(L+CR) Love Live! (2nd Season)

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

^ Well, that didn't take long. Nice pic!


What I want to do now is share some interesting history on A-Rise. You see, love of music very much runs in the family when it comes to A-Rise.

Here is Arise...

Spoiler for A-Rise:

And here are the mothers of each of the A-Rise members, when they were the same age as A-Rise is currently...

Spoiler for A-Rise mothers:

Erina, Tsubasa, and Anju all became friends partly due to how their respective mothers were friends with each other. Their mothers would often wax nostalgic about the fun they had running a school band as teenagers, so Tsubasa decided that she wanted her and her two friends to follow in their mothers' footsteps. To A-Rise's credit, they far exceeded anything their mothers ever accomplished in the field of music!

But there was something missing, a key piece. A-Rise's mothers would often talk and joke about this one particular girl that was a part of their school band. This girl was a loveable goofball, that some days would completely slack off, wanting to fool around when practice had to be done. And yet, when the big moments arrived, this girl would always rise to the occasion, helped along by a very responsible younger sister.

A-Rise heard a lot about this girl, and wished that they themselves could have a friend like that. But, alas, at high-society UTX they weren't likely to meet a girl like this one. So she'd have to come from outside. Then, one day, they finally saw a girl like the one their mothers talked a lot about...

Spoiler for Don't Call Me Lazy for having Shocking Parties:

Oh happy day! A-Rise had found their lovable goofball.

And the legacy of HTT now A-Rises more than ever...

Spoiler for My Love is Like A Stapler fighting Private Wars:

You just had me literally laughing out loud. Kudos to you on that one. Well played

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Dextro

You just had me literally laughing out loud. Kudos to you on that one. Well played

Thanks! I've seen some Tsubasa fanart that made me think of Ritsu, and it didn't take me long to make some funny connections from there.

[Hiss13]

I finally caught up and I'm really glad to see that the writers made A-RISE just friendly rivals rather than actually making them villainous in any way. It's kinda refreshing for this kind of show.

[Birdway]

I need brain bleaching now, thanks T_R.

[LoweGear]

Originally Posted by Esclair

A-Rise's song: Fully hand drawn
Muse's song: 60% CG

Sunrise is biased

To be fair, not only is Yume no Tobira longer, they're also trying to draw 9 dancers instead of just 3.

Now the day they decide to animate an entire u's performance without CGI while having Shocking Party's quality will be the crowning achievement of the series.

[wavehawk]

I'm sure Eri has a dang good reason!

Also, HNNNNGGGG

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More HNNGGG: Japanese Love Live Fans are going to be eating quite a lot of sweets this month...
http://lwp.jp/llv/campaign/static/llv/

[Nork22]

Originally Posted by wavehawk

More HNNGGG: Japanese Love Live Fans are going to be eating quite a lot of sweets this month...
http://lwp.jp/llv/campaign/static/llv/

Followed by IM@S.

On another note, looks like Cure Maid Cafe got swarmed when they started their Love Live promo this weekend. Having been there, I feel sorry for the girls working there.

[wavehawk]

I'm actually wondering how many of the visitors were actually hoping to meet "The Legendary Maid Cosplayer" in that cafe... :P

[Nork22]

Originally Posted by wavehawk

I'm actually wondering how many of the visitors were actually hoping to meet "The Legendary Maid Cosplayer" in that cafe... :P

Hmmm... sure would like to go for the Minalinski-chan omelette rice.

[wavehawk]

Originally Posted by Nork22

Hmmm... sure would like to go for the Minalinski-chan omelette rice.

- (Looks at your avatar)
Hmmm. I can't understand why.
http://geestore.com/detail/id/00000056898

[II Maestro]

Spoiler for Ep4:

Damn you Honoka so that was just a dream, I thought µ's won't participate Love Live.

Too bad for the other members of µ's for they are just a back-dancer of Nico(lol). Nico swapping the face of the picture was damn funny.

[YourIdeas]

Spoiler for Episode 4:

One of the more boring episodes, imo, though it provides a slight bit of character development for Nico, who hasn't seemed to come to terms with the fact that she's not a one-girl show.

Aside from the troll dream opening, there isn't a whole lot to say, other than Nico's trying to brainwash her siblings (right down to making Koutaro wear her trademark "25" and the whack-a-mole), and Nico's a bit better at escaping than Kotori, due to the advantages that a flat chest brings .

Next episode is looking to provide a new song it seems, so I'll look forward to that.

[Triple_R]

Well, I kinda figured Episode 4 could go one of two ways - Extensive Saki-style follow-up, or a lighthearted comedy episode. Given how we're still early in Season 2, the latter probably makes the most sense, and that's what we ended up with here.

One thing that having Episodes 3 and 4 back-to-back proves very nicely is just how effectively Love Live! can switch from excellent emotionally-charged serious drama to wonderful lighthearted comedy.

