Love Live! The School Idol Movie

A Review on Love Live: The Movie Story – The story at best is simply: “Ok”. There isn’t anything exciting or interesting about it. It’s just mediocre. This was already an apparent trend in the actual series, but having it condensed in a 1 hour 39 minute movie, really makes it obvious how bad it is. The pacing is god-awful and it just throws you from scene to scene will barely any suitable transition. At one moment, it’s like: “HAH, HAPPY FUN TIME WITH MY FRIENDS” then it’s a supposedly seriously moment with a (kinda) heavy atmosphere. Then it swaps right back to the “happy, energetic moments” with again, little to no transition. It makes you question, “what was the point of that whole scene?” It feels like a waste of time and adds nothing to the overall story. It was there for simply the moe appeal. That brings up another issue I found while watching this. Because of this over usage of dramatic moments with no substance, it made me care less and less about those moments. Why is this bad? Because when there are scenes with actual substance, such as the whole tension about continuing the Muse after the third-years graduate, I couldn’t care less about it because the viewers have already been diluted to the point where their perception is just “another pointless dramatic scene.” If I were to give this Movie anything, it creates a decent conflict for once. A battle against “ the audience they wish to continuing performing for and their relationship as a group” vs. the “philosophy of what school idol means to them”. It’s a shame the execution was just terrible, it had no proper built up, and once we got to the climax, it felt underwhelming. I also need to point out the transition to the music videos, or song section if you will. Based off what I’ve seen, it feels as if they made those segments first, and were like: A:“Hey, check out this cool music video we made!” B:“Great! Where is that going in the movie?” A:“Oh” Out of the six song segments, I’ve seen, four of them were just awkwardly placed there for the sake of “We need to put this somewhere”. What annoys me about this is that seeing how they could fit in two other songs in the movie well, they failed to do it with the other four songs. It was lazily incorporated into the movie, and honestly felt like I was watching a kids show where they suddenly break out into song just out of nowhere. My best example of this is the first song segment. Where it’s just “suddenly, it’s raining... ooooh that’s bad… we can’t have fun… (or something). Then BAM, SONG. Like what? It goes from one side of the spectrum to the other within a split second, and the initiation to that segment was just, Rin jumping…. It’s a mess. Art – The animation has been half-and-half for me. Overall the drawn animation looks pretty good, especially during the dance segments. There are parts where it looks a bit stiff, but otherwise it was well made. My only complaint would be the CGI. It just awkward to look at and contrasts heavily with the background. You may argue that “dancing is hard to animate”, which it is, so using CGI is justified. But they keep on switching from CGI to Drawn, and sometimes the dancing is done in 2D animation, AND IT LOOKS BETTER. And sometimes they have CGI AND Drawn in the SAME SHOT. IT’S LIKE THEY COULDN’T DECIDE ON WHAT TO DO. THERE NEEDS TO BE CONSISTENCY, otherwise, its awkward and a pain to look at. Sound – The music is good, this is the only good part of the movie. They’re idols after all, this is probably the reason why you’d watch this in the first place. If the music was bad, I don’t know why this movie would exist then, let alone the series. Characters – My main issue with Love Live would be its overall premise. They tried to make an anime based solely on an Idol group. That’s it. In an Idol group, you only need a few things to be successful. Good songs, Moe Characters, and quirky and cute personalities. In an anime, you can’t do that, you can try, but the quality will surely drop. The Love Live gang is just generic. They’re not interesting, they don’t have any character development, they’re just one-tricks. Quirky and baseless. It works for the first ten minutes at most, but in a movie? It gets fucking annoying. Allow me to run down the list: Honoka – Clutsy leader Rin – Makes meow noises at the end of her sentences, this isn’t cute. It’s annoying. Hanayo – WHITEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE RICEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Other than that, nothing is memorable. Umi – Overreacts to literally everything Maki – Generic Tsundere attitude Niko – NICO NICO NIIII. That’s her contribution to the story Kotori - Her contribution in this movie specifically was minimal, mainly just restates the lines. Nozumi – Has tarot cards and just is there. Eri – Serious, and gets the plot rolling. Of course this a general description of the characters, but it's to get my point across. The issue here is that you can’t make a show just on very shallow personalities. From start to finish, they’re the same. Boring. Enjoyment – Can’t say I enjoyed it. I had literal headaches watching this. It was a waste of my time, and I’d rather would just want to see the music videos. Overall – The Love Live Movie is bad…. Not terrible to the point where it’s unwatchable, nor a “masterpiece” as some may describe it. It suffers from being just extremely bland, average, and mediocre. Despite the movie having great music/dance segments, that only constitutes maybe 10% of the movie. Making the other 90% of the movie just unbearably annoying. To clarify, I don't think Love Live as an Idol group is bad, I just think that the transition from an idol group to an anime and full-on movie was very very poor and deserves another look at the drawing board for we cannot continue with the perception that this series is "well-made" when it clearly lacks in the most important areas in what makes a good anime. Final Rating: 5/10 Story – 3 Art – 8 Sound – 8 Characters – 3 Enjoyment – 2

