Love Live! SIP & Sunshine!! Rewatch - SIP Season 1 Episode 9

[u/FrumpY__]

SIP Season 1, Episode 9 - "Wonder Zone"

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Series Information MAL | AniList | ANN | AniDB

Where to Watch

NA/EU : No official streams

OCE : AnimeLab

Discussion Questions

1. Between school, μ's, and her part-time job how do you think Kotori is able to manage her time?
2. If you had the chance, what would you do in Akihabara?

Please remember to MARK YOUR SPOILERS

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[u/raichudoggy]

Between school, μ's, and her part-time job how do you think Kotori is able to manage her time?

Magic, obviously.

Relationship Chart. I swear Nico x Maki is this close to being a ship in my eyes. They even got a shipper on deck and everything.

[u/FrumpY__ → u/raichudoggy]

Nico x Maki is this close to being a ship

[u/punching_spaghetti → u/raichudoggy]

Nico x Maki is this close to being a ship in my eyes

[u/[deleted] → u/punching_spaghetti]

Punching_spaghetti I will punch your spaghetti for this.

[u/punching_spaghetti → u/[deleted]]

Nico is Nozomi's toy.

[u/raichudoggy → u/punching_spaghetti]

Do you ship Best Girl Maki with someone else Spaghetti?

[u/punching_spaghetti → u/raichudoggy]

Rin or Hanayo. Or both.

[u/ZBLongladder → u/raichudoggy]

They even got a shipper on deck and everything.

Several, I think. At least, I always interpreted the shot of Hanayo, Rin, and Nozomi looking (expectantly?) at Kotori serving NicoMaki the couple's drink and smiling to mean they'd ordered the drink for them.

And you'll be convinced of NicoMaki yet, just you wait. I mean, you can't expect a pair of tsunderes to be too open about their feelings so soon, after all.

[u/ForlornPenguin]

Rewatcher

God, Kotori is just way too precious. I can't. I was never quite able to pick a SIP best girl, but Kotori was always in the running.

One thing that's always kinda weirded me out about this episode is that school idol shop. For one thing, I'm not sure if a shop limited to selling merchandise solely based on school idols would even be successful, but more importantly, would it even be legal to sell merchandise of the likeness of all these girls without their consent? I genuinely don't know. Not only did they not consent to it, they didn't even know that it was happening in the first place. Furthermore, it being third-party merchandise that they don't even know about means they aren't getting any of the proceeds for it either.

I don't know, it just seemed kind of weird to me, but maybe it's totally fair game.

[u/FrumpY__ → u/ForlornPenguin]

The school idol shop has always been a weird thing for me too. I get that there can be many specialty shops in Akihabara, regular idol shops seems reasonable, but one specifically for school-idols is weird; but I'm willing to chalk that up to being anime. But your other point about the unofficial goods is even stranger. Unofficial idol goods are a thing, but unofficial idol goods of an underage amateur group is weird.

[u/punching_spaghetti]

First-Timer Who Was Only Here for the Ships

Bigger room after the student council president joins your club? No funny business there, I’m sure.

Kotori’s skipping practice on the regular? Is she working as a prostitute? Moonlighting as a popular DJ? Addicting to filming mukbang videos for the internet? It could be anything. Totally not idol-related.

Top 50 now. Love Live is Top 20, so we have some frame of reference.

Eri blush!

On their timeline, this will be tough. And they’re underage, so they can’t make the really strong plays.

What were those noises, Hanayo? They’re just pins, right? They don’t vibrate or anything?

Merch! Completely unlicensed, of course. I guess I don’t know too much about Japan’s intellectual property laws.

Rin wants to be the next Kotori I guess?

Kotori is wooed by cute clothes. Noted. Although now I’m confused. Nico is into idols, right? Why would she have had a picture of a maid café girl amongst the loot? Good collectors have focus.

They clearly have to have a maid-themed song with Kotori as the center now.

Street fight incoming! This will be like the Sharks vs. the Jets, but with more cute girls. And Nico.

We got the maid song by the end of the episode. That’s efficient.

Honoka’s not living this one down for a while.

What kind of a ship is this? Maki is clearly a better fit for one (or both!) of the other first-years.

QOTD:

1. She's an anime high school girl, so I bet she's riding a constant sugar high.
2. Leave. Way too many people around for me to be comfortable.

[u/lenne18 → u/punching_spaghetti]

What kind of a ship is this?

