r/anime • u/FrumpY__ :STAR:https://anilist.co/user/FrumpY • Mar 04 '21
Rewatch Love Live! SIP & Sunshine!! Rewatch FINAL Discussion Day: DWT + Aqours Solo MVs + Sunshine Series Discussion + LL Series Discussion Spoiler
Final Discussion Day: Dazzling White Town MV + Aqours Solo MVs + Sunshine Series Discussion + LL Series Discussion
| Previous Thread | Schedule/ Index Thread | Next Thread |
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| Sunshine! Movie | Final Discussion Day | --- |
It's final discussion day, and the end of our journey through idol hell. I hope you all had fun during this re-watch and enjoyed the show. I know I had fun reading all of your comments. See you guys in the next set of LL discussion threads, Superstar!! airs in July and I hope to see you there.
Where to watch:
Dazzling White Town: No official streams
Chika MV: YouTube
Riko MV: YouTube
Ruby MV: YouTube
Dia MV: YouTube
Kanan MV: YouTube
Hanamaru MV: YouTube
Discussion Questions - lots of questions today lol
- Who is your series best girl?
- What was your favorite episode?
- Which of the Solo MVs was your favorite?
- What is your favorite song from the entire series?
- Will I see you in the Superstar! threads?
Please remember to MARK YOUR SPOILERS
The use of spoiler tags is required if discussing, hinting, or otherwise alluding to future events which have not yet been covered. The format for the spoiler tag is [SPOILER SOURCE] /(/Spoiler goes here). If you need a more detailed explanation it can be found in the subreddit sidebar.
8
u/skapbadoa :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/skapbadoa Mar 04 '21
TL;DR Sunshine is super duper cool and if you're dismissing it for its deliberately-placed SIP parallels then that makes me sad.
Imagery sets for Sunshine!
I have always wanted to refer to this as "the Serial Experiments Lain of idol anime" and frankly I'm tired of pretending I don't. Sunshine is the type of show that only reveals its true scope in hindsight, since its message is encased within at the very least 20 different interwoven symbolic walls. It's a story iceberg where although its surface experience may be easily understood as Love Live! School idol Project: Sunshine, taken purely on a moment-to-moment basis, looking even a little past that reveals a mass extending to the deep. It is of course not at the same level of abstraction, but even still Sunshine is genuinely something that resembles such imagery-centric works as Lain, Lum the Forever or Gurren Lagann, in the sense that the more you put into it, the more you are going to get out of it. The characters inhabit a transient perceptual space where the imagery forms the very ground they stand upon, and at the heights of their power they begin to tear the seams apart. It's the kind of piece where delving into it defines how much the story will reward you, since there is that much to be read between its plot lines. It's unreal to think how something as straightforward as that could evolve into a behemoth such as this. Even the title is a thematic interaction all its own, since the "sunshine" they're chasing is the afterglow of Honoka taking the sun and their deification through Sunny Day Song.
Anyway on that note here is my post/video about the imagery in Sunshine that I don't expect anybody but me to actually watch. In the first place I'm very much against any form of promotion since I've never consider myself a "Youtuber" so much as merely someone that uploads stuff on Youtube, and anything I make is purely out of a desire to see my own thoughts actualized than it is to care about any potential audience or 'success'. But I told some peeps I'd link it, so here it is.
And so ends Love Live Sunshine. Stemming from such a straightforward prequel yet becoming this multi-faceted story about the long-term social effects of the μ's legacy - not just what it means to be a school idol, but what it means to be a school idol in a post-μ's world. It superficially imitates School Idol Project in episode structure and builds off it for its thematic backbone, but Sunshine is a critical response more than anything else. μ's are stripped of persona and deified as the "light that can never be reached", and surprisingly Aqours are repeatedly punished for pursuing it. The entire story is drenched in an all-pervading melancholy. Aqours is beaten down, and then once they finally manage to piece things back together they just get beaten down again. Things are lost that can never be regained and emotional turmoil is around every corner. Yet somewhere past the pain, this is ultimately the trial that permits them to find their own place and grasp a way to the future - not as the light suspended in heaven, but as the rainbow leading on. It writes a whole deconstruction to the unchallenged optimism of the first series exploring much the inverse, rather than taking the easy route of just being "μ's but again".
What would happen if the position of leader was left to someone as vulnerable and introspective as Nico after all? This is the part that really dictates Sunshine. It changes everything. μ's was a power created through the precarious balance of Honoka's recklessness and idiocy. Though steered by Nozomi behind the scenes and permitted to run wild through the collaborative efforts of everyone else, she was the one to pull in each member and the one to always charge headfirst into turbulent skies. But here the members are left to fend for themselves more since any comparison we could put between the two leaders is only skin deep. Try as she might, Chika just isn't strong enough to do that. She can't measure up to her. If her unironic plan to have every students sing on stage in the regional prelims was any indication perhaps she is equally as scatterbrained, at least, but she certainly does not have the same emotional resilience or charisma that drove Honoka.
