Love Live! Sunshine!! Film and Complete Series Blu-ray Review

Over eight years ago, the idol music series, Love Live! Sunshine!!, often with slice-of-life scenes, began airing on Tokyo MX, and simulcast on Funimation and Crunchyroll. It’s the second part of the Love Live multimedia franchise created by Sunrise animation studio and novelist Sakurako Kimino, and co-produced by Kadokawa’s ASCII Media Works and Bandai Namco’s Lantis music label. It has since led to four other anime series, the latest which finished in late December of last year.

This series follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, Love Live! School Idol Project, an anime series which ran from 2013 to 2014, and was directed by Takahiko Kyōgoku.  Chika Takami (voiced by Anju Inami) enamored with school idols, specifically the group μ’s, the center of the aforementioned series, and tries to start a school idol club at her local high school, Uranohoshi Girls’ Academy. However, she encounters obstacles along the way, such as hard-ass school president, Dia Kurosawa (voiced by Arisa Komiya) as she attempts to recruit more fellow students at this all-girls school, each of whom have their own tics.

This series has a lot going for it, with clear animation and catchy music pulling you in, as does the expressive voice acting, and the absurd and funny comedy, especially the antics of Chika and her friend You Watanabe (voiced by Shuka Saitō). There’s an interesting mix of bubbly characters, like Chika and You, and others who are more bookish, mysterious, shy, or moody. The latter include Hanamaru Kunikida (voiced by Kanako Takatsuki), Yoshiko “Yohane” Tsushima (voiced by Aika Kobayashi), Ruby Kurosawa (voiced by Ai Furihata), and Riko Sakurauchi (voiced by Rikako Aida). They contrast with Chika in many ways. In fact, Hanamaru, for instance, volunteers for the school library, which she sees as quiet place, refuge, and retreat, and often comes there with her dear friend Ruby.

The series has typical setting in a school environment. It has some unfortunate (and cringey) fan service shots. Luckily, the latter is limited. Sure, this series is optimistic, like other idol series, but is uncritical of the idol industry. However, it isn’t informed by the male gaze of that industry as much as the original. Although it has an endearing main cast like Love Live! Superstar!!, the latter series does not subject the cast “to sexualized imagery.” This series doesn’t do that either and it generally holds up.

One of first season’s highlights is the exuberance and energy from Chika, who tries to energize the school idol group she starts, which is later named Aquors. She is inspired by the group, μ’s, from the Love Live! School Idol Project series. Her friends Riko and You support her. In the process, she recruits the previously mentioned bookworm (and gregarious introvert) Hanamaru, the over-the-top “fallen angel” Yohane, and Ruby (Dia’s sister). They sing together in a group, differing from the set-up of other idol series, like Shine Post. While there surely are some occasional cringey moments, the series really shines in many aspects. For instance, there’s a wholesome sisterly relationship between Dia, who is actually a μ’s super-fan and is only putting on front, and Ruby. The latter has a precious friendship with Hanamaru, who is very bad with technology.

Emphasizing the value of self-acceptance, their different personalities mesh together. Everything is upended when blonde-haired Mari Ohara (voiced by Aina Suzuki), who barely raises a cup to lesbian icon and blonde-haired-golfer Eve in Birdie Wing, arrives on a family helicopter. She becomes the new Uranohoshi director, overriding Dia as school president, and she doesn’t want to lose Uranohoshi. She sees school idols as the solution while Dia strongly disagrees. As it turns out, Dia is worried about what will happen if Aquors doesn’t succeed and even encourages Ruby before the group’s preliminary contest, where they face tough opposition. They face rivals like Saint Snow, composed of Sarah and Leah Kazuno. They receive zero votes from the audience. It’s also revealed that Kanan Matsuura (voiced by Nanaka Suwa), Mari, and Dia did not sing, in an idol group they once formed, because of Mari’s injury.

The first season shows the struggles the girls have to go through as school idols, i.e. musicians for their school, Uranohoshi. Saint Snow even absurdly claims they aren’t serious and should give up, which is a terrible thing to say to someone during a contest. It is not only uncalled for but makes them out to be absolute jerks. Following their loss at the regional Love Live! competition, they decide to keep going and not give up. Chika pushes them forward while Mari and Kanan confront their past.

This includes an emotional scene of Mari running through the rain back to school idol club room, where she and Kanan finally talk about what happened, and another scene where Rika comforts Chika. She was holding in her frustration, and she cries on her shoulder, showing the strong friendship between these two girls. Ultimately, Mari, Kanan, and Dia join Aquors and sing with them at the summer festival, implying that they may be part of the group in the future.

