BanG Dream! (Light Novel)

BanG Dream! is the first light novel for the BanG Dream! franchise. It was written by Nakamura Kou and published by KADOKAWA. It was released on August 25, 2016.

Like the first manga, BanG Dream!: Star Beat, the light novel contains the initial setting and character designs of the franchise.

The novel also includes illustrations by Hitowa, who was the original character designer.

Plot
After being made fun of singing her favorite song when she was a child, Toyama Kasumi, a first-year high school student, could no longer directly express herself. Spending her melancholic days, she is led by fate to meet a guitar and new friends. And together, they will spin bonds.

Settings difference

 * Original setting is gloomier than the current one, and features topics such as bullying, depression and death.
 * Kasumi, Arisa, and Rimi are in the same class (though Arisa didn't attend school for a long time), Tae is in another class, Saaya is an evening class student. In the current setting, Kasumi, Arisa, Rimi, and Saaya are classmates, only Tae is in a different class.
 * The group was shortly named "Warehouse Party". They changed it to Poppin'Party after Saaya joined. In the new setting, they already named their group as Poppin'Party when the only members were Kasumi, Arisa, and Rimi.

BanG Dream and RAZES
RAZES, a band that can only be found in the light novel, is an all-male band and was active in Shinjuku 30 years ago. They often performed live activities in the UK.

However, on the eve of their debut, their drummer had met an accident and they disbanded. Their unreleased song "BanG_Dream!" was found by Poppin'Party and the song became "Yes! BanG_Dream!"


 * Members
 * Vocals: Sakagami (坂上) He became the general manager of a well-known record company after they disbanded.
 * Guitarist: Utsonomiya (宇都宫) Arisa's father. He joined a new band after RAZES disbanded but soon gave up music and focused on their pawnshop. He left the Random Star when he passed away. He is the creator of the 'BanG Dream!" melody.
 * Bassist: Kanda (神田) He later acquired a livehouse in Hyogo and produced the band "The Ninja". This made Rimi, who grew up there, know the word "BanG Dream!" He had also met and heard Tae play "BanG Dream!" in the park.
 * Drummer: ??? His accidental death 30 years ago had led to the disbandment of RAZES.

BanG Dream! Songs
In the light novel, Poppin'Party had created six original songs which were later produced as their first 3 singles.
 * 1) Yes! BanG_Dream! Lyrics by Kasumi. Poppin'Party gathering song. A song from 30 years ago to the present.
 * 2) Poppin' Shuffle Lyrics by Kasumi and music by Arisa. In the novel, it was titled "Jumpin' Shuffle (じゃんぴん・しゃっふる)" by Arisa.
 * 3) STAR BEAT! ~Hoshi no Kodou~ Lyrics and music by Kasumi. Dubbed as "The Theme Song of the Timid". Kasumi fell into an artist's block and was only able to complete the melody after talking with Saaya and having her join the band.
 * 4) Natsuzora SUN! SUN! SEVEN! Lyrics by Kasumi and music by Rimi. Initially named as "Rimirin Natsu no Sansannanabyoushi (りみりん夏の三三七拍子, lit. Rimi-rin Summer's Three-Three-Seven Beats)" by Rimi.
 * 5) Teardrops Lyrics by Kasumi and music by Tae. Initially titled "Teardrops Revolution" by Tae.
 * 6) Hashiri Hajimeta Bakari no Kimi ni Lyrics and music by Saaya.