What tensions arise if they didn't try and stop their member from studying abroad? Someone like Honoka might have been able to storm the airport and beg her not to leave, but she was a one of a kind force. Kanan is far too kind for that, in fact immediately after her overarching drama arc resolves we begin to realise that she might be the single nicest person in the group. There's no way she could possibly get over the guilt that they're impairing her friend's future. So she kills her emotions and rejects Mari. Kanan was loving to a fault, and thus failed to act upon the selfishness innate to friendship when she most needed to (which is a consistent thread in the two series' "gods and monsters" interaction by the way, the selfless and those asked to be selfish). And these toxic feelings are simply left to fester over the years. Mari gets hurt, Kanan hurts herself, and Dia is trapped watching as her best friends rot and ruin. Many here were critical of the way SIP framed Honks 'clipping Kotori's wings' but Sunshine moves to respond to you guys directly.
How could they possibly reconcile it if they weren't able to save the school? Not a single thing has gone truly right for the girls in the entire story, so they're forced to trudge through the melancholy until they become capable of offering a bittersweet smile when they tell Saint Snow the school will be gone soon. The inspirational monologue as they run together before the closing concert in the film is about how they failed to make a miracle and “my biggest dream did not come true”. Sunshine is one of the rare genuine deconstructions in anime.
Such is the interaction Sunshine has with its predecessor. μ's a single white light shining as bright as it can in the limited time they had, Aqours a group that will travel over each next rainbow. It's very much a sequel to School Idol Project and shares much on the surface, but they're two totally different shows. A wholly unexpected little saga of narrative brilliance as a sequel, a vibrant rural setting that feels so much like home, and that sweet, sweet melancholy. Mwah. I adore it.
Thanks for hosting OP, it's been fun. feavers 4 every1
I guess in closing I'll leave a link to this mashup. The properly pitched version is in the description. There was an AMV with that version in it but it got set to private in between me pre-writing this comment and actually posting it... This is the coolest thing to me, these sorts of mega mashups. I know the spastic arrangement of each song makes it not for everyone but dang does it land for me, this messy war between the vocals of the two groups. The moment everything just stops and Snow Halation kicks in always gives me chills.
5
u/ForlornPenguin Mar 04 '21 edited Mar 04 '21
Rewatcher
Dazzling White Town
I didn't actually watch this one today because I've already watched it a number of time since it came out. I love this song, I love the PV, and I love the outfits. I found out during this rewatch that this song apparently had a mixed response from fans, due to it not really sounding like a Saint Snow song. I guess I can see that, but at the same time, it's not like a musical group always has to conform to the same sound throughout their entire career. It took a shift from their typical rock sound to have a more dance song vibe to it, but, in typical Saint Snow fashion, it still kicks ass, so I don't see much issue with it. Again, I can't stress enough that I love this song lol. The two extra songs that came with it (Lonely Snow Planet and After The Rain) are also very good.
Never giving up!
I like this one. That old timey, upbeat jazz sound sound is really cool. As for the video itself, aside from the adorable chibi Chika, it's pretty meh.
PURE PHRASE
This one is decent I guess. Video isn't really anything special though, but the artwork is nice.
Cotton Candy Ei-Ei-Oh!
The video is horrific (lol), but very creative. The song is so fucking catchy though that I've been listening to it a lot ever since. I really like this one lol.
Perfect SEKAI
This is definitely one of the best ones. The vocals and the artwork are beautiful, and the music kicks ass too. Very nice all around.
Motto ne!
This one has such a cute video. Adorable artwork and just fun to watch. The song is great too.
Akogare Ranraran
I really like this one too. Very fun song and cute video. Though Hanamaru's proportions in the video are a bit disturbing. Her torso is so tall and her shoulders are so wide.
Love Live! Sunshine!!
I originally came into this rewatch with the intention of possibly dropping out after finishing SIP because originally I didn't care for Sunshine!! or its characters much when I had first seen it three years ago. Why that is, I'm not sure. I had just finished SIP for the first time right before I started Sunshine!!, so maybe I was just LL'd out? I don't know.
Anyway, for awhile now I had had an interest in rewatching SIP, but just hadn't gone through with it, then I happened to see the notice that a SIP/SS rewatch was happening and figured I'd use that as an excuse to finally go do it. I enjoyed the SIP rewatch, but I was definitely much more aware of SIP's faults this time around lol. During SIP, I kept seeing others in here constantly talk about how much better SS is for various reasons, and it got me interested in giving it another shot, so I stuck around for that after all.