As the season goes forward, Aquors, which consists of Chika, Riko, You, Hanamaru, and Yohane, and others, like Dia, Kanan, Mari, and Ruby, has a summer camp to prepare them for the upcoming competition, and there’s the anime staple: a beach episode. They decide to work at a snack bar to help it succeed so they can prepare for Love Live! While this is absurd, it is funny and sort-of makes sense. It is a contrived but somewhat believable plot, I suppose. These fun episodes make the series that much more enjoyable.

All the while, Chika and Riko support one each other, especially after Riko enters a piano competition, Chika and You reconcile (You was getting jealous) and all the girls decide to sing about their feelings. The season ends with them meeting Saint Snow again, a visit to the school that μ’s attended (μ’s is like school idol royalty I guess?), and resolve to stand out on their own terms, rather than relying on those in the past. In the season one finale, they sing at the Love Live! regional qualifiers, with their entire class coming to cheer them on and join the audience. They get one applicant for Uranohoshi. This sets the stage for the second season.

That season begins with Mari hilariously breaking the fourth wall, declaring that a “second season” has begun. Aquors, which now has nine members (Mari, Dia, Kanan, Riko, Chika, You, Hanamaru, Yohane, and Ruby), did not make it to the national competition. Even so, they continue practicing. They learn that their school, Uranohoshi, will no longer be recruiting students, despite the pleading by Mari to her dad (which manages Uranohoshi). Chika feels lost, as does her friend Riko. Through it all, Chika’s friends root for the school idols, since they represent Uranohoshi, giving her the motivation she needs to go forward. At the same time, there’s blossoming female friendships between the main girls even if you ship some of them together. For example, there is shippable moments between Kanan and Mari.

The nine girls, which comprise Aquors, aim to save their school, Uranohoshi, to get 100 students to apply. They practice so they can do well at Love Live!, with each of them working their hardest. Of course, the open house is postponed to be the same day as the Love Live qualifiers and they somehow find a way to go to both events, thanks to an orange cart on a rail track. They aim to save their school and succeed at Love Live! The season goes on with Dia trying to get closer to the fellow group members and wants them to call her “girlfriend,” another instance of yuri subtext in this series. While there’s one episode about Riko and Yohane loving a dog they adopt, which makes them emotionally compromised after the dog returns to it’s original home, others are more directly focused on the main plot threads: saving the school and the music competition.

Chika even decides to do a risky special dance so they can win the competition qualifiers. What I never understand is why Mari’s father does not promote Uranohoshi. It seems to imply that he may want Uranohoshi to merge with another school, and may even think that keeping the school open is a bad investment. In any case, some of the best moments of the sixth and seventh episodes are the camaraderie between the main nine girls, Chika’s determination to succeed, and Aquors moving forward to the finalist round. Of course, in the seventh episode it is revealed that even though they got 98 applicants, it wasn’t enough (they needed 100), depressing them all. What uplifts them, like in many other points in the series, are fellow students. They cheer for them, telling them they have to win no matter what, and to preserve the school’s life in Love Love! history.

The second season’s eighth and ninth episodes show the strength of the series. After Saint Snow does badly in a competition, after a fight seemingly between Lia and Sarah, who voiced by Asami Tano and Hinata Satō respectfully, Ruby connects with Lia. Ultimately, they decide to sing and dance together. They hold a concert for their sisters, Sarah and Dia respectfully, and wish them a merry Christmas. The same heart of the series shown in those episodes is clear in episodes ten and eleven. All of the girls traveling in a VW bus/van to find a shooting star and miraculously the clouds clear, Saint Snow give the nine girls an intense training regimen, and there’s preparations for the Uranohoshi closing festival. They decide to enjoy their precious times at Uranohoshi, while looking forward to the Love Live competition the final day.

In the second season’s next-to-last episode all nine girls reflect on why they want to sing and dance, having a silly pillow fight, and begin dancing, and singing, in the contest hall (Akiba Dome) and looking forward to the future with a massive crowd. In the series finale, it is shown that unsurprisingly Aquors won the competition and they close a chapter in their life. A big theme of that episode is the closure of doors. They close those doors as they cry, and say their farewells to their school, Uranohoshi, and the school’s third-years (Mari, Kanan, and Dia), who are going their separate ways. A song ends the episode, with Chika declaring that the group’s radiance was all the hard work they put in while they were school idols together.

