Nightmare Fuel / Argonavis

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Play with me...

from ARGONAVIS is Darker and Edgier than Bushiroad's previous idol franchise such as BanG Dream!, dealing with plenty of dark themes like toxic siblings, Parental Abandonment, and the harsh reality of the music industry's dog-eat-dog nature.

Game

• Shu's sadistic nature is more than a little unsettling, especially considering how he's only 12-13. He makes people suffer on purpose, the songs he writes are largely about how he views people as his playthings, and that's not even getting into how he incites a Flame War between GYROAXIA and Fantôme Iris' fanbases, sets fire to Wataru's notebook, and manages to make Argonavis the subject of harassment.
• Kanata Nijo. At first glance, he seems like a chipper and upbeat guy, but belying his seemingly friendly nature is a (thankfully not murderous) Yandere with an unhealthy obsession with his older twin brother, Haruka: he intentionally utilizes his outgoing personality to ensure that people flock to him instead of Haruka, therefore leaving him with no friends. His relationship with Haruka is incredibly toxic, and it's gotten to the point where Haruka (understandably) wants absolutely nothing to do with him.
  • The worst part? Whenever Haruka shows any negative emotions towards Kanata, he gets unnervingly giddy, and it's abundantly clear that Kanata enjoys every second of Haruka's suffering, emotionally abusing him on purpose just so he can continue to get negative reactions out of him.
  • In Part 2 of εpsilonΦ's band story, we're treated to a CG of Kanata belittling Haruka and reminding him that he's always been (and will continue to be) stuck in his shadow, all while Kanata has a smile on his face.
• In spite of his inability to understand human emotions, Tadaomi initially seems like one of the more stable members of εpsilonΦ. Except he's not.
  • He gets a little too immersed in the band's sound during one of their performances, and he even gains Empty Eyes as he internally yearns for more: Madness Mantra and all.
  Ah...the sounds...the words...they're overwhelming...Is this what it feels like to turn a toy box upside-down? This is how good it feels...? Guitar, bass, drums, vocals...if this performance was put into words, what would the lyrics be? Let me hear more...More ...more, more, more, more, more—!!
  • In the "Insanity of reason" song story, not only does he attempt to tear off a bird's wings in hopes of finding inspiration for song lyrics (he's thankfully stopped by Felix before he can do so), he attempts to break Tomoru's arm.

Music

• Much of εpsilonΦ‘s discography qualifies as this due to their Darker and Edgier lyrics. What really doesn’t help matters is that Shu (a 13-year old kid) is the one in charge of writing all of these songs.
  • “Hikari no Akuma” has lyrics that establish and emphasize Shu’s sadistic nature, complete with glitchy, almost distorted-sounding synthesizer.
  “let’s messily, excessively hurt each other / discard everything priceless / let me eat anything and everything / the king of a micro-class / the world is a toy”
  • “Play With You” is about Shu’s incredibly messed up worldview in that he sees everyone as his personal playthings he can do whatever he wants to, up to and including making them suffer, until he gets bored of them.
  “ let’s draw a bright picture with toys’ necks / I want to see that smile clouding over when i knock over those wooden toy blocks / let’s count the hours by counting up your tears / hey, give me more of that sweet anger”