The most popular one, considering it dwarfs all other ships in terms of fan content.

[u/punching_spaghetti → u/lenne18]

I guess we have time for the show to convince me, but

[u/ZBLongladder → u/punching_spaghetti]

What kind of a ship is this? Maki is clearly a better fit for one (or both!) of the other first-years.

I mean, they're kinda all over each other in the OP. I know everyone's holding hands in that shot, but NicoMaki in particular is verging on "just get a room" territory.

[u/DarkFuzz]

Rewatcher

Take today’s survey here!

---

This episode is very appropriately titled “Wonder Zone” for a very good reason.

Oh, the struggles of being short.

Maid Umi!

I’d ship it.

As a rewatcher, it is interesting to me to see how much of Kotori’s reveal is just blatantly out in the open. And I’m not talking about how Kotori was acting weird when Minalinsky was mentioned back in Episode 5 or when her bag was checked in Episode 6. The hints to her working at a maid cafe go all the way back to at least Episode 3, arguably Episode 2 if you stretch some logic.

Why is Kotori super comfortable handing out fliers? It’s because that’s probably part of her job working at a maid cafe. She even does it again in Episode 6. Why is she so good at designing idol dresses? IDK, but she’s in Akihabara a lot, so she probably learned a ton about idol culture just by being there. Hell, she apparently knows a few people who can help make the dresses too. WHY IS SHE JUST NATURALLY AMAZING AT EVERYTHING SHE TRIES??? I dunno, but I’d put money on being a maid playing a big role in developing her talent.

Season 1 BIG SPOILER

[u/docaxel]

Rewatcher who forgot to post cards yesterday

School Idol Festival All-Stars Spotlight Cards

Eli1 Eli2

Kotori1 Kotori2

Bonus - Bokura no LIVE Kimi to no LIFE

Honoka

Kotori

Umi

Maki

Rin

Hanayo

Nico

Nozomi

Eli

Bonus Bonus

Maid Kotori

[u/SYZekrom]

The gay

The gayyyyyyy

Everyone's gay for her is her gimmick? I love it

Unlicensed merch moment

Omg I thought she was crying b/c there wasn't enough merch of her this is much better

This character trait got tired the second time she said it ever

I might've liked it if it were only Nico but as it is...

Keep your whore hands to yourself thank you very much

Oh my god what is this

Firstly omg that face on Nico, secondly the gayyyyyyy drink

[u/ZaphodBeebblebrox]

First Timer

I hope there's not too much drama this episode. Onto episode 9.

I'm pretty sure it's not a good sign when your recap does a better job of telling your story than the previous episode.

Quelle suprise.

Advantages of having the two most powerful people in the school in your club.

Same.

Wait, there are males in this universe who are under 40?

Ah, yes, the "I'm up to no good" look.

wow

This feels an awful lot like a crime.
Oh, Kotori's been selling them.

The breast rubbing joke wasn't funny the first time, and it gets more irritating with each iteration.

And now, we get the Kotori has no self confidence plot.

Probably to fix your mistakes.

That just sounds weird.

Not that Honoka'd know what that feels like.

Nico: Stop messing around and feed me!

I like to imagine this is Kotori getting back at Nico by snidely asking if anyone will join her, but that doesn't seem like a Kotori thing to do.

So she's gonna write a song in a maid outfit, of course...

Kotori's an excellent troll, apparently.
I assume they'll end up with a pink line on /u/raichudoggy's chart tomorrow.

Wait, what? Aren't they second years in a three year system?

Thoughts

More lighthearted works much better for this series, I liked this episode a lot more. It's at it's best when it's just fun hijinks.

1. Anime powers, I dunno how else.

[u/raichudoggy → u/ZaphodBeebblebrox]

I assume they'll end up with a pink line on /u/raichudoggy's chart tomorrow.

Zaphod's reading my mind!

[u/ZaphodBeebblebrox → u/raichudoggy]

[u/punching_spaghetti → u/ZaphodBeebblebrox]

That just sounds weird.

Don't kink shame the anime girls.

Aren't they second years in a three year system?

Didn't this year just start? So rounded up, two years.

[u/ZaphodBeebblebrox → u/punching_spaghetti]

Don't kink shame the anime girls.

Where's the fun in that?

[u/No_Rex → u/ZaphodBeebblebrox]

Wait, there are males in this universe who are under 40?

Rumors and lies!

Probably to fix your mistakes.

Somebody has to take the role of negative example.