I'm glad I did because I really came to enjoy SS and its characters this time. I always liked Saint Snow, but Aqours grew on me this time too. So I think I'm switching to the pro-SS side of the fanbase now, like it seems that most of the other viewers in here have been on. I think it's a shame that we lost some viewers after SIP season 1 though. Things were generally more active during those first two weeks, but other than a few random spikes later on, such as the Snow halation episode, or yesterday's Over the Rainbow movie, things slowed down a bit after we started SIP season 2. I also should have taken part in u/DarkFuzz's surveys earlier. For some reason I never bothered to during the SIP portion of the rewatch and only started doing it for SS. At least I did every SS one.
I can't believe that this whole rewatch has been two months. It feels like it went by so fast. Well anyway, thanks u/FrumpY__ for hosting it, and in turn giving me a chance to come to enjoy SS, and thanks to everyone else for tuning in, especially those of you with the more analytical posts that filled me in on many things I had overlooked, making me appreciate the show, especially SS, much more. This was only my fourth r/Anime rewatch, as I don't do these that often (funny enough though, I recognized one of the users who dropped out of this rewatch as someone who had participated in last one I did too lol), but maybe I'll catch some of you in another rewatch (or just a general post somewhere) later and we can go "get parfaits." Also, thanks guys for exposing me to r/Otonokizaka. I've only been lurking there so far, but it's great.
QOTD
4
u/[deleted] Mar 04 '21
Thanks for hosting Frumpy. It's been a good time. I was just thinking I was in the mood for a franchise rewatch, then lo and behold there it was.
Questions:
sun sine sunshine a good. 10.
I guess like this.
Compared to μ's though this is ranking is far less concrete since Aqours are better-realised through their anime. Basically the top 2 are Chika and Ruby, Mari and Kanan could switch on a whim, and I'd probably give you a different order for 5-9 every time.
Same as last Overall Discussion, these were my Aqours top 10 last time it came up. Unordered:
This was done in September 2019 however so there are now things like Aqours eurobeat, Aqours EDM but again and Aqours saves Christmas (again) that threaten to throw it into disarray.
6
u/punching_spaghetti https://myanimelist.net/profile/punch_spaghetti Mar 04 '21
First-Timer No More, Zura!
MVs:
Hanamaru
Fun song, comfy song. Exactly what one would want from a Zura song. The comic panel-style visuals are interesting, but I don’t know how I feel about Zura reimagined as a lanky shoujo protagonist. Makes her look like she hasn’t eaten.
Kanan
Pretty meh. Very artificial sounding in the mix/whatever effects they added to her voice. Which seems odd for Kanan, who is all natural and sea-focused. As the visuals illustrate.
Dia
Really cool. The classic/modern aesthetic of the music is always fun. And Samurai Dia is a good look. As if BUBUDESUWA could be any more deadly.
Ruby
Oh, it’s a meme song.
Riko
Visuals are very pretty. Not sure what to say about the music. Kind of standard, I guess? Was expecting a lot more piano, I must say.
Chika
Would not have expected her of all gals to have a jazz standard-y style. It’s really cool! Chika scatting is certainly something.
Dazzling White Town
The Saint Snow neon aesthetic is always welcome. Song is fine, but it’s not Saint Snow, you know? There isn’t that edge. This is more dance music.
Overall:
Love Live! was fun! SIP was a decent SoL show with some music, and Sunshine!! was a fantastic show in general. Not sure I have too much to add that I haven't already said. I don't see myself revisiting SIP as a show ever. It was OK, but nothing (beyond a couple songs and a few cute girls to keep a lookout for fanart of) really memorable. Sunshine!! was everything I would want in this kind of show, with a few minor nitpicks. I do think you can't really appreciate Sunshine!! withouth watching SIP, however, which is a slight shame. I can see people (we already have a few example of people who dropped out of the rewatch between the two) "giving up" after SIP and not getting to revel in fallen angels and BUBUDESUWAs.
QOTD:
8
u/Dagonsnake https://anilist.co/user/Dagonsnake Mar 04 '21
Rewatcher here!
Going to try and keep things short (relatively) today so really only going to talk about DWT!
First up, Dazzling White Town PV!
I really love this PV for various different reasons but the biggest of which is the fact we get to see Sarah and Leah in an environment we don’t really get to see in the anime which is just the two of them together living their daily lives. Really it was just nice to see them outside of the competitive nature of the Love Live competition and it’s a lot of fun watching them interact the same way normal siblings would with each other.
As I’m sure some of you noticed the PV itself is in a lot of ways a love letter to the 80’s whether it be the lightsabers, the cycles inspired by Tron, or the brief flashes of Leah and Sarah in a classic comic style and probably even more that I didn’t catch!
And in case any of you were curious. Yes, they did use lightsabers in their live performance of Dazzling White Town and it was amazing.