The first two thirds of Episode 4 were honestly hilarious. I don't think an anime episode has made me laugh this hard since Love Lab aired. Nico's degree of deceitful self-promotion to her family was just splendidly funny - I just about lost it at the photoshopped posters bit. Eri and Umi had particularly funny responses to the "backup dancers" bit, lol.

The final third of Episode 4 was pretty nice and heart-warming. It felt maybe slightly forced given what the first two thirds was like, but Nozomi's explanation did a good job of handling the transition from almost pure comedy to more sentimental fare.

On the whole, this is an example of what a very good "standalone" anime episode should be like, in my view. I won't lie, part of me would have preferred a more Saki-esque approach. But on the whole, this approach is probably better given the overall tone of Love Live. It's probably easier to appreciate its drama when it's not being beat over your head week after week, and Sunrise does have a full cour of episodes to work with here, so there's definitely time and value in a character-focused episode like this one. And I think that most of Muse could probably use a bit more fleshing out before it's all said and done, so it's good to see Nico get that here.

[playmaker2k]

I like how the women of Muse (Maki/Eri/Umi/Nozomi) didn't appreciate being called "backup dancers" while the others just rolled with it.

[Tempester]

Oh sweet, a Nico episode. I've been hearing about how Nico's abrasive personality in S1 turned off some of Nico's old time fans who expected her to have a nicer disposition. This episode's sympathetic portrayal might win some of them back. I, on the other hand, have always liked Nico a lot, so I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. She's one of my top favorite Love Live girls along with Maki and Eli. (Incidentally, all three happen to be in BiBi. Coincidence? ) Nico is very funny and entertaining, and her outspoken personality is an indispensable asset to μ's teamwork.

By the way, it's interesting to contrast Nico with Maki. Maki was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she's very wealthy and is used to her family owning several mansions and resort houses. Nico's family income is merely average and they live in a high-rise apartment in the midst of the city. Maki grew up through a sheltered lifestyle and pampered by her father while Nico has a more cynical outlook on life, as well as evidently being used to taking care of the house and her siblings alone. Maki is taller than Nico and has a more shapely body, but Nico is her senior by two years. However, they're both very prideful and prone to dishonesty. It's perhaps all these contrasts that make Maki and Nico a hugely popular pairing among Love Live fans, to the point where even the creators play along with it.

If you go back to S2's episode 2, you'll notice that Nico is visibly annoyed at Maki's extravagant lifestyle.

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Well, I kinda figured Episode 4 could go one of two ways - Extensive Saki-style follow-up, or a lighthearted comedy episode. Given how we're still early in Season 2, the latter probably makes the most sense, and that's what we ended up with here.

One thing that having Episodes 3 and 4 back-to-back proves very nicely is just how effectively Love Live! can switch from excellent emotionally-charged serious drama to wonderful lighthearted comedy.

It's very good for us to get this cool down episode (and perhaps another) since a lot happened in episode 3. I was actually expecting the initial preliminaries to be a mid-season climax around maybe episode 6, so it was surprising to see them jump straight into everything that episode. However, I think Love Live works the best when it doesn't dwell into the serious details too much. By concentrating A-RISE's introduction and the first preliminaries in one episode, Hanada and Sunrise left more room for character-building episodes.

Speaking of which, next episode looks to be centered around Rin. Hopefully she'll finally get the spotlight she needs.

[Hachitora]

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Maki looking good in that side ponytail. I wonder if these are outfits for a new song, or perhaps they're all involved in some crazy job

[playmaker2k]

^ Yeah, The Bishounen Butlers: Maki and Eri are gonna get a lot of fan art.



I lost it right here.

Eri's body. Nico's real dream.

Originally Posted by Tempester

If you go back to S2's episode 2, you'll notice that Nico is visibly annoyed at Maki's extravagant lifestyle.

You know, it makes a lot of sense.

Nico always tells her siblings she's busy at her "waterfront mansion" until she kinda stayed in one during camp.

They made up, but that comment Kokoro was told about them "lacking talent" hit a nerve.

The preview for the next episode looks promising.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Tempester

Oh sweet, a Nico episode. I've been hearing about how Nico's abrasive personality in S1 turned off some of Nico's old time fans who expected her to have a nicer disposition.

I'm glad that Nico has a spicy personality. There's plenty of "sugar" in Muse, so having a couple "spicy" characters (Nico and Maki) helps balance things out, I think.

Nico is very funny and entertaining, and her outspoken personality is an indispensable asset to μ's teamwork.

Agreed.

[playmaker2k]

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[FlareKnight]

No complaints about pretty well a Nico episode. I think she's a fun character to have in the group especially with that contrast.

Nothing wrong with having a cool down kind of episode. While the drama can be a good thing, it's also fun to just have an episode that allows you to relax. Some good smiles, some laughs and ready for whatever comes.