Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai

Buried within the numerous clubs at Nijigasaki High School lies the school idol club. The club, while lacking popularity, definitely does not lack potential. During their debut performance, they were able to seize a sizable audience, along with the attention of their schoolmates Ayumu Uehara and Yuu Takasaki.

Enamored, the duo makes their way to join the club; however, they are disappointed to find out that the club had just been disbanded. Nevertheless, Ayumu does not believe that it should have ended there. Together with Yuu, they begin restoring the school idol club, hoping to recreate the idol performances that dazzled them before.

Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai shines its spotlight over the reformed school idol club as they recruit both former members of the club alongside newcomers. Taking the first step towards their dreams, how will these girls achieve idol stardom?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Alternative setting:	Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!, Love Live! Superstar!!
Other:	Tokimeki Runners, Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars, Muteki-kyuu*Believer / Mirai Harmony, Nijiyon Animation, Nijiyon Animation 2
Sequel:	Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai 2nd Season
Summary:	Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai Recap

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Characters & Voice Actors

Yuuki, Setsuna

Main

Kusunoki, Tomori
Japanese

Tennouji, Rina

Main

Tanaka, Chiemi
Japanese

Konoe, Kanata

Main

Kitou, Akari
Japanese

Nakasu, Kasumi

Main

Sagara, Mayu
Japanese

Uehara, Ayumu

Main

Onishi, Aguri
Japanese

Ousaka, Shizuku

Main

Maeda, Kaori
Japanese

Miyashita, Ai

Main

Murakami, Natsumi
Japanese

Takasaki, Yuu

Main

Yano, Hinaki
Japanese

Asaka, Karin

Main

Kubota, Miyu
Japanese

Verde, Emma

Main

Sashide, Maria
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Sabat, Christopher

Producer

Cook, Justin

Producer

Ootsuka, Hiroshi

Producer

Herek, Samantha

Assistant Producer

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Opening Theme

"Nijiiro Passions! (虹色Passions!)" by Nijigasaki School Idol Club (虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会)

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Ending Theme

"NEO SKY, NEO MAP!" by Nijigasaki School Idol Club (虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会)

Reviews

Dec 26, 2020

Veronin

Recommended

There are few anime as equally enjoyable as they are remarkable. And there are fewer still as thoroughly pleasant as Sunrise's latest foray into the world of school idols.

Love Live: Nijigasaki is a wholesome reminder of why I enjoy anime, and of why the slice-of-life genre is so captivating.

Admittedly, after the middling and sometimes frustrating experience that was Sunshine, I wasn't too sure what to expect from this year's offering of Love Live. While I was a big fan of the original series (Nico is my favourite character in all of anime), Sunshine missed the mark in many regards. It forgot what made Love ... Live so special in the first place— charming characters and cute slice-of-life— and decided instead to replace it with unhappy vibes and drama in excess. Sunshine was always walking in the original's shadows, with abundant references to Muse, and of days gone by.

The great news is that, by bringing the series back to its roots, Nijigasaki firmly stands on its own two feet. It is comprised solely of the franchise's best elements, and highlights the reasons so many people fell in love with Love Live all those years ago. And, with a few important changes and some new layers of complexity, I believe that it is legitimately superior to the original. Love Live's third outing is its best yet.

A large part of what makes Nijigasaki such a pleasure to watch is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. The tone here is far more light-hearted and slice-of-life focused than previous, which is when Love Live had always shined the most, from my perspective. While there is still a degree of drama, it is used sparingly, and in a wholesome and heartwarming manner, with the conclusion to the conflict almost invariably resulting in a smile or even a big stupid grin. If you're the type of person who watches anime primarily for fun, I would say there are not many anime that do it better than Nijigasaki. If you're not so much a seeker of fun, and instead have a preference for the dark and violent and so forth... well, you've found yourself in the wrong place, I'm afraid.