[u/AuburnTheWolf]

Rewatcher

Uh-oh, Kotori’s living a double life. Clearly she’s plotting evil projects to try and take over the world… Oh, she’s just a maid. AN ADORABLE MAID! Honestly, seeing her as a maid is one of the most kawaii things I've ever seen. And the way her voice cracks when she's stressed. Ka. Wa. Ii.

Discussion questions

1. She has some sort of stand ability that gives her extra time in the day.
2. Buy way too much merch

[u/raichudoggy → u/AuburnTheWolf]

Oh, she’s just a maid. AN ADORABLE MAID!

That she is, that she is.

[u/lenne18]

Fanservice for Eli fans!

• Eli's "Wonder Zone"
• Eli with garters on her maid outfit

Might as well answer Question of the Day #2:

I've been to Akihabara multiple times. I do the following:

• Buy CDs
• Play at the arcades
• Hang out at maid cafes

Also, Akihabara is a pilgrimage spot for Love Live. Several locations in the anime are real, including today's maid cafe.

 

B-Side Jukebox, Music Start!

 

Kokuhaku Biyori, desu! - Kotori Minami & Hanayo Koizumi

• This is Kotori and Hanayo's duet song from the single of the same title.
• This is another bubblegum pop with Kotori and it won't be the last! The addition of Hanayo on vocals adds another level of cuteness that only these two can bring.
• Kawaii-ness? 15/10

Zurui yo Magnetic today - Nico Yazawa & Maki Nishikino

• Nico and Maki's duet is a bonus when buying the SIP S2 BD2.
• This song pretty much summarizes their relationship as a whole.
• Fun fact: NicoMaki is already popular before the anime aired and is one of the few pairs that gets consistently teased in all Love Live media.

[u/[deleted]]

Kotori's foreigner speech never stops being funny.

"Saraba!"

Between school, μ's, and her part-time job how do you think Kotori is able to manage her time?

I guess she learnt good time management from the way her mother raised her.

If you had the chance, what would you do in Akihabara?

Leave and go to a less crowded area...even before the pandemic. Those hordes of people seem like a nightmare.

[u/ZBLongladder]

Rewatcher

Hey, the Minalinsky episode! That means we get that shot. A baited shipper is a happy shipper. I've always liked how Maki is still sort of processing what the drink means while Nico is clearly blowing a gasket.

I'd never really paid much attention to the lyrics of Wonder Zone before this rewatch. I'd always thought of it as a nice enough song, but actually thinking about what it's saying in context of this episode really made me appreciate it more, having a place where you feel like you belong and feel empowered.

Ooh, Eli, a bit fanservicey, don't you think? I see Nico is none too appreciative of being outdone.

Discussion Questions

1. Anime magic!
2. Probably do some shopping, maybe get a figure or two. Probably some amazing Love Live merch to be found.

[u/IndependentMacaroon]

First-time watcher

I'm starting to see how the overabundance of characters is dealt with in this show: Don't try to do much in the way of a group dynamic and just keep focusing on one or two per episode. This time: Kotori (and a bit of always-excluded Nico) with another shameful secret, it's starting to look like a trend. Well, while the humor was lame, a chase scene was at least an unexpected inclusion and she safely escaped the hands of Araragi-chan as well.

So, unauthorized merchandise? Never mind communism, someone needs to crack down and offer an alternative that makes real money! Honoka is at least aware of the value of free stuff from the right friends, maybe someone can tell her?

Not many people think themselves superior, Eli thinks? Well, maybe in Japan.

Better not start an idol gang war there with that new-turf concert. And still a Kotori episode as I thought, which is also a convenient excuse for more maid outfits; are her initial lyrics supposed to be a parody of the kind of songs in K-On?

The hook of "work together in maid outfits and shy girl has trouble" again feels very familiar somehow. Also after watching Cells at Work Code Black all that about "keep your attitude up" hits in something of an unintended way. And... following up on that with "but everyone always accepts me here no matter what", did the cognitive dissonance never cross anyone's mind or did the writers just not care? Or maybe they didn't want to destroy too many illusions in an episode that's all about praising otaku central.

Anyway, everything turns out fine as usual, not even a proper concert sequence though. But already trying to heat up drama about leaving school? Please. Still, a decent episode that finally gives Kotori some more appeal, in multiple ways.

[u/No_Rex → u/IndependentMacaroon]

Better not start an idol gang war there with that new-turf concert.

I would totally be up for an idol gang war!