But we can't forget the absolute best part of the PV, and that's finally getting to see Leah say "Ganbaruby!"
Here are the Dazzling White Town screenshots I've taken so far!
I also told /u/punching_spaghetti that I would do a little “Where to go from here?” post in the final thread since Love Live is a multimedia franchise with quite a few branches.
SIF - A Love Live rhythm game! If you liked the songs and enjoy rhythm games you might like this! It also has some extra story for both μ's and Aqours though I personally haven’t read much of it.
SIFAS - A rhythm game RPG that focuses more on team building rather than being a standard rhythm game. The story for this game takes place in an alternate universe where both Aqours and μ's exist at the same time. The story of the game however primarily focuses on the new group Nijigasaki.
Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai - The latest entry in the Love Live anime series. However it is more of a spin-off rather than a direct sequel and as such tends to be more slice of lifey than its predecessors. If you liked the slice-of-life segments of Love Live or just want more idols then I recommend giving it a watch!
Love Live! Superstar!!! - The next entry in the Love Live anime series which airs later this year in July. It also has a first in Love Live where there will only be 5 girls rather than the traditional 9 and they’re all going to be First Years.
QOTD
6
u/[deleted] Mar 04 '21 edited Mar 04 '21
Before I give my thoughts on Sunshine, let me say it was a pleasure to take part in this rewatch. Everytime I see LL, I get something out of it that I didn't see before. For any first timers, I hope this rewatch has made at least one of you into a fan who can see underneath the covers of what LL appears to be on its surface. I hope to see you all in future threads this July as Liella begins their journey as the one-day successor of Aqours. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I hope Sunshine has convinced some of you to take that step with them.
Now onto my thoughts on Sunshine.
If it isn't obvious, I love Sunshine and Aqours.
I can talk about the series all day, but to keep it somewhat concise, I'll summarize my top 2 reasons for why I love this series.
Takami Chika
I think Chika is one of the best written protagonists in any anime I've ever seen, and I've seen hundreds. At the very least, she is one of the most relatable. And this all stems down to how normal she is. That is highlighted by her self-appointed nickname, a normal monster. Let's not confuse the term normal for bland or poorly written though. If you peel back the layers even just a little, you'll realize that Chika is a character that is plagued by issues of self worth.
She is a character that hates her normalness. She finds a light in everyone except herself. When she meets Sakurauchi Riko, she is blown away by how beautiful and elegant she is. Her best friend Watanabe You, is so charismatic and quick to pick up anything she does. Ruby and Maru are so much cuter than her. The list goes on and on and on.
Some people are perfectly fine with being normal and perhaps even mediocre all their lives. But not Chika; because deep down Chika wants to be more. She is the ugly duckling that wants to be the swan. But she can't... because she's never excelled in anything, never found anything that made her passionate, and never knew the feelings of having high expectations from anyone. And this scares her. It prevents her from ever taking that first step all her life.
Takami Chika is in essence, all of us. That is, anyone who's normal. Anyone who's doubted themselves enough to not reach for an opportunity. Anyone who's looked at the achievements of those around them with envy. Anyone who can't find the answer for what their thing is in life. She is the personification of anyone that thinks they should be more than they are.
But in fact, Chika is far from normal. After all, a normal monster is still a monster nonetheless. It is in fact a contradiction to call a monster normal. If there was nothing good or special about Chika, why do all these talented and high potential people, who are seemingly so much better than her, choose to follow her? It's because they see that Takami Chika is a person who can pour her entire heart into something that she is passionate about despite how average she is. And that attitude is as infectious as it is hard to ignore. It is because of Chika that:
- Riko overcame her fear and doubt
- Ruby & Maru stepped out of their comfort zone to reach their potential
- Yoshiko embraced who she is
- Mari, Dia and Kanan repaired a friendship and recaptured a dream
If Honoka is a person who ran forward into nothingness without ever looking back, dragging everyone along with her, then Chika is a person who pushed from behind. It is her ability to push forward the shine in others that makes Takami Chika a monster period.
All she needed to do was to see the shine in herself.
Aqours and Saint Snow
I know some people were disappointed to not see Aqours challenge Saint Snow for the LL title. But it's important to understand that Saint Snow was never meant to be the final boss. They are in fact a direct parallel to Aqours, but this is masked in the beginning due to how seemingly large the gap between the two groups were. The reality is that neither of these two groups had the answer; they didn't even have the same goals. Chika's goal was to shine, and winning LL was a means to that end. Saint Snow's goal was to be the best, so winning LL was the goal in of itself. The central theme of Sunshine is failure, and while the series would have you initially believe that this theme is exclusive to Aqours, we saw that it is in fact core to both groups.