"Love Live! The School Idol Movie" is not only the best anime movie I've seen in years, it's simply the BEST movie I've seen in years and is, very thankfully, the movie that the loyal Love Live fan base rightfully deserved. Honestly there isn't much to say about this movie, it plays out like a collage of everything that made Love Live the beloved series it is and adds a deeper, more philosophical spin on it all. Rare is the event that I would recommend a movie even to somebody who hasn't seen the parent anime series but this may be such an event. The Love Live movie is every bit as musical as the rest of the franchise with the girls spontaneously breaking out in song and dance. Every little character quirk returns and we get to see M's travel abroad(personally this is the highlight of the movie). Recapping the moral of the entire franchise, the movie tells a story of friendship and perseverance. A story achieved together.

These girls found out that they are not only popular in Japan, but outside Japan as well. They got invited to perform in New York. We will follow the journey of them traveling overseas. Of course there would be funny moment, intense moment, and heartwarming moment. It is filled to the brim with emotional roller coaster. But hey all these girls have been through a lot, so its just a little rock to tackle right? Watch as how they overcome all this problem. The story continue from the last hangover scene in Season 2. Seeing them run excitedly makes me notice something. Animation is improving a little bit from the anime. In here they all look more beautiful and fluid while moving. With all the colorful background its a match for this story about idol. Because idol always deliver smile and happiness. They dance using CGI. I can safely say that it is a standard fare for the time being. Well I mean if you compare it with the current Love Live CGI, its far better. But this movie is a big jumping step to the current one. One big plot of this movie is that μ's have a dilemma about their idol group. Did they want to disband or keep it going without the 3rd years. Everything that had a beginning always had an end too. Graduation is both simultaneously the best and worst feeling. One side you happy to finish your school year, one side you sad cus its gonna be hard to meet your old friends. Because of that they want to make this last moment very memorable. And miraculously they got an offer to go overseas. In New York they spend the time with doing what they love the most, being an idol. Singing and dancing in front of non-Japanese crowd is a new experience. But they still nail every single move, thanks to practice they do almost everyday. At this point there are barely any characters development left. Everyone is now a full fledged people. To think that you watch them grow from the very beginning with only a handful of crowd. And now they're famous celebrities. That is also the thing what made this final story feels sad. We know their life, their favorite thing, their journey. So when it all ends not only the friend they had in anime, but also we the viewer will miss them. Every song that appear here are a great song. I have them all in my playlist. So everytime i hear it, my mind instantly remember the scenes. Because the song makes that scene even more memorable. Not only memorable but its also meaningful, especially the ED. Overall I really enjoy the Love Live series as a whole. We got manga, anime, games, song, concert, all of this thanks to their predecessor μ's. They're not only success inside the anime, but in real life as well. All Love Live movies have its own charms that attract viewer. Just looking at this movie poster and synopsis makes me excited to finish the anime faster. Because Love Live movie is their final adventure. Thats all I wanna say about this anime. Thank you for reading my review.

