Two compilation films recapping the events of the series with some additional scenes were released in September and November 2024.

A manga adaptation written and illustrated by Yuama with story by Yotsuji Haibuchi, titled BanG Dream!

Swaying in the Rain, Looking for the Sunshine, began serialization in Bushiroad's magazine Comic Growl in December 2024.

[11][2] Given the lighter tone of previous Bang Dream installments, Ayana initially struggled with balancing this direction with the desire to not alienate fans of earlier installments, but was told by series director Koudai Kakimoto to commit fully to the heavier tone.

[11] Ayana drew on her past personal experiences with "betrayal and distrust", which provided the impetus for Tomori's emotional conflict within the series narrative.

[11][2] To prepare for writing the series, Ayana did research into real-life bands of high school girls, which informed some of the story and characters.

It is produced by Sanzigen and directed by Kōdai Kakimoto, with Yuniko Ayana writing and supervising series scripts.

[29] The series received generally positive reviews from critics, though opinion was mixed towards the decision to premiere the first three episodes all at once.

In contrast, Richard Eisenbeis expressed frustration at the first episode due to confusion about the storyline, despite getting invested in the characters, while saying that anime "may be worth watching."

Nicholas Dupree stated that although the first episode piqued his interest, that music had little presence in the opening, and he wasn't in love with the visuals.

Rebecca Silverman expressed her distaste for Anon's voice, liked how the series focused on Tomori, but was unsure about the show's visuals.

[31][32] Prior to the series release, Farris said that the anime has "its own interesting wrinkle" with a debut before they are seen in a "mobile game or other media" and wondered about their charm points, gimmicks, how they fit into the broader BanG Dream!

He argued that this is possible through following the characters, then learning their motives and natures, especially for characters like Anon, Tomori, Soyo, Saki, Rāna, and others, with all of them as "lost girls", and praised the series visuals, but noted that the series feels incomplete by the end, with an "awkwardly abrupt conclusion" and noted that some scenes can "look too washed-out or too dark.

He described the series as a "dark horse candidate," with a commitment to "gaslight-gatekeep-girl bossing", praised the expressive direction and 3D modeling, with a "prickly narrative" with girls who are disasters at one another's throats "in both the threatening and romantic senses", due to writer Yuniko Ayana knowing a hing or two about Yuri and getting weird with it."

"[34][37] Nick Creamer wrote on the Crunchyroll blog that while it may be hard for some fans to find the series, it differs from the dramedy of Love Live!, rising to become one of the "most beloved productions" of 2023, and predicted it would become beloved in 2025, noting the series' mix of "tortured personal drama, rich character arcs, and...heart-on-sleeve musical performances."

The Paper particularly praised the uses of the first-person narrative of the 3rd episode and the fixed camera angle switching in the 7th episode, citing that "at its core, it is a subjectivity born of creative intent, artfully concealed within an ethical framework defined by two distinct forms of exclusion and limitation…there are both precise calculations and the revelation of the traces of the scriptwriter's self-observation."

Xpark has contacted the Japanese side to ensure the event meets expectations and can proceed smoothly.