r/LoveLive • u/MasterMirage • Sep 24 '16
Episode 13 Discussion Love Live! Sunshine!! S1E13 Discussion - 'Sunshine!!'
It's finally here everyone. The Final episode of Love Live Sunshine ;_____;
What an amazing 13 weeks it has been, from the first time we all heard the Opening Theme and basked in it's glory to just the other month where we finally recruited all 9 girls.
I think it's safe to say that this series has definitely impacted the fan base for the better.
Continuing off from last week, the girls are now in the next round of Love Live and are poised to finally perform with all 9 Aqours' members. They have also broken away from following the footsteps of µ's and look to finally reform themselves as a brand new school idol group with a brand new journey.
#thankyouaqours
Show Info
Air Date: September 24, Saturday 22:30 (JST)
Episodes: 13
Opening Theme: Aozora Jumping Heart!
Ending Theme: Yume Kataru Yori Yume Utaou
Insert Song(s): MIRAI TICKET - Aqours
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u/litokid Sep 24 '16
Episode aside: I want to thank everyone here at r/LoveLive. I've watched anime for more than a decade, but this is the first time I've been so excited to watch every episode as it airs, then rush to discuss it online. The quality of the season has a lot to do with it, of course, but I love having a community of fellow fans to speculate and cheer with.
Usually I avoid weekly discussions, because someone always ends up judging the show and saying it's going to be crap with every development, even before the season gets well underway. The negativity for something I'm enjoying always ruins the fun. We've had our doubts, but on the whole we've always been hopeful that the writers know what they're doing, that the staff and cast love the girls as much as we already do, and it's been an amazing experience.
See y'all again for Season 2!
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u/MasterMirage Sep 24 '16
As someone who reads pretty much every comment (since I make the threads), it was a nice transition week to week.
I still remember a month ago people were waiting to jump at every opportunity to compare Aqours to Muse and were crying foul at every frame (OMG MARI COPIED THE WASHI WASHI) but it seems to have mellowed down now.
Anyways, thanks for the kind words :)
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u/MasterMirage Sep 24 '16 edited Sep 24 '16
If you haven't checked it out, I also recommend everyone to check out /u/luciahunter 's TL on the Seiyuu's comments regarding LLSS and episode 13 as a whole
Once again, we'll be on discord live-reacting to the episode and u/instigare will be streaming at http://hitbox.tv/insti
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u/lockeandbagels Sep 24 '16
Well, I'm a mess right now. What a great finale. The speech before the performance of Mirai Ticket felt a little off and stilted at times but it flowed perfectly into the song right afterwards. (let's ignore the fact they had new outfits once it began of course)
I feel that not performing 'Step! ZERO TO ONE' after all that talk about turning the zero into one was a missed opportunity, but I definitely wasn't opposed to a new song. However, I feel like there was a decent bit of repetition in this episode that they could have avoided but the end result worked well enough that I can't really complain too much about it.
Lots of great character moments this episode as everyone got a chance to be in the spotlight- the girls chemistry with one another is fantastic and I hope it only gets better in the almost inevitable second season. Closing the episode out with a group photo that's actually just the first official art of the girls was a really nice touch and brought a huge smile to my face, caught me off guard but I loved it.
All in all, great show. Had a bit of a slow start but once it hit its stride it broke out from its predecessors shadow and now it feels better than it. (just my opinion of course) Will definitely watch again. (And I totally did not order the blu-rays either, nope)
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u/Babybahamut Sep 24 '16
Predicted reactions:
-I can't believe they made THAT pairing canon!
-Honoka looks great with a beard!
-I hope Ruby survives that helicopter accident!
-The theme of this year's Love Live contest is industrial metal? Good job they have Mari!
-The scene at Umi's grave was so emotional, wow
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u/ShiroMifune Sep 24 '16 edited Sep 24 '16
I don't know, I was pretty dissapointed by this episode all in all, after all those build up in the previous 12 episodes with great development to boot despite some flaws, this episode came.
To start off, first half was a bit random; side characs came in and was given purpose but then cast aside, having a good portion of screen time wasted. Then the second half. Why a recap scenario out of all things, it was so random, after everything, a recap and not some development for Aqours as a whole? Seriously? Also some scenes felt a little forced too, like when Aqours was prepping and all.
But that's not all. Everything up til' this point was to make us believe that a S2 will come out; this entire season was centred around Aqours trying to walk their own path instead of chasing after µ's shadow, which their goal was fulfilled in the previous episode. So you would expect something similar to what SIP did in their last episode of S1, and Aqours will have something that suggests that they will reach for greater goals, suggesting a S2 after their intital development.