I've always found it admirable how Love Live manages to develop large casts of characters in such a concise amount of episodes, and Nijigasaki is the best example of this to date. It bumps the size of the main cast from nine to ten, and rather than the characterization taking a hit as a result, to the contrary, it is actually an improvement over previous seasons. Each of the girls, no matter how boring or forgettable their design may initially suggest, receive at least one full episode developing their character in a meaningful way, giving ample reason for you to care about them. Contrast this with Sunshine, where I remember Saint Snow, the darn rival group, more than the actual main cast, and it is a world of difference in quality. Even the original series had some characters I felt were underdeveloped (Nozomi in particular), but such is scarcely the case here.

The best example of character development done right is with Rina's episode. Personally, and I am sure many felt the same way initially, her character design elicited a sigh and rolled eyes. Her face being covered by a computer monitor, complete with kaomoji and other electronic expressions, felt very much like an unabashed attempt to bank off on the V-Tuber craze of today. But Rina's episode actually creates a valid reason for her possessing this quirk. It makes sense in the context of the anime, and it genuinely makes you feel happy for her in how she has found a way to confront her fears. Without this episode, she would be another Yohane— one-note and defined by a single gimmick— but with it, she has earned her place as a (relatively) believable and dynamic character.

My personal favourites are Emma and Yuu. While there isn't anything too noteworthy going on with Emma as a character, she is adorable as all hell, as well as being from my favourite country (Switzerland). It is not often that westerners take the role of a main character in anime, and if they do, they are often either half-Japanese or a caricature with blonde hair and broken Japanese. But Emma is just a normal girl, treated no different than any of the other girls. This is laudable on Sunrise's part, as it demonstrates that they are more broad-minded and accepting of other cultures than most studios. It is the little details such as these which make the Nijigasaki girls so appealing.

Of course, with it now being the third full Love Live series, it does follow a formula that most fans have grown accustomed to. But where the first two series spent the majority of their first seasons merely building up and assembling the idol club, Nijigasaki is done with this in its first few episodes, and swiftly moves on to character development and other matters. The only aspect I wish were different was that, maybe, this time around, the girls could have all started together from the first year of high school. I always thought it was a shame that Love Live had to end after a single year of story, and would much prefer to see a full three years played out instead. This is especially true in the case of Nijigasaki, as the cast is so vibrant and exciting that the thought of it ending after two seasons (provided we are even lucky enough to get that far) just doesn't sit right. But, I suppose, it is always better to end on a high note than to risk meandering about.

There are considerably strong yuri themes within Nijigasaki. Unlike the other Love Live series, and most slice-of-life in general, it doesn't exist merely as a suggestion or as fanservice, but as something more sober and markedly human. One of the main characters is genuinely— that is, objectively—in love with one of the others. While this initially comes off as a bit of a shock when it is revealed, especially with it occurring so late into the season, it is handled in a surprisingly mature manner, and ends with a hell of an emotional closer. While my first thoughts were "Oh no..." when I realized things were going down the oft-trodden yuri path, the events of these two episodes earned my support, and this comes from someone who isn't even a fan of yuri. Sure, hell, I'll even cheer the two of them on, and hope that everything works out between them in the end.

This yuri romance also adds a new layer of complexity to the story. Though I was already enamored with the anime by this point, it went above and beyond, taking a large risk that could very well have sabotaged my enjoyment and appreciation of the anime. But it is a risk that paid off, and I am interested in seeing where this romantic substory arrives at in the second season. The events of these two episodes do steal the focus away from what was otherwise a very slice-of-life centric anime, however, which may not be to everyone's tastes. But as long as Nijigasaki balances the two, and doesn't let the romance overtake the slice-of-life, then I believe the two aspects can peacefully co-exist and compliment one another.

Love Live: Nijigasaki is a delightful and remarkable experience throughout. It is some of the most fun I have had watching an anime in... well, if not just a long time, then perhaps ever. If you enjoy slice-of-life anime to any extent, then, even if you have watched Love Live in the past but were irked for some reason or another, I would strongly urge you to give Nijigasaki a chance as it is a different beast entirely. This isn't just an anime for Love Live fans, or idol fans— it is a love letter to slice-of-life fans as a whole.

In a lot of ways, Nijigasaki feels like the successor to K-ON (complete with its own Azusa equivalent), to which I feel like Nijigasaki has firmly surpassed. Its slice-of-life moments are more fun. Its music is more charming. Its characters are more compelling. Hell, it even handles yuri better.