A stage of dream, hope and miracle, I think that would be a fitting title for this anime if it was made into some kind of novel. I just watch love live recently even though it was released all the way back then in 2013 and the hype was great but I was a little bit skeptical about the show back then so I dropped it, I meant like, really? Idol based anime? but I was wrong and this anime got much more than just Idol in it now I regret why I didn't watch it way back then in 2013 so I can join the hype train. Those feelings that has been built up from love live first season and second season all come into this one movie, it is a burst of feelings for the fans, and for you who haven't watch the first and second season, this like the ending part so watch the first and second before you watch this. Love live itself is a very motivating anime not for just those who strive to be an idol, but for everyone to keep your spirit up everyday in every up and down of life. The movie of course a must watch for the all the fans out there and I highly recommend you who are at the not so good moment of your life to watch love live, this anime has the power to pull you out from that bad moment.

Reviews in 100 words or less: In my past reviews I mentioned that I really enjoyed Love Live, especially muse, for the actual story it shared. For this movie, it's actually the opposite. I spent much of the movie thinking, "wow, this is awfully generic and I probably wouldn't watch this if this didn't feature my favorite dancing lesbians". The story was really forgettable, but the songs were what really carried this movie. We got Angelic Angel, the meme Nozomi spin, and Bokutachi which were all really stand out moments for me. As a movie, it's bad, but as a music video, damn it's spicy.