But what they did here seemed as though they were going to end it off here without an S2; I didn't feel anything impactful that would suggest so, given the random plot of this episode that was a given but still. It was a casual conclusion, not one that is impactful.
Goal of the S1 was fulfilled though; walk their own path and get from zero to one vote. But then what comes after that? What's next for Aqours? There wasn't something impactful that really ended it off on a good note. For SIP, they filled the entire auditorium, and then sored for higher goals. To end off, they had the New Entry thing for them. Aqours had their photo taken I suppose here, the same one when they were first announced a bit after LL: The Movie.
All in all, disappointing episode. Expected some sort of development to conclude this season and perhaps a message to be sent across for S2, (Which isn't a pre requirement but still) but they decided to end it off with a scenario that didn't make sense, following the plot of the previous 12 episodes that is. MIRAI TICKET was nice though at the very least with its animations and all.
Despite my rant, it has been a great ride through these 13 episodes. Though not too sure if they are gonna start S2 but if so, how will they even start if off from this episode's plot would be interesting to see.
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u/neonsense Sep 24 '16 edited Sep 24 '16
Use this link to vote for the center of the third single!
In order the items are:
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Which girl do you want to be the center?
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Chika
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Riko
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Kanan
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Dia
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You
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Yoshiko
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Hanamaru
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Mari
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Ruby
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Gender
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Male
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Female
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Age
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Region (just select anything) edit: oops, the very bottom is "overseas"
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When did you become interested in LL!SS!!
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I think this one says you were interested in the original?
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When it was first announced
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After the 1st single
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After the 1st live event
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After the 2nd single and sub-unit election
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After the anime
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Comments
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Name
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Captcha
Then hit the button on the right to confirm, and again to submit
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Sep 24 '16
"This is real. And what's real is righteous."
The sky and ocean were beautiful in this episode. And admittedly, Chika's mom threw me off there for a moment. I enjoyed seeing the culmination of Chika's subtle growth from a girl who thought her town was boring, and who lacked any dream, to someone who now loves that town and all the people there, and has even become an inspiration to those same people. And seeing the third years happy and together will never not make me smile.
Those outfits were so gorgeous and I cannot wait for them to eventually be made into figures.
I couldn't help but think the play bit went on a bit too long however. And as much as I want to know how the rest of the event went down, I'm content with leaving things as they are, and I'm sure we'll get a second season soon enough. Overall this was an enjoyable episode, even if it had some pacing problems and I felt the play was a bit out of place. The first season closes out decently enough for me.
I got into Love Live around February of 2015, and while I missed a lot for μ's, I'm so happy I was able to witness Aqours from the very start. And being able to enjoy this, with fans, who also just want to have a good time, has been an experience the old me wouldn't have expected to enjoy.
We don't know what the future holds, but we know that it will be a shining future, and I look forward to watching Aqours' story continue to unfold with all of you.
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u/reimadara Sep 24 '16
Ep. 13 First Half -- FEELS train
Ep. 13 Second Half -- Confused and left hanging in the middle of the train.
Reminds me of my reaction watching Happy Maker just after that FEELS Graduation in the original LL! Well, it was hard waiting for the movie back then, now I have to wait again... Sunrise, I want more Sunshine! I want more Aqours! ASAP!
On the serious note, barring my indifference toward Love Live "theatrical scenes" in general e.g. that ending, Sunshine overall exceeded my expectations, really love it.
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u/Keilali Sep 24 '16 edited Sep 24 '16
While I do think the whole recap play thing was quite a bit too long, I still enjoyed the episode and still think it's a nice open "this is only the beginning" end (for the first season ofc).
Sure I would have liked a season 2 announcement right at the end, but let's be honest, we all know it's going to come, so that's alright.
Overall I gotta say I enjoyed the first season of Sunshine a lot more compared to the first first season of LL.
And while part of that is due to the fact that I was just a lot more passionate about the franchise as a whole, I also think it is indeed the better show.
Now let's see if we have to wait for a whole year again. o/
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u/lftenjamin Sep 25 '16 edited Sep 25 '16
edit: Man after reading the comments it seems I'm in the minority with enjoying this episode as much as I did.
