In the past few years, shows involving idol singers has gotten really popular. While Love Live School Idol Project was in the works since 2010, it finally debuted as an Anime during the winter of last year. While I started watching the first few episodes when I was on vacation, I finally finished it this week in anticipation for the sequel that will air this spring. So, how well does it compare to other idol themed Anime? Let’s see. (Image Source)
The story involves Kosaka Honoka and her friends, Umi and Kotori. She finds out that her favorite school might shut down because there are not enough applicants. Shortly after, she gets the idea to start their own school idol group after discovering that other schools have one. With the help of her friends and other girls, she aims to make her dream of being the best school idol group come true while saving the school from being shut down.
While there is other idol shows out there such as the Idolmaster that I watched, Love Live is similar. The only big difference is that this show focuses more on idols in a school setting, thus there is no need for a producer/manager. The story is light-hearted and relatable to my experiences when I played music regularly. Although I played musical instruments such as the Piano and Clarinet for a long time, it takes practice, determination and motivation to become good at it. Just like playing an instrument, you need to have all three in order to give a good performance on stage. This is one of the reasons why I liked how the girls didn’t immediately join the group. Honaka and her friends had to convince them through their performance. To me, that aspect made the show more satisfying to watch.
As for the characters, while each girl has different personalities and archetypes, I do enjoy most of the characters. While I liked Maki for the fact that she has a good taste in music, I felt that Honaka was also a very enjoyable character since she had a lot of enthusiasm and managed to keep the group together. While she went overboard at the end, at least she convinces Kotori not to leave in order to keep the group together.
Overall, Love Live School Idol Project is a very enjoyable show mostly for its characters as they gain a different aspect in life through their experiences of becoming an idol. While I had mixed feelings with the amount of CG used during the girls’ performances (The Idolmaster anime is still better in that aspect), I still think the production values and the music were great. If you enjoy shows about idol singers, I think you will definitely enjoy this. Hopefully, the second season will be just as enjoyable and perhaps the girls will make it the top rank next tune.
Overall Rating: 9.0/10, A-, Very Good ¶
Nozomi, Eri, Umi and Kotori, I am so eagerly anticipating your returns. Squee! The power of watching people, especially cute and sexy girls, working hard to succeed in life doesn’t get old with me as long as it’s done in a really cool way. LL did just that.
I’m pretty excited for the second season too, but of course one of the things I appreciated is the amount of work they put into to get where they are now and of course, saving the school in the process.
Indeed. They are all great heroines.