So where does that leave me, as someone whose favourite anime, for several years, was K-ON?

While the second season still remains an unknown entity, Love Live: Nijigasaki, in my opinion, is poised to be one of the most lovable slice-of-life anime in over a decade.

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Dec 26, 2020

Ryoketsu

Mixed Feelings

This new anime from the Love Live franchise is a huge disappointment. The production is perfectly up to date, the CG is so good that for the first time it does not require the use of 2D in the concerts and the songs are wonderful but, besides these things, there is not much to be praised in Nijigasaki Doukoukai. And I say that as someone who loves the franchise. School Idol Project and Sunshine were great anime, while this one can't get anywhere near that.

This review may contain light spoilers. Not that I say anything that could ruin your experience, but I comment on the ... structure of this story to exemplify what exactly makes Nijigasaki Doukoukai a disappointment for me.

Story: 3/10. My biggest problem with this spin-off of the franchise is the fact that it doesn't have a story, however bizarre it may seem. This is because the series uses the first 9 episodes to introduce the girls one by one and literally does nothing else during that time. Watching these episodes gives me the feeling that I am playing a gacha game in which, each week, it releases the side story of one of the characters. However, there is no main story.

It seems to me that the most important thing for Nijigasaki Doukoukai is to sell waifu. When, after 9 episodes of selling waifu, the anime decides to tell a story, there is no basis for anything. Mainly because it is very difficult to remember each of the girls who have been introduced over the past 9 weeks. In the case of each of them, what happens is the following: in her episode, she matters. In the other 8 of this early phase of the series, the anime hardly remembers that she exists.

At the time of the last few episodes, the script tells you that months have passed and you have to accept it just because, since there was no indication of the passage of time in the initial nine episodes in which the anime was concerned exclusively with selling waifu. So the script talks about how X character has been working hard lately, but the only thing we saw from her was in her presentation episode and she was practically irrelevant in the other 8, with very few exceptions.

This makes it impossible to create a connection with any character in this anime and it also makes it impossible to create a connection with the story itself, since there is no story. Nijigasaki Doukoukai doesn't even have any sense of unity. It seems to be nine different animes in the first nine episodes and, from 10 onwards, it becomes something just boring and uninteresting. What reason do I have to be invested in whatever they are doing in the last four episodes if I don't care about any of these characters? You can't like someone who was relevant in just one of the nine episodes the anime has had untill then. If these first nine episodes of the series were about the club, this could be quite different. But the anime chose to talk exclusively about each of the characters in these episodes and this structure ensured that none of them were really important to the story since, going back to the starting point, there is no story.

Art: 9/10. I have nothing to criticize regarding this anime in its visual aspect. The studio knows where to put a budget, even if it means turning the other anime of the season into a slide show.

Sound: 10/10. The sound design, original soundtrack and especially the songs are of the highest level, as usual. Incidentally, this is the first anime in the franchise that makes me want to have its OST, for having some songs from the moments of slice of life that do not leave my head.

Characters: 5/10. They're not bad, but the script definitely doesn't help me like them. It's like I pointed out above: in the first nine episodes, each character exists in only one of them and is practically forgotten in the other eight, with rare exceptions.

Enjoyment: 4/10. All the problems in this anime make my experience watching it far from good. As much as the anime is impeccable in technical aspects such as art, sound and direction, this fact alone cannot sustain an anime without a story and cannot make me think it was worth watching.

Overall: 5/10.

Anyway, as much as it hurts me to say that, I do not recommend Nijigasaki Doukoukai to any fan of Love Live. Perhaps the only ones that this anime can really satisfy are those who already knew the game and just wanted to see the characters from the game in an animated series. If this is not your case, I recommend that you pretend that Nijigasaki Doukoukai does not exist and wait for Love Live Superstar.

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Dec 26, 2020

kattah

Not Recommended

*this review does contain spoilers*

I have been following Love Live for quite some time now. I love the original series and adore Sunshine!! just as well to the point of creating art folders on my computer and even getting some minor merchandise pieces like keychains and cards.

Believe it or not, I expected a lot from the third Love Live generation anime despite not knowing what it was going to try to represent. What I received was wasted potential and large disappointment.