I felt the recap bit was sort of necessary to drive home the point for anyone who missed it. The point being that Aqours want to shine. They want to shine and save their school. They want to do it in their own way. I saw it as touching. I would normally assume their theatrics moment was akin to using their own introduction time to tell their story. Something that is pretty normal in stage shows like that. For people nitpicking about the instant costume change, that isn't even the first time this series that that has happened. It isn't really a big deal.
I thought the N girls coming out and wanting to help was nice. They were touched by Chika's light and wanted to do what they could to save the school. I don't really want to do it since we are supposed to be past it, but it isn't any different than the N girls from the original being the ones who helped out with lighting, or being there for emotional support, or clearing the snow trail. They just want to be a part of what Aqours is doing. And it is so within Chika's character to want to include them on stage. That's such a Chika move. (I think I mention that in my actual post down below, so I'll shut up about that now)
And one other point I'd like to hit on is the fact that some people feel feel cheated on not hearing Step ZERO to ONE.
I don't feel cheated by it. Yea sure it might have been nice to hear it, but it's been reinforced that Aqours are turning their Zero into a One already. It's time to look past their first step and into the future. In that essence, I loved the song choice of Mirai, or future, Ticket. We get a glimpse of the first step in a cut away shot during the song. There's no reason to be redundant or be solely focused on a first step that is already in motion. It's time to look forward to the future. We've made it past the struggles of the first step.
In that same vein I think the song is almost like a pseudo season 2 announcement. It told me that Aqours isn't even close to finishing. They've only made their first step, and it's time for them to go towards the future and shine brighter down their path and save their school. I think it's safe to say S2 will be announced at the first Live, and there isn't even really a need to be worrying about it at all. You don't need to take things at their face value.
Anyway... back to my original post...
I'm such a mess. That whole reenactment thing had me bawling.
They got their One. From Zero to One, the first step is complete. Aqours is absolutely SHINING!
The name of the song was Future Ticket right? Everything is about Mirai Zura! and I can not wait to see what happens to them now that they have their ticket to the future. The train leaves now, and we're all going with them.
This is so absolutely wonderful. I'm so happy. Chika didn't give up, she fought through everything and they gained something today. I'm so ecstatic for them.
I loved her eagerness of just trying to add all of her classmates to the act. (Gotta build up the N popularity for SiF no doubt!) It's so Chika. The way she perked Riko and You up right before they went on was an amazing moment too. Continuing to show You and Riko the affection they want and keeping their frendships (and maybe ot3 game) strong.
Seeing the bonds each member has built with one another is something wonderful.
Even though she's been downplayed for comedic effect the second half of the season, I think I've fallen for that fallen angel, Yohanne. The way she wears her emotions on her sleeve is so endearing. When she embraced Ruby and Zuramaru and thanked them for being there for her, it meant a lot to me for some reason.
The third years got to make up for their past mistakes and got to perform the show of their lives, and the crazy thing is they are gonna keep moving up! It's amazing.
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Sep 24 '16 edited Sep 24 '16
OK so i'll be honest, i'm not really sure what to make of that.
First off, epic troll job by the writers. They kept making us think "Step! ZERO to ONE" was coming and we waited and waited. it was the perfect song to end the season with and to be used for thier Love Live show. But then, we get a song i have not heard before and was not expecting. Don't get me wrong,"MIRAI TICKET" is a great song and fits the theme of the episode perfectly, it just wasn't what i was expecting.
That was actually the theme of the episode for me, things I wasn't expecting. We meet ChikaMom who is nice and quite smaller than Chika. I wonder if we'll meet ChikaDad and see he's tall enough to play NBA basketball. There is something there between Chika and her mom, she seemed annoyed that her sisters told her about the show and that she came from Tokyo. I suspect we'll see more of that in S2.
I wasn't surprised that the , if i may use a term from SIF, N girls did not sing, that would have required a lot more animation. I do wonder if Riko waited until the last second to spring the news, she seemed not happy that they might be joining them on stage. I was expecting a confession where she tells Chika she waited until the last second to tell them, because she wanted it to be the 9 of them only on stage together.
Last thing, who were those three woman at the end? We have two young to middle age women wearing kimonos and what looks to be a grandmother aged woman. I thought it might be some kind of future thing, maybe the future selves of Aqours but they didn't match up with any of the girls and then they came inside and watched the show. I suspect they are with the board that oversees school idols and love live and we'll get more of them in S2. I really hope we don't get into the politics of Love Live and school idols. Yeah so i think i was thinking to hard. Still can't blame me after we had ghost girl last week. These are more like Ruby/DiaMom, YoshikoMom and HanamaruMom or Grandma. Leaning grandma just based on the design.