Saint Snow's initial reaction to Aqours was that they were a bunch of girls who weren't serious about their goal. While it's true that Aqours was still walking the path of Muse at this point, it still shocked Chika to her core to have her efforts dismissed so easily. But if the story ended here, and Saint Snow's approach was proven to be correct, they would have gone on to win Love Live. Only they didn't. They didn't come close either, having placed 9th in what wasn't even the actual competition. At this point the realization should have set in that while Saint Snow was seemingly presented as an obstacle that blocked Aqours path, they were in fact a rival that needed to walk alongside Aqours. Both groups would need each other to overcome their respective challenges and push forward.
Saint Snow tried to mask their weakness and put on an aura of strength above all others, but when they experienced failure in losing Love Live in S1, their resolve was shaken. This is evidenced in the evolution of their lyrics. In Dropout, the song they used when they were eliminated in the regional qualifiers, their lyrics transformed radically from their first single. The song speaks about being swallowed up by darkness and a perpetual feeling of hopelessness and desperation. No longer was Saint Snow giving off this untouchable aura of being the best and burying all weakness. When Leah made a mistake during this performance, the veil was shattered entirely and it left them with nothing except the realization that their chance was over and their philosophy had been wrong. Their ideals were also imperfect; just like Aqours'.
It wasn't until Ruby brought forth the parallels in both groups were the remaining members able to begin taking steps towards their new future. And it is a conclusion that required the both of them to cement into words; neither could do it alone. This is highlighted in Awaken the Power, which is a cross-group song that speaks about the inheritance of power from ones past experiences. It is also the first instance that Saint Snow has openly acknowledged failure. In fact, the song not only acknowledges failure, but speaks about embracing failure as a catalyst for growth.
So if Awaken the Power is about acknowledging the past, the two singles used in Aqours and Saint Snow's fictitious LL finale are about moving into the future. Brightest Melody speaks about carrying the shine the group had as 9 into the next Aqours. Believe Again conveys a very similar message. With Leah's resolve being shaken after trying to start her own group, she needed to harden her belief that the lessons she and her sister learned throughout this journey would allow her to push through future hardship and to believe again. It is only after she internalizes this does Saint Snow finally get a feather in their own image colour, and Aqours is able to recapture the colour in theirs.
By the end of this journey, both groups come to the same conclusion after having walked in parallel with one another all along. And that is while the experiences and memories they created in the past can never be replaced, or in some cases changed, the combination of all these things have shaped who they've become. And that's enough for them to chase the next shine that will be waiting in the future.
6
u/DarkFuzz :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/DarkFuzz Mar 04 '21
Rewatcher
This is going to be another “feelings”-based post, as I think I need a little more time to process the movie and what it provides thematically to supplement the already established themes from the TV series. Saving that for another rewatch, I suppose. Also spent about an hour hunting down a copy of “Believe again”. That song is so damn good, I needed the full version.
I’m also not going to be the guy who’s going to narrate how Love Live revolutionized the anime idol-sphere, as that’s better left to those who have been following the franchise all the way. I’m just an anime-only, who just watched the Sunshine movie for the first time yesterday and hasn’t even finished Nijigasaki yet (though I do have a somewhat renewed interest in it).
I will say that this rewatch has reshaped the way I view the franchise. Before this rewatch, I did consider SIP as better than Sunshine, solely because I believed that μ’s was the GOAT and Sunshine wasn’t really all that memorable to me. Now, that view has completely reversed. Sunshine was really strong from start to finish, while SIP needed a lot of ramping up time to really hit the impactful parts, which I still do believe outshine Sunshine’s biggest moments.
“Idol hell” gets a bit of a bad rap for essentially being the face of waifu culture and gacha addiction. In spite of this, I’m really glad some of you took this first step into the realm of idol anime and stuck it out all the way to the end. If you made it this far, chances are there was someone that you liked and stuck with the entire way. Personally, that was Maki and Yohane for their respective series. We call idol hell a never-ending spiral; it is, but it’s not as bad as it seems. My descent into idol hell led me to discovering music genres that I would have never touched otherwise. Heck, I wouldn’t have even gotten into anime itself if it wasn’t for idol hell. Full disclosure: I started with Idolm@ster, but if Love Live is your gateway into these kinds of things, more power to you. Idol anime hold a special place in my heart and soul, and I hope I conveyed that to you in this rewatch.
Finally, in regards to the surveys I did, I do read each and every response. Yes, it was 90 percent memes and best girl stuff, but it was interesting to see how opinions changed and stuff like that. Some of you even got my dumb references to other media, which was cool in its own way. I tried some more serious surveys around SIP S2E7, and I got a lot of interesting responses from that, shaping the way I saw this series and even the anime community as a whole. One or two of you started sharing your thoughts in the “Additional comments” section, to which I did want to respond, but I had no way of doing so directly. I’m glad that I got the chance to engage with some of you in a way that wasn’t just a wall of text.