Today, I’m going to talk about Love Love! – the anime that changed my life. Why? Because it made me an idol. This is a comprehensive review of both seasons + the movie. I’m putting it here because this is the last chapter of µ’s’ story (TT__TT), as well as because I’m too lazy to write separate reviews for each entry and no one pays me to do it whatsoever. Sunshine!! will receive its own review after the second season (and possibly the movie?) has aired. Starting with the plot of Love Live!, I didn’t expect an idol anime focusing primarily on music and choreography to have an outstanding story capable of keeping me on the edge of my seat. And it didn’t. The plot was predictable and I daresay, clichéd at some moments. However, with its simple plot, Love Live! managed to evoke in me the strong emotions I’m used to experiencing with my favorite shows. Saving Otonokizaka Gakuin is the goal of µ’s. Doing so by performing at the Love Live! is the dream of each one of them. Following µ’s throughout their journey and wondering whether they will succeed is what kept me intrigued until the very end. Seeing µ’s at the end of the movie and reminiscing about the start of their story, about all the obstacles they had to overcome to become who they are now, is what brought the tears to my eyes. It’s the execution that made this simple plot effective. As for the characters, I believe everyone who has seen the show would agree that although they are quirky and memorable, they aren’t quite well-developed. Kind of one-dimensional, really. Maki – the tsundere. Eli – the stoic. Hanayo – the dandere. Nozomi – the pervert. Honoka – the genki girl. You get the idea. But that’s expected of such a large cast (9 main characters!). However, they are all given their due screen time either in the first or in the second season. And although their arcs are predictable and don’t stray from the archetypes, I still found something to love about each one µ’s girl. Be it her strong individuality, her enthusiasm about school idols, her cute verbal tic, her wisdom, her smile, her maturity, her kindness, her calm demeanor, or her optimism and perseverance – each µ’s member contributes to the collective feel of the group. And each one of them pursues her dreams in her own unique way. Moving onto the art and animation, I believe it to be one of the trickiest parts of the show to be judged and rated. Because while the art was vibrant and the overall animation was detailed and fluent, the dance sequences were ruined (to me at least) by the excessive use of CGI, especially during the long shots where the entire group could be seen. With that said, I would have appreciated more close-ups for the sake of a consistent animation. Even the movie, where one would expect a better animation, was guilty of using conspicuous CGI. Anyway, if I were to exclude the CGI sequences and rate the other aspects of the art and animation, my rating would have certainly been higher (probably a 9). But Love Live! does outstanding in everything else and µ’s are adorable anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. He-he. Finally, we’ve come to the sound and I’m saying finally because this is where I’m planning to pour out all my fan feelings and praises for each of my favorite songs featured in the anime. After all, these songs were the reason why I downloaded Love Live! School Idol Festival on my phone, and why I keep replaying the same song multiple times even though I’ve already completed all of its achievements, and why I curse the world every time I run out of LP. The thing is, Love Live! wouldn’t have been a good anime if it weren’t for the effort put into the music. Bokura wa Ima no Naka de – although it’s performed at the Love Love! concert at the end of the second season, I’m starting with this song because it is, well, the opening of the first season. It’s an energetic song that drew my attention from the first episode and was my favorite song until the end of the movie (where I found a new favorite). START:DASH!! – the song that laid the beginnings of µ’s’ story, as well as the song that’s always going to have a special place in my heart. It’s sung during the first live performance by Honoka, Umi and Kotori, right after the three of them have formed µ’s. It’s a song about the beginning of a new journey (even the name says it) and doing so with the firm resolve to accomplish your goals. Being performed by all µ’s members in the final episode of the first season already shows how much the girls have achieved already. And it proclaims to their rivals, A-RISE, that µ’s aren’t planning to give up. Susume→Tomorrow – the song the anime opens with in the first episode of S1, as well as Honoka, Umi, and Kotori’s first song together. It’s one of the fastest µ’s songs and I really love dancing to it. Sore wa Bokutachi no Kiseki – the opening of the second season and also a favorite song of mine. Seriously, I can’t tell which one I love more – this one or “Bokura wa Ima no Naka de”. Yume no Tobira – the song that sums up µ’s’ purpose, as well as a worthy opponent of A-RISE’s “Shocking Party”. And guess what – in Sunshine!!, Riko from Aqours does a piano cover of it. Snow Halation – the song that skyrocketed µ’s’ popularity and brought them to the most awaited and cherished Love Live! It’s also their first love song (and the most beautiful one). Here’s a piece of advice: Find and listen to the Umi solo cover of this song. Pure magic. Aishiteru Banzai! – Maki’s song! As much as I love the group version featured in S2’s episode 13, Maki’s solo is still the best. Angelic Angel – the song µ’s perform when they visit America in the movie. I wasn’t a fan of it initially, but I came to love it once I started playing it on LLSIF. One thing I liked from the beginning was the costumes for this song. Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari – this is it – my favorite µ’s song, as well as the one played during the ending credits of the movie. It’s the song I can never sing past “…toki o maki modoshite…” in the first refrain, because my voice cracks and I start wailing (and my parents think I’ve gone nuts). It’s the song that reminds me of the real µ’s, who disbanded in 2016, making the experience even more painful. It’s also the song I’m listening to right now as I’m writing this review. Kore Kara – okay, this one wasn’t featured in the anime, but it was included with the movie Blu-Ray and it’s so beautiful a song that I needed to mention it. You can call it my favorite song along with the one above. “Kore Kara” is quite underrated in my opinion and not so popular, but it’s a wonderful ballad on a par with “Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari”, so if you haven’t listened to it yet, go do it right away. And one tip: For max feels, listen to “Kore Kara” right after “Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari” and if you don’t understand the Japanese lyrics, find the English translation and you’ll see why both songs are so sad, yet so beautiful. A honorable mention goes to “Bokura no LIVE Kimi to no LIFE”, “Kitto Seishun ga Kikoeru”, “Donna Toki mo Zutto”, “Wonder Zone”, “Oh, Love & Peace!”, “Dancing Stars on Me!”, “Love Wing Bell”, and “KiRa-KiRa Sensation!”. So, this is the end of my list of “favorite µ’s songs featured in the anime”, but not the end of my “favorite µ’s songs” list. It continues with “WILD STARS”, “Kaguya no Shiro de Odoritai”, “Natsuiro Egao de 1, 2, Jump!”, “Mermaid Festa Vol.1”, “Arashi no Naka no Koi Dakara”, “HEART to HEART!”, and µ’s’ final single, “MOMENT RING”. And of course, everything by BiBi. Maybe lily white and Printemps as well. But who am I trying to fool – I love them all equally. As for my enjoyment, I couldn’t help it – any anime can win me with great music and Love Live! has some of the most beautiful songs. With that said, I think my favorite anime genre is music. Ha-ha. But it’s true. Anyway, watch this show, then go play the mobile game – it’s all worth it. I wasn’t into idol music before I saw Love Live!, y…