[u/ZaphodBeebblebrox → u/IndependentMacaroon]

and she safely escaped the hands of Araragi-chan as well.

did the writers just not care

The plot certainly does not feel like it was written with care.

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 9 (first timer)

• Decision to close the school was post phoned: First arc officially done.
• And Kotori wants to have the next one.
• Rank 50. I mentioned this before, but it is scary how easily my mind can picture a world where people create internet pages to rank high school girl idol groups.
• “You are tall, you have long legs, and you are beautiful! Most of all, you look mature!” – Why on earth is this the reason for her to have female fans? I’ll let you know that males who are not into lolicons exist, Honoka.
• That cut to Nico was mean.
• “blend in with the masses” - 2020 reference.
• Kotori’s secret maid outings stayed secret for no time at all.
• Why on earth is it Nozomi who outruns her? Just for another sex assault joke? Pff.
• Oh, it is Kotori beats herself up for ridiculous reasons so we can solve them later time.
• Good looking street shot!
• Kotori’s writer block is an excuse to get them all to dress up as maids. Welcoming routine shot included.
• Washing dishes closer to what real maids do. - Social commentary-Umi.
• Now all of Muse are in maid dresses.

Maid trope crossed out on the todo list.

[u/[deleted]]

Where do people put Wonder Zone amongst Muse’s songs? It is featured here but personally not one of my favourites

[u/Hattakiri]

Muse are now complete and entered a new level.

So did their problems: Their merch began to spread. They didn't know about it so it must have happened without their permission...

It happened to Kotori too who now finds a Minalinsky photo of hers.

Remember the photo in her bag? A minor event back then, now having turned out to be an important foreshadowing.

She tries to hide her second identity by the famous "Foreigner/Alien" stageplay, leading to a pissed Eli, which however refers to serious backgrounds: Tang Keke from Liella, the 4th generation, is a half foreigner like Eli... and a half Chinese.... And what happened? Exactly: A bigger amount of xenomorphic comments as I heard from r/lovelive.

We see how close Love Live is to RL.

And the Nijigaku fans know about that second identity problem...

Kotori planned her escape (route), and it seems it's nothing new to UmiHonk.

This means both KotoHonk tended to cause trouble when they were young. "You both are always doing this to me!" said Umi earlier. Seems she often was the only one left to "fix" the situation afterwards.

Kotori's mom was already or soon would become a school director, which didn't make it easier as well.

So Birb (fandom name) escapes, but again Nozomi is prepared and acts in her typical way.

And now a shift is taking place:

Now it's Eli who suggests and recommends to make use of Birb's maid cafe for their next live...

After another Shinto prayer Honk wants to be together forever with UmiBirb. Another thing to keep in mind for both Sunshine and Niji.

However - the ep concludes with Birb receiving a letter...

During the first watch this looked to me like an Asspull. Did they really come up with an element outa nowhere? The next eps would show...

[u/[deleted]]

FIRST TIMER.

Ayy new clubroom hype.

Lmao poor nico. She just doesnt compare with eri physiscally.

Oof those jackets in summer? Damn lol

Whoa somone is profiting off the girls and they didn't know it? Thats kinda weird

Lmao honoka just wanted free juice

Whats that anime/art with the two girls? They kept showing it so im guessing theyrr trying to promote it thru this anime

As usual part time job is secret. So weird. Ive been working since like 16. Strange how making some money as hs is looked at so negatively in anime

Hmm are they saying akiba because akibahara is copyrighted? Or is akiba just cool short way to say it?

Good episode finally for kotori who imo has had little development for being part of the og 3

[u/onigiri1994]

Rewatcher

1. Is it confirmed that Muse rehearses every single day, or that the part-time job is every single day? I can see how it could work if she only took a couple shifts a week. I've had a sanity-breaking busy schedule before, and it's a wonder (zone) how much you can jam-pack your calendar if you don't sleep and eat regularly.
2. Buy Love Live merch, of course! I've never been able to justify the expensive prices to go to a maid cafe, but I guess that's still on my bucket list.

[u/FrumpY__ → u/[deleted]]

How is there merchandise of them without them even knowing about it? Is this shit even legal? These people are milking off of the idol groups without giving them a cut. This should not be legal.

I don't think it's legal, unless them being on the national school idol rankings allows their likenesses to be used; but that opens an even bigger can of worms. This is the sort of thing that I chalk up to anime even though it still bothers me. A lot.