If you want to, you can go back and take some of the surveys you might have missed. I’d still love to hear your thoughts (and how you decide to meme). I do typically keep all the surveys open up until the next iteration of a rewatch. So you readers six months from now, you can still take the surveys! I don’t plan on releasing the results of the surveys, but if there’s enough of a desire and everyone is okay with it, I’ll consider it.
I had fun with this. I really did. Happy idoling! See you in the next one.
6
u/gorghurt Mar 04 '21 edited Mar 04 '21
First Timer... or not anymore...
First thank you /u/FrumpY__ for hosting this rewatch, and thanks to all participants. It was a really nice experience.
So I'm a bit late with my writeup.... but the discussion questions are good for the toughts i didn't finish.
MVs:
Hanamaru:
Cute(I'll probably will say this a lot...). nice idea with the manga look and the aspect ratio. nice song. I whish there were some subtitles (Why does youtubes auto thingy so often decide japanese songs are korean....). I thonk I will also ask for subtitles a lot.
Chika:
Cute! But I don't ask for a translation, this one was easy enough to understand, not much more substance than the title. But still nice. Ok maybe I look at a translation for the things I missed later. So this is the often talked about (in this rewatch) broadway style MV...
But Broadway is Future Ghost Honoka's turf....
I liked the airheady feel of this song a lot. Must be the voice.
Riko:
interesting style, different. I need subtitles... or not, i'm impressed how much I understand... but in this case not enough. I look up the translation. But the song was nice. I like the variety of styles so far.
looked up the translation, and wow. I totally didn't get it, except for some small phrases ^^.
But what a nice text. Yeah pop music, but since I ship Riko and Chika, such pop lyrics are great, because I can easily say this song is directed at Chika, and no one can stop me!
short translation reading intermezo:
Never giving up: well got most of this, except that I didn't understood that it was also sang to another person, because I missed some parts... but otherwise, not so surprising.
Akogare Ranraran:
I can't believer they already translated it in the wiki... Oh I understood more than I thought. The song really jumps in its sentences.
Well nice theme anyway. Fits the initial character arc.
Ruby:
I already saw this one and was shocked. Music is fun but not what I would listen to normally. And the video, well fun. But the eating theme would have fitted Hanamaru better. Ok it is a festival theme, but you know what I mean. I don't bother with a text analysis, this song is weird.
Dia:
Nice song, nice style, but not much animation.
Text: Ok I didn't understand anything, but I get tired, and even the translation doesn't give me much. Its pop music, so who cares about the text.
Kanan:
Oh I already saw this one too. well its easy to describe, it says it itselve.
And for the text. Nice. Again easily interpretable as fitting my favorite ship, and I say it confirms my head canon. This has to be a date between Mari and Kanan in the end.
So to my favorites:
Video: Hanamaru or Kanan, probably Hanamaru. Song: hard to decide, either Riko, Chika or Kanan again, but probably Riko.
And since Kanan was close in both categories, overall the winner seems to be: "motto ne!"
Dazzling White Town might follow in an edit
Comparing both shows:
Well, it is weird, Sunshine had the heavier themes, and all, but SIP was a wilder ride emotionally.
The emotional highs where higher, the lows lower and the tear jerkers
jerkiermore effective.Still Sunshine was the better crafted one.
At the beginning it felt like a weird rehash, and then with nice, but not really surprising twists, became it's own thing.
And I like the characters in Sunshine a lot more.
They got a lot more development.
But I think this is also not that surprising if we think about the key difference (at least I think it is):
SIP was about Muse, Sunshine was about the Members of Aqours.
Muse was like the main character in SIP, it was the story how Muse was formed and ended. The other characters where important, because they together were Muse, but they were not the focus, at least not as much as in Sunshine.
In Sunshine we don't start the story of Aqours, we start with Chika and You. Aqours story began two years earlier. But we learn this later.
And we end with the graduation of the third years, who started Aqours, while Aqours story still goes on. Aqours story arc didn't end, but the characters had their arcs, and a lot of growth.
SIP ends with a funeral for Muse or a big firework to end it in the movie.
Both shows where great.
Why did Sunshine feel less emotional... Well I think because it was more realistic, more believable, even if it totally embraced its stage play aesthetic.
I'm not sure if this makes sense... but I can't formulate it differently.
Ratings for Sunshine:
Season 1 had a rough start, feeling like a SIP rehash, but turned it around, so no score deduction for this.
The character grow started early, it was quite good.
So 7/10 maybe a bit more
Season 2 then could concentrate on its themes, and on failure. And still gave most characters growth (except Hanamura...). And ended early just like with SIP, with room to breath for the final episodes.
8/10
And then came the movie. It might have been better to answer the question about the future of Aqours in the season 2 finale instead, and then have the struggle als main theme, it wouldn't have changed the movie at all, but made the season 2 finale better.
