> I'm still fairly new to this so pls be gentle.
Ah Love Live!, it's good to be back. I missed the friendly bond among the characters, the simple yet endearing story, the colorful and likable cast, and the unforgettable music. Like the original Love Live, Love Live Sunshine has all that. This anime is nostalgia to me, especially the fact that they looked up to Muse, cementing them as legends not only in the Love Live universe but also in my heart.
Story (6/10) :
Admittedly, Love Live Sunshine (LLS) is very similar to Love Live School Idol Project (LLSIP) in a lot of ways. The characters are based off of Muse; the story regarding the school as well, the traits and personalities, and a little bit of the looks too. I understand why people may dislike it, why they may want something new. Some would say that if it had an original story it would've been better. I agree to a certain extent but I believe that what we have in Sunshine is just fine.
I also believe Sunshine made use of that foundation better than School Idol Project did-for the most part, at least. I do not dislike the fact that the overall story is similar to SIP. Simply because it is nostalgia to me, and the fact that these girls also looked up to Muse is all the more reason to compliment what is being done in terms of pattern story (if that makes sense). Now it may not seem fair to do that since it is very similar to SIP's original story, but it was clear that they were also going in this direction and I think they did it better.
The one thing that confuses me though is the ending. Did Aqours win Love Live? I don't really know lol.
Animation (9/10) :
The animation is quite spectacular. It is bright, lively and colorful. The background designs are beautiful and it really feels like you're living near the sea. I felt some Nagi no Asukara vibes too. The character designs are pretty and adorable, but nothing new. These girls were inspired by LL SIP so they look alike to a certain degree. The "antagonist" of the show (Saint Snow) look interesting. The dark eye colors give off the "antagonist" vibe, unlike A-RISE (SIP). The CGI is also significantly better. To sum it up, if there is one word to describe the animation here, it would be "Sunshine".
Music (9/10) :
The songs are good, but not better than SIP's. Not all of the songs resonated in me. Don't get me wrong, I still loved all of them but nothing really impacted me. The only ones that I really enjoyed are Aozora Jumping Heart, Yume de Yozora o Terashita and Mijuku Dreamer. My favorite Love Live song to date is still START: DASH!! It was fun to hear Yume no Tobira as well.
As for the voice acting, obviously very well done. The thing with Aqours though is that their individual voices are hard to differentiate. Yes, you can probably tell who is singing a certain part of a song individually (during a solo part), and yes they sound more "one" (more harmonious even) when they sing as a group, more so than Muse, but it is hard to tell which voice is which during the those group moments. Muse had powerful and distinguishable voices in both solo and group song parts. This is why I belive that Muse is better than Aqours.
Characters (8/10):
As for Aquors, they were all lovable. It was very easy to like them all in just a few eps. While some characters only got little screen-time (Kanan) or had lesser time as the show progressed (Ruby, You), I still feel like this isn't the show's fault necessartily because its only 13 eps. The most impressive thing for me is that they were able to give them some story in just 1 season. SIP didn't manage to do that as Nozomi and Eli had little time in S1 (compared to the others), Kotori's departure scene was forced, and Umi had not much of a story for herself at all. When you compare it to Sunshine, then Sunshine 'shines' more: Riko's intro and story was well-executed, the 'story-book recruitment' story of Ruby and Hanamura-zura was entertaining, the occultic episode with 'Yohane', the struggles of You, the struggles of Chika and most especially the senpai-arc of Mari, Dia and Kanan-which I believe is the best story arc in any of Love Live. It just had a better story imo. Saint Snow is the weak character link that I don't like though. They didn't feel like a rival, unlike with A-RISE. Maybe its just me. One last small thing, we actually know some other characters here outside of Aqours that provide support to the main cast (relatives, classmates,etc). We didn't get much of that in SIP.
Here's my list of most fave to least fave: Riko, Dia, Mari, Hanamaru, Yoshiko, Ruby, Chika, Kanan, You. This was actually kinda hard because I don't have a clear-cut fave unlike with Maki in SIP. Either way, I didn't really dislike any of them and as usual only the MC got kinda annnoying.
Enjoyment (10/10):
I had a blast. Like I said earlier, this anime was pure nostalgia. It brought back the happy moments and feels that I had with Love Live SIP. It's everything that I wanted and more.
Overall (8.4/10):
In terms of animation and story- Sunshine was better. Everything else, SIP is. I guess it's not fair because its not an original story but I still feel like it was done better. As of this moment, I feel like Love Live Sunshine is better than Love Live School Idol Project SEASON 1. BUT! I still believe that Muse > Aquors by a mile. That's it for Sunshine! Would definitely listen to their music and watch more should there be an S2 and a movie! Keep shining, Aqours!
To those who read this review, thank you very much.
This is my second one, and I hope it was at least remotely helpful.
If you have yet to see this anime, then I highly recommend it. Although it would be better if you watched Love Live! School Idol Project! first. There won't be a problem if you want to watch this first though, and that may even make for a unique viewing experience.
If you have finished this anime and maybe trying to find an anime similar to this I recommend K-on! and Idolmaster. I haven't really watched any idol shows outside of the Love Live franchise but these two have been heavily requested to me.
Have a good day! :D