Of all the Love Live series, I would rate Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club as number one, since the characters aren’t concerned about the Love Live! competition and do their own concerts instead (but still work together), and this series, I suppose, ties with Love Live! Superstar!! for number two. In the former series, in season one, the importance of archives and records is central, as what counts as “truth,” and the other seasons have a lot of drama involved. I suppose that Nijiyon Animation is number three and Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror is number four. For me, Love Live! School Idol Project, the 26-episode series which started it all, is at the bottom (at number five), as it seemed to fall off in the second season and not be as united as it was in the season before. That may be harsh for some to hear, but that’s my view.

The Blu-ray, which consists of four discs, comprising all 26 episodes of seasons 1 and 2, has very limited special features. These special features included promo videos, Japanese commercials, and textless opening and ending songs. Additionally, there are only two options viewers can select: Japanese audio with subtitles or English dubbed audio without subtitles. While the English dubbing is wonderful, without subtitles available, I started by watching the Japanese original audio instead, with English subtitles. I later watched the dubbed version and it was very enjoyable. This is all the result of Crunchyroll airing the dubbed version of the series without subtitles, also known as dubtitles, although that is changing.

These limited features are also present another more expensive version and the first season Blu-ray. It would have been great to have director’s commentary and some interviews with the voice actors. The fact that the franchise’s YouTube channel has more features than the Blu-ray indicates that producer of the franchise may believe that more will stream the series than buy the Blu-ray. On the other hand, the January 2019 film Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow which is partially set in Italy (I even watched to prepare for my trip to Italy), which followed the series ending in December 2017, allowing the characters, music, and story to live on, has various features. But, that is typical for Blu-rays produced in Japan. In fact, the first Japanese release of the series Blu-ray reportedly contained an original song CD, a novel by Sakurako Kimino, eight-page booklet, and more!

That film begins with Riko, You, and Chika as kids, then fast forwards to the present, continuing where the series left off, with all six girls, minus the three seniors who graduated (Dia, Kanan, and Mari) singing in front of their former school, Uranohoshi. They are later joined by the aforementioned three girls and other unnamed girls from around the town. After they say their farewells to the three seniors, they find that their new school is a rundown building, due to parent protests over their schools being combined. They decide to use the school idol club to prove that they, and Uranohoshi, matter. But they make a basic mistake during their performance. Simply put, they are restless, unsettled, and lacking confidence due to the departure of Dia, Kanan, and Mari. They practice in the beach in their hometown, and receive sharp feedback from Leah and her sister Sarah.

The disparate plotline focusing on Leah’s failure to attract members to a school idol club she created mostly fades away as the main story begins: finding Mari, Kanan, and Dia. Mari’s mother (voiced by Akiko Yajima) declares that they are in Italy and the group should try and find them. While they agree to her scheme, they only do it for their own purposes, not to fulfill whatever Mari’s mom has in store. This begins with visiting the city of Venice. They even see a missing poster with the three Uranohoshi graduates on the wall. There’s even a song and dance number where Mari, Kanan, and Dia dance through Venice, either on bridges, gondolas, and elsewhere, and have a fun time together.

The film has one major theme: the right of a woman to do what she wants. On the latter, Mari’s mom wants her to get married to a man she has never met (i.e. an arranged marriage). However, she refuses to do so and defends her freedom by running away, a form of rebellion. In the process, Mari, Kanan, and Dia hide in one of the Ohara vacation homes, in Florence. Viewers get to see the other six girls traveling around like tourists to the Duomo and other sites. In typical fashion, Mari defends herself from her mom, who seems overprotective, and says being a school idol isn’t worthless. All nine girls sing and dance together, performing on the famous Spanish Steps in Rome.

As it turns out, Mari’s mom only wanted to challenge her. It almost seemed she wanted this outcome so Mari would be more independent. Perhaps the whole thing was a test. The film reaches a crescendo as six remaining members of Aquors prepare to perform, hoping to garner the support of skeptical parents at the school their former school is merging into, and they get support from the former students. Before all that, Leah and Sarah participate in a mock Love Live! competition with Aquors, to make up for when Leah messed up their former competition by falling, and sing a rock song, making a memory together. While the latter plotline could have been in an OVA instead, it’s still good to see their story resolved.

The part-musical film ends with all of them visiting their former school, Uranohoshi, with Chika symbolically closing the school gate. All six girls perform together, without the three seniors who graduated, and balloons float into the sky as they did in the series finale. The movie serves as a big send off for the characters of Love Live! Sunshine!! and their school idol group, and ends on a positive note. For instance, someone is seemingly interested in Leah’s school idol club, and the school merger is successful. Despite some unnecessary fan servicey shots of short skirts from one angle during the film, there’s queer vibes in the title itself. There’s even confusion among the girls when they think You has a boyfriend, but it turns out she’s actually hanging out with her cousin, Tsuki Watanabe (voiced by Tomoyo Kurosawa). She attends the school they are merging into and she becomes enamored with idols.