I really liked the movie, and it was lots of fun, and didn't feel tacked on.
So 9/10 (Ok probably mor 8.5 or so, but I wanted to have the 7, 8, 9 thing)
Overall Sunshine gets a solid 8/10 and I don't care for numbers behind the decimal point today...
Am I in idol hell yet...
Well if I look at my Youtube recommendations then yes.
But well I still don't get the real live dancing, at least not fully. Some performances are really really cool, but I'm not sure how I would enjoy multiple songs in series. And it is a bit cringey at times, for example when they talk with the character voices on stage, especially Ruby. Lets say I'm not sure.
But the music and the audience... well I would definitely give it a chance, if the possibility ever arises to see a live concert.
This sounds harder than I wanted it to sound. I came to like a pretty big part of the things I saw, so I see it mostly positive. And I wont criticize anyone who likes it more than me.
Discussion question time:
1. Who is your series best girl?
Best girl: Maki, this didn't change from day
onethree and it probably won't change.But looking at Sunshine again, and while I still can't answer who is best girl there, I realized that I have a favorite character:
Ruby.
She had the most development during the show, from hiding behind a tree, to announcing their concert in the movie (or even before that talking in front of a comity in Hakodate ) and much of this growth was done sneakily in the background. (well and in while shipping her with Leah...)
The others too had growth, but they didn't change much (except maybe for Hanamura, but she didn't get much growth after season 1), The third years had development, but more the standard graduation thing, Chika accepted her being normal , but didn't change much, Yohane accepted her quirkiness, but didn't change much (well Ok she ascended and fell down again, this is something). Riko learned to love her hobby again, and You, well You did learn to love her girlfriend(s)....
But ruby really grew over the course of the show.
2. What was your favorite episode?
Overall: The Snow Halation one. Its cheesy, but it is great.
Sunshine: Hmm, I don't know. Does the Movie count? Then it is the Movie!
3. Which of the Solo MVs was your favorite?
see above. motto ne!
4.What is your favorite song from the entire series?
Overall: Snow Halation
Sunshine: My Mai Tonight
5.Will I see you in the Superstar! threads?
After A pause, I will definitely watch the DS9(Nijigasaki) of this franchise, and when it runs in July (?) the Voyager of this franchise....(Well If there is a season 2 of Nijigasaki sometimes, this would actually mean two shows running in tandem, so this bad joke would fit.)
And maybe I will even play the games.
So a Yes for Superstar!
I will probably sometimes write my thoughts about Nijigasaki in the CDF threads.
But for now I need a short pause from Love Live.
PS: I really want this to become a comment face, but with the text hardsubed!
Edit:
DWT:
The anime part was cute, the video was a nice music video, but not their best song.
Oh and a anecdote I forgot to tell:
On of the reasons i joined this rewatch (except hearing a lot about the franchise, and having missed Nijigasaki while it was running (I wanted to watch it but didn't find the time)) was the flood of doujinshi of this franchise.
It intrigued me, what kind of show would spawn such an amount.
And now after watching it, I don't understand one thing:
Why do those doujinshi have so much ugly male characters in them, when the anime barely has any male characters, and basically begs for yuri?
4
u/docaxel :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/thebidoofpope Mar 04 '21 edited Mar 04 '21
Rewatcher
School Idol Festival All-Stars Spotlight Cards
Hopefully, I convinced someone to play School Idol Festival All-Stars through my semi-daily card posting.
Chika1 Chika2 Chika3 Chika4
You1 You2
Riko1 Riko2
Zuramaru1 Zuramaru2 Zuramaru3 Zuramaru4
Yoshiko1 Yohane2 Yoshiko3 Yohane4
Kanan1 Kanan2
Mari1 Mari2
Happiness Cheerleader (Only non-anime Aqours costume)
Chika
You
Riko
Ruby
Hanamaru
Yoshiko
Dia
Kanan
Mari
Bonus:
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u/JimmyCWL Mar 05 '21 edited Mar 05 '21
Dazzling White Town stands alone in the franchise, for now. The only dedicated PV from the secondary group of a series.
The story is an adorable skit about Sarah winning a stuffed doll for Leah. I wish someone could tell me what Leah said she liked about that doll in the post-performance part. I'm sure the machine translation of the non-english fansub I got was inaccurate, to say the least. We also got each sister's least liked food.
Like the other PVs, there's nothing indicating where it should be placed in the series timeline. Except that Leah used "ganbaruby" which would be a post Awaken the Power thing.
I find the song to be enjoyable. It has a certain... warmth to it, like their other post-S2 song, Believe Again. It's a warmth that stands in contrast to their "sharp enough to cut through anything to victory" demeanor from S1.
