At last, we are finally at the end. Will the girls win Love Live and find their radiance?
Episode 12
Not much to say about the episode except it’s nice to see the girls split off and reflect before heading to the dome. One notable thing is that Riko goes back to her old school to play the piano there. Aside from that, the performance is what to be expected. The question is, did they win Love Live?
Episode 13
Well yes given that they received the flag showing that they won. I have to admit the episode is bittersweet, especially since the girls started crying. The closing of the school gate is perhaps the most emotional. Still, I have to admit the ending is quite strange. The next day, Chika throws a paper airplane in the air and it lands on the school’s building.
After going around the school, she eventually goes into the gym and everyone is there waiting for her. It makes me wonder how the girls know that Chika will come to the closed school. Either way, it’s obvious that the story is open ended since they announced a movie. It makes me wonder what they will focus in that.
At least it’s nice to see Riko getting a dog of her own. Also, it seems that Shiitake have puppies of her own. It seems that Shiitake is female all along.
Final Impressions
Overall, while the second season is slightly better than the first, it still suffers with some of the same problems as mentioned in my top 5 Anime for 2017. The way they did the comedy, drama, and the whole power of friendship thing is getting somewhat tiring, despite the show took a different approach with the franchise’s overall theme. Still, there are great moments such as Riko and Yoshiko and the first-year students helping Leah create a song together.. To me, I kind of wished they stepped out of the box more. Also, it seems that aside from Yoshiko, Ruby, Dia, Leah, and Sarah, the other character’s didn’t receive much character development outside the prequel. This is especially the case with You, Hanamaru and Riko.
This is bound to happen since the Love Live franchise is Sunrise’s cash cow after all. It’s not necessarily a bad thing since the show is still enjoyable to watch. Still, I kind of wished that they rely less on rehashing some of the elements of the original and better convey the themes of the franchise. Things like the flying bus in Episode 10 seems silly. It’s obvious the producers wants to convey this scene as the girls reaching beyond the stars to find their radiance and show how far they grew as a group. I kind of wish they conveyed this in a better way. Despite the flaws, the show is still very enjoyable to watch, although it could have been better.
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