I don’t think I’m joking when I say Love Live Superstar is the best idol anime of 2021. I haven’t seen many idol anime. (This is my second one). I am going to share my thoughts on Love Live Superstar was an incredible ride from start to finish.
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> TL;DR for people who want to skim and just want to know if I recommend it!
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I don’t think I have to introduce what Love Live Superstar is. It’s a very simple show, perhaps leaning into the shōnen zone, as it is the type of show where someone has a goal and aims for the top. Now, as predictable as it may seem, it’s not about the destination, but rather the journey. And Love Live Superstar had a rather remarkable journey. Let us dive into the story that is Love Live Superstar.
Love Live is different as its main focus are “School Idols”. To be honest, as an Idolmaster fan, I’m unsure how school idols work. Idols usually have a manager and certain resources, but this one tends to have no manager. It’s a new concept to me, who has never heard of school idols, but given that Love Live Superstar focuses on school idols opens a different door to the path of idols. I mean, I’m still scratching my head on the idol campaign because there are like, teenagers in Idolmaster, where the idols are raised by a manager. My point is, this opens a different door. Idols raised by themselves rather than by a manager. It’s a very different yet simple concept to me.
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# Story
Love Live Superstar is what I would call a semi-slice of life. Something like Violet Evergarden, where moments that feel like filler, are important for characterization. But, key word: moment. Love Live Superstar does not have filler episodes. You can expect a story where they will always expand on the characters.
You shouldn’t watch Love Live Superstar for the sake of idols, but rather for sake of character growth. They even have their own story arcs. Love Live Superstar is much more serious for what it is. It’s not only about school idols, it’s about personal problems, too. And for the first half of Love Live Superstar, there was a gigantic obstacle in wanting to be the best.
The best part about Love Live Superstar are the stakes. It was bothering me a bit that they could always have another try, but no, the idol girls are always trying to move forward at every opportunity. It made the idol performances hit harder due to all the hardships faced to reach that moment. It makes Superstar feel more rewarding to watch.
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#Art
I have seen 1 idol anime before this to know that the performances are going to be in CGI and look weird. But Superstar is a nice surprise. The CGI was not bad, perhaps even nice to look at. I am a bit embarrass to admit this, but I followed the opening’s choreography, trying to dance with them. Hehehehehe.
Seriously, the animation is gorgeous. Look:
▶ Video
Love Live Superstar’s character design is a treat. They look so natural, rather than a woman with exaggerated body features. I really appreciate the lack of fanservice. The artstyle, too. For some reason one of the characters were drawn in the original Love Live’s style, so it was a bit strange seeing her with the other characters.
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#Sound
As much as I love idols, I have a bit of a problem with the performances. There were only 2 that really stood out, one being rap and one being a solo. As much as I love Love Live Superstar, the performances weren’t exactly the ones I would have stuck in my head.
I think the best part of Love Live Superstar’s sound is the dialogue. The dialogue flows well with each other, even with Keke. Keke sounds weird sometimes with her talking, but it’s okay. You gotta have high tolerance, though. I can sense people getting annoyed at Keke, even though personally I love Keke.
The openings (which is full of spoilers) were fun to dance to, and the ending was alright. You can hear them here if you want to hear the song:
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# Characters
I have been itching to talk about the characters. The cast consists of Konan, Keke, Sumire, Chie, and Ren. Ren, was a character we wanted to understand. Her entire motive on being an obstacle for Konan and the others was one of the best arcs. I don’t even know why a seemingly slice of life show had such an emotionally tense arc.
Of course, Ren isn’t the only great character around here. I have yet to talk about Konan and Chie’s dynamic. Konan and Chie have been there for each other since kids, but they know what must be done in order for them to both grow. It’s not just simple friendships, it’s their drive to be motivated. Not to mention, Chie and Konan are essentially opposites, Konan being able to be confident but has extreme anxiety, whereas Chie grew up shy but never showed any fear on stage. Their friendship and dynamics are so fun to watch, but the only problem is that their relationship felt a bit hollow until Chie’s arc came.
We also have Keke and Sumire. Unfortunately, Keke shined the least out of the five, even though she had equal potential of exploring her character. We only get tiny bits of her situation and the reason for her motivation for becoming a school idol, but we don’t have an entire story arc dedicated to her.
At least, they coupled her with Sumire, who got not one, but two story arcs. I do not know why, but Sumire was a developed character. She’s even Chuunibyo. “Galaxy!”, am I right? Her character dynamic is not fully complete if not without Keke. Keke and Sumire need to exist with each other to be able to bring out the full potential of each other. Very nice.
But I kept Konan for last. Konan isn’t realistic, when most “school” anime are. Konan very well understands her own flaws and limits, but she pushes herself and others. What’s the word for this? A fun and strong main character. (That wasn’t a word). Konan isn’t the “perfect” character either. It adds light that she has stuff even she avoids doing. Like being in the center of attention. But that makes her cool, you know? It’s good to have a character who can stand on her own rather than be someone the fandom wants to “protect”.
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#Enjoyment
In the end, I enjoyed Love Live Superstar a bit too much? This show felt a bit of a nuisance when I watched the first episode, only to enjoy the heck out of it for the next 11. I would say my favourite character is Konan, because she doesn’t really feel like a normal slice of life character. Many slice of life anime give you the message of protecting cute things; I think Konan is inspiring as she stands on her own. No protecting involved.
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#TL;DR
I recommend it, even for idol anime haters (but not if you hate Cute Girls Doing Cute Things or hate singing). Approaching the school idol topic was a very nice concept that is refreshing to me. I am very hyped for the season 2 that was announced at the time I am writing this.
> If there was any flaw with this review, do tell.