The perfect excuse for a musical film. This film is full of musicals moments, with a total of 5 songs in total. This movie marks the final of the series. Thank animu, because I don't think that LL! SIP have many sources that extract and take advantage. Also, is a good film that takes the teme of the Muse dissolution and the difficult decission of Honoka: continue or end. Curiously has the same dilemma of the School Idol Project franchise. The characters are the same of the series, but the center is Honoka. Also, appears a new character... or not. This "character" looks like a momentary element... I wrong with this idea. This movie is reccomended for fans or followers of the series, is very enjoyable and a good final.

This movie didn't quite hit the mark I expected it to. Starting off with characters, the development was great. From how they were in season 1, to now in the movie, they've grown considerably. Their love of being a school idol is more polished, they're more confident, and most importantly they're as passionate as ever. The scenes of them working on music is quite heart-warming, especially understanding the stakes. The scenes where they burst into music were even more heart-warming. While music is a passion, it's also something that fills them with love, so when the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years burst out into song randomly throughout the movie it made me smile. The plot falls differently, at some points it felt off, almost like it was rushed. The journey to the end decision and song wasn't as meaningful as I felt it should have been. I can't say much without spoiling some stuff however, and it's better to experience it versus read about it. Last episode with Umi in it, Umi lover out (*´▽`*)

I watched this movie before the main anime series. The way I came to know of the franchise in the first place was through memes of Snow Halation. If you're familiar with the Youtube musical mashup meta of 2017 and how it was peak comedy to mix Snow Halation with Kanye West or something you'll know what I'm on about. I also play other rhythm games where Love Live songs have been ported. I was familiar with the brand on a very surface level. I started watching it as a joke to see what my roommates at the time would think if they walked in and saw it on the screen in the living room. Turns out one of the guys I was living with was an even bigger weeb than me because his only reaction on seeing it was a nonplussed "oh which one is this?" And that's kind of the nature of Love Live. It's a show that's so recognizable for it's art style that the only question you'll have is which version of the show you're watching. There's like 4 different spin-offs now each with a group of 9 girls and at some point you start to run out of hair and eye color combinations. Idol music all sounds the same to the point where you can here a IdolM@ster songs and genuinely not be able to tell it apart from µ's. Maybe that's just me being a gaijin and not understanding the subtle nuances of Japanese performances but I really can't tell the difference. I still like it and Start Dash is a certified hood classic, but don't think I can tell any of these groups apart. Anyway enough about the franchise as a whole. This movie does everything that a slice of life anime series finale should do. It has them go overseas, has a graduation for the 3rd years, and a big musical number at the end. Nozomi x Eri is still the best ship and the most cannon, and the montage for the song Heartbeat is a section I could watch on repeat for hours. I love the part where Nozomi spins in a circle for no reason. It's a good movie, probably should have watched the main series before watching it but it didn't take much away. I was still able to get the gist of the plot. Makes a lot more sense now having seen both. 8/10