In life, people encounter different forms of happiness. Some people find it in the places they visit. Others discover it in the foods they eat and the beverages they drink. And yet others still find it in the bonds of everlasting friendship. It's with this last part in mind that Love Live! School Idol Project 2 "sets the stage." When it comes to a feeling of togetherness, no other show comes close.
STORY
Love Live! 2 begins where the first left off. That is to say, the girls of Muse discover that a second Love Live is being hosted, and it is their goal to achieve their dream of conquering the ultimate School Idol prize.
LL2's main focus is in its idols, singing, and dancing. And for the majority of the show, this focus is executed very well. The show's highlights are definitely the compositions that the girls sing and dance to. Many of the songs deal with the problems and feelings they are experiencing at that time. Whether it is about a sense of love or feeling the need to be the group they've always been, the songs do a wonderful job of capitalizing on the shows overall themes.
With that said, what LL2 does better than LL1 is that it forgoes the misplaced melodrama. Instead, LL2 captures these beautiful emotional moments that leave the viewer both incredibly happy and extremely sad. I found myself getting towards the tears and burning throat when watching particular scenes, because after viewing the girls for so many episodes, their plight and their overwhelming love for one another really started to get to me. It's not something on the level of Clannad: After Story, but it is definitely hard not to get somewhat emotional over what is occurring.
When the show isn't making you feel so down, it sticks to its method of comedy quite nicely. The show does a nice balance of character gags, jokes, and reactions that show-off the cute girls being cute. With the comedy, the show also delves more into its characters. It forms characterization for those that needed it and expanded upon those that already had it. I enjoyed this approach more, since it allowed me to see different sides to the girls than them just being cute.
My teeny-tiny gripe with the story is in the ending. Not being shown anything afterwards, but if they somehow retcon what they did, it kind of defeats the purpose of the scenarios and events prior to it. I hope this isn't the case, but the way things are left off, I am led to believe that this is so.
ANIMATION
Once again, LL2 does a fine job in the animation department. One of their best talents is in their facial expressions. They usually use more frames than needed (this is a good thing!), making their face movements more detailed than in other shows. The same can also be said for their general body movements as well. The show is not afraid to go all out in terms of animation.
The same quality is again found in the dancing portions as well. I was a fan of the mix of CG and 2D from LL1, and I was a fan of the technique here as well.
The art style itself is again rather plain, and the character designs are not terribly unique, but it's not something that should turn anyone off. One thing I found to have increased was the use of lighting. It seemed to have more of a presence this time around, such as with sunsets, night-time locations, and general sunny daytime.
CHARACTERS
LL2 features the same nine characters that it did in LL1, and the whole cast is quite likable. As with LL1, I'll focus on three (different) girls to talk about.
Eli started off being the student council president and was rather stalwart in her ways in dealing with keeping the school open. But after joining Muse, she learns to not only integrate herself with others but also on how to have fun. She used to be rather strict and unforgiving, but the girls have her learn that sometimes just being with others can make your day that much brighter. She is one of the eldest in the group, and therefore one of the more mature and beautiful, so her character was always nice to see.
"Nico-Nico-Ni!" When you probably read this phrase, I hope you re-read it and performed its accompanying hand gestures! Nico is the girl who is both quite prideful but at the same time very sensitive to the things around her. She wasn't quick to accept that there were others just like her, but she realizes this season that the girls are not only their to further their own dreams but to further Nico's as well. Nico, over the course of the series, grows up from being a rather difficult to approach character to an understanding and caring one. It just took a few "Nico-Nico-Ni's!" to get there.
Finally, one of my favorite characters from the show is Umi. Umi is serious, determined, and yet shy in certain situations. She looks out for everyone too, especially Honoka. While watching the show, she had some of the best reactions alongside Honoka. Plus, she's able to switch from being quite angry to severely cute in the blink of an eye. Muse literally couldn't have started without her and I'm glad that her character was as good as it is.
Once again, LL2 does a nice job of displacing the screen-time among the entire cast. Nobody ever feels left out, and those that actually seemed to get less screen-time than usual actually got quite a bit more. None of the characters are to die for, but I still like them all the same.
SOUND
The OP and the ED for LL2 follow the same pattern as the first season. That is, the OP is a School Idol song that is there to get you "in the mood" for the show while the ED is there to demonstrate the skills of the singers. I didn't enjoy these songs as much as LL1, but can still appreciate the work put into them.
The soundtrack's most important elements are once again the rest of the School Idol tracks. My favorite is probably "Snow Halation," but all of them were performed quite nicely and were amazing to listen to. I also thought the inclusion of the first OP was rather clever and a joy to hear once more.
As a little aside, I feel like it is best to listen to all of the School Idol songs with the appropriate dance animations. Otherwise, I don't think you would get the full experience out of it. This is more of a personal feeling than a fact, so take it with a grain of salt.
The voice acting is also wonderfully done by the whole cast once again. Each of the girls sings and acts their heart out, and I really couldn't ask for more than what we got.
ENJOYMENT
To be honest, I've never seen another idol show before this one. Going into this season, I knew what to expect: lots of laughs, great singing, and pretty darn good animation. What I didn't expect was the previously mentioned emotions that the show was able to elicit from me. I really like it when a show is able to make me feel enough to care about what is happening on-screen, and the show was able to accomplish this.
I'm one of those dudes who likes to watch the cute girls do cute things. Honoka's infectious smile, Rin's cat-like way of talking, and Hanayo's pleas for help constantly put a smile on my face. One of my favorite moments from the show was their reenactment of each other's personalities. It was always funny to see them joke around with each other in these ways because the show does it so well.
Most importantly, Love Live! School Idol Project Season Two does more than just making you feel happy, watching cute girls, or containing lots of singing and dancing. It leaves you with a sense of wanting more, and I truly hope to see the girls of Muse make their much needed return.
SUMMARY
Story: Good, both funny and emotional but with an unclear ending
Animation: Good, art style is plain with nice dancing/non-dancing animation
Characters: Good, more of the girls of Muse
Sound: Great, OP, ED, soundtrack, and VAs all performed exceptionally
Enjoyment: Great, cute girls, dancing, and singing, who would have thought
Final Score: 8/10
