Catching up with Love Live! continues, though I’m at least seeing a light at the end of this tunnel (I think). This time around, I return to Superstar!! to cover Season 2. This is the second Season 2 to air in 2022 after Nijigasaki Season 2. Of the two seasons, I’m more interested in checking this one out. Superstar!! Season 1 is my favorite Love Live! season so far so I really wanted to see how this iteration continues. Hopefully, it won’t disappoint.
Season 2 begins a few months after the end of Season 1. Kanon (Sayuri Date), Keke (Liyuu), Sumire (Naomi Payton), Chisato (Nako Misaki), and Ren (Nagisa Aoyama) are all about to begin their second year at Yuigaoka and they’re hard at work for the next Love Live competition. I figured Keke would still be at Yuigaoka but it is a little surprising to find out. If you recall, she told her folks that she’d return to Shanghai if she fails to make it big as a school idol. If you forgot about it, I can’t say I blame you because frankly, Superstar!! forgot as well. It was established in Season 1 Episode 10 and it was weirdly forgotten after that. I don’t remember the season finale mentioning it at all. Evidently, the show is aware it forgot because they have Sumire ask Keke for a status update early on in the Season 2 premiere. Apparently, Keke is safe for now since the last Love Live gave Liella! some buzz but she will be in the red again if the group can’t advance in the next competition. Keke asks Sumire to keep her situation a secret from the others and I can’t help but worry that it may affect her relationship with them down the line.
Much like Nijigasaki, Superstar!! introduces some new major characters in Season 2. With the new school year, Yuigaoka welcomes in a new class of students. There are four new characters to look out for. First introduced is Kinako Sakurakoji (Nozomi Suzuhara), a somewhat shy country bumpkin hailing form Hokkaido. Next are the childhood duo Mei Yoneme (Akane Yabushima) and Shiki Wakana (Wakana Okuma). Mei is a bit abrasive but she’s also a big fan of Liella!. Shiki is more taciturn and she has a knack for technology. Last but not least, we have Natsumi Onitsuka (Aya Emori), a “L-tuber” who frequently streams her hijinks.
It’ll presumably take a while before all the new girls are part of the club but putting that aside, the main cast is now comprised of nine characters (which was the go-to number for Love Live!). It’ll be interesting to see how the cast fares this season. I quite enjoyed the fact that there were only five characters in Season 1. That change forced Superstar!! to give the cast more individual attention and expand more on their chemistry with one another. I worry that might get lost now that there are nine characters. That said, I’d be shocked if it gets as messy like with Nijigasaki Season 2 (which had to juggle with a ridiculous thirteen member cast).
While Liella! could probably continue on just fine with its current roster, the girls decide to scout for new members. To their surprise however, barely anyone wants to join them. At first, Keke and Sumire blame each other for causing a ruckus and giving Liella! a bad rep. I’m inclined to agree with it because their toxic relationship is funny but that is actually not the case. The real reason a lot of the first years aren’t interested is because they think they wouldn’t be good enough for the group. I can’t say I blame them. Kanon and Chisato are considered one of the school’s best singers and dancers respectively. Ren is the student council president. Sumire has been in show business for years. Keke is Chinese very passionate about school idols and a very capable costume designer. It’s unintentional but Liella! does come across a prestigious group.
Fortunately, the gang finds a potential new member with Kinako. At first, Kinako has no idea what a school idol and she meets Liella! purely by accident. After chatting with Kanon and doing some research, she becomes interested in school idols. What holds Kinako back is her her self-doubt; she feels that there’s nothing special about herself. Love Live! has done this kind of arc before with Hanayo and Ruby though Superstar‘s take does play out a bit differently. Hanayo and Ruby join their groups shortly after their first concert. Kinako doesn’t really have that perk. As mentioned earlier, the second years have some credentials to their names. Liella! has also done a couple of concerts at this point, even competing in two rounds of Love Live. They’re an established group at this point so there’s arguably more pressure on Kinako to muster the courage and join the club.
I like that some of the other new characters help Kinako along the way. Natsumi is off on her own world as a content creator but she does impart to Kinako some valuable advice, which is that you won’t know if you’re cut out for something or not unless you try. Shiki’s contribution is much weirder as she drags Kinako to the rooftop using a some sort of device. This is Kinako’s first major interaction with Shiki so I don’t really get why the latter decides to help the former. That said, I like that Shiki literally forces Kinako into joining the club and this scene is a fun way to establish Shiki’s technological expertise. About the only one who doesn’t really help Kinako is Mei though to be fair, she’s too busy simping for her senpais.
Kanon leads the second years in recruiting Kinako and that’s a very fitting choice. Aside from the fact that Kanon is the main protagonist and the club’s de facto leader, she is a socially anxious girl. Out of the second years, Kanon probably relates with Kinako the most. I like how the club performs a song for Kinako, thereby showing Kinako that they want her to join them. As the old saying goes, action speaks louder than words. That said, it’s hilarious how they all wait for Kinako to watch them perform, complete with costumes and a makeshift stage. Like, how long did it take for them to set everything up? How long were they waiting on the rooftop for Kinako to arrive. What would they do if Kinako didn’t show up?
As per tradition, the first episode of the season ends with a MV. This is probably the last time the original five girls will be performing a song together. That does make me a bit sad as I really like the five member setup but that’s something I’ll just have to accept. The song itself is pretty chill. I was expecting something more exciting but the second years’ intent here is to welcome Kinako into their ranks so the tone does work. One really great detail here is Kinako’s shock that the club wants her. It would’ve been better if the MV cut to her more than once but it’s neat that we get to see her react while the performance is going on and it’s very cute how the cameo is incorporated into the MV’s stylized background.
Watch Love Live! Superstar!! on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
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