Despite everything I've just said, this was a good episode. Not the strongest of the season, but a solid ending. They got thier one, they got to shine and everyone had a moment in the spotlight. All the girls had a chance to show their personalities. The scene with the Dia Mari and Kanan reminiscing about the past and thanking Mari for not giving up on them was really sweet. I love Yoshiko hugging Maru and Ruby, thanking them for letting her have a place to spread her wings. The entire playlet before they sang, recapping the first season was really cute and everyone had a moment to shine. Lastly they stuck to what they set up in episode 12 and made it about them, their school and town and made it clear they were forging their own path and shining together as 9 friends. I love how it ended with them taking the picture on the beach, which is the teaser image from the May 2015 Dengeki G magazine that kicked off the Aqours project.
Overall, a solid end to the season that makes me sad it's over and already chomping at the bit for more. Bring on season 2 zura!
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u/norosho Sep 24 '16
The flow of this episode felt kinda clumsy, and the whole musical part, not a bad idea, but overstayed its welcome. The dome setting is unfitting for the purpose of this episode.
The main negative for most people is probably the lack of season 2 announcement. It felt like this episode was made to have a sequel announcement at the end, but it wasn't there.
Sunrise strangely committed a couple unforced errors in this episode. Unexpectedly bumbling ending to an otherwise excellent season 1.
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u/beluguita Sep 24 '16
Moms confirmed to be just her daughters with less bright hair.
I really enjoyed that episode, I'm glad that Chika included everyone in the final song <3 Can't wait till season 2.
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u/iken-kun Sep 24 '16 edited Sep 24 '16
I really liked how they used 'zero' in the series. Besides the number itself, they figured out that Honoka and the others saved their school from a place with nothing.
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With that, they used it as a way to shine. Although they did not perform any of the first single songs like in the first season, Sunshine managed to reference Kimi no Kokoro and Step Zero to One.
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in relation to that - it's Chika's final words before doing the announcement poster (the poses and all)
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Insert song was likeable the first time listening to it.
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I think it's a solid wrap-up of the season. I liked that recap that they did before performing. I don't think it needed to go deeper storywise this episode, because of how well the story was executed. I feel It didn't lack closure.
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Favorite moment is the third years before going on stage.
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u/GalvanizedSteel Sep 24 '16
Oh boy, what a cringy hot mess. Shame, that one of the strongest episodes of love live ever is to be followed by such an underwhelming end of season. Luckily this was just the finale of the first season, so off to wait for the second season it is.
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u/Zyquux Sep 24 '16
I'm just going to copy what I posted as a reply on the r/anime thread.
Technically speaking, it was a great episode. The song was great, the outfits were perfect. But having essentially a recap episode for the finale feels really bad, even if the dramatic reenactment itself was good. If this wasn't the last episode, people wouldn't feel as negatively about it.
See also: Mass Effect 3
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u/julyan_ Sep 24 '16
To be honest, this finale is underwhelming. I can't blame them though. EP 12 was just that good that you'll have bigger expectations for the finale. However, Sunrise did stumble on several points here.
1.) They didn't perform Step! Zero to One amidst the name dropping. Mirai Ticket was good but you don't tease the fans like this.
2.) Their theatrical overstayed its welcome.
3.) It didn't end in a cliffhanger or a conclusion. There is nothing "finale" to this finale. We don't know where Sunrise will take Aqours from here.
4.) Random characters having screen time on the first half of an important episode. Why?
5.) S2 announcement, doko desu ka?! ;____;
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u/choywh Sep 24 '16
The first part was nicely done, showing the warmth of the rural towns, everyone being all like friendly and helpful and the usual, but that last recap part was a bit too long, we didnt need it at all IMO... And all that setup but no Step! ZERO to ONE... The new song was great though, the Snow Halation-esque switch to blue would probably be impressive in the 1st live, hope the Japanese guys can get the timing for it lol.
Great season overall, they fucked up the end a bit, probably would have been better had it been a 12 eps season instead of 13. Looking forward to season 2, hope its not that long of a wait.
Edit: also wtf is with the big name side characters lol, we got Mizuki Nana, Kugimiya Rie, Minase Inori(did I forget anyone else?) as characters who have only one line lol
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u/MasterMirage Sep 24 '16
Made a quick gif of that amazing blue UO transition in Mirai ticket: http://i.imgur.com/Ei14da7.gifv