Apart from the 2019 film, which some saw as a technical improvement from the series but having “wonky pacing” and “half-baked subplots,” which was once available for purchase through Funimation but is not presently available for purchase on the Crunchyroll Store, since the series released there’s been a spinoff series (Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror) which ran for twelve episodes, various video games such as the now-shuttered Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars and the still-operating Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deepblue, discography of Japanese releases of Aquors music, and more (including live performances). Some dynamics between the characters are reflected in the Yohane the Parhelion fantasy spinoff, including the friendship between Yohane and Hanamaru. Some saw romantic undertones between them, while all the characters “remain cute,” as I noted in my review.

The series is ripe for possible crossovers, including a short spinoff which could focus on Saint Snow. Such a series, if it ever happened, would undoubtedly have yuri subtext, continuing the unique feature of Love Live!: having few male characters. Series in the franchise also gives the audience more of an ability to understand the characters, with a cast centering on a core group of girls. There could even crossovers with other idol series. After all, Mizuki voiced Airi Amano in D4DJ First Mix and Riko’s mother in this series, while Yu Serizawa voiced Mutsu in the series, and Rae Taylor in I’m in Love with the Villainess (not an idol series). While it is not presently known what the upcoming Love Live! project, Ikizuraibu! Love Live! Bluebird, will consist of, it could be a spinoff of some kind. It would great to see Tsuki as an idol, even for a third season of Love Live! Sunshine, or a spinoff just about her.

Other voice actors have lent their voices to characters in series with yuri subtext. Aida voiced Fūka Miyazawa in The Aquatope on White Sand and Hiiragi Kanzaki in Narenare: Cheer for You!. Suwa voiced Kate Starven in Management of a Novice Alchemist. Komiya voiced Mana Kase in D4DJ First Mix. Additionally, Saitō voiced Miki Fukumoto in Akebi’s Sailor Uniform and Furihata voiced Shiomi Miura in Girls Band Cry. Satō also voiced a character in D4DJ First Mix: Noa Fukushima. Furthermore, series writer Jukki Hanada, who has been screenwriting since at least 1992, previously wrote for Kannazuki no Miko, Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl, K-On!, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Tamako Market, Love Live! School Idol Project, Sound! Euphonium seasons 1-2, prior to Love Live! Sunshine releasing. Since then, he has worked on series with female friendship (A Place Further than the Universe), developing yuri relationships (Bloom Into You and I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day), or otherwise have yuri subtext (Love Live! Superstar!! and Girls Band Cry), among other series he has wrote for, like The Dangers in My Heart.

Of all the characters, Hanamaru is one of my favorites, because she goes from being a librarian to a school idol. Even though this journey fits into some stereotypes, she has close female friends like Ruby (who she says she will marry some day), and she is “liberated” from the library, which is a net positive for her since she is “no longer suppressing a part of herself.” At the same time, as an idol, her appearance changes but into more casual clothes. In some ways, she bucks the librarian stereotype, as not a stock character, becoming more self-confident. The library is an escape of sorts for her, safe place for her, with the series seems saying that you shouldn’t hold back yourself and that you can do anything. At the same time, the series also gives the perception that quietly reading, and being a librarian is “bad” while becoming a school idol is “good.”

The school idols in this series are not “otherworldly beings.” Rather it focuses on nine young women who are “gorgeous, spunky, and driven,” an approach which has attracted many fans since the franchise began in July 2010. Even though the franchise’s target demographic is straight men, there is a strong pull, in fan circles, toward those who are “super feminine and pretty darn gay” as one writer put it. I’m not sure what the deeper implications of this series are, but there’s surely the implication that the Love Live! universe itself is not homophobic and that people are accepted. In fact, the characters seem like they would be fully comfortable with women dating one another, or people being bisexual, at the very last. I’m not sure what “certain truths” are reflected back in watching this series, but it is surely enjoyable entertainment.

I end with an image, shown above, of the disc menu for the 2019 film, Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow. The titles are all in Japanese, as this Blu-ray was released in Japan, but has English subtitles available. It is unfortunate that current releases of this series, outside Japan, do not have as many special features. In fact, only two Blu-rays, containing episodes of this series are available for purchase. One is season 1. The other is the complete series, containing seasons 1 and 2. I will always remember this series not for the yuri subtext, but the female friendship between the nine main girls, and their determination to move forward despite all the obstacles in their way, which is, in and of itself, inspiring.