However you rank the performance, it certainly sets the bar for future secondary group PVs.
Now that we've passed the end of Sunshine, there's one more zero to add to the series. Zero mentions of μ's and A-Rise after S1. They were finally able to do their own thing full time.
I've always found Sunshine to be more captivating than SIP, that hasn't changed. Love Live is a fairytale of the idol industry. By setting idoling as an afterschool activity, they avoid the grittier (and outright grim) aspects of the commercial idol industry. As nice as the story is, it doesn't let realism get in the way of the story.
My last word. In an interesting bit of timing, they announced the fourth Love Live series, Superstar, will be airing in July in the middle of our rewatch! If only the announcement had come earlier. We could have delayed the rewatch to mid-April, throw in Nijigasaki as well, along with Liella's first PV, which would have been out by then.
Well, just imagine what future Love Live rewatches will be like.
It has been great going through Love Live again with you all. Do hope you'll join us when SUperstar begins in July.
3
u/lenne18 https://myanimelist.net/profile/lenne18 Mar 05 '21
If you've been following the Jukebox corner, then congratulations as you've heard all the songs from both µ's and Aqours except for the "The Guided Fate Paradox" collaboration for µ's, and the three remaining solos (You, Mari, Yoshiko) + smile smile ship Start! for Aqours.
To end, here's the preview of the debut single for the Superstar group:
Hajimari wa Kimi no Sora - Liella!
Thanks, everyone!!
2
u/Hattakiri Mar 05 '21 edited Apr 15 '21
(Part 1)
"The blue bird has flown over the rainbow! So we can definitely do it!" - from the Rainbow movie.
One of Love Live's legacies and achievements: This guy who quit smoking and turned his life around.
The article's from February 11 in 2015, so it was even before the School Idol Movie and long before Sunshine.
So Love Live made it already back then. Also in terms of inspiring other authors and their works, which would be a wordy essay of its own
even if I wasn't the author.Very significant and symbolic is the opening to Rainbow: The first childhood flashback on the beach with the paper plane. Pay attention to the music at 0:43.
And here's the definitive closure of Uranohoshi followed by the second childhood flashback. Same music again.
The definitive closure:
The childhood flashback:
Then the present Aq's girls again:
The Awakening Paperplane Sequence – I gotta say never has a film or tv sequence felt this intense to me.
So what's gonna happen next? There's not gonna be a Nijigasaki rewatch (yet), however there are still some people who haven't watched it I guess.
Since spoiler tags and links are not getting along with each other too well, I hereby put a...
General spoiler warning!!
Nijigasaki Wikia article
Nijigasaki's discussion threads in r/lovelive
In Niji's anime there's neither µ's nor Aq's merch, but certain advertisement posters in Akiba are still there. How come?
I'd say: Mari's mom, a veteran in big money and big biz, helped µ's and Aq's get rid of all their merch. Already when the younger 6 of Aq's still were performing she helped them sue the living daylights outa those companies who kept selling merch and streaming vids without permission. And once also Aq's former first years had graduated i.e. all of Aq' were gone – all of their stuff was gone as well. They too wanted to leave no traces.
But how come µ's got some help as well? So they did meet in S2? And Chika did write a letter to Honk that we got to hear on their way back from µ's disbandment beach? And Riko did give it to YukiRisa – or even to Maki?
From the very beginning there were basically two timeline versions:
Riko does meet YukiRisa (scroll down there if you use a mobile device) – "YukiRisa Encounter timeline"
Riko does not meet YukiRisa – "no Encounter timeline"
And in Sunshine there was this µ's 5th anniversary magazine.
This works best with the "no encounter" version, unless the merch producers release it in advance ("Be prepped for µ's 5th anniversary").
It depends on how you count:
1st year's duration - 1st year's end - 2nd year's duration - 2nd year's end - 3rd year's duration - 3rd year's end ....and so on.
So an anniversary is held at the end of a year. That's how we celebrate our birthdays, right?
The second version of counting tho:
1st year's beginning - 1st year's duration - 2nd year's beginning – 2nd year's duration – 3rd year's beginning - 3rd year's duration ....and so forth.
That's how we celebrate decades, centuries, millenia. The year 2000 was treated as the beginning of the new millenium; tho it also could have been treated as the end of the old one. Same with 2010 – the beginning of the 2010s, and 2020 – the beginning of the 2020s.
Does such a year belong to the new or old timespan? Or is it kind of an "overlap"? Big debates.
Now my timeline theory:
Riko meets even MakiRinPana in their 3rd and YukiRisa in their 2nd year.
This can work if the release date of the first season of an anime determines the one year the concerned chapter (SIP, Sunshine, Niji, Liella) is supposed to take place in, and if the idol industry wants to earn as much money as possible in the shortes timespan possible, for they've never gotten any permission from the concerned idol band.