to unconsciously understand what Toyama Kasumi is saying, and Ichigaya Arisa herself seems to recognize this as a bad sign.
Charm 4: Running for the cultural festival executive committee and leading the class to success
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Toyama Kasumi isn't good at studying, but at school she is a member of the cultural festival executive committee and comes up with a performance for the class, and on the day of the festival, she takes the initiative to lead the class. However, her classmates seemed a little worried, so they recommended Yamabuki Saya, who everyone trusted, to be her assistant. With Yamabuki Saya's support, Toyama Kasumi opened a coffee shop with the help of Yamabuki Bakery, and made the school festival into one that everyone would remember.
Not only live performances, but also class performances
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When it comes to school festivals, a live performance by volunteers is an essential element, so Poppin Party will naturally perform at the school festival live performance. The band consisted of just four members, Toyama Kasumi, Hanazono Tae, Ushigome Rimi, and Ichigaya Arisa, but thanks to hard work leading up to the day, Yamabuki Saya also popped in and joined the band. CHiSPA, led by Umino Natsuki, also performed, and thanks to the efforts of both groups, the event was a huge success.
Charm 5: Communicating through physical contact
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Toyama Kasumi, who has a friendly personality, often communicates with close friends through physical contact. Of course, she doesn't seem to get close to her seniors, but when it comes to her peers, she is noticeable for hugging her bandmates, especially Ushigome Rimi. At first, she looks confused, but she gradually gets used to it and starts sharing joy and excitement with them.
I just love my younger sister, Toyama Asuka!
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Toyama Kasumi's younger sister, Toyama Asuka, attends the junior high school division of Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy, and during the school festival she visits the maid cafe run by her sister's class. She is also shown relaxing on her sister's lap at home, which suggests that they get along very well. Although she finds Toyama Asuka a bit annoying, she is happy to see her sister always behaving cheerfully, and it is clear that she is a source of energy for her.
Charm 6: Quickly masters the guitar despite no prior experience
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As soon as she entered high school, Toyama Kasumi was looking for something "sparkly and exciting," and she found what she was looking for in the form of a girls' band. Until then, she had never even touched a musical instrument, let alone a guitar, but perhaps because it was something she had always pursued, she had mastered it. And even though they've only been together for a few months, Toyama Kasumi has not only performed at the school festival, but has also been on stage at the live house "SPACE," proving that they have grown a lot in a short amount of time.
Tae Hanazono and Rimi Ushigome teach her guitar
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Kasumi Toyama was able to master the basics and play thanks to the guidance of Tae Hanazono and Rimi Ushigome, who both have experience playing guitar. Rimi Ushigome teaches her how to read music, and Tae Hanazono teaches her the basics, such as how to hold chords and tune. Their careful instruction of the proactive Kasumi Toyama has led to Poppin Party's rapid growth.
Charm 7: A proactive band leader
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Toyama Kasumi is proactive as the band leader, and in the TV anime, she not only performs at the school festival live, but also sets various goals, such as trying to stand on the stage of the live house "SPACE". Inspired by her proactive behavior, the other members follow her and ultimately achieve success. Kasumi Toyama's fearless and proactive behavior is her forte, and her courageous actions and words are enough to make you respect her.
After much persuasion, Poppin Party is formed
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The episode that symbolizes her proactive behavior is undoubtedly the scene where Kasumi Toyama recruits band members. In the case of Ichigaya Arisa, helping organize the warehouse led to her obtaining a Random Star, and spending time playing guitar with Hanazono Tae was a major catalyst. Although she acts without realizing it, more and more members join by taking advantage of these gaps in people's hearts.
Charm 8: She also has a kind heart that cares for others
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Toyama Kasumi's actions are strong and proactive, but at the same time, she also seems to take the other person's feelings into consideration when acting. Since meeting Random Star, she visits Ichigaya Arisa almost every day, but even though she doesn't want to, she finds a way to meet her that she understands, and she eventually gets her to open up to her, which gives her the opportunity to get the Random Star. Whether it's Ushigome Rimi, Hanazono Tae, or Yamabuki Saya, her compassion has a big impact on them.
Many people have been influenced by Kasumi Toyama's personality
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Characters who appear not only in TV anime but also in smartphone games are greatly influenced by Kasumi Toyama's considerate personality. In particular, Yukina Minato of Roselia, who also appeared in the OVA, is a person who thinks about music all the time, but her way of thinking has changed since meeting Kasumi Toyama. Minato Yukina is so stoic about music that she is often blind to what's going on around her, but after meeting her she is now able to face each and every member individually.
Charm 9: She is very sensitive and sometimes bursts into tears
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Toyama Kasumi is cheerful and bright, and a smile suits her very well, but on the other hand, she is also very sensitive and often sheds tears of emotion or sadness. Her emotions are very intense, and when she met Random Star, she accidentally dropped him and broke him, and her transition from joy to sadness was instantaneous. She also bursts with joy after accomplishing big things like concerts and auditions, and her rich emotional expression is sure to give you energy.
She sees through Saya Yamabuki's feelings and tries her best to speak to her
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The scene where Kasumi Toyama, who is very sensitive, is writing a letter to Saya Yamabuki on the night before the school festival gives us a glimpse of her state. Yamabuki Saya had always wanted to be in a band but hadn't been able to, but on the morning of the school festival she received a letter with lyrics and a message written on it. When Toyama Kasumi wrote the letter, she was in tears, as if she had sensed Yamabuki Saya's feelings, and she put all her effort into her message, as if she had experienced the same frustration.
Charm 10: A leader who pushes forward toward her goals♪
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The last charm of Toyama Kasumi is that she has the ability to push forward toward the goals she sets for herself. She will participate in her first live performance since meeting Random Star, and will work hard to achieve her goal of standing on the SPACE stage there. At first, Toyama Kasumi knew nothing, but by climbing the ladder one step at a time, she was able to take the audition and finally achieved her goal.
She also experienced troubles such as falling into a slump and not being able to speak
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In order to perform at SPACE's live show, they had to pass a preliminary audition, but Poppin Party gave a disastrous performance there. Furthermore, after being rejected, Toyama Kasumi tries to work harder than anyone else, but she runs into trouble where she can't sing due to stress. This is a big problem with only a few chances left to audition, but with the support of her peers who had been following in her footsteps up until that point, she overcomes this greatest difficulty.
Enchanted by the charm of Toyama Kasumi's expressive faces♪
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I've introduced Toyama Kasumi's charms in 10 parts, but above all, seeing her expressive faces naturally gives you energy and courage, doesn't it? She may be acting unconsciously, but each of her actions has the power to move others, and even to make them come true. Kasumi Toyama is such a reliable band leader that everyone may want her to be their leader or boss.