Not sure what to start my rant with, but I guess getting to the story first would be fitting because there is literally none of ... it. Unlike previous two parts, this had no to zero significant plot. Got to admit, it started kind of well. The first episodes seemed to show what might have ended up being a good storyline. However, once the characters got together (which as I remember happened about 3 episodes in) the whole thing went downhill with next half a show being what’s supposed to be ”character development” which is one of the points I will get back to later. After 10 episodes passed, it remembered it had something to tell. This is the moment we are introduced to… School Idol Festival. What even is that thing and where did they take our very own “Love Live”?... the thing this very show is supposed to be about?... the thing this show is basically named after?... Apparently, the thing that the first two parts were based around and named after simply does not exist in the Nijigasaki timeline. Why is this named Love Live if there is not a single word said about what was the main thing of the original series??? This should not be called Love Live. The story part has more to be told about and I am going to talk about those details in the next paragraph. Moving on.

What I consider the main problem of Nijigasaki crew is the crew itself. Characters. Character development is made in the worst way possible. Instead of being naturally developed with the story (which as I mentioned earlier does not exist in the case of Nijigasaki) going on, every single character is forced into the viewer by having an entire episode dedicated to each of them. What’s so bad about it being like this? Let me explain. Imagine a narrator introducing characters giving a quick description of them in order they appear on the screen. Yes, those short descriptions explaining who the character is, what their interests are, their relations to the rest of the cast etc. In Nijigasaki anime, the descriptions are episodes and the order is the episode order. Every single episode until the SIF introduction just gives us information on characters the viewer is supposed to follow with literally zero further development. You have to accept the characters as they are. In fact, you are forced to do so. None of the characters in this show can be considered main. Every single one becomes main during their own episode. After that they vanish to just hang around for the rest of the screen time. Every time a certain girl appeared on the screen, it felt like they are here just to remind us what their quirk they were introduced in their episodes with is. Kasumi constantly being self-centered, Rina constantly taking out her Rina-board, Kanata constantly reminding us how tired she is etc. These went from fun little things to GOD PLEASE MAKE IT STOP ALREADY. When there was “drama” going on, I had no idea what my reaction was supposed to be. Why would they put the most uninteresting character aka Ayumu in a totally unnecessary drama? Just to show how she does not care about anyone but herself? I guess in her case being a bad character is better than being absolutely nothing because unlike her pals she does not have any specific characteristics other than being Yuu’s friend. How am I supposed to react to characters I never got to care about? Where does the drama itself come from when the whole cast is just having fun while being in literal fillers? The story does not move with the drama too, making it absolutely needless for both nonexistent plot and character development.

This show does have good sights too. Sound and design. Not going to give any comments on the sound part, because, well, this show is centered around music (in fact it barely is, but at least it was supposed to). The character design is close to flawless. Love Live has always had great design, I just wish it was used on the right characters this time…

All in all, the third generation Love Live anime is an awful show. It takes everything good and charming about its predecessors and throws it in the trash bin. This was likely made as a fanservice material for the game fans, which I do not belong to the group of. I guess it is exciting to see characters you have known for years finally getting their own series. I understand why game fans and other people enjoy it and I respect their opinions. I, however, did not like this show. Not just as an alternative setting for two previous Love Live parts, but as a separate thing too. Yes, I would rather watch another “our school is on the edge of getting closed so we have to become school idols to save it” than this.

Ratings:
Story - 1/10
Art - 8/10
Sound - 8/10
Character - 1/10
Enjoyment - 2/10

If season 2 of Nijigasaki ever gets announced, I will not get excited for it as much as I was for this. But I really hope it is going to have something more to it other than unnaturally introduced characters and absent story the first season managed to get us through in its 13 episodes.

“Nijigasaki? – more like Nijigasucky”, - I would say if I were to be Miyashita Ai, because making puns is what her entire character is about.

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Characters & Voice Actors

Yuuki, Setsuna

Tennouji, Rina

Konoe, Kanata

Nakasu, Kasumi

Uehara, Ayumu

Ousaka, Shizuku

Miyashita, Ai

Takasaki, Yuu

Asaka, Karin

Verde, Emma

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