[Triple_R]

Pretty good first episode. There are certain elements of it that concern me, but on the whole, it was solid and enjoyable.

There's definitely a lot of overlap between this 1st episode and the 1st episode of Love Live! Season 1, but there's some twists here that help:

Spoiler for Love Live! & Sunshine!! comparisons:

1. LL! Episode 1 focused a lot on Honoka/Kotori/Umi, with Honoka getting the most focus of all. Instead of a trio, Sunshine!! went with a strong duo focus on Chika and You (though Chika is like Honoka in having the most focus of all). I liked this change from "starting trio" to "starting duo". Certainly nothing wrong with the original approach, but the Chika/You friendship came off as really nice and cute.

2. One of my main criticisms of Sunshine!! Episode 1 is that Dia is so much playing the early Eli role that it's impossible for me not to see it. However, it helps that Chika vs. Dia already has a slightly different flavor than Honoka vs. Eli. Honoka was much more restrained than Chika, and Eli was a little more passive-aggressive than Dia. I particularly liked the way Chika and Dia really started shouting at each other there, just laying it all out on the table (figuratively and literally ) becoming very openly combative with each other. This is a good way to make the Chika/Dia rivalry stand apart from Honoka/Eli.

3. Chika is inspired by μ's, while Honoka was inspired by A-RISE. There's similarity there, but there's also differences. I liked how Chika focused on the seeming normalcy of μ's, because she's right, they often do seem like very normal teenagers. This is very different from how Honoka saw A-RISE, and it makes sense that it's different, since A-RISE really did come off as polished professionals. So here again is a subtle twist that gives Sunshine a somewhat different feel from the original Love Live!

My main concern with Sunshine!! Episode 1 is that it sometimes felt like it was trying a bit too hard. That's better than not trying hard enough, but I hope that Sunshine can find a good zone for itself in future episodes. Thankfully, I did get a sense that the show was starting to settle in a bit, and become comfortable with its own identity, by the last few minutes of the first episode. Kanan's scene was a good one for simple contrast here - In a cast that seems to be overacting every other scene, I liked the relatively mellow easy-going Kanan, as she added some balance.

On the whole, an enjoyable first episode with some very likable characters. So far, it represents a good continuation for the Love Live franchise.

Originally Posted by Pen3

The OP/Ed song was quite a letdown because they have many better songs out already.

I honestly loved the Sunshine!! OP/ED songs. At risk of sounding like a heretic, OP quality is one area where I'd probably give Sunshine the edge over the original Love Live (Season 1). Sunshine's OP really pumps me up, the costumes in it are gorgeous, and the ED has a good edge to it.

I hope there is no drooling - -;

Having an all female cast and some baiting is fine, but i hope they don't cross the line.

This may surprise some people, but I agree with you here. What they had in the original Love Live is probably also good for Sunshine, given the tone that Sunshine seems to be taking (i.e. somewhat lighthearted, not a romance).

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

...The level of overreacting (or really, just plain overacting) to the slightest emotional cue in this episode is kind of... excessive. These kids move too much, and they emote too extremely. It feels almost like they're stage actors trying to overact to convey emotions to an audience that can't see clearly because they're sitting in the nosebleed seats 1000+ feet away from the stage.

Agreed. This is much of what I meant by "trying too hard". It honestly feels like Sunshine is competing with both the original Love Live and KyoAni. They honestly seem to be trying to beat KyoAni at animation quality. Sunrise, it's not necessary, as you already beat modern KyoAni at moe. Don't overdo it.

Based on your comment here, maybe you should check out the original Love Live first. Likely due to lower budget, it doesn't have so much KyoAni-esque super-fluid explosiveness.